I want to start by saying I have a super cool girlfriend who totally supports my kitting addiction...I have two questions related to including her in my addiction. She is an above the knee amputee. Yes, she has a water leg that can lock strait:
1. Does anyone know of anyone who has kited with a prosthetic leg (above the knee)?
2. I was thinking of trying to involve her by giving her a piggy back ride. I was thinking we could play around with it. Maybe get a larger board where she could stand on the board… Any thoughts?
I saw a kite vid where a guy with one leg was riding a surf board. he hopped down to the water then sat on the board and kited away.
Sorry I cant help specifically but I remember reading an article in a kite mag from the states - and this guy was a below knee amputee - maybe both legs I cant remember - and he was busting moves better than most of us - guy was amazing - sorry I cant remember which mag I read it in though - awesome she is giving it a crack!!!
Yep, I think Sean Reyngoudt might be the guy..
geez hes pretty good respect!
just shows you can do anything if you put your min to it.
hope ill be as good as him after a year of kiting somehow i doubt that
that bloke is a below-knee amp
above-knee amputees would have it much harder for a sport like kiting. i would suggest looking around for prosthetics which have a quick release/engage straight lock (so you can lock it straight for when the prosthetic leg is forwards) which you can knock in and out easily. the joint would then also have to be spring-loaded into flexion with appropriate tension at the pivot point so that when she is kiting with the affected leg at the rear, it will absorb shock and also allow her to dig the rail in properly.
it can certainly be done, but unfortunately it's much harder when the knee is not the original one. below-knee amps have it easy in comparison!
I recall many years ago a guy who waterskied with one leg [above knee amputee]. He ran the slalom course at Deniliquin better than us young guys. He used a serious "boot" [not a foot strap or lightweight fitting] to provide sufiicient support. Coupled with the obviously stronger single leg/ankle he was able to control his ski with such skill as to make the rest of us look very ordinary.
So using a boot/wake style binding placed in the centre of the board may assist.
I did a lot of thinking about this after nearly loosing my leg after an accident. If they did have to amputate I would definately have made a cleat style system (like hardcore cyclists use) that clipped the prostetic leg straight to the board (only releasing when it twists). Regardless of how she is attached to the board, she would have to ride with her good leg on the front as 90% of her weight can be distributed over her front leg whilst riding taking the weight off the prosthetic leg.
Thanks for the all the input!.. keep it coming.
Yes, Neil is right. the above the knee amputees have a very different problem to solve. Without knee control you have no real control over what that leg does. With the water leg she has 2 options 1) locked straight or 2) unlocked and very loose.
Echostorm, Good leg in the front? Seems like it would be better with good leg in the back..I messed up my knee last year(operated on ACL) and went out with a brace that locked and I remember it being easier to ride with the locked leg in front.Maybe I am drawing too much from my snowboarding days..
I am also a bit weary of the boot idea. If she wipes out I don't want her leg to be ripped off because it is attached to the board.
Some additional thoughts:
Maybe something that allows for a small range of motion IE straight to ~15degrees. Now that I think of it maybe we can use my old knee brace that can lock and give the leg a range of motion between straight and 15degrees.
Anyone know of a saltwaterproof brace that can restrain to specific degrees of freedom?
This is what I have so far.
www.ossur.com/?PageID=4144
Another option maybe something to simply give the knee some flex but only under a lot of weight like a stiff knee brace. If the knee is unlocked and the brace forces the leg straight but under lots of weight will allow it to bend a little. That may work.
Maybe long term we can try and build something into the leg.. But Im not really a prosthetist but I can be pretty creative.. . At least for now I think we will try some external solutions and go from there..
Just thought I would share my thoughts incase it stimulates any thought from others and incase the 2 other people out there in the world 
who are considering one legged kiteboarding run across this post...
Did you check out the link I posted for the XT9 prosthetic?http://xt-9.com/
"The XT9 Energy Storing Prosthetic Knee (ESPK) for high activity above the knee amputees, is the first prosthesis designed to enable AK amputees to enjoy extreme sports at and an active life at the top level. Thanks to an aerospace grade, light weight knee frame and other space age materials and components, the XT9 prosthetic limb can withstand the forces generated in extreme sports activities by even the most active amputees.
Many sports were once impossible for Above Knee (AK) amputees because of limitations with their prosthetics. The XT9 prosthetic knee has overcome those limitations for amputees involved in extreme sports and active lifestyles.
Thanks to this new prosthetic device, sports like snowboarding are now possible for AK amputees around the world! The dynamic functions of the XT9 knee make it the only prosthetic limb that mimics real knee functions for all boarding activities.
Surfing and kite boarding have never been a consideration for amputees because most high activity prosthetics are not water proof like the XT9 is. It is the first high activity prosthesis that is warranted for water use. The non-corrosive materials and protective measures for this artificial limb include Titanium, aerospace grade Aluminum and a military spec anodization among others.
Wakeboarding with an above knee prosthesis has only been feasible since the invention of the XT9 High Activity Prosthetic Knee. Unlike any other artificial limb on the market, the XT9 allows dynamic flexion and hydraulic assistance for board control and absorption of shock when landing jumps and riding rough water. Thanks to the control the amputee has with the XT9, Above Knee amputees can now enjoy aggressive water sports on the same level as able-bodied athletes!"
Would another alternative to look at not be something like a kneeboard? You can strap yourself into a knee board
Cool stuff Tobes. By 65 I'll need new knees, hope the technology continues to improve at current rate.
Amazing what we can do as humans really.
thanks tobes. I had missed the link. Might be an option if she gets serious. Probably very expensive. The standard walk around legs cost around 50,000 us dollars. Thank god for medical insurance..
I also like the idea of a board of some sort. May be a good way to introduce her to the sport while her standing board skills develop. Not to say sitting will be all that easy. Strapped in may be a bit sketchy as well. We will have to experiment...
you should post your question on kiteforum, there was a girl with one arm who posted on there a few months ago - had some video of her learning.... amazing.
she ended up getting sponsorship from a few companies - and lots of support...ideas how to configure the bar to suit her etc.
also a few other people posted who also kite with disabilities.....
kiteforum appears to be down at the moment - otherwise would post the link....
What about the kite boat that Peter Lynn is developing? Looks like a cool alternative.
A kneeboard in flat water may be the way to go. Mark (mono) Stewart was an above knee amputee that won quite a few kneeboard surfing titles in his day; although he's more famous for his fishing charters nowadays. Anyone who has surfed Lennox, and seen him take on the get out on 1 flippered leg on slippery rocks has the utmost respect for him. His kneeboard was a thick four fin with a channel dugout on the deck for his good leg opposite his stump. This gave him a level platform to surf from. Dave Parkes kneeboards in Byron Bay could help there. Another safer option for learning could be crafting something from a couple of body boards (or other soft boards) stuck together with grip handles and a single toe strap at the end of the channel. Good luck
She can definately have a go.
There was an article in one of the kite magazines last year or the year before about a local (I don't know where, but it might have been New Caladonia or hawaii) who is an above the knee amputee and kites on a surfboard strapless, no prosthetic - he was a fill leg amputee so i assume could not have one fitted)
Aparently the guy is pretty good and helps kiters who are in trouble and newby's.
They had photos of the bloke and I remember being amazed.
I wish her luck. It will takes heaps of commitment to learn.
There are also tthose kite kayaks that i have seen in the latest Kiteworld that might be an alternative.
Good luck
Not to sound insensitive to any amputees...but wouldn't having metal legs have upsides too? i can tell you id love to have steel reinforced legs...maybe we can do a leg donor?
Might I sugest a mutant style board; it should enable riding both ways with minimal knee-type bending... heel-side to toe-side tacking, rather than switching feet to gybe... perhaps. Talk to some old mutant riders and pick their brains about stance and style etc.
Finally got a chance to really check out the xt-9 knee. It looks amazing! And the guy who created it seems like a pretty cool guy.. didn't let anything get in his way.. Kind of like all of us...
think about it...
What would you do in order to kiteboard again after loosing a leg.... ya, I don't think I would let anything get in my way either...
Thanks again for the link Tobes
I remember following this story closely when it first started....not for any personal reasons but more so out of sheer respect and wonder for those in this position...simply amazing.....
then last night...my hubby and I were lookin' thru some kiting photos...(as you do!) ....and came across these and it reminded me of this thread....http://www.kiteflix.com/photo.php?photo_id=457
www.kiteflix.com/photo.php?photo_id=455
www.kiteflix.com/photo.php?photo_id=448
awesome!!!
