In a country where snow is the norm for half the year it may not be so unusual to look for alternate uses for summertime recreational items.
That is sort of where kiteboarding comes in.
The sport has participants, like Yorkton's Ben Steele, strapping on a harness connected to a kite which looks a lot like a modern parachute, then stepping onto their snowboard. The wind does the rest, carrying the kiteboarders off across the snow.
Steele, who said he took up kiteboarding about a year ago, explained it is really a year-round activity.
"You can do it on snow, water, even land," he said, adding to-date he hasn't tried it over land.Steele said water and snow both have their pros and cons. "They're both lots of fun," he said."Water hurts less," adding like any sport there can be some spills along the way.
And when you're on the water there are not unexpected stones, and similar obstacles which a 'boarder needs to watch for while skimming over a field in winter.
The advantage of snow is that one can board more easily, continued Steele.
"On snow you don't need as much wind. It takes a lot more (wind) to hold you out of the water," he said, noting " it depends on what size of kite you have."
The difference is quite dramatic. Steele said it takes a 20/25 kilometre an hour wind as a minimum to kiteboard on water, and about 15 let's you enjoy the sport over snow.
Steele said the kite remains the same across the three boarding surfaces, but the boards change.
On snow the board is a rather standard snowboard, while in summer the one used on water is "more like a wakeboard," he said, explaining the board has a series of fins in order to hold the board in the water as the wind is pulling the kite. "Going forward you get lots of speed."
Based on equipment, kiteboarding on snow is the easiest entry point to the sport, especially for those who have a snowboard, said Steele. Once you have a snowboard, all you require is the harness and kite.
As noted, kites come in a variety of sizes. Steele has three different ones, although he said a beginner can start easily with one. As a starting point an 11-metre kite is a good one.
"You can have lots of fun when winds are 30-35 (kilometres an hour)," said Steele.
A smaller kite, such as a seven-metre one simply requires stronger winds to be effective, up around 45 kilometres.
Steele said people can start with a "trainer kite for around 200-bucks. That will teach you your basics."
In terms of basics with the sport, Steele said there are experienced kiteboarders who provide lessons in the province, and he recommends newcomers take a course. He said knowing how to control the kite is important.
"It's how you control it so it does what you want it to do, not what it wants you to do," he explained with a grin.
As a kiteboarder becomes more accomplished they can add difficulty to a day on the snow. Steele said he has built a small jump to have fun with, and added you can 'pop' using the wind and kite, a manoeuvre where a good wind carries the boarder off the ground.
"The kite will actually pick you up," he said, adding an eight-to-10-foot pop is rather easy to attain, and 20, 30-feet are not unusual.
"Lots of guys go higher," he said, explaining kite size and wind velocity are crucial in achieving really big pops.
While still new to the sport, Steele is hooked. When asked how often he kiteboarded, the answer was quickly given. "As often as I can, weather permitting."
The sport is also attracting attention.
Steele said he's had a number of people asking questions, and others starting in the sport, attracted by seeing "our kites in the air out here."
Steele anyone interested in the sport can look him up on Facebook, or they can check out www.explorekiteboarding.com
