How to start kiting?
Kiting is a very beautiful sport that can be practiced during the whole year. It does not matter whether you choose kiteboarding (water), landkiting (grass), snowkiting (snow) or you will practice all types of the sport. It also does not matter if you are young advanced rider or if you just want to ride and enjoy the freedom. Kiting is extremely varied sport and everyone can find what fits the best. Before starting to kite, you should rather firstly learn “how to” :-). Here are some basics - kiting in a quick, safe and no problem way. Keep in mind: Wind is wild! And only after some time, you would be able to know, what exactly you could afford at that moment. It just simply wants to be sensible.
How to become a kiter?
1. Get kite info
Preparation is very important and nowadays in the age of the internet it is probably not a problem to find this useful information. You will certainly learn that kiting is a dangerous sport in case you make mistakes. Whether you would like to avoid those mistakes, it might be helpful to take some kite course and be under the professional supervision. It is only a recommendation and it is not necessary, but if you choose great kite course, you do not have to read this article, cause all the basic info would be explained there.
2. Determine your priorities
Main question: Where and how you want to ride?
According to this are reflected further decisions. The equipment (type of a kite and size) plus other required kite equipment for this sport (harness, kiteboard ...).
3. Take kite course
If you do not want to take a course (for any reason), at least contact someone more experienced in your neighborhood. Sharing experience will help you definitely a lot. Of course there is a possibility that you may obtain not completely the right info, but it is totally safer than starting to kite by method trial and error on your own somewhere in the field.
Benefits of the kite course: saves time, nerves and health during the beginnings, you will not destroy your own kite equipment and you will learn new techniques, how to decide what is the most appropriate equipment regarding to the wind conditions, get to know the culture and rules of this sport, try more kites and find “the one”. It is simply the easier way to enter into your kite career and gained info is much more valuable than the fact that you would be able to ride after the course.
Benefits of learning on your own: saves money….but all in all it is a question, cause if you choose wrong equipment, you would pay twice actually :-)
4. Kite in pairs
Of course it is an individual sport and you are able to control the kite on your own. But it is good to realize the safety aspects. You never know what can happen, but believe that somewhere in the outlying area might be problematic to call for help. You can meet a kiting partner either on a kite course or right on a spot. Kiters are constantly organizing some trips or even a car sharing according to the wind conditions on kite forums, etc.
5. Begin with a small training kite on land
Rule n.1, before kiting with a small kite – question is where? Find suitable kiting conditions. For a beginner the ideal spot is a large area without anything that can threaten your safety. When you stand downwind (that means the wind blows to your back) there should be an open area in front of you for the first maneuvers. Pull a small kite and learn to fly in the wind window (you will learn where the kite pulls more, where is calmer and where is not pulling at all).
The disadvantage of learning on your own is that you will never use the small kite fx. 3m2 on riding unless it will be kite just for fun (children or other beginners just to try). In other case the kite will be redundant and simply waste of money that you could invest into the kite course.
6. Check the kite safety systems (difference according to brand)
Before using larger depower kites determined to ride, check how to use security systems for a ridden model. In some crisis situation there is nothing worse than not knowing how to quickly and properly react. If you know how to use it, you would simply avoid dangerous situations, cause you may get rid of everything (except harness around the waist) in a second.
7. Nice, now the depower kites, but carefully
Just in case you already know how to maneuver small kite and you have seen the safety systems of your depower kite, you can start flying a depower kite. Again, focus on a place and safety and also pay attention to the wind condition. What to do when wind is too strong? Postpone kiting (especially when you have bigger kite). Even now the better way how to start is use a smaller kite (eq. 6-9 m2). The manipulation is the same as for 21m2 kite, but it has more power for riding. Smaller kite = less power = less risk or chance of a crisis situation.
8. When to kite on water?
- you know, how to safely handle large depower kite on land (it is better if you have already started kiting during the winter and you are more experienced)
- know how to use safety systems
- you can regulate the power of a kite
- you know how to bodydrag (if you loose your board, you should know how to get back on it. When you fall, the board will remain behind you and you have to know the way of getting back upside the wind).
Whether you have problem in any of those steps – do not rush into the water, cause you would unnecessarily tortured and I can tell you how it would end…You will walk into the water, start even riding, but sooner or later you will fall. Slowly and downwind you will fail and then you will have to rewind the kite and swim back or to the other side :-).
What can I recommend, in case you want to train on your own, go somewhere with shallow water to the knees where you can walk for the board. This helps you learn faster launching kite from the water. This way would be much easier, because you can launch again and again without unnecessary swimming :-) (Spots like Germany – Wiek or Poland – Hell). This is also linked to the following point.
9. Selection of the kite spot and power of the wind
This is not good to downplay. Especially in the beginning of kiting it can simplify the learning of basics. Use the soft option and enjoy kiting. Cause even if you start with small kite, than bigger one etc, but on the wrong spot or conditions you might get in trouble and waste your effort. When I kite on a water and see that it is going nowhere, I would rather stop and relax at the shore than…well you should not get all weepy- eyed about it. Just an advice…if you are a newbie on a spot do not be afraid to chat with locals and ask for help. Ask about the wind conditions, basic stuff, what to be aware, etc. Mainly when I am not sure about the size of the kite, or whether it is appropriate for riding. I just glance at the other kiters what equipment are they using. I do not rush into the water when the rest is staying on a shore with their kites. Mostly the reason is not that they do not want to kite, but for water kiting the wind conditions are bad (for snowkiting or buggykiting it does not matter when the wind stops blowing, you simply stop moving and stay on a place).
10. Kite equipment
Start to choose your kite equipment at least after some basic kite course when you have learned “how to”. After the kite course you will have better idea about what you are looking for and you are going to have some contacts even for getting advice or discounts. In case you are learning on your own just seek some expert who will be pleased to help you pick the most appropriate kite for you. Speaking personally I recommend to try as many kites as you can – kites of your friends, go to test days or rent it in kite rental.
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