Contact   Imprint   Advertising   Guidelines

The Safety Topic: please post your experience and advice!

Forum with lots of safety info - a must for newbees
User avatar
edt
Very Frequent Poster
Posts: 7316
Joined: Fri Jul 16, 2010 6:27 am
Kiting since: 2010
Local Beach: Michigan
Gear: ride hard, no regrets
Has thanked: 530 times
Been thanked: 664 times

Re: The Safety Topic: please post your experience and advice

Postby edt » Sun Aug 21, 2011 5:14 am

I think it was just gusty. Right after he does a jump the kite immediately hindenburgs, then it inverts etc.

At first I was thinking a line break or maybe he turned downwind into the kite but if watch you the kite, seems like it catches a gust of wind or rotor going backwards, opposite the prevailing winds.

I've had that happen to me but only on inland lakes.

User avatar
pwnd550
Frequent Poster
Posts: 235
Joined: Mon Sep 05, 2011 9:57 pm
Local Beach: Roches Noires Private Beach (Mauritius), Belmont Shore (Long Beach, CA)
Favorite Beaches: Roches Noires Private Beach (Mauritius), Bras d'Eau (Mauritius), Rodrigues Island
Style: Freeride/Freestyle
Gear: Kites:
- 2010 RRD Obsession 10.5m
- 2013 Flexifoil Hadlow ID 12m
Boards:
- 2009 RRD Placebo (133x40cm)
- 2013 Flexifoil Hadlow MK2 (134cm)
Brand Affiliation: None
Location: Los Angeles, CA
Has thanked: 0
Been thanked: 0
Contact:

Re: The Safety Topic: please post your experience and advice

Postby pwnd550 » Fri Sep 16, 2011 1:03 am

This summer, I was in Mauritius kiting, and I think my chicken loop got out of under my harness's hook (the chicken loop was also hold my 2 hooks so I would not lose it when quick releasing), and my kite started doing loops repeatedly; also I had a surf leash to do as the usual beginner's thinking, "I have a leash so I don't have to retrieve my board"; my board got out of my feet, so the leash straightened, then as a spring, came back to hit me powerfully in the back of the neck. ERROR: DO NOT WEAR A LEASH FOR KITING! During that accident, one of my water boots got pulled out with my board, the leash broke, and I thought my board was going to go hit the rocks with the current, and I also thought I had lost my chicken loop, leash, and my other boot. Hopefully, I made it to the kite, tangling the lines of course, and a boat came to retrieve me and save my board, so I found everything I thought I had lost.
So about safety, here it is:
- For beginners, do not attach the safety leash to the chicken loop, but to the 4th line or 5th depending on how much lines you have, so you have the maximum depower when releasing.
- Do not wear a surf leash, but instead learn to retrieve your board by body dragging, because it will help you to continue kiteboarding to intermediate or advanced.
- Maybe wear a helmet, but I think without it is more stylish (but more unsafe!)
- Don't go farther than you can swim, or at least do not until you reached an advanced level, so if the wind drops or one of your lines pops, you can come back to shore.
- Be careful of the boats and rocks!
- ALWAYS take lessons before starting kitesurf for the first time, or even if you did not kite for more than a year or 2, so you can have a safety boat, and learn again.

User avatar
ALGOR
Medium Poster
Posts: 171
Joined: Mon Dec 25, 2006 5:16 pm
Local Beach: Punta Pellaro, Reggio Cal - (south) ITALY
Brand Affiliation: None
Location: Punta Pellaro Reggio Calabria - South of Italy
Has thanked: 1 time
Been thanked: 0
Contact:

Re: The Safety Topic: please post your experience and advice

Postby ALGOR » Sun Oct 09, 2011 2:43 pm

kitevan wrote: I have seen too many bad and dangerous launches in my years of kiting. We practice the following launch method which has been flawless EVERY time. Let me know your thoughts.
1. pick up only the chicken loop in one hand. do not grab the bar, just hold the chicken loop.
2. have your experienced launcher grab your kite and you should be heading to the edge of the window at the same time
3. when you are both at the edge of the window you are still only holding the chicken loop in your hand (do not grab the bar).
4. now there is no tension on the lines so your launcher has an easy time holding the kite. in the event that something goes wrong you simply let go of the chicken loop.
5. when all lines look to be clear and all is a go, simply attach chicken loop and safety and give thumbs up to launch.

i have seen too many times people hooking in before someone even picks up the kite. then i see that while they are walking to the edge of the window they have the bar sheeted all the way in. as the launcher gets near the edge of the window they are literally fighting the kite. this is never good.
Hi Kitevan,

I also invented a new protocol here what is similar to your.
1) mount lines DOWNWIND to the kite (!), not in powerzone (!!!)
2) CLIP the kite leash(!!) (why? what happen if the assistant, as you testify, wrongs and let go the kite?! A killer kite without control flying downwind... :nono: so use the leash on a flagout system.
3) as you suggest, take just the CL on one hand and with frontline tension, find safetily the edge when kite dont flaps.
4) check, before hooking in, if the backline tension is too much (I'll tell you how...)
5) hook in and fly the kite to 45°

What do you think about?

User avatar
melipell
Rare Poster
Posts: 7
Joined: Sat Oct 01, 2011 11:50 pm
Local Beach: Mojave
Mead
Belmont Shores
Style: NEW/ Barely
Gear: 10M PL Venom RamAir
16M PL Venom RamAir
19M PL Venom RamAir
11M Ozone Edge LEI
Just bought a Cabrinha 8M Switchblade LEI... I think I like this best!
Brand Affiliation: None
Location: Vegas BABY
Has thanked: 0
Been thanked: 0

Re: The Safety Topic: please post your experience and advice

Postby melipell » Sun Nov 06, 2011 1:15 am

Here's a tip from a beginner...

In ANY conditions, when you are helping catch a LE kite on land, NEVER grab the trailing edge... always grab by the leading edge. If you grab the kite by trailing edge you risk re-launching the kite into rocks, land and obstacles! Might sound simple BUT I am new at this and made this VERY mistake last week at Mojave when helping my friend come into shore... all this under tricky and VERY strong winds. (Gusts were up to 43mph that day) Our other friend, a much more experienced kiter saw this and ran over and nearly knocked me down! I'm just grateful that my lack of knowledge didn't get anybody hurt.

Meli

User avatar
KiteschoolHolland
Medium Poster
Posts: 84
Joined: Mon Mar 02, 2009 4:22 pm
Local Beach: Netherlands, Wijk aan Zee
Favorite Beaches: Brazil, Tremembe
Style: Old school
Gear: Evo, Flysurfer
Brand Affiliation: Mostly North
Location: Amsterdam area, Netherlands
Has thanked: 0
Been thanked: 0
Contact:

Re: The Safety Topic: please post your experience and advice

Postby KiteschoolHolland » Thu Nov 17, 2011 10:22 am

ALGOR wrote: .. :nono: so use the leash on a flagout system.
Good points, good practice.

Just a little comment: 96% of our kites DON'T flag out.
Only foilkites and old C-kites flag out - on a steering line.
Most kites have a leading edge that keeps it shape.
They're leashed on 1 or both frontlines - being leashed on a steering line would likely cause a deathlooping kite.
So if you're smart, your kite is leashed on 2 front lines, or better, on a 5th line, and it will balance in smile position - like when you walk with your inflated kite - if you're lucky. Teabagging in strong winds may result in still too much power to wind the lines. Being leashed on 1 fronline in strong wind results usually in too much movement and power to handle.

Peter Campbell
Rare Poster
Posts: 4
Joined: Sat Mar 26, 2011 12:02 pm
Local Beach: Hampton Beach, St Kilda, Brighton Beach, Port Phillip Bay, Victoria, Australia
Favorite Beaches: Victoria: Hampton Beach, Inverloch, Point Danger,
Queensland: 4 Mile Beach
Style: Waveriding, freestyle, cruising
Gear: Ben Wilson surf Noise 12m, Cabrinha Switchblade 10m, Cabrinha Crossbow 7m. Naish Haze twin tip, Cabrinha S-Quad kite surf.

See http://kitesurfing-handbook.peterskiteboarding.com/ for more information
Brand Affiliation: None
Location: Melbourne, Australia
Has thanked: 0
Been thanked: 0
Contact:

Re: The Safety Topic: please post your experience and advice

Postby Peter Campbell » Sat Dec 17, 2011 2:45 am

I have collated some safety information, including, safety rules, guidelines, kiting zones, etiquette, hand signals, hazards, injuries, kitesurfing storm fronts and right of way rules here:

http://kitesurfing-handbook.peterskiteb ... com/safety

I think its vital that we spread the word on safety. Kitesurfing is getting very popular, and keeping new comers safe is very important.

User avatar
KiteschoolHolland
Medium Poster
Posts: 84
Joined: Mon Mar 02, 2009 4:22 pm
Local Beach: Netherlands, Wijk aan Zee
Favorite Beaches: Brazil, Tremembe
Style: Old school
Gear: Evo, Flysurfer
Brand Affiliation: Mostly North
Location: Amsterdam area, Netherlands
Has thanked: 0
Been thanked: 0
Contact:

Re: The Safety Topic: please post your experience and advice

Postby KiteschoolHolland » Sat Dec 24, 2011 1:04 am

Excellent work, Peter!

If you appreciate a suggestion:
I'd detail the shallowness: less than kneedeep is too shallow to jump.
I'd detail the distance in "■Carefully consider other beach goers when you launch and land your kite. Keep a safe distance from them"
Safe distance: at least 2 linelengths downwind, more than a linelength sidewind.

Yele

User avatar
edt
Very Frequent Poster
Posts: 7316
Joined: Fri Jul 16, 2010 6:27 am
Kiting since: 2010
Local Beach: Michigan
Gear: ride hard, no regrets
Has thanked: 530 times
Been thanked: 664 times

Re: The Safety Topic: please post your experience and advice

Postby edt » Sat Dec 24, 2011 3:31 am

KiteschoolHolland wrote: Being leashed on 1 fronline in strong wind results usually in too much movement and power to handle.

That's not my experience. I have always had all my single front line kites flag out properly. One time I had to flag out a 14m on a center line (gust front). Wind meter later said it was 60 knots. It's not as pretty as a 5th line flagout but it's definitely 100% depower. The only problem with front line flagout is if you do a kiteloop and snap your flagout line, your kite can start to loop, so when you flag out to leash, you see your kite flopping away. That's one thing nice about the 5 line kites, when you snap your lines, that 5th line is always good to go.

User avatar
Bille
Very Frequent Poster
Posts: 4023
Joined: Sun Sep 04, 2011 5:37 pm
Local Beach: Lake Mohave
Gear: Ozone Edge
Brand Affiliation: Barz Optics
Jaybar Dynabar V7
Has thanked: 252 times
Been thanked: 188 times

Re: The Safety Topic: please post your experience and advice

Postby Bille » Fri Dec 30, 2011 9:53 pm

melipell wrote:Here's a tip from a beginner...

In ANY conditions, when you are helping catch a LE kite on land, NEVER grab the trailing edge... always grab by the leading edge.
...
Meli
Anytime the wind is blowing Over 20mph and i signal for a landing --

If i "Don't" know the person that is about to catch me ; i will Always
place one hand on my QR and fly the kite to the unknown
helper with one hand ; and be ready for a screw-up if that person does
something weird. This has saved me more than once .
ALSO
for Launching --
Whenever the wind is Over 25mph or Very Gusty ; i will Always
place one hand on the QR to find it, Then quickly signal
for a launch and place the hand Back on the QR before the helper
even lets-go, so i'm flying the kite with one hand.
This had Also saved me about once a Year at Mohave .

I "Always" find the QR with one hand before signaling for a launch ;
but in the Lighter winds I'll usually be a bit more relaxed and fly
the kite with Both hands, (i may revisit this strategy) and always
launch with a hand on the QR no-mater What the wind velocity !

You save about 1/2 to 2/3 of a second reaction-time by having
a hand "On" the QR .

Bille

Don Monnot
Frequent Poster
Posts: 491
Joined: Tue Sep 18, 2007 3:29 am
Brand Affiliation: None
Has thanked: 0
Been thanked: 0

Re: The Safety Topic: please post your experience and advice

Postby Don Monnot » Thu Jan 26, 2012 5:10 pm

Almost lost one of our local guys the other day. He was kiting with a snowboard on a frozen lake. He had checked with the ice fishermen on the lake, and they said the ice was 6-8 inches thick. No problem. He was the only kiter, and the lake is pretty big. He had been riding across some bare ice, when the wind crapped out. As he slowed down he heard that dreaded cracking sound, and went through. He tried scrambling out, but the ice was only about 1/2 inch thick and he kept breaking through. He started to panic, and the next thing he knew he was lying flat on the ice. He slithered away from the hole, got one boot out of the binding and then the other. Used the board for additional support, and scooted away from the hole to thicker ice. Put the board back on, and kited back to his launch site.

Bummer he doesn't remember how he got out of the ice. It sounded like his kite was down on the ice the whole time. Essentially no wind, so not likely it was an unexpected tug from the downed kite. He fine--just a few bruises.

Don


Return to “Safety”

Who is online

Users browsing this forum: No registered users and 103 guests