So i am really struggling with this particular trick. Each attempt i find my feet are falling out of the straps. I cannot get the tip of the board to glide, it seems to pull the board off my feet. I have been watching the "how to videos" and cannot work out what i am doing. Any advice or tips would be great.

Keep that back leg straight. Front leg bent so your pulling the nose of the board to your chest direction . This will keep the the tail in the water. Good luck

https://www.instagram.com/p/BHV01pYgq7G/

I learnt to darkslide recently. I'm not that good at them, but what helped me was using a 15m kite on a not so windy day so I had plenty of lift. As the kite went up thru 12 (slowly) I found there was ample power (or support) to let me just fall forward, kite taking my body weight, and just hang there letting the board drag along. Felt really natural. The timing of the loop to finish was the hardest bit for me - too early equals a massive power spike launching me airborne and downwind like the dude in the instagram link. A really late loop at the side of the window give a nice little lift to get you back on your feet and ride away. The first few times I didn't bother looping to exit the slide, rather I let myself slow down and flop into the water on my stomach. All in all a totally painless way to stop.

shes a piece of piss.

just be OVERPOWERED and fall onto your bar/lines, also understand that a darkslide ON FILM is different to one in reality. on film they appear to glide side ways almost upwind, in reality the L shape is alot more downwind then you would think.

very easy to learn as a begginer on a switchblade or other super grunty kites. nigh on impossible on a C kite.

trust me shes easy and once you get her you can easily throw 3 down continuously in a row on a 30m run.

just think about what you are trying to achieve (enough lift to support your body weight) and direction to move it and movement to land it.

if you have ever had an older sibling grab your arms and spin you around in a circle and then you get so fast you cant run anymore and you become airborne. THAT is the speed and lift you need to darkslide. to reiterate. very very easy on a powerful bow kite. very difficult to do on a weak c kite.

I enjoyed learning this move as you cant really get spanked.

Try boots- So get as much speed as possible, flat water, send the kite to 12, at 11, lean forward and loop that kite like there is no tomorrow. Remember you will change direction and head downwind.

Don''t stress about getting back onto your board, as the loop will flick you into the air.

I prefer smaller kites like my 7 and 9m as they move quicker and have more punch. 11 and 13m kites will extend a slide,but less whip. Better to learn on something bigger in semi overpowered conditions.

Best performed over solid objects like logs, mangroves, sand bars and windsurfers.



Couldn't find windsurfers, endangered ya see! So a sand bar just had to do!

What Kemp said, keep that front knee up to your chest. Most likely both you legs are dangling behind you at the moment, you catch an edge and get pulled out of your straps. Front knee up, back leg straight should sort it out.

why is there no threads asking for how to do the salmon?

step one, loosen boots

step 2. boost like your 50 straight up to lunch

step 3. violently kick your legs in unison like a salmon swimming up a waterfall

step 4. try not to land on board as you come back down cold, wet and vulnerable without your boots and board.

step 5. mess with the keen kookers by landing your kite to them but pushing the bar out so they run forward to catch it then raise it back up and pull the bar back in so it goes behind them again and repeat procedure so it allways stays out of reach.

step 6. try find board thats drifted off in the current.

Being fully lit makes it easier. In that clip I I had it fully powered up in close to 30knots on a 10m that's why I got big lift. It's my go to trick when I'm too over powered to do anything.

awesome clip Kemp, looks well lit!

Good advice gents, makes sence now. Im using Airush Unions, should be okay yea? Do the straps need to be really tight?

I learnt this trick last season. It seems to me that way to much focus is placed on the toe drag part 9probably because it looks the coolest)... you may find it valuable to not even worry about the toe drag initially... get used to the whole geometry... shallow boosting into a kite loop and where everything ends up.
Once you've got that then just stick your rear toe in the drink.