mnadventure.com

Ever since I met Blake Pelton years ago I've wanted to get out to the desert for the North American Buggy Expo.  It's such a unique event.  Set on the dry lake bed of Ivanpah about 45 minutes from Las Vegas just over the border into California NABX is the holy mecca for land kiters.  The surface offers incredible speeds and wicked power slides.  You can ride for miles after miles on smooth hard playa.  With such a smooth surface you don't need much wind to get moving and when there is wind, hang on.  This year at NABX Arjen van der Tol a dutch rider, went 124 kph or 77.05 mph.  That's an incredible speed to obtain on a 3 meter kite on a buggy 6 inches from the hard ground.  The kite culture is much different then here in MN as well.  The gear is small fixed bridal kites flown on handles.  Around here we call that a trainer kite, on the playa, it's a kite you go to quite often.  If you attend bring the smallest kites you have or plan on buying some.  We flew my 1.5M more then it's ever flown in it's life and I never expected to be pulled behind it yet.  Read more to hear about the whole event!

Rodeo Roadtrip

These 5 brave kiters recently loaded up in a big old diesel ex-ambulance and took the long journey out to MT for the 2008 Snowkite Rodeo in Anaconda, MT.  Armed with only a couch in the back and a 19 inch LCD screen and playstation, it was definatly a tough journey.  Read more below.

UMD Kite Expo

Randy Carlson has been busy making preperations for this years Expo.  In its 3rd year, this one promises to be the best yet!

There will be vendors on site from Slingshot kites, gear from the Skihut, and even access to the Boulder Lake Learning Center for a saturday evening gathering for kite movies and fellowship.

Randy even has plans to try out a tandem kite race and time trials for the experienced kiters and the best part of it all..

 Lessons for $10!

Qualified instructors will be on hand to give intro lessons to anyone who wishes to learn, so if you've always wanted, you have no excuse!  The Expo has always been a learning based enviroment and caters to spreading knowledge and awareness of the sport.  Come and be a part of the growing snowkiting scene in MN's northland!

Earlier I showed you how to make a snowkite jacket out of a pullover style shell.  But what if the only jackets you've got have a full zipper running from top to bottom?  You need a hole for that spreader bar hook and this article will show you how.

Snowkite Jackets are cool.  With a front zip that lets your spreader bar hook out you don't have to worry about your harness riding up a slippery jacket or snow getting in.  There are a few options out on the market but what if you're a poor kiter and wants a good jacket... make one yourself out of your old jacket!  This method involves a pull over anorak and adding a zipper.  Hopefully soon I'll show ya how to modify your existing full zip jacket into a jacket that functions the same way.

  2006 Strapless Open

Lake McConaughy Nebraska