What is Winterlude?
From the NCC's Winterlude web site:
"Every February, Canada's Capital Region is host to Winterlude,
North America's greatest winter festival. Three fun-filled weekends of
excitement and activity await the whole family! From spectacular ice carvings to
an amazing playground made of snow, Winterlude is a great way to take in the
best of our Canadian winter.
Facts:
-
Winterlude was founded in 1979 by
the National Capital Commission (NCC) as a means of celebrating Canada's
unique northern climate and culture.
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Last year, an estimated 616,000
fun-seekers took part in Winterlude activities. More than a third of those
visits were by people from outside the Capital Region.
-
Every year, Winterlude attracts
thousands of artists, athletes and visitors from across Canada and
around the world.
-
The success of Winterlude rests on
the support - both financial and in donated services - of the private sector,
local collaborators, the media and the community.
-
In a 2004 survey, it was estimated
that Winterlude related spending generated a total of $151.7 million
of economic activity in Ontario and Quebec - $82.5 million
within Canada's Capital Region."
Winterlude Kite Demonstration Event
This year, the school
Kitesurfingschool.org
Ottawa (VL Kites) and the
NCC has teamed up to organize a kite
demonstration event for the closing week-end of the 2005 Winterlude. This
is the world first large scale winter kite demonstration event for a very large
number of non-kiter audiences, fully insured with $2,000,000 public liability insurance.
Due to the large number of surrounding audiences, only instructors or riders
with more than 3-year experiences were invited to ride in the event.
The event was fully supported by
the kite manufacturers and the kite magazines. Many kite manufacturers
and magazines have contacted Kitesurfingschool.org, and in the end, BestKiteboarding
(http://www.bestkiteboarding.com)
sent 5 Tempest
kites complete for the riders to use during the event (then to keep afterward), Loose (http://www.loose.it)
sponsored 2 Patriot kites complete and SBC Kiteboard Magazine sent 50 copies to
be distributed to the audiences. Many thanks to BestKiteboarding, Loose
and SBC Kiteboard Magazine for recognizing the important of the Winterlude Kite Demonstration
Event in the promotion of the sport
and sponsoring the school as well as the riders.
Acknowledgement
from NCC
Following are the photos
and the report of the event.
Day 1 (Saturday February 19th, 2005)
The condition was not ideal; the wind
was somewhat offshore and unstable. The demonstration area was also pretty
icy (due to the recent rain & thaw) so snowboards were somewhat undesirable.
However, thanks to the experienced team, the riders (mostly on skis) have done
an admirable job and have really impressed the skaters. The riders
(especially Andrew) has boosted some good airs and that has quite motivated the
audiences. Given the non-ideal conditions, the first day of the event was
a major success - I was not expecting the riders to be able to ride properly let
alone boosting good airs. Many of the skaters, came from far away (few
hours flight from Ottawa) and Northern US:
-
Some didn't know our sport exist!
-
Some has seen kitesurfing but not
aware that one can do kitesnowboarding and kiteskiing in the winter
-
Some has seen kitesnowboarding and/or
kiteskiing but not aware that one can do kitesurfing in the summer
-
Overall, most agree that kiting is
the most exciting 4 season sport in northern climate
Arrived at the Kite Camp
early in the morning Feb 19, 2005
Brent, Andrew
and Jim in the background were unloading the equipment
(Note that the
trucks are on ice. Yes, the ice is thick enough to support trucks this
time of the year in Canada)
The first Tempest kite
got pumped up in front of the Kite Camp
More Tempest and
Patriot kites got pumped up
Peter started
connecting the lines to the first Tempest kite to try it out before the skaters
showed up
Brent tried out the
first Tempest kite while the first skaters started to show up
All the kites were
set up and placed near the Kite Camp ready for the riders
The Kite Camp was ready for the audiences
The side of Kite Camp
near the entrance (with the NCC logo and a Tempest kite flying in the back ground)
Jim, inside the Kite Camp,
talking to the audiences
Andrew took another
Tempest out for a ride before the crowd arrived
Andrew started getting
lifted up
Skaters started
arriving
The crowd arrived
(note a Tempest kite was on the sky in the back ground)
Brent was out with a
Patriot kite
Peter and Andrew with
2 Tempests
Hung was at the Kite Camp
answering questions
The skaters were in
front of the Kite Camp watching the demonstration
Taking picture in
front of the Patriot and Tempest kites for souvenir
Day 2 (Sunday February 20th, 2005)
Click here
for day 2 photos and report
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