so many questions

ben944 · Since 04 Jun 2010 51 Posts

Let me clear some things up for you, I live in New england and there isn't a shop that sells kite equipment any were let alone an instructor to teach this sport. So as a result i would be forced to travel a long distance to learn. my buisness and family would prevent this. I just thought i would ask a few questions, and like most other sports and activities you would kindly take me under your wing and explain a few things. Just to let you no that if you met me in person not one of you would talk to me the way you do so try to be professional, and for those trying to give me good advice thank you.

Mark · Sun Jun 06, 10 8:20 am

Professionally speaking... if you value your family and business, TAKE LESSONS.

People can't make that more simple....

After that, come and ask questions. You will find the forum very helpful.

Chooch · Sun Jun 06, 10 8:31 am

blowhard · Since 26 Dec 2005 2028 Posts Windward

hitithard · Since 28 May 2010 12 Posts

If you want legit answers yo need to ask on the Kite Forum, This forum is for pure entertainment or questions involving Slingshot, and this is fine, now like me you are in a position where you cannot travel for lessons and there are none near you,
It is not brain surgery and most of the people bagging on you probably did not take lessons, side note I think lessons are very valuable but hey in the real world not everything is possible, so you go to plan B, watch as many instructional videos as possible and start with a small kite and really short lines, make sure you now your safety systems with your eyes closed and be somewhere with no obstructions.
You can do it.
I did: lol:

pollywog · Since 07 Aug 2009 291 Posts Obsessed

Why would you bother writing into a forum of people most of whom likely took lessons, most of whom understand through years of practice the value of those lessons and essentially tell those people they are stupid and that you are a whole lot smarter then they are because you don't need to take lessons? Seems like either you are trolling to see if you can upset people which seems stupid or you are so full of yourself that these things don't apply to you which also seems stupid. Lets just hope that it is trolling-stupid so no body else has to risk themselves to recover your body.

Nak · Sun Jun 06, 10 10:41 am

Ben944, You'll have to excuse the tone of a lot of the responses here. We get a lot of internet trolls here, and your post resembles a lot of troll posts. It's too bad, the trolls make it hard to know who really needs a bit of advice and who is just trying to stir the pot.

Hitithard, less than a week and a half ago you were posting a similar beginner question, so you really don't have the experience to be advising a newbie.

Back to your original question Ben944; it really can't be answered. It's like asking a fighter pilot "How do you shoot down the bad guy and not get shot down by his wingman?" The answer is book study, training, experience, teamwork, etc. How do you avoid being lofted? The answer is book study, training, experience, etc.

Kiteboarding is not like other sports you can just go out and try. You can try water-skiing and likely all that will happen is you won't get up or you'll fall. You can try wind-surfing and likely all that will happen is you won't get up or you'll fall. If you try kiteboarding without study and training, you will likely be seriously injured or possibly die.

Your comment "i can handle a kite" shows just how little you know, no offense intended. Right now, you can't handle a kite. Kiteboarding kites are not children's toys. They have killed and maimed many, many people over the last 20 years. I'm sure you can learn how to handle a kite, but if you don't respect the kite, you'll never learn.

Is it possible to learn without lessons? Yes, but it's dangerous. Really dangerous. Not just to you, but to everyone around you. You're risking not just your life, but everyone's life near you or downwind of you. You say you have a family, do you care so little for them that you'll take serious, uneducated risks? What will happen to them when you're dead or crippled?

Learn all you can. Go to www.KitesurfingSchool.org and study everything there till you know it cold. And I do mean cold. Not just know it pretty good, but be able to answer any question with ZERO hesitation. Get a trainer kite and a trainer DVD. Practice until you can fly it with your eyes closed. Seriously. Then, take your family on a vacation where you can get some lessons.

If there's a decent place to kiteboard near you, there's probably a way to get lessons near you.

Good luck and have fun!

hitithard · Since 28 May 2010 12 Posts

Nak,
That was a week ago, I have progressed well, I can ride up wind now!!!
And got air Yippy!!!!!! Razz

Oh ya I did rip my new fuels!!!

pjc · Since 06 Mar 2005 649 Posts Addicted

Learning without lessons of any sort is borderline impossible.

Lots of folks have learned without *paying* for lessons. These people usually learn with informal lessons in the form of more experienced riders willing to give some free advice (in person, not over cyberspace).

The best way to learn is to pay a couple hundred for "real" lessons, and then find some more experienced folks to learn from in a more informal fashion.

Although I don't know for sure, my guess is around 90% of the people on this forum learned that way, and less than 1% learned in the way you seem to be contemplating. So go figure if people ignore you or make fun of you.

New England isn't really all that empty. It's got a lot more people per square foot than Oregon. If there aren't any riders near you than it probably means your area sucks for kiting. 7-8 years ago there were good spots with few kiters, but that's pretty much done.

You might want to look into snowkiting. This can work with smaller kites and weird wind. Kiting on water is not very easy to learn at a good spot. At a bad spot, by yourself, with no lessons, forget it.

kitemare · Since 23 Mar 2010 265 Posts Seattle, wa Obsessed

Maybe I can give you some advice. I was where you are a few years ago. I had been flying kites since I was 2. (Not exaggerating, my family went every year to Long Beach WA at the kite festival and I was very good at two and four line stunt kites)

I also knew how to wakeboard and snowboard for several years and was fairly decent. So when I saw some people kiting, I figured I could just watch some internet videos, read some magazines, and I went and bought a kite from someone on Ikitesurf.

Few weeks later, I was at the sandbar with my kite, ready to go. The wind was good, I was on the same size as all the other people. So I figured I would be fine. Someone gave me a launch and I started walking out into the water with my board.

I started in waist deep water and was looking good and so I tried to get up on the board. Lets just say the next few minutes spiraled drastically downhill and ended up with me getting dragged over the sand and rocks getting my ass handed to me unable to get control until another kiter was able to grab the kite for me.

(here's a link of pretty much exactly what I did, even though it's not me)
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=L8pufWR2KTY

After my humbling experience I decided I wasn't ready to kite in Hood River yet, so I figured I would kite back near my house on the lake with my family and our boat. After several attempts, I was finally able to get up and go downwind. Unfortunately, there were still times that things went horribly wrong and without the boat, it would have been a lot worse. So even though I could get up on the board and steer the kite, that was about all I could do, I had no idea what to do when the poo hits the fan.

Finally after a few years of just occasionally getting up on the board and getting worked everytime I got the kite out, it was actually kind of a joke with the family because of how bad I was. I moved to Hood River and finally learned how to kite. I had to pretty much re-learn everything because of all the bad habits I had developed.

If I could go back in time, I would sign up for 2 lessons. 4 hours of instruction would have saved me years of frustration.

So if you actually want to learn the sport, take a weekend off, fly down to Hatteras or Florida and take a few lessons. Or if you just want brag to all your friends that you can kiteboard, take the easy way out and just photoshop your head on someone else's body, print it out and put in on your desk and save yourself from ruining a new kite.

holly · Since 09 Jul 2006 440 Posts Hood River Obsessed

Ben you sound pretty stupid. why dont you fly an instructor out to you so you dont kill yourself.

Moto · Since 03 Sep 2006 2698 Posts Still a gojo pimp! Moto Mouth

pdxmonkeyboy · Mon Jun 07, 10 8:03 am

My professional opinion? Stupid is as stupid does.

Oh, your going to learn to kiteboard without lessons AND you'll be kiting with nobody else on the water to get your back? This just keeps getting better. Your going to end up like that solo hiker that had to saw his own arm off. On the bright side, you'll be famous (in a Kevin Kearney kind of way) but masturbating with a metal hook for a hand must take FOREVER.

If your on the east coast and want to learn you should post up on kitescoop.com

Sella · Mon Jun 07, 10 9:43 am

barfly · Since 31 Mar 2005 1214 Posts Portland BRACKISH

pdxmonkeyboy · Mon Jun 07, 10 11:03 am

yeah, I'm soooo sure that hitithard is all up and riding by now. Post a vid then biatch

kitemare · Since 23 Mar 2010 265 Posts Seattle, wa Obsessed

I agree with monkeyboy, hitithard, there hasn't been enough windy days this past week so how have you been getting enough practice to go upwind and start jumping?

We need video proof

Twisted Evil