Go fly a kite!

Year-round extreme sport growing in Manitoba

Most of us have flown a kite at one time or another.

It’s a fun, carefree activity for kids that doesn’t require much physical exertion...but try telling that to Mark Koenig.

Koenig, who owns and operates Winnipeg’s Boost Kiteboarding store on Regent Avenue in Transcona, wants to popularize an emerging sport that takes flying a kite to the next, more extreme, level.

In a nutshell, kiteboarding involves standing on a board while holding onto a massive kite, up to 18 metres square, that pulls you across the snow or water...and if you get enough wind, into the air.

Like any extreme sport, it has its dangers, especially when riders get into aerial tricks, but Koenig says the sport has the potential to become huge as it’s an easy-to-learn adrenaline rush that, unlike most Manitoba sports, can take place outdoors in summer and winter.

“It’s really something for everyone. I started getting involved with it through windsurfing, but you get guys who skateboard or snowboard who want to try it out,” he said. “A lot of the first people were actually windsurfers, because you have more power, more control. You can do more with lower winds on a kiteboard.”

Koenig says there’s an incredibly wide age range among the 250 or so boarders in Manitoba.

“There’s a 63-year-old who’s retired that goes out every single day and my son Daniel, who’s only 14, is really going strong. It’s something anyone can do with a bit of practice.”

The practice, however, isn’t as simple as one might expect.

Although Koenig says it’s possible to have an experienced skier or snowboarder standing upright and trying out the kite after a few hours of training, for the uninitiated, it’s not that simple.

For one thing, keeping the kite in the air is a challenge in itself.

According to Koenig, the fastest speed a local kiteboarder has been clocked at is upwards of 90 km/h, so, depending on the wind conditions, even if a novice can keep the kite afloat, staying on his or her feet when the wind catches is a challenge.

It’s for this reason that Koenig, who is involved with the lessons taking place Saturday mornings at Oak Hammock Marsh, says he likes to make sure new kiteboarders are well-equipped for the sport – whether they’re customers at his store or trainees at the Marsh.

Daniel, Koenig’s son, said there’s a difference when learning if you start out on water or snow.

“I like it on the water more, because on the snow, if you crash, it hurts a lot more,” he said.

“I picked it up pretty quick, though. I still snowboard, so I guess that helped, but I got the hang of it in about a week. I like it because of the jumps and stuff.”

Daniel tries to take his board out twice a week or more, depending on his school schedule, but, so far, he hasn’t seen a huge rush of classmates or friends trying to follow in his footsteps.

Koenig said the sport is growing by leaps and bounds, but it’s still not that well-known in the mainstream.

“I don’t make a living off it yet. (Boost) is currently inside another store – ABC Power Tools. I’m very busy, so it’s hard to run two stores, but I would love for it to be something I could make a living with. I’d like to dedicate my life to it,” he said.

More information about kiteboarding can be found on Boost’s website, www.boostkiteboarding.com, as well as www.kiteboardingmanitoba.com.