Kitemares and how to avoid them #2 (kitesurfing accidents explained)

[Toby]

[PullStrings]

Good stuff
No preaching about wearing a helmet
Prevent an accident in the first place

[Herman]

As said all good stuff. Looking at the last kitemare exposes what I see as a shortcoming in the mantra of saying launch with one hand on the QR one hand on the bar. If you have this approach the mantra should also say;”At the FIRST sign of trouble eject”. Let’s face it the newb will not have the skill to reverse hand steer and the notion of removing the QR hand to another task appears illogical.

The fact that the rider in the red hat was so fixated only on using one hand was a major cause of the yarding. If the rider had just steered a little with the bottom hand the rider would not have been yarded and she could have called to the assistant to take back hold of the kite. Of course operating the QR would also have been better than just waving the hand around.

Simplistically, launching I do my best to hardly use the bar at all; but when launching all my focus is on controlling the kite with both hands available. As soon as I perceive a need to eject all my focus is on the QR and I go for it with both hands which ensures I have let go of the bar. No right or wrong answer but worth thinking through so that you know the purpose of your mindset.

Newbs are more vulnerable to brain freeze, if you are launching with a hand free for QR for F%#@k sake don’t hesitate to use it and launch in plenty of space, that should probably be part of the mantra as well. ( Raining with gusty offshore wind……… )

[Havre]

Agree.

I was lucky having a very good instructor when I learned. When you release in Cabarete you are often in for a bit of a mess, but he still was adamant that if you are in trouble just release. Seen and heard so many instructors getting upset at students who releases when they don't have to. Not very helpful to build up good routines/reflexes.

I can't remember if I did that, but launching X times on the beach with the instructor just releasing might be a good idea as part of learning? Just so that you can experience how nothing really happens - and that usually it is quite easy to get up and running again.

Thanks for the videos. I think I have seen them before, but always useful to refresh a bit.