How much power for darkslide?

[SaulOhio]

I was trying to do my first darkslides yesterday, but problem was, the wind was slowly dying, and I waited for it to ease up just a bit too much before going for it. By then, I was powered on my 14M RPM lightly enough to do unhooked raleys without pulling the depower. When going for the darkslide, I was feeling a lot of loss of power before landing the jump to get on the back side of the board. Even while looping the kite.

So how much power do I need in order to do a darkslide? Or do I just have to loop it more aggressively?

[SSK]

It is easier if you are powered up, because as you carve the turn you start to lose power. You do not have to be lit, but fully powered will make it a lot easier. The looping can be subtle.

[tautologies]

You can rectify it a bit by going faster

[Eurus]

You don't need a lot of power to do a successful dark slide but the more fun dark slides are when you have plenty of power. The key to the dark slide is timing your kite loop and making sure the kite loop is not too fast. Most guys loop the kite to soon which powers them up and you end up with a hard yank through the air and doing a nice face plant. Do the kite loop at the end of the dark slide just as you start to lose power. This will power you back up and pull you through nicely without a hard yank.

So if your heading is left foot forward you will start to send your kite back to the right ( and sheet in slightly ) Once the kite is at noon fall forward and start to drag the tail of your board (in this case it would be your right foot).

The entire time you are slowly sending your kite to the right ( while slightly sheeting in ). When your kite gets to 2 o'clock is when you want to pull down on the right side of the bar and loop your kite.

I like to loop my kite a bit sooner so I get a powered pop out of my dark slide. It is more fun to me but I warn you if you try this you will eat it hard a few times before you get the timing just right because you will be pretty powered with your loop and it tends to yank you really hard through the air.

Based on your experience it sounds like you simply did not have enough wind. If you are looping the kite and still not getting any power then there was not enough wind to begin with.

[Erlend M B]

You don't need a lot of power to do a successful dark slide but the more fun dark slides are when you have plenty of power. The key to the dark slide is timing your kite loop and making sure the kite loop is not too fast. Most guys loop the kite to soon which powers them up and you end up with a hard yank through the air and doing a nice face plant. Do the kite loop at the end of the dark slide just as you start to lose power. This will power you back up and pull you through nicely without a hard yank.

So if your heading is left foot forward you will start to send your kite back to the right ( and sheet in slightly ) Once the kite is at noon fall forward and start to drag the tail of your board (in this case it would be your right foot).

The entire time you are slowly sending your kite to the right ( while slightly sheeting in ). When your kite gets to 2 o'clock is when you want to pull down on the right side of the bar and loop your kite.

I like to loop my kite a bit sooner so I get a powered pop out of my dark slide. It is more fun to me but I warn you if you try this you will eat it hard a few times before you get the timing just right because you will be pretty powered with your loop and it tends to yank you really hard through the air.

Based on your experience it sounds like you simply did not have enough wind. If you are looping the kite and still not getting any power then there was not enough wind to begin with.

I don't have anything useful to add, but I'm curious of the clock reference to kite position. Do you imagine yourself standing in the middle of the clock, or at the number 6 at the bottom. I've always wondered. Because, 2 o'clock is pretty low if you're standing in the clocks center.

[s1buell_wl]

You don't need a lot of power to do a successful dark slide but the more fun dark slides are when you have plenty of power. The key to the dark slide is timing your kite loop and making sure the kite loop is not too fast. Most guys loop the kite to soon which powers them up and you end up with a hard yank through the air and doing a nice face plant. Do the kite loop at the end of the dark slide just as you start to lose power. This will power you back up and pull you through nicely without a hard yank.

So if your heading is left foot forward you will start to send your kite back to the right ( and sheet in slightly ) Once the kite is at noon fall forward and start to drag the tail of your board (in this case it would be your right foot).

The entire time you are slowly sending your kite to the right ( while slightly sheeting in ). When your kite gets to 2 o'clock is when you want to pull down on the right side of the bar and loop your kite.

I like to loop my kite a bit sooner so I get a powered pop out of my dark slide. It is more fun to me but I warn you if you try this you will eat it hard a few times before you get the timing just right because you will be pretty powered with your loop and it tends to yank you really hard through the air.

Based on your experience it sounds like you simply did not have enough wind. If you are looping the kite and still not getting any power then there was not enough wind to begin with.

Only thing I would add is more on the loop. I do big long darkslide using the 19m & 15m Edge. The key is the loop as stated above. If you are powered you need to do the loop slow and make sure you have drained the power out of the kite before completing the loop or.......

"you will eat it hard a few times before you get the timing just right" lol

One more thing too. I start the dark slide when the kite is still out in front at (going to the left side) 1,2,3 o-clock depending on how much power I have this makes for a nice long slide.

For sure not enough wind.

[Tone]

Yeah for sure you can learn the basics of how the trick feels when underpowered, but when you really want to get a cool feeling darkslide with plenty of wang out of the kiteloop, go in stacked on a 12m to start with (I learnt on a flysurfer speed 3 - 15m).

I do them on a 7m C4 now when it's really windy, you really do fly out of them when you get them right and REALLY fly out of them when you get them wrong!

Tony

[s1buell_wl]

REALLY fly out of them when you get them wrong!

Man I've had some crazy shit happen with them, One dark slide when the mirco loop engaged lol. F I could have done a 50% board-back-pass and 50% Rally when the 19m came up thought the power window full power.... I was like what-the-F is going on...... Then I seen the loop was in but until I had bounced off the water a few times.

But when you get it all right its a great trick.

Crazy.....

[Toby]

my longest darkslides are without a loop...all you need is power



www.airstyle.tv

[dragnfly]

Toby - are you looping the kite at the end of all those excellent slides? You dont seem to put much wang on the bar.
I bet the soles of your feet are so smooth it'd make my mrs jealous!