Im woundering how to fly a kite with a board..... i have a mbs pro 6 (alex brown pro model) and a airush 3m kite. like how o start off and stuff

First off a little background info, how long have you been flying, how solid are you with the kite, can you handle it when powed up?

Im pretty good with the kite i have only flown it for a week but for a week almost non stop and i have mntboarded for almost 2 years

k, you'll want to start off with the board pointing down wind on about a 45 deg, say to the right, with the kite at 12:00, maybe a hare to the left you'll swing the kite to the right side of the window, the faster you do this the bigger your first burst of power will be. as the kite comes across the window you'll want to start turning more across the wind, ideally you'll end up about 90 deg to the wind. If your slowing down with tension on the lines, your pointing too much upwind, if you find the lines going slack, your pointing too much downwind.

A couple common problems, big burst of power then the kite falls from the sky, caused by keeping the board pointed straight at the kite for too long, you end up traveling straight towards the kite and don't keep tension on the lines, then the kite will fall from the sky. Another one is the kite seems powered up at the edge of the window, then luffs badly, your barely moving, caused by too much upwind, kite's stalling right at the very edge of the window and prone to luffing.

That should get you going, you have to have a fair bit of power in the kite though.

well i only weigh 100lbs so a 3m should be enough kite me right?

also 2 let u know im goffy footed so if there is anything like just left or right please make it oppsite of regular

No difference, you'll be facing straight down wind and traveling cross wind, you'll be riding both ways depending on which way you're traveling, keep your back to the wind.

3m should be enough in decent wind, I'm 240lbs and I still buggy with a 3m in winds 20+. I'm guessing with your weight you'll be going in somewhere around 11-14mph

With regard to goofy/regular. When I snowboard I have a regular stance, and when I'm kiting with a MTB I find it easier to control the board when in the same stance i.e. left leg leading. So you may find it easier in the goofy stance.

The only problem is that unlike snowboarding you have to learn to kite-board in both directions to be able to get back to where you started!

well couldnt i just put the kite at 12 o'clock and do a 180 or do u need the speed to come back?

The problem with doing a 180 is that now the kite will be straight behind you instead of in front of you. While skilled boarders can pull this off, it's not a beginner sort of move. Much easier to learn to ride both directions with your face to the kite.

i see what your saying but how do u go the oppistie way

O.k. The first thing to understand is that kiteboarding is not about having the kite drag you downwind. (Straight downwind is possible, but relatively difficult since, as soon as you reach wind speed, your kite drops out of the sky. Plus, your maximum speed is limited to slightly below windspeed.)

Instead, your direction of travel should be fairly perpendicular with the wind. You can adjust you direction of travel both downwind or upwind of that perpendicular line. The benefit is that ,as you move, the kite does not "catch up" with the wind, so no power is lost and the kite won't fall out of the sky. In fact the opposite happens. As you pick up speed, the kite travels faster though the air, giving you even more power!! Your max speed is no longer limited to windspeed, but to how fast your kite is and how well you can hold a line before the power starts dragging you sideways. This can commonly exceed 3 times the actual windspeed

So this is how its done: Launch your kite with your back to the wind and bring it up to 12 o'clock straight overhead (this is neutral). Place your board so that the direction of travel will be perpendicular with the wind direction. Now hop on your board. Now slowly bring the kite down to the 10 o'clock position (this will make you go to your left). As you begin to move. Resist the urge to turn in the direction that the kite is pulling you. Maintain that perpendicular line with the wind. The pull from the kite should always feel out in front of you ("in front" = body position, not direction of travel) and slightly towards the direction of travel. Bringing the kite back to 12 o'clock and coast to a stop. To come back the way you came, bring the kite slowly to the 2 o'clock position and try to follow the tracks you just made.

(Note that, unlike downhill mountain boarding, you will not be twisting your upperbody to face in the direction of travel. Instead, you will keep your upperbody facing downwind as you travel perpendicular to the wind. Both feet therefor, should be splayed out evenly in front of you. This is why the normal vs. goofy-foot doesn't apply, because according to your body position, neather foot is in front of the other, both should feel out in front of you)

I found it helpful to understand that kiteboarding is not simply mountainboarding under power. Its feel is much more like windsurfing than mountainboarding. For starters, the issue of balance is completely different. In downhill mountainboarding your board is your pivot point of balance, and gravity (downward pull) is your single focus of balance. This is why you try to keep yourself directly over your board. In kiteboarding, your arms and torso become your pivot point where you try to balance the competing forces of kite pull, and sideways resistance from your board (which you try to keep pushed out in front of you). In short: In mountainboarding, you try not to fall down... In Kiteboarding you try not to be pulled off.

Once you get into it, you'll be hooked.

J/w how do u jump.... do u just do a ollie and let the kite bring me up or is there a speical way?

Small steps first, what do you expect to happen after the jump when you land if your not confident in handling the board to begin with?

Trust me, work on board skills, when you get a little better you'll end up heading out in more wind, eventually you'll end up jumping without even trying.

well i was j/w so i know and dont have 2 make like 50 post to find what i need

basics of most jumps involve sending the kite off either straight up or a little in the opposite direction of your traveling, so if you have the kite down low heading left, send the kite up to the top of the window quickly and maybe a hare to the right and you'll be up if you have enough power.

This can also be done flying static, have the kite left, sweep the kite across the top of the window to the right and run left and upwind a bit, you're trying to get as much of a difference in kite speed to your speed as possible. It'll take you up if done right, called a pendulum jump.

Cutting upwind sharply when traveling at speed will also help you jump, best bet is to be going fast, cut hard upwind and send the kite up to 12:00. If your not airbourn you're underpowered.

But keep this in the back of your head for future reference, more of something to avoid for now. It'll come fast enough.

should i get a harness or will i be fine without 1

I use harnesses for two reasons:

First: On larger kites 5m and up it gives my arms a break (How long can you hang by your hands??)

Second: When kiteboarding, it lowers the center of gravity of the kite's pull.

The drawbacks are that you lose some of the flexiblility of moving your arms in and out to balance.

do any1 know where to get a cheap one... the ones on like kitty hawk kites and stuff are like $100 or more... is there a cheaper one made 4 mntboarding or just land

I usually make up my own strops for the handles, I set them up a little long. this allows me to stay hooked in, some extra room to pull in if needed, then just let it out a little for cruising.

On ebay every now and then, someone selling Freerace seat harness that are dual use (kiting and windsurfing) They're actually quite nice, well padded and sturdy. I ended up picking up 2 for around $38 buck each!!! I still use them.

Just looked them up on Ebay "NEILPRYDE Freerace Automatic Harness" $40 Buy It Now. And it includes the spreader bar! I still use this harness, And I doubt you will find a better deal. They are under the "windsurfing" category but are fully functional dual use harnesses.

thanks but one more thing.... do u carve when u have a kite or do u just go stright

I can and (do quite often) do something other than just go in a staight line. This includes powerslides, zigzags, changups, jumps, and reversed positions. However, none of these fit into the traditional sense of "carving".

This kinda goes back to my earlier comments about the differences in kiteboarding compared to downhill. "Carving" is a term generally used in sports that use gravity and momentum as power (i.e. skatboarding, mountainboarding, snowboarding, surfing, skiing) Carving lets you push against that force in a controlled way, while getting that feeling of being off-center of your board, while still remaining balanced. Kiteboarding relies neither on gravity nor momentum for its power, instead it relies on wind and speed (upward pull), so zigzaging does not produce the same effect, nor the desired feel.

In a way, your entire run should feel like one big "carve" On the edge, leaning way back, pushing the board out. Its got a way different feel, and completely different dynamics, consequently, much of the language doesn't translate that well.

But to answer your question simply: Yes there is a LOT more to do than just go staight.

ok... next windy day im going to try but i need some good places to fly.... i was thinking about this one feild it a football feild and a baseball feild in one big feild...no bleachers or anything but the only thing is that it all trees around it... the bigest feild that my family owns has a cell tower in the middle of it and trees sorround it so i cant use it...i can barly fly my kite in it and have got it in a tree b4.

any other places like what kind of feild or what to look for ...

i live in southwestern PA (pittsburgh area) if any1 know a good spot around there