Snowkiting

Snowkiting is a blast and relatively easy to learn for any good skier or snowboarder.

With a snowkite you can pull off huge jumps (much like "regular" kiting). But you can also use the kite to pull you up the mountain, then pack it up at the top and ride back down alpine style. In our offers you'll find everything a snowkiter could want, from beginner workshops to gear rental only to advanced courses.

Snowkiting is also the perfect alternative for »down days« (when heliskiing) – you'll love it. The guides have beginner kites you can practice with on the wide riverbed of the Chilkoot right next to the base.

Perfect snowkite spots are close to the heli bases. The terrain practically begs you to play with the wind! So strap into a harness, click into your board or skis and off you go with the kite.

Snowkiting was actually invented back in 1960 by Dieter Strasilla in the Berchtesgaden Alps, but it took a while before people discovered its true potential. Kiteboarders on the water led the way. With a bit of practice you can use the power of the wind to jump, and with enough practice you'll sail over obstacles like rocks or patches of grass, land softly and keep riding as if nothing happened.

The moment you first feel like you're not jumping but flying is incredible!

The beauty of snowkiting is that you can ride almost any terrain. As long as the wind blows and isn't too gusty, it takes us wherever we want to go – as long as we can control it. With enough practice you can get pulled up to runs that would otherwise mean at least a few hours of climbing.

For snowkiting in Alaska, Jamie is the go-to guy in the southern reaches, and Alaskakiteadventures is our partner between Anchorage and Valdez. Both have special beginner kites, among other things, and plenty of tips for beginners and pros alike. Jamie's home spot is Haines Pass, just a few miles from the heli base, with several hundred square kilometers of snowkiting terrain. From here you can also explore many peaks by kite, reaching far into Yukon Territory. Also interesting: although it's usually very windy here, 300 of the 400 snowkites ever produced were sold in Haines.

Alaskakiteadventures, on the other hand, operates in Wasilla, Anchorage, Hatcher Pass, Thompson Pass and Valdez.