Self-Rescue: The big problem with Ram airs

[revhed]

Ram airs are inferior compared to inflatables.
Pumpy ..........

Yep, and that`s why none of the KiteBoardHydroFoil racers use them, and more and more buggy, snow, and mountain board guys as well.
F U P M U!
R H

Just to point out buggy racers only use foil kites. Open and closed cell. In racing lei kites are useless.

Then how in the hell do buggy racers relaunch and,or self rescue with their L E I s?
R H

[PullStrings]

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sVVBohGNUM0

Swimming pool calm water and wearing a life jacket to keep afloat

Yep.. real life situation

[fogmeister]

when your out on these kites thats when they end up in the drink!....so totally realistic!

if its windier....relaunch!

if you cant then safety release and wind up all lines including bridles......you will be left with some kind of mini sail like a tube kite and get dragged in.

[fogmeister]

.....if your not wearing enough flotation to stay afloat.......

[edt]

Just a word to those riding the inflatables: always pinch your struts off! It does no good to have a kite that can self rescue if you pop a valve and the entire kite turns into a laundry bag. I think maybe 90% of the kiters out there never in their life pinched a strut off. Too much effort? I dunno. Anyway if you ride an inflato and never pinch your struts you are in the exactly the same position as a foil kiter if your bladder pops. Swimming back to the launch with a laundry bag sucks. Good exercise though. Foil kites are too good to give up, there's always the temptation to go away from shore too far. Especially when you are on the foil + foil combo that thing has legs! But when the wind dies I mean really dies goes down to zero, and you are 2 miles from shore that's going to be a long embarrassing swim back. Never kite further away from shore than you can swim back. I know it's tempting to go out far because hydroil + foil kite can ride in the lightest puff but you want to make sure not to get more than a mile or so out, however far you feel comfortable you can swim back if you have to.

Everyone should own at least 1 foil kite and at least 1 hydrofoil. If just to understand what it's all about.

[Tone]

PMU you're right.

It is easier to self rescue on a tube kite.

Won't change my quiver though... I have only been rescued once in 16 years of kiting.

[plummet]

Ram airs are inferior compared to inflatables.
Pumpy ..........

Yep, and that`s why none of the KiteBoardHydroFoil racers use them, and more and more buggy, snow, and mountain board guys as well.
F U P M U!
R H

Just to point out buggy racers only use foil kites. Open and closed cell. In racing lei kites are useless.

Not wanting to feed pmu's fire but.... I currently hold the Moose meet dune racing trophy! I was flying a 2012 ozone catalyst. In that race there was guys on chrono, R1, yakuza, vapour ....
I lapped the entire field!

So lei can win buggy races when the racing is not all about kite performance! In the dunes its more about riding skill and your ability to read the terrain than which kite goes hardest upwind!.
That said, Hold the race on the flat hard sand and I have no chance on an lei against a high aspect foil. In that instance I have to fire up the chrono. Then its game on!.

[socommk23]

Yep, and that`s why none of the KiteBoardHydroFoil racers use them, and more and more buggy, snow, and mountain board guys as well.
F U P M U!
R H

Just to point out buggy racers only use foil kites. Open and closed cell. In racing lei kites are useless.

Not wanting to feed pmu's fire but.... I currently hold the Moose meet dune racing trophy! I was flying a 2012 ozone catalyst. In that race there was guys on chrono, R1, yakuza, vapour ....
I lapped the entire field!

So lei can win buggy races when the racing is not all about kite performance! In the dunes its more about riding skill and your ability to read the terrain than which kite goes hardest upwind!.
That said, Hold the race on the flat hard sand and I have no chance on an lei against a high aspect foil. In that instance I have to fire up the chrono. Then its game on!.

Simply a better pilot I'd have thought. No reason you couldn't have done that with a foil kite.

[plummet]

Just to point out buggy racers only use foil kites. Open and closed cell. In racing lei kites are useless.

Not wanting to feed pmu's fire but.... I currently hold the Moose meet dune racing trophy! I was flying a 2012 ozone catalyst. In that race there was guys on chrono, R1, yakuza, vapour ....
I lapped the entire field!

So lei can win buggy races when the racing is not all about kite performance! In the dunes its more about riding skill and your ability to read the terrain than which kite goes hardest upwind!.
That said, Hold the race on the flat hard sand and I have no chance on an lei against a high aspect foil. In that instance I have to fire up the chrono. Then its game on!.

Simply a better pilot I'd have thought. No reason you couldn't have done that with a foil kite.

There is one advantage. That's the lei's ability to be snapped back after completely slack lining it. In the dunes going down slope down wind sometimes you need to run straight at the kite for a bit. Then before the kite hits the deck all you need to do is retention the top steering line and boom back in business. Do that same thing on a foil and you have a 50/50 chance it will ball up and not be recoverable.

[socommk23]

Not wanting to feed pmu's fire but.... I currently hold the Moose meet dune racing trophy! I was flying a 2012 ozone catalyst. In that race there was guys on chrono, R1, yakuza, vapour ....
I lapped the entire field!

So lei can win buggy races when the racing is not all about kite performance! In the dunes its more about riding skill and your ability to read the terrain than which kite goes hardest upwind!.
That said, Hold the race on the flat hard sand and I have no chance on an lei against a high aspect foil. In that instance I have to fire up the chrono. Then its game on!.

Simply a better pilot I'd have thought. No reason you couldn't have done that with a foil kite.

There is one advantage. That's the lei's ability to be snapped back after completely slack lining it. In the dunes going down slope down wind sometimes you need to run straight at the kite for a bit. Then before the kite hits the deck all you need to do is retention the top steering line and boom back in business. Do that same thing on a foil and you have a 50/50 chance it will ball up and not be recoverable.

Sounds like fun. But any sand dunes here go into people's gardens or are protected areas. We don't get to play in any.