Windsurfing On Snow

Swapping snow for water

Every summer my friends and I make a trip down to the south coast for a long weekend having fun on the water. A close friend owns a Bayliner speedboat which is powerful enough to pull a pair of waterskis or a wakeboard and it’s a great excuse to see if the skills we’ve practiced on snowboards and skis all winter match up on the sea.

The Lake Yard Marina in Poole, where mooring costs roughly £15 per night, is an ideal place to base the boat. Many waterskiing and wakeboarding areas are accessible from this marina, such as Bournemouth Beach, the Poole Harbour ski lanes, Sandbanks Beach and also Studland Bay, where you can admire “Old Harry” – a chalk sea stack – and his friends!

This year we spent a lot of our time around Sandbanks Beach. It’s a lovely, clean beach (some call Poole the Miami of the UK!) which also offers kayaking, windsurfing and kite surfing. When the sun comes out an ‘ice cream boat’, complete with chimes, even arrives on the beach. You only have to mind the stampede of kids and adults.

Our group included some beginner waterskiers who all managed to get up on their feet. There are some similarities to mountain skiing in that you can carve on the water and do jumps over the wake. You obviously have a rope to hold onto instead of poles though and it is more challenging to get your balance and familiarise yourself with the correct skiing position and the water beneath you.

Some of the group tried wakeboarding too, developed from techniques derived from water skiing, snowboarding and surfing. The stance is sideways and you hold the rope lower than for water skiing. It takes a lot more effort to pop up, however once you do, there is a bigger range of tricks to pull off. Unfortunately taking a tumble can be a bit uncomfortable – like snowboarding, if you catch an edge you’re either whipped forwards or flung back.

Whether you’re a beginner or have been wakeboarding and waterskiing for years you still get a massive buzz when you’re up and cruising over the wake. By the time our last day arrived we were all utterly exhausted from four days out on the water, but everyone had improved and had an amazing time, thanks in part to some glorious weather.

As a snow fan I’d highly recommend wakeboarding and waterskiing as an alternative activity in the summer. Like any new sport, it can be challenging at first but once you have the technique it’s extremely fun and a great way to spend anything from a few hours to a few days and if you ever need a breather you can always opt for ringos or tubes which can tow more than one person.

Windsurfing Goes Snow, Land, Ice And Then Some

Man, you have to love the circular world of sports. Growing up in the 1980s, I remember seeing a lot of windsurfing on television and in magazines. More recently, though, it seems like that sport has been completely replaced by kite surfing, which is more versatile in wind conditions, easier to learn and more freeing.

On snow, the option was really snowkiting (i.e. snowbased kite surfing). But, a company called Kitewing has taken it old school and with a windsurfing-style sail for wind-boosted skiing and snowboarding, creating a combination that I can only call windsnurfing. 

I've seen a few different wings show up recently in different forums and websites, so I knew it was time to post about the rad phenomenon. Unlike windsurfing sails, which attach directly to the board, the Kitewing is handheld and can be used across various terrains. Grab one for skiing or snowboarding on the snow, dirt-boarding on the dirt, ice skating on ice; surfing on the water, etc. etc.

The Kitewing requires winds of 10 mph or faster to get you moving. It will take experienced riders to speeds of over 60 mph and heights of up to 90 feet.

According to the Kitewing website, the original wing was actually invented and marketed back in the late-80s/early 90s. But it seems like it was slow to pick up because I haven't really seen any information about it until just recently. And I certainly haven't seen one at any ski resort or local snowkiting haunts. 

The sport looks out and out fun, with the wing doubling as a wind sail and a hang glider for launching huge airs. It looks a little freer than snowkiting, which involves a multitude of kites, strings and harnesses locking you down. 

Windsnurfing isn't for the faint of wallet. The wings I looked up all cost well over $1,000. But it sure looks like killer fun if you could find one for rental.

Right now it looks like distribution is limited to single retailers in a handful of states, but if this ever takes off, hopefully they'll be a little easier to find.  Here's some nice video action:

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