KETCHUM, Idaho (AP) - A central Idaho resident plans to take the sport of snowkiting to new heights this winter.

Monty Goldman said he will hold an event he's calling Snowkite Soldiers in late February near Fairfield and the Soldier Mountains.

In snowkiting, skiers or snowboarders are attached to a small parachute and then ride across the snow using the power of the wind.

"It caters to a lot of different disciplines," Goldman, who was born in Sun Valley and grew up in Boise, told the Idaho Mountain Express. "If you like riding in the park and halfpipe, it's easy to find natural terrain features. If you like getting air and freeskiing, you can sail off 50-foot cliffs and not have to worry about your knees."

The Snowkite Soldiers event is planned for Feb. 20 to 22.

Goldman came to the sport through kitesurfing, which is much like snowkiting except one is done on water and the other on snow.

"It's really a crossover from kitesurfing," said Goldman, who taught kitesurfing for six years at Hood River in Oregon on the Columbia River. "There's probably around 500,000 snowkiters since the sport was introduced about a decade ago."

But what surprised him was finding out that an area near where he was born had become popular among snowkiters.

"I originally heard about it from a bunch of guys from France," Goldman said. "I was actually pretty embarrassed that it took guys from another country to find out about a place that was in my own backyard."

So he decided to return.

"The high desert means there are no trees and the wind that gets funneled through there is consistent and steady," said Goldman. "This means you can get 70 to 80 days of kiting during the season."

The event planned in February will include an inaugural Kite Poker Run, with competitors passing through checkpoints to draw a card. The snowkiters with the best poker hand at the end win prizes.

"The Poker Run is more about freedom and fun rather than competition," Goldman said. "It's also going to be great to see people coming from all over the country and the world to visit Fairfield."

Participants will be able to choose between a beginner course or advanced course. Goldman said the advanced course will include up to 2,500 feet of vertical elevation.

Copyright 2008 The Associated Press.