Courtesy Windzup
Brian Schenck catches some air (in his kite) that propels him along powdery slopes on Skyline Drive

Wind-powered winter fun
By Kirsten Reimschiissel
12-05-07

MT. PLEASANT—Enthusiasts of a new winter sport that combines snow with the power of the wind will converge this weekend in Mt. Pleasant for the Skyline Snowkite Summit, Dec. 7-9.
Snowkiting is much like windsurfing, but takes place in the snow rather than in the water, using “kites” that are “a modern version of a windsurfing wing,” says Brian Schenck, co-owner of Windzup, the biggest distributor of snowkites in the U.S., located in Mt. Pleasant.
“We were in Draper, but we found ourselves coming down here so much anyway that we just moved down here. We’re the first snowkiters to move to Sanpete County,” said Heather Schenck, Windzup’s other co-owner.
This weekend’s event is the first of its kind, but the Schenck’s hope it will become an annual event, and that it will get larger each year as the sport’s popularity and the summit’s reputation grow.
The snowkite summit will include an information exchange and industry party. There will be a seminars and clinics teaching avalanche safety, kite design, avalanche awareness, the latest technology and more.
The summit is being held in conjunction with the seasonal kick-off event that Windzup hosts each year on Skyline Drive, one of the most popular locations in the world for Snowkiting.
Snowkiters and snowkiting retailers from Texas, Florida, New York, Canada, and other various places across the U.S. are expected to attend. In fact, the kiter guests who have already reserved their place at the summit have filled the Windwalker Guest Ranch and many hotels in Sanpete for the event. Several guests even received free lodging, rewarding those already involved in selling, teaching, and more within the growing shops and industries.
One may ask what makes places like Fairview Canyon and Skyline Drive such a great spot for the skiers and snowboarders seeking adventure.
“It’s a prime destination,” said Brian Schenck. “On the wasatch plateau you are guaranteed wind as often as possible.”
He said the area has the wind, snow wind and good terrain—the perfect conditions for snowkiting. It is no wonder that people, such as the Schenck’s, want to make it the annual destination for industries to meet in and kick off the season.
One thing snowkiting has over skiing or snowboarding, says Schenck, is that there are no long, boring, freezing ski-lifts to ride or pay for. Schenek put it this way, “It’s like a ski-lift in a backpack…you can ride all day long and never stop.” Ski-lifts aren’t needed because the kite carries the rider up as well as down.
The kite kit itself includes the kite, 80 feet of kite line, and a hand bar similar to a mountain-bike handle bar.
Kits start off at about $50 for children’s kites. For the serious kiter, the kit will start out at about $300 and can go up to the thousands for those who want power- or traction-kites, meant for serious snowkiting, which Schenck said are more like parachutes than paragliders.
For more information about the Skyline Snowkite Summit this weekend, call (435) 462-5303, or visit www.windzup.com.
The summit is open to the public.