The big thrill is getting big air when you’re sailing across the landscape under the power of the big kite. “Now my wife and I go out there and tow our kids around,” he says. But then he and his wife started a family, and he’s got less time to teach lessons. He’d offer lessons for $75 an hour and get more people trained-up in the sport.
Petranek used to bring a quiver of kites to the Fairfield area to teach folks how it’s done. “ I’ll fly an 18-meter kite if the wind is below 20 mph, and if it’s higher than that, I can shift down to a smaller kite,” he said. He has different sized kites to suit just about any wind speed.
Petranek says the wind often picks up about 1 p.m. With freezing temperatures at night, and clear skies during the day, that can create a firm base for the kite-skiers to cruise across the landscape. He flies a big kite to get maximum air time. March is coming up fast, and that’s typically the best month for kite-skiing, he says.Įddy Petranek kite-skis uphill near Fairfield. Petranek and other kite-skiing enthusiasts communicate via the SnowkiteIdaho Yahoo Group, and share photos and videos of their kite-skiing experiences. Normally, someone is out there every weekend, and some people are out there on weekdays, too.” Kite-skiers need three things – wind, snow and visibility, Petranek says. Kite-skiers can double-dip on their trip by skiing or riding at nearby Soldier Mountain (open Thursdays – Sunday), and spend a day or half day kite-skiing. 20, near a snowmobile access parking lot or 20 miles west of Fairfield, west of the grain silos at Hill City. The “trailhead” is about 4-5 miles east of the Cat Creek Summit on U.S. “ You’ve got plenty of snow to work with, there’s no trees or obstructions to worry about, and the wind is pretty consistent in the Camas Prairie.” “ It’s really the best spot in Idaho,” he says. The wide open spaces west of Fairfield, Idaho, in the west side of the Camas Prairie, are a great playground for snowmobilers, and adventurous skiers and snowboarders have discovered that the same wide open spaces create a perfect playground for kite-skiing.Įddy Petranek of Boise is one of the more active kite-skiers in the ‘hood, and he says the Fairfield area is the ideal spot in Idaho to try out the sport.
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