May 23rd, Beartooth Pass Wyoming 12m Manta
Posted: Tue May 26, 2009 2:05 pmMade the haul north to the Beartooth pass for the annual opening over Memorial Day weekend. Dropped kites off for Cloud 9 at 3pm, and hit Cooke City by midnight.
Next morning we were on the pass at 6am with 8mph winds that continued to build all morning. High teens to low 20's (mph) kicked in powered runs on 12m Snowkites. There were even skiers cruising around on 7 meter foils.
About 15 Snowkiters attended this years rally, coming from MN, CO, ID, WY, MT and UT....kind of a Noahs Arc of backcountry kiters.
The camp was in a river valley down the pass...with a couple hundred fellow backcountry skiers and boarders. I've never seen so many skis leaned up against trees, the forest was full of colors. There were guys driving a hippy ski bus giving skiers free rides up the hill to a roadside drop in. They also had a keg of Montana PBR. Thanks Hippy's!
Got to share Snowkiting tales with many of the interested downhillers, along with some brats and beer (the standard mountain ration there).
Great spring corn snow, good winds, amazing, I mean AMAZING views, and good people to kite with. I'll be back next spring for sure, as it was a killer way to round out another epic winter.
Windzup,
Brian Schenck
Next morning we were on the pass at 6am with 8mph winds that continued to build all morning. High teens to low 20's (mph) kicked in powered runs on 12m Snowkites. There were even skiers cruising around on 7 meter foils.
About 15 Snowkiters attended this years rally, coming from MN, CO, ID, WY, MT and UT....kind of a Noahs Arc of backcountry kiters.
The camp was in a river valley down the pass...with a couple hundred fellow backcountry skiers and boarders. I've never seen so many skis leaned up against trees, the forest was full of colors. There were guys driving a hippy ski bus giving skiers free rides up the hill to a roadside drop in. They also had a keg of Montana PBR. Thanks Hippy's!
Got to share Snowkiting tales with many of the interested downhillers, along with some brats and beer (the standard mountain ration there).
Great spring corn snow, good winds, amazing, I mean AMAZING views, and good people to kite with. I'll be back next spring for sure, as it was a killer way to round out another epic winter.
Windzup,
Brian Schenck