I’ve not flown for awhile due to lots of things but it’s eating at me pretty bad.
Need to run some air thru the kites. Had some good wind but too good I think.
On the days I could get out with some daylight left and the wind was kicking pretty good.
I choose not to.
I think I’ve got kite fear or something. Last few times out I was ripping up the wind with the 8m Ace, now I wouldn’t unpack that thing in the
lightest wind.
Whats up with that? Do you guys get a little hesitant to fly after a few months off?
I used to enjoy the fight, big wind meant get in the car, now its oh no not me. I wouldn’t hook in right now for nothing.
Gesh, where’s my baby kite? I have a P3 around here somewhere. Maybe I left my skilz
In one of the packs.
Guess I have to start all over.DAKITEZ - 25-1-2010 at 08:25 PM
It happens. I'm right there with you. Its probably been close to 6 months since i had a buggy ride
We have talked about this out on the field before. After a long dry spell of flying when we finally get back out we are not flying the same kites we
would have been previously. The big boys stay in the bagpower - 25-1-2010 at 08:25 PM
Couldn't leave kiting for more than a month without going through withdrawal. Hijack-Check my post under lack of kiting and beer made me fat.-Hijackshaggs2riches - 25-1-2010 at 08:32 PM
I'm not really in the place to comment when it comes to kiting as I have been getting out as often as possible. However I'm sure its the same way as
when a buddy of mine takes his bike out for a first run after the winter. He says that by the time he puts it away in the fall he feels there is
nothing he couldn't do on it (wheelies, brake torques etc.) when he gets out that first day he is really nervous, not wanting to give too much power,
scared about passing and getting passed by big haulers etc. I'm sure that once you've gotten out with the smaller kites that you would normally leave
in the bag, you will soon get back your confidence. Hang in there and it will all come back to you.
ShaggsHardrock - 25-1-2010 at 08:36 PM
Glad its not just me.
Guess after you learn to respect the wind/ kites, you know what can happen.
Get a little older and that ground gets harder also. But I'll taste the earth again soon.
:oKamikuza - 25-1-2010 at 08:48 PM
I get butterflies of excitement when I haven't flown for a while, on the way back to the handles ... you soon get over them though.cheezycheese - 26-1-2010 at 06:34 AM
the only way to get over it cowboy, is to get back on that horse and ride....:D:D:Dragden - 26-1-2010 at 07:05 AM
Heh. I understand what you are saying. Right before my first downhill snowboarding run each season I normally have whacked out dreams about looking
down the sloop and panicking, and then not able to drop in. However, by the time I get up to the top of the slopes, I'm normally just fine.
I dont think my kites stay in the bag long enough to suffer from withdrawal. My longest dry spell has been 2 weeks. I think. Hard to say. I've been
flying a lot though. Still sore from last sunday... PHREERIDER - 26-1-2010 at 07:37 AM
adrenalin surge really can scramble the brain.
do what you know, warm up slow. the anxiousness washes out in a few minutes.
breathe in through the nose out the mouth....then hit it like your sanity depends on it!
pace yourself you only have a life time of wind ahead of you.stetson05 - 26-1-2010 at 02:46 PM
I wonder if you have a wind meter. Most of my hesitation comes with not knowing what the conditions actually are. I have the same problem though
where I almost always fly underpowered and don't get the session I wish I could.furbowski - 26-1-2010 at 02:54 PM
I'm half-way through a enforced two-month dry spell...
Had a few opportunities but they were mental, the last big wind to sweep over galiano island (where i am these days) knocked out the power for a few
days last week. the arborists are still cleaning up, and a few houses were off the grid for a week!
I normally only go right to my big kites when I've been flying a few times a week. Next time out I'll likely have to work my way up through the
sizes.
And my muscles are going to hurt!
Conditions get easier and easier to suss out over time. When I'm in doubt, I start small... been known to throw my snapshot 1.4 (.7 meter 2-liner)
first LOL.BeamerBob - 26-1-2010 at 03:04 PM
I"m a little off my game right now as well. Any time I might've chanced it and gone out, it has been quite gusty. My last day flying was at OOBE
field 2600 miles away and I was sliding sideways frequently. I'll probably start small (pink skirt or at least a light blue one) for conditions next
time out and then kick it once I feel comfortable with my big boy pants on.dgkid78 - 26-1-2010 at 05:15 PM
Well I havnt been out since before Thanksgiving and went out last saturday, winds were really light 12mph but sunny and 38 degrees. thats like spring
in January for me. Had the butterflies so bad. Out comes the Montana 9.5 winds died down to like 5mph after like 20min and I decided to get
Dakitez's Twister II 5.6m and it has been quite some time since i have held some handles. LOL 5mph??????? and I was shaking like a leaf ready for
launch. debating if i should launch to side. HAHA I know Ridiculous :dunno:...... Well even though the winds were light. that thing still pulled
like a slow truck.Hardrock - 26-1-2010 at 07:44 PM
Thats too funny, launch to the side.
Thats me for sure.Knolee - 26-1-2010 at 08:04 PM
You know, when I first got my twister I was stupid and took it out in winds that were far beyond my level at the time. I did know enough about how to
keep myself safe while flying, but it wasn't any fun the next few times because I felt I had no control. From there on I was 'scared' (maybe) to go
out. Once I learned good control I could confidently take it out at the high end of the kites wind range. However, the stress on your arms gets REALLY
old after a while. Which leads me to my question.
Are you using a harness and a strop? My fun level soared once I got those two things. Kiting wasn't a workout on my arms anymore.
I'm not convinced you're "scared".
Besides, what's a bunch of nylon going to do to you?:evil:power - 26-1-2010 at 08:07 PM
Those strops are great. Especially when you get pulled off your landboard and dragged onto the ground and just have to wait for the kite to crash:DKnolee - 26-1-2010 at 08:22 PM
Oh, yeah, don't use them in gusty conditions....unless you're a real man like me...:smug:Hardrock - 27-1-2010 at 05:16 PM
Yes I use a harness also, well sometimes. In what I'd call perfect wind for me where I can hold my ground if need be.
I don't like scudding around hooked in but your right, you can fly much longer and really enjoy it. I'll pull up chair, hook in and just have a sit n
fly sometimes.
Really scared? maybe worried is more like it. I'll get over it as soon as I can find a day. Don't have time after work and we been working Saturdays
also for so long.
I have a vid on tips and tricks where I was learning to spin the beamer. Hooked in is the only way I can do it. I found I can handle more wind with
better break control while hook in, more just flying with the breaks.
So one day it was kicking pretty good, I'd say 10 to 15mph. I thought well I'll hook up and tame these gust flying on the breaks and do some spinning.
Very stupid, I covered 50 yrds in a couple seconds but I didnt go down. Was the first time ever I tried to let go in an emergency. No luck, LOL. I
let go then re grabbed the handles to put the kite in the edge of the window.
Well, thought I would just hit the Z and edge and walk the kite back to where I was, nope, never took a step back and I was snatched off again.
My heel hurt forever and had pain in my lower back for a few days. I was shaking, scared the crap out of me.
Thats the great memory I have now when the wind seems a bit strong and I'm wanting to pull out the harness. But that just replaces other great
memory's of not being too smart.
Reminds me of what I was trying to accomplish this past summers end. Spinning that 8M Ace. Not sure it can be done with the tips folding in. But maybe
if things are just right, who knows.
Yea, scared might be a bit over the top to describe a break in the action.PBKiteboarding - 4-2-2010 at 10:26 AM
I get that too at times... after not kiting for a while after
Snowkiting and getting back to water on certain days.
That's the time to pull out the small kite 3m fixed foil
and just have fun flying it in the lighter stuff...
and build back up... get back in the groove..Insect0man - 4-2-2010 at 11:39 AM
Quote:
Originally posted by Hardrock
Whats up with that? Do you guys get a little hesitant to fly after a few months off?
Sounds like a healthy survival instinct to me.
This sport is a lot like kayaking - in that it's easy to get into the #@%$#!pit and launch yourself into a situation that's way over your head very
quickly.
Like ol' Dirty Harry said - "A man's gotta know his limitations" - and if you're not sure where those limitations are, better to err on the side of
caution and save yourself and your family a trip to the hospital or the morgue.
Quote:
Falstaff - Shakespeare's Henry IV, Part One, 1596
The better part of valour is discretion; in the which better part I have saved my life."
Hardrock - 4-2-2010 at 02:44 PM
InsectOman,
Couldn't agree with you more about how the two sports are the same, being able to get in trouble quick.
Ever put that Hydra up in front of a kayak? Its a real pain in the butt trying to make that work.
I got it to work on one occasion, not for long tho. Hope to give it another go when the weather warms.Insect0man - 4-2-2010 at 04:22 PM
Quote:
Originally posted by Hardrock
Ever put that Hydra up in front of a kayak? Its a real pain in the butt trying to make that work.
Not the Hydra but I did experiment with a smaller no-name single line foil some, boy, 18 years ago now - in 1992.
Anyhow it was um... very exciting; and quite entertaining for onlookers. Nothing like having a loaded harbor-tour boat full of folks who are staring
at you while you're skimming along, trying to reel in a kite on rolling seas and not capsize.
I had in mind to use the kite while paddling from LA Harbor to Catalina Island. In the end I still made the trip but with no kiting - as the winds
were against me on the way out and the seas pushing me on the way back in the next day.
It took me a year to train and prepare for that adventure.
Now, sans ocean, I have the notion of "surf" kite-yaking on a lake/reservoir. We shall see Hardrock - 4-2-2010 at 07:37 PM
I did the single line thing a time or two. The wind is always in my face when kayaking no matter how I plan.
The hydra was a good try. Launched it from shore, water launch just wasn't happening while drifting in the kayak. Couldn't deal with the lines and
keep em tight.
Had sweet thang hold the boat, got in, she was continuing to hold my boat along side with hers to prevent a roll. Then we were both moving pretty
good.
Trying to steer two boats to keep the wind right wasn't working out. Got pointed towards the kite, lost wind and had to wind it up.
I bet you have some good memories of your trip. All we ever take is overnighters. Paddle, set up camp, fish, sleep, paddle, go home and go back to bed
to recoup. Thats about all I can take.
:D