A Kiting Journal: by Josh Smith,

Follow Josh's Kiting experiences throughout the winter as he tells us what it's like to be a young and adventurous kiter in the U.S.'s last best place to live.......and snowkite: Montana

Name: Josh Smith
Age:14
Hometown: Belgrade, MT
Years Kiting: 2.5                         Snowkite Log #17: March 29, 2008:

Snowkite Log #17
March 29, 2008:  My mom and I had a plan for the weekend.  We went to see how Haggin was.  It was nuking at 35m.p.h. in California Creek and gusts varied.  I used the 2007 8m Access my mom was barrowing.   I lifted me about 5 to 10 feet in the air and carried me at least 40 feet laterally.  Ron Russel came with us and flew his 7.5m Frenzy.  After thirty minutes of flying, we thought it would be a good idea to try Georgetown Lake.  On the way, we saw Bob and Laurel.  (We saw them at Georgetown later).  At Georgetown, we saw Dan, Jace, Lisa-K and a friend, Cole, and Ryan from Idaho.  It was blowing at the same speed at Haggin.  Jace took me on a ride through the campground.  That was really cool!  Then I went back to Denton’s Point and tried different techniques in spinning.  At the end of the day, the wind died.  My mom and I spent the night in Anaconda.  I learned that the main key to spins is to turn quickly.  Use an Access if you don’t want to get high but get good lateral feet.  The next day I don’t want to write about because there was nearly no wind.  I will have pictures posted soon.

 

Snowkite Log #16
March 12, 2008: We found wind and Dave! It was ripping at about 30m.p.h., but the snow was very crusty. I put out 5m Frenzy in the valley for my mom. I tried to use my 12m Frenzy on Showboat hill, but only last for a short time. I could easily get 10 to 15 foot boosts. Later, I flew my mom’s 10m Access. I cannot even describe how much fun I had with that thing. When I brought the kite around to make a boost. It lifted me about 5 feet in the air, but made me glide about 60ft. laterally. I kept doing that until 4 o’clock. One time I crashed really badly because the tips of my skies fell into the crust snow first. I did a big face plant and scraped up my left cheek, but I was all right. Now I really want to buy an Access. To me, they act like a hang glider in the air. When gusts come up, they don’t launch you very high. After the day was over, we yelled SPRING BREAK!!!

Snowkite Log #15
March 10, 2008: I wasn’t able to fly today, but it was really fun and I learned what to do while waiting for wind. My mom picked me up from school in Belgrade and drove us over to Mt. Haggin. We went to California Creek at Haggin and saw Todd from Bozeman. His nephews Janie and Adam were with him. (Sorry if I spell names wrong). Todd had a really nice rig. He had a dually truck with a camper trailer which had the back end fold out like a sun deck. They were really fun guys to hang out with. Todd offered me a virgin mojito, which I have never tried. After the wind still hasn’t come up, we hiked up showboat hill and found a kicker on the other side. We skied down and went off of the jump. After jumping for a while, we hiked back to the road and hung out. We threw snowballs at things for a while. Then Janie built a snowman out in the middle of the road. He used orange peals for the eyes. Todd said, “Did you know that’s illegal?” The Janie replied, “To build a snowman?” Todd quoted, “In the middle of the road.” I almost died laughing. Finally, they went down to the Big Hole Valley to find wind. My mom and I went home. We were yelling SPRING BREAK almost all day.

Snowkite Log #14, Mt. Haggin
March 1, 2008: I have heard many people say that kiting is one of the scariest sports they have ever done. Even skydivers and base jumpers say it is the most daring sports they have ever done. Saturday was the best session I’ve had this year and one of the scariest. The wind was gusty, but averaged about 33 mph. At one point, I think the wind got up to 45mph, and we all had to land our kites. I used my 12 m frenzy through the whole session. People like Ryan (nonsensegraphix), Chris, Stacey, Joel, and many other people were there. I got to meet Ludovic and his family. He took some really nice pictures of us. My mom was filming us as well. I did a boost that scared me badly. It was about 43ft. high. I also did more 360s than I’ve ever done and landed most of them perfectly. Ron Russel just got done with a backcountry ski trip with a friend of his. He came out and flew with us for a while. While we were all taking a break, I met some new kiters, friends of Joel that were kiting for the first time. After an hour of flying, they were tearing it up in the snow. At 4:00p.m. we had to pack up and leave. It was hard to leave, but my next sessions will be better because of all that I have learned over the day.

Snowkite log #13
February 16, 2008: It was the Haggin day. We went to Showboat hill and found there was no wind. I hiked up the hill again with two kids from Colorado. One of them was the twelve year old! When we were at the top of the hill, I had to empty the snow out of my 12m from yesterday. We talked for about 30 minutes. The wind finally picked up to 12mph. We launched our kites and flew. I got some good 10ft. boosts. On the other side of the hill, there was a big drop. I would stop near the drop and jump off with my kite. I would call it a good 20ft. loft. It was like parachuting. I did that for a while till the wind died. The wind died right on time because we had to leave to go back home. I had an awesome weekend at the rodeo and being with all you that were out there! Thanks for a great weekend everybody.

Snowkite Log #12
February 16, 2008: My mom, Ron, and I left to go to Georgetown Lake. At the Brown Derby, I signed up for the Men’s Pro and Novice ski. Then we ate breakfast. When we got the lake, it was blowing about 20-25mph. I thought I would put out my 12m. I flew for about an hour before I had to put out the 7.5 ’05 frenzy. By then, it was probably blowing about 35-40mph. I could still get some good air with that kite. I missed the men’s novice race, but I made it to the men’s pro race. I ended up taking last in my heat. I would think it was because I got a really bad start, but it was a fair race. After all of the races were over, Bob and I went boosting off of the jumps. We easily got 15 to 20 feet. I lost my skis many times. While I was going off of the jump and in the air, I lost one of my skis six times in a row. Finally, I got the bindings tightened.
Everybody seemed to have lots of fun. I had to help quite a few people land their kites. I even needed help when the wind picked up 15mph. There were three runaway kites while I was landed. Amazingly, they were all retrieved and safe.

Snowkite Log #11
February 15, 2008: It was the first day of the rodeo. There was no wind throughout the day at Haggin and Georgetown Lake. My mom and I went to Georgetown first. We greeted everybody then went to Mt. Haggin with Ron Russell. There were some people there waiting for wind. I hiked up to the top of Showboat hill to see if there was any wind up there. I barely managed to get my 12m the air. I started to ski down the hill, brought the kite around, and did a two-inch boost. I decided to pack up my kite and hang out with whoever was there. The Project: Cloud 9 guys were there in their Toyota camper. I got to meat Patrick. He was one of the coolest guys I met at the Rodeo. I’m not sure if wind picked up afterwards, but we left home to Anaconda

Snowkite log #10.
February 8, 2008: Today, I flew my kite at River Rock pond in Belgrade. It was the first time I flew my kite in Belgrade. It was a great way to end a perfect day. Nate started to fly after I put my 12m out. He had his 16m Naish in the fifteen mile per hour winds. It is a small pond, but it is around a lot of buildings and attracts a lot of people. About twenty people started to watch us. I flew from 5:15 to 6:45. I met quite a few people. Now I know what I will be doing after school and the weight room. Kiting on the pond taught me how to do some mild stuff and will hopefully help me with my spins. I will probably see Brian White out there pretty soon. I can’t wait for the kite rodeo coming up.

Snowkite Log #9, Mt. Haggin.
February 2, 2008: It was a great day for Ron Russell and me. We went to a hogback hill in Mt. Haggin. The hill’s snow was supper hard pack but had powder at the bottom of the hill. The only problem we really had was getting to the hill. It was about a mile to get to from the road. Our launching place was in a big wind shadow. I went up the road where there was no wind shadow. Ron just went down wind enough he would miss the shadow. He got to the hill before I did because I had to go through a patch of willows. However, once we got to the hill, it was easy to play around. I was using my 12m Frenzy while Ron was using his 12m Manta. After about thirty minutes of flying, the wind picked up to about thirty miles per hour. We both landed and waited for the wind to calm down a bit. He decided to put out his 10m Manta, but I was stuck with my 12m because that was all I had with me. We just decided to fly on a section of the hill where it wasn’t too windy. I finally learned how to do long low boosts. They are really fun to do because you have more control and just stay inches off of the ground. The wind picked back up, and Ron put his 12m out again. We went all around the hill boosting off of the top and hitting the powder at the bottom. At 4:30, we tried to head back to his truck. We got close enough to where we could snowshoe/skin our way out.
One really big lesson I learned out there was to be patient. When I was trying to get to the hill and the willows were in my way, the wind was so light. I got very frustrated and started to get tired. After I calmed down, everything just went back to normal and I got through the willows. Patience is one of the biggest keys to learning to fly or get out of a difficult situation.

Snowkite Log #8, Mt Haggin.

January 13, 2008: We had to head out that day. We woke up and ate breakfast. My mom said Dave and I could fly till one o’clock. Dave went over the kicker, but almost didn’t make it. So I packed my kite and went to the hogback hills. That was where Dave was. We flew till 12:30 then packed up. We flew out at 1:30. Ron Russell met us at the hogback hill and we flew there for a while. Dave was flying our stuff out for us. We had some technical difficulties getting back to our cars because the wind was dying. Dave dropped the stuff off with me right when I got to a wind shadow. I packed up and snow shoed to the cars. A snowmobiler came by and offered his help. He took my stuff to the car. We finally made it back. Dave asked if he could stay one more night. We said he could and taught him how to clean it and lock it up. He said it was his best experience trying to recreate surfing.

Snowkite Log #7

January 12, 2008: We woke up that morning. It was a beautiful day out. My mom cooked some delicious breakfast. Dave and I went out to fly our kites. The wind was about 13 m.p.h. I used my 12m Frenzy. This was my first time flying this area. We went to a hogback hill and flew on that all day. I got a max boost of 18ft. Most of them I landed. I did have a very sad and scary experience though. My finger to my chicken loop came out of my harness. While I was in a boost and holding on to one side of the bar with one hand, the chicken loop came off and I let go on accident. Luckily, the kite only flew 50ft. away from me then stopped. I started flying again and boosted. This time I hang on to the bar with both hands. Surely enough, the chicken loop came undone again, but I held onto the bar. Finally, I gave up and used my donkey dick. That worked all day. I crashed many times while in a boost. What was happening was I brought the kite too far into the wind window. The kite would stall and collapse. Then I would fall 15ft. and get a good whiplash. Make sure you DO NOT do this because you could break any bone you land on while you’re getting dragged by your kite with a fence down wind from you. I was very lucky. I had the same problem going upwind. Next time, I will go as far upwind as I can, turn around, then get powered up and go slightly down wind.
That night, we built a major kicker over a barbed wire fence. Mainly, it was a bridge to the other side of the fence. I never got to fly over it though. It had some major problems if you didn’t go off it the right way. There were trees about 50ft. away and if you weren’t careful, you’re kite would hit them.
When we got back to the cabin we heated up a sauna/bath house. It was very relaxing. We ate a great dinner and played speed the rest of the night.

Snowkite Log #6, Mt. Haggin:

January 11, 2008: The exact location of where my mom, Dave, and I went is highly confidential because no body knows where it is, sorry. My mom came to pick me up from school to go on our trip in Mt. Haggin. While we are close to our destination, we see Dave by showboat hill. We asked him if he wants to come along. He said he would love that. So we get to our destination and set up our kites. My mom snow shoed into the cabin. Dave and I flew our kites and gear to the cabin. It was about four miles away from the road. These two cabins have no electricity what so ever. So heating them up was hard. After we got our gear unloaded, we ate dinner and went to bed. I found out that pulling gear in a sled is harder than I thought. Flying upwind took me forever. I had to tack about ten times to get to where I needed to. The snow was very powdery so it was hard to fly on. Wind was 15m.p.h. I used a 10m access2

Snowkite log #5, Mt. Haggin.

Dec, 31: The last kiting day of 2007. It was totally worth it! My mom and I drove to Haggin to find great wind and people. Everybody from yesterday was there except Ron and AJ. I put out my 12m Frenzy and flew my mom’s stuff to the top of Showboat hill where she wanted to fly. Once she got to the top, I set up her kite, re-rigged her and my lines, and then flew. We flew for a while and then she decided to stop. After she packed up, she started filming me and listening to music. I did some great 30ft. boosts until the end of the day. The wind switched direction and I couldn’t land any of my boosts. In fact, I crashed pretty hard and got dragged on most of them. However, when I boosted off of the cornis on the other side, I could land perfectly. About 30 minutes before we left, Dave let me barrow his 12m 2007 Manta. It had Chasta’s signature on it. I’m glad I got to fly a kite with his signature before the year ended.

Many things I learned this week were very important. Many times I have bow tied my kite. I found a way to un-bow tie the kite without walking to the kite. Grab an outer line, preferably the one which the bow tie is closer to, then grab the opposite inner line and pull on both. It took me 10 minutes to get it one time and 30 seconds another time. It mostly depends on where the bow tie is on the kite. I also learned that if you are boosting, make sure you check the wind direction and speed if you can’t land well. I got so used to the wind going one speed and direction that I got my kite upwind from me while in a boost. That’s the last thing you want to happen. You loose all of your power and hit the ground like a weight. I hope you all have had some great sessions this year and continue to have more next year.

Snowkite log #4, Georgetown Lake & Mt. Haggin.

Dec 30: This was a very interesting day for all of the people who flew. My mom and I went to Georgetown Lake to find the winds ripping at about 35 M.P.H. (estimated). A man (Greg) and his dad (John) from St. Louis were at Georgetown. Greg threw out his 6m Access while I put out my mom’s 5m Frenzy. It was a good experience for me because I learned that I could actually fly in that kind of wind with out killing myself. I boosted about 4ft. max. I found that a 5m is not a good boosting kite because it doesn’t have the wing to loft you. Greg and I decided to pack up. I told him that we were going to Mt. Haggin if they want to follow us. They did and we started driving. We got a call from Ron Russell that the road conditions were terrible. Going up the road to Haggin, we saw someone off the road. We stop at the base of Showboat hill. AJ, his friend, Tony, Joel, Dave, Ron Russell and the people from Whitefish and Hawaii were there. AJ and a friend left and helped the people off the road on their way out. Nobody was flying. My mom let me set up her 10m Access. That was to powerful for the wind there (27-30M.P.H.). I got out her 7m frenzy and set it up. That was a great decision. By now, more people were flying. The 7m had enough power to give me a 25 ft boost. We flew for a good hour while my mom snow shoed around. She got some great video footage that I will try to post. After a while, I was stupid enough to think 12m frenzy would be perfect. I have no clue what I was thinking when I put it out to fly. After 2 minutes, I tried to come back and land my 12m. On the way, I did an accidental boost and went over a cornis. That was REALLY cool! After I landed, I packed up and flew the 10m Access. That was pretty nice for the rest of the day. I got drug around quite a bit while I was out flying. At the end of the day, my mom asked if it scares me to crash hard or get drug around. I said it is actually fun once you get used to it and crash right. I can really boost off of Showboat hill and get 25ft of air more easily now.

Snowkite log #3, Mt. Haggin.

Dec. 28: This was a great day. The winds were sustained 12-15 M.P.H. and the snow conditions were good. There was a great base layer and nice new powder. My mom and I met a family from Helena, who I have met before. The fathers name was Chad. His wife and kids were both there as well. They all kited as well. The kids were I think nine and twelve. They were ripping it up! My mom, Dave, and some people from Whitefish and Hawaii people were flying too. I went to fly on Showboat hill with my 12m Frenzy. Boosting was so fun! I could get 25ft. of air easily. Some of us explored beyond the hill. I just stayed near the road. Everybody seemed to have fun. Later, Joel showed up and started flying with us. Unfortunately, my mom and I had to leave to get back home.

Snowkite log #2, Ozone Camp Tour!! DEC 14-17

Dec. 14: What a day! I got out of school early at 9:45 to meet up with Joel and Tony at Whitehall. Once we met, we started to head down to Island Park for the Kite Roundup. After an hour and a half, we got to the base camp located next to the Hungry Bear grocery store. Brian and Heather were there as well as some other kiters from around the area. The wind was a sustained 13 m.p.h. (I might be wrong, the winds were pretty mild the whole weekend) and the snow conditions were perfect. After talking to some people for a few minutes, Joel, Tony, and I set up our kites to fly. I put out my 2007 12m Frenzy. That was probably a perfect kite for those conditions. There was an old abandoned cabin in the field we were flying. It lied flat land. Closer to the highway was a small hill that was perfect for boosting off of. My best boost for the day was probably 7 feet. Later, I started to explore beyond the old cabin. Right where the cabin was sitting was another small hill. At the bottom of the hill was a ditch, which caught me by surprise when I boosted in the ditch I couldn't see. Everyone seemed to be having great fun that day. The wind could have been better, but it was all worth it. At the end of the session when the wind began to fall, we decided to pack up and check in to our cabin. About five miles down the road, we arrived at our cabin, unloaded some gear from Tony's trailer, and went to the bar. I left early to grab some food my mom cooked up for us and go to sleep. That day I learned how sheeting in the kite and changing position on the bar can change the aspect, speed, and power of the kite. Like the Ozone manual says, it is similar to switching gears. Eventually, it helped me go up wind and boost more effectively.

Dec. 15: I woke up at 7:30. It was to early to wake up anybody. Stacey, Chris, and Mike showed up at our cabin last night. Tony and Joel slept in the trailer. To start the day, I watched Project: Cloud 9 and Something Stronger. They were both great movies. Chris woke up and we greeted each other. We tried to make breakfast, but there were no bowls, pans, or cooking utensils for the oven in the cabin. So I just had some lasagna from last night. Stacey and Mike woke up and I greeted them. Later, Joel and Tony wake up, grab some breakfast, and get ready to head out. At the base camp, the wind was blowing at 18 m.p.h. AJ, Brian White, Heather, Brian, Mike, Chris, Stacey, and many others showed up after we did. I was the first one to start flying that day. It was about 9:30. Again, I used my 12m Frenzy for the majority of the day. I discovered there was a nice kicker on both hills of our kiting area. Using that, we could easily get 10 feet of air. I tried some new techniques with the De-power bar. By pulling it in while it is at 55 degrees or lower to the ground, the power increases and your speed will too. When in the air while boosting, let the bar out to glide longer and get higher. As the day went by, the wind started to slow down. I was very willing to fly a larger kite. I asked Joel if he had a 14m Frenzy. He said he did and let me borrow it. What an AWESOME kite!!! I could get the same advantages as I did the 12m in faster winds. Later, I will tell you how it made me break my personal boosting record. It started to get too dark to fly. I saw most everyone packed up and Joel and Brian were finishing up their lessons. I was the last one to stop flying. It was 5:25 p.m. After we were all packed up, we headed back to our cabin. We dropped off our stuff and head to the restaurant. Almost everyone was there. I was happy to see Noah and his son Theo. We ate some really good food that night. Unfortunately, I had too many tot's and we were in Idaho. It was a perfect time to talk about Napoleon Dynamite. The night ended well with a full stomach and lots of kiting.

Dec, 16: We all got up at about 8:30. We got a spatula and pan to cook green eggs and ham (the egg shells are green because of our Aracana chickens). Chris made us some coffee. They were delicious. We checked out of our cabin that morning and head to the base camp. Once we got there, there was no wind. Everybody was heading to Reynold's Pass or the gravel pits about 10 miles down the road. We thought we'd go to Reynold's Pass and check it out. Before I go on, I would like to thank the Hungry Bear grocery store for their excellent food and service and letting us warm up in their food tent while taking a break. Tony, Joel, and I went to Reynold's Pass. On the way, we looked at the gravel pits and saw some kiters flying around there. We kept on going. Once we arrived, we saw kiters flying but there was quite a bit of sage brush and not enough room for us to join. So we turned around and went to the gravel pits. Joel, Tony, and I geared up and flew. There was sage brush between the parking area and a great spot. It was easy to avoid, in fact I thought it was fun going through it. When it cleared up, there was a steep hill that was perfect for boosting off of. I, of course, used my 12m again. Getting up the hill was fairly easy. Once you got up, it was flat ground the rest of the way. After about a quarter of a mile, I turned around and went toward the hill. At a perfect speed, I brought my kite around and boosted a good 18 feet. That was probably my best boost. Tony was getting probably 21 feet on his 2007 12m Manta. Joel used his brand new 2008 15m Manta II and got some pretty good air as well. We continued this cycle for another four hours. Then we decided it was time to head out. Once we packed up, we told Chris, Stacey, and Mike we were going to Norris Hot Springs. We left at about the same time as they did. After an hour, we arrived at The Water of the Gods. The temperature was about 20 degrees. We changed quickly and hopped into the pool. A nice soak for a good two hours took all the stress off of our bodies. After the relaxing soak, we said bye to Mike, Stacey, and Chris. (If you have never been to Norris Hot Springs, you need to try a nice and relaxing soak there.) Joel, Tony, and I were on our way to Mt. Haggin. On the way, we stopped at the Pekin Chop Seuy in uptown Butte. It was pretty tasty and topped off a great day of kiting. After leaving to head to Haggin, we got to the spot where the game check station is. We decided to camp out there. Joel and I had some complications. There is a bunk in Tony's trailer above Joel's bed. It converts from a cupboard to a bunk. I laid back and one of the doors flew open at a high rate of speed and hit Joel right in the head. He said it was fine, but a second later, a second door flies open and hits him again. He then pulls out a Best safety leash cord he found and ties them together. Now we were set. We all slept soundly.

Dec. 17: This was by far my favorite day, but the had the least flying in. We got up at 8:30 and went to eat at Donovan's in Anaconda. The food was great. After we paid, we went to Haggin. First we went to the Moose Creek After waiting for 20 minutes for wind, we drive back to Dry Creek. Once again, no wind. Then we drive back to the open valley of Moose Creek. We wait for about 2 hours until the wind comes. Finally, it came. We decided to kite the hills on the left side. I asked Joel for the 14m. I set that up and the wind pulls me up the hill. I turned around and went down the hill. With great speed and good wind, I bring my kite around and make the biggest boost I have ever made! I want to say it was a 20 foot boost, but I think Joel has a picture he'll put up and I'll let you determine the height. After 45 minutes, my mom comes and watches for a while. Then we have to go and pick my sister up from school. I can't wait to see everyone again. I also can't wait to right my next journal. Lastly, I want to give special thanks to: Tony, who drove us around and let us sleep in his trailer. Joel, who helped give me hints, tips, and have a great time. And my Mom, Susie Drukman, who let me go on this trip, give us food and the guys beer, and helping me improve in kiting.

Snowkite log#1

October 20, 2007
Mt. Haggin, MT

It's the first day out snowkiting. My buddy Ron, my mom, and me are up at a friend's cabin. The snow is about 2 inches of a base and 6 inces of new snow. The temperature started at about 32 degrees. Wind was 12 mph. It will be the first time for me to fly my new 12m 2007 Ozone Frenzy. Ron is excited to try his 12m Ozone Manta.

It is 11:00a.m. When we get out to fly, the wind is picking up and temperature is slightly rising. We set up our kites. Right when we launch, it is just the start of snowkiting 2007-'08. We've got two of our friends watching us, one videotaping. After 30 minutes go by, the wind is good enough to start boosting. Ron starts boosting very nicely with his Manta. Shortly after, I've gotten used to my new Frenzy and start boosting. We are getting about 5-7ft. of good air. The day gets better as wind picks up and temperatures stay steady.

Almost four hours go by and we decide to take a break. The snow is covered with tracks running back and forth. We feel very worn out but feel the adrenaline pumping to keep us going. After a good thirty minutes of rest, we head back out to kite again. Then, I see Ron pull off one of the highest boosts of the day. He must have reached 12 feet! That's seems pretty good for the wind and snow. I look away to watch were I am going. Then, as I look back, his kite and him are down. I come back to see if he is alright. When I ask if he is alright, he smiles and just said it felt like falling off of a roof. Three more hours of awesome snowkiting go by and we call it a day. To describe how it felt, we were invincible, happy, and very grateful. We can't tell exactly how it was because it was so fun.

Lessons learned that day: 1) Going upwind in medium winds seems easier than light winds. 2) Ski-blades are highly unstable compared to regular skis.