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G'day all.
I know this has been answered before but the question was asked by much lighter riders.
I'm new to the sport, only had 5 or so sessions and am practicing water starts and riding down and up wind. Im climbing the walls to get out as much as possible but im unsure as to what level of gusting is safe. Im told my gear maxes out at around 25knts but was wondering how much i need to worry about the gap between average wind and the gust?
I've got 2016 cab Switch Blade 12m with cab spectrum 144 board. I weigh 87kgs.
Currently im seeing winds around 15knts gusting to 22-25knts, significant jump... Should i just get out there or safety first and wait for more consistent wind?
Thanks in advance for advice.
Cheers
Hi Luke,
Studying the local weather patterns is the most important here. That probably wasn't covered in your lessons so you should ask local kiters/instructors about the various wind/weather patterns in your area.
At this stage, you should probably avoid kiting in storm fronts (dark clouds) which typically brings unpredictable, very gusty and potentially dangerous wind conditions.
Having up to 5 knots variation in the wind speed is considered pretty "normal'' and safe. Between 5-8 knots variation is starting to be less enjoyable and less safe, more than 8 knots variation, you're asking for trouble as a newbie, and is really not that enjoyable for most kiters really.
What most people don't know is that DOUBLE the wind speed = FOUR times the power in your kite! So if the wind is gusting to 25 knots, that means you have at least 3 times more power than in 15 knots.
Your board size is HUGE, even considering your body weight. This size of board enters in the ''light wind'' category, it will be much harder to enjoy in high winds and choppy conditions as it is difficult to edge. With your current size of kite/board at your body weight, you shouldn't really exceed 20 knots.
Your best bet is to get a much smaller second-hand board (keep the big one for light days), something like 132-135cm. This way you won't need to buy a second kite for now and should be able to enjoy winds slightly above 20 knots (Max 25) on that same 12m kite. Smaller boards can handle so much more power and will force you to develop proper edging/riding technique.
Then obviously buying a second kite for higher winds like a 9m would be a good idea. When you get more experienced you won't have much use for such a big board anymore, unless it's 15 knots or less.
hope this helps
Christian
Thanks mate.
I didnt know double wind speed = 4 x power, thats crazy. ill try to stick to guts below 8 knots.
Board felt huge, guy in the shop told me it was perfect, might try return it.
Thanks again.
Where abouts r u Lukey?
Goldy, Brisvegas or further north?
If ur down south the northerlies tend to be a bit more forgiving, not as gusty....but if u sit around waiting for perfect days, u won't be kiting much.
I wouldn't take that board back yet, take Christian's advice and keep it for lighter days. I'm slightly heavier than u and started on a 145 with the 12m Switchy.
I believe it was a great combo for learning and with the bigger board gets u up and planing early. I now ride a 136.
I've said it before and will say it again....Can we get an "Ask Christian" sticky up the top corner of the noob section????
He's on the money with great advice every single time.....keep it up dude 
Hey Gilly I'm in Brisbane (kiting Sandgate) and on weekends on the gold coast (Broadwater).
I had a chat to the shop i got the board from and they would be happy to swap it, i was thinking even at 141 or so it might be a bit more versatile so next purchase could be a second smaller kite rather than a smaller board.
Yeah that makes sense. Ill jump on something around the 137 mark and get out there. Cheers.
Bigger kites in lighter winds have a smaller range.
A 10 knot swing is pretty challenging on a 12m. But on a small kite in higher winds you can handle a bigger range.
Some experienced guys can fly in winds with 20 knot swing say 20 to 40 knots on a 6m.
But the reality is it's not that much fun!
The key factor is to select the kite that can handle the biggest gust of the session. Most injuries occur in gusty winds where they select a kite that is too big for the max gust.
There's a run down on forecasting and gust tolerances in this video:
kite size is usually picked for the normal wind not the gusts. Gusts become a problem when despite depowering you still have significant pull on the kite. On the water you can just edge harder to absorb significant pull during a gust but it is annoying if it happens too often. On land it is even more annoying as you really have to dig your heels in which isn't really safe.
Kiting in a way has developed that people rather surf overpowered rather than underpowered whereas in the past it was more common for people to fly underpowered as you couldnt depower the kite effectively...
I'd say 144 isn't actually a big board, when you move into freestyle you'll appreciate being able hold speed between landings
