A Beginners Guide to Snowkiting in Germany and around

The following article is an introduction into the new Sport Snowkiting. It is supposed to give insights in this new sport and to recommend certain destinations and equipment mainly for beginners. While Kiteboarding becomes more and more appealing to a bigger crowd there is already a new Sport that is based on it. Snowkiting is a brand new trend sport which enlightens athletes and spectators alike. Similar to Kiteboarding while Snowkiting the Rider uses a kite and the strength of the wind in order to move. This way it is even possible to ride a mountain uphill.

Luckily no matter if you are a Beginner or a Pro the basic equipment for Snowkiting is always the same. You will need a Snowboard, a Kite, Boots, Straps, a harness and heaps of good spirit. This article is written mainly for beginners so the most important items are the Board and the Kite. For Snowkiting it is recommendable that you choose Allround Kites and Boards for the beginning because those Kites and Boards have a broad range of usage and progress with your improving skills. Good Beginner Kites are: BEST Kahoona V5, Cabrinha Vector or the CORE Riot. Proper Boards for Beginners are: Burton Hero or the K2 Playback. Normally you can rent your equipment on the spot but if you want to go kiting more often or you are looking for better deals it is recommendable to buy your equipment from an online kiteshop like this for better prices. Local Shops also have great deals from time to time but I personally only buy second hand locally and whenever I want to buy new equipment I tend to buy it online but I guess that everybody should decide for himself.

The following destinations are all located in Central Europe and these are the only destinations the author was able to test himself. Luckily some of Europe’s finest destinations for Snowkiting are located in the South of Germany, Switzerland and Austria.

Feldberg, Germany

The “Feldberg” is a 1400m high mountain in southern Germany located next to the Black Forest and close to the city of Freiburg. This is one of the most popular destinations for Skiing, Snowboarding and Snowkiting in Germany. On a sunny day it is even possible to see as far as to the top of the Mont Blanc in France and the Zugspitze, the highest mountain in Germany. There are plenty of Kiteschools around where one is able to rent equipment, participate in beginners and advanced courses or simply to have fun.

Silvaplana, Switzerland

Another beautiful destination is Silvaplana in Switzerland. This place can be visited all year long and there is a huge lake around. Especially the lake offers plenty of opportunities to go kiting, ice-skiing or just to have fun. The best time for visiting is from mid-January until Mid-April because during this time the lake is frozen. Similar to the Feldberg there are Kiteschools and even a Kitecenter around.

Thalgau, Austria

This location in Austria is one with the most constant wind of them all. Additionally this spot is easily accessible and not only interesting for Snowkiting but for Skiing, Snowboarding or any other winter sports. The local Kiteschools are always willing to help and equipment can be rented from the spot.

Everybody who would like to participate in or just watch one of the most sophisticated contests in the Snowkite scene simply cannot miss the International Snowkite Championships in Rechen, Austria. This brilliant event takes place from 01-03 of February and the location is the Lake called “Reschensee” in the South of Tirol, Austria. Due to the high location of the lake almost on top of the mountains there are fantastic windy conditions for Snowkiting. The main event is separated in three Side Events which are Race, Freestyle and Boardercross (4 Rider competing in one race with two obstacles).