A mighty wind, with kite attached

It used to be that people flew kites. Now, kites fly people across waves, pavement and off-road terrain. It’s a mighty wind for Bob Childs, kite entrepreneur and proprietor of www.doomwheels.com, a site doing its shredding best to promote alternative energy sources and sell a few kite skates along the way.

Childs invented the Wheels of Doom, in-line skates that turn feet into scooters with knobby tires that can do 55 mph when their rider is attached to a kite in full blow.

Childs has loaded up the site with lots of photo galleries and videos that span the gamut of gust-driven options -- from kite surfing to kite skiing to kite sailing. It’s a great intro to the kite scene, with skaters carving wicked slalom turns on salt flats and skiers slicing powder like they’ve got 30 huskies in front of them dashing for dinner. Start here, and then head over to www.kiteskating.com for a tutorial, so you can be ready for the Santa Anas.

-- Joe Robinson