After being on this site for a few months now, i find it very disturbing the lack of talk about saftey and the dangers of kiting in general.
I for one feel there should be a KITE SAFETY thread

okay I gotta ask - what have you been doing that is making kiting in general so dangerous for you?

your kite should have come with instructions

you could also ask for help from local flyers too. you can always ask questions here.

i believe there is a thread on this forum done by Scoop "kiting for newbies"

I don't know... I know that every chance we get there's people on here who hop all over the opportunity to tell someone to wear a helmet. I know i do.

First off, please don't think that the number of posts to follow are people trying to bust your chops. With that said you will find that there are a number of postings on here from new kiters asking typical newb questions on which kite they should get and what kind of safety gear they should have. The people on this forum answer these questions on a case by case basis. Safety gear, they are all told helmet at a minimum. What kite they should start with, I believe they are all told 3m or smaller to start. Most every one is told to find a local or a instructor.

Yes there are some basics when it comes to safety, and as rip stated earlier there should have been instructions that come with each kite that cover the basics of safety and those safety issues that are unique to that particular kite.

As far as a dedicated thread here it is.
http://www.powerkiteforum.com/viewthread.php?tid=1985

So to repeat. no one trying to bust your chops. And we all post about what injuries have befallen us and pass that info on to the new guys, so they may learn from our mistakes.

And I would like to also welcome you to the forum. You will find these guys, and gals are very safety orientated.
And we like to poke fun at each other.

Fair winds

I think safety is discussed on this forum as needed. When someone new comes on the board and says they are going to buy a 8 meter kite as their 1st- there are multiple posts explaining why that is not a good idea.

If someone is getting into this sport they must have researched it some and have seen the power potential and see it can be dangerous. Sort of like buying a race car- you know it goes fast and you know sooner or later you will crash.

This is not for me as i am already an experenced kiter. There should be a safety thread of it own. here is a list of thing that bug me on this forum.

Kite Jumping, IMO this is extremely dangerous, i was taught not to do it, and should be addressed exactly how dangerous it is.

Harness/Safety system. I dont see much talk about this at all. I do see kiters being told they can hook their handles together with a strap and hook into a harness IE eliminating the safety system of the kite. Another NO NO.

Kite usage/ sizing Now that there are more crossover kites people think they can use their kite on land and water. The only problem is that you need WAY more kite on water. Someone looking for a kite to use on water will have a kite that may be dangerouse on land.

And thats just just a few. Kiting is dangerous in itself. We all should do our part in prmoting safety. Why would we not have a topic on safty on the front page?

I didnt expect to get such lack luster support on this subject. Just another pet peeve about this forum i guess.

.

Once bitten by the bug, I looked at every video, read every piece of info that I could find about the sport. I saw many fine examples of how I didn't want to end up, and have been working slowly to achieve my goals without too much injury. I can only hope that most have approached this in the same way, but I must say that whenever I have read a thread about a newbie (I still consider myself one) wanting to learn to jump, I have always read about the inherent risks associated with the activity, the need for PPE (personal protective equipment) and the advice to take it slow, with instruction whenever possible. I feel that this forum has a great record for advising safe and responsible kiting, and the best possible instruction available at this time is that of other kiters in the community, as quality professional instruction is not widely available. Bob (note; many of us list our PPE as well as our gear in our sig.s!)

I also woundered why i couldnt find this post. I now see that it was mover from general chat, Which is where i wanted so everyone could see it and let their opinion be heard, to now all the way at the bottom of the page in a place i didnt even know exisited.

IMO this is one of the more "safety-conscious" forums.

You're entitled to your own opinion and you're entitled to compile a complete listing of things that you feel are worthy from a safety perspective. I'm sure the mods would make it a sticky it it added sufficient value.

Nothing in life is 100% safe. Kiting is a sport that contains managed risk, but no different from any other sport with risk. All we can offer is guidelines when asked but I don't think its anyone's responsibility to routinely harp on safey when not solicited.

Ask geojones about kite safety, if he ever shows up here again. He caught heck from the 4 corners of the earth when he posted about flying in a situation that as he described was lunacy. There wasn't one attaboy for going "extreme". Every post was chastising him for endangering himself and the reputation of all who use power kites. Like B-Roc said, anyone can create a thread and although there aren't many sticky ones, they would pop up in a search. I personally think safety is very important and should be the first issue to address at every outing. I'm not sure it all needs to be in one place on the forum though. I feel like we as a community spread that info out wherever it needs to be as thick as necessary to get the point across. Your motivations are admirable in the least.

"I personally think safety is very important and should be the first issue to address at every outing. I'm not sure it all needs to be in one place on the forum though. I feel like we as a community spread that info out wherever it needs to be as thick as necessary to get the point across"

Ive seen several ocasions where safety was mentioned then left at the wayside for the rest of the thread.
Kinda like: The safest way would be ...... but......

There should be no buts.... This is the safe way and this is what you should do.

You all say you promote safety. But no one has backed me up on this. Saftey sould be in your face, thats what is going to keep out sport going.

Quote:

Originally posted by snobdr Kite Jumping, IMO this is extremely dangerous, i was taught not to do it, and should be addressed exactly how dangerous it is.

Then you shouldn't be kiting at all because kiting is dangerous

some accidents happen when jumping, but many do when launching, landing and just flying the kite

Kiting is a dangerous sport, but so many other sports are

Quote:

Originally posted by snobdr There should be no buts.... This is the safe way and this is what you should do. You all say you promote safety. But no one has backed me up on this. Saftey sould be in your face, thats what is going to keep out sport going.

The truth is that kiting isn't a "safe" thing to do. Period.

The most dangerous thing that you could do is tell someone "If you just follow these guidelines then you will be safe." Better to educate people on the risks and how they can be minimized.

Why don't you give it a rest already.

Ok, I guess we call it Power Kite Safety Forum then? :puzzled:

Quote:

Originally posted by snobdr There should be no buts.... This is the safe way and this is what you should do. You all say you promote safety. But no one has backed me up on this. Saftey sould be in your face, thats what is going to keep out sport going.

Really, guy, give it a rest. We don't need to be bit by your dogma.

This is probably one of the most attentive and level-headed groups around. Safety and sound advice is one of the cornerstones here, in my opinion

http://www.powerkiteforum.com/viewthread.php?tid=8234&pa...

Kite safety is one of the main things we discuss on here ?

That and being supportive to each other.

Negative vibes are better left for other forums.

I guess snobdr is living up to the "snob" part of his name.

Classic troll like behavior.

I'm going to ignore him now and go run with scissors.

Later tonight I'm going to walk down two flights of stairs, cross a dark parking lot, get into my car and commute 36 miles to my house. Hopefully I get home before the thunder storms hit so I can sit my sick butt down 3 feet from the TV screen and take my cold and allergy meds.

If you printed the list of safety warnings that go with any of those activities, you'd kill half a rain forest.

Life is dangerous. Get over it or live in a bubble. Fly responsibly and leave the preaching for Sunday.

I'm just glad my avatar has me in my helmet now. :o And that wasn't staged either. I have dozens of pics from that trip all with a helmet on. I still have times I don't wear it, but they are as mundane as being underpowered with one of my biggest kites and the wind has been "not enough" all day.

I would like to remind the forum that this guy snobdr is the guy that came on our forum, trying to sell a 16m kite as a "beginners kite" I think. He inflammed the whole forum then, and he is back to his old tricks.

snobdr, we all believe in safety, it is our pleasure to introduce new people to the sport in a safe manner. It is up to the new guy to ask questions, we are not mind readers. If there is a thread that you have issues with, or want to contribute to, please do so, but dont come on here to tell us that we are doing it wrong, according to you.

Join our community, or leave it alone. Your choice.

Quote:

Originally posted by dylanj423 Join our community, or leave it alone. Your choice.

Very well said !

First get your facts right,
The kite i sold was a 13M and it was to a skilled kiter, and he wasnt from this site.
Bladerunner sold the 16m to someone on this site who had stated he was a beginner.

You promote saftey by saying wear a helmet and gear, come on theres more to it then that.
I am consistantly seeing a do as i say not as i do attitude on here

do what you want. i have tried to help. i gave my opinion and got slammed for it.

When i dont agree with someone from now on, i will slam.

ITS SNO BDR or snoboarder, but you want a SNOB you got one.

Quote:

Originally posted by snobdr I am consistantly seeing a do as i say not as i do attitude on here

And how do you know what anyone does! This is a forum and unless you know someone on here personally and kite with them then you only know what people say and not what they do. Get it?

I guess you're saying that people preach safety and then go and brag about their wild exploits. Maybe a little bit of truth there, but honestly what are you looking for here with this thread? If you want a safety thread just START ONE! If people have something to add they will. Or better yet, take BB's idea go start the Power Kiting Safety Forum. I'm sure it will be a big hit.

Nobody likes a troll.

If you truly believe that a specific thread is needed then do one up. Post it. Ask the mods to make it a sticky post.
If you're going to preach to us here don't forget about :
racekiteforum
flexifoilforums
ikitesurf.com
kiteforum.com-has a safety heading but nothing as specific as you're wanting
And even the AKA-(American Kitefliers Association) doesn't have a specific safety page

All of the above deal with safety in the same way we do here. Case by case basis. Sharing experiences so we can learn from each other.

I think the only web site that actually deals with safety specifically is the O.S.H.A. site

WHATEVER THE TROLL MUST BE WRONG

on my local forum, when we have a thread that goes a bit like this, we tend to bring some "humour" into it

So Richard Branson kitesurfing looks not safe to me !! We should ban him from the sport

Well this thread seems to be going along smoothly! :wink2:

If I might try to look at this issue from "the outside". I think Snobdr had good intentions with his thoughts- it just was a bad delivery from him and a group mob mentality took over. So no Christmas cards will be exchanged this year- big deal!

However 2 thoughts:

Powerkiting is an extreme sport right? What do you think they mean by "extreme"? When you watch the X Games or The Gravity Games I do not see much in safety being promoted as Travis does a backflip on a motorcycle-Why? Because it is an EXTREME sport and if you are participating in an extreme sport you must know it is dangerous right? That is part of the thrill of this sport- the inherent danger that comes with it. We are all thrill seekers here- some more than others and it is up to the individual to decide how much they want to seek.

You snowboard- look at the back of your lift ticket- you will see verbage that states you accept the responsibilities and inherent danger of the sport.

Second thought- if someone is at the point of posting or reading a forum about powerkiting I think they will clearly know enough about the sport to see it can be very dangerous if not done right.

Enough said- and B-Roc- Stop running with scissors!!

Quote:

Originally posted by snobdr First get your facts right, The kite i sold was a 13M and it was to a skilled kiter, and he wasnt from this site. Bladerunner sold the 16m to someone on this site who had stated he was a beginner. You promote saftey by saying wear a helmet and gear, come on theres more to it then that. I am consistantly seeing a do as i say not as i do attitude on here do what you want. i have tried to help. i gave my opinion and got slammed for it. When i dont agree with someone from now on, i will slam. ITS SNO BDR or snoboarder, but you want a SNOB you got one.

I want to point out that everyone was gentle with you till after your fourth post in opposition to everyone that tried to nicely point out all that goes on here regarding safety. After that the gloves started to come off. If you want to play by those rules, I'm sure you can still get along with everyone here, but most of us don't come here to be lectured and 4 (four) finger-pointing posts seems to be the limit before you find yourself standing by yourself with glaring eyes staring at you.

Who is this Branson guy anyway and where is his helmet? And the girl isn't wearing a umm a uhh oh never mind.

health and safety have fooked up Britain in the last few years. if you get hurt do something and nobody has forced you to do it, then it is your own fault. it is up to yourself to take reasonable precautions and not any so called safety police (snobdr).

free will

choice

and reason

apply as needed.............

to EVERYTHING


these threads are always fun ..gratitude to the sno guy .
nice pic D' La Menace, thought it was me for second , looks just like the wife though