Anyone have any tips for me on how to get those soft landings after going huge?
I find myself holding back on my jumps as when i go truely massive, it inevitably throws my timing completely out to get the kite powered up just before landing. In the more controlled boosts, i tend to like to leave the kite behind me, and do a sharp re-direct across before landing which works well, but seems like a bit of a cheats way. When going huge, the kite has too much time to drift back to 12 instead of staying behind me, then i just drop down with the kite at 12 pretty fast, not quite knowing what to do. I kind of feel 'stuck' with the kite at 12, myself and kite floating downwind, not knowing which way to re-direct.
Looping the kite above my head seems like a good idea, but haven't had the guts to try this yet, as it doesn't feel like it will get round in time with power, and initiating a loop earlier seems like suicide from 20 feet up - catch 22. Or do i just suck it up and give it a crack.
Or is it just one of those aspects of kitesurfing that takes years of practice, timing and kite control. I progressed heaps in other areas of my riding this season, but this big boosting thing still seems like a bit of a dark art.
thanks,
Loop your kite just before you land. It's all about timing, your after lateral pull from your kite to soften the impact. Kite size and type will change when you loop, my rule was always dont loop higher than I want to land flat from until I got it dialled.
Your take off has a big impact aswell with how hard you come in, you want high jumps not long jumps as then your kite will have enough speed to soften your landing when driving it down from 12. Although in big winds, small kites and huge boosts nothing really stops you ending up travelling fast downwind. Loop is the only way from the nosebleeders
what type of kite bro? and what size?
your technique will change depending on the kite you use.
i find its all in the redirect. how and when you do it depends on the kite. but in general its redirect a lot sooner with slower bigger kites and leave it later on the smaller kites.
I have 15m flysurfer, 13m ozone edge, 10m c4, 6m reo, 10m manta 6m access.
every single one of those kites flies/jumps differently. if i've spent alot of time on one then switch to one of the others i find myself stalling mid air at the zenith and falling as you discribe. The problem goes away once i'm dialed back into that kite.
Lastly i also can hane that same problem if i don't have enough foward speed. So maybe try going faster into the jump?
Kite choice is certainly a big factor, you'll struggle to find a bigger boosting floaty soft landing kite than the ozone edge, if you wanna go massive give one a go
Running 2008 7/9/13 Ozone Instinct Sports.
Thanks for the tips, some things i can try out and work on. Like anything it's probably just a question of timing and practice. Plus getting that consistency on the launch/boost height so i can get that kite where i want it and go on feel, rather than thinking about it too much as a series of steps.
Cheers,
YO BRISKITES I'VE FLOWN AND TRIALED PLENTY ,BUT IT'S THE ONE FOR ME ,WHAT WOULD YOU SUGGEST
cauncy.
Ozone edge is a weapon that boosts huge and has fantastic glide and soft lands.
But. Its if i want insane endless paraglider like gliding and pillow soft landings i reach for my speed 3. The glide on that thing is insane. I've been higher on the edge but the speed wins wins the glide race to a factor of two to one.
But its a very different fish to fly than an lei. its alot slow with alot more entrained power when up to speed. it also have very different turning, jumping and flying characteristics.
So not a beast for everyone! but wind the glide race it does.
After that rant my ozone 10m c4 is the kite i prefer to fly the most on the water. Man its fun. its got bugger all float and you have to time the redirect like a surgeons scalple cut for a pillowy landing. but i don't give a shiit. looping, boosting, slashing waves just so much fun. more fun than the endless glide or speed 3 or edge!.
As has been said its all in the redirection of your kite! It can also help sheeting out to bring the kite over more abruptly (LEIs are more responsive when sheeted out), but as soon as the kite is coming across sheet in again to dampen the landing.
And I'm gonna pipe in on the edge debate, flew a 9 back to back with my 10 epic screamer and the screamer absolutely killed the edge in the glide department! The edges are definitely insane though... Out on a 9m in 12 knots boosting 4+. Thats an insult to kitesurfing that is!
^bump
So I have been getting some big air at times (at least it feels bloody high to me 
) and been wanting to try a loop when landing, just havent had the balls yet.
My question is, does it matter which way you loop? i.e pulling on the backhand or fronthand? I'm 105kg, ride a 12m switchblade, also at what point of the decent should I crank it?
Loop with the backhand unless it's a transition jump then it will be your front hand, This way the kite will be heading the same direction as you want to go.
Practice first with downloop transitions, hop to toeside, sheet bar out turn downwind and drive kite down and through rather than re-direct over the top, engage your new heelside edge and ride away.
This will give you a feel of room required to downturn your kite without putting it in the water, you may need to lift the kite toward 12 to give room for the downturn.
With loops, smaller kites need less time so youll loop closer to the water, think about 4ft for my 7 and 6-8 for my 10. Have the bar sheeted in when you do it here though. you want lateral pull to negate the rate your falling. You will land softer but with more speed.
A loop done just before landing will soften the landing it will not mess you up, kite loops only mess you up when they are thrown on take off or just after.
If you loop just before you land you are almost directly under the kite and the loop will give you a slight lift before impact an example of this is doing a darkslide the loop has very little side ways pull but will pop you up.
that's why we have a lot if variety.
Horses for courses, whatever gets your froth on really after all thats why we're all out there!
no matter the kite, your weight, or the conditions, the determining factor for length of float time, and soft landings, is one thing only.
Airspeed across the wing, and yes, our kites are wings.
a couple of guys in this thread have spoken about stalling. Stalling is when airspeed across the foil is less than the combined effects of gravity plus friction, so stall, gravity takes over = hard landing.
everything in the natural world that flies knows this, birds have wing shapes that determine their ability to fly. Ever see an albatross hover, a sparrow glide ?
in the close to 100 years of manmade fight, we have worked this out, so our planes wings are designed to do specific things (why are high performance glider wings long and thin ?
so to us mortals who want float and landings we can immeadiately transition into the next move, work out how to create and maintain speed across the foil.
Some things we can control;
* kite size/shape, overall weight, directional speed, direction of travel, trimming the kite (don't choke it ! .. it stalls !), etc
Some things we can't;
* wind direction and speed, clear air etc
compare what you wish to do with that already existing in nature, and man made .. and then if you are anything like me you will be amazed by how many f*#kups posing as "cool" are out there just waiting for you to throw dough at !
to land "soft" = controlled speed & direction as mark shinn vid shows
yo mickee, I fly cab switchys and these things turn slow. it takes serious balls to loop these after a big boost!
what works for me. boost then kite to 12 for that lovely float and no forward rotation.
about half way down pull on your back hand a bit then pull hard on your front hand.
you'll land fast but soft
if your forward rotating or kite is dropping out the sky then the kite is spending too much time behind you.
if your landing hard then your pulling too hard or too early on your front hand
happy flying
Hi MickeeH,
Going uber huge and landing soft is much easier than you think. The trick is to loop your kite just before landing.
If you can imagine, during a huge boost the kite wants to get back to neutral position in the wind window. The closer it gets to this point, the less lift is being created, so you fall faster.
In the event of a massive boost, your wind window takes on a 3D position because as you begin to descend, your falling creates an apparent wind direction with some upward movement in it, which, when taken in relation to the normal wind window, moves your neutral upwind of your person. When you hit the water, the wind window suddenly goes back to 2D and your kite can be a loooong way upwind of the 2D neutral position. This causes the kite to fall or luff generally upwind of where you are.
The beauty of the extreme upwind neutral of the 3D wind window is that if you leave the kite at neutral for most of the duration of the jump, and upon the beginning of the descent, you loop it, the kite will be well upwind of you, you loop the kite tightly and it will loop mostly above your head. This will create very little downwind pull but will create enough kite speed to develop lift and prevent you from falling hard.
A little practice will see you greasing in soft landings. To AMP it up a little after you're bored with safe landings, you can start looping the kite before the apex of the jump. The height you get will allow you a soft but scary fast landing downwind. As always, take it slowly at first.
When I loop my Edges after mega boosting I wait until my descent starts to accelerate and then slow, or what I call "lazy loop" it, this creates a very soft landing, but not before a radical change in trajectory just before impact and a screamer of a fast landing. Heaps of fun!
Go do it!
DM
Hey guys,
What would be considered big enough to try a loop on landing?
I jump my edge around 5-6m high, staying in the air for around 4 seconds. I redirect it hard on landing and most of the time get a fairly soft one, with a bit of speed. On occasion I get my timing wrong and do a nice ass splat.
I havent had the balls to try a loop on landing even though I have done plenty of down loops on turns and am pretty familiar with how much pull I will get from the kite.
What's the safest scenario to try one? I want to minimise the chance of getting injured if I get it wrong.
Thanks
Thought I'd add some experience to the topic after today having to finally get out my piece of sheit 8m bandit3 in the 30-40 knot winds we got this arvo, for me this is a fully powered affair! (comfortable flying this kite up to just over 30)
But anyway, I found again the best way to land softly is timing, BUT today as the winds were so strong it was hard to get under 5m airs with the majority being around double that, with a couple larger again. The only way to maintain control of the kite wasn't steering slightly forward on decent until the time comes to steer aggressively... but you actually have to steer the kite from left to right a few times above your head on the decent flight (making sure it's in the right position to bring it across the window for landing). What this does is maintain the apparent wind keeping the kite slightly forward, ensuring not swinging under the kite without gaining excessive speed.
Just adding some light for a different style of kite/kiting overpowered.
