Just got off the phone and had a proper laugh about the idea of strapless windsurfing in the waves with board shaper MrX
Windsurfing has been around for along time, why haven't they progressed and lost the straps and made it like "highly respected" strapless kitesurfing?
Kite surfers have yet to catch up to windsurfing in terms of style and radical action.
Wave Kiting will never progress beyond lame surfing moves with out straps.
you can call the sport surfing with a kite, but never kitesurfing.
Look to the windsurfers for the future, not the soggy bottom boys paddling around in the drink
Their sail is connected to the board doofus... Besides I have seen a guy that does it strapless and is pretty good, but it is also pretty stupid.
Windsurfing is cool because they can loop off the lip and do silly things like gu-screws and stuff. All windsurfing would be without the straps is a lame big mal with a sail ontop.
Just because it hasn't progressed yet doesn't mean it can't. There aren't many people heavily concentrating on unstrapped aerials all the time so I'm not surprised for the most part its total crap. Putting straps on isn't the solution, making it easier to perform all the spins and flips by strapping-in you will have taken away any skill involved with actually performing the trick. Everyone will be able to do it and it can be done way more consistently, but that doesn't mean it's any good.
I'm sure windsurfers and whoever else are also laughing at the sky pirates dangling around above waves in straps.
Windsurfing and Kitesurfing are totally different sports and are built on a completely different approach to riding in general. I don't think you can really compare Kitesurfing and Windsurfing in waves to each other, just because one is unstrapped doesn't mean the other should be also.
Strapless sailboards would be so much closer to surfing.
With the the added bonus of extreme catapults!!!
WTF ... Why is everyone so worried about either sport being like surfing????
If your desire is to surf a wave like a surfer does.............
buy a surfboard and go friken surfing.
goes the same with what style of kiteing is pushing the sport forwards?????Does anyone really care if Jo Blow public man looks at you kiteing and thinks"he isnt moveing the sport forwards"?????
does anyone kite for their own enjoyment????? or
just worried about what the surfers or poledancers think you look like.
Who gives a ratsass ,,,,, as long as your having heaps of fun.
Just had 6 epic days of wind out of the last 8
Not really concerened if someone watching was upset I had straps or no straps.
The man with the biggest smile on the dial at the end of a session is the winner
^^^^^thats me at the moment
HAPPY DAYS
Oh that's great Lotofwind, 6 from 8, thanks for rubbing it in. Hope to be back in a couple more weeks (only 5000 or so more screws to go)
Bart David windsurfs strapless, using skyhook pads to press the side of his feet against. He was a top level strapped windsurfer, but injuries meant he had to lose the straps. He still does back loops strapless.
www.windsurfingtenerife.com/index.php?content_left=stories
There's a little bit of Bart sailing strapless in 50 knots in this video.
Way back in a previous life,
I used to sail with super loose straps.
And at various times I'd ride out of the straps.
So I guess I was nearly polesurfing strapless,
I was nearly core,
nearly progressive,
I was nearly legit.
Feet were removed from the straps for dredging, gybing and tacking.
The rest of the time you'd be wishing the board was planning to move back, kick in the straps and liven up the ride.
I think strapped windsurfing looks better. Strange well marketed riders go out kitestuffing around without straps.
Im not going to blow smoke up any ones bumm, This makes kitesurfing look average to me.
The Girls on the beach probably thinks they cant afford a proper kiteboard or something.
Sometimes they arrive in full cars and mini buses.
They arrive when you're on the outward tack and if you don't do something impressive in 2 mins they are gone, looking for a more suitable gene pool.