Iko training cost

[THOR_NADO]

I read that the cost for IKO training started at $150 for 2h and that you needed 10h for certification and this at a cost of almost $1000. How much training have you taken for starting with kiteboarding? When I started with windsurfing, rockclimbing, apnea and other sports similar to this there were no training. You did learn by doing it but today it feels like you can not try anything without a instructor. I do not say that it is good with a instruction but 10h...is that normal for kite training?

[THOR_NADO]

it all depends.
some learn it by ding yourself.
some pay a lot to instructors.
some pay a small amount for instructions.

Of course, the higher the salaries in a country the higher the instructors costs.

Combine your first lessons with a nice holiday in a cheaper country, and the costs for instructors is lower.
And maybe warmer water...might get you going faster

Doing it yourself has quiet some risks. It is possible though, but not recommended.
The power of nature is a real power.
You will safe on lessons, but what gear will you use? And you know prices of hospitals if something goes wrong...way more than the lessons.

At the end you decide, but you will see that 99.9% will recommend you to take lessons.

You could speed up lessons by buying a cheap trainer kite and learn the basics of flying...watch many tutorials etc.

Read through here and find good help and videos: viewforum.php?f=3

Safety is important...so read thru here as well: viewforum.php?f=82

Good luck! And keep us informed how it goes and what you have decided for.

[THOR_NADO]

Thanks, a lot of good advice. I will take some training but spending $1000 in lessons... Probably not. Rather will I spend $150-300 on 2h-4h just to get started and then I will learn from my friend. And I will read a lot of information and watch videos on youtube

[slowboat]

Thanks, a lot of good advice. I will take some training but spending $1000 in lessons... Probably not. Rather will I spend $150-300 on 2h-4h just to get started and then I will learn from my friend. And I will read a lot of information and watch videos on youtube

That’s a reasonable approach. A lots depends on your location. Some are much better than others for practicing without an instructor.

[Matteo V]

When I started with windsurfing, rockclimbing, apnea and other sports similar to this there were no training.

I learned windsurfing by videos, and then locals telling me what to do - because I was doing it wrong...from the videos. Windsurfing is extremely difficult and most of it is counter intuitive. And by counter intuitive, I mean that 'when you have your own idea of what to do on your own, you always do the wrong thing'. But the BIG takeaway here is that doing the wrong thing does not kill you in windsurfing, so feel free to try to figure it out yourself. Come back here in 10years when you reach the level that most other beginner windsurfers will reach in 2years with help.

In windsurfing, nearly 100% the assistance you receive (or pay for) translates into skill.

In rock climbing and other sports, you kind of had a pretty good idea of the consequences of messing up - if you are down 30 feet and need a breath of air in 1 second, you drown. Or a general healthy fear of heights gives you a clear indication of what happens if your placement does not hold in rock climbing.


Kiteboarding is very different.
1. You start off apparently safe on the beach. But this is where most deaths occur, and where most innocent bystanders are injured by beginners.
2. You see others zipping around without seeing that they are constantly in danger from a sudden gust/shift of wind.
3. You see little strings connecting them to a kite that apparently could not harm a fly, but they can partially or fully dismember someone - and you have no hope of breaking one of those lines by hand unless you have a knife.
4. You can easily connect all 4 lines to the kite, but if you connect the wrong one to the wrong attachment point, you can be dragged to your death.
- Plus lots more....anyone have anything to add about the subtle nuances of kiteboarding that can put your (or others) life in danger?

So your kiteboarding instructor is there more to keep you alive, not necessarily transfer skill to you. I would guess that only 50% of a kiteboarding instructors skill can even be conveyed to you through instruction. But 100% of safety procedures can be conveyed to you through instruction. And that is the important part.

....You did learn by doing it but today it feels like you can not try anything without a instructor.

And you still do "learn by doing" in kiteboarding, even with lessons. Your instructor is there mostly to keep you alive, at least to the best of their abilities. You will learn on your own by feeling the kite almost regardless of the instructor's input, just like windsurfing or any other sport you have done. But kiteboarding is much EASIER to learn than most of the other sports you have done. But at the same time, kiteboarding is much more DANGEROUS. When you do something that you think you should do in kitesurfing, but it is wrong, you can die or have a sport ending injury.

I do not say that it is good with a instruction but 10h...is that normal for kite training?

If you want to be 'handed' or 'spoon fed' the knowledge from a kiteboarding instructor, 10hrs is not enough - on average.

If you commit yourself to a trainer kite and flying on the beach/open field, thus building the instinct for a kite on your own time, 4 hours of time with a competent instructor should do - on average.


Last but not least - An instructor is there to keep innocent bystanders from being hurt or killed by you. Given that one irresponsible act resulting in severe injury or death of a bystander can get kiteboarding banned at a public location, the instructor has great interest in everything going right and conveying safety procedures to you. That is what you are paying for. And hopefully you get an instructor who focuses on safety.


And thanks for your post. It is good to have those just getting interested in kiteboarding here to add to the discussion. Please keep posting here and feel free to ask any questions you have about your experiences. It will definitely help others.

[THOR_NADO]

Matteo V, since I have previous being paragliding (of coarse after proper training) I know how dangerous it can be with a 26m2 big paraglider cought in the wind. And I did windsurf from 1986 until 2000 and I learnt everthing by my self. In thoose days there were no internet with youtube and so...it is just that everyone talks about kiteboarding as it is rocket science, if I have been paragliding flying a kite and surfing the kite should not be so much different. I do not say that there are no risk, just that it is pure understanding of how the kite works... And how can a 1h lessons cost more than 1h of work from an engineer with 5 years of univerisity studies. For me it sound insane...

[Mossy 757]

I think for a lesson what you're going for is full safety understanding and enough practical experience to be able to ride without an instructor. I paid $175/hour for 1 on 1 lessons from an IKO licensed instructor using a jet ski to get me upwind to practice waterstarts in the Outer Banks where it's very shallow and warm.

Rigging
Safety systems
Kite launching/landing/hand signals
Flying the kite on/around the beach
Entering the water/exiting the water, basic understanding of traffic flow at a kitespot
Body dragging upwind with a board and without
Deep water emergency rescue/safety system deployment
Water starts and potentially upwind riding skills

From there, the rest is practice (more or less). You can (should) get all of that in 2 or 3 half day lessons. The place I learned recommended a pre-lesson video called 'The Way To Fly' that went through a lot of the basics, as well as a ton of exercises to do on the beach with a 2 line trainer kite. Having seen that, my first live lesson with a 4 line power kite was MUCH more productive and I actually got up and riding for a little bit within the first hour.

Without that video or without the benefit of a trainer kite (which I HIGHLY recommend, it was a big game changer in my progression) the first kite lesson would be much trickier, or much more rudimentary as you'd be seeing all the basics for the first time.

[Toby]

That's good points Mossy states...these things are essential to be learned.

Sure, you will have already knowledge and understanding about winds and power of it. This will help you a lot.
But, one mistake, and you have a problem...you know it from paragliding.

[FLandOBX]

Matteo V, since I have previous being paragliding (of coarse after proper training) I know how dangerous it can be with a 26m2 big paraglider cought in the wind. And I did windsurf from 1986 until 2000 and I learnt everthing by my self. In thoose days there were no internet with youtube and so...it is just that everyone talks about kiteboarding as it is rocket science, if I have been paragliding flying a kite and surfing the kite should not be so much different. I do not say that there are no risk, just that it is pure understanding of how the kite works... And how can a 1h lessons cost more than 1h of work from an engineer with 5 years of univerisity studies. For me it sound insane...

Hey, Thor. Welcome to the sport and the forum.

Your paragliding experience will be more helpful in learning to kiteboard than windsurfing or surfing. You'll often hear that 90% of kiteboarding is kite control and 10% is board skills.

Like you, I learned to windsurf on my own in the 1980's. I windsurfed for 20 years before switching to kiteboarding. It's important to take kiteboarding lessons. Like your paraglider, a kite out of control is a danger to you and others (not so much with a windsurfing rig).

From what you've described, you'll probably want to take 3-6 hours of lessons in good wind conditions with a competent instructor. After that, if you're comfortable that you know how to rig the kite, launch and land, deploy the safety systems, self-rescue from deep water, and control the kite without crashing, then you should be fine practicing on your own (preferably with other kiters or, at least, with some nearby).

The primary reason kiteboarding lessons cost $50-$75/hour is overhead. The school or instructor has to pay for (1) your lesson equipment (kites, boards, harnesses, helmets - all of which gets abused in lessons and usually replaced every year), (2) liability insurance, (3) watercraft (often a jet ski or small skiff) with fuel and maintenance costs, (4) sometimes a school location (classroom for videos, etc.), and other overhead. Believe me (personal experience talking here), your instructor and his/her school are not making much money teaching you how to kiteboard. It seems like a lot of money, but it will be well worth the time and expense of getting some quality lessons.

Make sure your lessons fall on days with good wind conditions, and make sure you have an instructor you like and who'll clearly answer your questions. As others have said, advance preparation with a trainer/power kite and videos goes a long way to making your first lessons worthwhile. Most important.....have fun with it.

[Matteo V]

.....it is just that everyone talks about kiteboarding as it is rocket science, if I have been paragliding flying a kite and surfing the kite should not be so much different.....

I apprecieate your enthusiasm, but your statement scares me a bit.

Kiting is unique in that the wind window is larger than what you have dealt with in other sports. This makes a 6m kite (in 6m winds) more powerful than a 26m paraglider (in 5-10knots).

I would reccomend more caution. Kiting is easy and definitely NOT rocket science. But it is extremely dangerous. Just look up the other threads in this forum of kite deaths due to underestimating this sport.