im stupid & need help

[jcady]

so i live in Idaho and kiting is not a big sport where i am. i decided to get into it and saw a cheep bar on craigslist called the guy and he said he would give me the kite for free. of coarse i took it a whole set up for $100 thats pretty nice. the kite is a 2004 best yurga 16.5m i realize thats big and a c kite and im having some problems figuring every thing out. im doing all the studying i can but there is no where to take lessons around me. still have some questions. i am practicing flying it in the park it is dragging me every ware i have the outside lines fully extended and the trim strap line fully pulled and the depower bar all the way out. it still pulls allot is that normal and what can i do difrint or to help. also wondering what other advice you all have like how bendy should the leading edge be i know i walk towards the kite and pull on one side to self launch but any other tips. truth is im just a poor college student trying to figure this out its fun i just want to be safe too. after thought i have been renting a hq symphony to practice with is that a suitibule trainer. yes i relze that a smaller SLE would be nice i just cant afford it right now.

[stakas]

Buddy..... get a lesson from an instructor or from an experienced kiteboarder. You will get badly hurt otherwise....It is a potentially deadly sport even when you play it as safe as it can get!

[jakemoore]

HQ symphony seems like a good idea to me. There must be some snowkiters around. Fly the symphony as much as you can and then when the snow comes try to hook up with some people.

Jake

[dobiewan]

It is practically suicidal to try to learn with a kite that large - and particularly on land. Put it away and find a small kite, and make friends with a kiter somewhere close to home if you can't find an instructor. Your medical bills will fast outweigh the bargain you got on that kite!! Hang onto it - it will be great in a year. Best of luck - its a great sport but DEMANDS respect!
Ken

[Don Monnot]

I totally agree with what others have said. Stick with a small kite for static flying (on land without a landboard or buggy) until the snow flies. Meanwhile check around for snow kiters in your area. In Idaho there must be a bunch. Snow kiting is way easier to learn than kiteboarding on water. You can get away with a much smaller kite, go slow to start with, and build experience until you're ready for bigger kites or more wind. After a season of snow kiting, you'll find kiting on water a ton easier to learn. You really, really, really want to get instruction. There are tons of ways to seriously hurt or kill yourself or others if you aren't aware of the potential problems. An experienced snow kiter can help you avoid the pitfalls. Most kiters are willing to share their knowledge with a newbie, especially those who kite and live in an area that doesn't have any certified instructors. We're more understanding of guys who are just trying to figure it out. However, without good, thorough instruction by somebody who really knows their stuff, you're likely to miss something important to your safety. Getting "a little help" from some other kiter is not a good substitute for proper instruction--but it's better than going at it totally on your own.

Good luck.

Don

[xtremewinds]

I agree with the rest and with you, kiting on land with a 16 yarga is stupid. Use only the trainer kite untill you have mmoney to do a course with a professional instructor. Its going to be cheaper than the hospital expenses. The most important part in the learning process is you control perfect the kite if you practice a lot with a trainer then is going to be easy when you go with a instructor and the hours you need to learn are going to be less. Also start snowkiting around your place with a instructor thats is going to help a lot if you learn snowkiting with a instructor later is gping to be easy to ride in water.

[sleepymexi]

You could Ebay your Yarga and bar (together or separately) and put that money towards a smaller kite. Learn on that kite for a while, then upgrade later after saving up.

As others have said, try to find other snow or land kiters in your area who might be able to show you how to kite.