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Tied to the Sky

5 Reasons Kites Make Great Gifts - Fathers Day

Last year we spent a stellar day hiking and kite flying one Alberta's premiere provincial parksflying kites at Writing on Stone Provincial Park - Writing on Stone.  It was a great way to get out in the fresh air for some quality time together as a family  One of the best aspects of it was there was no cell service!  What this meant was we had to talk to each other (novel idea, eh? LOL!), climb, laugh and fly kites together - we had a blast!  I tell ya,  my wife & I didn't think about work once and felt like we had a truly refreshing day.

Many folks are looking for great gift ideas for Fathers Day this year.  We know that kites are one such gift idea and it is a fun, enjoyable and here are a few reasons why.

1) Fresh air is underrated!  How good it is to get outside enjoy blue sky, the sun and the great outdoors.  We fly kites all year round - including winter!

2) Physically active - Getting out and moving does a body good!  There is a kite for just about every kind of physical ability from the gentle to the full on extreme - glide kites,  single line kites to carving up the sky with a trick kite.

3) Reduces Stress -  Getting away from the day to day grind is a first great step for stress reduction.  Add the gentle flight of kites on the breeze or flying your stress through your stunt kite through the sky, flying kites have demonstrated to be an effective ways of reducing stress.

4) Promotes creativity - Many quality kites are flying pieces of art and many with tails make for a lovely display in the air.   But stunt kites can be a great way to express yourself as well!  I love to listen to music while I fly and in a very real sense fly my kite to the music.   Some folks like to soul fly and toss and flip and manoeuvre their kites as an expression of what's going on inside them.

Mike- owner of Great Canadian Kite Company5) Great way to spend time as a family - Lets face it, there are a lot of things competing for your time, and we all want to make time for quality activities to do as a family.   With quality kites, a good wind and a place to fly, you and your family can make some great memories!  One thing my wife and I enjoy doing together is flying our four line Revolution kites together, side by side.  We play follow the leader, hover side by side and fly forms together.  Lots of fun and good for a few laughs if you don't take it too seriously!

Looking for exciting Fathers Day gift ideas? Great Canadian Kite Company sells a variety of kite for many different interests, ages and abilities. Browse our online Canadian kite shop to buy your kites online.  Don't see what you are looking for?  Drop us an email!

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Kites: Not Just Another SKu

Kites: Not Just Another SKu

Great Canadian Kite CompanyThere is an old joke in the kite retail biz that goes:  How do you make a million dollars selling kites?  Answer:  Start with two million dollars!
It usually produces a chuckle, if not through a few tears!

The kite business has been good to us as we reflect over our past 12/13 years providing great kites and service to kite flyers throughout Canada and beyond.  It has been a joy to help people discover kites, and help them develop a fun family and personal hobby.

We are excited because right from the beginning the mission of the Great Canadian Kite Company was to promote the sport of Kites and share the fun.  We have endeavoured to do so by providing top-shelf knowledgeable service along with quality products at fair and competitive prices.

In addition, we have supported Kite Festivals, hosted numerous fun-flies, sponsored and supplied kites and information for kite exhibits in local libraries and schools, teaching people to fly, as well as being friendly on the kite field with onlookers, and the interested.  Its one thing for folks to look on, its quite another when you put the lines in their hands!

If you haven't guessed, we like kites - a lot.  We are proud of our kite shop.  We are a kite shop owned by everyday people who enjoy kites.   As such, kites are not just another Sku., not just another do-dad that we sell.   Kites are our thing!

While we work really hard to compete with larger online retailers, we offer something they simply can't - a professional, personalized kite purchase experience.   We know kites. We work hard to resource our customers with solid information to help in making a good purchase but also to be able to help trouble shoot when there may be a performance concern or you need parts to get your kite back in the air.

We pride ourselves on providing solid service both before and after the sale. And as our many repeat customers, referrals, and many 'Thank you' emails demonstrate, we are definitely doing some things right!


We can't be all things to all people, all the time, but for Great Canadian Kite Company, kites are not just another Sku. Kites are our main thing.  Our commitment is to do our very best to do that one thing really well.

 

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Why I like flying kites

sharing kites with studentsI am often asked why in a world of drones would I still fly kites. I smile and often hand the lines to them to fly my kite and watch them discover their own answer!

I mean no disrespect to drone flyers because I think they are pretty cool. I like technology, but after careful reflection, I find that for me kites are ideal, and here are just a few reasons why:

1) Kites are low tech - what I mean is they are flown by mechanical means (i.e., lines) and not via screens or joysticks. Truth be told I have way more screen time than I need! For fear of turning into a bigger vidiot, and exacerbating the stress injury to my gaming thumbs I prefer kites!  Some of the best kites are the simple ones you can make yourself with newspaper and masking tape.

2) Kites are High Tech - in their own way - there is a lot of science and engineering in good quality kites. From high tech sail cloth to high-tech carbon frames along with geometry there is a lot that goes into a performance kite. Consider many sport kites allow you to change and interchange framing which changes the flight characteristics. Learning the tweaks for your kite can be a lot of fun and produce some pretty amazing results.

3) Crashes are not nearly as catastrophic - Parts to repair your kite are easily accessible from quality kite shops, and you can be back in the air pretty quick. Most repairs can be a successful do-it-yourself project saving time, money and adding some new crafty skills to your bag of tricks!

4) Speaking of tricks! - Have you seen the latest in slack line tricks and expressive quad line kite videos? Wow! Modern stunt kites are capable of some pretty cool maneuvres which require practice and precision. Even someone with few hours can tear up the sky with colour and motion that will attract an audience.

5) Strings attached? You bet! This is one of my favorites because it has strings Great Canadian Kite Company - Mike Roseattached - it provides multi-sensory feedback and interaction with your kite. Not only to see your kite you interact with it directly as you provide the input, and you receive feedback through the lines from the kite. In a counterintuitive way, this is a really grounded experience or maybe a better way to describe it is like a dance where you and your partner respond to each other with each step!

6) Colour your World - I LOVE the colour and the creativity of kites in the sky! If you have visited our Kite shop, you will have noticed the multiplicity of colours, sizes, and shapes and this makes for a dynamic hobby experience. A kite bag with a variety of kites provides a wonderful way to decorate the sky!

7) Quiet, please! - Kites, in general, are very quiet. No whining of engines, they simply ride the wind. In a world that is so darn noisy, it can be a reset to the mind to go quiet. The sound the wind in the trees, a slight whistle on the line makes for a great, stress reducing afternoon. Like a little growl? Some stunt kites make a deep rumble as the wind departs the trailing edge as they tear through the sky .

8) No Batteries required - Kites don't require batteries and as such aren't limited to 20-minute flights, and there is no need for a recharge. The Wind and the lines are all you need to fly - and wind and weather permitting... all day long!

9) There's a kite for that! - No wind? Too much wind? There's a kite for that. Remember I was talking about high-tech materials and engineering? You can get kites that you can learn to fly with no wind! Yep - zip, zero, zilch! We also have kites that are designed for higher winds too - we have a new model coming from Revolution that appears to have way less sail material than frame - like me in a bathing suit (don't picture it!) I have seen video's of this kite performing in very high winds and handling it very well!

Want a kite for water? To pull a kayak? Take pictures from? Pull you on the snow? There's a kite for that!

10) Stress buster! I'm an introvert, and as such, I spend a lot of time in my head. This can sometimes not be a good place to be! So I find going and flying a kite a great way to "get out of my head," get into the present moment and connect in a multi-tactile way with the world. The colours of the kite, actively flying my kite, giving it input to do what I want it to do and getting the feed back from the kite itself demands I stay present. I find this incredibly effective at reducing stress, and often getting a fresh perspective.

Great Canadian Kite Company - online kite storeThere are times where I will put mu earbuds in and listen to whatever kind of music I'm feeling at the moment and flying my kite to that music. It's kind of like dancing, but it allows me to express my inner state of mind through the kite. I can fly my stress out through the lines and the kite. In short order, that stress energy is replaced with a greater sense of peace and the way I fly changes. However you like to fly, I just encourage you to fly your soul, express yourself, and have fun!!

These have been just a few reasons we LOVE flying kites and why we LOVE to share kites with others!

At Great Canadian Kite Company, not only do we pride ourselves in providing a variety of quality kites for many different interests, ages and abilities, we also want to do our best to make sure your kite flying experience is great, and that means we do our best to provide a selection of kite flying tips and advice in our Kite Blog section. Browse our online Canadian kite shop to buy your kites online. We ship throughout Canada. 

Don't see what you are looking for? Have a kite related question? Drop us an email!

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Anatomy of a Stunt Kite

This is a basic diagram of the parts of a dual line stunt kite.  This is helpful when trying to figure out what replacement part you require! 

Parts of a stunt kite, trick kite

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National Kite Day - Just what I needed!

February 8 and I discover it is National Kite Day.   February? Kites?  Maybe for the the adrenaline junkies racing across the snow pulled by large traction kites, or perhaps for the lucky folks in southern climates where cold and snow are not a reality - but February 8th in Southern Alberta?

Well, God was smiling upon this prairie boy today with a gorgeous sunny day at a balmy +16 degrees Celsius and a lovely west wind  about 20 kph.   The flying field was clear and dry - so I couldn't have asked for a better day in February!

I started off with a new favourite - the Toxic by R-Sky.  Such a sexy dual-line kite, tuned right in and she snapped to attention.   Had times where I would toss it around the sky to the delight of the children in the school yard across the way as they pressed up against the chain link to watch the Toxic strut her stuff.  Lots of cheers from the pint-sized audience!  Made this kite flying hack feel like a pro!

The recess bell rang and the children returned to class and the I started practicing forms, and a few more graceful patterns.  It has been a long while since I had opportunity to enjoy an extended period of time to fly.

As you probable know - a kite day is not complete without some time with Revolution quad line kite.  The winds had diminished to about 12-15kph so I chose one of my favourites - a full sail1.5 with a 3 wrap frame in our shop colours O'Canada.   Talk about therapeutic!  OMG - sail loaded so nicely, the wind wasn't too trashy at all.   I was a bit concerned that my injured right arm would struggle with control but even my body chose to be gracious on this lovely day.   I like Revs for so many reasons,  I like the precision, the outa box unidirectional control, introverted flying , stop at a dime, and the way they hover, like they are nailed to the sky.

(The only bummer was couldn't find the power cord to my video camera to get the battery charge and shoot some video.  I'd like to blame my kid... but truth be told... I think I'm the guilty party.)

FYI - used Shanti Warp Speed line on both kites today.  Love Shanti line - performs greats, lasts forever!

A fantastic day - and the good news... the rest of the week is looking even better!  I hope that wherever you are that you have time to get out and fly whatever puts a smile on your face!

Smooth Winds.

 

P.S. - April is National Kite Month!

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