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corey4x4man
Since 13 Jun 2011
134 Posts
Beaverton, OR
Stoked
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 Mon Jun 13, 11 10:31 am New guy looking for advice! |
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Hello all let me start off by introducing myself. My name is Corey and I am an avid outdoors-man and adrenaline junky. I love to Hunt and fish as well as snowboard and wakeboard.
I have recently been talking with some family that live in Hood river and am
excited to get into Kiteboarding. They recommended that i get a trainer Kite and practice with that before anything else.
So I have a few questions:
q1: if anybody is goinq out anywhere around the Portland area and wouldn't mind me tagging along to watch that would be great! ( i know the sauvie island area well as i am one of the fishermen you see out there all the time but i believe the water can be shared)
q2: any good local shops to pick up used gear?
q3: what trainer kites would you all recommended? (2,3,4 line? brand? size?) |
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Jonpnw
Since 22 Jul 2010
1327 Posts
Pacific Northwest
XTreme Poster
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| Mon Jun 13, 11 12:11 pm New Wind |
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New Wind Kiteboarding
Call Jim 541-387-2440
_________________
Slingshot | Ride Engine |Try before you buy | PM me
Join the Columbia Gorge Water Sports Association. http://gorgewindsurfing.org/ |
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Bettyboarder
Since 18 Mar 2005
1823 Posts
PDX/ White Salmon
XTreme Poster
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| Mon Jun 13, 11 12:59 pm |
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Dont buy gear till you take a lesson
I would get either a 2 or 3m trainer kite to start with
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Join the CGKA! Membership is only $10! Sign up at http://cgka.net/become-a-member/ |
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MKHR
Since 28 Aug 2007
116 Posts
Hood River
Stoked
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| Mon Jun 13, 11 2:22 pm |
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Don't bother with buying a trainer kite - flying a trainer provides little value. Save your money for real gear.
Take lessons from a pro. |
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dancingwind
Since 18 Jul 2007
321 Posts
Obsessed
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| Mon Jun 13, 11 2:44 pm |
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Best used/new gear are LESSONS. Save your gear money for lessons. Extremely challenging/dangerous to learn to kite on your own especially on the Columbia and especially now with the water so high and the current so gnarly. Dish your money out on a good school/instructor and you'll be out on the water, SAFELY, in no time.
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SAY WHAT YOU MEAN, MEAN WHAT YOU SAY |
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K4L
Since 19 Jan 2009
483 Posts
Obsessed
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| Mon Jun 13, 11 3:56 pm |
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DEFINITELY get a trainer! Gets you some kite skills (and you have a skate kite now )
Instead of wasting a lesson fee on flying skills get some muscle memory working and be on the water with your first lesson!! ( reputable shops wont let you on the water without flying skills)
3M on up (any brand/line will work, just go for the least expensive you can find ) will give you the feel of kite pull and reaction plus it will work for skate or land kiting on lighter days.
After you are comfortable with your "trainer" sign up for some lessons with New Wind |
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corey4x4man
Since 13 Jun 2011
134 Posts
Beaverton, OR
Stoked
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| Mon Jun 13, 11 7:27 pm |
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Thanks for the replys so far! I feel like a trainer would be good just to get the initial feel of the kite and to play around with when at the beach or camping. i see how if untrained one could develop bad habits and thats why i would only use it a small amount before taking a lession.
i have herd its hard to find a decent used one but if anyone has one they are willing to part with or let me borrow for a bit let me know! I have been out the the big C every weekend for the last 3 months fishing and would love to be able to grab the kite and practie for a bit when the fishing is slow or i just need a change of pace.
thanks again for any advice its always welcome |
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DangleMaster123
Since 01 Aug 2010
38 Posts
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| Tue Jun 14, 11 1:05 pm |
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Buy a Slingshot Fuel, get like a 2005 or something for cheap so its ok if you screw it up, and just go out and mess around with it, its not as hard or dangerous as everyone says, just make sure to wear boots so your board doesnt get away from you.
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I love to Dangle |
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Blokt
Since 17 Nov 2008
196 Posts
Hamlin rocks, doody-root-tuders!
Stoked
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| Tue Jun 14, 11 1:39 pm |
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1) Change your login ID.
2) Always fly a foil on the water. |
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Youkai
Since 08 Feb 2010
553 Posts
Beaverton
Addicted
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| Tue Jun 14, 11 2:13 pm |
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| Blokt wrote: | | 2) Always fly a foil on the water. |
Only if you like swimming. 
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Captain kook; always wrong. |
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Blokt
Since 17 Nov 2008
196 Posts
Hamlin rocks, doody-root-tuders!
Stoked
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| Tue Jun 14, 11 3:36 pm |
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| Youkai wrote: | | Blokt wrote: | | 2) Always fly a foil on the water. |
Only if you like swimming. |
May the poop of a thousands Portlanders float your way |
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Sauve
Since 19 Mar 2009
97 Posts
Hood River
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| Tue Jun 14, 11 8:21 pm |
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definitely take lessons, and definitely buy a trainer kite, two meters is plenty. if a new trainer kite is too much of an investment for you, kiting may not be for you
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Sean Sauve |
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forrest
Since 21 Jun 2005
4329 Posts
Hood River
Hick
CGKA Member
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| Tue Jun 14, 11 8:29 pm |
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yea, the trainer is a lot of fun for the girl friend/spouse while you're out kiting so they're worth having around.
Definitely don't bother buying gear until you've had a lesson. You'll have a better idea of what you need. Don't buy anything older than 2008. It's pretty safe to buy off the "For Sale" section here on NWKite as we tend to do some sanity checking on the age of gear posted.
Definitely head in to 2nd Wind in Hood River and talk to Pepi about used gear as well. It's at least worth seeing what he has to offer. |
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Nak
Since 19 May 2005
4297 Posts
Camas
Site Lackey
CGKA Member
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| Tue Jun 14, 11 10:16 pm |
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| DangleMaster123 wrote: | | Buy a Slingshot Fuel, get like a 2005 or something for cheap so its ok if you screw it up, and just go out and mess around with it, its not as hard or dangerous as everyone says, just make sure to wear boots so your board doesnt get away from you. |
Yeah, the fact that death was a common occurrence in this sport back in '05 is no big deal. As long as your life insurance is paid up, it's no biggie at all. People freak out about death way too much. I mean it's all mellow dude. You're dead, you're alive, it's all cool man.
Of course, if you're one of those up tight people who like, don't want to die, then you could spend a couple of hundred extra dollars an 2008 or later gear. Sure, 2008 kites are more fun too, but why would you care about that? I guess if you're so twisted that your life is worth more than $50, you probably are all into having fun while you learn too. That's so wrong.
I mean, like, whatever. If you just want to have fun and not die, like, I guess buy later gear. Like that's so screwed up though. Who would spend a few extra bucks just to have fun and not leave your kids orphans?
You know what sucks? If you buy a 2008 kite for $300, you'll probably be able to sell it for the same in a year. That's so commercial. Like, way wrong. Get yourself a 2005 kite for $50. That way, if you live through it, you can be stuck with it. Because like, it's really hard to find some joker to buy gear that old. Dude! maybe you could, like, find a beginner to buy it! Awesome! Don't be one of those up tight guys who wouldn't sell that shit, just because $50 ain't worth it to you to maybe be leading some newbie down the path to his own death. Like, that's so screwed up. Like, if he's so stupid to buy 2005 gear, he deserves whatever he gets man.
I guess if you want to have fun and learn with gear that's not ridiculously outdated and dangerous, and you want to sell your gear later with a clean conscience, you could buy 2008 and later gear. Like, whatever.
If you're going to recommend 2005 gear to a newbie, sign your post with your real name. That way the family's lawyer can find you to sue your ass down the road. |
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Pepi
Since 16 Jun 2006
1831 Posts
Pure Stoke Sports
Shop Owner
CGKA Member
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| Tue Jun 14, 11 10:23 pm |
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| Sauve wrote: | | definitely take lessons, and definitely buy a trainer kite, two meters is plenty. if a new trainer kite is too much of an investment for you, kiting may not be for you |
Sean hits the bulls-eye spot on with his recommendations.
We hear every year from the instructors at the schools we work with, that their biggest student success stories are when they have a student that has developed solid kitehandling skills via trainer kite practice.
Ideally, using the trainer kite to practice flying until you can keep it up in the air and flying back/forth across the windwindow without crashing, then practicing this until competent using one hand (starting with your dominant hand and then your weaker hand).
By developing strong intuitive flying skills with the trainer kite you will :
1) have a stoked instructor who knows he/she has a serious student ready to kick ass
2) accomplish more learning tasks due to your already knowing how to control a kite competently and being able to do exactly as the instructor teaches
3) one of the biggest things we hear about is body dragging performance being much better with students who have already practiced flying the kite with only one hand (same goes with getting your feet into the footstraps while flying the kite with one hand).
4) Saving money - the faster your can learn via your professional lesson, the more you accomplish and the fewer lessons you require.
Never get rid of your trainer kite.
As a strapless rider, I still fly my trainer kite a lot to practice different flying patterns (ie downloops, or uploops) for quickening my transitions or controlling my kite better when riding river swell or in the waves at the coast.
_________________
Pure Stoke Sports
Hood River, OR
http://www.facebook.com/pages/Hood-River-OR/2nd-Wind-Sports/35891485558?ref=mf
www.Purestokesports.com |
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TheKerrKid
Since 02 Jul 2009
226 Posts
Stoked
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| Wed Jun 15, 11 6:03 am |
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| Pepi wrote: |
Never get rid of your trainer kite. |
Very good idea, no matter where you are at in kiting a trainer can always be either fun or useful, you can use them to practice handle passes, you can skate kite with them, and eventually you can use it to get others into kiting
Also as far as gear, when you get your lessons, they may recommend the kite that they teach you one and then you can make your decision from there as to either find one used or buy a new one, but this usually works out very well because you get used to the kite over a series of lessons, and the kites used to teach these days are all great kites to progress on as well.
Good Luck
_________________
Less fighting more kiting
R.I.P. Jeff Young |
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1surfer
Since 20 Apr 2010
355 Posts
'Ualapu'e / High Rockies
Obsessed
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| Wed Jun 15, 11 7:13 am padre |
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I would recommend taking a trip to South Padre Island and working with SPI kiteboarding.
They teach from the beach on the lagoon and the Laguna Madre may be one of the best and safest spots on earth to learn.
Learning in current and cold water works, but it not the best way to go.
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Ozone Reo's. C&k Beach Boy Service, Windsurfing Waikiki, Hawaiian Windriders, NSRN. |
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