southern oregon snowkite

kyle.vh · Since 11 Jul 2007 713 Posts city of angels Addicted

Got a question for the SOKA crew.
I'd like to come down and kite at crater lake, and spend 3 days down there.
Basically, I'm wondering:
where you might recommend staying (nearby motel?)
how you forecast the region
and how likely you think it is to get wind over a 3 day period--could I just pick a random weekend, or should I try to forecast and be flexible with the weekend.

thanks for any advice. I was going to post on your site, but my account is being reviewed by management. Wink

great site by the way. really helpful, cool pics.

Sol-flyer · Sun Jan 11, 09 11:20 pm

nice kyle,

Stoked you wanna come down! I was wondering if anybody was getting the hint with all the pics we've been posting.

the closest place for lodging would be the daimond lake resort: http://www.diamondlake.net. Roseburg would be the biggest/closest town, and would have more options.

There is basically two places to kite within the park that we have found, the best is pumice desert. Which is on the north entrance side of the national park boundary. The other is directly in front of the Xanterra Lodge/visitor center located on the southern side of the rim. The pumice desert will require some means of tranportation via shoe's/ski's or a sled. Its roughly a 2-3 mile hike in.

For planning a 3-day weekend, I would say any random time you could get at least one good day riding. But the odds would be in better favor if you watched some of the pressure systems coming into the region. The nice thing about the pumice desert is almost every wind direction works. (south-east sucks Wink

)

I use a bunch of different sites for weather...magic seaweed,I-kite,NOAA, and wunderground. basicly they all show something different Razz

I belive "Kinetic" has a cabin at Daimond lake and we're planning some kind of get together, I belive for sometime in febuary but will have to make sure he's not in houston.

hope that helps and keep in touch and let us know when you might come down. If there's anything else just hit us up.

matty (sol)

kyle.vh · Since 11 Jul 2007 713 Posts city of angels Addicted

thanks for the tips.
yeah, the pics you've been posting, plus the website made me realize I need to get down there.
I am planning on skinning in on skis.
I'll be in touch. really stoked.

Sol-flyer · Mon Jan 12, 09 9:26 am

ski's are a good way in, pretty fast. We've been dumbasses and always hiked in on the N. entrance road(last time we had to hike back out in the dark, during a snowstorm). But this last november we found the groomed snowmobile trail Razz

Its just a lil ways past the N. entrance on hwy 138.

NOTE: We've talked to the park rangers and they are open to kiteboarding within the national park. Just as long as we dont jump over a certain hieght/distance. and also that we stay off the avalanche prone area's. The main thing with snowkiting is that its easy to mend with gliding. And paragliding of any kind is illegal within the park. Other than that they said to make sure we "pack it out" in regard to trash and maybe POOP?

Oh, also....no "professional" photography without a permit. which can be aquired at the mazama village (south entrance)

here is a couple of pics to "stoke the fire"

found a couple pics from blowhard & registered:
http://nwkite.com/forums/t-1159.html&highlight=crater+lake

kyle.vh · Since 11 Jul 2007 713 Posts city of angels Addicted

looks epic!!
is the snowmobile east or west of the N. Entrance road? About how far?
groomed sounds plush.
Is Diamond lake frozen? Can you kite on it?

Sol-flyer · Mon Jan 12, 09 2:05 pm

the sled trail is east (towards hwy 97) from the n. entrance and only about 1/4 of a mile. We kited on daimond lake last year during late febuary, but it usually only freezes over on a good winter season. There is always Mt.Bailey http://catskimtbailey.com/index.htm snocat sking if you got the funds. (possible snowkite poineering)

and umpqua hotsprings is only 20 miles from daimond lake, makes for a great end to a perfect day.

Respect Mother Earth!

pacifichigh · Since 11 May 2005 1004 Posts ATX Texan

Mt. Bailey is pretty steep and nasty above treeline, not a ton of kite friendly space. Sick mtn & the Bailey Cat Ski Crew do a great job.

registered · Since 12 Jul 2005 1319 Posts tsunami Sandbagger

not really a good place to snowkite up on bailey. limited terrain . go pioneer the crater lake area. Laughing

the pumice fields is nice but the better riding is up a bit closer to the rim on the same groomed snowmobile trail . wat more relief so not so boring .soon to be pioneered by socats sols surely.

it is a few miles further than the pumice field a sled is good for this but lots of times when the wind is predicted(during storms) the powder is so deep sleds have a tough time if the cat has not groomed yet.

Amazing how a two lane road can be tough to navigate. Wink

Sol-flyer · Tue Jan 13, 09 7:58 am

pacifichigh · Since 11 May 2005 1004 Posts ATX Texan

Sol-flyer · Tue Jan 13, 09 9:17 am

well, if you say so Rolling Eyes

But i still think its good, I'll have to see for myself. Razz

registered · Since 12 Jul 2005 1319 Posts tsunami Sandbagger

yep people have been up Bailey .. not to much area to be pioneered. Wink

we were smart enough not to kite there the day I was there but I am sure we were not the first to be on site.

sol I am sure one could kite in a small area there (summit area south side between the two poles drop in and the switchback to the summit. )

below the two poles drop in (southwest )is a bench then a fairly open bowl maybe 200 yards wide and that would be another small area.

tha big area / face facing the lake is very avy risky. so with the right timing and avy savy it could be done. However day to day its a risky area.

and for crater lake.. I am sure there is some inner rim pioneering to be done at the crater and not every area of the place has been poached yet..

I will get ahold of you next time I WORK my way down there Mr. Sol.

blowhard · Since 26 Dec 2005 2027 Posts Windward

ok the large white area is
Summer Ridge ,south of Summer Lake
east of Crater across 97
looks like 7100 ' elevation
and no trees, anyone been up there?

I would think the south face of Bailey would be kitable
on southerlies,
it looked somewhat tame from the top of Bailey
but most of Bailey would be one large jump