Forum for kitesurfers
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mattaiken MYS NKB
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- Posts: 152
- Joined: Sun Mar 15, 2020 6:52 pm
- Kiting since: 1996
- Local Beach: Toronto, ON. Canada
- Style: Directional.Foil/Surf
- Gear: North/Mystic
- Brand Affiliation: North Kiteboarding - Mystic Boarding
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Postby mattaiken MYS NKB » Thu Nov 19, 2020 3:13 pm
Thanks for your ongoing efforts here Rick.
For the local Toronto area kiters, if you kited here in the last 10+ years you almost definitely met Jason. He was a gem of a human and will be forever missed.
This incident is indeed a reminder to all of us to respect the weather. This is especially true during the shoulder seasons when the changes in conditions are especially extreme.
RIP Jason. We miss you buddy.
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Flyboy
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Postby Flyboy » Fri Nov 20, 2020 1:27 am
andylc wrote: ↑Tue Nov 17, 2020 11:32 am
Condolences, video looks horrible. It amazes me how many people are still out in those conditions and it's difficult not to imagine that this was avoidable. Having said that I have been out in conditions that I knew were sketchy, the other week I went out despite stormy weather and no-one else being silly enough, had an exhilarating but scary session when in reality I should have gone home again.
Last time I was caught in a 50 knot + squall I stayed in the water on the basis I'd rather be lofted over water than land, and that I can hold more power against water than against ground.
Clearly, they weren't voluntarily out in those conditions. It was very windy anyway, but the really strong squall winds hit very quickly. I chose not go out that day because the forecast looked too extreme & too unstable. The wind in my area gusted to 144 kph. RIP Jason.
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alpower
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Postby alpower » Fri Nov 20, 2020 2:23 pm
Jason was literally the 2nd person I met kiting. We were both beginners, he was taking a lesson and I was just getting up on the board. We hung out quite a bit in the early years, although the last number of years we generally rode in different locations because of where we lived and different riding styles. He was a wonderful human being, always upbeat, energetic and extremely social. He will be greatly missed by all who new him, which is just about everyone who kiteboards in Ontario. Jason would want all of us to learn something from his tragic accident. Kiteboarding is considered an extreme sport and taking precautions and respecting the weather is something we all need to think of all the time. RIP buddy!
- These users thanked the author alpower for the post (total 3):
- mattaiken MYS NKB (Fri Nov 20, 2020 2:43 pm) • justbob (Fri Nov 20, 2020 2:55 pm) • a99 (Fri Nov 20, 2020 10:41 pm)
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nherbold
- Frequent Poster
- Posts: 259
- Joined: Wed Jan 23, 2013 2:31 pm
- Kiting since: 2000
- Local Beach: Ilha do Guajiru, Brazil
- Favorite Beaches: Ilha do Guajiru
Huntington Beach, California
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- Style: Strapless & wakestyle/Freeride
- Gear: Wainman (RIP)...
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Postby nherbold » Fri Nov 20, 2020 4:13 pm
aleks wrote: ↑Tue Nov 17, 2020 3:14 pm
Here in Toronto we are still in shock and disbelieve of what happened. Jason was a personal friend and mentor to so many of us...
We are trying to piece together all the information and make sense of the accident. It was not as simple as being lofted - there were about 10 other riders that came out of water safely, and Jason was probably the most experienced of them. We have some clues that we need to investigate - please give us some time...
Curious to hear what actually happened (drowned, impact, heard attack..)
The video of that day looks horrible indeed and anyone caught out in that would have been in potential danger...
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deniska
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Postby deniska » Fri Nov 20, 2020 4:38 pm
impact.. broken neck
RIP Jason..
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Flyboy
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Postby Flyboy » Fri Nov 20, 2020 5:12 pm
One of the benefits of moving from TT to SB to foil is using smaller kites relative to the windspeed. Woo jumping is at the other end of the spectrum & carries its own particular risks from using a big kite in strong winds.
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deniska
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Postby deniska » Fri Nov 20, 2020 10:01 pm
he was on a 6m which was not really big for the conditions before the 50+kts squall
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a99
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Postby a99 » Fri Nov 20, 2020 10:50 pm
But he was really good big air jumper, strange how he can’t manage to land safe from suddent lift? Maybe there was not 6m lift but something as 20m? Or he hit water bottom with head if was broken neck? Very very sad that such possitive people taken to heaven before natural time. RIP
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irwe
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Postby irwe » Sat Nov 21, 2020 12:21 pm
I was not present the day the accident occured but from eye witness accounts (one kiter on beach one in the water close to Jason).
Jason was on a 6 m Foil kite (appropiate for the pre-squall conditions)
My Kiter Buddie on the water started to head back to shore before Jason
When the Squall hit my Kiter Buddie also with a Foil kite brought it close to the waters edge and pulled release and kite layed in the water.
Jason had his kite at 12:00 and it launched him violently. At this point reaction time would not have been quick enough for a release of Chicken Loop.
If I am in error with any of this description please correct me.
Learning points.
If you have been Kiting long enough then you have been caught off guard by a sudden change in conditions (ie. Front moved in quicker then anticpated). Having your Kite at 12:00 is a 'safe" position only when wind strength is easily manageable.
Better option is to bring your Kite to the waters edge (I know Foil kite riders have a natural tendency not to do this as they usually dont want their kites in the water). Have one hand on the Chicken loop ready for release (even if this means chasing that expensive Hydrofoil kit later).
Additonal comments welcome
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foam-n-fibre
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Postby foam-n-fibre » Sat Nov 21, 2020 2:20 pm
The additional comment I would add is that this situation should have been avoided completely.
From what I hear from someone there that day the dark clouds could be seen coming for about 45 minutes. Not every rain/squall line is super dangerous, but some are.
Part of the problem here is that peoples' poor judgement is reinforced by others around them. If everyone gets off the water you would feel a lot less certain about being the only one still out there, but if a bunch of others are also out there too you might think it must be safer. Everyone sees what others are doing and gets a false sense of security. If you are a good rider at the beach, set an example and respect the sketchy weather coming in, don't be the last guy off the water. It sounds like he should have been more experienced with the danger of squalls than the rest of us, and should have been setting that example.
It's troubling to hear that this was his second incident like this. Hopefully people learn from this sad story.
Peter
Last edited by
foam-n-fibre on Sun Nov 22, 2020 1:33 pm, edited 1 time in total.
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