Kiteboarder rescue in HR

Bettyboarder · Sun May 01, 11 5:32 pm **Kiteboarder rescue in HR**

Front page KATU

Kyle glad your ok

http://www.katu.com/news/local/121062549.html

melokitegirl · Since 28 Oct 2008 396 Posts Where the wind blows Obsessed

Wow... Love Gorge peeps. Best community, ever! So glad it all turned out alright for this fellow.

M.

Gman · Since 11 Feb 2006 4911 Posts Portland Unstrapped

Scary - Glad your OK Kyle!

kitezilla · Since 22 Jun 2006 453 Posts gorge Obsessed

I hope Kyle will give us a blow by blow account of what happened. Was this a self-rescue gone bad or was reverse "eddy" current involved or slack lines from trick? Why did all the line end up around one leg?

Were your hands too cold to use a kite knife, even if you had one accessable?

Anything you would do differently? or was this just a case of bad luck?

K2 · Since 30 Apr 2009 274 Posts Hood River, OR Obsessed

My play by play can be sort of longwinded but I am bored at work so here is what I remember:

Was kiting on Saturday up by the bridge with a bunch of friends. Super fun 8m day and sunny! Lots more people were out there this weekend than any other day I've seen all year so it looks like the busy season has arrived early.

I am a diabetic and started feeling the effects of low blood sugar and the winds were feeling a little shifty for me so I started to make the trek downwind from the bridge to the beach when I guess I must have ate shit and went flying downwind towards my kite during a gust or something. When I came up to catch my breath real quick the kite was already falling down on my head Sad

So the kite flipped over a few times and I think both of the outside lines crossed over or something but the kite would NOT relaunch. Mark "The Dangler" came by and flipped one of my lines over my kite to get it to relaunch. I had already been in the water for about 5-10 minutes and it was just in time before a barge ran me over. Once the kite was up I noticed one of the outside lines was still crossed over the inside lines making it hard, but not impossible, to fly the kite back towards shore. As I was limping in with the crossed up lines the kite hindenburged on me again and this time the already crossed up lines got crossed up even more as the kite flipped over on itself and just ended up laying completely flat on the water with no chance of relaunching. So I pulled the safety on my chicken loop and just decided to self rescue at that point. I was freezing and not thinking straight already so I had to get in ASAP. I threw my board to Chooch (if I remember correctly) to have him just bring it to shore for me. As I was swimming towards my kite and wrapping up my bar & lines, my buddy Owen thought he would help out by yelling at me to let go of my bar so he could throw my kite back up in the air. He thought he would help me out by throwing it back up so I could kite back in but I had no board at that point and was already halfway done wrapping up my shit. But I wasn't thinking clearly and O Dog knows more about kiting than I do so I just let go of my bar and he rode by and threw my kite up. That was really when the shit hit the fan. Because the kite looped around a flew a little bit from what I remember but the lines I had just wrapped up just went everywhere around me. So I just grabbed one of the outside lines and was trying to pull myself to my kite as quick as I could and tried wrapping up as many lines as I could around the bar but by the time I made it to my kite I had a HUGE rats nest of a knot tied around my foot. The bridle of the kite was in it also so I was unable to flip the kite on it's back (as Chooch had been yelling at me to do over and over again, I think it pissed him off but I don't think he knew I couldn't! Sorry Chooch haha). I had been in the water for an hour or more at this point. I only had one hand to hold onto the kite and one hand to just try to paddle my way to shore but it looked really far away. I couldn't really swim since my feet and legs were tangled up too. I was trying to get people to drag me in but there were so many other lines floating around me and my kite that kiters were scared to get near me. I have a knife on my harness but the knots were so tight and so bulky I didn't think I could cut that shit away and was not really physically able to do much for myself because I was freezing and had nothing left in me to do so.

Finally this super nice kiter, Jeff from the White Salmon area, told me he was gonna help and I was stoked to hear that. This windsurfer made an attempt to drag me to shore but he said I needed to let go of the kite and have it float to the sandbar which was not possible since I was all tied up in the bridle/lines. So the kiter Jeff tossed his board off and just had me shove my hand down the back of his harness since he didn't have a handle. So I did and just held on for my life as he drug me to the sandbar I think. I don't really remember much after that but when he got me to shore I was so tired and cold that I remember just wanting to take a nap right there on my kite. Anyways, this is long enough sorry.

Big thanks to Jeff from White Salmon area, Dangler for saving me from the barge, Chooch for trying to get me to self rescue/grabbing my board, Ashley for dragging my ass up the beach and having the Easter chocolate that brought me back to life, Joe Towne, O Dog and the other nice people that dragged me to shore and helped me get warmed up on the beach and anybody else who helped out. The Hood River paramedics were really cool and helpful too.

I said in the interview that one of the main reasons I love this sport so much is how much we all look out for each other. I wish I was a better speaker and could come up with something more epic to say than that (and make my posts shorter) but it is just really cool to know that so many people were trying to help out and care. You guys are just going to have to deal with having a kooky diabetic kiter around you some more because I have lived to kite another day! In the end I just had a bad case of low blood sugar easily fixed by Easter candy and nasty glucose packets from the paramedics, and mild hypothermia fixed with blankets and heat packs.

Lessons learned:
1. Kite with more sugar in the blood to begin with and possibly some sugar in the boardshorts if you are a diabetic kiteboarder like me.

2. NEVER let go of the bar and lines when you have decided to self-rescue.

3. Be very cautious and kite below your means when you kite in cold weather/water. And have warm enough gear to handle a long swim if you have to be in the water for a while.

I learned a lot of stuff on Saturday besides these things I listed and I am happy and very thankful for everybody who has ever helped in the water or given me tips on these forums or let me borrow a wetsuit top or glove or board, whatever. Hopefully somebody else will learn from these mistakes so we can continue to do what we love to do over and over again. Look forward to kiting with all of you soon.

Kyle

jeffreyc · Since 23 Aug 2006 43 Posts

Hey Kyle,
Thanks for the acknowlegement and nice words. I was thinking you should keep a package of liquid powerbar gel up your wetsuit sleeve. Not messy and easy to shoot. Also, when I self rescue I get to the kite fast, pin it down and wrap my line on my bar quickly so they don't wrap my legs. It doesn't have to be neat, but half-hitch on secure. I was a difficult decision on how to approach you with the sea of lines. The real risk was if the kite were to have gotten away from us while dragging while tied to your leg. Not a pretty sight...

Jeff

Sol-flyer · Mon May 02, 11 10:12 am

Glad to hear your ok kyle!

Dont feel bead brotha, this kind of thing happens to all of us...another reason we look after one another. just too bad that there happend to be a news crew there to document your kitemare...LOL

Jah Bless

jackZ · Since 13 Apr 2008 355 Posts Devon Alberta ca. Obsessed

Hey Kyle.
Glad to hear ur back to proper sugar levels.
When we put u on the surf board with all ur lines wrapped around ur ankle and u were kinda in an out it made me think of the people in my family and others afflicted with the " sugar sickness "as we call it in Holland. Good to see your not letting it stop your fun times. I know how difficult it can be to try to be as good as mother nature regulating the ups and downs.
Awesome of everyone to get involved helping and calling the Ambulance just in case. !!
See you all in the water.
JackZ

lykaneagle · Since 14 Apr 2011 76 Posts Oregon City

Glad you're alright, Kyle

Sasquatch · Since 09 Mar 2005 2102 Posts PNW Bigfoot

K2 · Since 30 Apr 2009 274 Posts Hood River, OR Obsessed

I was wearing a 3 mil hood that I just bought thankfully. Had a 4/3 wetsuit, 5 mil booties, only one 1.5 mil glove O Dog let me borrow and a 2.1 mil long-sleeve top I threw on over my suit that Chooch let me borrow. It was just enough to keep me going.

Glad to hear all the nice comments. I was pretty embarrassed that MY kitemare had made the news and thought I would get a bunch of kook comments instead but I have been pleasantly surprised to hear all the well wishes. I will try to get more footage from the guy doing the taping and see if I can share that with people who want to see how the actual water rescue went down.

Sasquatch · Since 09 Mar 2005 2102 Posts PNW Bigfoot

dangler · Since 26 Feb 2006 1776 Posts WINDY SPOTS XTreme Poster

So glad it ended in smiles on the beach! Probably the worst (deadliest) aspect was the

kite line hog tie. Happened to me my first year kiting in Baja, (way outside, scary) and I

was barely able to cut loose, your cheapie knife is only good for a few cuts, I was lucky to m

make the proper cuts before the blade dulls out. And I was in warm water. So unless K2

had a spendy high end knife on him he would remain married to that kite with no chance

to swim or self rescue. After self tangling myself I got real careful real quick about line

management during SR.

So bottom line, every situation is unique, and whether you wrap your bar first (my

preference, just make sure you secure the flag line a sufficient lenghth initially so your kite

won't relaunch) or go to the kite first, be aware of the lines, especially when they're

slack, they're like pythons ready to grab you. Also no one can approach you to help

until you get your lines squared away. Cheers, Marc

Chooch · Mon May 02, 11 6:59 pm

No worries Kyle....was just frustrated that you wouldn't cut your lines to speed up the process. Free self rescue lesson on me since your old instructor failed to teach you the proper way. Wink

Happy you made it out alive....lesson learned and a bit of humble pie served by the mighty Columbia Alien

kenja · Since 19 Jun 2008 179 Posts Stoked

One thing I've found helpful is to go through potential gear failures and situations with my kiting buddies while we're sitting on the beach. It helps to prepare you when things actually go south. Trying to think clearly while you are getting kitemared is hard and bad decisions can easily be made.

Bettyboarder · Mon May 02, 11 8:33 pm

Good lesson for sure...we have all been there at one point or another with lines around our legs...scary when ur far from shore and the waters cold...glad ur ok

dancingwind · Since 18 Jul 2007 321 Posts Obsessed

Glad you're OK, Man. Had a pretty bad tangle myself a few years ago and barely made it back to shore. It was in mid July though and the water wasn't too cold. I always dress extra warm in cold weather just in case I have to swim back. Warm gear saves lives!!

Respect the kite, but more importantly respect Mother Nature!!

See you on the water.