I saw this happen, it was lucky the wind abated for a bit and they got it down. At first I thought another beginner but apparently his bar broke in half. Being the current model kite I would be questioning the quality of North gear...!
2013 by the looks of it.... I would be putting up photos on Norths Facebook page and be asking for a replacement!
OK I am a begginer and I am wondering how can this happen. Broken bar so what? won't the kite just de-power?
Looks like a C shaped kite so maybe it dosen't depower enough. But surely after releasing the safety it would depower?
It's a rebel, one of the most common kite out there, not a C-shape kite...
Still the question is valid, how did this happened??? ok if the chickenloop broke, but the bar???
To me it looks like a kite blown away after being left sitting on the beach...
Not sure if putting that photo online is a good idea.. those who have an axe to grind against the sport may use it as an example 'look, this sport is crazy dangerous, think of the children, waaaaa' etc. Fun photo though 
Spoke with the guy and saw the bar. Clean in half. He wasn't a noob. He was 20m out at sea when it happened and he swam in. Just one of the downfalls of kiting at Brighton when it is straight onshore.
I have a 2013 vegas and as much as I love it, the bar is a complete piece of crap. The leash has already come apart, the elastic straps on the side have come loose, and the lines already feel more worn than my 2009 Core bar.
Select to expand quotechino said...
Spoke with the guy and saw the bar. Clean in half. He wasn't a noob. He was 20m out at sea when it happened and he swam in. Just one of the downfalls of kiting at Brighton when it is straight onshore.
I have a 2013 vegas and as much as I love it, the bar is a complete piece of crap. The leash has already come apart, the elastic straps on the side have come loose, and the lines already feel more worn than my 2009 Core bar.
Save your self the heart ache and break your bar in halve and send it back to the manufacturer
NO IT WAS A VERY WORN OLD NORTH BAR ON A NEW KITE.GUYS A VERY GOOD VERY HARD FREESTYLE RIDER.AS I SAID TO HIM WHAT A BUMMER JUST REINFORCES CHECK URE GEAR FOR WARE AND TEAR BEFORE KITING. ALSO SHOWS HOW TUFF THE REBELS ARE THIS YEAR
CAPS LOCK IS ON THE LEFT HAND SIDE OF YOUR KEYBOARD!!! AND ITS OBVIOUSLY STUCK ON!!!!!!
Tough rebels? looks very broken to me!
Yeah the guy has been kite boarding for a year or two, I thought it lofted up off the beach and the bar broke when it hit the lines? Pretty lucky the wind pushed it down between the two houses, the guy was pissed they jumped his fence lol.
Keep this up and councils will enforce even more restrictions on us. It only takes few calls from pissed off residents or beach goers.
Select to expand quoteSpaceCoyote said..
Keep this up and councils will enforce even more restrictions on us. It only takes few calls from pissed off residents or beach goers.
Nah. They are piss weak. Look how far the cycling lobby got with them about road closures on weekends and no parking. If they can do it, so can the kiter community.
Select to expand quotesuniboy21 said...
CAPS LOCK IS ON THE LEFT HAND SIDE OF YOUR KEYBOARD!!! AND ITS OBVIOUSLY STUCK ON!!!!!!
Tough rebels? looks very broken to me!
Haha il pay that
Select to expand quotechino said..
Spoke with the guy and saw the bar. Clean in half. He wasn't a noob. He was 20m out at sea when it happened and he swam in. Just one of the downfalls of kiting at Brighton when it is straight onshore.
...
It begs the obvious question, how does a bar breaking in half end up with a kite on the roof of a house? He's still got the front lines and chicken loop and the safety line attached. Did he hit the quick release? Why?
Select to expand quoteGorgo said..chino said..
Spoke with the guy and saw the bar. Clean in half. He wasn't a noob. He was 20m out at sea when it happened and he swam in. Just one of the downfalls of kiting at Brighton when it is straight onshore.
...
It begs the obvious question, how does a bar breaking in half end up with a kite on the roof of a house? He's still got the front lines and chicken loop and the safety line attached. Did he hit the quick release? Why?
Even if you pulled quick release with a broken bar the kite should stay attached right?
Not if you pulled the quick release to the harness, or if the leash broke (which is not unusual).
I saw it happen too. I had come in as I was overpowered from a front that had just blown through taking the wind from 12-18 knots to high 20s within seconds.
I was surprised at how high the Rebel flew in the air once detached from the rider. A couple of guys tried to grab the bar that was dangling below as it flew past at 40-50 kph! Even if they had of got a hand on the bar I doubt they could have reined that in...
Quite a lucky escape as they kite went across / above 3-4 lanes of medium-flow traffic and could have caused an accident.
Select to expand quoteGorgo said..
Not if you pulled the quick release to the harness, or if the leash broke (which is not unusual).
The options are 1) leash broke, 2) leash safety deployed/released, 3) no leash used.
And the first safety must have been deployed, or the chicken loop unhooked (no donkey dick?)
It would seem this could have been avoided. Any kite off the beach and onto/over the road, power lines &/or houses is not definitely good.
Select to expand quotepgc said..
got a new key board problem solved
The shift key is below the cap lock key, full-stop is two over from the 'm'.
You may need to get the space bar checked out as its suggesting you've got a keys on your board... ;-)
Select to expand quotepgc said..
NO IT WAS A VERY WORN OLD NORTH BAR ON A NEW KITE.GUYS A VERY GOOD VERY HARD FREESTYLE RIDER.AS I SAID TO HIM WHAT A BUMMER JUST REINFORCES CHECK URE GEAR FOR WARE AND TEAR BEFORE KITING. ALSO SHOWS HOW TUFF THE REBELS ARE THIS YEAR
Dosn't prove anything except that north bars especially the old ones must be crap. How does it prove rebels are tough. PGC you obviously love your north Kites.
So... have we heard *how* this happened? Did the bar break, and then the leash broke?
Gear failure is one aspect but the forecast is the other. I was very mindful of the possibility of very high winds and stormy nature. Wind was erratic
If in doubt...don't go out....there will be another day....play it safe.
On Sat at Brighton 2 guys were kiting in offshore winds, drop your kite or board and you're in trouble. As it was one drifted and landed well past the surf club. No doubt raising attention.
Agree that one needs to be mindful of the forecast... but the wind in Vic often fluctuates 5-10 knots over a 2hr period... and I've yet to find a kite with a telescopic canvas that can adapt sufficiently
But again *if* this kiter *was* attached by a leash, then the concept that one can become completely detached from the kite is pretty damn scary for all involved... kiter and by standers, road users, etc.
What I don't understand.
Is that if even if you release the safety system with the broken bar then the rebel should flag out onto the fifth line .For the kite to have landed up in the house/power lines he must have totally released the lot???
should have left kite up there would have been a good wind vein for the rest of us.... nightmare for santa though
