So the so far awesome season if just over half way. The wind will pick up again tomorrow and we're back on the water, with yet another week of glorious green SW arrows coming up!
I couldnt have asked for a better 2nd season. From mowing the lawn to Boosting High to backrolls, loads of grabs and different transitions varying heelside and toeside.
My goal is to learn how to properly load and pop and do a backroll with a grab before the end of the season!
What have you taught yourself this year and what are you working on? Do you have a goal for the end of the season?
Everyone Enjoy the second half of the season! May it be even better than the first!
3rd Summer this year.
Im an avid believer in setting goals of improvement, that how I keep the stoke alive.
Started the year off with learning unhooking moves.
Wave surfing improved 1000% (thanks to the Lano/Wedge downwinders)
Freestyle improved with by adding loops to moves, transistions ect.
Most important factor!
Met stacks of awesome new crew, made some great freinds and had a ball doing what I love.
I learned how to land kiteloops.
Then I learned how to land double kiteloops.
Then I broke my twintip...
Then I learned to ride strapless surfboard.
New twin tip arrives this week... !
For me this has been a season of unhooking and looping. So far I've broken the tip off 2 twin tips and snapped the nose off a surfboard.
My goals are to get my raileys huge, unhooked back and front rolls inverted, and land s-bends and f16's by the end of the season.
My biggest milestone though was finding a secret spot down south with buttery flat water every sw'erly, where I've never seen another kite. One of my mates is on probation for two counts of telling 2 non kites where it is on Australia day. That's the hardest part, keeping it a secret when your mega stoked and on the red cans!
I'm one month into my first season and loving it so far.
Got lessons.
Learnt how to stand.
Accidentally learnt how to ride toeside.
Got some gear.
Waiting on some good wind (tomorrow after work hopefully).
Before winter I want to try some jumping and riding in the surf. Also want to learn how to handle stronger wind, also learn how to self launch and land.
For me the stoke was finding new spots to kite and also branching out in terms of freestyle tricks.
I used to just mow the lawn each season content with doing small carve turns and stuff but this season I've been mastering transitions and backrolls and other spins. Loads of fun!
Without kitesurfing I don't know what I'd be doing with my life as nearly all my choices in life (work, relationships, travel) boil down to whether or not I will be able to kitesurf.
Zarb - if you're in NSW Metro, we're looking forward to a wicked week! Lets hope the forecast stays true.
I learnt that Stingrays only need about 5 cm of water on an incoming tide and that no matter how much splashing you make they don't move.
Dex - I'm a little further south. Hopefully it's as good as Syd! If it is, I'll be mowing the **** out of that lawn.
What is this season thing you talk of? my kiting is year round. there is no stopping and starting for a season. only flying different sized kites in different conditions.
What have i learned?
Less fear in stupid and big conditions. I can now go out on a manic day and have huge fun where previously I would just be packing myself.
getting better at boosting off one wave lip then landing on the next one down looping and riding that wave back.
working on a mid wave ride boost to land back on the same wave. pretty cool when i can bust that one out too.
Started on the 01/11/12 , can backroll, do a deadman, lots of different grabs and some nice boosts and also made sure i was able to self launch/land without assistance or tether for those exploration sessions. Have quickly progressed through boards starting from a best Quito (is that right) to a chopstick and now a shinn monk..was quite funny actually using a mates TT 18'' bigger than my monk today
Have kited woodman pt/meville/piñaroo/mullaloo/Lancelin/Jurien/dongara/all around gero/horrocks/carnarvon and denham
Been out in 12kn to 39kn and met a lot of awesome people, sad to say but the further away you kite from Perth the friendlier an more inviting kiters are (in my opinion)
Today was the first time I rode a sb, And at that strapless.
I don't plan on dropping everything when winter comes i think it would be a wasted opportunity to progress if i weren't to take on the frontss
Every time I go out I learn something, whether it be tweaking just a minute thing to landing some weird crazy grab.
Next thing on the list is to kite loop
I think you've done incredibly well arloj in 3 months. Must be that superman green wettie you wear hahaha.
My story is converted from wavesailing last feb at 52yo. Loved it! Went straight to strap surfboard which was probably a mistake, should have done tt first as transitions simpler.
Have done 15,000 gybes and more or less nailed it. Enjoying wave riding and jumping. Down wind waves sailings lack good kite control and top turn aggression but am loving it.
So much to learn, but feel I am riding with a wavesailing template. I need to loosen up and do the Eppo / plummet dog styling. Or at least not be so narrow in my approach.
Lucky I have 30 years to go to nail it haha
Hey Dave, now take the straps off man. Or at least the back on to start with.
Hey bought a crazy fly skim of Westoz. Man has that opened up an entirely new dimension to this sport, not to mention getting out in stupidly low winds.
Last two sessions spent more time in the water than I have in years...
Hmmm straps are my savior, my safety, i am happy once I get in the straps, why remove them! Maybe that is your point Eppo.
What's a crazy fly skim ? (I know I could google it, but your explanation will be more interesting) and are you surviving being back in front of the black/white board mate ?
Start on those flat days. not saying ditch the straps over all just add strapless to your skills it teaches you a hell of a lot about weight transfer and kite control. awesome feeling of freedom to.
well it's projectors and laptops now but same same. first class had yr12 specialist maths (engineering to be students) then next had the 5th stream (bottom of the bottoms) year 9s. From complex number induction proofs to 'breathe in, breathe out'. That does ya head in about having to adjust. Lol.
This season I took up kitesurfing and on my second lesson managed to have an accident and tear my ACL so am out until March. The upside is I have learned very early how to avoid injury in the future, have had plenty of time to scour seabreeze for tips and made contacts to go out kitesurfing with when my knee recovers :)
I reckon we are closer to the end of the season
Traditionally feb is the last month and March scratching for sessions as daylight and wind disappear for the after work sessions
sooo a heads up for a push on for everybody's progression goals
I was only on an 11m edge...excuse my ignorance, I kited from geries to avalon...passed chicken reef...is dutchies out there??
If it was a guy spending a lot of time sucking sea water at the end of each tack...that was me...feel like a beginner again...fun as! Except out at sea, gotta get that sorted, think I should be learning this on flat water but too much westerley in it.
After 3 lessons and maybe 2 / 3 sessions (of mixed success..) on the water i've learnt that, above everything else, all the kiters i've come across have been decent, friendly blokes who are happy enough to help a noob out!