matth wrote:I would much rather tether launch. Safer and less damage to kite IMO.

^
only takes like 5min longer to set up. totally worth it especially in nuking conditions with limited beach space and debris

the patagonia drysuit is gortex which has been really great in keeping me dry and warm but not overheating

Owned Nitros and Best TSs, recently got a Legacy V1 and loved it I think I'm gonna fill the rest of my quiver with them. Direct, light bar pressure, jumps well and great hangtime. Wind range is insane, was out today on 8m in 25-40+mph barely felt the gusts/lulls and didn't even have to pull in depow...

Depends on how desperate you are

I don't mind the gusts as much as the lulls. 15-30 is pretty good here. But 5-35 is too much...although will still do it if i haven't kited for a while and just try to ride it out

i have used DIY board leash when i first started...about 8 sessions. Hated it because it always gets in the way but it does make things a bit easier since you don't have to worry about the board and can just focus on kite and body position for water start. I remember I keep on getting turned around ...

long bridles suck...i like my nitro 4 but i really have to watch what i do otherwise its gonna result in a self rescue such a pain.

My official wind range on my E4 9m is 16 Knots to about 40 Knots. Do you consider that a huge wind range for a 9M kite? 46 MPH is hefty wind riding under a 9M kite. You should let Switch know that number. Switch is saying 30 Knots top end for the 9M and 40 Knots top end for the 5M I think this numb...

does the click thing work when rear lines are not under tension (pre-adjusting the depower when launching in strong conditions)?

You don't need boarding experience. Kiteboarding is my first boardsport too. It's 80-90% kite flying. Pick up a 2m-3m 3-LINE trainer kite and fly it according to the youtube videos. Once you are able to control it well, book a lesson and go from there. I flew my trainer kite for about 20 hours, was ...