2008 Powder Mountain SuperFly Open

[lesvierra]

It's a little eary for the announcement but I'm excited,

Best Kiteboarding and Utah Kite Addiction are teaming up to host the 2008 Powder Mountain SuperFly Open. This spectacular and unique snowkite festival is scheduled for February 8th, 9th, and 10th, 2008. The event will take place at Powder Mountain Resort, known for the most skiable acreage in the US, rated best snow in the US by Ski Magazine, and of course, infamous for ridge top WIND.

The SuperFly Open will have something for everyone. Enjoy ski in-ski out introductory kite clinics and watch some of the best snowkiter’s in the world showcase their talent. Launch snow features prepared with the help of Powder Mountain’s own snow grooming team. Slide rails and boxes generously provided by event sponsors. Compete in or watch any of the three competition categories, freestyle, kitercross, or big air. Multi-evening festivities include a showing of Something Stronger, music, dancing, Best Girls contest, dining, awards, and multimedia presentations from some of the greatest athletes in the sport. For more information, visit the event website at http://www.superflyopen.com.

[lesvierra]

Here is an article for the event and more.. Ken's photo on Pineview used again.


Publication: Standard-Examiner Digital Edition; Date:2007 Aug 29; Section:Sports; Page Number: 10C
Winter festivals on the rise in Ogden

B Y ROBERT JOHNSON
Standard-Examiner staff rjohnson@standard.net


If you love extreme outdoor festivals and you live in the Top of Utah, keep the calendar open this winter. Adding one more to the growing list of outdoor-sports-based events, Best Kiteboarding and Utah Kite Addiction are presenting the 2008 Powder Mountain Superfly Open snowkite festival at Powder Mountain Ski Resort Feb. 8-10.

The festival will feature introductory kite clinics for beginners and a chance to watch some of the best snowkiters in the world compete in freestyle, kitercross and big air categories. Evening festivities planned include film showings, awards, the Best Girls Contest and presentations from athletes.

The day events will be held near the Sunrise Ridge area of the resort and the night events are planned for Wolf Creek Resort.

“I think were going to get some national exposure from this and it’s very colorful,” Powder Mountain’s Carolyn Daniels said. “Everybody we have mentioned it to is very excited.”

Les Vierra, a Huntsville resident and owner of Utah Kite Addiction, came up with the idea for the festival. He wants to promote snowkiting and try to protect access for the sport at Powder Mountain. The resort is a great area for snowkiting, according to Vierra, because of its high elevation, wind and great snow.

Vierra sees the sport exploding and the only things limiting it are the areas to do it. “You have to have an area, you have to have wind and you have to have snow,” Vierra said.

Vierra, like other extreme sport enthusiasts from the area, thinks what he wants to do fits into Ogden’s high-adventure plans.

“It’s amazing to see what other people are doing and you want to contribute,” Vierra said. “I really think it’s all because of Ogden City’s push to support people like Jeff Lowe.”

Lowe, who recently announced a year-round ice climbing tower to be built in downtown Ogden, also has plans to host an ice climbing festival after completion of his project.

“It’s all happening so fast,” Lowe said. “If we can have a winter month where there is something happening every weekend, that would be pretty cool.”

To make things even busier for Ogden this winter, the week-long, multievent sports festival, Xterra Winter World Championships, will be held at Snowbasin next March. The main event will combine cross country skiing, mountain biking, running and snowshoeing. Added on to the festival are the U.S. National Snowshoe championships that will take place in conjunction with Xterra.

“It’s largely because of the work of the high adventure committee,” John Patterson, Ogden’s chief administrative officer, said. “It’s working far better than I’d ever foreseen.”

[lesvierra]

Here is the latest SuperFly Open info, or visit http://www.superflyopen.com:

Registration. The event registration will cost $30. This includes an event t-shirst and 3 snowkite passes to Powder Mountain. The snowkite pass allows the participant access to Powder Mountain’s snowkite area, to the Sunrise lift, and one ride on the Hidden Lake Chairlift. If there is no wind, to much wind, to much snow, whatever, participants can redeem their snowkite pass at anytime for $30 off a full or half day all area lift ticket. Look for online registration in the next couple of weeks with some added pre-registration incentive.

Suunto Challenge. Suunto will be onsite Friday and Saturday leading the Suunto Challenge. During the challenge, you can take one of their ten GPS watches out for an hour to digitally log your snowkite session. After that hour, Suunto will instantaneously download your data to a laptop. Suunto will be giving two Suunto watches away as prizes for longest recorded distance and fastest recorded speed during the Suunto Challenge. The X9i wristop computer ($500 retail) is also a watch, GPS navigator, altimeter, barometer, and compass. After a long day of snowkiting, you can download your session directly to Google Earth and share with all your buddies. Visit Suunto.com for more information.

16 Passenger Snowcat. We’ve leased Powder Mountain’s passenger snowcat for Saturday and Sunday to haul participants from the main kiting area out to one of the backcountry kite areas. This area is big and wide open. A little bit of wind and luck will provide for a big backcountry snowkite experience.

Terrain Park. We’ve purchased 68’ of ski-resort-grade sliders. These include a 20’ straight slider for us mere mortals, and a 48’ battleship type slider designed by Best snowkite rider, Jacob B. Powder Mountain snowcats will start moving snow a few weeks prior to the event to help build additional snow features for the terrain park and kitercross route weather and snow permitting.

Opening Ceremony at Rumors. We were hoping to save the Best Bash for last, but because of the risqué Best Girl Model Search and contest, we were inclined to move the Best Bash to Rumors Lounge at the Ben Lomond Hotel in Ogden on Friday night. These guys now how to put on a party and locals are still talking about the Pray For Snow party they put on this fall with multiple projection screens, live music, and man made snow falling from the ceiling. This evening will be a snowkite night to remember. The Best Model Contest will be like no other. This aint your beach variety Best girl contest, these ladies are local, and will be showing off some of the latest winter apparel, Best apparel, and an occasional Best logo tattoo. Look out Lange Girls.

Award Ceremony. Wolf Creek Resort is proud to host the SuperFly award ceremony, presentations, and the after ceremony “atmosphere”. Enjoy an hour long open bar to get your attention and some fine buffet dining. Andrew McLean, photographer and author of the Chuting Gallery (a Utah steep backcountry ski guide book), will give a “best of” presentation of his snowkite assisted adventures in remote polar regions around the globe. We are still working hard to get Sarah and Eric McNair-Landry and Curtis Jones here to give their presentation on their recently completed Pittarak Expedition consisting of an unsupported kite-assisted 2,300 km crossing of the Greenland Ice Cap.

Needs. We are looking for additional sponsors, partners, judges, and volunteers to make this event happen. Best Kiteboarding kicked down to get this fest going, but all kite manufacturers are welcome. Let’s all team up to throw down a huge snowkite fest, promote the sport, and have a SuperFly time..

Check out http://www.superflyopen.com for more info about the fest including more on the kite clinics, freestyle, kitercross, and big air events.

[lesvierra]

Pre-registration for the 2008 Powder Mountain SuperFly Open is up at http://www.superflyopen.com.

Register by January 24th and you will be eligible to win a 2008 Best 10m Bularoo.

[lesvierra]

Here is a sneak preview of what you can expect at the 2008 Powder Mountain Superfly Open Best Girl Model Search on February 8th at the Rumors Lounge/Ben Lomond Hotel. We come to Kite but, man cannot live on kiting alone.. This venue will sell out. Live music by Shaky Trade. Pre-register by January 24th and become eligible to win a 2008 Best 10m Bularoo kite. http://www.superflyopen.com

Meet JC, Tammi, and Whitney, three lovely Best Girl Model Search contestants. These images were shot on location at the site of the Superfly Best Model Search, Ben Lomond Hotel just a couple of weeks ago. We just completed the first of two screening sessions of Salt Lake City local talent at the Whilhelmina Urban modeling agency. It's looking like we'll have some of Utah's finest ladies on stage modeling Best apparel along with today's hottest winter apparel.

[lesvierra]

Tomorrow Friday January 25th is the last day that you can qualify to win a 2008 Best 10m Bularoo by registering for the festival at http://www.superflyopen.com.

Here is the latest SuperFly news:

Remi, Bjorn, Claes, Morten and crew are planning to attend. We are excited to have them and look forward to watching them push the limits of snowkiting.

Ozone is a significant sponsor of the festival and will be at the fest with their kites and lots of free swag. We are stoked to have their support and participation.

Rockstar Energy Drink will be at the fest all weekend long handing out just about all the Rockstar and Exude you can safely drink. 30 cases should do it, if not, you’re not kiting hard enough.

Other kite companies that are planning to attend and represent are Freak Dog, Slingshot, and Fly Surfer. There will be vendor booths at the Saturday night presentations and awards ceremony, come check out the product from these and other companies.

We’ve received over 12’ of snow this year at Powder Mountain and the 10 day outlook shows for 10 straight days of snow. The 68' of sliders are staged at Powder Mountain and are ready to go. We just need the snow fall to slow down enough so they don’t get buried.




Up to date list of sponsors: Best Kiteboarding, Powder Mountain, Mountain Luxury Real Estate, Valley Lodging @ Wolf Creek Resort & Club, Rock Star, Ogden Valley Magazine, AA Professional Photography, Ozone and G.O.A.L. (Greater Ogden Athletic Foundation.) Community supporters include Red Moose Lodge & Spa, Diamond Peak Mountain Sports, Alpine Pizza, Valley Market of Eden, Zions Bank, and Ogden Convention & Visitors Bureau. Contributing sponsors include Ogden Climbing Parks The Kiteboarder Magazine, and Mountain Hardwear.