Everything you wanted to know about kitesurfing

Kitesurfing is an extreme sport that involves surfing on the water with a large kite, which allows you to move by wind power and perform various jumps. Practicing this sport means experiencing high speed, the thrill of taming the elements, such as the dizzying jumps, and having an opportunity to enjoy the scenery from a completely different perspective.

Styles of kite-boarding

Throughout the history of kiteboarding, several styles of this extreme sport have developed:

• Freeride involves sliding a board behind a kite on the water in a free direction.
• Wave surfing is known as a kite-boarding style, in which the athlete not only jumps with the help of air power, but also uses the wave as a springboard.
• Wakestyle involves demonstrating jumps and tricks of varying degrees of complexity.
• Racing is a competition for speed and time over a set distance.

Elements

Experienced athletes use the kite to perform a variety of tricks. The basis of most acrobatic elements in kitesurfing is the jump.

Usually the jump is done as follows: a sportsman accelerates, puts the kite in the zenith and turns the board across the slip to increase the thrust. The lifting force that appears in process pulls the athlete off the surface and lifts him or her up several meters.

Before the flight an athlete may unclip the trapeze and hold the bar with bare hands to provide more freedom of movement. During the jump, the kite can perform one of the tricks – take the board with his hand, pass the bar behind his back from one hand to another, turn around on its axis, etc.

Performing jumps and tricks is dangerous; it requires a lot of experience and a high level of concentration from the athlete. Sharp gusts of wind, air gusts and other factors can lead to undesirable consequences.

Equipment

The first thing any person willing to start kitesurfing has to do is to choose a kite. There are a lot of companies that make them, such as Cabrinha, North, RRD and others. You can choose the kite to your liking; it is hard to say which manufacturer is better. Depending on the strength of the wind you may need different sizes of kites, so it is better to have at least two kites in stock. In addition, they also differ in the shape of the dome (bow kites, C-kites, arched, delta and hybrids).

The next important thing is the trapeze, which is basically a special strap that holds the kite control system. The trapeze should be chosen by size (from XXS to XXL depending on the waist).

As for the boards, they also come in different sizes and are chosen primarily according to the weight and height of the athlete. For beginners rather wide boards are suitable, advanced athletes can use narrower boards, boards for wave surfing, or special boards for jumping.

A beginner needs a lifejacket and helmet, which will not only provide passive safety, but also show other participants of water traffic that before them is not yet a very confident rider. All athletes engaged in various types of surfing should be wearing wetsuits while practicing sports.

Types of kites

Two types of kites are mainly used today. The first type is the inflatable kite, which is made of strong, windproof nylon. The skeleton of such a kite consists of several inflatable cylinders placed along the leading edge and in the center of the wing. The balloons are inflated with a small pump and therefore, shape the kite. With their help, athletes can start from the water as the inflatable wing does not sink and remains on the surface.

Kites of another type are sewn from durable nylon with fabric nerves. Their construction consists of upper and lower skins. This shape keeps the kite full of airflow through the special valves in the leading edge and makes it voluminous. Such models do not have any rigid elements and do not need to be inflated. That is why the advantage of this kite is that it is easy to transport, compact and durable.

Training

Kitesurfing is an extreme sport, therefore it is recommended to be trained by an experienced instructor. There are no age limitations: everyone can learn how to fly, so both kids and older people can learn the sport. The main thing is to have the right technique.

The first kiting lessons take place on land. The instructor explains the basic terms and physics of the process, teaches how to work with the wind, shows how to assemble and launch the kite. A beginner tries to learn the basic steering skills on a small practice kite.

Then training moves on to the water. At first you have to learn the art of swimming behind the kite lying on your side or stomach. This skill is very important for understanding the kite’s power and traction depending on its location in the “wind window” (the area where the kite flies) as well as for self-rescue in extreme situations or retrieving a lost board.

Next comes a very important stage, which is climbing the board. The main thing here is not to give up as many students experience difficulties at this stage when they have to both fly the kite and board at the same time. By the way, for fans of snowboarding and wakeboarding this stage is much easier.

When you finally manage to bend one leg properly, and the other is properly straightened, it means that the first stage is done.

The speed of mastering the basic course depends on the ability of the student. After a week of active training you can get up on the board and start moving on the surface of the water for short distances. Then you will learn to turn, move against the wind, as well as start practicing beach-start (the beginning of the movement at the water’s edge, not from the depth), but this is a question of self-improvement.

After becoming a first class rider, you can move on to doing jumps and various tricks or mastering the technique in general. A kite allows you to catch a dozen more waves in the same time than you can in classic surfing.

Dangers and safe precautions

Kitesurfing is an extreme sport, which means there is a certain risk of injury. The greatest danger of this discipline is related to the moment of taking off and landing of the kite, performing tricks as well as loss of control over the wing. In case of an unforeseen situation, a surfer can get seriously injured as a result hitting water or land, colliding with other athletes or objects.

Riding a kite by an untrained person can lead to serious injury or even death of the novice athlete. This is why it is so important to train under the supervision of a professional instructor and to take all necessary safety precautions.

Both beginners and professionals must follow the basic safety rules. What are they?

• Before going out, it is necessary to find out the weather forecast, wind strength and other meteorological conditions. Riding in adverse conditions is unacceptable and dangerous.
• You should avoid skating with a large number of people, close to rocks, trees and other potentially dangerous objects.
• In strong winds you should not skate away from the shore and far into the sea.
• Athletes should use protection: a helmet, an inflatable vest, etc. depending on conditions.
• Only serviceable equipment with the manufacturer’s safety system should be used.

History

The prototype of the modern kite appeared in China in the 13th century. Even then, people were trying to learn how to control the wind by flying brightly colored kites in the air.

In 1903, inventor Samuel Cody created a kite capable of lifting a man, and used it to cross the English Channel on a small boat.

In 1970s, engineers Dainim and Kevlar worked hard to improve the kite’s slings and its control system. With their help, successful attempts were made to ride under the kite in a boat, catamaran, canoe and even water skis.

The first kite, designed specifically for kitesurfing, was created and patented in 1984 by brothers Dominique and Bruno Legheny in France. Around the same time as their French counterparts in America, Bill Rosler and his son took out a patent for a system KiteSki, which includes a two-string kite and water skis. The Roslers’ kite was used to glide through the water and against the wind.

In the 90’s the kite design was repeatedly improved. Kitesurfing began to gain popularity, attracting more and more athletes in different countries. In 2009, kiteboarding was officially recognized by ISAF as a sailing sport.

Today kitesurfing continues to actively develop as an interesting, young, lively and energetic extreme sport.