Great Stuff!
Lots of good advice on this thread about optimising all aspects and learning the 'feel' - (hey I even agreed with Matty V, now there's a first!)
We all learn differently I guess and I needed some good wind, welll powered sessions to get the upwind dialled. Way more wind than I expected!
Then I felt better able to try things,like bar position etc. in lower winds and was able to eventually go upwind in much lighter stuff.
Again from my own experience with TT boards, some just don't go upwind as well as others (same for kites, but boards seem more prone to this).
I prefer a squarer outline, flattish rocker board with some bite for upwind (I'm heavy and it works for me.)
I got a dodgy knee and went down a 'softer' board - Cabrinha Tronic, with more rocker. Yes it was much smoother over chop and better for the knee, but I needed a bigger sized board and still battled to go upwind in lighter airs.
In the end I reverted to my original board style and took less sessions to aid the knee during flare ups, much happier.
With a good upwind board you will struggle not to go upwind, as mentioned earlier, It sounds like HALF has got an upwind board!
Can you try another board (demo) as I think this may help and the trimming etc.will all become second nature a lot easier.
Good luck with it all.
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Hey! You bet! Getting better too ☺.
Was in Fuerteventura - Flag Beach and had a blast!
Still just about stay upwind but most of the time I kite in waves, sometimes biggish 5 feet like in the Flag beach so I guess this makes it harder...
Thanks for your video and all your great videos, really appreciated.
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Beginner going upwind question
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badgb21
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Re: Beginner going upwind question
And now for the helpful/unhelpful suggestion (both at the same time).
Just watch Anton's learning to fly video (on vimeo) and implement his exercises. Its primarily a tutorial for fixing your stance (because you can't boost high with poor stance). Good stance helps to engage board edge which helps to load up the lines which adds power to the kite (a bit like how you have to run backwards/upwind if its light wind to keep a single line kite in the air). Works in both light wind and strong wind.
What you get are simple to perform exercises to practice and explanation about why what you learning works.
Just watch Anton's learning to fly video (on vimeo) and implement his exercises. Its primarily a tutorial for fixing your stance (because you can't boost high with poor stance). Good stance helps to engage board edge which helps to load up the lines which adds power to the kite (a bit like how you have to run backwards/upwind if its light wind to keep a single line kite in the air). Works in both light wind and strong wind.
What you get are simple to perform exercises to practice and explanation about why what you learning works.