What would be the best foil kite sizes to buy for snow kiting in the southern lakes region?

Depends on the type of kite - in a fixed bridal kite like the Ozone Flow a 4m or 5m would be the go, if it is a depower foil like the Ozone Frenzy then 9m or 11m would be the most common sizes.

Cheers

DK

hey dodgey dick. very hard question to answer without your stats. weight board size etc.

Last year while there after talking to many folks is seems that a 10 manta was the kite of choice. depends also on your skill.

im switching to a 12 this year as i want to glide:unsure: and do have a 10 manta in british racing green thats going for a steal. Pm me if your interested.

cheers Dan

buy the 10 manta its glorious.

hi all
I'm off to wanaka on 1 to 9th of aug, going to give this snow kiting a go at snow farm.
I'm thinking of taking my 12m Speed 2, a 10m venom and maybe chuck in a Flexi Blade 7.2.Would this cover most conditions down there?.

I am not sure about foil sizes but I used a 8m and a 12 inflatable last year. I am also heading down Queenstown Wanaka way for the first 2 weeks of August and plan on taking a 13m 10m and a 6 m this year. It all depends on your size, weight and how much power you need or want. I usually put up a size that is 5-10 knots less than what I would use on the water.
The inflatables tend to have better depower range and will work in a bigger wind range from my experience. Having said that foils worth great when the wind gets less that 10-12 knots, you need to completely kill the power or self launch or land. Some of the depower systems on the recent inflatables have caught up in recent years so the difference is not as big as it once was.

the foils rock in light wind. not sure what you will get but sounds like you have some range there.

think the pros use (chasta) 12/8/6 in foils to cover the range. and you can carry two foils in a small backpack, and not have to carry a pump either.

Thanks for the heads up. Maybe I will see you down there, also got a friend coming over from oz with his Frenzy.
This will be my 1st try at snow kiting, but I have been kitesurfing and land boarding for the last 10 yrs, How much difference in technique is there between the water and the snow?

Your landing technique will change significantly

I fly an Ozone Manta II in the snow typically, I like having the flexibility of a foil and not having to pump up an inflatable in cold conditions.
The depower available will determine your kite size - mine is a 12m, which realistically is way to big for my size and weight, but it responds really well even when fully depowered and so I can have one foil cover a really large range.

As far as general conditions at Ruapehu: On the level there's a lot less power to get moving. Otherwise very responsive to turning and a very locked in feel meaning that with the lack of friction power comes on very quickly. You'll also find catching the toeside rail to be a lot more sensitive than anything you've ridden before. In the event of fresh powder or slush it behaves lot more like water or soft sand again. Riding up or downhill will be limited depending on wind direction.

As mentioned landings can be a lot harder on the packed snow or ice but I think you'll be focusing on not catching the toeside rail...

I thought because I has kite surfed that snowboarding might be the way forward snow kiting. I love my skis and it really didn't take much time (10min) at all to adjust for me. Trying snowboarding behind a kite felt pretty locked in and slow but everyone is different however.
The following was taken 2 hours into trying snow kiting for the first time.
www.sessionlogs.com/spot-2990/Snow-Farm-...d-session-by-yakernz

Understanding how the wind operates in a mountain environment is a key difference. The following links are a good place to start.
www.flyozone.com/snowkites/en/learn/understanding-the-wind/
www.flyozone.com/snowkites/en/learn/backcountry-safety/