Hi Guys,

Tim and I ran up a draft Canterbury Events Calendar today.

You can find it at:-

http://www.decaykiteboards.co.nz/calendar.html

These are just proposed dates for the various events - please give Tim or I your feedback on possible issues/conflicts with other events.

There is also a planned trip to the snow farm in early Oct, which I'm waiting to confirm the details of.

There will be a CWA committee meeting early next month which will decide on the final calendar for 2004/05.

Dave Kay - CWA committee member.

February is left open, as this could be a good time for someone to host the '2005 NZ Kiteboarding Nationals'. I guess the South Island as the North Island was/is/has/should/might/not -if it could get off it's ass to host the 2004 NZ Kitesurf Nationals. There's still time......Set a date, tell people & they will come. Where's Kent? I seem to remember KITEWORKS staking claim to an 04 Nats
Tim 8)

This is straight from the kitesports.co.nz news letter - thanks Tim!

2004 Wanakite- 24-27th September. Heard about? Seen bits on ya mates DVD? Well it's on again, four days of awesome snowkiting action at NZs premier snowkiting area. How to get there....... Waiorau Snow Farm is located in the Cardrona Valley about 30-40 minutes drive south of Wanaka on SH 89. The turnoff from the main road to the Snow Farm is a few hundred metres south of the turnoff to Cardrona Ski Area. Stay in Wanaka town, go to www.snow.co.nz for details on Wanaka. Make sure you check in with Snow Farm crew, so they know who's out and about (plus take your road toll $)

Hey Decay, how was your trip there last weekend? Did you ask about access? What do you mean by "road toll $"? How much do they want to charge each person to drive up the road then kite on adjacent non-snowfarm land this year? I heard we can only kite there in spring, post 1st Sept.

Last years $25 each was a bit steep I thought, I doubt the locals pay anything. Most skifeilds expect a tenner to cover access. I always felt they looked down their noses at dirty smelly kiters at snowfarm, and unless you roll up in a big flash SUV they don't make a dude feel overly welcome in the lodge. Apparently the 25 was also cover for any accident/rescue... but I heard they did nothing for one injured kiter who had to cell 111 for a chopper.

They have made a huge mess of the land up there, muddy tracks and twelve foot fences everywhere, some of it possibly without DOC consents. They are I think obliged to provide through access to the DOC conservation land beyond their testing grounds. I don't see why an outfit which rakes in wedge to the tune of millions from international vehicle manufacturers, should indulge in profiteering from a small local kiting event. It's expensive enough having to get scarce accomodation in Wanaka, pay inflated tourist prices, and drive up that humungous access road each day, then pay $100 to use the free power of the wind.

It's a pity the lodge accomodation up on the snowfarm is $120 per person. Pity they made it so upmarket aiming for the queenstown set, not catering also to the younger backpacker or backcountry skitouring enthusiasts. That drive rips me, would be primo to steep out the door and clip in.

There is interest from the Northern hemisphere snowkiting Winter Tour organisers in holding an event on the Pisa. Alas the Pisa range is pretty unique in NZ as a snowkiting venue... right shakes the hand, left squeezes the balls.

Then theres the sleep in the car halfway up the access road for those that are really keen. Why drive down to Colac to freeze yer tits off when you can do it closer to home...

Hi Kane,

Su and I went up to the Snowfarm on Saturday and ran into what looked like the biggest cross-country skiing event of the year must have 200 people in skin tight suits riding tooth picks!

Asked the question about putting kites up, got a pretty firm NO and left it at that.

Wind never arrived anyhow.

Ended up doing half a day of (downhill) riding at Cardrona instead one of the best days Ive had on snow is years! Was Sus first day on the white stuff and she hasnt stopped raving about it since we got back.

As for the Snowfarm it looks like a good setup but its a long way to drive to pay $25 for the use of flat publicly owned land.

Johns scope out of Roundhills airfield has got me far more excited it is half the travelling time and the place is OWNED by a kiter!

DK

as opposed to $75 for a day sliding at Cardrona?

as for being public land over the fence perhaps it's leasehold? as in the leaseholder being the farmer in the valley who could probably do without the legal hassles if someone skewered themselves on one of his fences?

as for the drive, it's a lot better than snowshoeing to the top, and anyway a bit of sideways wheelspinning appeals to my boganesque tendencies

Getting this thread back onto its topic - The Ch-ch events calendar is now set. I haven't updated the draft on my website yet but the only changes from it are:-

Wanakite added - see above dates

Decay Freeride now a week earlier - 8th and 9th of Jan, still at Lake Coleridge.

I'll update my site as soon as I can, and no doubt Kitesports/Underground etc will list it on there own sites soon too.

All of those from out of town that would like more info on any of these events please feel free to contact me. We are a friendly group in Ch-ch and we should be able to get you any of these events if you are keen.

DK

What format are the Caterbury Champs goning to be? People ain't that keen to pay $25 to go riding on the pooy like they would any other weekend for free. Any chance of having a top ten super final on the Sunday afternoon (or Saturday if the weather is iffy). I'm sure you'd find four people to jude for one hour of their weekend, and it gives the whole thing more of a comp feel without stopping people from getting in some good riding.

Chris

Hadn't looked that far into it yet Chris but a 10 person final sounds like a dam fine idea to me!

Should make for a great show down at the end of the event.

DK

hum, decay... It's not just for fun anymore?

stay cool Taz.

'fun' events are naf. Why have an event in the first place? Most of the riders out would usually be there doing the same thing anyhow... so maybe it's to showcase and promote the sport? A crowd likes to be told whats going on and get to see some competitive action with suspense and a little drama. A best 10 expression sesh or if possible a best trick comp would achieve that, otherwise why is it consistently refered to as "The Canterbury Champs". Well kane perhaps that could be a relic of a bygone era in which this event featured a full heats table.

I see on the snowfarm site the day fee for nordick skiing in the many kilometres of nicely groomed slots has increased to $29. It would be interesting to see if this fee is also directed toward a casual day visitor of the snowkiting persuasion. If so, and we all front up and pay it, we are setting a precedent for the sport here acknowledging that this continuously inflating fee is justified.

All the other resorts I talked to said 'yeah go for it, just stay outside the ski area boundary'...no charge. There is no reason why we should be charged for the enjoyment of snowkiting itself. Just because in all other forms of snow sliding sports, there is a culture of control and maximum fiscal extraction, does not mean that should be the case with our free wind powered recreation. Road toll, yes... if we use facilities or services provided, yes... but any charge above and beyond that, just because we happen to be having fun doesn't sit right. Should we pay the farmer who owns the land for our enjoyment of it? Should we pay to use privately accessed surf breaks, or to rockclimb on a farmers land, or to mountainbike on private land?

Hope you guys have fun kiting at Roundhill... looked like light winds to me, and cross-off shore too, SW to NW is best there. Hope i'm wrong and you have a blast. The airfield looks good, watch out for the huge river cutting downwind.

LOL. Thanks. I just spat tea all over my monitor...

Have to agree with pretty much all of that.
Also have to say that the planned invasion of Wanaka in September makes me a little nervous. As we all know, the good people of the Snow Farm are pretty handy at making a buck, and the sight of dozens of frenzied kiters arriving will no doubt have them sniffing for more cash.
Has anyone spoken with the dude that arranged last years gig to see if we can slip under the radar (yeah right) and just use their otherwise empty fields. I don't have a problem paying a (fair) road-toll, but being stung a for a days pass kind of sucks when we're not using any facilities.
Just my 2c.

I totally agree!
Decay will know why I answered that to his enthousiatic reply to Chris... Because I suggested him to have a best trick session, or the same kind of thing, few days ago and got "But it's just about having fun Delphine" for an answer to my super brillant and very original idea (wich of course upset me a lot).

I think the actual format of the comp' is "fun" but slightly boring, yeah let's all get together, but not challenging at all. We need something more to spice it up, to have a litle bit more of excitment!
- If I were a man and a good rider (too many parameters I'll never meet), I'd be frustrated by the format of the comp'. I'd be happy to give all I have in front of a crowd for 10/20/30 minutes... whatever.
- If I was a beginner or average rider in Ch'ch', I'd be happy to see the best riders going big for 10/20/30 minutes, right there in front of me (not at the other end of the beach)
and many more reasons...a good thing to try.

Et voil! Sorry Decay... I'm glad to see I'm not the only one thinking that there's different way of having fun in comp' and that something abit more judge and partial would be

RoundHill --> 1knot !!!! rggg !!! we decided to buy a ski pass just to stay busy while waiting for the wind (that never showed up). We actually ended up having a great day. not very steep ski field OK OK ... but powder for ourselves on each side of RoundHill with decent trail's length. It seems that people who go there don't give a shit about powder, they stay on the main trail. Even Nico enjoyed it...

But It's a good potentiel for snowkiting, from the top we could see several places we could snowkite if the wind shows up some day!
Tomorow : Hutt to enjoy 30cm of fresh and 2000 skiers/riders on one spot!

im pretty sure they own the land at snow farm. like the whole range. kanes it not like you to be negative mate. ive had a few days up the snow farm, heaps of snow u could kite 2 wanaka, if u want. super good fun. the snow farm is really busy place, last time i was up there, there was 4 diffrent movies being made, 2 ad's, 3 photo shoots, huge snowboard comp on the go, 9000 cross country skiers and 5 diffrrent car companys useing there testing bays, 100 familys teaching there kids to ski. and sheep to look after down on the flats, the lees r very busy people and super nice there is heaps of places to go snow kiteing around chch, so why come down here if its 2 expensive..... if u do come down, cardrona would be really good, n-nw, s-sw.

remarkables outward bound nw- went there yesterday, up hill kiteing, sick fun. these 2 places should only cost gas to get there.

went heli skiing down kingston way, now theres a spot down there that would be sick im going to hit it real soon... 4 shore. BUT u have 2 pay 4 heli 2 get there- h-500 4 people cost 200 buck pick up and drop off, 50 each,(bummer) this is the kind of snow kiteing u want to do if u r travelling a long way. i no some boyz that have a couple of skidos that can access it as well, they r like 90 a day, but if the wind shits it self these boyz can take u to do some lines on the back side all day. when any of you r breaking the budget, and comeing down, let me and would be keen to hook up, 2 go 4 a session

. cheers woody

02103807374

Hey Woody,
You only see me at Colac, a place that far overwhelms my negative side.

They told us they don't own the land we were kiting on. Beside the point though, i'm just against paying any more than an access charge, which should be less than what the nordic skiers pay. Wonder what the farmer next door would think of snowfarm charging us to fly our kites on his land?
I know they are super busy up there, which is why we don't bother going 'till after the car companies leave.

I had a look at the SW side of Cardrona and am keen to try there, also I spent some time looking at the slopes down Kingston way and agree wicked spot, but heli only. $50 each is cheap as bro, I've paid more to fly in for alpine rock routes, so why not kiting.

Snowkiting around here is hard to find and pretty average when you get it, flatland kiting is lame and the mts are too steep or shite wind. So far I had a sesh on the flat, and flew a kite for a while at the top of Temple Basin but the wind was a little shifty. I know there are other spots, but Snowfarm is mellow for a big group of riders and gfs and stuff who haven't tried it before.

Almost Colac season *grins*

when u think it'd be doable without freezing? the dunedin kooks are keen
(if the other three aren't then I am!)

drop me an email This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. if u need a bed or four on the way through or back

we've been trying some other spots on the south side of the city which are promising

Craig

hi cane,
cardies would be good kiteing, never session it, snow farm is the cream, i think the best way to approach the snow farm, is 2 say u r comeing up and would like 2 know the best place 2 go for the day so u r not in the way of any 1. u have to go off piste the car test areas r not the the ones out the front of the bar info cafe, is where ive been launching. then heading out wanaka way.

they do own the land, they own own shit loads, so i dont know what the gig is there, the next farmer that owns land next 2 them would b remark, and tarras. but hay ive been wrong before.

big groups, well...... thats might b something 2 think about.

the lees r super nice family and ive never had any prob's

heli kingston, let me know when u r comeing down and well go nuts, super sick terrian that will be the colacl of snow kiteing.

just had 20-30 up remark the last 24hrs, getting sick of powder, want some ice.

bring on 25k at colac 4m roll.

The annual CWA Estuary Clean-up Day is on again - this Sunday 19th of September from 1pm.

Sorry for the short notice but please spread the word around.

You will need gum boots and a pair of gloves is recommended.

There is a LOT of rocks and rubbish in and around the launch and rigging areas a lot of boards have been damaged this season already. If it stays like it is it wont be long until someone gets hurt.

Lets all get down there on Sunday and get the place cleaned up for the coming season.

Dave Kay
CWA committee member

I've just put the final CWA events calendar up on the 'news' section of my website.

www.decaykiteboards.co.nz

Dates are now fixed - book your flights early.

Looks like it is going to be a great summer!

Dave Kay