I'm less addicted, kiting less and now i'm a better person because of it.

[PullStrings]

I've been addicted to wind since I went sailing in the Abaco's in a tropical depression in 1973. Raced sailboats in the 80's, windsurfed in the 90's and kitesurfed since 2001. I love to kite alone, even if it is mowing the lawn. It's my exercise and therapy. There's something about harnessing the power of the wind.

I'm as addicted
Kiting as much
Same better person because of it

My only exercise because it is so much fun
Light wind to high wind any wind small to big waves
When I kitesurf alone I prefer it by myself....hey that's reminds me of a song...but when it comes to beer I prefer with others
Addicted to wind since 67 racing own sailboat(s) through 74 / my father was addicted to wind too !!….got me hooked in 63
in 75 did windsurfing through 98
in 82 moved where its liquid water and warm all year
In 99 started kitesurfing....haven't stopped since...haven't been bored yet for a second

To harness the wind is the best feeling....just watch out for lightning !!

[Teabageppo]

best is wake up and decide what to do ,would it be kiting or anything else .
easy to say ,not very easy to do but this should be final task of everyone.

Amen brother to that!

[Dave K]

One more waterman ole timer. Sold a techie biz in 2007, packed the bags and moved to the OBX in 2008. Do “low tech” work when I want, kite/wing when I want. Kinda hard to fret about wind when you live in the Outer Banks. Of course it’s never the full fantasy you imagine it to be;... went from invincible joints and raising kids to, “foiling only Knees” and taking care of my dad in a memory care unit. But it’s all good,...with a wonderful wife, who doesn’t kite at all but loves living on the beach.

When my daughter was 8, I took her on windsurfing trips with me to the NJ coast. She’s 29 now and an IKO instructor/charter boat crew member in Australia. Gonna meet up in Exmouth in 2020 for some water time and hopefully do a trip to the Namotu Lefts off of Fiji next fall. Always about the quality over quantity.......

[sergei Scotland]

There was a time when kiting ruled. I there was wind I would need to utilize it or I would get shitty.
I kited a lot in those days. 4 maybe 5 days a week

Now I've backed the kiting off to weekend warrior. Once on the weekend, maybe twice if I'm lucky, sometimes I might go weeks or a month or so without kiting,

The addiction has subsided, I now go kiting when the wind is good and or there's time.
If I'm doing something else instead of kiting and it's windy that's ok too. The world does not end if I miss a powered session.

I'm now a better person because I kite less and i don't HAVE to get that session.

Discuss!

I think kiting addiction is exactly the same as any other (internally generated) SUBSTANCE addiction. In this case your body produces adrenaline or whatever in huge quantities and when you are not kiting you are missing the substance.
You get withdrawal symptoms like any other addiction when you are not doing it.

Plummet - may be I am talking sh**t, bu
I think paragliding is a higher adrenaline/whatever generator so it beats kitesurfing for you - that's why it is not that urgent anymore.
It just happens it is also less time consuming for you so you get more time to do other things.

I mean you get higher level addiction paragliding with more kick so kite surfing is less urgent? My guess is that if you stop paragliding you will get bigger bends that you had with kitesurfung

Certainly I saw some posts here when people who did paragliding and started kitesurfing instead would say - "10m jump - meh, nothing big. I used to be 200 m off the ground paragliding, so 10 m does not even increase my pulse rate"

Sounds about right?

[plummet]

There was a time when kiting ruled. I there was wind I would need to utilize it or I would get shitty.
I kited a lot in those days. 4 maybe 5 days a week

Now I've backed the kiting off to weekend warrior. Once on the weekend, maybe twice if I'm lucky, sometimes I might go weeks or a month or so without kiting,

The addiction has subsided, I now go kiting when the wind is good and or there's time.
If I'm doing something else instead of kiting and it's windy that's ok too. The world does not end if I miss a powered session.

I'm now a better person because I kite less and i don't HAVE to get that session.

Discuss!

I think kiting addiction is exactly the same as any other (internally generated) SUBSTANCE addiction. In this case your body produces adrenaline or whatever in huge quantities and when you are not kiting you are missing the substance.
You get withdrawal symptoms like any other addiction when you are not doing it.

Plummet - may be I am talking sh**t, bu
I think paragliding is a higher adrenaline/whatever generator so it beats kitesurfing for you - that's why it is not that urgent anymore.
It just happens it is also less time consuming for you so you get more time to do other things.

I mean you get higher level addiction paragliding with more kick so kite surfing is less urgent? My guess is that if you stop paragliding you will get bigger bends that you had with kitesurfung

Certainly I saw some posts here when people who did paragliding and started kitesurfing instead would say - "10m jump - meh, nothing big. I used to be 200 m off the ground paragliding, so 10 m does not even increase my pulse rate"

Sounds about right?

You are sort of right. Except i dont paraglide. Through i want to learn at some point. My primary sport at the moment is mountain biking. Yo me a good day mountain biking is as good as a good day kiting. You are correct in the fact that i have backed off kiting and increased mountain biking to compensate. So my adrenaline rush per week is similar to before. The advantage of mountain biking for the family man is that it can be done at any time. As an example I go for my weekend mountain bike sessions 7am to 9am while most of the family are sleeping. Then by the time I get home I have the rest of the day to spend with the family.

That said, I am getting some super stoking sessions on my new mutant board. I had one on wednesday and DANG that was fun. 20-38 knots 4.0m swell clean peeling waves and some sublime carving dtl action. I was giggling like a school good whose just bee given the latest Iphone.

So the stoke is still alive. The fun factor is still there. I think i have mellowed out of addiction and now I will take advantage of the good conditions and not sweat it when I miss out.

[Toby]

Start looping the kite...then your adrenaline level will be very high when kitesurfing

[jumptheshark]

Nah, I don't think so.

For sure there is adrenalin involved and in those early days it happens when actually kiting and sometimes just the anticipation, but eventually you just get to the point where not all kiting generates adrenalin, and yet, I still like it. At this stage, foiling can be pretty mellow, or technical, or just easy. It's not the adrenalin that draws me but the continuous learning and just the time spent focusing on something fun out in nature. Sometimes it’s just the workout of the swim !

I like it. Really really like it. Would do it every day happily to find out how long it takes to get bored of it kinda like it. I live for the adrenalin days, but its not what makes me kite on all those non adrenalin days.

[plummet]

Start looping the kite...then your adrenaline level will be very high when kitesurfing

I think you are missing the point. I don't need to find any additional adrenaline kiting. I have the adrenaline when the conditions are there. Wednesday was donkey deep in crazy swell and wind. You wouldn't have even considered riding.

For me, it doesn't matter whether I'm riding a bike or kitesurfing in waves or jumping boulders on the landboard or riding sand dunes in my buggy. It's all variation of the same enjoyment. Riding and reacting to the terrain. The harder and more gnarly the conditions the better. That's why I am drawn to 30-40 storm sessions, It's the same reason I seek out the steepest gnarliest mountain tracks on the mountain bike or the find the craziest lines in the dunes. I want to be challenged by the terrain and overcome that challenge. It is my form of progression.

[jumptheshark]

You wouldn't have even considered riding.

Lol

[Flyboy]

Windsurfing/kiting since 1983. What I will say is this: my wind addiction has seriously affected my traveling. It has been hard to give up wind destinations to explore parts of the world that don't offer wind/watersports. As my wife & kids have enjoyed beach destinations, I have always been able to feed the addiction. Now the kids have (almost) left home & I'm semi-retired I will go further afield on long trips. I've gotta say that foiling opens up another range of destinations, as it's become more appealing to go to places that don't have optimal wind/waves but still offer the possibility to include foiling along with other activities.