Depower testimonies!
Ive had my Frenzy 9.5 03 for a few Months now and have been impressed with this whole depower malarky so far but i wasnt ranting about how amazing it
was, that changed today!
Been getting used to the Frenzy recently always opting to leave everything else at home and focus on my depower and board skills, and after the 10.5
blade on handles at the weekend, the frenzy and the new speed system was a dream to fly in the same session, two kites out, Frenzy 9.5 and a 10.5
Blade, it was great to have the choice. anyway i will get to the point.
Today i woke up and it was dark and gloomy outside, it had been raining all night and i knew everywhere was going to be wet so i decided that i might
stay in, i text nibbsy and he couldnt fly anyway, so i waited for about an hour and was getting bored, i checked the Windforecast and it was saying a
gently managable 11mph onshore so i my arm was twisted, i just had to get to the seafront, as i thought it wasnt to windy i decided to leave
everything and concentrate on the Frenzy and Board, it was scheduled to rain but not till the afternoon so it was worth a pop, so i jumped on the bike
and rode down to the clifftop thinking it was going to be a gentle depower lesson.
i got to the clifftop and as i was riding towards the road at the cliff face, i went over the crest and the horizon popped up, suddenly my body was
being pounded by the wind! I thought to myself...oh #@%$#! its actually quite windy, then i stopped and sat there on the bike pondering whether to get
the kite out or not, i decided feck it! Im here now and ive got a depower kite, it SHOULD be ok, i was hesitant though as my Ace 4.5 at the same spot
in lower winds is impossible to keep down I locked the bike up and got the wind meter out, i went to read the wind but to my amazement the meter was
blowing 5mph OFFSHORE! then i remembered the houses behind me where the wind was bouncing off, its strange. And it makes it difficult to launch the
kite. So i shuffled down the clifftop abit and took another reading, BAM the meter is screaming and it shot up to a constant 19, 20mph, i was a lil
worried then but i figured ive got to do it.
I unpacked and got the stake out etc etc, I positioned the kite inbetween the houses (not literally, on the green) downwind so the wind could flow
down the road and not bounce off the houses so i could launch. I put on my nappy, strapped myself in and braced myself, the kite powered up on the
deck but it was also flapping around unsure whether to luff right or left, i pushed the bar out and walked backwards, there i go, a bit of a struggle
to get the kite above ten feet but once over that, straight up to the zenith dragged up wind scudding maybe 15ft.. but then something strange happened
that id never experienced before! My arms wernt being wrenched out of their sockets! I wasnt being yanked vertically or horizontally!, I wasnt even
being pulled! then it hit me, this kite is depowerable...This is DEPOWER!! I was absolutly flabbergasted, it was one of those moments when it all
becomes clear, like when you get a joke or get told the answer to a lateral thinking question I was amazed, so i tested the wind to see whether it
was actually that windy because i was mythed, i tugged on the bar..POP there i go, up about 6ft..Pushed the bar out, floated back down nicely. It was
incredible, where had depower been all this time and why was i skeptickle!? I used to think depower was for wussys who couldnt hold the kite down,
foolish i was.
After that i Got an epic sesh in on the board caining up and down the clifftop green at speed, it was soaked though, mud was splattering up in my face
as i was lent back and travelled west, i was loving it! its uneven upthere so i couldnt go to mad. On the way back East to where the Stuff was i had
to travel slowly as it wasnt bang onshore and i had to edge upwind to stay on the green and avoid the road. I practiced my Jumps also, travelling to
the west, edge up wind a lil, pop the kite backover, bar in, boom, redirect, land travelling the same way, Kite slots staraight back into the
powerzone where i want it and i carry on up the green westwards doing it over and over about seven times before i hit the end, some high, some low and
fast, it was great practice for me. then the slow upwind mooch back to the bag etc.
I had problems with landing the kite though, because the wind hits the houses and rebounds off shore upto about as high as the houses, it was a #@%$#!
to land without just letting go and leeting the KK strap do the work, i scared myself, i landed it to the side of the window, as i got low i remember
the offshore rebonds and the kite wanted to drag me off of the cliff, i let go and luckily the kite fell to the deck, that scared the crap out of me.
The next time i landed i opted to just unhook from my harness and let it depower itself to the deck, you know how when its not hooked into the harness
but the bar is at maximum depower but it brings the kite down?..
Overall it was a great session and i totally understand and respect depower, its Genius.
Thanks for reading..If ya did
Basically the idea of teh thread was, When did you realise that Depower was the way forward, THROUGH PERSONAL EXPERIENCE, like when did you make the
cross from FB to Depower and what did you think? tell us the story??stetson05 - 23-3-2010 at 11:44 PM
First time for me was at a sod farm with fletcht and bigkid. I kept flying my neo in relatively low winds and had to really keep it moving to get a
good run. Out there the wind was smooth and I put the kite up in higher winds than I normaly would. Off I went on my board and it was amazing!
Basicly it was the first park and ride with it and I could vary the power with the bar. Instantly I was converted. I hardly fly my FB kites now. I
keep them arround for my friends to fly.PHREERIDER - 24-3-2010 at 05:53 AM
flabbergasted, thats what he said folks,
cool.BeamerBob - 24-3-2010 at 08:33 AM
I posted my account of this same transformation but I can't find the post. It was with a Montana IV on the beach at Fort Clinch State Park on Amelia
Island in Florida. I'm still looking for the post.lives2fly - 25-3-2010 at 03:53 AM
I am used to depower on the water but i'm still flying fixed bridle on the landboard.
EVERYBODY tells me I should fly de-power!
Thing is that NOTHING i try is as good as my Twister or Blade.
I haven't tried a manta or a montana - they look like they might be good but all that extra foil - I can't believe they are going to turn as quick as
my fixed bridles - Access, Frenzy and Apex's have just seemed slow to me. And the Apex was the best despite being the cheapest!!!
OK its better for jumps - well for landing jumps. that pop and float control is great. This is the reason my Venom keeps getting air time since I went
LEI on water.
Im sure I will end up buying a depower foil at some point for backcountry snow missions. You have to remain flexible and you can only really carry one
kite. LEI's and Twinskins are too heavy soooo....
Not sure which one yet. At the moment i'm thinking a 10m Apex II. Any ideas?powerkiter82 - 25-3-2010 at 06:04 AM
lives2fly, the Apex II is a great kite, I looked at those before I got my Access XT. When I first got my depower I was skepticle about how fast it
would turn, until I flew it several times. Now I would say that my 8m Access XT turns just as fast as my Flow 5m, despite its larger size. The first
time I flew depower was with a small LEI, just to try it and instantly I was hooked. After I got some practice I got to fly a 17m Lei in real light
winds one time, that experience just drove the hooks deeper. I just had to get a depower. After I got my 8m Access XT I was just amazed at the large
amount of power that it had for its size. I love the depowers since you can turn the power on or off so quickly without killing the kite. They really
turn a lot faster when you apply slight bar pressure. Anyway, I am hooked to depower now for sure. I will still fly fixed bridle from time to time,
but I prefer depower. Also, the Access XT or the Apex II is cheaper than the Frenzy, Manta, and Montana.Maven454 - 25-3-2010 at 06:11 AM
I'd be tempted to go with an Access for what he's planning on using it for, but then I'm a little bit Ozone biased :D.BeamerBob - 25-3-2010 at 07:53 AM
What's amazing to me is this revelation was only about a year ago. Depower seems so natural to me now.lives2fly - 25-3-2010 at 09:59 AM
Well i might find out if my friend still has a dealership with ozone which means i may be able to get a little discount...
Do you reckon an access is better for landboarding than an Apex then Maven? I tried them both on the snowboard and didn't pop any jumps or anything -
they both seemed to have moderate lift which is what i'm after - not huge lift but some.
Having said that my Blade is getting more and more use and all you have to do is look at it funny to end up off the deck!Maven454 - 25-3-2010 at 10:03 AM
Both the Access and the Apex were designed to be generally non-lifty. If you're after some lift (like most boarders) I'd be more inclined to the
Frenzy. The Manta has a lot of lift, the Access has little lift (jumping is still possible though) and the Frenzy is a nice middle ground for lift.lives2fly - 25-3-2010 at 10:16 AM
hmm thanks
I wasn't too keen on the control bar for the access either. I like having a trim strap so I can set the kite up for the overall conditions and use the
bar throw to fine tune.
I will put a frenzy on the list of stuff to try and maybe buy
Wont be for a while cos i promised myself a bunch of new kayaking gear...Jack1988 - 27-3-2010 at 02:03 PM
Quote:
Originally posted by BeamerBob
Found the link this morning.
