“Snow-kiting in Pakistan?”

When I`d asked Gus Hurst to come along as a photographer on our ski-touring trip to Pakistan, he was more than a little surprised by our destination, but when he suggested bringing kites along, well, I was lost for words. My snow-kiting knowledge was non-existent, so Gus used his powers of persuasion wisely, and his photos of Chasta riding up a 35 degree slope and jumping a 100ft cliff with a kite were like showing a kid the door to wonderland!

After 7 years of snowboarding and ski-touring around the world this sounded too good to be true, “You`re telling me that I can use kites to get around the mountains instead of walking, cross massive distances in record time, and do huge jumps that would be impossible otherwise? When do we start?

Winter flew by, and before I knew it, we were bumping along the stunning Karakoram Highway to Skardu, a town nestled amongst hundreds of 6000m peaks, and the starting point for the many expeditions to K2 and surrounding 8000m peaks. Once the entire group was together, we made our way up to the windswept Deosai plateau at 4100m. Not content with the 8 hour slog, Jojo Civel and Sigve Botnen soon had their kites out and came zooming past us up the narrow valley, and gave me my first glimpse of what being a pro kiter is about.

The next day, once camp was set up it was time to bring out the toys. Jojo and Sigve disappeared off across the plateau and reappeared a few minutes later as little tiny specks on a far ridge. I`m not sure of the distance, but I know that it took us over 2 hours to get there ski-touring….a whole bucket load of inspiration and a healthy dose of jealousy had got me now.

If it hadn`t been for watching those guys, I`m not sure I would have battled my way through those first few days of frustration; ever-changing winds, impossibly tangled lines, and the sheltered gullies which I would be sucked into, then watch helplessly as my kite collapsed in a heap next to me.

Things improved quickly though, and by the time we arrived at Shuijerab, a wide alpine valley at 4600m in the Karakoram range, I was hooked. The big flat snow-covered riverbed was ideal learning ground. Once I`d learnt to avoid the wide crack above an icy torrent in the middle of it, I suddenly found myself cruising backwards and forwards across the valley, my Frenzy feeling powered but strangely in control, moving happily across the window, reaching the edge and with a little tug on the bar it looped around and we were flying back in the other direction.

My kite suddenly changed from an enemy alien object dragging me around to a loving, albeit temperamental, threesome to me and my snowboard. OK, I`m still a long way from any 60 foot airs or reaching any 6000m peaks by wind power alone, but flying across the snow at 4600m in the middle of some of the most beautiful mountains on Earth is as good a start as I could wish for.

There`s always a special moment in any sport or passion in life, when you know you`ve taken hold of the bait and bitten down hard, and all you can do is wait and see where the line is going to pull you.

The feeling of freedom, and the endless possibilities that snow-kiting offers surpass any other mountain sport. A new side to snowboarding and mountains opened up to me on that trip, and I can`t wait to explore that side.

By Zoe Smalley

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