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Thread: Kitesurfing

  1. #1
    Join Date
    Nov 2004
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    SLC
    Posts
    252

    Kitesurfing

    so this summer i learned to kiteboard. what a blast! i've always been infatuated with surfing since a young age. living in SLC, it obviously didn't happen much. kiting has offered such a stoke, new friends, and mostly a brand new challenge. i haven't felt this challenged with a sport since like high school whilst skiing. i can't wait to get out there in the winter on the snow. i think it's going to open up a bunch of new backcountry here. plus, i'm lazy and don't like hiking too much. saw they used kites in the chilean (i think) expedition in the new powder. we've been kiting on deer creek, jordanelle, and utah lake here.


    anyway, was just curious if anyone else on this board kited and what their experiences were. does anyone snow kite? i went strapless on a surfboard last sesh and loved it! the feeling of no straps, the power of the kite and the freedom to edge as little or much as you want on the surfboard was awesome.

    do any of you surfers have an older 5'5"-6'2" you want to donate or sell for cheap? the one i have now i bought for learnings sake in SD years ago. its a 7'2" pintail mini gun shaped by joe curren. i'd love to try something like a 5'8" squash or fish in the lakes here. the mini gun jsut dosent' have that much width to it and turns pretty slow, but i still like it. you can mach on it. plus, i'm envisioning this slash or roundhouse turn on the sometimes 3' wind swell on a surfboard, but i don't think my gun will have enough agility.

    i'm willing to ship if you have a good board for $100 or cheaper.

  2. #2
    Join Date
    Aug 2006
    Location
    San Diego
    Posts
    124

    kiteboarding

    Seems like alot of gear. don't want to have to deal with that. just have to wait for the swell and offshore winds.

  3. #3
    Join Date
    May 2005
    Location
    Yes Please
    Posts
    1,107
    There is no getting away from it, kitesurfing is a massive rush. I have enjoyed some euphoric moments under a kite racing out over open water. I live about 30 minutes from one of the best - and less frequented - kitesurf venues in the UK. (Bantham and Exmouth)

    Here's one reason why I don't kitesurf anymore.

    Ben Cornish, 14, was walking up the slipway from the River Exe at Exmouth, Devon, when he was caught by a huge gust of wind.

    The teenager from Budleigh Salterton, Devon, was lifted into the air and smashed into a tree causing multiple injuries, including a suspected damaged spine.


    Actually, that report is wrong. It failed to mention that Ben - despite his age - is one of the best kitesurfers in the UK. He's a retained demo guy for Cabrinna. The "huge" gust of wind was not so huge. The "tree" he hit was after he was dumped onto tarmac. His spine was damaged, his hips, most of his leg bones and a lung were stuffed.

    From my own point of view, I crashed on the one day I didn't wear my helmet. I still believe that I was lucky to get away with just a headache.

    Accidents happen in all sports, but the risk of injury to a keen amateur such as myself is heightened above the risks I face when surfing or skiing - IMHO.

    The rush of moving smoothly over water is prolonged by the kite, but I'm now happy sticking with surfing alone. Besides, unless you have a one pump kite and always keep your lines tidy, the hassle of setting up and packing down is so tedious.

    I came very close to getting back into the sport about 3 months back and opted against it, however, in my search for a kite I found flexifoil.com and the forum there. It has a snow kiting area and also contains people with a much more positive outlook than me on the sport.

    Kitesurfing is definately a sport where the saying "discretion is the better part of valour" applies at times.
    Not around much these days.

  4. #4
    Join Date
    Aug 2002
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    2,931
    Phil Ingle / flingle did a bit of snow-kiting I think. Haven't seen a post from him in a long time, though.

  5. #5
    Join Date
    Jan 2004
    Location
    North Vancouver
    Posts
    6,457
    Anyone have gear advice for a total noob? Friends are into it and have got me interested to try. I assume I'll rent gear the first few times, but would like to have some idea on what's what.

  6. #6
    Join Date
    Nov 2009
    Location
    Ireland/Cham
    Posts
    61
    Quote Originally Posted by shirk View Post
    Anyone have gear advice for a total noob? Friends are into it and have got me interested to try. I assume I'll rent gear the first few times, but would like to have some idea on what's what.
    For a total noob... If you are serious,buy a 1-2m power kite and spend alot of time learning to fly it and learning about the wind and the wind window.Then get some sort of Lesson with a bigger kite,don't know of any snow kiting schools,so get an experienced friend to help or there should be kite surf school in Van

  7. #7
    Join Date
    Oct 2005
    Posts
    6,500

    out to sea

    Quote Originally Posted by SoCalTele View Post
    Seems like alot of gear. don't want to have to deal with that. just have to wait for the swell and offshore winds.
    Offshore winds + kitesurfing = bad idea
    ON shore winds = better idea.
    better off getting blown back onshore than out to sea~
    the amount of gear is silly compared to all that windsurfing crap we used to haul around.
    You can literally strap a kite , board, bar/lines on your back and ride a moped to the beach
    Bacon tastes good. Pork chops taste goood.

  8. #8
    Join Date
    Oct 2003
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    1,748
    Quote Originally Posted by willywhit View Post
    Offshore winds + kitesurfing = bad idea

    the amount of gear is silly compared to all that windsurfing crap we used to haul around.
    You can literally strap a kite , board, bar/lines on your back and ride a moped to the beach

    You mean, that some of us still haul around? I have to admit, I am envious of this aspect of kiteboarding....but for some reason, am still very much addicted to windsurfing.

  9. #9
    Join Date
    Oct 2005
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    6,500
    unlike many of my kite brethren, I understand.
    gotta say, I never got hurt windsurfing like I have kiting.
    You CAN do both
    or all 3
    http://masteroftheocean.com/
    Bacon tastes good. Pork chops taste goood.

  10. #10
    Join Date
    Oct 2005
    Posts
    6,500
    King of the Air
    saturday was great, waiting for more wind for Day 2
    https://www.redbull.tv/video/AP-1TZUF3MTH1W11/day-1

    Bacon tastes good. Pork chops taste goood.

  11. #11
    Join Date
    Oct 2005
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    Bacon tastes good. Pork chops taste goood.

  12. #12
    Join Date
    Nov 2010
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    46
    Thought I'd share some adventure...

    Click image for larger version. 

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    https://nihil.atypicalcontent.com/20...za-to-sao.html

  13. #13
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    Oct 2005
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    Quote Originally Posted by ropeducker View Post
    Thought I'd share some adventure...

    Click image for larger version. 

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    https://nihil.atypicalcontent.com/20...za-to-sao.html
    I read it in the other thread. Good stuff, mang. Brasil is magical. I should be there right now, ex wife and daughter made the trip for New Years and I opted to watch the dog. I could go on for hours, all the trips, buying a condo, learning the language and plans to be an ex pat and live at the beach. Carnaval is a special time there, so hot and so fun, night after night. I missed the window when Alex Shogren from Best was building the ultimate kitesurfing resort and lived there for months on end. Many kitesurfing friends have done the trip you did and a few even bought land to build on, it's so cheap. Still sketchy but worth it
    Bacon tastes good. Pork chops taste goood.

  14. #14
    Join Date
    Oct 2005
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    a few days ago
    Attached Thumbnails Attached Thumbnails Click image for larger version. 

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    Bacon tastes good. Pork chops taste goood.

  15. #15
    Join Date
    Dec 2003
    Location
    Tech Bro Central
    Posts
    3,243
    Kiteboarding is the Suit family's newest obsession. We went on a family vacation to a resort in the Philippines in March of this year, stumbled upon their kiting center while walking off our jet lag, and the rest was history. The pro we met spends her summers in Maui, so we've been there for three weekends this summer. Mrs. Suit and I are psyched to find another sport that our daughters like as much as we do.

    Click image for larger version. 

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  16. #16
    Join Date
    Nov 2019
    Location
    Tokio
    Posts
    3

    Wink Kiteboarding

    Hello. For me, Kiteboarding was a great discovery. As for me, this is incredible freedom. I really want to try. I advise you to look and get inspired.

  17. #17
    Join Date
    Nov 2019
    Posts
    47
    Learned last winter and haven't been since this summer. Bringing my kite gear out to Colorado for some snow kiting! If anyone is in the Denver area and interested always down to go with someone.

  18. #18
    Join Date
    Oct 2005
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    6,500
    Bump b/c the sport still evolves.
    Foiling.
    Wingy Thingy.
    [video]https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=MLKMSJTtypU{/video]
    Last edited by willywhit; 04-14-2021 at 10:14 AM.
    Bacon tastes good. Pork chops taste goood.

  19. #19
    Join Date
    May 2016
    Posts
    3,581
    Quote Originally Posted by willywhit View Post
    Bump b/c the sport still evolves.
    Foiling.
    Wingy Thingy.
    [video]https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=MLKMSJTtypU{/video]
    You seem to have forgotten how to embed YouTube videos. So let me help, if I can.

    1. Substitute “youtube” for “video”
    2. Strip off the “=“ and everything to the left of it in the url.
    3. You have a brace instead of a open bracket.

    Let me try:

  20. #20
    Join Date
    Oct 2005
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    6,500
    Bacon tastes good. Pork chops taste goood.

  21. #21
    Join Date
    Oct 2005
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    6,500
    Quote Originally Posted by billyk View Post
    You seem to have forgotten how to embed YouTube videos. So let me help, if I can.





    FKNA , thanks Billy
    I was a master at it, just rusty. appreciate the help, brah
    Bacon tastes good. Pork chops taste goood.

  22. #22
    Join Date
    Mar 2004
    Location
    West Coast of the East Coast
    Posts
    7,737
    My buddy is big into the foil stuff- races A Cats, Moths, and rides a foil board. This is his new setup.



    I got into kiting in 2000/2001 and gave it up after almost getting dragged to Mexico in a low wind incident where I couldn't get my kite back up out of the water and my leg got wrapped in the line. I paddled, fighting the kite dragging me out to sea. I made it to the edge of the beach just in time to touch sand. Didn't have a knife on me. Wrapped the kite up, seaweed and all and hitchhiked back to my truck. Never touched it again. I kinda regret it when I watch all those big air videos, but I know guys that aired into bridges and broke their backs, aired too high and slammed, aired too high and hit the beach, etc. It is a sketchy deal. Still wish I had stuck with it. Kinda.

  23. #23
    Join Date
    May 2016
    Posts
    2,534
    I used to windsurf a ton and my life revolved around it. Then kids and it's just not great with a family waiting for wind, etc so I sold my gear.
    Kitesurfing is very popular where I live and I keep saying I am going to bite the bullet and get the gear and I think it's this spring for me. All of my old windsurfing buddies kite now so they should be able to help with gear.
    I <heart> hot tele-moms

  24. #24
    Join Date
    Oct 2005
    Posts
    6,500
    Quote Originally Posted by jhyatt View Post
    I used to windsurf a ton and my life revolved around it. Then kids and it's just not great with a family waiting for wind, etc so I sold my gear.
    Kitesurfing is very popular where I live and I keep saying I am going to bite the bullet and get the gear and I think it's this spring for me. All of my old windsurfing buddies kite now so they should be able to help with gear.
    kitesurfing has been cancelled. The wingy thingy and foiling is the new jam
    Bacon tastes good. Pork chops taste goood.

  25. #25
    Join Date
    Jan 2008
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    livin the dream
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    5,761
    A vegan, a crossfitter, and a kitesurfer walk into a bar.....


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    Best Skier on the Mountain
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    1992 - 2012
    Squaw Valley, USA

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