Lei's are great for snow. The pain of the ritual in cold temps is one way to see it, for those that dare the cold get a proper warm up. Although the pumping never ends some times but going from the warm car to the cold is a different heat yeah its warm, but not the same as being warm in cold temps. The line out process i'd like to hear the best way without wearing gloves? Thats where it can be dangerous in super chilly stuff like -5 or less. They don't float like they do on water they can stick and sometimes be frustrating to flip. Usually if its that light than the kite may not have the power to have much fun. Lei's however can be very rewarding in the snow. They fly gracefully and in gusts they hold their shape. For backcountry survival area's i'm not sure. A bladder break is on our minds to stay more mellow but they are great for the close to the road area's Very easy and quick to tear down and get back to warmth. A lei is a very versatile kite. all season kite you could say.