So there I was on the majestic mount haggin. Enjoying some of the best conditions kiting has to offer. 25mph winds, sun, and POW. After several miles of tacking back an forth the wind was getting stronger and even funner on a 10m foil. Seeing some people joining me I headed down to catch up with them. Well we took off kinda as a group then I noticed they were a bit slower than me so I got up higher on the hill when I looked around saw nobody in a short matter of time. All of a sudden I do a nice 15 footer and on the way down i land smooth and the wind caught my kite pretty strong and blew the saftey apart. Well on this particular kite it used a velcro piece to hold the firing pin. Velcro was blown out and i was sitting in front of a spagetti mess. I figure well i can try to sort the lines and figure out a way out of this. Remember that wind i was talking about. well it made it difficult to reset and at the last moment it blows again. Ok now a bigger mess that is getting worse and worse. End of day I need to get down fast. If I had an operational kite i'd be to the car in less than 5 minutes. I can see the road in the distance. I begin walking. First mistake. This POW was waist and deeper. Fluffy too. Ok i go a couple hundred yards with the thought in my mind if i can get this kite to work i'm there without this tremendous amount of work. So I stop and try to reset again after draggin for awhile the lines were a forget it. I'm surfing on my board trying to use it as a flotation device with limited luck. I pressed on and on until almost dark. Finally the road is near. Well after my exhaustion of post holing. Another 100 yards is like a ridiculous amount to go. Finally back to the car very tired i proceed to drive home. Once in cell range I had a friend call and leave a message saying call me back or search and rescue is coming. I call him back and let him know i'm ok. The next day i'm off to the sport store to get some snow shoes. They would have been handy that day, but now that i have them there is a better chance of me getting back without serious consequences.

Buddy system bro', buddy system. Glad all went well , could of been tragic. Or you could have looked like a dumbass if the authorities found you on the side of a mountain in snow, cursing and still tryin' to untangle those infernal lines. But really use the buddy system,and never,never leave your bros behind. Alls well that ends well.

Might be the best ad I ever read for how a splitboard could save the day. I've ridden a resort once & went out-of-bounds & gotten into deep,deep flats that I've tried to "paddle" my way out from - that's a bitch Know exactly what you were fighting there.

Helpless is the only thing that comes to mind. Every step is like the most energy next to running a marathon one could excert. I'm very curious about the split board concept you'll have to show me this season.

what kind of kite and/or safety system it is. glad that you had landed before safety was released.

I had with an ozone access 8m the safety system to release by itself, then the front lines becomes way too long to keep kite power. that could be dangerous while in the air.

well in some of the earlier models ozone used a velcro holder that completely cut away the front lines. The top hat method is bullet proof but does slip once in awhile.

Thanx for the enlightening story Craz. Gives another perspective to the whole deal here. I think if I was within a mile or two of the road I would carry shoes as opposed to another kite. However this does come to a good point that Ive thought a bit about lateley since it has been discussed. As a LEI flyer, I think I should maybe try and invest in a foil, which Ive wanted to try anyway. It could maybe just be a back up kite instead of thinking about packing a pump and everything that goes along with a LEI.

In fact, as the sport grows, heres an idea I shold patent right now . Maybe its been done I dont know. But a small compact foil kite that would be meant as a small backup emergency b.c. kite. Kinda like the spare donut tire for a car! . It wouldnt have any lift, maybe some corners cut in a couple places to save a ton of cost, since it should not be used on a regualar basis. And maybe focus on a huge wind range and not so much lift. What do you guys think?

For now, Im gonna have to stick within where my feet with snowshoes are willing to walk.

Kinda like an emergency kite? Yeah I can see that. I wonder if a co2 cartridge could be fired into a small kite then discard it and fly out. Either way weight and bulk plus having a decent enough size for enough power is still the big factor. A kite tho doesn't weigh that much more than the snow shoes but the extra swingin bulk makes less enjoyable to ride freestyle with. If you do adventure off more than a mile or two I would carry either or no matter what.

Yeah in all reality, Im prbly all talk, for a little bit, I just need to get out and practice a bit more before I head to far out away from the road with a kite and no sled. It would just be a thought maybe in the future.

Well there are some pretty inventive users like windgumby and defintely lewmt. I know lewmont made a split board for the backcountry. There are a whole nother set of rules for the hardcore but like anything in life you gotta work hard for it. Thats were the emergency kite idea could ease the pressure of not having to ski out or snowshoe out. I think most of the fun exploring is on the maps and trips when the conditions aren't up to speed. A sled sure would be the ticket tho for the real good stuff. And if your sled don't start just drag it with a kite.