At around -20 C, the temperature is pleasantly manageable in Igloolik, Nunavut, in springtime. The wind is just consistent enough to make kite-skiing a, uh, breeze. And the days are so long, you could be out on the ice at 11 p.m.
“It’s like a secret spot,” says Pete Polanowski, a physical education teacher who’s lived in Igloolik for the past three years. If more of the sizable global kite-skiing community knew about Igloolik, he says, they’d go wild for the place. “It’s very tranquil,” he says. “When you’re out kite-skiing, you’ll see wildlife—owls, seals, especially if you kite close to the floe edge.”
There’s a growing community of kite-skiers (variations on the sport are also known as kite-surfing and kite-boarding) in town, too, and many of them are willing to offer lessons to visitors or newcomers. And don’t worry about gear, says Polanowski; the hamlet office has some to rent out. – SM
