Kiwi snow kite harness takes off 

Source: ONE NewsSnow kiting

• WATCH the video (3:02)

Snow kiting is the latest craze sweeping snowboarders off their feet and specialty equipment created by one Kiwi innovator has been picked up by an international leisure company.

Unitec product design graduate Dan Joblin has just sold his state-of-the art snow kite harness to kiting and paragliding equipment specialist Ozone.

An avid snow kiter, snow boarder and kite surfer, Joblin was inspired to create the harness after he found that snow kiting gear was being 'borrowed' from other sports.

"The snow environment, with its temperatures and different conditions and different needs on the body, was not the same as a water product. So anything that you use on the water is going to be used completely differently in the snow," he says.

The lightweight but strong harness is giving snowboarders up to two minutes glide time.

"You're venturing into the realm of paragliding and you're getting pretty high," says Joblin.

While Joblin's design is still at the prototype stage, Ozone is aiming for a world wide release within four months.

The company plans to market the harness in Europe and North America where the sport is taking off.

To see Joblin talking about his product, click on the Watch tab.