I am wondering what it's like for those that have water kited for a while and decided to start land kiting. What did you find unusual, different,
difficult, etc about the transition?
I've been land kiting now exclusively for months since water kiting for years and I have to admit, I am land kiting like as if I am in the water
sometimes (leaning back, front foot forward, etc). Is that considered normal land kiting style or is true ATB meant to be standing up as much as
possible. I almost feel like I should be lying back on a buggy! hehe
Cheers guyslives2fly - 2-10-2013 at 01:42 AM
Atb stance is almost identical to kitesurf stance. Heelside and toeside. You have to be a lot less subtle with your edging technique though as I'm
sure you have discovered.
Having evolved in the other direction (from atb to kiteboard) I found alot of the skills were transferable after I got the basics on the water.
Now the skill transfer is going back the other way - the confidence of relatively soft landings on the water has dramatically improved my jumping back
on the atb. I just know i'm gonna land a basic jump so have confidence to just send it.
I don't know anyone who stopped kitesurfing and started land kiting. It always seems to be the other way around. PHREERIDER - 2-10-2013 at 05:08 AM
i did both at the same time, on the water there is more power and speed but kinda sloppy esp. at first. the water is easier with less injury but
NEED to be TOTALLY comfortable in the water otherwise its lethal.
the land board is far more tedious, mastery of kite control is a must along with balance. the crashes can be just brutal, the scrapes and mild
injuries are endless. very hard on the gear, kite, lines, bar and board in total are ground to oblivion a continuous conveyance of parts to keep
rolling. and in high winds like 20+ the risk become huge on land. broken bones, ligaments head and neck injuries not to be taken lightly and for big
wind on land board you need a mountain of space.
a high wind session on the land is ferocious, not to be taken lightly. but30- 40knts on the water is serious party abkayak - 2-10-2013 at 06:25 AM
so jealous of you water guys..ive been flying on the land 2yrs now..atb was so natural to me / bugs fun but lets be honest it's got 3 wheels...i wanna
get wet so bad... i go down to the water and know my day will come but no lessons and no one to fly with always makes me err on the side of
caution..to be able to make use of those other winds that keep me grounded is such a dream..oh well some day i will be rooting for side ons instead of
due on..why did i find out about this stuff so lat in life?? where the hell were you guys??PHREERIDER - 2-10-2013 at 07:57 AM
abkayak you just need the right spot and conditions and decent crew to hang with. couple days and your trepidation would fade.
i live on the by the ocean and have nice shallow bays in the back yard...such a shame..im not sure if im pathetic or just getting old.....Eddie would
goerratic winds - 2-10-2013 at 10:49 AM
I say this all the time and am always saddened when nobody gets it.
"In the 1970s, bumper stickers and T-shirts with the phrase "Eddie Would Go" spread around the Hawaiian Islands and to the rest of the world.
According to maritime historian Mac Simpson, "Aikau was a legend on the North Shore, pulling people out of waves that no one else would dare to.
That's where the saying came from -- Eddie would go, when no else would or could. Only Eddie dared." The phrase originated during the first Eddie
contest. The waves were huge and the conditions were extremely dangerous. While the contest organizers were discussing whether to put it on, Mark Foo
looked at the conditions and said "Eddie would go." The phrase stuck and the Eddie went."Flyfish - 2-10-2013 at 03:04 PM
I don't want to thread veer, I'll get back to the original question in a sec.
But I wanted to add to the knowledge of Eddie Aikau.
In 1976 I was 8 years old and was EXTREAMLY lucky enough to watch The Hokule'a sail into port after it's maiden sail from Hawaii to Tahiti and back.
The Hokule'a is a traditional Polynesian sailing canoe with no modern navigation.
In 1978 Hokule'a set sail for a return trip to Tahiti, but it capsized 12 miles off the coast of Molokai. The crew spent the night on-top of the
capsized boat, and eventually Eddie attempted to paddle A surfboard 12 miles to Lanai.
The navigator of Hokule'a said this of Eddie:
"After Eddie's death, we could have quit. But Eddie had this dream about finding islands the way our ancestors did and if we quit, he wouldn't have
his dream fulfilled. Whenever I feel down, I look at the photo of Eddie I have in my living room and I recall his dream. He was a lifeguard ... he
guarded life, and he lost his own, trying to guard ours. Eddie cared about others and took care of others. He had great passions. He was my spirit."
So, it's even more than him just surfing big waves.
Also, there's another saying:
Eddie wouldn't crow
Basically means Eddie wasn't an egotistical surfer.
Sorry if this is a longwinded add on to Erratic's post!Flyfish - 2-10-2013 at 03:10 PM
Back on topic...
I'm a water guy that started ridding an ATB board afterwards.
I'll tell ya... Like PHREE says Water doesn't scare me so bad. When I ride on the sand, I'm WAY more hesitant. But once I committed to the full
fledged slide, I got much better.
But my jumps still suck and are only a few feet high cause I'm scared. Whenever I watch videos of the guys in ""Super Kite Day", I'm SOOOO impressed
with them! PHREERIDER - 2-10-2013 at 06:08 PM
skd they do boost !
15-20 on 15m FS on an asphalt strip to boot! its gonna be giant size boost. a small rider would insane huge.
one super jack loop slam on land rattles the cage folks. its all fun throwing big smooth boost but i start taking risk and throwing loops and junk
and then slam crack! finally come to my senses and get on the water and soak my bloody tattered bones! thankfuuly i at least wear a helmet now!
everyone has eddie in themabkayak - 2-10-2013 at 07:46 PM
Skd/Ctb is freak show stuff.. but I fig they grew up doing this somehow?? Been playing w/ kites for a while...its natural to them at this point..they
don't think so much about what they do and just do it..when u don't have to think it and just react to what's presented is when the real wild stuff
happens.still can't imagine being hesitant on land and damn water is so coldloftywinds - 2-10-2013 at 08:58 PM
Hey this is a great thread. I love the Eddie lines and stories. Wasn't he the one that came to Australia and showed us how to surf in Torquay (Aus,
not UK)? Wow... I've been surfing for over 15 years and to get into kite surfing seemed like a natural evolution for me, but since I saw those guys on
SKD, I fell in love with ATB and wanted to do it so bad, and that's why I went from water to land. It's so much easier for me to ATB than to water
kite, as I struggled going heel side when my left foot wanted to go toe side riding to my right. I am a natural footer surfer, and kiting the other
way seemed so unnatural, but doing it on my land board is so much easier because of the traction against my foot wanting to spin around! hehe.lives2fly - 3-10-2013 at 03:48 AM
i live on the by the ocean and have nice shallow bays in the back yard...such a shame..im not sure if im pathetic or just getting old.....Eddie would
go
One of my neighbours approached me to teach him to kitesurf recently. He is 60 years old and his first lesson is on Saturday :Dloftywinds - 9-10-2013 at 08:55 PM
i live on the by the ocean and have nice shallow bays in the back yard...such a shame..im not sure if im pathetic or just getting old.....Eddie would
go
One of my neighbours approached me to teach him to kitesurf recently. He is 60 years old and his first lesson is on Saturday :D
Pensioner rates! Maybe a free beer at best. lives2fly - 10-10-2013 at 03:14 AM
Lol I'm not an instructor or anything so no charge at all! I can someone up and riding though.
