I just watch the vid on the pkra website of the tenerife event - I was horrified with the wave riding - all strapped and doing backrolls -
If this is how we showcasing the wave side our sport then things are pretty grim. There were a couple of decent riders but most of it looked like freestylers on a surfboard.
If they put that show on at the goldy this year - the surfers will laugh them of the water.
this,ll really make you angry
huh? surfers don't know how to laugh, they are too busy being angry at everyone dropping in on them.
If your worried about surfers laughin at you go and surf? why try and copy another sport when your doing a completely different one?
Mitu is nuts, you don't get to be world champ for no reason. The way he rides is definitely going to be a big influence in the way kitesurf events are scored in the future.
If you don't like it, don't compete.
Personally i like it, the latest vid he has on the FOne site is nuts.
I agree sammy, i think that the strapped riding showed on that vid tends to give the impression of sh_t poley waveriding style, busting out flicks, and way over exagerating turns does not give the same look/feel as unstrapped being more pure and clean, in a couple of years some young groms will be doing all that without the straps, smoother and cleaner, hell they probably are now! sure strapped riding has its place but should that style be the main focus for kiting at the top level?? I think not.. The conditions in that looked fine for unstrapped riding, head high waves with nice consistent strong breeze. Take off the trainer wheels..
i agree but you can't expect much from the pkra. the euros froth on this sort of crud because they normally ride knee high wind slop.
Sammy are you saying you would rather ride like a girl, more your style. I bet you sit to piss as well.
If you want to kitesurf like a surfer,,,,just go surfing.
Kitesurfing is kitesurfing......not surfing
When kitesurfing you can ride a wave LIKE your surfing,,
but you can also jump and spin,,use the lift from the kite to float over a 15m closeout section,,,,,,that you cant do surfing.
Both are different sports,
both are heaps of fun.
That vid of Mitu and others of him I have seen look like he's having heaps of fun.
Im sure he is skilled enough to use the kite to tow him onto a wave then just surf the wave without useing the kite.
But if he was going to do that,he would probly not be lazy and just paddle out and have a surf.
Useing the lift and pull from the kite is what makes kitesurfing what it is,
It will never be pure surfing.
this endless loop of an argument comes up nearly as often as the eric vid. i bet this thread goes around in circles for 3 pages and ends up being locked.....
Thanks for the link. It was entertaining.
That was super windy!
What makes kitesurfing look gay, like windsurfing, is beginner crew (with cr@p kite skills) edging 30m out in front of the wave, way out of the power/suck zone. Then spinning around and carefully performing 1 turn to make as much spray as possible, then edging back out 30m out onto the flats. Even your Nana can see you're not involved with the wave.
Technically 'Surfing' is holding up on the good sections and surfing the face to the base.
Talk is cheap, sammyd, herbyburger and co. before posting any more comments why don't any of you post a vid of what you can do unstrapped in 30-40 knots, before writing off people with way more skilled than you will ever have in your wildest wet dream. All you do is TRY to talk the talk.......
^^^^or do you mean , What ever floats mr floats boat
how much wood could a wood chuck wood if a wood chuck could chuck wood......or something like that.