Jason Yetley snowkiting during Minnesota's harsh winter on the Nitro3

Jason Yetley snowkiting during Minnesota's harsh winter on the Nitro3

This entry was posted on March 17, 2014 by Felix Pivec.

Jason Yetley (snowkiter) and photographer Pete Gisvold brave the cold in Midwest US. Read why Jason thinks Leading Edge Kites are better than Foil Kites for snowkiting and how he is enjoying his Nitro3.

Jason Yetley....
Snowkiting is becoming increasing popular throughout the Upper Midwest, New England, and the Rocky Mountains, but no single state compares with the early start and increasing popularity that snowkiting has had here in Minnesota. Minnesota has the largest total number of snowkiters in the US.

The long winters and "10,000 Lakes" make it an excellent place for snowkiting, even though my favorite place is actually the frozen Mississippi River. Our snowkiting season starts in December and runs through March. During the months of April and November, we supplement our addiction with snowkiting trips to Utah, Wyoming, or Montana.

Photographer Pete Gisvold catches 'the moment' with Jason Yetley as he enjoys his Nitro3 snowkiting,

Lead Edge Inflatable Kites V's Foil Kites

Lead Edge Inflatable kites out number Foil kites in the Midwest by approximately 10 to 1. I believe this is because Lead Edge Inflatable kites generally have better stability and greater range in the gusty conditions. With the advent of single-pump systems and larger valves, inflating a Lead Edge Inflatable kite has simply become a nice warm up to a great day.

Setting up a Lead Edge Inflatable kite no-longer takes any more time than that of a bridled Foil. LEI kites also park themselves easily on the snow (just like at the beach), so there's no need to carry an ice anchor. Personally, I feel that the only advantage Foils have over LEI are when they're used in conjunction with skins to access extended-backcountry and super-steep terrain. LEIs also have a huge advantage in this area, as they can be used year around for kitesurfing.

Photo Credit Pete Gisvold

Nitro3

I am loving the new Switch Nitro3's this winter. I was a big fan of the Version 2, however I feel the improvements of this newer model have increased their overall range and general ease of use. I just love the feeling of a high aspect-ratio kite as it powers through the window and continues to build speed all the way to the edge. To me, the Nitro's ability to deliver big, lofty jumps can only be compared to the excitement of building huge apparent-wind and sending it deep down wind.

After nearly 10 years of snowkiting, I got my first Nitro last season and my top speeds immediately improved by 15%. Now, I often reach 38-40mph and in January I even topped 44mph, while snowboarding on a lake!

The new Nitro's are very stable, predictable, and super FUN. Racing kites don't generally drift as fast as freestyle kites, but I find that the Nitro3's actually drifts really well. They also turn pretty quick and loop even faster. Sometimes

I find it more fun to simply use the kite's forward momentum and down-loop the kite through a transition, verse steering the kite overhead. This is particularly helpful in light wind, when maintaining apparent wind is critical.  It's also a real blast, when building maximum drive during a big downwind leg!

Photo Credit Pete GisvoldThe Nitro's ability to fly further to the edge of the window allows me to shoot up wind and explore more terrain, whether it be on a large lake, frozen river, or snow-covered hills. This is a real advantage to any kiter who enjoys blasting downwind and jumping often! Furthermore, the Nitro3's more rounded tips have significantly improved the kites ability to launch to the side of the window. They now rotate over the snow more easily and fly towards the sky without hesitation. Yet, the Version 3 still excels at being reverse-launched, which is a key feature to snowkiting in light winds.

Overall, the new Nitro3 is just a great snowkite, reliable and exciting!