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Newbie questions getting started on land and then water?

Forum for snow- and landkiters
Matteo V
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Re: Newbie questions getting started on land and then water?

Postby Matteo V » Tue Oct 13, 2020 3:55 pm

joriws wrote:
Tue Oct 13, 2020 3:49 pm
Pumpy??? Is that you?

slide
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Re: Newbie questions getting started on land and then water?

Postby slide » Wed Oct 14, 2020 7:45 am

get lessons -the quickest easiest way , anything else will be slow and dangerous

windrider1
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Re: Newbie questions getting started on land and then water?

Postby windrider1 » Thu Oct 15, 2020 12:44 am

Forget the leis if ure gonna be on land. its much more eaisier to handle a foil kite when it comes to land and snow. ITs gonna be a pain launching and landing an LEI and they get easily scratched up on the snow or dirt. The names u listed are very good kites i would start with the apex for a really nice beginer friendly kite. While some people might want a closed cell to do both land and water i dont think this would work for a beginner as u probally gonna have alot of crashes which would destroy your brand new closed cell kite very fast. An 8m depower kite might be alot powerwise for someone new to the sport but i guess if ure carefull it can work out for u. Any modern harness will do. A waist harness is a little better for some things while a seat is better for others . I prefer a seat harness for the lower center of pull.

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Slappysan
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Re: Newbie questions getting started on land and then water?

Postby Slappysan » Thu Oct 15, 2020 1:45 am

I second the recommendation for the Peak 4 in 5m size. It's such an amazing kite to teach on, especially in sub 10 knots when other kites just wont work. On land the 5m Peak 4 will work for you from 6-20 knots. It's the safest kite to learn and one of the cheaper depower kites you can get.

I find it works great for teaching in knee to waist deep water too:


Then you can re-sell it to someone to use for hydrofoiling or keep it for when you yourself start to hydrofoil. They are pretty much the best kite for hydrofoil wave riding and carving available.

Chrisk7
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Re: Newbie questions getting started on land and then water?

Postby Chrisk7 » Fri Oct 16, 2020 4:50 am

Thanks so much people. Lots of great info and tips here.
My birthday is next week and my wife ordered me the 8M Apex with the 55 cm bar so I guess I'll start with it. I will just have to stick with light winds depending where I'm at and what board, skies, or buggy I decide to try.
I live in a farming area with lots of big open fields and no objects so that is a plus.
I just need to figure out what type of harness I want.
I have a set of cross country skis I'm hoping to try but I thought I read that they aren't the best choice for kiting.
I continue to read, watch and listen to anything and everything related to kiting.
I also live near the Columbia river in NE Oregon so eventually I would like to get in the water but I figure it will be safer and easier to learn and get some skills on land first.

fernmanus
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Re: Newbie questions getting started on land and then water?

Postby fernmanus » Fri Oct 16, 2020 3:14 pm

If you think kiting on land is safer, you are mistaken. Of the three kite disciplines - land, snow, water - land is the most dangerous IMHO. I have been kiting for 20 years and gave up on land boarding after multiple injuries. I still snowkite and kite on the water. Snow kiting is easier to learn of the two.

The best advice I can give you is to take professional lessons. It will save you so much time, money and will answer so many of your questions. More importantly, it could save your life. You can easily injure or kill yourself in an open field with no obstacles. It takes one big gust to pick you up and smack you down. If you cannot find instruction nearby go to the Columbia River Gorge and take some lessons.

I wish that other kiters would not give you any advice on gear. Yes, there are kites that are great for learning, but it may give you the false impression that if you have the right gear you can safely learn on your own. Some kiters have managed to learn on their own, but the people I know that did that in my area ended up taking so much longer to learn and a few were injured and never came back to the sport.

Here is the typical order for learning:
1. Buy a trainer kite and fly it until you are so proficient that you can fly it with your eyes closed.
2. Take lessons - I recommend at least 3.
3. Reach out to LOCAL kiters. See where they ride. Go and observe. Talk to them about their gear and why they use it.
4. Start shopping for gear.

So many want to do #4 first. Just think that you were getting into fishing. You go out on the web and find great tackle for fishing for tuna, but you find out later that the local fish in your area are trout. Perhaps, that is an extreme example, but I have seen so many newbies buy out-dated, crappy, over-priced, and inappropriate gear because they have no clue.

I can’t tell you in living in Utah what the best gear is for your spot in NW Oregon. Frankly, I would assume that you don’t get a lot of snow up there and the snow kiting probably sucks. Farmers Field are not typical buggy spots. Have you observed kiters near your home or do you live in a remote spot? How far are you from the gorge? Are their spots closer to your home where you have seen people kiting?
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Matteo V
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Re: Newbie questions getting started on land and then water?

Postby Matteo V » Sun Oct 18, 2020 3:50 pm

fernmanus wrote:
Fri Oct 16, 2020 3:14 pm
Yes, there are kites that are great for learning, but it may give you the false impression that if you have the right gear you can safely learn on your own.
Great kites for learning are small trainer kites. Bad kites for learning are large trainer kites. The absolute best kite for learning on is a full sized depower kite that comes with a competent instructor and a plane ticket for the both of you to an easy place to learn.

JaDan
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Re: Newbie questions getting started on land and then water?

Postby JaDan » Sun Oct 18, 2020 4:10 pm

Matteo V wrote:
Sun Oct 18, 2020 3:50 pm
fernmanus wrote:
Fri Oct 16, 2020 3:14 pm
Yes, there are kites that are great for learning, but it may give you the false impression that if you have the right gear you can safely learn on your own.
Great kites for learning are small trainer kites. Bad kites for learning are large trainer kites. The absolute best kite for learning on is a full sized depower kite that comes with a competent instructor and a plane ticket for the both of you to an easy place to learn.
😂😄

B-Roc
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Re: Newbie questions getting started on land and then water?

Postby B-Roc » Mon Oct 19, 2020 3:10 pm

Once you get your harness, start out in real low winds, 5mph, and get a feel for the kite, its steering, depower, etc., and especially get familiar with its safety release. Pulling that needs to became second nature to you and you want that to occur in a controlled environment because when things go wrong, and they do when learning, you want that reaction to be quick and flawless. The kite is going to make more power than you realize and it can be intimidating. Most newbies make the mistake of going out in way too much wind, with way too little knowledge and protection and get hurt. Just because one owns a car, doesn't mean they can drive a formula 1 race car. You need to start out slow and safely and make incremental gains. Learn the kite so much that you can fly it by feel, without looking at it and then you can add some mode of transportation.

Harnesses are tough to buy without trying on (with them loaded - they feel different just "on" compared to loaded - hanging from a rafter, etc. so you can pull against it). I prefer a seat harness because I'm skinny and they don't ride up and crush my ribs, but I ride land and snow only. Don't seem to see many on the water riding a seat harness.


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