The next morning, we woke at 5am and drove an hour from Queenstown to the Snow Farm car park, perched 1,500m above sea level. At dawn, we met Chris, who owns a quad bike equipped with snow tracks. His quad would carry 30kg of camera gear, food, clothing, kite equipment, and other essentials to the hut for our overnight stay. We loaded an impressive amount of gear onto the quad, and Chris and Josh set off while Jonty and I were towed on skis behind the quad. This part was far from smooth – I hadn’t been on snow skis in over two years, let alone towed through rolling snow-covered hills! After an hour of effort, we finally made it to the hut.
The wind was blowing, and the skies were sunny – exactly the conditions we’d hoped for. I pulled out the 5m PEAK6 for my first session. Having been away from snow skiing for two years, snowkiting felt exhilarating and challenging, almost like rediscovering the sport. That day, I kited for seven hours straight, through sunset into the night, switching between the 4m and 5m PEAK6 as the wind varied between 15 and 35 knots. The PEAK6 in combination with the CONNECT3 bar handled the gusty wind with incredible ease, which surprised me.
As darkness fell, the atmosphere in Kirtle Burn turned eerie. In the middle of nowhere, surrounded by snow, we cooked freeze-dried meals with water from a nearby stream. The wind howled all night, and despite the subzero temperatures, we managed to get some sleep. Waking up, I found that snow from my ski boots, left on the floor the previous day, hadn’t melted – a funny yet chilling reminder of how cold it was.
We started early with a hot chocolate breakfast. The weather looked grim initially – heavy snow and complete cloud cover. But as the sun rose, the clouds began to burn away. Within minutes, we had fresh 10cm powder and perfect wind conditions. It was game on! I grabbed the 8m PEAK6 and hit the fresh powder, with sunrise light illuminating the horizon. This moment was the highlight of the shoot – gliding through clouds on perfect terrain in unbelievable lighting. The hut stay had truly paid off. As the clouds cleared completely, we were blessed with a perfect bluebird day. The wind strengthened throughout, allowing me to ride the 8m, 5m, and 4m PEAK6, adapting as conditions evolved.
By the afternoon, Chris returned to pick us up. Exhausted but exhilarated, we made our way back to the car park at sunset. The next day, we wrapped up with some interviews in Queenstown, reflecting on the experience. This shoot was unforgettable. Staying in the hut, riding incredible snowkite terrain, and capturing the essence of the PEAK6 in such a surreal landscape was an adventure of a lifetime. I can’t wait to snowkite again!
