Rokkaku Snow Kite

by Gary Crenshaw
(Hampton,GA, USA)

My first Rokkaku kite was just an experiment of mine that was nothing more than wood skewers and lightweight table cloth plastic with an overall size of about 36 inches. Not knowing until later that a six sided kite of that shape was called Rokkaku.

The kite's maiden flight was on a lunch hour near where I work in March, 2010 and there were very low snow clouds and about an eight MPH steady wind. The kite just glued itself to the sky like a picture as I let the line spin itself out.

At about two hundred feet the kite disappeared into the clouds. I continued to let out line until the four hundred foot mark showed up.

The line was around the eighty degree angle, almost straight up and pulling as if it wanted more. A jogger passed by and shouted (Where's your kites today? )and I pointed up at the line and when he realized what I was doing he just had to give the line a tug for himself. When I reeled the kite in the framework had about a quarter of an inch of snow across it and the added weight didn't seem to be a factor.

Just send a kite up through the snow clouds and bring the snow back down to you, that's how we do it in the south...