Congratulations to Les Vierra, Best Kiteboards, and the rest of the crew on a huge success at the top of Powder Mountain.
If you didn't make it up to Powder Mountain for the event we were there for you. The first thing you noticed once you arrived at ground zero was that there was activity happening all over the place. Music blasting through the PA, TV crews, kiters on skis, kiters on boards, dogs catching snowballs, snowmobiles, snow cats, tents and more. They even had hot cocoa and coffee brewing!
Once we got settled we began to meet the riders, sponsors and organizers of the event. Not an easy undertaking to manage, after three days as an observer, I can tell you that they really pulled off a special event that many people will be looking forward to next year, myself included.
Looking off over the horizion it was often hard to tell what was going on out there. Watching the colorful kites go by was much like watching the start of a sailboat race, the big difference being that here the kite is strapped onto the man and elements are at their worst. It's truely surprising how many smiles can be created on the top of a mountain, below freezing with wind gusting close to 50 miles per hour. Especially the kiteboarders and skiiers, these guys and gals are truely some of the few gladiators in sport today. I flew some of the trainer kites and I can tell you that the wind at the top of Powder Mountain is a serious force of nature. I tried a 1 meter and then 3 meter trainer kite and was impressed with the force of the pull and the concentration required just to keep things under control. Needless to say I stopped there, but I did catch the buzz. Kiteboarding is cool!!
At the event we met tons of great people from all over the globe. The crew from Best Kiteboarding , Remi Meum, Bjorn, Peter and Morten from Norway, AJ and the guys from Montana, Alvaro the Photographer, Arla the whipped cream queen, The Ozone crew , Martin from Suunto, Patrick Nedele from Project: Cloud 9 , and the list goes on.
If your interested in snow kite films you really need to check out Something Stronger, the new snowkite film from Morten Gjerstad . This movie is incredible, insane, unbelievable, mind blowing and mind bendingly good. Partially filmed right here at Powder Mountain and also in Norway. This movie is a must see for any extreem sports fan, boarder or skiier. Something Stronger is available in the U.S.A. only from www.sideoff.com , directly from www.snowkitefilm.com.
The first day started with an early morning free ride session, followed by the freestyle competition. The snowboarders charged it first with great performances by Remi Mium , Jake Buzianis, and Petter Johnson. Following the boarders were the skiers; Bjorn Kaupang and Kevin Steen as the standouts. The riders pulled a variety of wake style, rail and big air tricks.
Day two was overcast, less windy yet still fun to be there. Once again Bjorn and crew dominated the day with a 42 mph win in the Suunto time trial. Standout riders also included James Brown, Ken Lucas, Jake Bularoo, and more.
You can read more about the event from Best Kiteboarding team writer, Richard Frosted.
