Spiderkites Smithi

Nice first kite...too small for jumping but will get you moving on a board w/ a lot of wind
Plan on buying bigger and more for what you want....welcome where are you at?..I'm by long beach come on down some time

Quote: Originally posted by NewbieFrank

Ahhhhh...I understand completely! Now that I read your post, I see the truth in it. Yes, I have felt lifted by the kite, and that indeed was what prompted me to think that perhaps it would be fun to try and have it take me off my feet a meter or so into the air as I've read about on this board and seen on YouTube. I never considered the brevity of the interval during which that power would be available to me - and more importantly, how quickly it would disappear! Thanks for saving me a broken ankle, or worse! Would the Smiti be adequate to act as a traction kite in combination with a snowboard? Frank

Frank - glad you saw my point so quickly. I wasn't trying to be rude or snarky, rather just having a little fun while also trying to politely get the point across. Jumping is certainly a lot of fun (and I do it on purpose on skis with kites ranging up in the 9-15m range) but you may wish to be further along the progression of your skills and kite quiver before trying to add such tricks to your bag of tricks.

You could certainly snowkite under the right conditions with a kite that size. As with the jumping issue, the problem you are going to face is that just starting out with such a small kite will mean you need quite high winds (over 20 knots probably as a base wind) and again, the kite will be screaming through the sky. When the kite is moving that quickly it will be challenging to say the least to time everything right.

Best case you manage to get the kite to the zenith (that's the top of the wind window with the kite more or less directly overhead) maybe with you sitting down with your board on. Somehow you are then going to have to get upright without the kite diving away from zenith and into the powerzone (refer again to the last video). Standing on your board with it facing downwind you would then need to drop the kite down into the powerzone in the direction you want to head, get yanked into motion, immediatly make a bottom turn and get yourself tacking crossways to the wind in the same direction the kite is moving, all in about 1-2 seconds. Good luck with that.

My point here is that to learn you will seriously want to consider getting a much larger kite and fly it in much lighter wind conditions. More or less, the larger the kite the slower it moves through the sky. Under such conditions you have the time to get things done.

Once you have the basic skills down for snowkiting you could certainly use the kite you own as your "high wind" kite and have a lot of fun with it. Just an awfully small kite to learn on. I've attached a video here of a high wind kite buggy session I had from last summer. In it are two kites, a 4m Flysurfer Peak-2 (the red one) and a 2.5m Born-Kite NASA Star-3. Please pay attention to the speed the 2.5m kite is flying through the sky and think about how you might control that sort of speed while trying to transition from a standstill to tacking with your snowboard.... as a newbie.

This is an awfully fun hobby, but regretfully, it is tough to really get into it without developing a kite quiver. Not saying you need to go hog wild, but a few kites of different sizes and styles for different functions and conditions will get you started much more safely and more enjoyably.

Quote: Originally posted by abkayak

I'll send a u2u w/ my # if you want to have a play date...I have lots of good toys

Brandon plays well with other kids in the sandbox :wee:

Windstruck:

Rest assured I didn't find your response rude or snarky in the least! In fact, I greatly appreciate your spot-on advice and thank you for the time you invested in creating the post. Sometimes someone has to lay out the logic before the concept hits you. Every word you wrote rang true.

Frank

Further flights with the Spiderkites Smithi

Still diggin' the heck out of this kite! Fast as hell and it generates a shocking amount of pull in higher winds. On February 18 I took it out to the beach in 25mph winds (per WeatherFlow meter) and between the wind, cold and physical effort to fly the kite, only lasted 20 minutes. I know it's not what you guys consider a true power kite (i.e. useful as an engine for buggies, skis, boards, etc)... but for static line fun and a decent upper body workout, it's hard to beat. Had to stay far away from the power zone of the wind window. I got pulled off my feet at 1:30 when I ventured too far in. The camera jiggles as I get pulled off my feet!

I am a bit disappointed in the current color scheme though. I really prefer the red and black graphics on the older models.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gzshmlVA0sk

Frank

Quote: Originally posted by abkayak

Looks like a real kite to me...and think you could lose the newbie moniker myself

I feel honored that you think it's appropriate for me to not be labeling myself as a newbie. Makes me feel more on par with the rest of you guys...even though I am clearly not.

Self-depreciation aside...is there a way to simply alter my log-in name without having to re-register and start from scratch? I only have a handful of posts, so it wouldn't be a great tragedy. Do I need to contact a (the?) moderator to effectuate a change? :puzzled:

Frank

Quote: Originally posted by NewbieFrank

Quote: Originally posted by abkayak   Looks like a real kite to me...and think you could lose the newbie moniker myself I feel honored that you think it's appropriate for me to not be labeling myself as a newbie. Makes me feel more on par with the rest of you guys...even though I am clearly not. Self-depreciation aside...is there a way to simply alter my log-in name without having to re-register and start from scratch? I only have a handful of posts, so it wouldn't be a great tragedy. Do I need to contact a (the?) moderator to effectuate a change? :puzzled: Frank

Yes, at least with the old program the administrator was able to change my name. That was almost 10 years ago though so ???

Quote: Originally posted by NewbieFrank

Bought this kite in early January and finally got some temperatures and wind conditions suitable for taking it out of the bag. Frank

Did you fly Revs before picking up a foil? Your foil flying is very reminiscent of Rev technique.

Quote: Originally posted by B-Roc

Did you fly Revs before picking up a foil? Your foil flying is very reminiscent of Rev technique.

Yep. Started my kite flying in the fall with a couple of Prism kites offered by our local kite store. Quickly discovered how much fun and zen-like beauty could be experienced harnessing the wind to make them dance to my tune, and through YouBoob, discovered the Rev and KiteLife Forum.

While investigating 4-line kite choices, my son gave me his 3 meter kiteboard trainer and that was SUCH a hoot (loved the size and power!) and that led me here. The vast majority of my flying has been with the four-line kites, an EXP my wife bought me for Xmas (without asking me) and the full vent B-series which I bought based upon knowledge our ACTUAL wind conditions here on L.I.

Getting back to the POWER junkie in me, I opted for the Smithi, because it seemed to embody the best of all worlds. Speed, power, and 4-line agility. And that's the influence you see in my flying. Actually thinking about a 4M Beamer and an Ozone Turbo bar as a next kite combo.

Frank