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The Safety Topic: please post your experience and advice!

Forum with lots of safety info - a must for newbees
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pmaggie
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Re: The Safety Topic: please post your experience and advice!

Postby pmaggie » Wed Oct 09, 2019 1:56 pm

I think that sometimes light wind can lead to big problems, due to the fact that the rider is less concerned about what's happening since the wind is not strong. Some years ago, in Marsa Alam, winter time, the wind died and my 15 felt in the water. Since it was quite gusty, I simply waited for the next gust and relaunched full power with the front lines (wind was really light, no way to relaunch with a back line). Once my kite was in the air, it immediately began to loop pulling me downwind. To make a long story short, while I was waiting for the gust I didn't notice that a steering line was wrapped at one end of the bar. Nothing happened, the wind was very light, I'm experienced and I set the line free in a second but the lesson is: never underestimate the situations, also a super light wind day can become a kitemare if you don't pay enough attention.

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Re: The Safety Topic: please post your experience and advice!

Postby podiatanapraia » Wed Oct 09, 2019 4:58 pm

Well, like you said, nothing happened BECAUSE the wind was very light, and while it's no excuse to be off your guard, we do generally understand light wind conditions as safer. I can, however, think of at least 3 exceptions where light winds are more dangerous than strong winds: offshore winds, big waves and unsupported downwinders. All situations where, if you can't relaunch your kite, you might be in trouble. Then again, if you don't have a plan B for when things go wrong, you probably shouldn't have gone out in the first place.
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Beardytello
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Re: The Safety Topic: please post your experience and advice!

Postby Beardytello » Wed Nov 20, 2019 4:45 pm

podiatanapraia wrote:
Wed Oct 09, 2019 4:58 pm
Well, like you said, nothing happened BECAUSE the wind was very light, and while it's no excuse to be off your guard, we do generally understand light wind conditions as safer. I can, however, think of at least 3 exceptions where light winds are more dangerous than strong winds: offshore winds, big waves and unsupported downwinders. All situations where, if you can't relaunch your kite, you might be in trouble. Then again, if you don't have a plan B for when things go wrong, you probably shouldn't have gone out in the first place.
The only time I've properly nearly died kiting was doing a downwinder in light winds.

Where I live and kite 99% of the time for the sea to be rough it has to be strong wind, I was in SA and it was rough without the strong wind. Kite binxed into the surf and I wasn't prepared (skills or mentally) to self rescue in a surf zone.

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Re: The Safety Topic: please post your experience and advice!

Postby Wind Runner » Fri Nov 29, 2019 2:06 pm

Missing kiter in Ocean City NJ, USA... Any info? I checked the wind history and it looks like it was blowing offshore or side off...

https://ocnjdaily.com/search-on-for-mis ... -near-o-c/

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Re: The Safety Topic: please post your experience and advice!

Postby Baptiste_FR » Tue Jan 21, 2020 7:58 pm

I think that one of the most critical/dangerous moment while doing our sport is launching. In order to avoid any unnecessary problems, I now hook the bar to the harness only when I have tension in the lines and was able to check that everything was OK (not tangled...).
This video explains it very well. What do you think of this technique/procedure.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=69-_AY841fE&t=38s

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Re: The Safety Topic: please post your experience and advice!

Postby Kitetwin-1 » Wed Jan 22, 2020 12:01 am

To each his own, I disagree with launching not hooked it, everything else he says is common Spence. Have a routine, be thorough about pre-flight routine, never be complacement.

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Re: The Safety Topic: please post your experience and advice!

Postby Kitetwin-1 » Wed Jan 22, 2020 12:02 am

Facking spill check 😬

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Re: The Safety Topic: please post your experience and advice!

Postby bragnouff » Wed Jan 22, 2020 1:08 am

I have an impact vest that I wear when foiling, because I fear the foil, the high speed crashes and for added flotation in case I crash my Peak kites and need a swim/slow drift back to shore (which never happened yet in over 50 sessions).

And I don't typically wear that vest when riding my surfboard in the usual onshore mush because I see that as lower risk. Last week I did one of the strapless backrolls I've been attempting for years, that's typically low impact. Either I lose the board, or I land beside the board, but this time the wind kind of pushed it behind me and I landed helplessly with my back on the fins. All my body weight on the few square mm of the fins edges, and game over, bruised/cracked rib(s) in my lower back. Some weeks off kiting and the prospect of riding a fuckin seat harness for a bit afterwards, all for the perceived extra freedom of just having my harness over my wetsuit, and saving 10 seconds of setup time. Not worth it!

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Re: The Safety Topic: please post your experience and advice!

Postby Baptiste_FR » Wed Jan 22, 2020 9:57 am

Kitetwin-1 wrote:
Wed Jan 22, 2020 12:01 am
To each his own, I disagree with launching not hooked it, everything else he says is common Spence. Have a routine, be thorough about pre-flight routine, never be complacement.
I'm curious, could you explain why you disagree with launching not hooked ?
After thinking about it and then using this method, I find no problems or disadvantages and only improved safety.

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Re: The Safety Topic: please post your experience and advice!

Postby Herman » Wed Jan 22, 2020 10:54 am

Baptiste_FR wrote:
Tue Jan 21, 2020 7:58 pm
I think that one of the most critical/dangerous moment while doing our sport is launching. In order to avoid any unnecessary problems, I now hook the bar to the harness only when I have tension in the lines and was able to check that everything was OK (not tangled...).
This video explains it very well. What do you think of this technique/procedure.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=69-_AY841fE&t=38s
Not sure what you are advocating! The video does not show the roll to wing tip of a self launch! Are you just talking about assisted launches? If not, I think you need to be comfortable flying kites unhooked one hand on the chicken loop and if you are at that stage you are capable of making your own judgement imho.

Get well soon Bragnouff!


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