New Rome Resident Hunts for the Ultimate Snow Kiting Thrills

Central New York is a prime location for any and all winter sports and activities, but there is one you may not have heard of.

From Kingston, New Hampshire to Rome, New York

Lance Silva is originally from Kingston, New Hampshire which is just about 40 minutes north of Boston, Massachusetts. But, Silva is no stranger to the Rome area. He has family here and has visited several times since he was a kid, but love brought him here permanently.

Silva met his wife Britta through his uncle, who lives in Rome, as he taught one of her home school classes. Britta later also took care of Silva's grandmother before she passed away.

The two fell in love and married in September of 2023. That prompted a move to Rome and the two now share a house on Delta Lake.

What is Snow Kiting?

Upon moving to Rome, Lance is facing a new dilemma with the CNY winter soon approaching and practically here. He needs a spot where he can spread his wings, figuratively, and soar through the snow with his kite high above.

So what is Snow Kiting?

According to Silva, "Snow kiting is a wind powered sport. The idea is to use large kites of varying sizes to be pulled across snow and ice with either skis or a snowboard at your feet."

Silva says the kite sizes can vary from as small as 5 square meters to as large as 21 square meters or so. The stronger the wind the smaller the kite.

Speed generated from the wind can produce large jumps, some as high as 30 feet (or much higher for the insane). Snow kiting is similar to water kiteboarding. Snow kiting is done on large fields or on frozen lakes. Ideal snow kiting wind is between 10 and 35 miles per hour. Any more wind than that, it gets interesting...

Kiting isn't for the faint of heart. You're strapped in and it takes a lot of skill to learn the proper and safe way to do it. Silva says,

Although kiting is incredibly fun and relatively safe it is highly recommended to take lessons to learn. These kites can generate massive amounts of power. It can be like being strapped to a Mack truck. Simply flying a kite is an acquired skill. It's the hardest thing I've ever learned to do.

So, How Can You Help?

Lance is in search of a great location to partake in his favorite winter sport. He and his bride live on Delta Lake, but the lake hasn't froze over yet. It is an obvious spot for him, when able, to walk out his back door and walk out on the ice.

With milder winters as of late, it's not always the most reliable spot. Silva needs a big giant field in order to take off and land. He is in search of kind people to direct him where to go or who will allow him to use their land to "shred it up."

He, of course, understands that the liability lies with him. If you know someone who has the space or if you yourself want to give Lance a hand, you can reach out to him by phone or text at 603-793-1915 or by email at lancesilva33@gmail.com.

Reach out to him if you have questions about the sport as well. What a nice sight it would be to see bright kites high in the winter or summer skies in Central New York.

You Can Water Kite As Well

Silva has been involved in these types of extreme sports for a long time. Snow Kiting isn't all that he does. He also takes advantage in the summer of the lakes that Central New York has to offer.

As a visitor to the Rome area several times, he has taken advantage of Water Kiting on Oneida Lake. You can see photos of him in action below.