Hi all!

Flew for the first time in my new (to me) buggy today! I'm fully stoked, was an amazing session. Anyway I have a question, one I probably should have asked before I started this!

So I was powering along in my flow nicely enough, felt in control able to stop ok. Later on my friend took the flow to learn to landboard, and I had come from my landboard hooked into my (very nicely powered) 12m Phantom. Basically I thought what's the worst that can happen, got in the buggy and off I went :wee:

But here's the problem, I was getting faster and faster, apparent wind kicked in and showed no sign of letting up, faster and faster, and I couldn't find a safe way of stopping!

I tried to scrub some speed off with small slides upwind, but I was going too quick for that to be stable (the buggy felt like it was snatching).

When I tried to bring the phantom toward zenith the lift it produced felt like it was going to sky me, so I couldn't do that to slow down.

And letting the bar out any more would have meant letting go, something I wasn't keen on doing. So what is the solution? How do I slow down on a kite that powered/lifty?

:o

In the end had to use my feet to scrub some speed off (a big no no, I know, and they did get a little warm...)

sounds like you have a decent handle on things.
generally the closer to zenith the kite is the more closer attention i pay to it.
i do not like the "holy cow i felt nothing below my arse just now" feeling so i try to keep kite low and deal with lateral pull/slippage and not verticle as much as possible.
things i've done/do in "good-high-maybe a tad much winds for this kite" to slow down...
with depower kites-

-mostly-steer/pull hard away (upwind) from kite for all i'm worth keeping kite well below zenith. less concentration more brute strength.
-same as above but with kite closer to zenith and paying super close attention to kite until i'm stopped or turned around and dipping kite back (down) into power.
- turn down winder to depower kite some and get some slack enough to scrub speed or quickly land the kite (grabbing the brake lines). once the kite is low enough and under control i'll keep hold of brake lines but turn away from kite so as not to run over/tangle/axel lines. this all takes place in about a second and no more or i'm running over the lines.

with FB (on handles=more control)
i find myself flying/sliding the kite about 8 feet above ground and about perfectly beamed to me when pulling against kite to scrub speed. the kite is LeadingEdge up/level to horizon and BE parallel to ground and i can slide the kite more or less behind or forward to myself applying more/less brake input when needed. if anything goes sour the kite is close to landing anyway.
i fly alot of Revs so this maneouvering is very easy for me but not come very easy to to others and others probalby would not recommend it.
also would not so much like to touch kite down at speed on anything other than grass.

I usually throw the back end of the bug towards the kite - ie: head upwind with a big slide - that normally scrubs off a fair bit of speed. Followed (if necessary) by a full sideways towards the kite - that stops me. But I have midi's on a 1.5m axle (Vmax) which slide well.

If you're on the beach, just head downwind a little into the softer sand - that also will slow you down real fast.

In an emergency, pull the safety with a full sideways downwind turn - lean into the turn. Actually, I've done that without pulling the safety and the power goes out of the kite almost instantly.

Head upwind - eventually you should run out of power.

I've seen better buggiers than me come to a complete stop from about 50kph with a big sideways slide with barrows and of course, the compulsory 'yeeeehaaaa'!

As for using my feet.... no way. I would rather deliberately crash or release the kite (if safe to do so) than risk putting my foot anywhere near the tyre or the ground. Kite is cheaper than limb.

edit: I downloaded and printed out a copy of Angus's 'Better Buggy Basics' and referred to it a lot. VERY handy to have, thanks Angus. Here: Better Buggy Basics

A little more time in the buggy will help. Knowing that line between sliding and flipping comes pretty fast.

The others have said it. Head upwind. With the kite very low if needed. Commit and force it to the edge with heart and commtment .

If you have the kite up then running downwind is an option. Or a Hard turn.