Kitesurfing

oh shit that is so sick

Yes, kitesurfing is nothing but sick, get out there!

how do you get started? And I'm guessing you can never let go of the rope? Would make for some gnarly wipeouts.

Contact you nearest kitesurfing club, or even sailing and windsurfing clubs may do it, just search on google for the nearest kite school or club. And no the bar does not need to be held at all times but it is advisable, you have a harness on similar to a windsurfing harness which is hooked to a rope around the bar, meaning you dont loose your kite when you fall and your arms do not take all the strain of the kite.

Dangg, that's soo sick. i've always wanted to give it a shot, i know someone's who a coach around here. but damnn, they were goin a good 15+ft in the air

That's so sick I might have to look into it. How do you get going in the beginning of your run? Boat?

Beach or dock, the boards are almost like wakeboards, just hop on to your board and put your feet in the straps and the kite will catch the wind and off you go easy, or if you feel like going off a boat you can haha.

kites are sooo expensive tho
just training kites are more than a 100 dollars
sick sport tho its just a big investment

Yes, But its a good investemnt on a super enviromentally friendly sport.

Kitesurfing is real sick, I'm a kitesurfer to, but I know a guy with more balls than Hadlow. Less technical, bigger balls. In my opinion he's the Seth Morrison in the kitesurfworld, some people see him more as the Jamie Pierre in het kitesurfworld...

http://www.kitecinema.com/newmovies/2007/Ruben-stormsjees-07-ijmuiden-HDV-480p.mp4

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how hard are the kited to control?

Well once you're used to it it's all pretty easy. In the beginning it might be frustrating, at least more frustrating that skiing. Simply because it takes way more effort to keep things running, when you crash you're kite as a beginner it takes ages before your kite is back in the air.


BTW: This is a picture from the Gorge which shows the ghetto-lovers here that even in kiteboarding we have some "ghetto" kids. This kid is just straight up an idiot for wearing those clothes while kiteboarding.


[IMG]newschoolers.com/asp/gal/showpic.asp?galleryid={316FF2AE-8721-4B50-AF3E-0C27991D3A36}&pictype=JPG&xmlrequest=true[/IMG]

Next try:  [IMG]hanglos.nl/media2/picgallery/%7B316FF2AE-8721-4B50-AF3E-0C27991D3A36%7D.JPG[/IMG]

so are the boards just wakeboards with slip in binders?

No, wakeboards are to heavy for kiteboarding. Besides that, kiteboards are way more meant to edge than wakeboards. The luxury with wakeboarding is the boat that always brings you back, with kiteboarding you have a kite to bring you back to the point where you started. So what you need to do is edge your board and keep your kite low, by doing this you'll be going "upwind". This means that you're kiting against the wind.

Cliffnote: No, a kiteboard is something else than a wakeboard. But you can use wakeboardboots on an kiteboard (sometimes).

i am planing on learning either late this year or next year, considering  i live in the best place to kiteboard it would be a shame not to.

Where do you live?

Yeah wakeboards can be used but wont be as effective as normal kiteboards because they are also a slightly different shape.

Bump, looking to get into kitesurfing since I'm moving to Florida this summer. I have no idea where to start, anyone have any good ideas/tips for a beginner?

RedPandaBump, looking to get into kitesurfing since I'm moving to Florida this summer. I have no idea where to start, anyone have any good ideas/tips for a beginner?

take a lesson

RedPandaBump, looking to get into kitesurfing since I'm moving to Florida this summer. I have no idea where to start, anyone have any good ideas/tips for a beginner?

From what I've heard it can be pretty dangerous if you don't take a lesson. If you have too small of a kite for the conditions it won't work, if you have too big of a kite you can get carried too high, smashed into stuff, etc

How much should I realistically expect to pay for all the equipment? Kite, board, harness, etc.. I can't seem to find a consistent estimate anywhere online

RedPandaHow much should I realistically expect to pay for all the equipment? Kite, board, harness, etc.. I can't seem to find a consistent estimate anywhere online

over $1000

400-700 kite
150-300 bar
200-600 board
50-150 bindings
50-100 harness
100 pump, leash, etc

its not cheap, but once you have all the gear its free!

RedPandaHow much should I realistically expect to pay for all the equipment? Kite, board, harness, etc.. I can't seem to find a consistent estimate anywhere online

You're gonna drop a lot of money, as said above. Look for a used kite from a reliable source -- it's really easy to buy cheap kites and have them come in very shitty condition, so i'd suggest getting one from a shop. If they come with a bunch of tiny tears or leaks in the bladder they will expand very quickly and the kite will be ruined after a short period of time. Often times places like Real will sell used kites with bars, and you can usually find a package for like $800. I think Real is having a super sale on Best kites right now.

It doesn't matter if your board is beat to shit so you can buy the cheapest used one you can find. Once you get into it you'll begin to notice the differences in flex, pop, and upwind tracking, but for now get a basic twin tip around 140 cm with basic footstraps. You should be able to find one for $200-300

You can get used harnesses for $75-100, but they will probably be pretty beat up or poor quality. If you have any lower back issues you should get a new harness with a lot of support like the Mystic Majestic or Code, but otherwise find something in between. Mystic makes far and away the best harnesses but they're very expensive, so maybe look into a used one or get something cheaper to start. Once you start doing tricks and jumping a lot it's really nice to have a smaller, thinner, more broken in harness but you sacrifice back support.

Aside from the essentials you will want a good wetsuit for colder weather. If it's warm you can get away with going in boardshorts but often times you will get bad chafing from your harness and you get cold easier than you think when it's super windy out

If you can get yourself a full setup under $1k I will be shocked, but you can pull it off for well under $1500 if you do your research. Just remember that you will progress extremely quickly, so if you buy really shitty gear you will quickly want to upgrade, but then again we all started on crappy old stuff.

Kiting is also worth every penny and every second of hassle. It has to be one of the most fun things you can possibly do

no_steezeKiting is also worth every penny and every second of hassle. It has to be one of the most fun things you can possibly do

This, there are a few kiteboarders on this site, we have our facebook page n whatnot. Get into the sport, you will not regret it