Kiter lofted 25+m and hundreds of meters up/across wind

[Tone]

Check this out!

[kiterocky]

Huge termic Bubble....happen to me few Years ago but only 3- 4 m max in air without Jump..
This One was huge and Dangerous..
And lucky with video too

[Kamikuza]

Glad that worked out ok!

Got hit by a gust riding my old Speed3 21 mid-jump... ended up looking over the trees and down into the carpark on the other side of the road, then finished up gliding backwards into the water. GoPro was fogged to hell so you can't see anything

[DariKite]

I was once in a similar situation (at much lower height) in which I couldn't go down and the wind started taking me upwind in the air. I don't understand how that's possible.

[McLovin]

WTF? That is SO sketchy - glad you got down safely - now let's hear from some of the weather people on what caused this and HOW DO WE avoid it next time...

Mc

[RedSky]

Killer boots man

[Toby]

holy moly...glad you are ok!

[fernmanus]

. I was once in a similar situation (at much lower height) in which I couldn't go down and the wind started taking me upwind in the air. I don't understand how that's possible.

Have you ever watched video of snow kiters gliding off a hill? The wind is blowing up the hill so they are actually flying upwind. The same is true for a paraglider. So, in other words, you were actually flying, while your typical experience is jumping.

[fernmanus]

Tone you caught a thermal. Staying calm is what saved you from injury. We have had it happen here on multiple occasions on water and snow, however, none caught on film. I have had it happen to me a couple times on the snow where thermal updrafts are more common due to the natural shape of hills. I have learned to stay calm and fly it out, but it is always scary!

[Bille]

Analysed, strictly from a soaring PG point of view :

*The one screenshot from , :43 ; look how far out the rider has the
bar Out , so the kite is flying Fast .

**The second shot from 1:26 min --- now look where the bar is ,
(almost Full in) ; and it was in for most of the climbing phase while
he was going Up. In a PG , we say he's flying at minim-sink rate speed
so as to utilize the Lift (Better).

***He mostly does figure 8's (11 to 1), while in the lift ; so he's staying in
the thermal, (not moving out of the lift).

If this happens to you, then leave the bar at trim speed (Not all the way in
or out) , so the kite is flying faster, (but stable). Don't do figure 8's , from
(11 to 1) to stay in one spot ; but do your 8's from (11:30 to 1:30) or
(10:30 to 12:30) while going in a cross-wind direction , so you get out of the
lift as fast as possible.

If i were in a PG or HG ,I would try to find the center of the lift, and
stay in it till it dissipated ; but this is a water kite , and it's best to Exit
the lift before getting too high, (especially without a reserve parachute) !

Good job to the kiter ; he didn't Freek-Out !!

Bille