Expense of Kite Lessons

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

I keep reading and hearing complaints of the cost of kite lessons. It's starting to get on my nerves. I'm not an instructor, I don't own a school or shop. I have no dog in this hunt. Excpet that I have been a business owner in another arena (Spa).

It costs a lot of money to run a kite school. Think about all the gear that is purchased & hammered every season. The cost of kite repairs. The INSURANCE. Not to mention just the basics of running a business. The licensing, required jetski by the port, the advertising, taxes etc etc. AND it's seasonal. You also have to pay your instructors a decent wage. Then the dreaded "No wind days" that you have to cancel or postpone, which eats into profitable days or your instructor has no work that day. This isn't a charity. A business is about making money.

Kiting aint cheap. Get over it or do something else. There is plenty of old windsurf gear for sale....

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

Well said, I think most of the people who are concerned about the cost of lessons, are not business owners.

They also don't realize that the lessons truly are the cheapest thing they will buy in this sport.

beej · Since 16 Jul 2010 180 Posts Stoked

Whenever I catch myself thinking kiting is too expensive, I think of how much I have shelled out for lift tickets.

That said, I swear I had one instructor who did appear to drag his feet. Maybe he was just methodical...

DownStream · Since 18 Apr 2007 381 Posts Obsessed

mel for president!

tautologies · Since 24 Aug 2006 602 Posts Oahu Addicted

This is quite common in all areas of life. People generally underestimate the cost of a service because they do not what goes into it.

The less people know about something the more then tend to overestimate their actual knowledge.

krueg · Since 16 Feb 2010 51 Posts Wenatchee Wa **CGKA Member**

Melo, if you figure the income compred to costs on most of the schools out there, its pretty close to a charity. Not by choice, but because most people getting into kiting don't understand the value of the knowledge that these instructors have and such are not willing to pay for it. Truth is most of these people would probabely make more seving beer to tourists at night than they would teaching people to kite, but they have a passion for kiting that begginers do not understand.
Thanks for bringing this up in the forum, it's something everyone need to read.
By the way, Ive never heard anyone say that they regret taking lessons, and I've never seen a rich kiteboard instructor.

pdxmonkeyboy · Tue Jun 28, 11 12:42 pm

Excellent point. I wanted to post on the previous thread.. "quit your bitchin and pay up" It can seem expensive, but everything worth while typically is.

I can't imagine any other job in the world that I am less cut out for. There are several people on the water now that I "taught".

shred_da_gorge · Wed Jun 29, 11 2:20 am

Bravo Meliss! If you were building a house, would you skimp on the foundation?

I think my instructor actually commented on this thread, and I worked hard and saved up not just for lessons but to fly down to South Padre to specifically learn there, from him. There is absolutely no way I would have progressed nearly as quickly without doing that. Let alone the fact that he taught me what's necessary to keep from maiming myself and others, or teabagging around with a board leash and no helmet tomahawking the crap out of my gear.

I consider it exceptional Return On Investment.

Spectacle · Since 29 Jun 2011 3 Posts Mtns Kook

Agree 1000%....and you're right about the unknown expenses. Consider also the expense of medical repair if you don't get it right while learning. Not that lessons guarantee anything.

Having said that, be sure of the lesson giver. I took lessons in a neighboring state with few options. The instruction was horrible and lacked any clear communication about the concepts I was undertaking. I was clueless but like most tools who've flown a trainer a while thought I was "onto it". My lessons and false sense of acquired knowledge led me down the path of frustration, a substantial injury, and almost quitting numerous times. So lesson 1 may be - get some references about the lesson giver before you fork over the cash. My money was completely wasted. Also talk to the potential lesson giver a while to see if they communicate well.

A year ago I witnessed someone giving lessons that had all the true passion AND COMMUNICATION SKILLS described above....I would have paid 10x what I paid for my shitty lessons to get that level of instruction.

End result = shitty lessons are too expensive no matter how cheap & quality lessons are worth way more than you'll be asked to pay.

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

Wow, Thanks for backing me up on this point. You should check out a similar post which prompted me to write this one. "Expensive Lessons". It isn't the first time people have brought up the subject of payment for lessons or a student thinks they should be "zero to hero" in a day or two. The question was posed as to who has the best school/instructor in The Gorge. It's a legitamate question. However, I feel it's social suicide to answer that since I have many friends who instruct for different schools. Maybe there should be a rating system initiated/administered by PASA or IKO.

Again, Thanks. I was just annoyed by the uninformed....

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

OKAY - not enough coffee this morning. What I meant is that I commented on "Expensive Lessons" AND "The best kite school in The Gorge".

OG · Since 07 Jun 2011 597 Posts Addicted

my opinion is that if you skimp on lessons and decent gear, that you are costing yourself more time to learn and the real expense is all of the fun you miss.

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

abkite · Since 25 Jun 2011 27 Posts

I think people more fear shelling out the money and having a horrible lesson. Granted I'm sure it doesn't happen too often but I watched my husband get a bad lesson thus I was turned off from them. Lucky I had a great lesson and was shocked how different it was.

Pepi · Thu Jun 30, 11 10:16 pm

There's most certainly a repeated comment in these posts and that is "You get what you pay for. If you spend less, you get less. It is a matter of economics"

Other things to think about to help ensure that your lesson is successful and provides you with a solid skills building experience :
1) Call the school to ask about what their lessons entail and what they recommend for your type of background
2) Invest in a trainer kite - don't overfly it time-wise, but work on the fluidity of your flying skills. Imagine the kite is a paint brush and you are using it to paint a wall. Control is the key. Then practice flying it with one hand, standing on one foot, developing solid skills with both your left and right hand. This will help you kick ass when it comes time to body drag upwind flying the kite with one hand, and helps strengthen your flying skills when you start riding a board.
3) Ask the school who their best instructor is, then schedule your lesson with him/her. You pay for the best, so make sure you get the best.
4) How do the instructors communicate with the student during the water lesson - via yelling? or via radio-helmet? Do you want to pay for someone to yell at you like your ex-boy/girlfriend, or are do you want to pay for someone to 'speak' to you providing calm spoken instructions via your helmet earpiece?
5) Make your decision on a school based on how professional they appear to you. Imagine you are taking a skydiving class. Which school do you want to jump out of a plane with.

*These are tips that have been shared with us from students that have taken lessons in town and from IKO and PASA trainers who provide the training certifications for schools and instructors. We pass this info along to our customers.

shred_da_gorge · Mon Jul 04, 11 2:28 pm

They have web sites rating doctors and dentists... maybe start one for rating instructors? Smile