The Base Camp at 4200m
Photo © Gus Hurst
Dom giving introduction to the Pakistan Army
Photo © Gus Hurst
The MI17 heli
Photo © Gus Hurst
the snowpark near the base camp
Photo © Gus Hurst
we left a 8m Access to the army
Photo © Ozone
Scott doing the guiness book world record
Photo © Ozone
Power kiting hit the Himalayas in real style this year, with Ozone team members making a base camp in the Deosai Plateau in Pakistan. Arriving in style, a team of 20 snowkiters and freestyle skiers and snowboarders were blasted up in MI-17 helicopters, to the most stunning setting for the worlds first Himalayan Event. A truly awesome snowpark had been designed and hand built at 4200m, where DJ Scott Nixon also set a new world record altitude mixing session.
Pakistan is the worlds next big destination for power kiting, skiing, snowboarding and adventure mountain sports, and Ozone team members have been pioneers in the development there.
`This is the most incredible setting for extreme sport - gigantic mountains surround you, a sense of isolation heightens the majesty of the Himalayas, and there are literally hundreds of mountains and untouched powder slopes. The potential for exploration here is endless, and there are few better ways than snow kiting to discover it. This is home of the Himalayan brown bear and the elusive snow leopard, where a noticeable lack of plane contrails and light pollution is accentuated by the silence of your surroundings. Unfortunately for us, the silence became a deafening lack of wind noise, and the best we could do in the five days up the mountain, was to demonstrate, on a windless day, the principals of snow kiting, to a bunch of eager Army Commanding Officers, Generals and Segeants - having watched me snow kiting during the 3 day Base Camp set up (yes, of course there was wind when the riders were not there - sods law!), we had to leave them a Access 8m to appease their enthusiasm.
The Prime Minister in Pakistan invited the whole crew along to meet him, and plans are already underway for next years `Himalayan Extreme` - despite a lack of wind, all our kiters are keen to try again next year.
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