tweoistom wrote: ↑Wed Nov 06, 2019 2:12 pm
Agree that education on where to put the kite when on land is very important but at my local spot you have to take it overhead to walk between cars and vans etc down a boat ramp so don't have much freedom to do the safest practice. ...
Sorry, but NO
I expect there is and there wont be any magic fuse toy you can build or buy to solve this problem.
The only solution for the problem to get lifted, out of control and crash is:
Experience, Education and Experience, which takes time you have to take to be safe.
- Try to go with experienced people, who are able to understand the weather conditions,
- go to spots with the distance to objects which your level of experience requires
- build the smaller kite and use the bigger board.
To give you just a few examples of gear I build to make kiting safer, but never with 100% success:
This is a kite handle with a self releasing system. In a time where not even any safety system existed, the idea was to not even have the need to active QR but having a system that releases by itself when the rider is unconscious for example. When holding the shown red handle with its lever you close in the small green string. In total you have a 1:40 force ratio, which alows also to jump hooked in. For having a safety as we have today the system worked perfect, for the idea to also release much faster when getting lifted, it did not!
When you get lifted in a gust it is to much harmonic starting from a little pull on one side but on the other side you reach too fast 2 m or more when its to late to release or in this case just open your hand. Just check the videos of guys getting lifted unhooked, they always miss the moment. Just one time I released in 1 m hight and conclusion was to never release again as I hurted more then ever, as body was just not prepaired for impact. I was happy with the system in the year 2000 when most where completely with out QR till the first casualties arrived kiteboarding, but it didn't solve your problem of lifting.
Another example why in my experience switiching a fuse on the beach wont work, as I use a similar system since about 5 years since I am foiling.
It is pretty much the oposite of the old system. I use a kind of a full suicide leash that bridges most potential parts that can break in the harness and chickenloop. I would not recommend to anybody to use such a system, but most sessions when I do board offs with foils I hook in as more being affraid to face plant on my foil, when I hook of or something breaks ... ask Len10.
The problem is, that even after 5 years of usage in about 50% of the cases when coming back to beach I forget to hook of the system again ...