Got to the point where I was doing a few jumps yesterday off the top of some waves, got the timing right a few times and managed to land a few more than I had expected

However one thing I found was that no matter how hard I edged up the face of the wave I still flew downwind at such a high speed that when I did land, I could not retain an edge or even provide sufficient backfoot pressure to make any noticable difference to my speed (I'm 100kilos too ), I found that I could hold the kite up high and I would gradually... very gradually lose speed... but I was totally outof control of my direction (no edge) and would thus had to make sure I had massive clearance before any jumps.

What is the best movement to do with the board to slow down? I found carving a bit of an S helped a bit and at such a high speed was probably the most effective until I could just slam the edge hard in and kill some speed.

Is it possible to do that 'snowboard' style brake, where you point your board into the wind and pray that a big peice of chop doesn't fling you over... or is that only usefull at more moderate speeds?

Any other tips, particularly in reference to where to position the kite would be helpful keeping in mind that I usually kite in choppy conditions... Just looking for any tips

Thanks in advance

if u find u are goin way to fast, just plant ur back side in the water and slowly bring ur kite back up to 12. and when u go over waves bring ur kite up so u can get over the white wash and do not get slammed into it.

Jimmy you didn't say whether you were trying to jump or just trying to get over big waves with control?

If the latter, then you want to have your kite at 11 or 1 as you crest the wave and get airborne.

Any lower and (as you found), there will be a big horizontal pull and you will fly downwind pretty quick.

Better to slow down well before the wave rather than trying to bleed speed just before a big one - by that time its too late.

By keeping the kite high most of the pull is upwards rather than sideways and you'll just get some nice float and then a controlled landing. Use your bar sheeting to control how high you go.

If you want some more height, then from 11 or 1, fly the jump pattern with the kite as you head up the face, and get the canopy up above you and sheet in.

If you want to really get high then hit the wave at full speed, start an aggressive jump pattern with the kite when you are about 5m in front of the wave, and try and time your pop off the water with the lift from the wave.

There is a bit of timing to get sorted out with all of this, and the specifics will depend on what type of kite you are flying, the wind strength (and kite size), and the characteristics of the waves.

have fun!

Andy

Yep .... And when you stick your arse in the water just make sure you have your mouth shut. The water spout from your mouth will interfere with your vision otherwise !!!



Fitzy Gold Coast OZ

Oh sorry. I was asking more how to regain control after landing a jump off of a wave because of my high speed, I love hitting them at full pelt, that way I get more air and the hard impact just feels cool.

Ok, I think however those are two solutions, I rekn I was diving the kite downwards too fast after landing, leaving at 11 or 1 til I slow down seems like my only option until I can edge.

I'll try planting my bum into the water next time Im out, sounds like it works

Select to expand quote

Jimmyz said...

...the hard impact just feels cool.

My bung knee cringes at the thought...

Tried to find the thread where I asked a similar Q? (Landing jumps on a C kite too fast) Sorry it's dropped off outta range.

Simple answer is don't yank in on the bar until after you have left the H2O. Swing the kite up as you dig in you back foot, give a little pop to depart then pull in the bar for more power/boost. If you do it too early your kite is gonna rocket downwind... Whammo landings!!!

When you reach apex then try to bring the kite back towards the direction you were intially flying. Timing takes a few attempts, when you get it right it all feels fluid and very very nice indeed.

Good luck grasshopper

every kite has it's own tendencies,
what type of kite are you using and your board and size.
Makes it a lot easier to understand what you are doing..

My board is a slingshot SX 147, I think the width is around 37cms.

My kite is a TD2 14m.

Hope that helps :D

You could try a smaller board mate, it would make it easier to dig in at high speed, as a 147 is a damn big board, even if you do weigh 100kgs. I weigh about 95 and my fav board is a 128.

D

Well, one thing that this board has which makes up for its largness is that it has a wickedly deep concave on the bottom, which makes it handle amazingly on the edge... it actually dislikes being ridden flat on the water which actually makes it rather difficult to travel downwind comfortably except on strong days.

The main reason I asked this was because I wouldnt mind maybe progressing to a hybrid kite or maybe even a C kite when I get a bit better, so I need all the board skills to make up for the lack of depower relative to my current bow.

I did however try planting my ass into the water... works well,except when its shallow (my poor tailbone! ).

Smaller board would be good when i get the dough