Kite surfing

it's quite possibly the greatest thing ever, i'm completely hooked. it's up there with sex and skiing.

I'm happy to answer any questions you have if you're looking to pick it up. the learning curve is steep but relatively short, and you will need time and money, but once you're an independent kiter and have some gear you will be in a world of awesomeness

I live in Minnesota right now but I'm moving to Salt Lake City (or the suburbs; as close to LCC as I can be) in a few weeks. Do you know if the Great Salt Lake is a good place for kite surfing? And about how much does it cost to get all of the required equipment? Are lessons necessary or is it doable for a person to teach themself? I taught myself to ski and I generally prefer learning things on my own.

There are a ton of kite surfers in Hood River, Or.
you should check it out

I do.

I don't know specifically about SLC, but any big body of water will always have places you can kite. You just need a relatively onshore breeze

As for learning you definitely need a lesson to at least understand kite control/safety and the basic ideas of bodydragging. I'd say your best bet is to find a friend who is a very experienced kiter who can teach you how, and also put some time in on a 2 line trainer kite before trying a 4 line, which you can do on your own. After the first lesson you should be able to go out on your own (ideally with some form of supervision since it's not ideal) and basically you'll spend the next few days getting short rides, losing the board constantly, crashing the kite, swallowing lots of water, and getting blown downwind. Then suddenly you'll be riding consistently and staying upwind and that's when you can start working on transitions and jumps and really having fun with it. All the while you'll get much more comfortable handling the kite and the whole thing will become exponentially less scary.

Gear is expensive. A good used kite without major repairs will run you around 800 bucks, and you'll need 2-3 kites. Depending on the wind where you are, you can get away with having 2 kites that are around 3-4 meters apart in size, so here in the Northeast that's usually like a 9 and a 12, but in windier areas you need something smaller. Companies like Cabrinha and Slingshot have big depower and low wind ranges, so you can get away with more wind speeds than other companies, so it's often worth shelling out a bit more in order to avoid having to buy a 3rd kite. You can get a cheap board for 100 bucks or so, and a harness will be like 100 as well (slingshot is selling good harnesses for 75 right now).

If you opt for the paid lesson you will probably drop around 300 bucks for 3 hours and gear will be included. Might be a good idea for the first time, and once you're comfortable and certified shops will rent you gear for like 75 bucks for a day

2013 AWSI Brandon Scheid from Nate Appel on Vimeo.

Looks like a good place for it but that's too far for me.

@no_steeze, thanks for the info. I'll probably try it next summer. Why not just get the biggest kite they make and use it on the windiest days? (not a serious question, but it could be very fun)

@MNS, I don't use facebook, but awesome videos, thanks for posting.

I like it as much, maybe even more than skiing. I starrted off buying a used complete 12m and using a wakeboard, taught myself and was going upwind after the 4th day. Its a blast once you get decent at it and can get around up and downwind

that's the cheapest form of space exploration

join the group

Super exhilarating. Probably the coolest thing I've ever done. Nothing compares

I lol'd. That was my point.

I don't use Facebook.

Listen to no_steeze it seems to me that he knows his shit. Get a lessons that is a MUST! Kiting can be very very dangerous if you have no idea what you are doing especially with launching. Go to your nearest kite instructor make sure they are IKO qualified and get multiple lessons other wise you are not only a hazard for you self but for other people.

This thread is great. I was watching kite surfing videos from redbull last month and was thinking about getting into it. Thanks for the helpful info.

Ok. So I just got into kiting mySelf. I'm in clinical practicum right now so ill post a bunch later. I bought this gear:
Tona Pop 138
Ronix one boots
Slingshot rpm 10m
Slingshot rally 14m
Mystic warrior 3 harness
And the most important piece of gear, waterfi waterproof iPod shuffle so I can get really thug on the water and after bang the shit out of my game.

When you're first getting started it is 100% necessary to get lessons. Those kites are attached to you by multiple 800ilb spectra line. So if you do something stupid and you aren't sure how to handle dangerous situations... Well shit can go wrong fast and it could be scary as hell.

For gear. Try and first decide what style of kiteboarding you want to get into. I like wakestyle. You can still boost and do that fun stuff, and also keep it real and look good. Most people I see are the gaper equivilants to kiting (kooks).

Kites - take a look around and deal hunt. I would only ever buy new or on sale last years kites. Unless I can really tell the used kite is like new without damage. I'm guessing you want a two kite quiver to stay cheap. Try and do some research on your local kite spot, what does the wind usually blow? I got a 10m delta-C kite for 15-25knots. This is my fast wind kite, it's responsive, fast, and requires a bit more attention to control. For my other kite I got a 14m for those 10-17knot days. This kite is a bit slower, has a nice constant pull like riding behind a boat, and by slower I mean I can't zip the thing from 10 o'clock to 2 o'clock super quickly.

It's usually wise to get you're bigger light wind kites in kite models that are actually meant for light wind (aka, don't get a 16m wakestyle kite for light wind, Get a 16m light wind kite that is meant for a breeze, it'll serve you better).

Boots - boots to me are the twin tips of kiteboarding. I love them. However you'll want to learn in straps. If you decide to get boots, closed tip are the way to go. Also consider that they work better on a bigger board that is meant to ride boots. Otherwise you'll easily rip out the binding inserts on the board. Boots are more responsive, look way better, and may you feel in more control. You will crash harder though with them! And you'll need some core strength to realign yourself when you eat it.
The other day I was riding way overpowered and ate shit in my boots. The scary part was that being attached to your board and getting dragged a bit my your kite doesn't go so well. My board acted as a fin to drag me down as my kite pulled me in the other direction. Gave me a little scare haha.

Board - boards are such a Toss up in kiting. There isn't a do it all board. Some boards cater to many kite styles. Rocker in a board is nice, it'll soften landings and chop and help you pop hard. However, more rocker can make it a bit harder getting upwind. Flex isn't too serious, don't get something noodley though. I'd get something bombproof. Many kiteboards are weak as fuck.

Look at some gear, ask some questions. People in here will try to help you.

I highly recommend taking a lesson before you make the full investment into gear, because it is expensive. A make-sure-you-like-it kind of thing.. Regardless though, you should find lotsa stoke in it

Clearly you've never ridden an Axis Vanguard. Shit's unreal

the doctor I work with was away kite surfing in Texas this week and sent me pics and I'm so fucking jealous. he's 60 years old and was busting insane air and it makes me want to do it so badly. I've wind surfed and kite boarding is next on the to do list.

Hahaha,aye it's the one! I was just thinking along the lines as it's hard to have one in the same sense as park skis vs pow skis. You can get boards that are pretty good in all aspects. But you sacrifice this for that n what not for specific types of boards. If that makes sense

Yeah but mainly surfboard vs. twin tip. Most high end twin tips will have good pop as well as stability and good upwind performance. I'm saving up for a directional right now. Wish i could shit money

yea. i was thinking a wake surfer like the ronix one skimmer. so i could use it behind the boat too.