To Cross the Moon, "2XtM," is a snowkiting expedition and educational tour across the state of North Dakota.

Sam Salwei and Jason Magness, of Grand Forks, will attempt to snowkite across North Dakota from the Canadian border to South Dakota.

Beginning Monday, they will cover 370 miles using only the wind to propel them, and carrying everything they need on their backs for the two-week expedition.

They hope to inspire others with this expedition, promoting the potential for wind power as an energy source along the way.

Snowkiting is a sport where skiers/snowboarders are pulled by giant paraglider-like canopies.

Free snowkiting lessons-demonstrations will be offered on the northeast corner of the Capitol mall near the Department of Transportation building. The demos will run from 10 a.m. to dark Jan. 7-11. Snow cover would be helpful, but it is not necessary.

Eric Byers, a University of North Dakota student who has worked in the snowkite industry, will be leading the demonstrations.

Jason Schaefer, 2XtM's environmental and education coordinator, will be giving presentations on the potential of wind energy in North Dakota.

An interactive Web site, www.2XtM.com, will enable people to follow the expedition online. 2XtM is working with Atmospheric Sciences and Meteorology at the University of North Dakota to collect data and have it available in real-time. Teachers in classrooms across the country can utilize the Web site as a teaching tool.