New to kite boarding and first time poster, I am still learning and sometimes when my kite runs astray i look back and my board has drifted away... I have a few spare leg ropes i was thinking of using it so it doesn't drift away. I did notice no one else was using them. Are there safety issue with using them or is it something else?

Thanks,

Brohan

welcome to the sport mate, & welcome to SB.

Legropes & kiting aren't a good mix - kite takes you one way, wave pulls board the other, leg rope tensions & board comes back to your head/body/legs at a rate of knots = damage to your face/teeth/head etc. If you search SB or google, I'm sure you can find enough photos showing the type of damage this combination can create....

Best thing you can do is to get your upwind body dragging skills sorted out so you can manouver yourself through the water & back to your board.

All the best

Juddy

Thanks for the info Juddy, I thought it might have something to do with safety.

if your learning stay well clear, even experienced kiters can screw up, take last Saturday I lad a leggy on doing a downwinder as it was rather punchy, got munched by a mast height + wave, rolled smashed came up with a leggy wrapped round my neck and board poking through the lines.....made me think twice

Select to expand quote

cbulota said..

http://www.kiteboardleash.com/

Wow cant argue with those pictures... thats for sure.

Select to expand quote

Brohan said..

New to kite boarding and first time poster, I am still learning and sometimes when my kite runs astray i look back and my board has drifted away... I have a few spare leg ropes i was thinking of using it so it doesn't drift away. I did notice no one else was using them. Are there safety issue with using them or is it something else?

Thanks,

Your instructor should have told you that it is unsafe to use a leg rope when you received lessons. Learning how to body drag back to your board is all part of the process mate. Ask any kiter and they will tell you they all spent loads of time body dragging upwind to their boards.

Apart from the injury risk, the thing gets in the way and can make it harder to put the board back on your feet.

Go Joe is the G.O.
Rights your board, faces it into the wind, acts like a sail to move it downwind AND makes the board easy to spot from huge distances.
Best (& safest) board recovery tool there is.
AND it makes sure you still have to practice your dragging without having to do it all session.

Select to expand quote

austin said...
if your learning stay well clear, even experienced kiters can screw up, take last Saturday I lad a leggy on doing a downwinder as it was rather punchy, got munched by a mast height + wave, rolled smashed came up with a leggy wrapped round my neck and board poking through the lines.....made me think twice

That sounds f@$kn hectic

Select to expand quote

puppetonastring said..

Go Joe is the G.O.
Rights your board, faces it into the wind, acts like a sail to move it downwind AND makes the board easy to spot from huge distances.
Best (& safest) board recovery tool there is.
AND it makes sure you still have to practice your dragging without having to do it all session.

And they're like great big L plates, experienced kitesurfers will give you a wider berth.

^^^ They probably makes it easier for inexperienced kiters to spot other inexperienced kiters too. I reckon that's more important

Go joe is definitely the way to go,
you will cope that much #$%t from the established crew that you will learn to body drag upwind in no time

Definitely not for learning, but if you are an experienced kiter riding waves (especially at crowded spots) I suggest using one, if not only for the respect of other water users. Stray boards can be very dangerous. Leg ropes can also be dangerous, I suggest making sure you know how to pull it off quickly if you ever have to.

Ok time to tell a story - One time I was out in very big surf and light cross offshore wind. I bottom turned on a big wave going mark 1 and somehow my rear line had gone so slack that I rode right through it and between two lines. I jumped straight off but my leggy was caught between the lines on my bar and luckily half looped my kite out to the sea side not the shore. I took my leggy off and relaunched only just floating over some of the biggest waves I had seen all day. Made me feel pretty lucky to get out of that one un-scathed. Will I still use a leggy? Yes.

Also depending where you kite, the are a few spots here where you'd be daft not to have one, isolated, offshore wind, and no land once you come off, id trade a nasty gash against being dragged around offshore with no board anyday

Rowdy and cauncy thank god some sense. I get all sorts of **** from my mates about even thinking of using a leash, but for those rare occasions where separation from your board puts you in deep **** or is an inevitable lost board why wouldn't you use one? For sure, kite much more sensibly, wear a helmet etc etc but (IMHO) there are occasions when it is a good idea to use one.

Select to expand quote

Katz said..

Rowdy and cauncy thank god some sense. I get all sorts of **** from my mates about even thinking of using a leash, but for those rare occasions where separation from your board puts you in deep **** or is an inevitable lost board why wouldn't you use one? For sure, kite much more sensibly, wear a helmet etc etc but (IMHO) there are occasions when it is a good idea to use one.

bring them to dirk hartog and let them see the sharks , then when the sea breeze kicks in kite surf point, ill ensure theyll all be wearing them, and not as a fashion statement

You can use a board leash just attach it to using a small cable ties between the leg strap and the bungy...put a few on for spares but it there is too much tension applied after you have a stack the cable tie will break..if its just in a turn or newby mistake the board will be right there no danger or issues ..Just got to think out side the square

...and take the advice of Mr Wilson on leg ropes. If you're using a leggy, make it a modern, short, thick, heavy duty one. That way there's not too much stretch in it. The older thin 'performance' style leggies tend to stretch out heaps and ping back.

I think it's best not to confuse the issue and say for Brohan - just avoid the leg ropes altogether. Putting qualifying statements on it makes too much of a grey area. When he's been riding for a couple of seasons and realises his favourite wave spot requires it, then fill your boots. But riding in a decent newby spot should mean no need for leg ropes. Body dragging is a core skill that gets you out of trouble when all else fails.

My 2 cents:

The Ocean reel gave me confidence to try my jumps and risk a few tricks without having to worry about losing the board on the rip.

Having said that, i do acknowledge the dangers of using it. I just hoped for the best....

I am ditching it slowly and soon I will get rid of it all together..

Take home message is that there is a place for them, but that place isn't as a substitute to basic water skills and that they are dangerous if you're just starting out and don't know any better. If you are just starting out would you ever consider using boots to stop yourself from losing your board? Course not. So why would you think a leash is any safer?

Agreed, and If at all possible ride with and in the vicinity of people who will keep an eye out you..

I think i will stay away from using a leg rope. I can body drag upwind but was getting sick of it, Oh well i guess its just a part of learning lol, Thanks for the info guys.

Our mate Leo, while kiting a difficult break had a leggy on his surfboard. This was the result. Maybe a helmet if you have to wear a leg rope.

Select to expand quote

Brohan said..

I think i will stay away from using a leg rope. I can body drag upwind but was getting sick of it, Oh well i guess its just a part of learning lol, Thanks for the info guys.

Good choice.

Mate, you'll get to the point where you recover the board as you are mid-stack and can be up again in 10 seconds. On the bigger stacks, I'm happy to be dragged away from my board a bit.

Leg ropes are dangerous even when paddle surfing, my brother in law got hit in the head while surfing and fractured his skull... There's risk assosiated with every board sport.

Select to expand quote

KIT33R said..

Our mate Leo, while kiting a difficult break had a leggy on his surfboard. This was the result. Maybe a helmet if you have to wear a leg rope.

Yeah i think i will steer well clear of leg ropes lol.