- VETAN
Our spot is on a highland 1820 meters (6000 ft.) above the sea level, free from obstacles and with plain areas and some gentle slopes. Vetan stands facing South, so it gets illuminated by the sun all day long, that makes it very pleasant to spend time outdoor also during the winter season. It is surrounded by higher alpine pastures that lead to Laysser mountain top at 2730 meters (9000 ft.)
The higher alpine pastures are accesible to the more experienced riders. Beginners and students will be using the base camp. Obviously, the size of the spot changes due to snow and wind conditions, and from the rider’s skills as well.
The base camp can be easily reached on foot. You can drive up to the Hotel Notre-Maison and once there park your car in the hotel car park (which is free). The base camp is just 200 meters (600 ft.) away, walking up a little path.
Wind: in our spot we can work very well with all the winds coming from the North. The more the wind blows from East, the nicer it will be and higher will be the chance to find the right wind for our porpuse and also it will be easier to climb up the first hill that takes you to the second pastures. A good thing about snowkiting is that you don’t need so much wind as when kitesurfing, but a little breeze is enough to make you move!
Snow coverage: the season starts from the first abundant snowfall, that usually occurs around late November, and ends mid-March. If at the base camp there is not enough snow, it could be worth to take a little walk to a higher place to find more snow.
Vetan is our home spot, so we will try to run most of the lessons here, although sometimes due to the wind and weather conditions we might have to choose a different location.
- Col du PETITE ST. BERNARDE (La Thuile)
To reach this spot it is necessary to use the lifts of La Thuile ski resort, so it is mandatory to be able to ski to get there. Snowkite skipass (15 euro) is available at the cashiers at the bottom of the gondola.
Wind: this spot works well with a thermic wind blowing from France (SW), which is very steady and clean. It is also possible to find NE wind coming from Italy that is usually a little gustier.
Snow coverage: usually it is really good throughout all the winter season and also spring time. The pass gets often snowy during the night and this can clear off all the traks made during the day leaving just endless untouchable powder for you to shred the next day.
