Hi all i have a question about how to wash off speed, i shall give you some background to my skill level and what iam riding first to hopefully help you answer my question better (if it isn't a stupid question of course hahaha) I have been kiting for quite a few years now, but due to living in Canberra, and being a slave to the boss, i dont get to go kiting as much as i would like.

AT the moment my skills are as follows. I can confidently self launch, self land, self rescue, navigate my way through medium sized waves/swell, go up wind, do slide transitions and i am starting to do turning transitions onto my toeside and riding toe side. Iam also starting to work on popping (no input from the kite yet, just off chop and the back of waves/loading up on an edge and popping)

I currently ride Ozone Catalyst kites, mainly 8 and a 12. I have an old 10m Naish C-kite, and a 14m naish torch which i rarely use. I ride a 136 slingshot misfit (2010 i think) and a 2013 axis patrol on the light wind days.

So here is my question (sorry for the essay). I was riding down at Broulee on Sunday, i was riding on my 12m, i am not sure what the wind was like but i had it fully de-powered and generally was riding with the bar about halfway in (i should have gone and got my 10 but was already out and didn't want to go back to the car). The board i was on was one of my mates, a 2013 Naish motion. I was riding along fine 90% of the time but on the occasions that a gust came through i found that i was rocketing along at a speed that was a little uncomfortable for my skill level, i tried edging harder and bringing the kite a little higher (towards 12) to try wipe off speed but found that i couldn't really slow my momentum. some times i just lost my nerve and ditched my butt into the water to slow down.

is there anything i can do to wash off speed better when this happens, or was this just a case of me riding on a fully de-powered kite and having no de-power adjustment to play with to help cope with the odd gust ??

Cheers
MAx

Thats what got me hooked on kitesurfing. Knowing that if the kite went over your head you were toast but at the same time you can't hold your edge any longer.
But like you said you have always got the but check.
You were overpowered Maxiy best way to deal with it is keep your kite low and your speed down

Thanks Turtle,

Thats what i thought, i really should have gone and got my 10m, but i only had a few hours to play so didnt want to go back to the beach, run to the car and set up another kite HAHAHA, i will make sure i bring the 10m down to the beach next time, either that or grow a pair and stick the speed .

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Maxiy said..
Hi all i have a question about how to wash off speed, i shall give you some background to my skill level and what iam riding first to hopefully help you answer my question better (if it isn't a stupid question of course hahaha) I have been kiting for quite a few years now, but due to living in Canberra, and being a slave to the boss, i dont get to go kiting as much as i would like.

AT the moment my skills are as follows. I can confidently self launch, self land, self rescue, navigate my way through medium sized waves/swell, go up wind, do slide transitions and i am starting to do turning transitions onto my toeside and riding toe side. Iam also starting to work on popping (no input from the kite yet, just off chop and the back of waves/loading up on an edge and popping)

I currently ride Ozone Catalyst kites, mainly 8 and a 12. I have an old 10m Naish C-kite, and a 14m naish torch which i rarely use. I ride a 136 slingshot misfit (2010 i think) and a 2013 axis patrol on the light wind days.

So here is my question (sorry for the essay). I was riding down at Broulee on Sunday, i was riding on my 12m, i am not sure what the wind was like but i had it fully de-powered and generally was riding with the bar about halfway in (i should have gone and got my 10 but was already out and didn't want to go back to the car). The board i was on was one of my mates, a 2013 Naish motion. I was riding along fine 90% of the time but on the occasions that a gust came through i found that i was rocketing along at a speed that was a little uncomfortable for my skill level, i tried edging harder and bringing the kite a little higher (towards 12) to try wipe off speed but found that i couldn't really slow my momentum. some times i just lost my nerve and ditched my butt into the water to slow down.

is there anything i can do to wash off speed better when this happens, or was this just a case of me riding on a fully de-powered kite and having no de-power adjustment to play with to help cope with the odd gust ??

Cheers
MAx

Coupla things you can do to wash speed and stay standing
1. Send kite and boost (maybe not quite at that level? but one way to learn)
2. Ride straight downwind
3. Ride your edge more upwind

When at your skill level I used to think I was edging hard and just kept putting on speed half out of control
turns out control wasn't about how much edge I was digging in but what angle I was riding upwind
Learn to ride slow in gusts and you'll stay safe and still get the boost when you send it (and when you are ready for it)

I want some wind

You'd be surprised how much power you can handle with a bit of technique. A couple of things that may help:

-Use your trim strap

-Push the bar out and let go of your front hand, this will allow you to lean your upper body further back while keeping the kite depowered.

-Keep the kite higher but don't go past 11 or 1 unless you want to boost :)

-Check your lines for correct tuning, if your front lines are longer than the back lines ( a common problem) your kite will constantly fly overpowered

-Work on a more aggressive stance and a higher edge angle on your board with your shoulders leaned further back, your hips twisted more upwind, front leg straight, press harder on the back leg and on both heels and lift your toes up (tight footstraps helps)

Here's what it should look like (PS: it's not me)

Boosting is the best way

Cheers Rails

It sounds like i am doing what you used to do, i try to edge upwind (atleast i think iam) and i end up just getting faster and faster hahaha :S will try a combination of better sized kite to suit the conditions and the 3 points you made (maybe i will try the first when the water is a little less crowded :P)

HA HA yep i was super stoked to get out this weekend, though the water was going to be freezing but it was bliss, was 25 degrees air temp, wind was pumping and water was flat (well kinda) was the best season started i have had, grins all round

Cbulota

Wow thanks for the comprehensive tips. I definitely have some technique tuning to do. My technique is slowly getting better, but i still revert to the good old 'poo-stance' when things get a little hairy, which only makes the situation worse haha.

Thanks all you have been a great help.will be trying all your points out this weekend hopefully (maybe not boosting quite yet though)

As always great advice from the seabreezers

Cheers Max

I'm going to say the oppisite of cboluta on one point.
Dont lift the kite up, try and get it closer to the water, and as far forward in the window as possible.
There is often less wind close to the water and because the angle of the lines is parrallel to the water so you can edge harder upwind.
All the rest is very good
In the days before depowerable kites we also did a sort of quick downwind s turn without moving the kite that allows you to loss a little speed and re plant you rail at a bit more upwind angle

If you are getting really overpowered and out of control without the capacity to hold your edge I find it safer to drop the kite on the water at the edge of the window and hold it there until wind is more manageable and you can get back in to change kite size.

You need to kill the speed first by doing the body drag or your kite will stop on the water while carry on moving forward then hot relaunch in the center of the window

I big gust with the kite at 12 can sometimes pull you out of the water even if fully de powered and that is pretty scary (only had it once)

Those are the usual skills required for Winter kiting

edge that muva harder!
or change down a size or two

get the kite as low as you can and dig in

I have read all the replys.... So this may have been covered.

My all time favourite way to shed speed when over powered is send it and jump!!!!!!!!!!!....

Don't worry you wont die.... unless your within a few meters of shore. When you are that powered and speeding up you have lost your edge any way. Throwing the kite wont send you sky high because you don't have an edge to load and pop.

So once sent and in the air leave the kite behind you at say 1 o'clock. Until you slow down enough then redirect as per normal and ride away taunting the wind.

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JAKE123 said...
get the kite as low as you can and dig in

As above but also sometimes good to release your rail head down wind only briefly to release some power from kite then instantly lean back and dig in a strong rail again

I have to say that chucking the kite low and edging like a mofo is what you do to control the gust. But once you have lost the edge and are blasting down wind at uncontrollable speed. Leaving the kite low will just give you even more warp factor 9 speed. At that stage SEND IT!

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Plummet said..
I have read all the replys.... So this may have been covered.

My all time favourite way to shed speed when over powered is send it and jump!!!!!!!!!!!....

By "send it" you mean yank the bar in and let it rise up to 12 o'clock quickly?

if your really f**ed you can ride downwind with the kite low but edge back towards the opposite side of the window as the kite to force it more into the edge of the window. kinda like a transition but dont turn the kite to follow you

If you're trying to ride out high wind: Keep your kite LOW* and stand on your back foot hard. Edge and point upwind as far as you can then just noodle along as slow as possible.

If you're hit by a gust and fly off at warp speed: Bear off downwind just enough to take power (but not control) out of the kite, let the kite go to the edge of the window then either bring it down and do as above, or let it trickle to the zenith and take a break.

If it's looking desperate: throw the safety and try to ride the board til you sink. Or lean back and drag your ass in the water... can vbe unpleasant thjough.

You might have to poo-stance to lower your CoG and get right onto the edge to ride it out... can be hard on the back.

All this assumes you have lots of space downwind. Distance is your friend!

If you throw a jump when you're warp-speeding, you'll go a LOT further downwind than a regular jump...


* You can more easily hold an edge and fight the kite in the horizontal plane, than you can with the kite above you.

Keeping the kite very low is a good idea when you are massively overpowered and in "survival mode" i.e when a storm front passes and you get double the wind you initially had! In his particular case it seems to me correct technique and kite depower and trim would be better suited. In other words I'm getting the impression any other skilled kiter next to him with the same weight and same exact equipment wouldn't need to get the kite down low and start getting in survival mode... Especially if those higher gusts are only of short duration, why would you bring the kite low?

This happens to me sometimes and it feels like you just keep going faster and faster till you fail and skip along the water to a stop. If your going that fast and dont have enough strenght to egde harder agaisnt the kite a good way to kill your speed is to slowly bring the kite up to twelve and back to the other side of the wind window. It feels strange and can be hairy if you do it too fast and leave the water!

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Phoney said..

Plummet said..
I have read all the replys.... So this may have been covered.

My all time favourite way to shed speed when over powered is send it and jump!!!!!!!!!!!....

By "send it" you mean yank the bar in and let it rise up to 12 o'clock quickly?

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Plummet said..
I have to say that chucking the kite low and edging like a mofo is what you do to control the gust. But once you have lost the edge and are blasting down wind at uncontrollable speed. Leaving the kite low will just give you even more warp factor 9 speed. At that stage SEND IT!

The idea of keeping the kite low is so you don't get pulled off the edge. Then you bury the edge to wipe off the speed and bring the kite to the edge of the wind window.

In beginners terms just point as high up wind as possible during the gusts.

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cbulota said..
Keeping the kite very low is a good idea when you are massively overpowered and in "survival mode" i.e when a storm front passes and you get double the wind you initially had! In his particular case it seems to me correct technique and kite depower and trim would be better suited. In other words I'm getting the impression any other skilled kiter next to him with the same weight and same exact equipment wouldn't need to get the kite down low and start getting in survival mode... Especially if those higher gusts are only of short duration, why would you bring the kite low?

Because its fun
It shows good technique
It's good practice ifor the mega gusts
Need I say more

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JAKE123 said..
if your really f**ed you can ride downwind with the kite low but edge back towards the opposite side of the window as the kite to force it more into the edge of the window. kinda like a transition but dont turn the kite to follow you

Yep that's what I do when I'm in survival mode
I have ridden about 500m like that once

Point the board straight downwind, when the speed has dropped edge hard. Downwind takes the power and speed out.

Plenty advice on the kite but really means nothing if you are riding a big chunky muma. What board do you ride. Before the bow and hybrid kites came in the downwind holy crap crazy run was pretty common. The boards were made smaller and skinnier back then to be able to handle more edging and control. You will find if you ride a pretty big board with little rocker, even with a good technique edging will be hard.

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Phoney said..

Plummet said..
I have read all the replys.... So this may have been covered.

My all time favourite way to shed speed when over powered is send it and jump!!!!!!!!!!!....

By "send it" you mean yank the bar in and let it rise up to 12 o'clock quickly?

Send the kite back like a normal jump except don't pull the bar in. Only pull it in once its back. That will keep you low and slow you fast. Of course if you want height than yes pull the bar in,.,