Coping with chop and being overpowered?

tonski · Since 11 Jun 2005 332 Posts NW Portland Obsessed

What a great thread!! I'm sure we've all been in this situation before and I always try to have an "exit plan" including testing depower systems, release mechanisms, knowing you can reach your knife, spotting a competent person to help with landing, etc. Safety first! Very Happy

PS - I always notice how much more leverage I have with my board still on, so I try to keep my board on whenever possible to avoid/ reduce tea bagging...

Bettyboarder · Fri Apr 23, 10 10:44 am

Another tip I learned was ....It really never hurts in the gorge to rig a little small..... worst case as long as you keep you kite up in the air you can go out into the channel and sit in the current and let it take you upwind for a bit till you can make it back.

mschulz · Since 29 May 2007 530 Posts Reno, NV Addicted

I am with Bettyboarder. I also rig a little smaller than It looks on the beach. I power stoke north the washing side out of Wells Island's wind shadow and then am usually perfectly powered.

kitezilla · Since 22 Jun 2006 453 Posts gorge Obsessed

Threads like this are a tribute to Bruno Legaignoux, and what he did in 2005 to change kiting forever. Up until then, kites had very little depower, and the situation you described happened to everyone about twice a day in the Gorge. It even had a name:

SPEEEEEED SPIRAL.............

It came complete with (1) leg burn and (2) a test of courage...suppressing panic and a real mind game, trying to decide whether to (a) ride it out or (b) to bail. If you decided to bail, you had two choices (1) to leave head first, by diving up off the board or (2) to leave tail first, risking a high colonic enema, along with getting the board in the face, while being blinded with spray....or you could just wait and pretty soon the kite would go to 12 O'clock and back out of sight and then the fun really started, as you got launched into a low, fast, hard hitting out-of-control jump.

I haven't heard the term "speed spiral" used in 4 years... some called it "Mr Toad's Wild Ride"....Nantucket Sleigh ride", and some other things.

Thank you Mr. Legaingnoux...I think of you often, as I push my bar out and dodge another bullet!

vangondc · Fri Apr 23, 10 11:59 am

Raj that was a really difficult day to be out. Windy and only a couple of people out usually equals very difficult conditions. With that said where you lost your board is a bad spot on those kinds of days. Try not to get down wind of the event site, the wind get realy crappy there. It why we were all hanging out up by the WS bridge, much beter wind up there.

Keep coming out and experiance will teach you alot.

holly · Since 09 Jul 2006 440 Posts Hood River Obsessed

yeah so if your over powered don't bring your kite to 12, because you will just go up, keep your kite low like wing tip taping the water, and edge against your kite it will slow you down if not even stop you.