OUR STAFF
Chris Krug
Chris has lived in the North Conway area for 30 years. Born in Chicago and moved to New England by way of California, he grew up skiing and riding both lift access and back country in the White Mountains region of New Hampshire. But in the last decade he's abandoned the gravity ski scene in favor of the freedom snow kiting has to offer.
Chris started snow kiting in winter of 2002/03. Coming from a New England alpine/back country skiing background, he found snow kiting offered every bit the fun of gravity based skiing without the need for a hill. In 2006 he began entering regional snow kite competitions and was recruited by the Peter Lynn Kiteboarding Team for his accomplishments in the discipline of speed.
Snowkite speed is his passion and as of 2014 his official personal best speed is 75.3mph/ 121.84kph.
After 5 years of riding, testing and racing kites for Peter Lynn, with the encouragement of Rachael Miller, owner of the former Stormboarding kite school, the first snowkite school in the US and host of KITESTORM in Burlington Vt, he started Hardwater Kiting . Chris draws on his decades of experience in both the ski and bike industries to make Hardwater Kiting more than a snowkite school and retailer but a resource for everyone interested in snowkiting. A resource for everyone who is riding primarily lakes and fields, not just here in New England but in all the other places where isolated snowkiters don't have access to instruction and are forced to struggle to learn the in's and out's of snowkiting on their own. Not just the flying skills but the gear selection as well.
In addition to being arguably the world's fastest snowkiter Chris is a PASA Level 3 Snowkiter, an IKO certified snowkite instructor as well as an IMIC/IMBA and PMBIA certified mountain bike instructor/guide. He's also certified in SOLO Wilderness First Aid and Red Cross First Aid/CPR.
Chris started snow kiting in winter of 2002/03. Coming from a New England alpine/back country skiing background, he found snow kiting offered every bit the fun of gravity based skiing without the need for a hill. In 2006 he began entering regional snow kite competitions and was recruited by the Peter Lynn Kiteboarding Team for his accomplishments in the discipline of speed.
Snowkite speed is his passion and as of 2014 his official personal best speed is 75.3mph/ 121.84kph.
After 5 years of riding, testing and racing kites for Peter Lynn, with the encouragement of Rachael Miller, owner of the former Stormboarding kite school, the first snowkite school in the US and host of KITESTORM in Burlington Vt, he started Hardwater Kiting . Chris draws on his decades of experience in both the ski and bike industries to make Hardwater Kiting more than a snowkite school and retailer but a resource for everyone interested in snowkiting. A resource for everyone who is riding primarily lakes and fields, not just here in New England but in all the other places where isolated snowkiters don't have access to instruction and are forced to struggle to learn the in's and out's of snowkiting on their own. Not just the flying skills but the gear selection as well.
In addition to being arguably the world's fastest snowkiter Chris is a PASA Level 3 Snowkiter, an IKO certified snowkite instructor as well as an IMIC/IMBA and PMBIA certified mountain bike instructor/guide. He's also certified in SOLO Wilderness First Aid and Red Cross First Aid/CPR.
Chris then and now.
Molly Savard
Molly "The Butcher" Savard
Molly was born and raised in North Conway. As a North Conway native, she brings a level of local area knowledge to snowkiting that you just can't get otherwise. Molly is one of a kind.
Molly grew up skiing the local hills and mountain biking the local trails in the Mount Washington Valley region and made a reputation for herself as an extremely talented skier and rider while shattering gender assumptions of what "a girl" can do.
Then she discovered snow kiting as a winter activity and she's now doing the same thing on her kites and has been for 14 yrs. Some of that time spent as an assistant instructor for Stormboarding Kite School in Burlington Vt.
Quiet and understated, she is full of surprises when you get to know her. When Molly's not out ripping on kites and railing the local trails on her mountain bike she works her day job of 20 yrs as a Journeyman Plummer while part timing as a PMBIA mountain bike instructor. Molly is probably one of the strongest (and toughest) women you would ever meet with strength only matched by her compassion.
In the last 14 years Molly has been a snow kiter, she's proven that women can formidable kiters and has been and unintentionally setting an example for other women to follow. Over the years she's consistently placed in the top 3-4 in Kitestorm competitions and even earned herself a spot of the Peter Lynn Kiteboarding Team. She is a solid, confident and capable kiter and can throw down with anybody.
She has proven to be one of the fastest snow kiters in the world with an official fastest speed in the GSR is 50.6 mph. Making her the fastest female participant in the HWK GSR and one of the fastest women on the planet powered by a kite.
Her riding style in everything she does has earned her the nickname "The Butcher" among her friends. She is a consummate ambassador to the sport and a huge advocate of safe and sustainable snowkiting.
After a serious injury put her out of commission for the entire summer of 2014, Molly came back in 2015 season and took 1st Place in her division in the Mille Lacs Snowkite Crossing.
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