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NHKitesurfer
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sad news to share

Postby NHKitesurfer » Tue Feb 17, 2015 5:43 pm

Careful out there! http://bangordailynews.com/2015/02/17/n ... -accident/
Man killed Monday in kite skiing accident on Crystal Lake

By Beth Brogan, BDN
Feb. 17, 2015, at 6:34 a.m.
HARRISON, Maine — A 49-year-old man was killed Monday morning in a kite skiing accident on Crystal Lake.

Adam Tsapis was skiing on the lake at about 11 a.m. Monday when the kite he was using to propel him across the snow caught a gust of wind and lifted him off the ice, slamming him into a shed on the shoreline near 14 Shore Lands Road.

Harrison Fire and Rescue personnel took Tsapis to Bridgton Hospital with traumatic injuries to his leg and arm, according to a release from the Cumberland County Sheriff’s Office. He was later taken by LifeFlight of Maine to Central Maine Medical Center in Lewiston, where he died.

No additional information as immediately available.

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Re: sad news to share

Postby matthepp » Tue Feb 17, 2015 10:32 pm

Dammit that sucks. My sympathies to friends and family. Do the best you can to mitigate the risks and enjoy every moment you've got.

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Re: sad news to share

Postby rvrrat » Wed Feb 18, 2015 4:27 am

:( Very sad news. Sorry to hear this. Condolences to his friends and family. JR

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Re: sad news to share

Postby Toby » Wed Feb 18, 2015 5:30 am

yes, sad to hear this!

My condolences as well.

Luckily there are not that many fatalities in snowkiting...although the risk is higher on the hard grounds.

RIP

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Re: sad news to share

Postby jumarcil » Wed Feb 18, 2015 5:32 am

My sympathies to the family and friends.

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Re: sad news to share

Postby NHKitesurfer » Wed Feb 18, 2015 4:53 pm

I started the day Monday on a lake a couple of hours southwest from where he was at. The wind was as bad as I've ever seen with lulls dropping to <10 knots and gusts well over 30 and at times it was coming from 2 different directions. The surface conditions on the lake I was snowkiting were pretty bad...wind blown snow with 4' drifts, jagged edges and bare ice every now and then.

I really struggled at times as the wind would scream from one direction and then switch to another. It was scary if the kite was at the zenith when this was happening. When it came time to call it a 30+knot gusts came through just as I was setting my kite down. I struggled to keep it from relaunching and was ready to punch out with my hand securely gripping the quick release at all times. It was a very unnerving feeling. Monday was a gnarly day for beginners and advanced riders alike.

My condolences to the family.

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Re: sad news to share

Postby CaptainArgh » Wed Feb 18, 2015 5:20 pm

Ugh, that is awful to read. Very sad news and sincere condolences to his family.

I think a lot of us kite in shittier inland conditions as the wind tends to be gusty but we don't have to worry about swimming back like we would in the summer. Those severe gusts around hard ice and other objects scare me any time I experience them. Luckily in the past I've been able to park the kite at the edge of the window with my finger on the safety release and wait it out. As NHKitesurfer said, it's a different story if it comes in when your kite is high.

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Re: sad news to share

Postby edt » Wed Feb 18, 2015 5:36 pm

From reading his bio online, his passion in life was working with disadvantaged kids in the outdoors. He was doing good works and a real value for society. Awful way to go, my sympathies for the friends and family. He will be missed.

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Re: sad news to share

Postby flipper231 » Thu Feb 19, 2015 1:34 am

That is sad, we see very little accidents in the winter as the playground is huge but when you wipe out, it is always painfull

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Re: sad news to share

Postby Laughingman » Thu Feb 19, 2015 5:45 pm

My sympathies to his family and friends.
Such an unfortunate and what seems to be an avoidable accident.

NHKitesurfer, based on your description of the conditions, I have to ask respectfully.... why were you out there? Actually, why was anyone out there? 30 knots with lulls less then 10 knots, shifting directions, challenging, if not down right miserable surface conditions. Did you even enjoy your session?
I see people going out in awful conditions quite a lot, its like they made the drive so therefore they have to go out....
You don't have to go out. I would rather kite the next day then go out in crap and risk my life today. There will always be another day....

RIP Adam

Pete
NHKitesurfer wrote:I started the day Monday on a lake a couple of hours southwest from where he was at. The wind was as bad as I've ever seen with lulls dropping to <10 knots and gusts well over 30 and at times it was coming from 2 different directions. The surface conditions on the lake I was snowkiting were pretty bad...wind blown snow with 4' drifts, jagged edges and bare ice every now and then.

I really struggled at times as the wind would scream from one direction and then switch to another. It was scary if the kite was at the zenith when this was happening. When it came time to call it a 30+knot gusts came through just as I was setting my kite down. I struggled to keep it from relaunching and was ready to punch out with my hand securely gripping the quick release at all times. It was a very unnerving feeling. Monday was a gnarly day for beginners and advanced riders alike.

My condolences to the family.


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