High Winds - Old School

[Flyboy]

Mad skills ...

[Toby]

Didn’t see a kiter ?

[Flyboy]

Didn’t see a kiter ?

That's because it's "Old School".

[Hugh2]

I never understood the allure of front or back loops windsurfing, despite the fact I would never have had the nerve to try them. The landing seems hard and awkward compared with landing a kite jump, and even I can jump far higher with a kite than any windsurfer ever will. The jumps on the face of the waves are cool, and I find hard to do with a kite.

[plummet]

Yeah wing surfing jumps are gak. They can land any descent boost. Its a hard crash landing every time.
Solid skills in the waves though!

[Flyboy]

Yeah wing surfing jumps are gak. They can land any descent boost. Its a hard crash landing every time.
Solid skills in the waves though!

Edit?

I never understood the allure of front or back loops windsurfing, despite the fact I would never have had the nerve to try them. The landing seems hard and awkward compared with landing a kite jump, and even I can jump far higher with a kite than any windsurfer ever will. The jumps on the face of the waves are cool, and I find hard to do with a kite.

LOL. Skilled windsurfers - like these guys can land jumps, with loops, with no problem. But yeah kitesurfing is much better suited to jumping: much better boost from the kite because of the leverage from the lines & much better float from the kite while in the air. However, these guys are out in conditions that no kitesurfer could even attempt. Throwing a double on a windsurfer in 50+ knots ... insane!

The last time I windsurfed was about 10 years ago. It was blowing 30 - 40 knots & I didn't have a kite smaller than a 9m. So I dug out my old "Gorge board" & rigged a 3.5 sail. Realized just how much easier kiting is: trying to water start a small windsurf board, get hooked into the harness lines & feet into the straps, in gale force winds, is really difficult. In comparison, water starting with a kite is effortless & once on the board, the kite makes you essentially weightless, so weighting the board - so critical in windsurfing - is barely an issue.

[Kitetwin-1]

I used to be a better than average windsurfer, front and backs very consistent. The Alure? Backs are all about feel and there was no sweeter moment than to land one dry. Front loops are all about aggression. I’ll never be as good kiting as I was windsurfing, but I am pretty stoked to be kiting hard at close to 60