Varanger Arctic Kite Enduro (VAKE) is an annual long distance snow kite competition. It starts in Berlevåg, ends in Vardø and lasts for five days.
The competition
Teams of two contestants are kiteskiing from Berlevåg across the Varanger Peninsula to Vardø. Varanger Peninsula has a varied and exciting terrain that will create abrupt changes in wind, weather and snow conditions along the route.
The teams navigate freely between mandatory checkpoints, must be self sufficient, carrying all equipment to survive in the wild for at least five days.
The route is about 200 kilometers, but the actual sailing distance can be twice as long due to wind direction and terrain conditions.
Learn more about VAKE by reading the summaries from 2017:
VAKE 2017 Day 1
VAKE 2017 Day 2
VAKE 2017 Day 3
VAKE 2017 Day 4 - wrap up and final results
The participants
Usually, we allow a miximum of 45 teams to start in Berlevåg. (For 2021, we have a preliminary limit of 25 teams due to the Covid-19 pandemic). To be accepted for VAKE, you have to have broad experience in snow kiting and be able to kite with sled in varied and rough terrain and wind. Participants must be able to stay out in the cold, have experience and knowledge of winter touring equipment and know how to pitch a tent in bad weather. Knowledge of map-, compass- and GPS navigation is also required.
The winners
The last part of the race goes through the Varanger Peninsula National Park. Due to the rare and fragile population of polar foxes that lives here, only 30 teams are allowed to enter. The 30 first teams to reach checkpoint Jakobselva (within the time-limit), can continue through the National Park and have a chance of being the new champions.
For the rest of the teams, the adventure ends at checkpoint Jakobselva. However, the first part of the route is definitely the most challenging, with mountains and deep valleys. Making it to Jakobselva is a great achievement to be proud of.
Organizer
Varanger Arctic Kite Enduro is organized and owned by Varanger Kite Club. We are a small club with a big passion for promoting Varanger - "The Hawaii of snowkiting" as kite-destination #1. The board consists of: Mona Halvari (Chairman), Bjørn Breivik (member), Erle Larsen (member), Jon Reidar Olsen (member) and Tore Martinsen (member).
In addition to VAKE, Varanger Kite Club also wants to have activities for our members (and all kiters in the area) in a slightly smaller scale. Theme nights, kite gatherings / competitions, season kick-off and -termination are some of the things we want to arrange during the year. Check out our web-page for more info and join our group on Facebook on Facebook to be notified when kiting happens!
