Safety Release Reflex (SRR) please read!

[SpaceRacer]

Hi All,

Great topic. I like the idea of writing down some of the more common scenarios and what you would do in those situations. Even better would be putting on your harness and bar and going through the motions. I like the idea of when in doubt, get out. In my earlier days, when things went wrong, I would instinctively try to steer the kite and not QR. One day at the spit in Hood River on the lighter to mid range of my 12m, I had someone launch me. When he let go and I tried to keep the kite low, the kite started to shoot up to zenith and then crashed on to the beach on the opposite side of the wind window. Then it skidded into hot launch position, I fell down, was drgged and then released. Too late?? I'd say. My point is, as the kite started to drift up to zenith, I should have known something was wrong and gotten out. But in retrospect, my mind thought, "This is wierd, my kite is going to zenith, I should steer it back down." Too late. Thanks!

[nomorebikinis]

i agree. when you get lessons the instructor only says: you have to pull hard if you feel you are in danger. never practised it during my lessons (only verbally). for the past 10 months of my "kite experience" i had to pull it 2. Once when i crashed in the water and the kite was pulling me further into sea, I had no energy to relaunch and the rope was all around the safety release. One's 1st thought is always "what is the matter and can i solve it... ueehh, price of new kite is Euro #". This is a wrong question -I think- because when it happened to me the 2nd time (my not-too-experiended friend launched the kite wrong/I launched it wrong), my thought was: SHIT, and I pulled immediately only fell over. The kite was cut everywhere, had to bring her to the doctor. Unfortunately my old kite teacher saw it happen, and cought the kite for me. First thing he said was: do you know what you were doing wrong. I remember this like yesterday (guilty). wrong launch of course. And you know FredBGG he said nothing about me pulling the safely like immediately went the kite went looping after the launch. Only then (this 2nd time) I learned myself: if you feel like "shit", don't think just pull and stay calme. Perhaps if you are more experienced (sorry i am a beginner) than you can think about the situation or how you could manage to controll the situation/kite. I stay to my primary feeling: "shit" means, release + calme down

[frankm1960]

At first I was skeptical about practicing the QR but I've since changed my mind.

I use my QR almost every session, but I don't practice it as suggested in this thread. I'm going to start doing that now.

So what is the best way of practicing QR without actually having to fly the kite?

[windybrit]

This is a very interesting topic, like many others I'm sure, I have had times when I've wondered about releasing but have never yet needed to in an emergency.
It's a question of making something a common enough action to become almost instinctive. Once an experienced kiter told me that he always packed his gear with the C/L undone, he reasoned that way he was forced to think about a reconnect and test of his safety system every time he used his gear. perhaps not a perfect solution but perhaps not without some merit?

[vovcha]

You are right with SRR.
Last October was riding 12m at Lahinch in Ireland with 27 knots didn't have smaller kite with me .
Suddenly the bridle tore off. I just got safety release from the second hit on the water. Kite landed in 2 meter of the big stones on the slope of the beach.
Got a serious fright and a pain all over my body .
Since then using SRR more often.
It really difficult to do it wihtout practice.
So every one new comer of prof. should execise it evry time on water.
Thanks.

[mr moon]

Great post this one, I think we should all learn SRR... I also personally think that the safest way to ride is in suicide mode, as there is no way to pull the second time in an emergency scenario

[tmcfarla]

The importance of testing your QR regularly can't be over-stressed. My flexifoil QRs work every single time and without ever sticking. The Best QRs I've used stick well more than half of the time, before every session I have to struggle to get them open and cleaned up, and they'll work for a while, but they accumulate sand and get stuck really quickly. They are a couple years old, maybe Best has addressed this by now, but they are awful. Those are the two brands I have a lot of experience with, I can't speak for others.

[Ned Divine]

Remember, when you launch unhooked you are FULLY POWERED up exactly the same as if you pulled the bar all the way back while hooked in. This is NOT good. Generally, you want the absolute least amount of power possible whenever you're on land.

I suspect that whoever advocates launching unhooked, refers to launching with one hand on the bar and the other holding the CL, thereby allowing for as much depowering as is desirable during launching.

[Ned Divine]

This is a very interesting topic, like many others I'm sure, I have had times when I've wondered about releasing but have never yet needed to in an emergency.
It's a question of making something a common enough action to become almost instinctive. Once an experienced kiter told me that he always packed his gear with the C/L undone, he reasoned that way he was forced to think about a reconnect and test of his safety system every time he used his gear. perhaps not a perfect solution but perhaps not without some merit?

I always activate the QR as soon as a helper has grabbed the kite during landing. It is safe if things go wrong, it builds muscle memory for finding it in an emergency (SRR), it keeps it from sticking closed due to salt, sand etc. I then also leave it undone when I roll the lines so that I reassemble it just before launching, which a good chance to bring it back to memory and ensure that it is blown free of sand and debris.
Also, the mere act of assembling a formerly activated QR is a reminder of the whole safety issue (keeping distance, checking gear, observing the weather etc etc) which we tend to forget hyped by good wind, friends, waves etc. Such a reminder of the safety issue just before a session may make the difference between taking foolish risks and riding safely.

[mr moon]

This is a very interesting topic, like many others I'm sure, I have had times when I've wondered about releasing but have never yet needed to in an emergency.
It's a question of making something a common enough action to become almost instinctive. Once an experienced kiter told me that he always packed his gear with the C/L undone, he reasoned that way he was forced to think about a reconnect and test of his safety system every time he used his gear. perhaps not a perfect solution but perhaps not without some merit?

I always activate the QR as soon as a helper has grabbed the kite during landing. It is safe if things go wrong, it builds muscle memory for finding it in an emergency (SRR), it keeps it from sticking closed due to salt, sand etc. I then also leave it undone when I roll the lines so that I reassemble it just before launching, which a good chance to bring it back to memory and ensure that it is blown free of sand and debris.
Also, the mere act of assembling a formerly activated QR is a reminder of the whole safety issue (keeping distance, checking gear, observing the weather etc etc) which we tend to forget hyped by good wind, friends, waves etc. Such a reminder of the safety issue just before a session may make the difference between taking foolish risks and riding safely.

I genuinely think that this is a really clever thing to do!
Well done buddy!