Maybe it is just me, but I think the title of the thread should be "Sometimes straps are the wrong choice". In general all the strapless riders look so much better than the strapped riders. I think straps are a disadvantage not an advantage. The strapless hits are much harder, fuller, and the riding is SO much smoother. To me the straps looks like guys riding jet skis in waves. No style just power. Basically, looks stiff.
Strapless will always look smoother because you have to go slower. Heck, wave kites are designed with that slower and less powerful approach in mind. In person or on regular speed film, you will get to see more of what a strapless rider is doing because they take more time, and are more careful in their approach.
Strapped looks stiff because it can happen at much higher speeds, with much more force, and with out any "surfer mindset" constraints. That is why strapless is a good way to go if your body can't take the impacts of really pushing strapped. I likely have only about 10 or more years before I age out of strapped back into strapless.
And it's gonna suck when my surfing is the same as my kitesurfing. I really enjoy those two things having a completely different feel/approach. Back when I realized I did not have to simulate my prone surfing when I had a kite, it opened up a whole new world to me. But it does seem difficult to get anyone else to go through that door when strapless is so hyped up. And it is sad to see all the riders, newb to experienced, swallow the strapless blue pill.
Not in a competition against strapless riders they are not, it's just embarrassing that event organisers would think this was a fair idea. It's subjective enough already with regards to judging - gluing your board to your feet against other that put in the effort for strapless is just throwing it in their faces.
I don't know of any other board sport where you can choose whether to by glued to your board or not in a competition heat. Ridiculous.
Nothing wrong with riding like that.. just not against strapless riders in a competition.
What next Nyjah Huston gluing his deck to his shoes in street league lol!!! Yeah right...
Any competition that allows this is really disrespecting the competitors that put in the hard yards that strapless riding takes. Do a separate comp.
It's promoted as a "Wave Classic" ... not a "Strapless Wave Classic". Also, he didn't actually win, so the judges may have taken the straps into account.
Go the twintip competitors of the wave classic! lol
Let's not forget the foiling competitors. But that would only be only rich kiters with the money to pay for that real expensive foiling kit.
In the Wave category footstraps, pads and wax are allowed.
For men division, in the Strapless Freestyle category, only boards with pads are allowed. Footstraps and wax are not allowed.
For women division, in the Strapless Freestyle category, only boards with pads and wax are allowed. Footstraps are not allowed.
In the Wave category footstraps, pads and wax are allowed.
For men division, in the Strapless Freestyle category, only boards with pads are allowed. Footstraps and wax are not allowed.
For women division, in the Strapless Freestyle category, only boards with pads and wax are allowed. Footstraps are not allowed.
I thought this was interesting from GKA
So what does this mean:
Discipline
There will be only one Official Disciplines (Wave & Strapless Freestyle Kitesurfing) in this KWT event with the following categories:
• Wave
• Strapless Freestyle
Both categories can be used in any event, even in the same elimination depending on the conditions.
There's one "discipline" - Wave & Strapless Freestyle Kitesurfing - but two "categories":
• Wave
• Strapless Freestyle
Does that mean you can choose how to ride & you are scored in a single scoring system ... or you can choose how to ride & are scored relative to the category "wave" or "strapless freestyle"?
I also love strapless, but I also love straps. In big waves and excessive chop I like straps better.
That backroll off the wave is just soooo sweet. With a little grab, it would tick every style box for me. It might just be my next trick....which I will undoubtedly fail.
I totally agree, in the bigger days, crazy chop e nuclear wind I l Always use my board strapped. But I also love riding strapless.
Using the term "Race Notice" for a wave riding event really sums up the kooks at GKA nicely.
"I thought this was interesting from GKA"
Remember these are the kooks that think it is good idea to use both a wakestyle board and twintip in the same heat, and also allow 2 different style of kite in the same heat. The GKA - promoting affordability in kiteboarding...not
Aaron H had a bit at a dig at this.
Just add to to the kookness by allowing strapped and strapless riders to enter the same heats/comp.
1500 euros to come 5th in a World Championship event. Absolute jokers. I know its not the scales of surfing, nowhere near.. but in surfing in one event 1st gets $100 000 and 33rd gets $10 000... they can cover their expenses by attending.
It seems to me that GKA is taking advantage of it's relationship with World Sailing Lawyers that claim to have exclusive rights to the term "world kitesurfing" in order that no one else can organise a world championships for kiteboarding any more.
It is an incredible conflict of interest and incredibly unfair.
You pay for your own riders to attend (flights and expenses) your own event run by yourself (gka is certain kite brands) that no one else is allowed to run (ie call it a world championship), and offer up prize money that wouldn't even cover the flight costs in many cases of unfunded riders.
You then use the comp pics and videos to promote your own riders in advertising the products you sell.
That is simply so wrong. I know riders that would place top 5 no problem, but if you are not part of the brands that run this comp it is not even worth entering.
Last edited by longwhitecloud on Tue Sep 24, 2019 10:03 am, edited 1 time in total.
Not sure I care much about the argument of what is better, but I thought Kevin looked amazing in that video, and I really love the way in most of his videos he is just having a load of fun. Really epitomises the sport, OK he is a million times better at it than me but he still understands the essence of the sport for everyone, which is to have as much fun as you can and to immerse yourself in the power of the sea and the wind.
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Strapless is fun, I like it a lot, but since it became the cool thing to do, I wonder if riders new to riding Directionals without straps are missing out on Boosting, Loops, Hard charging in challenging conditions, that straps allow........ at least until they ride strapless on the easy days and practice their Airton, Mitu, skills ?
^ That - exactly! ^
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