Snow Kiting

WARNING

Kiting is highly addictive and can cause injury/death - you must familiarise yourself with kite power and safety techniques, and use the same caution as for the Friends of Pisa Ski Touring page. It can be very easy to travel a long way under kite power, so be prepared to walk out again should conditions change - touring ski’s or a splitboard or snowshoes are a good idea.

Access:

Free access to the kiteable terrain on the Pisa Conservation Area requires up to an hours walk in/walk out via the legal easement through the SHPG and SnowFarm to the Roaring Meg (full details on the Friends of Pisa Access page). Other access via SnowFarm trails requires a SnowFarm pass, while access via Robrosa Station (north from the carpark to Bob Lee Hut) requires membership with the Southern Snow Kiters Association (SSKA)

Wind:

The Pisa has good exposure to winds from the N/NW to W to SW, but is in the lee of anything from the E to SE. The NW usually builds progressively with an approaching front; SW tends to drop away after the front passes.

Forecast:

• MetService Southern Lakes Forecast https://www.metservice.com/mountains-and-parks/national-parks/southern-lakes is pretty reliable, with wind @ 1000m and 2000m.

• MetVuw Forecast Charts for the South Island (850mb) https://metvuw.com/forecast/ are also worth perusal.

• Windy.com https://www.windy.com/ is also worth a look.

Tips:

• Wear layers - kiting can warm you up.

• Carry food and drink - it’s thirsty work.

• There’s a toilet at the Kirtle Burn Hut - BYO T/P.

• Carry a mobile phone and PLB or GPS tracker.

• First timers, buddy up with someone with experience (join the SSKA or the Southern LakesSnow Kiters Facebook group).

Hazards:

• Fence lines, wires and warratahs (steel fence posts) buried just below the snow - usually encountered at the boundary of the conservation area.

• Avalanche hazard is low on the windward slopes preferred for kiting, but stay away from terrain traps in lee facing gullies. Avalanche forecast

• Turbulence in the lee of large rocks can cause the kite to luff, leading to being…

  • dragged downwind into rocks or fence lines

  • lofted by a gust and dropped from height.

  • tangled in kite lines and the kite powers up.

Routes:

There are two main routes up from the Roaring Meg, with crossings at the Leopold Burn heading towards Column Rocks, or the Prince Burn heading towards the Kirtle Burn Hut and Mt Pisa (see the map below). Both lead to plenty of terrain to explore, and depending on the mood of the mountain you can kite from relatively low altitude.

Depending on the weather, these two routes can be linked to form a circuit by traversing between Column Rocks and Mt Pisa. Note that this traverse is near the summit and extremely exposed - it can get very windy with steep drop offs upwind.