In the mid-nineties, when Montague tried his first kiteboarding setup, the problem of “de-powering” was foremost in his mind. “When I got hold of it, it was, like, ‘We can’t use this in Maui,’ ” he recalled. “ ‘It’s twenty-five knots here—we’ll die.’ ” On a boat, it’s possible to let the wind out of a sail by tightening a line. Kites had no such ability; in fact, in a crash, they tended to fall directly into the power zone, with the strongest wind.
One of the first things you learn is how to set up a kitesurfing kite properly. The first driver for success is to avoid gusty conditions altogether whenever possible.
Tips to assess if the weather is fit for our incoming kite session.
Earlier, I’d watched a well-produced YouTube video with animated overlays that reminded me exactly how I should connect my lines. The control bar to which the lines attached was color-coded, and I used a mnemonic, “red rigs right,” to remember which side went where. I clasped my safety leash to the bar and then hooked it to my harness using the “chicken loop,” a device that would allow me to disable the kite in case I lost control.
This is how you make the turn while kitesurfing
In order to increase or decrease your speed while kitesurfing, you have to change the position of the kite. When the kite is overhead, it’s in the neutral position and not providing any pulling force. When the kite is toward the water in front of the body, kitesurfing undervisning an area called the power zone, the wind blowing horizontally catches the kite, and pulling force is created. When the kite is in the power zone, three degrees of power can be achieved. For minimum power, lower your kite and hold it in a constant position.
This means that you can expect the same level of quality at any IKO Centers you go around the world. Turning the kite will be harder now that you are on your board. Push the steering bar forward to bring the kite over your head. This will slow you down, allowing you to more easily move the kite to the other side of the wind window and start in the opposite direction. Normally a beginner will practice with a soft trainer kite first; this has a size of 0.5 to 1.5 meters squared. Then you’ll buy a bigger kite depending on the local wind conditions. This kite will be in the size range of around 7 to 13 meters squared.
Just as he was graduating from high school, in 1990, Chris Moore had a fanciful idea. He had noticed increasing numbers of so-called sport kites arcing through the skies above his home town of Lenexa, Kansas, outside Kansas City, Missouri. A traditional kite is tethered to its operator by a single line, and is more or less impossible to maneuver. But a sport kite—a needle-nosed, fighter-jet-like wing of nylon or polyester—has two lines, which an operator can use to induce acrobatic turns. Moore was skilled with a yo-yo and had watched riders do tricks on their bikes. He watched the sport kites soar, reverse, and double back, and wondered if the kite could become the next bicycle—a vehicle for art, competition, or some combination of the two.
Once the kite is attached, you can slowly walk without tension on the lines towards 3 of 9 o’clock of the wind window. Landing a power kite is a bit different than the tube kites that we use for kitesurfing but the beginning is the same.
We know that at a location with high tide hazards, we may have to wait a few hours for the tide to drop enough for safe kiting. We also know that with the greatest tidal movement around the mid point of any tidal phase, we can expect a stronger affect of water movement on our board. This could be a positive effect with wind against tide where upwind ability improves as the water movement makes it easier to ride upwind. Kitesurfing, like all wind-based sports, is influenced by weather conditions. Let’s see how we can do so by knowing how the wind is generated and which conditions we can encounter during our kitesurfing session. If you have never kite surfed before, we recommend you take lessons before attempting to get out on the water. Kitesurfing harnesses the power of two natural elements—wind and water—that need to be respected.
Whether you are considering lessons or have enough experience to hit the water on your own, these steps will help prepare you for your challenge ahead. Experience kite surfers make standing up look easy and natural, but beginners will find that the task is anything but.