Kite-High over Ice and Skis

Today Oskar and I went for a long walk in the fabulous weather, crossing the ice on Maridalsvannet, the lake closest to where we live. For the first time here we came across kite skiers. A couple of young ladies were having the time of their lives flying kites and speed skiing all over the place - it was quite windy so the conditions must have been just about perfect for this.

Kite skiing is a relatively recent development of skiing where the pull comes from a kite. It can be done on water, snow, land or ice. Kite skiing on snow has little in common with downhill skiing. It shares a greater similarity with cross-country skiing but the driving force coming from the kite rather than stocks or gravity. The kites used for kite skiing are similar to those used for paragliding, but are generally smaller since the kite does not need to provide sufficient lift to raise the skier from the surface.