Hi all,

Here is a follow up video from the original self-landing video ()

We had a few people advising things like: ''do not to try these techniques in strong winds as if you don't succeed to self-land you will get dragged by the kite"

Hopefully this new video will clarify the safety aspect of this technique, so that even if you fail to self-land, even in strong winds, you won't get dragged by the kite since you have unhooked from the chicken loop first.

At the risk of repeating myself, always UNHOOK from the chicken loop first, before attempting to self-land. If in doubt about self-landing, simply activate your safety system and follow the center lines back to the kite, which often leads to a similar result as Unhooking anyways.

Keep in mind the techniques shown in this new video are specific to dual front lines safety systems (which is the most common type of safety system out there) and has been trialed and tested on most modern bow kites and delta shape kites only.

good on ya for putting this up. Keep up the good work.

Thanks for taking the time .great demonstration.

Good stuff Cbulota!!

Yep thats what I do.

Ditch the bar and walk the lines. If it turns pear shaped just let go and the kite flags to safety. Unless of course your flag out line is warn! then it breaks and your kite buggars off!.

Hehe I did that a while ago except didn't unhook and when the Kite flew backwards it snapped the center lines from the bar and away the kite flew. hehe Great tutorial. The other thing I like to do is just walk myself up to the Kite rather than give it that final pull back over but I suppose my lines do get tangled more often that way.

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HaydenDekker said..

Hehe I did that a while ago except didn't unhook and when the Kite flew backwards it snapped the center lines from the bar and away the kite flew. hehe Great tutorial. The other thing I like to do is just walk myself up to the Kite rather than give it that final pull back over but I suppose my lines do get tangled more often that way.

This is what I do everyday.. I just walk up to the kite, while maintaining tension on the lines so the kite doesn't 'bounce'. If you maintain the tension the right way the kite won't travel, drag on the sand, etc.

Been doing it for 3 years after a friend showed me the system demonstrated on the video. I just prefer to walk up to the kite rather than risking a bad landing by pulling the top line when reaching the split. But pulling the top line works most of the time, just if the wind is around 25-30 you'll have a hard time doing it no matter how. Just pay very good attention to what the kite is doing and remember to walk up towards the wind to take tension off the lines.

I do this because I mainly kite alone and am forced to self launch and land.

Peace up and good winds.

Hey Sir V do you use C kites or more bow based kites...just saying in high winds that walk up to your kite method can go wrong on a C kite.

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eppo said..

Hey Sir V do you use C kites or more bow based kites...just saying in high winds that walk up to your kite method can go wrong on a C kite.

You may be right Eppo, I fly Cabrinha Drifters. I've also done it with My Zephyr and some Reo's.. they are all Bow kites. So you may have a point there, I can only speak for what I do with mine.

Cheers and tks for clearing this up for other brands than mine.

V

Question regarding Cabrinha safety system.
Because the safety leash on cabs is not directly connected to the safety line, is there any benefit from unhooking?
By staying hooked in, should things go wrong you are much closer to the safety release if needed?

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nigelw2 said..

Question regarding Cabrinha safety system.
Because the safety leash on cabs is not directly connected to the safety line, is there any benefit from unhooking?
By staying hooked in, should things go wrong you are much closer to the safety release if needed?

No.

Don't memorize the method, learn the reasoning behind it - he's unhooking so that the kite it already released to safety.With the Cabrinha IDS system, you would have to pre-release the QR and then unhook so that the kite will go straight to safety if you have the bar pulled out of your hands.

You can stay hooked in though and land it with the same method, just be ready to QR as soon as something seems to go wrong. That's what I do... but I'm pretty quick on the QR reflex.

So the IDS thing is both bad - unhooking won't fully "safety" the kite - and good - the QR will fully release without the need for tension on the center lines...

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Sir V said..

eppo said..

Hey Sir V do you use C kites or more bow based kites...just saying in high winds that walk up to your kite method can go wrong on a C kite.

You may be right Eppo, I fly Cabrinha Drifters. I've also done it with My Zephyr and some Reo's.. they are all Bow kites. So you may have a point there, I can only speak for what I do with mine.

Cheers and tks for clearing this up for other brands than mine.

V

Yeh I use the same method as you, but got seriously burnt a couple of times on a vegas in some higher winds. Not sure if I was just unlucky. Even moving upwind and working my way up, almost half way the ting decided it wanted to fly again....now in those kind of winds I just punch out, but if it is a Bow no probs low or high wind. Obviously with a fifth line there is the pull the fifth line thingy, but that always freaked me out. Again I'm not certain on this...

Thanks for the clarification Kamikuza.
Pre releasing the safety is a good option I hadnt considered.

Yep, really good these videos. Good job!

Have you thought about making the 'kiteboarding rules' videos? I've had a chance to ride with heaps of kiters riding port and not changing their line not one bit while I was riding starboard. Or riding towards me on port on the same line and not lifting the kite up, so I was forced to dip the wing tip in the water to avoid tangles. I've noticed there's quite a few riders that are not familiar with maritime laws, as well as they're not familiar with kite etiquette. Personally I believe plenty of accidents (and verbal attacks) could be avoided by following the simple etiquette (and accepting the fact that nature will always beat the hell out of you if you don't respect it ).

Yes please and then I will send it to my brother. Aaaaahb

Thanks for the vid I'll be adding that to my routine. Saw the results of somebody presumably not unhooking first the other day. His body left a trail through the sand like a small meteor had landed for about 30-50m before he was rescued by a helpful tree. Not before taking out another kiter and putting his kite in a tree as well. Looked like someone had been getting keen with the christmas decorations on the way into shore!

By the time you're in the **** it's too late to punch out for most people.

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Kamikuza said..

nigelw2 said..

Question regarding Cabrinha safety system.
Because the safety leash on cabs is not directly connected to the safety line, is there any benefit from unhooking?
By staying hooked in, should things go wrong you are much closer to the safety release if needed?

No.

Don't memorize the method, learn the reasoning behind it - he's unhooking so that the kite it already released to safety.With the Cabrinha IDS system, you would have to pre-release the QR and then unhook so that the kite will go straight to safety if you have the bar pulled out of your hands.

You can stay hooked in though and land it with the same method, just be ready to QR as soon as something seems to go wrong. That's what I do... but I'm pretty quick on the QR reflex.

So the IDS thing is both bad - unhooking won't fully "safety" the kite - and good - the QR will fully release without the need for tension on the center lines...

The bit about unhooking after operating the Q/R.
The IDS needs the chickenloop to still be hooked in to flag the kite. If you unhook and something goes wrong and you let go, the kite would just fly away.

I reckon this video/thread should be a sticky and stay at the top of the front page. I've tried Christian's method several times now and it is by far the safest way to self land a kite. I've tried on dual and single front line flagging kites, and although I've never had a bad self landing using my old method, the recommendation to unhook and just let go of the bar just prior to steering the kite down from about 10 o'clock, is clearly a much safer option.

I have had a rear line wrap around the bar when self landing hooked in, but managed to clear it both times before the stuff hit the fan, this cannot happen with Christian's method.

Watch the video, self land like this, please.

no one has touched on suicide configs yet...

I have a couple of north evo's, that I had issues with releasing when I didn't want them to (chicken loop disengaging)and the full flag out in normal mode in the surf was a bit of a nightmare to deal with, so I only use those kites in suicide mode, as this decision has to be made before embarking on a sesh.
I pretty much just grab the center line and reel the kite in taking the tension off the lines with my feet by standing on the line reeled in, I have had minor abrasions to my hands doing this but always works.

Thnx for sharing the video

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Kitepower Australia said..

I reckon this video/thread should be a sticky and stay at the top of the front page. I've tried Christian's method several times now and it is by far the safest way to self land a kite. I've tried on dual and single front line flagging kites, and although I've never had a bad self landing using my old method, the recommendation to unhook and just let go of the bar just prior to steering the kite down from about 10 o'clock, is clearly a much safer option.

I have had a rear line wrap around the bar when self landing hooked in, but managed to clear it both times before the stuff hit the fan, this cannot happen with Christian's method.

Watch the video, self land like this, please.

OK I'm still confused - for us bunnies on cabrinhas, could someone walk us through the recommended self landing steps? (that doesn't involve just pulling the QR and walking up the center lines). Do the 2013 and earlier bars need a different technique? Thx

@ Katz - same as the Core kites being used in the video, but with 2014 Cabs same as the single front line flagging method.

@Jared888 - Evos with 4 line bar flag to 2 front lines as far as I know, so that would mean same answer as above. Accidental unhooking and then flagging can be prevented easy enough, its often due to over control on the bar/operator error. Basically the rider is pulling in on the bar to the point where they are pulling it off the hook. Sometimes it can happen when using a standard fixed hook harness and you turn quickly from toeside back to heelside/vice versa.
Like you say though if you ride in suicide, then its easy to just grab the leash and pull the c-loop towards you quickly and hook back in, once you are away from the beach or anything solid, there is no problem for most people to ride suicide, because most kites now depower at least 80+% when the bar is let go. So its just a matter then of hooking back in relaunching and ride.

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Katz said..

Kitepower Australia said..

I reckon this video/thread should be a sticky and stay at the top of the front page. I've tried Christian's method several times now and it is by far the safest way to self land a kite. I've tried on dual and single front line flagging kites, and although I've never had a bad self landing using my old method, the recommendation to unhook and just let go of the bar just prior to steering the kite down from about 10 o'clock, is clearly a much safer option.

I have had a rear line wrap around the bar when self landing hooked in, but managed to clear it both times before the stuff hit the fan, this cannot happen with Christian's method.

Watch the video, self land like this, please.

OK I'm still confused - for us bunnies on cabrinhas, could someone walk us through the recommended self landing steps? (that doesn't involve just pulling the QR and walking up the center lines). Do the 2013 and earlier bars need a different technique? Thx

Do not unhook, if you have cab bar! this would be very bad if the self land went wrong. Basically the kite would be fully powered up and you could get launched! you only have the leash left to do a full release of the kite.

Remember the method in this video is for advanced users, for people who understand different kites and bars etc. if you are new to the sport, always, always ! pull the quick release first,

Good vid by the way. For me you need a big warning to say its for advanced users, Plus considering Cabrinha is the most popular kite brand, you prob should warn them not to unhook.

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Kitepower Australia said..

Sometimes it can happen when using a standard fixed hook harness and you turn quickly from toeside back to heelside/vice versa.

Thats the one.....tight turns that aren't in sync with kite was rolling hook onto chicken loop and somehow releasing happened too many time but only on the north bar, ozne and cabrinah bar this has never happened.

Oh another good point maybe, when lines get messed up in the water it becomes clear why the center lines are different colours to the control lines, and when on land for that matter, be mindful of your colours and dont grab the control lines it could mean a trip to the doc

Cheers

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vwpete said..


Do not unhook, if you have cab bar! this would be very bad if the self land went wrong. Basically the kite would be fully powered up and you could get launched! you only have the leash left to do a full release of the kite.

Remember the method in this video is for advanced users, for people who understand different kites and bars etc. if you are new to the sport, always, always ! pull the quick release first,

Good vid by the way. For me you need a big warning to say its for advanced users, Plus considering Cabrinha is the most popular kite brand, you prob should warn them not to unhook.

Yes, of course on a Cab do not unhook first!!! Thanks for making that clear VWPete. You can only unhook on bars that have a mini fifth through the middle of the C-Loop or a single front line flagging system, that a leash is connected to.

Letting go of the bar is the key to self landing a Cabrinha safely, basically put the kite on a tip on the sand make sure you are in the right position to keep the kite stable and on the ground, then let go of the bar, it will lose most of its power. The pop the QR, then proceed as shown on the video, to walk up the centre lines to the kite. On 2014 kites just walk up the single front flagging line to the kite.

Thanks for the clarification and AKS should also make that clear. A video would be handy to show how it can be done elegantly. Most the cabrinha videos online seem to drop the kite from 12 which is pretty unnecessary.

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Katz said..

Thanks for the clarification and AKS should also make that clear. A video would be handy to show how it can be done elegantly. Most the cabrinha videos online seem to drop the kite from 12 which is pretty unnecessary.

We will make one asap even if its just an iphone clip.

Here's an example of how to land a Cabrinha bow kite on water. You need to drop the kite to the side of the window from about 10 or 2 o'clock.

Can any of you wise folk provide some tips on landing a north rebel? I've tried the method in the earlier AKS video but it just seems to end up with the kite on its back rather than dropping down. Workable but not elegant. The old c-kite approach isn't working very well for me...

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cbulota said..

Hi all,

Here is a follow up video from the original self-landing video (

)

We had a few people advising things like: ''do not to try these techniques in strong winds as if you don't succeed to self-land you will get dragged by the kite"

Hopefully this new video will clarify the safety aspect of this technique, so that even if you fail to self-land, even in strong winds, you won't get dragged by the kite since you have unhooked from the chicken loop first.

At the risk of repeating myself, always UNHOOK from the chicken loop first, before attempting to self-land. If in doubt about self-landing, simply activate your safety system and follow the center lines back to the kite, which often leads to a similar result as Unhooking anyways.

Keep in mind the techniques shown in this new video are specific to dual front lines safety systems (which is the most common type of safety system out there) and has been trialed and tested on most modern bow kites and delta shape kites only.

Cbulota - I assume you are talking about unhooking when connected to the safety 5th or mini-5th, and not suicide. If something goes wrong it may be good to flag the kite put rather than eating sand. BTW respect, your Pinnaroo police approach secured yourself the whole beach for yourself