A friend of mine has a 12m Blaze II he is using for kite buggying and we both would like to try mountainboarding but he doesn't want to drop the money on a mountainboard.

Around here we don't get super heavy winds during the summer (generally shifty and inconsistent 3-8 knots) with the occasional killer 25 kt day when a storm blows through (this is why he doesn't kitesurf).

I want eventually to get into snowkiting so I figured landboarding is the closest thing, but if it's not fun in light winds (less than 10 kt, or 12 mph) I probably wouldn't get a landboard and just wait til winter (stronger winds).

i like cruising on my atb.... a fixed bridle 6m and about 8mph on hardpack was a great day... next week it will be 12-15 mph w/ a 15m arc... i can hardly wait

it sure is................anyone can KGB in strong winds..............low wind makes you fly the kite and work your board in the correct positions up and downwind.............I had my first ultra low wind KGB sesh yesterday.........people couldnt believe something that big was flying in 5/6mph wind and towing me.....................it is fun just to cruise..................:duh::duh:

7-8 mph on hard pack like dylan said , all day fun. grass ? tuff farm type spot would do, pasture maybe.

light winds.......yes. A steady 8 knots could be fun. shifty, up and down winds that go from 0 to 8 to 2 to 0 to 8 and swirl around and change direction......not fun at all.

I would say if there is enough wind to have fun in the buggy that there is enough to mountain board and have a good time though.

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Originally posted by kiteNH light winds.......yes. A steady 8 knots could be fun. shifty, up and down winds that go from 0 to 8 to 2 to 0 to 8 and swirl around and change direction......not fun at all. I would say if there is enough wind to have fun in the buggy that there is enough to mountain board and have a good time though.

Well said!

Would it be enough to pull us on badly maintained soccer fields?

grass creates a lot of drag. You can try it, but like the others said hardpack will be the best results.

Don't expect big jumps or anything in those light winds, but the blaze II doesn't create much if any lift so I assume thats not your intent.

I recently did something I thought was not possible. In 5-6mph dying to zero mph I buggied with a apex II 7.5m on hard pack. I was able to get enough speed to practice my slide turns

in light winds

practice your kiteloops (not the big air one), learning to turn your kite while on the board
ground tricks are easier
ride toe side / ride backwards
learn to ollie your board

you can have fun in any wind just mix it up. kiting in high wind does rock though. BIG AIR.

I agree with kiteNH that varying low speed shifty winds suck but are still better than doing "honey do's" and taking the wife shopping. Why do you think golfers play in the rain. Welcome to landboarding, it is very addictive.

im pretty new to landboarding so the lightwind days are kinda rough for me, i usually end up down wind pretty fast... the only good place to fly around here is a soccer complex, so i got a lot of drag on the grass, and im a pretty big guy, so i gotta get some decent wind to get rolling really well... and around here, if the wind is light, it changes direction often, and that sux lol

If youve got hardpack, you'll be fine, grass... meh it'll do, but if you are debating about a board, get it, they are fun (in 12mph wind you can get trucking in grass for sure)

A buggy will get you moving easier and maybe some line extensions will help in lighter winds.

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Originally posted by DAKITEZ Don't expect big jumps or anything in those light winds, but the blaze II doesn't create much if any lift so I assume thats not your intent.

I've been boarding on my blaze II, looks great , good pull for the board. On hard pack I need about 10mph to get the kite moving, it'll fly in 8 but you really have to keep good tension on the lines.

As for jumping, maybe others have had luck, but I haven't been able to get my blaze II to lift me much at all. Don't know if it's my timing on the board or just that it really does generate near 0 lift. I have been able to get some 5-6ft jumps but that was in 20-24 mph, and as it was the kite was holding nearly all my weight (215#).

That said, I agree with the folks above. I'd rather have a light wind day with a bigger kite any day. Fun times to practice the skills!

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Originally posted by arkay Quote: Originally posted by DAKITEZ Don't expect big jumps or anything in those light winds, because the blaze II doesn't create much if any lift so I assume thats not your intent. As for jumping, maybe others have had luck, but I haven't been able to get my blaze II to lift me much at all. Don't know if it's my timing on the board or just that it really does generate near 0 lift. I have been able to get some 5-6ft jumps but that was in 20-24 mph, and as it was the kite was holding nearly all my weight (215#). That said, I agree with the folks above. I'd rather have a light wind day with a bigger kite any day. Fun times to practice the skills!

Your findings were the same as mine Simple solution for you is if you want some lift pull out your montana ;-)