Kite traction equipment and skills have come a long way since Peter Lynn of New Zealand helped to pioneer kite buggies in the 1990's . I just caught this report in today's news and thought I would share it here with folks who have not been able to read it.
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Manchester News - Monday, 27th September 2004
Kite Squad Conquers the Gobi Desert
by Sarah Park
A 61-YEAR-OLD adventurer has set a world record by crossing one of the world's harshest regions by kite. Extreme sport fanatic Brian Cunningham, who is visiting professor at Manchester University and comes from Heaton in Bolton, completed the first kite-powered crossing of the Gobi Desert in Mongolia. Making up his team were his wife, Christine, and two other dedicated extreme sports fanatics. Prof Cunningham's daughter, Carole, 21, a student at Salford University, said she was proud of her father who has dedicated himself to the gruelling challenge. She is looking forward to her parents finally coming home.
Kite Squad Conquers the Gobi Desert
by Sarah Park
A 61-YEAR-OLD adventurer has set a world record by crossing one of the world's harshest regions by kite. Extreme sport fanatic Brian Cunningham, who is visiting professor at Manchester University and comes from Heaton in Bolton, completed the first kite-powered crossing of the Gobi Desert in Mongolia. Making up his team were his wife, Christine, and two other dedicated extreme sports fanatics. Prof Cunningham's daughter, Carole, 21, a student at Salford University, said she was proud of her father who has dedicated himself to the gruelling challenge. She is looking forward to her parents finally coming home.
Prof Cunningham, Christine, and Kieron Bradley and Peter Ash, both from Norwich, spent 17 days being pulled through the desert by wind power with the use of specially adapted Parastorm Kite-buggies. In temperatures of more than 100 degrees during the day and below freezing at night the foursome traversed more than 1,000 kilometres through thorn bushes and rocky ground. Speaking via satellite phone, Prof Cunningham said the terrain had proved far worse than expected and had challenged the team to the limit. "If we had known before we left how unforgiving the landscape is, we might have questioned the feasibility of the route we had chosen," he said. Two years ago he made a successful 650-mile trip at the South Pole powered by the revolutionary kite buggy.
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Note: this article has been re-published here fron an earlier blog that I had on the excellent Blogger service. Since I am trying to consolidate all my writing in one location, I have moved it here in its original form and with the original date of publication.