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New to landkite - is this kite worth it?

Forum for snow- and landkiters
nikasio14
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New to landkite - is this kite worth it?

Postby nikasio14 » Mon Sep 09, 2019 11:07 pm

Hi there!
I am new to kiteboarding and start off with landboarding yet.
I have the river danube around but I would like to keep my feet on the ground this season and invest in kites.
Therefore I make my way through eBay and local second hand platform.

I found a kite online and would appreciate some advice of you here:

Kite: HQ Apex 4 11.0 sqm. 350 € with bar and trapeze.
Use: milde Wind landboard and buggy.

I know, the kite is old but my two 6 sqm kites just don't give enough power - they barely pull me along and let me jump a couple inches.

I weigh 85 kg, prefer handles more then bars for maneuverability but not for trapeze use. (or I just have had no balls for it yet)

The area where I go flying has mixtures of alpine downwind, thermals and thrilling gusts. My smaller kites frontstall or collapse easily, but maybe it's just my handling.

But would you recommend that kite? Is bang for buck okay?
Any other tips on hand?

Yours Niklas

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Re: New to landkite - ist this kite worth it?

Postby kitexpert » Mon Sep 09, 2019 11:38 pm

It is an old simple low AR snow kite targeted mainly for beginners. Pros is it is easy to use and handle, cons it is soft, slow and not very powerful kite. I don't remember what kind of safety system that kite had, possibly so called leashless one, hq used them years ago.

Price is not very cheap, should be at least 100€ less. Old kite anyway.

nikasio14
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Re: New to landkite - ist this kite worth it?

Postby nikasio14 » Thu Sep 12, 2019 9:06 am

Okay Thanks for your reply!

How much shall i invest in a new kite? Just to get an idea.

Yours Niklas

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Re: New to landkite - ist this kite worth it?

Postby Herman » Thu Sep 12, 2019 10:14 am

If you want to get into landboarding it makes no sense to buy a large fixed bridle kite on handles imho, unless you are a highly skilled masochist.

Better to invest in a harness and learn to use a depowerable foil something like a montana or access, or get a buggy.

Talk to the local riders as any decisions would depend on local conditions. Generally Buggies need less power to be fun, are more suited to fixed bridle kites and are more tolerant to rough terrain.

Your local conditions must be very light if a 6m fixed bridle is too small!!!!!!!!!!!!!?! 12knots should be plenty for non harness use on a kite that size!!!!!!!!!

Regards Herman

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Re: New to landkite - ist this kite worth it?

Postby Bille » Thu Sep 12, 2019 2:36 pm

Herman wrote:
Thu Sep 12, 2019 10:14 am
...

Talk to the local riders as any decisions would depend on local conditions.

...

Regards Herman
Local support is KEY ; hopefully there is a club near you ?

Winter is coming up ; are you OK with snow skies, or snowboard ?
It's really Awesome to not need a lift back to the top !!
You should have local support, for that sport, as well ; just
google : snow kiting schools . You could die, hooked up to
the wrong kite in both land or snow kiting.

Bille

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Re: New to landkite - ist this kite worth it?

Postby SWO_kite » Thu Sep 12, 2019 4:55 pm

Back in 2011, my first depower kite was an HQ Neo2 11m.

I too thought I would landboard to start my adventure into kiting... What a bloody pipe dream that was. Landboarding is super dangerous.

Anyway, my advice to OP. Stay away from those low AR kites. They are too slow for board riding. Great for standing on the grass or beach. If you want a foil kite, get a real foil! Ozone, Flysurfer.

Once I started flying LEIs my skills improved 10 fold. The slowness of the HQ kite was holding back my progression.

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Re: New to landkite - ist this kite worth it?

Postby B-Roc » Thu Sep 12, 2019 5:19 pm

SWO_kite wrote:
Thu Sep 12, 2019 4:55 pm
Landboarding is super dangerous. Anyway, my advice to OP. Stay away from those low AR kites. They are too slow for board riding. Great for standing on the grass or beach. If you want a foil kite, get a real foil! Ozone, Flysurfer.

Once I started flying LEIs my skills improved 10 fold. The slowness of the HQ kite was holding back my progression.
I've been kite landboading and snow kiting since 2005 and have to disagree with your statement. Landboarding is no more dangerous than any other form of the sport (never heard of a landboarder drowning). Apex would be totally suitable to someone starting out or someone looking to stay on the ground but as a general rule, you want big, high aspect kites for low winds and small, low aspect kites for high winds (if you want to stay on the ground) when land kiting. The Apex will get you going and will be good to learn on (low aspect) but if you want to do lots of jumping and have the ultimate upwind performance, it is not the most ideal.
Last edited by B-Roc on Thu Sep 12, 2019 6:54 pm, edited 1 time in total.

Herman
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Re: New to landkite - ist this kite worth it?

Postby Herman » Thu Sep 12, 2019 6:17 pm

When I learnt, landboarding was considered the safer option to start with, by most of my compatriots, as it needed a lot less power to get around. That was before depower kites. But if I was teaching a mate I would still start him landboarding.

To the op, sorry you confused me by saying you preferred handles! Having googled the Apex I see it is a depower kite with bar and it looks suitable for landboarding as B_Roc mentioned. You will have to start in light wind and it will take a long time to out grow this kite if ever.as it will be nice to just cruise about on.

350€ does not seem outlandish for a 2013 kite if it is in very good condition but neither does it strike me as an exceptional bargain. Suggest you compare it with ozone access of similar year or ozone frenzy / hq montana if you want a bit more performance.

Of course you can also use LEI kites for landboarding as well. Personally I use a 10m ozone access for just cruising around in light winds and LEIs for windier and more dynamic session. If budget was no object I would get a high aspect foil for light wind jumping but as I live in a very windy place I can't justify it, sigh!

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Re: New to landkite - ist this kite worth it?

Postby SWO_kite » Thu Sep 12, 2019 7:33 pm

B-Roc wrote:
Thu Sep 12, 2019 5:19 pm
I've been kite landboading and snow kiting since 2005 and have to disagree with your statement. Landboarding is no more dangerous than any other form of the sport (never heard of a landboarder drowning). Apex would be totally suitable to someone starting out or someone looking to stay on the ground but as a general rule, you want big, high aspect kites for low winds and small, low aspect kites for high winds (if you want to stay on the ground) when land kiting. The Apex will get you going and will be good to learn on (low aspect) but if you want to do lots of jumping and have the ultimate upwind performance, it is not the most ideal.
My bad, I shouldn't be poo-pooing landboarding in the 'Snow/land' forum.

Perhaps the difference is WHERE I was landboarding. In land wind is crap where I live, only wind off the lakes is good here in SW Ontario.

And you're right, it would be incorrect for me to say landboarding is any more dangerous than any other form of kiting. Especially given the big air I've been doing lately.

Cheers
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nikasio14
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Re: New to landkite - ist this kite worth it?

Postby nikasio14 » Thu Sep 12, 2019 10:16 pm

Wow a lota thanks for your support and tips guys!
I know for sure that a big kite in strong wind will kill me - i have a 6.3 crossfire that flies nicely and a 3 sqm trainer-kite, together with a 9 sqm eolo i hope to be able to choose according to circumstances. The wind here can be tricky but most of the time the valley bottom sees a strong rotor wind that's nice and even. Also i had been swapping bars and handles to try out, wasn't hooked up to the trapeze to much anyway. I prefer just to let go instead being pulled uncontrolled; strengthens my arms quite a bit :D Also i wear helmet and protective vest at any time.

That thing with local skiing clubs is just so bad. None here around do landboarding and the rest is located 4-5 driving hours away but i still consider going there anyway for a lesson. I have been skiing eversince and the land here is ideal for that =) Was planing to do so from first moment on.

I will keep an eye on local deals for Ozone, Flysurfer and similar, thanks for your help!

In two weeks i will be flying again so keep you informed on the progress :-)


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