Almost kitemare

[plummet]

Ahh. Had an awesome session yesterday. pulled off the triple. High speed buggy runs on the 8m then log jumping on the landboard on the 13 edge (round 20 knots).

Then the wind pulled up higher 23-25 ish. So decided to jump in the water for a boostathon. As I changed board and was walking backwards to the water. (it was direct onshore). My chicken loop popped out and instantly I'm unhooked fully powered. My thumb is stuck between the bar and the chicken loop. I jstart floating down wind towards a boulder wall. Yep I stupidly have my kite at the zenth as theres other kites I need to walk past I can't have it low. Any way I'm floating toward the boulderwall and finally my feet touch the ground, I manage to wrestle my thumb free. I try to take control and put the chicken loop back in the harness. No dice.... too much power... now I'm within a couple of meters of the rock wall skidding towards it.

Ok no way I can save the kite and recover the situation so I let go of the bar and the kite flags to safety. Sweet..... I'm safe.

But is my kite shredded amongst the boulders? Nope its sustained no damage. So that's double sweet.

I re-rig and relaunch and end up have and insane jumping session. Whoot.

[Puetz]

... I had my thumb stuck between bar and chickenloop too once, mid jump some how unhooked so there I was dangling by my thumb 4m up. Needless to say, my thumb nail was black!! Lucky me I wasn't near rocks though!!!

[Toby]

wow, great to hear you made it out all fine!!!

[Westozzy]

Was that user error Plummett as I found my ozone chicken loop popped off on a way to regular basis as the chicken dick wasn't stiff enough. Especially going toeside or holding kite over your hip on the beach in a toeside orientation.

[plummet]

now that you mention it. I have also had several instances where the chicken loop popped out and I was damn sure i'd put the donkey dick in.

[wedge]

Used to happen all the time with one of my Wainman bars. The other one.. never. The one constant is that it almost always happened after body dragging through surf. Weird, and a pain in the a-- to go back in and re-rig.

[Geronimo79]

aaii.. nasty.. had that same experience on a concrete dike while wearing my 2 week old NPX Lucifer drysuit......had the kite in one hand so i launched over the concrete and my kite ended up in barbwire...

[Erlend M B]

I usually just grab the cl with one hand, and let go with the other. If the chicken dick isn't stiff enough, you can try to lube it up, and run your hand up and down it for a while.

[tomatkins]

In the last 13 years of closely observing the evolution of the sport of kiteboarding and of the design of the equipment, used to control the kites and kiteboards, I have come to the conclusion that there is a need for one more "evolutionary" step... that step being, the development of a "kiteboarding- specific SHACKLE"... and this shackle, to be used instead of a hook-and-chickenloop, for about 95% of kiters. The small minority of expert riders, who actually perform "unhooked" maneuvers would continue using the conventional hook-and-loop system.

Mainstream kiteboarding has been around for about 15 years, and "conventions" are hard to break, but, based on the history of the many problems that have been encountered with the "windsurfing-inspired" "hook-and-loop" attachment system, the time is ripe for the development of a "shackle" designed specifically for kiting, taking into consideration the strengths and weaknesses of "off-the-shelf-marine" shackles, which have been used in the past.

Haven't we had enough already of crushed fingers, accidental releases, line-and-hook tangles, not to mention the compromised "throw" of our control systems, along with other wear and tear problems due to the hook and chicken loop devices?

I will start a separate "thread" on Kiteforum, to capture the opinions, suggestions, and critiques of this proposed and needed invention. In the past, on Kiteforum, this type of "brainstorming" has been of great value to the functionality and safety of the sport of kiteboarding...and as examples, I would mention the discussions related to bar control systems, self-launching devices, hook knives, power line adjustment systems, goof-proof connectors, and sliding bars, to name a few.

Let's get started.

[Laughingman]

Ahh. Had an awesome session yesterday. pulled off the triple. High speed buggy runs on the 8m then log jumping on the landboard on the 13 edge (round 20 knots).

Then the wind pulled up higher 23-25 ish. So decided to jump in the water for a boostathon. As I changed board and was walking backwards to the water. (it was direct onshore). My chicken loop popped out and instantly I'm unhooked fully powered. My thumb is stuck between the bar and the chicken loop. I jstart floating down wind towards a boulder wall. Yep I stupidly have my kite at the zenth as theres other kites I need to walk past I can't have it low. Any way I'm floating toward the boulderwall and finally my feet touch the ground, I manage to wrestle my thumb free. I try to take control and put the chicken loop back in the harness. No dice.... too much power... now I'm within a couple of meters of the rock wall skidding towards it.

Ok no way I can save the kite and recover the situation so I let go of the bar and the kite flags to safety. Sweet..... I'm safe.

But is my kite shredded amongst the boulders? Nope its sustained no damage. So that's double sweet.

I re-rig and relaunch and end up have and insane jumping session. Whoot.

Glad you are okay but I don't understand how your thumb was caught between the bar and the chickenloop... ?
Also once you freed your thumb did you not think to let go and goto safety or was there another reason why you didn't? I've come unhooked before as well, i just let go and the kite flips over and sits down with no power... maybe you fly Cabs with IDS? That would explain it.