2008 Woodie Awards
Kiteboarding takes off as new extreme sport in Alaska
Clint Helander
Issue date: 4/17/07 Section: Sports
"Potter's Marsh and Westchester Lagoon can be good in certain conditions, but Portage and Eklutna lakes are more reliable all year long. The area I think is going to be really popular is Twenty Mile Creek," Tompkins said.
Given its location on the southeastern Turnagain Arm, conditions are perfect for kiteboarding. With its flat terrain and natural wind funnel, it is a special place unique to Anchorage.
"The amount of wind that comes through there is going to really catch people's attention," he said.
In warmer climates, kiteboarding has taken off as a year-round sport. In Central and South America, kiteboarding has a huge following. People make their living as kiteboarding instructors on windy beaches all along the Pacific coast, from Hawaii to Costa Rica.
Locally, several people have made the move to summer kiteboarding as well. Eklutna Lake is the figurative hot spot for water kiteboarding, as it's a natural conduit for wind coming off the neighboring Eklutna glacier, which feeds the lake. Snow kiteboarding remains the chosen favorite though, as it takes less effort from the rider and is easier to control. Snow is generally much more forgiving than water, and has an easier learning curve for the beginner.
Another area where Tompkins is predicting kitboarding will take off is in the cross-country ski arena.
In a town where cross-country skiing is the most popular sport, it seems almost natural. Cross-country kite skiing would closely resemble skijoring, where dogs are used to help pull skiers on trails. These kites would be a smaller version of their bigger backcountry predecessors and have the potential to revolutionize the sport. In addition, it could bring kitboarding from a small community sport to a front-line one.
"It would definitely make skate skiing in the passes a lot easier for crust. You'd be able to go way further up in there. I think it would be as select as kiting is now in the alpine skiing community. Most are purists in cross-country skiing," said Beau Crawford, an avid cross-country skier and former high school racer. "I think lots of young guys like me would be real interested once we get used to it."
For more information on the sport, head over to KiteAlaska.com.
Given its location on the southeastern Turnagain Arm, conditions are perfect for kiteboarding. With its flat terrain and natural wind funnel, it is a special place unique to Anchorage.
"The amount of wind that comes through there is going to really catch people's attention," he said.
In warmer climates, kiteboarding has taken off as a year-round sport. In Central and South America, kiteboarding has a huge following. People make their living as kiteboarding instructors on windy beaches all along the Pacific coast, from Hawaii to Costa Rica.
Locally, several people have made the move to summer kiteboarding as well. Eklutna Lake is the figurative hot spot for water kiteboarding, as it's a natural conduit for wind coming off the neighboring Eklutna glacier, which feeds the lake. Snow kiteboarding remains the chosen favorite though, as it takes less effort from the rider and is easier to control. Snow is generally much more forgiving than water, and has an easier learning curve for the beginner.
Another area where Tompkins is predicting kitboarding will take off is in the cross-country ski arena.
In a town where cross-country skiing is the most popular sport, it seems almost natural. Cross-country kite skiing would closely resemble skijoring, where dogs are used to help pull skiers on trails. These kites would be a smaller version of their bigger backcountry predecessors and have the potential to revolutionize the sport. In addition, it could bring kitboarding from a small community sport to a front-line one.
"It would definitely make skate skiing in the passes a lot easier for crust. You'd be able to go way further up in there. I think it would be as select as kiting is now in the alpine skiing community. Most are purists in cross-country skiing," said Beau Crawford, an avid cross-country skier and former high school racer. "I think lots of young guys like me would be real interested once we get used to it."
For more information on the sport, head over to KiteAlaska.com.
Viewing Comments 1 - 1 of 1
Sean Wisner
posted 4/22/08 @ 5:14 PM AKST
Great article. Kiteboarding and snow kiting are really taking off down here in Valdez as well. Thompson Pass is quickly becoming a world-class snow kiting destination, and the consistent sea breezes in the summer months make for some epic ocean kiting conditions. (Continued…)
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