How to be a proper kitesurfer

08. 12. 2023

Kitesurfing is not only a sport but also a lifestyle. maybe also because kiting is quite a new sport and whoever falls for it will submit to everything around them...

I found the perfect video that, with a slight exaggeration, humorously depicts the "professional" life of a proper avid kiter, which can be summed up in a few points:

1. You see cool kitesurfing on the beach and you want to be able to do it too.
2. You take a course where you learn some basics.
3. You will buy the first wetsuit that no one has peed in yet.
4. You buy some (often not very suitable) cheap equipment.
5. You make your first kite video (mostly a bad one) so everyone can see what a cool sport you are doing.
6. You are being smart because you read tons of information on the net about the best gear.
7. You buy more equipment, for all types of conditions. You don't want to sit on the beach when it's windy.
8. You buy a jump meter because all the cool kiters have one too.
9. You teach your girl to kit, whether she wants to or not :-D
10. You have your first session at sunset. Just you and nature... Only here, you'll finally start to really enjoy kiting.

The harsh truth is that only at the end of this process are you truly a kiter in full control of the kite and the whole situation. You will no longer be limited by insecurities or fear, and you can enjoy kiting to the fullest. Until then, it's more like a fish that gets under other people's feet and a kite on the spot, but everyone who wants to enjoy kiting and not just survive has to go through it :-) It is a technically complex, demanding sport and no expert has fallen from the sky . The only thing you can do is to try to speed up the learning process (sometimes several years) as much as possible by riding often, and by learning theoretically and practically best from more experienced kiters or the most experienced ones, which are (well, they should be...) kitesurfing instructors at kite courses.

As a 13-year-old active kiter (originally self-taught) and a long-time kiting instructor, I really laughed at this video, because it's so damn true :-D And what about you? Are you still learning kiting or do you mainly enjoy it? If you want to push your learning a little further, please contact me, I will be happy to pass on my experience to you not only on the course.

Ciao, Leguan