Apex vs. Montana
Snowkiting FAQs: HQ Montana 9.5m vs. Apex 10m
Question:
I weigh 170lbs and have been flying with a 3 meter trainer kite on a frozen lake with my skis. What kite would you recommend between a HQ Montana IV 9.5 meter snow kite and an Apex III 10 meter snowkite? I will also need a harness. What do you suggest?
Thanks,
Tim
Answer: Hello Tim,
It looks like you are headed in the right direction with your upgrade to a snowkite with some depower available. By using a kite with depower and being harnessed in you should be able to double or triple your days out snow kiting and be able to ride for a few hours versus an hour with a trainer.
The Apex III is a fantastic kite with very good depower, super stable and predictable flight characteristics. If you are looking for reliable handling in gusty conditions the Apex is great for the job. At your weight in hard packed snow you should be able to start moving around 8-10mph and being happily powered around 12-14mph. If you are riding powder add about 3-5mph. The wind range of the Apex snow kite is about 4-25mph.
The Montana VI 9.5 meter is definitely moving up a notch in performance. Kite turning speed and lift increase quite a bit. In gusty conditions you will want to be much more on your game with the Montana. If you are flying in smoother winds I would choose the Montana for sure. You pick up about 10mph on the top end of the wind range with the much greater depower available.
You should go with a waist harness to use with skis. Since your body will always be turned slightly it will put your bar in line in a better position for riding. It is a straightforward, simple harness. Works well for snow kiting since you already have a bunch of padding that you're wearing.
Our best selling harness is the Renegade. It has a few more bells and whistles and is quite a bit nicer for the water. Snow kiting it won't make as much difference since you generally don't have as much direct body contact with the harness.
If you are planning on adding water in the future lean toward the Renegade. Otherwise the Chameleon is fine.
Give us a call at 800-622-4655 and we can walk through the kites with you. Order online and send us an email and we will get you the right pricing along with FREE shipping when we send out your order.
Cheers,
Steve
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