Snowkiters take to the air
By Tim Hauserman, Reno Gazette-Journal
After 25 years of downhill skiing, Dave Polivy doesn’t go to the ski areas anymore.
“Now, I wait and look for the wind to come up, because snowkiting has become my new true passion,” said Polivy, from Tahoe Mountain Sports. “I can go fast, I can get great air. There is no other feeling like launching on your snow kite and floating through the air for 20 to 30 feet and then coming down and softly landing in a pillow of snow.”
Snowkiting combines either skiing or snowboarding with the waterborne sport of kite boarding. Snowkiters put on a harness and their skis or snowboards then let the wind swiftly pull them over the snow. If it’s really windy, snowkiters can get major air, even fly for brief periods.