Authors: Scott Skinner
Date Submitted: March 31, 2010
Article Type: Discourse

I first saw Peter Lynn in his kite buggy in either 1990 or 1991 on a beach in Japan. My first thought was, “He’s done it, he’s found a way to get in everyone’s way!” But that was shortsighted and selfish – what Peter had really done was to reinvent kite traction, this time as a sport for thousands.

This new, three-wheeled buggy, coupled with recently developed power kites, created the perfect storm, leading to twenty years of kite and buggy progress since. Kite Buggy Number 1 was actually a converted “kite boat,” one which Peter confesses worked best when cruising about 3 feet below the water line with Peter’s nose causing the bow wave in front! A converted sport parachute was the first “motor” and the Lynn family quickly moved on to twoline sport kites, like large Hawaiian Team kites, that provided (a little) more safety.

This year’s North American Buggy Expo (NABX) celebrated 20 years of modern land kite traction. It has become the primary North American traction event, where all the latest gear can be desert-tested on the very fast surface of Nevada’s Ivanpah Lake.

Page Number: 9
PDF Link: Discourse Issue