Thanks again all...

This stuff is priceless to me. Saving me hours of wasted time!!

I'll check out those vids posted.

One last question. Would increasing the line length give me more power?

I understand that the alpha isn't the best kite for what I want to do but if I added 5 metres would it help?

Adding 5 meters of line may find you some more wind, but it will not change where the kite pulls from.

shehatesmyhobbies - yeah I get that. just wondering about the power. I can't upgrade kite yet. soon maybe.

Well, speaking of which. Took it out to fly today nice 16 -19mph wind. was out for about an hr and a gust hit me, pulled the handles clean out of my hands!! BOOM! kite killer on left handle SNAPPED!!!! WTF!?!!

Luckily the right handle didnt and I didnt lose the kite but geez!

So, my question is this; call the shop n get them to replace (since its new) or get a full refund and upgrade? hehehe

Suggestions?

I need more practice with sineing. I did get motion but I'm still getting pulled off balance. I'm averaging about 45 seconds on the board before I have to bail or eat grass.

2 bulls were standing on the top of a hill, a father and his son....never mind.
"last question"...you now have enough info to hurt yourself in a hurry...there is nothing your gonna read that
makes up for fly time which is never wasted even if your just setting up and packing up...their are a lot of milestones
reached along the way to riding atb dont try to skip over them they are all rewarding and have merit
be safe 1st....and have fun

I've only landboarded a few times. didn't really give it a fair chance, but a high resistance surface like thick grass can make for a tough time. You could also make use of the kite in the lower range using a longboard on pavement. The smooth surface will blow your mind. it did me.

Nothing quite so fine as being "dark, rich, and sexy" and dropping the bull joke on us abkayak - priceless!

All joking aside, abkayak is dead on. When I was starting out I actually bought two DVDs on buggying and studied how to get rolling. I was having the same trouble as you which was using too small a kite and not smoothly making the transition from facing down wind, dropping the kite from zenith into a dive across the wind window and making what we call in surfing (yes, I'm a surfer too) the "bottom turn". I studied and studied those videos and scoured the YouTube trove for beginning buggy clips. All I wanted to do was make the bottom turn and start heading across the freaking field!! Then I got a bigger kite (my 12M P2) put it up in the air, s-l-o-w-l-y dropped it over and shazzam, clumsily completed my first bottom turn, and before I knew it was flying down the field yelping happily like a school kid. I unlocked the first crucial door and have been making steady progress ever since. And yes, you will eat grass from a board. In the buggy world we get our OBEs which can go Code Brown every once in a while. Every step of the way is a learning process as stated before. Hats off to you for going the board route right out of the chute; buggy piloting is far easier of a skill set.

We all love PKF and these threads, but man, just get out there and experiment. This is a "feel" sport plain and simple, and there is just no way to read or watch your way through that. It sounds as if you are having fun.... go get some!

Thanks for all the advice guys.

Yes I think I just need to get out n practice. Will try not to hurt myself.

Wind today was very strong. I can see why you suggest learning in lower winds with a bigger kite.

I'm out of action now until my replacement comes. The shop I got it from are sending me a whole new kite which I'd nice of them.

Will look into depowers n atb vids n see what I can learn


I

Work on bending your knees and getting your center of gravity LOW and behind the board when the power comes on. Push out with your feet. With this method you go over the top less often but end up on your butt (and bang the back of your head ) on occasion. When being dragged on your butt you at least still have control of your kite.

KITE 1st!!!!!!! Get that running in your head! It has become the 1st thing that my old brain goes to as soon as things go bad and was a break through in my learning curve. Keeping tension on the front lines is key. If you are losing tension you need to cut upwind / start off in less of a down wind angle.

You are making a very smart move by doing all this research before you get your next kite. With so many kites and so many opinions it's still hard to make a choice. Best move is always " try before you buy " . Short of that, getting peoples 1st hand experience with these different kites is best.

Young folks learn quick. You and your buddy should be ready and capable of stepping up to depower by Christmas. Factor in that you will need a harness. Sounds like you and your buddy will need one each, being different sizes?

Will you snow kite over the winter?

LEI are affordable but learning on them on land is risky. You will crash a lot at 1st and LEI may not stand up to that.

I think the Peak is a good direction to look. Problem is, Peak 1's don't come up for re-sale much. If your folks can't afford a new Peak 2 or other new depower kite explain to them that they may have to shop a bit early. You can find some screamin' deals on this and other respectable forums but you need to do your homework, watch the sites and be ready to move when the right kite comes up.

As everybody is saying the best thing you can do at this point ( besides studying up on your next kite ) is getting time in. Accept that you will have to learn to get every bit of power possible from the Alpha and take comfort knowing it will make you a better pilot in the long run.
Will your buddy also be able to get a second kite by then ?

Quote: Originally posted by Bladerunner

Work on bending your knees and getting your center of gravity LOW and behind the board when the power comes on. Push out with your feet. With this method you go over the top less often but end up on your butt (and bang the back of your head ) on occasion. When being dragged on your butt you at least still have control of your kite. KITE 1st!!!!!!! Get that running in your head! It has become the 1st thing that my old brain goes to as soon as things go bad and was a break through in my learning curve. Keeping tension on the front lines is key. If you are losing tension you need to cut upwind / start off in less of a down wind angle. You are making a very smart move by doing all this research before you get your next kite. With so many kites and so many opinions it's still hard to make a choice. Best move is always " try before you buy " . Short of that, getting peoples 1st hand experience with these different kites is best. Young folks learn quick. You and your buddy should be ready and capable of stepping up to depower by Christmas. Factor in that you will need a harness. Sounds like you and your buddy will need one each, being different sizes? Will you snow kite over the winter? LEI are affordable but learning on them on land is risky. You will crash a lot at 1st and LEI may not stand up to that. I think the Peak is a good direction to look. Problem is, Peak 1's don't come up for re-sale much. If your folks can't afford a new Peak 2 or other new depower kite explain to them that they may have to shop a bit early. You can find some screamin' deals on this and other respectable forums but you need to do your homework, watch the sites and be ready to move when the right kite comes up. As everybody is saying the best thing you can do at this point ( besides studying up on your next kite ) is getting time in. Accept that you will have to learn to get every bit of power possible from the Alpha and take comfort knowing it will make you a better pilot in the long run. Will your buddy also be able to get a second kite by then ?

Hi Balderunner,

Yes we are different sizes so will need to harnesses. He is going to get a smaller bullet in a week or 2 as the 4.5 is to strong for us at the moment n he lives near coas so massively stronger wind. I'm the cautious one. I like researching and slow starts. He's impulsive.....

Yes we will both be getting new kites. Different sizes so we can share were possible n he has different conditions.. sadly I have lost the added benefits of parents buying me stuff. I'll have to save n buy myself ; (

No snow here. Or very little. The joys of cold wet climate... Long live UK weather in all its misery!

Guys,

Just following on from this conversation. Took the kite (new) on sat. The kite killer snapped again after 2 releases.. Is this normal or just poor design? (the HQ kitekillers have plastic holders for the knots. The plastic splits when you release).

Im thinking after all your advice to change the alpha for a 4m scout. I'm not ready to move to DP kite yet, skillwise or financially.

My reasoning is: I have the very basics of the 3.5m down. Plus, I can see outgrowing this very quickly.

I am a big boy so I can hold the weight of the 3.5m in anything except extreme winds that I dont really
want to be flying in that kind of wind.

Lastly, I want to use the ATB. I am going to get cleaner wind at lower wind speeds with the 4m, and in
higher winds I can practice skudding

is this a sensible move? or am I gonna kill myself?

no....u should be a scud jeti master before you put on an atb

Quote: Originally posted by abkayak

no....u should be a scud jeti master before you put on an atb

OK I'm stuck in a loop of indecision

In an effort to not repeat to much.

3.5 alpha is underpowered. Depower is the end goal (12 mnths) 4.5 bullet is too much.

I think a 4 would be fine. I don't want a bar yet. I want the handles.

What 4 line traction kite would I want?

Ok, no ATB until scudding nicely...
I'm sorry I'm being a pain with this. Going for overload at the moment.

No happy with the 3.5 n don't know where to go from here....

idk...i got a 3.5 bullet and feel that thing can really pull and needs to be paid attention to at all times(quick)...i didnt like my 5m scout so much but only had it on a bar...bottom line just kites the same size do act differently so dont get hung up on the #....sorry i know this doesnt help but a lot of this is figuring things out by just doing

Quote: Originally posted by abkayak

idk...i got a 3.5 bullet and feel that thing can really pull and needs to be paid attention to at all times(quick)...i didnt like my 5m scout so much but only had it on a bar...bottom line just kites the same size do act differently so dont get hung up on the #....sorry i know this doesnt help but a lot of this is figuring things out by just doing

Yeah.. I just need to figure out what I need by playing. Haha

Sorry to keep spamming with messages but your insight is useful..

My toss up now is 4m blade but scared of the lift or 3.5 rage. Hahaha...
jeez. . I need a break. I'm not looking at s kite for 24 hrs information overload...

send me the blade thats not for you...

Yeah it's going cheap too.. I wonder why.. a lot of blades on sale

Yeah ok no blades..

Ever flown a rage?

the blade pbly mangled him and now he is paying for a pt
no never flew a rage how about you buy it in 3.5 fly the snot out of it
we kill this thread and you give us a new one w/ a review of it....yea, i think thats a good idea
it's like a good homework assignment

Lol ok ok..

Point taken.


I'll stick with the 3.5 until I can fly it with my toes.

@ abkayak - is that you in my Avatar picture? The text reads: "Wilderness Survival Tip #7: Some of the animals in the forest you just don't ##$@! with" :moon:

my eyes are so poor i cant even make out the picture

Think squirrel with a giant pair