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Kiting?


AcousticBoarder

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I had fun with the kite today. I got it because a number of years ago (maybe 8 or so now) my brother had one that he brought for my family to try. That is when he was living at the beach and went kite surfing. I remember it fun and challenging. 

I got the UNIQ 2.5 because it is a single foil, so less complicated and no need to inflate it, and it is supposed to be nearly indestructible. It also has a bar which if I decided to do kite surfing or snow kiting would translate to a full featured kite. It is a 3 line so it is a fixed bridal, one side for the left of the kite, one line for the right of the kite, and then a center line that works as an emergency stop (let go of the bar and it will deflate and come down easy) as well as the added benefit of when it crashes face down, I can relaunch without help. 

Took some time to get used to it, I may have gotten dragged once or twice haha. Before long I was able to keep it aloft for a bit atleast, doing some figure 8s in the sky, eventually able to do full circles so I could untwist it from a crash. Wind was probably averaging around 8 to 10 mph? I forgot to look. 

I flew it for around 45 minutes on and off, and it was definitely tiring! Good fun first day.

20190316_124843.jpg

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I used to fly kites a lot, the designs change pretty quickly though. Foils are generally less manoeuvrable than delta designs, but it depends what you're trying to do. I've not flown with 3 lines, but I guess it runs like a 2 line foil. The bar makes it easy to hold, but restricts how hard you can turn it (depending on the design of the foil). Two line foils are quick and you can do a lot with them, but they're not as fast to turn as delta kites. Crashing foils is better than crashing deltas - there's less to break.  That said you should get out of that habit pretty quickly once you get a feel for where the ground is and what the wind does.I used to fly kites a lot, the designs change pretty quickly though. Foils are generally less manoeuvrable than delta designs, but it depends what you're trying to do. I've not flown with 3 lines, but I guess it runs like a 2 line foil. The bar makes it easy to hold, but restricts how hard you can turn it (depending on the design of the foil). Two line foils are quick and you can do a lot with them, but they're not as fast to turn as delta kites. Crashing foils is better than crashing deltas - there's less to break.  That said you should get out of that habit pretty quickly once you get a feel for where the ground is and what the wind does.

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Most definitely! Take a lesson!  Kiting is all about finesse.  The ladies pick it up much faster than us "Meatheads".  Don't ever try to muscle a kite.

I kite regularly locally and in Maui.  Sufboards and hydrofoils, haven't owned a TT in years.  I use inflatable kites only on the water but do have a few foil kites for snow kiting.  I have a 3m trainer for teaching friends and windy days on the snow.

Spend as much time as you can with the trainer kite.  Be able to move it around the wind window without looking.  Bar control is like riding a bike. bend one elbow at a time to make it turn, and then back to straight. Keep you arms relatively in line with the kite lines.  Once you move on to 4 lines you control the kite power with the back line sheeting (bar) tension.  With a little practice even a small trainer can pick you off the ground. 

Be careful though. Pointed in the wrond direction that little kite can kick your A$$.!

It's an evil ADDICTION!  Consider yourself warned.  Kite kit makes what we do look cheap...

Edited by Rusty Edges
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Hi, I am JoelP that Pat refers to above. I used to basically live on Buttermilk and Highlands mtns but left years ago to pursue kiting. If any of you are interested in really learning in a safe and fast way I encourage you to contact us. My wife and I have been teaching kiting for over 12 years each. Probably a few thousand students now. We have our own school and ONLY teach. We do not do retail like a lot of outfitters do. We specialize in teaching only. We will offer all of you a 10% discount on lessons, just mention alpinesnowboarder. If you ever have any questions you can always contact me thru our website H2OSports.net. Be aware I have taught a lot of my past alpine boarder friends that are now addicted to kiting.

The best to you all, Joel

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