Slip sliding away

It is the gravity-defying, three-dimensional world of kite sailing that will draw Hudsonville’s Brad Knoth and ice sailing hobbyists from around the world to St. Ignace in February, when the World Ice and Snow Sailing Association (WISSA) holds its 2012 championship in Michigan.

With a snowboard attached to his boots and a kite 75-feet above him, Knoth says it is a winter sport like no other. “It’s almost as if you’ve entered a video game,” he energetically explains. “I’ve been a windsurfer for years, but with this you can go vertical. It is very visually appealing.”

Although snow kiting since 2001, this year will mark the first time Knoth competes in WISSA, an event launched in the early 1980s that alternates between Europe and North America. February 20-26 the event sails back into the United States for the first time since 1995, landing in St. Ignace.

In addition to kiteboarders like Knoth, racers may choose to use a wing (a hand-held sail similar to a windsurfer but not attached to the board) or the traditional windsurfing sail, with a mast clipped to the board. The WISSA championship, last hosted in Finland in 2011, is the only gathering where wings, kites, and sails compete at one event.

Dan Hill, event coordinator for WISSA 2012 and a Michigan resident, is largely responsible for bringing the event to St. Ignace. “I was on my way to the Keweenaw and stopped to eat at the Mackinac Grille. That’s where I saw the pictures of their Pond Hockey event. It was exactly the same as what we needed for our event – snow and an area of cleared ice,” he explained.

The competition requires both snow and ice to accommodate the slalom (ice), race course (snow), and, if possible, a marathon (snow). Weather permitting, this year’s marathon will take competitors to Mackinac Island and back. Sixteen acres of zamboni-maintained ice is available from the pond hockey event taking place right before WISSA arrives in St. Ignace.

The only condition that rivals ice and snow for importance is wind and that, according to Mindy Sands, executive director of the St. Ignace Visitors Bureau, is what made St. Ignace and WISSA a perfect fit.

“St. Ignace has much higher winds than many of the other racing locations and they tell us that is extremely attractive to the participating athletes,” she said.

Average wind speed in the St. Ignace area is 26.6 miles per hour in February, according to Hill. “That wind speed has a lot of people pumped up,” the organizer said.

People are pumped up in St. Ignace, too. This city of 2,600 is skilled in the art of hosting winter events, including the Labatt Blue UP Pond Hockey Championship – an event that draws more than 5,000 people to the ice of Moran Bay every February. Sands anticipates WISSA will have a similar draw, creating a festival atmosphere both on the ice and around the town.

Aside from the visually-spectacular action on the ice, WISSA promises to be a spectator’s delight. When they aren’t observing the races on the ice or from the nearby warming tents, a variety of activities and diversions await visitors, including ice bowling, ice golf, sailing demonstrations, and live entertainment. Those who would prefer a more inventive form of transportation than their own two feet can opt for an ice hoopie.

“It basically looks like a scooter on ice,” Hill explained. Instead of wheels, the hoopie has blades and is powered much like a skateboard, propelled by the rider’s leg. “It is something fun on a low-wind day,” he added.

With conditions like wind varying from day to day, flexibility is the name of the game for participants at the event. “If we have a day where there isn’t a lot of wind, we simply shift to one of the other activities,” Hill explained. In addition to the different kinds of races, a free style event will also wow spectators with jumps and tricks.

Knoth, the 44-year-old kiter, has competed in different kinds of races and free style events and agrees that flexibility is key. “Certain days and conditions are better for some races more than others. You just have to show up and be ready for whatever the day presents,” he explains.

William Tuthill is the president of WISSA, a post he’s held since 1992. The Rhode Island resident will find himself in St. Ignace in February – his first time in Michigan, save for Detroit.

“Through reading and websites, I have been vicariously traveling to the area for months and getting more and more excited. Wind and frozen surface is what enables the racing and from all I see and read, they definitely have that in St. Ignace,” the president explained.  
Asked to hazard a guess about how many participants will come to the Upper Peninsula event, Tuthill guesstimates somewhere between 80 and 100. “It fluctuates from year to year. In Europe, there are more participants from Latvia, Russia, Sweden, and so forth. In North America, we will draw mostly from the United States and the Quebec region,” he speculated.

It could be the wind or the UP connection to Finland, but as of November 15, an entry on the WISSA 2012 Facebook page indicates that at least some Europeans will be present at the 2012 championship. The post reads “Team Finland had a meeting tonight. 6 competitors are already on their way to St. Ignace.”

Perhaps the word is out that the St. Ignace event promises to be a hot ticket for racers and families. “We are planning a lot of activities for families and the entertainment will be plentiful,” Hill commented. “It is more than just a competition. It is a beautiful event to watch, with brightly-colored sails, the stark white snow, and beautiful blue skies.”

First-timers can also explore the sensation of capturing the wind in their hands by visiting people like Hill and Knoth – both of whom will allow visitors to check out the equipment.

Although the event is a world championship, competitors don’t have to earn their place on the course. As a matter of fact, Hill said that last year’s event saw a number of novice racers.  “Somebody can be a beginner and try it for the first time. Anybody can compete,” he said.

Even experienced racers know that victory can be fleeting. Even for the president of WISSA.

“Racing? I always lose. It’s not easy to win, but to just go cruising around is great,” Tuthill said from his east coast home. “My daughter started in the sport at age seven and last year, at the age of 16, she got on the starting line at the WISSA 2011 championship.”

Back in St. Ignace, people like Sands and Mark Sposito, chairman of the St. Ignace Special Events Committee, are working feverishly to pull all the details together. A minimum of 100 volunteers will be needed to host the inaugural St. Ignace event, which is free to spectators.

Planners were pleased to find out that their commitment to the sport of ice sailing will become an annual event even after this year’s world championship concludes. St. Ignace is slated to host the North American championship starting next year.

“This is going to turn into a huge winter festival,” Sands said. “We are committed to creating a spectacular experience for participants and visitors, especially since we are the only city in North America lucky enough to hold this annually.”

Registration for racers is an open process and lasts right through the start of the event, although early registrants receive a discount. To register for the event, visit wissa2012.com. Learn more about all the festivities at stignace.com or call (800)338-6660.

 Angela Nebel is a writer and public relations consultant residing in Sault Ste. Marie, Michigan. In her spare time, she is a photography buff and has traveled to six of the seven continents. (No Antarctica,­­yet!)