Seen on another forum the Elf kites and Chrono (high aspect ram airs) being banned from kiteracing due to safety considerations. If they go down in light winds they're hard to see and not bouyant.
Plus, they are winning...
To advance the sport of kitesurfing and development of light wind gear, isnt this a step backwards???
Kiting’s apex body is set to consider a near-immediate ban on foil kites for Formula course board racing, ostensibly over safety fears for competitors.
The International Kiteboarding Association’s (IKA) annual general meeting next Tuesday (Nov 4) is likely to debate measures put forward by the Polish Kiteboarding Association (PKA) that would effectively outlaw ram-air kites from the beginning of next year.
The move has stirred bitter controversy among Formula kite racers as the devastatingly efficient and quick foil kites have revolutionized the course board discipline this season, leaving those flying Leading-Edge Inflatable (LEI) kites trailing.
For many riders the key difficulty was that only two manufacturers – Ozone with the Chrono and St Petersburg-based Elf with the Joker – had put resources into pioneering the new generation of foil kites that took the race scene by storm.
In particular North Kiteboarding team riders – including women’s world champion Steph Bridge and son Olly, men’s European champion – had to use North-badged Elf foil kites in order to be competitive against Ozone riders.
However, the number of riders who turned up to compete at the Formula kite World, African and European championships was dramatically down on the previous year. Some argue the biggest factor for the fall was the expense and lack of availability of foil kites, without which riders felt at a big disadvantage. A few racers left the Worlds early, disheartened their campaign was doomed riding LEI kites.
But the PKA, which hosted the European championships in Mielno in September, argues in its submission likely to be aired by the IKA at the forthcoming meeting in Palma de Mallorca, Spain, that the foil kites pose grave risk to riders because of a lack of buoyancy – unlike tube kites – when in the water.
Solution to the issue is a one way valve inlet so they don't deflate once launched, and with rear deflation valve possibly electronic wireless technology to assist in in out air......
Hmmmm future kites, I think a dude from the states has a working prototype with an open close valve system using air pressure or somthing like that....
PKA racing ban is more about cost but as all technology gets cheaper after the R & D phase......watchvthis space two years on & I think it will be back on like DK
My 2 cents
Textile technology is just evolving so fast with 3D printing, maybe a fabric that stays flexed and full of rammed air but with a depower line like the ozone snow kites that change the fabrics shape to let air out when you want or need to so it stays inflated even on the water.?
Check out CELLULAR TEXTILES Bradley Rothenberg
www.bradleyrothenberg.com
farkin amazing..... another biotechnology guy has worked out how to make fabric stiff with a very low electronic current even a small battery...combine the two?
Hey Peeps,
As much as I hate to see the retarding of the limits of this sport, it is probably for the best.
Every form of elite formula class racing becomes almost extinct due to cost and the technical nature requiring upgrades every year. I'm not sure about the safety side of things with foils to warrant a ban, and they are hardly a new part of the sport. Our sport was actually born from the days of foil kites.
I'd rather see the sport stick with LEI's as the world race class as they are more accessible, have greater second hand appeal to the average punter and will allow the race class to prosper well into the future. There is strength in solid classes, if people are dropping out already due to cost and the inability to access the latest foils, then the beginning of the end has begun already, just as it is gaining traction.
I would like to see production class LEI racing as the main discipline with foils (both board and kite) having an unlimited class as separate to the world tour but not having the same weight as the main class.
Just thoughts. Pushing the top elite end will end the racing scene in just a few years. Look at other forms of foil racing, it is all made up of clubs of two or three boats.
Any sailor will tell you that only the one design classes are strong. Some of the strongest classes in the world are not necessarily the fastest. Look at 470's, 49'ers, Finns, Lasers etc. These are all Olympic classes and are strong the world over. Kiting is closest to Foil moths which are almost extinct.
Windsurfing was MASSIVE with one design racing. Once they went elite and more exciting, it rung the death knell for the class. For the best possible long term outcome in our young sport, we should steer clear from the foil side of it and promote an affordable, accessible and even one design class which would grow to massive numbers and be a strong contender for Olympic longevity.
DM
I don't get the cost argument? according to Kitepower website:
Ozone Edge 15m = $2379
Ozone Chrono 15m = $2499
There doesn't seem to be much in it?
I reckon there's got to be some truth to it that some manufacturers have been caught without a viable competitive product.
Watching the Kitefoil Goldcup races in Townsville with the foil kites was super exciting - 30 knots of board speed in 12-15 knots of wind, fantastic!
polish proposal www.scribd.com/document/243721556/Appendix-to-submission-PL01-FINAL-pdf an online poll there was 166 pro foil kites and only 6 against foil kites. Australia voted pro foil kites
Select to expand quoteActionSportsWA said..
Hey Peeps,
As much as I hate to see the retarding of the limits of this sport, it is probably for the best.
Every form of elite formula class racing becomes almost extinct due to cost and the technical nature requiring upgrades every year. I'm not sure about the safety side of things with foils to warrant a ban, and they are hardly a new part of the sport. Our sport was actually born from the days of foil kites.
I'd rather see the sport stick with LEI's as the world race class as they are more accessible, have greater second hand appeal to the average punter and will allow the race class to prosper well into the future. There is strength in solid classes, if people are dropping out already due to cost and the inability to access the latest foils, then the beginning of the end has begun already, just as it is gaining traction.
I would like to see production class LEI racing as the main discipline with foils (both board and kite) having an unlimited class as separate to the world tour but not having the same weight as the main class.
Just thoughts. Pushing the top elite end will end the racing scene in just a few years. Look at other forms of foil racing, it is all made up of clubs of two or three boats.
Any sailor will tell you that only the one design classes are strong. Some of the strongest classes in the world are not necessarily the fastest. Look at 470's, 49'ers, Finns, Lasers etc. These are all Olympic classes and are strong the world over. Kiting is closest to Foil moths which are almost extinct.
Windsurfing was MASSIVE with one design racing. Once they went elite and more exciting, it rung the death knell for the class. For the best possible long term outcome in our young sport, we should steer clear from the foil side of it and promote an affordable, accessible and even one design class which would grow to massive numbers and be a strong contender for Olympic longevity.
DM
Action not entirely sure where your getting your stats but they are a little wrong, The Moth worlds in Mornington VIC in january have 145 entries. Thats hardly EXTINCT.
all of the americas cup teams will be represented with arguably the best line up of sailors ever in a single fleet.
IMO
agree need to somewhat limit but not yet, when we lock into olympics then lock it in, until then lets go wild and see what we can push to.
one design sailing is the go i totally agree where lasers are probably the only cheap form of sailing i competed in 470 olympic sailing for 7 years and hardly cheap, sails lasted us 3 regattas, boats last a year maybe 2, needed 2 boats 1 to train and 1 to race, shipping trailer car hire etc yearly bill was around 60-80k.
49ers, finn, cats the same. although the laser and 49er are the only one design class, 470, and finn you bring your own boat, sails masts which you can help design and build to your specs. similar to a box rule.
What most don't seem to recognise it that a full setup of kite gear each year is a much cheaper option to race at a level of racing like this. so 5 kites, 2x fins and a board yearly is what 15k? yes thats a lot to joe average that its a hobby not a sport but take someone in sailing, a melges 24 costs 50k second hand, moth 22k new, kite racing really is a cheap form of sailing, and resale isn't that bad, boards and fins maybe yeah ;)
I think opposite for our class, lets keep it extreme and that alone will keep people interested, how wicked was the foiling AC for example, how much interest does it generate when people see race boards or foiling boars killing it around a bay. limiting our sport now will turn us into v8 super cars, lets be F1's 
Select to expand quoteFreeRyder said..
Solution to the issue is a one way valve inlet so they don't deflate once launched, and with rear deflation valve possibly electronic wireless technology to assist in in out air......
Hmmmm future kites, I think a dude from the states has a working prototype with an open close valve system using air pressure or somthing like that....
PKA racing ban is more about cost but as all technology gets cheaper after the R & D phase......watchvthis space two years on & I think it will be back on like DK
My 2 cents
They do - it's called a "closed cell" foil.
Even with two large, always open holes for dirt-outs at the tips, foils float for ages and in light wind, the empty material will float on their surface of the water.
But its been so long since I dumped any of my foils in the water...
I heard they were going to ban any kites with oversize valves and all kites must have a fifth line.
At the end of the day - just like Moto Gp and F-1... they reduced engine capacity and fuel type and everyone started to think a lot smarter outside the box.
The result being progression though initially pissing everyone off 
Select to expand quoteSaveTheWhales said..
At the end of the day - just like Moto Gp and F-1... they reduced engine capacity and fuel type and everyone started to think a lot smarter outside the box.
The result being progression though initially pissing everyone off
And they went even faster...
Fair suck of the sav......12 months ago, LEI's dominated racing, did they ban the LEI....No... Foils designers went back to the drawing board, now LEI designers need to reevaluate their designs..
B
