He guys.
I was out kiting today and almost lost my board upwind of me. Thank god I could get it back but it was a close call. Bodydragging upwind is not as easy in 22 knot winds as I thought.
I am getting very mixed opinions from people. some say it's great for when u are a beginner because you won;t be doing any big jumps yet so it wont whip back at ya.
Some people say not to get it at all cause it can whip at ya no matter what.
Any suggestions anyone?
Don't use one myself but a retractable one is the go they retail at about 70 dollars i
Kiteboard leashes are cool and happening, I wear one all the time everywhere I go. it conveniently Attaches to my batman utility belt and is a real conversion starter with "the ladies".
It usually goes something along the lines of... "HEY CREEP STOP FOLLOWING ME, AND WHAT THE HELL IS THAT THING ON YOUR BATMAN UTILITY BELT..??!!!"
take the time learn how to body drag in all conditions.
at the end of the day its better to loose a board than any head injury.
in 03 i was kiting with a leash. board hit me in the face fractured eye socket and broke my nose, nearly lost an eye, nearly lost my hearing, nearly lost teeth. still have nerve damage in my face. cost me a deposit on a house through the expense of a medivac from PNG to australia for surgery.
i was kiting with a 16m in 15 knots.
... change that to, have you ever seen anybody who knows how to kite using a reel leash?
If losing your board is a real problem for you there's a simple and cheap solution. Go to a boating shop and buy a couple of 6" styrene floats for abot $9 each.http://www.biasboating.com.au/product_p/2602.htm
Tie one on each side of the board handle between the handle and the strap. They're small enough to not be in the way, but big enough to hold your board up to make it visible. They look less dorky than the Go Joe thing and are less than a 1/4 the price.
I don't launch kiters wearing board leashes. I tell them why. Sometimes they're grateful, sometimes grumpy, but that's not my problem.
And another one......
If your technique is OK, Id suggest your kite is too big for the conditions, It is hard to bodydrag upwind when overpowered. Try depowering your kite and doing things slow, especially when changing directions. Bodydrag one way for about 20secs, looking at your board every 5 secs, change direction very slowly and you should be at your board in 3 tacks.
BTW, I think this was Lancellin, not me, I wish I had that much hair
Cheers dude, due to apparent wind theory, the slower you go the more upwind you can get, hold the bar with your rear hand and use your front hand as a rudder, as I said 3 tacks and keep looking at the board every 5 secs or so and its as easy as pie
As per previous posts - and photos - don't use a board leash!
Keep practicing upwind body dragging until you can do in a variety of conditions - light and strong winds.
Some more tips: kitesurfing-handbook.peterskiteboarding.com/progression/upwind-body-dragging
Try heel straps. When I was learning they were invaluable. You can still come out of them at times, but I reckon they keep the board on your feet when you stack about 75% of the time. You can buy cheap rubber ones for less than $10, but they split after a while. I tracked down some heavy duty neoprene ones from Dakine for about $30, well worth the money and they can't put a gash in your head
Can't remember where from but was in WA.
Can't remember where from but was in WA.
Think of Body dragging as punishment for not doing a trick, flying your kite correctly. It will make you learn faster from your mistakes if you keep losing your board and have to drag to it.
Can't remember where from but was in WA.
Can't remember where from but was in WA.
No probs with q's rick. The Dakine straps have, from memory, 3 holes on each side for varying foot sizes. All you need is to put your binding bolt through the hole and you're done. It can be a bit tricky though. My bolts were just the right length for the job already, so it was a bit of work to screw them in with the heelstraps as well. It would have been easier if the bolts were a bit longer. Quick trip the local bolt shop would have done the trick. The tyre tubes will work, as will cheaper rubber straps, but the Dakine have been on my board for a few years now, a mate who is learning now uses the board. Before that, I replaced the rubber ones 3 times.
one disadvantage of heel straps I have seen is if one foot comes out it can be very hard to ditch the board resulting in the board twisting your knee. It can happen without them but no where near as easily.
Fair point. I've had a few occasions when the board has dug in and one foot stayed in place. I felt some stress but nothing lasting. I remembered my wife's board also has the straps so I checked, they are called Dakine Raptors.
I saw a guy do a tightarse, Go joe (an inflatable thingy that goes around your handle. He used a small strut, tied it in a knot around his handle and blew it up. Sure it looked like a big condom, but like condoms they work (well most of the time).
. An instructors tip# When teaching someone to bodydrag, after they have got reasonably good, Id throw a board 10m upwind of them and make sure they are competent to get back to the board, before ever thinking about teaching them the waterstart. The IKO is a great lesson guide, but you can modify it slightly to make it more competency based for what a bodydrag is all about. Of course write your name and phone number on your board. It only costs you a carton to get it back, a pretty good investment on a $700-$1000 board.
