Hi I just wanted to compare progression out there. I've been totally hooked on kiting for exactly 2 years to date and in the mean time I've rearranged my work, holidays, relationships, friends and location around kiting.
I started at the beginning of 2011 riding flexifoil ion 2 & 3's and by the end of the season could get comfortablely upwind and do nice carving transitions. Then in the 2012 season I bought 3 naish torches, ronix boots and learnt to do kiteloops, down loop transitions, backrolls, front rolls and ride a strapless 6'2" surfboard.
Now I've upgrade my quiver to 2012 slingshot fuels and I'm doing huge kiteloops, unhooked kiteloops on my sb, and practicing sbends and f16's. I found the fuels a much more smooth refined kite than the torch, with more grunt and better glide. The looping power is more consistent and so is the pop.
It's been a fun ride investing everything into kiting and enjoying the huge rewards of fun, feeling great and getting fit! My life would be complete if I could just locate that elusive, cute kiter girl who is preferably single!
How has everyone else progressed and what are the flat water people unhooking and looping riding?
kinda repeating myself from the other thread so il just re-post
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 fronts
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 and do no boards - i dont give a **** if others think airstyle is 'so oldschool' but some of those things look awesome and would be an achievement to have under anyone's belt
What kites have you had arloj? It's interesting that I've noticed among my 15 or so kiter friends that the people who progress quickest in the freestyle / wakestyle department are those with C4's, torches and fuels.
iv got the 9m park 12' and the 11' 6m park, i went for the all rounder type kite as i play in the surf a bit too..im keen to trade in for a evo or fuse just to get that extra boost i keep hearing about the 2. tomorrow il be taking out a rebel for a demo to get a feel for the fuse
Nice work, any videos sir?
I'm at the 1 and a half year mark, have 3 Cabrinha Switchy's 12 10 and 8, and am focusing on the kiteloops at the moment. I'm comfortable with the unhooked kiteloops but I can't do them hooked yet. Soon.