Power Kite Forum

What's safer land or water ?

Bladerunner - 27-4-2008 at 08:41 AM

For some reason the most people I actually know who have been injured are on water. Somehow when I get knocked out cold I think I want to wake up with my face in the dirt. ( like all those other times :wink2: )

Water can be hard as cement coming down at speed. I know of folks who have broken ribs ( wearing an impact vest ) Blown ACL's, broken legs + multiple boards , major gashes , ripped up fingers, hypothermia and bruised egos ( mine ) .

On land, Broken ribs, blown ACL , knocked out, road rash, recently 2 folks with Pinky tips shredded or torn off :wow:


DO YOU THINK IT IS SAFER TO RIDE / JUMP ON WATER OR LAND ?

Rye - 27-4-2008 at 09:47 AM

I have to go with land. Not as much hypothermia and rescue problems when injured. And I think sitting in a buggy and riding with room to spare on the beach, helmet etc, is maybe the safest way to move with a kite. Sure you can get hurt, but injuries to knees, ankles and such are less of a worry then any standing board.

USA_Eli_A - 27-4-2008 at 11:02 AM

both are safer than not kiting

kiteNH - 27-4-2008 at 01:26 PM

The fact that you can't drown on land probably makes land safer than water. Also, from what I've read some of those inflatable kites have gone into death loops when the safeties are pulled. Foils seem safer to me.

I've never been out on the water (or flown an inflatable) or in a buggy so this is really just my perception and I have no experience with either.

NPWfever - 27-4-2008 at 02:16 PM

Never been out on the water, but I would say as far as impacts go, water is safer. But of course you throw in drowning and getting wrapped up in floating lines, it kinda evens out. Both are dangerous for their own reasons.

kitepool - 27-4-2008 at 04:31 PM

I think that snow kiting
in plenty o' snow
is probably the safest.

PHREERIDER - 28-4-2008 at 07:45 AM

I been flying on the ocean since last summer, i consider being in the water safer than on land from a injury stand point. On the land, mastery of handling the kite is no option. i was definitely beat up more after a land session at first. Time has improved both. going vertical on the water is somewhat forgiving with mistakes. vertical on land without control is punishing.
ALL can be safe... conidtions/site selection portects you the must. Reflexes and skill should be matched. Snow does sounds like a nice playground though.

acampbell - 28-4-2008 at 08:49 AM

After trying a land board, a local kiteboarder made the interesting comment..."I can see that it is much easier to get killed on the water, but a lot easier to get hurt on one of these".

ripsessionkites - 29-4-2008 at 07:06 PM

imo, land is safer, at least if I break something i can be recsued by others right away

pyro22487 - 29-4-2008 at 09:47 PM

out of the options . i think the best would be about 3 feet of pure powder on a frozen lake.

domdino - 30-4-2008 at 09:50 AM

I think flying in Hatteras is the safest of them all :) 3feet deep water for miles on end!!! Great fun...
Water definitely hurts less but because you're going out in higher wind and doing stupider things... land is probably safer over all!

Sthrasher38 - 30-4-2008 at 03:10 PM

I think jumping in water would be great. There is no sharks on land either. :spin: I would try it. No more fear of drownding than breaking a leg.

Dutch - 28-5-2008 at 11:24 PM

Simple, you cannot drown in dirt, only get hurt. Thus it has to be safer :-)

kitedemon - 29-5-2008 at 04:10 AM

I think Angus has it right

""I can see that it is much easier to get killed on the water, but a lot easier to get hurt on one of these"

Land seems to me, to produce injuries faster than water does but water adds to the potential severity a lot. A blown knee on land sucks, is unbelievably painful . On water it is exactly the same but some how you have to try to move to land with it...

Sthrasher38 - 29-5-2008 at 07:33 AM

When it's your turn your gone. no fear kiting. If I die kiting on land water or in the air. then I die doing what I love.

NPWfever - 4-6-2008 at 09:29 PM

I would say land is more dangerous for hurting you as far as impacts go, concussions (oops) broken bones, stuff like that, water is worse for like potential drowning, not being able to get back to land, and like torn and stretched things, if the water grabs said extremety and tugs on it, you know what I mean. Oh yeah, and more likely to get hit by your board, especially with a leash.

I'd say they are both just as dangerous, but for different reasons. :cool: :thumbup:

Scudley - 5-6-2008 at 02:17 AM

To quote William Henry Dummond:

De win' can blow lak hurricane
An' s'pose she blow some more,
You can't get drown on Lac St. Pierre
So long you stay on shore.

The Wreck of the Julie Plante

furbowski - 5-6-2008 at 08:46 AM

ever tried to swim with a broken bone?

i have, and it was only a finger, and it was bloody painful, and there was no way to put the broken bone at rest while I was still in the water.

having said that, I'd be teaching myself kiteboarding tomorrow if I had the kit, but since I don't have any current private med insurance, I've avoided getting a landboard.

hmmm

furbo

flexiblade - 5-6-2008 at 07:26 PM

I have to agree with sthrashers' earlier comment about sharks - when on land we really don't have to worry about 15 ft long sand crabs coming out of the beach to take a bite out of our backsides. DUH-DUH! DUH DUH!

Sthrasher38 - 6-6-2008 at 08:00 AM

How you been bro? I have not heard from you in awhile.

flexiblade - 9-6-2008 at 07:48 PM

Doing well - I went down to Ocean Beach this last weekend and got burned - Friday: Too much wind (25 gusting to 35 - I'm not as crazy as Dagon) - Saturday: Perfect wind (14mph) Temperature 70 degrees so too many people to buggy - Sunday: Beach closed due to Triathalon event. AAAAARRRRGGG! Oh well hopefully better luck next time. I was actually down there for a friends wedding, so I tried to fit in as much wind time as possible. Gotta watch those temps - below 65 is just right. How's the toes - I would imagine a bit better by now - probably still got a couple of months till you can rock it again though. Here's to a quick recovery.