Ok we all kite or fly, But why? I think it would be cool to hear some honest opinions here.You know, The kids are driving me nuts and I gotta go. I am addicted, I love selling kites. The people are great. I'm in too deep I cant give up now! What serenity do you get from the wind or water in your face?:saint: I would have said hair but I have seen alot of kiters and... Anyway, Do you really (live to fly)? Sorry had to go there. Time now days is sometimes hard to find And I belive each and every one of us does it for a reason and I can't wait to read why.:singing:

There are so many reasons I love to fly that I think it would be impossible to list them all. Every time I go unpack the kite I find more reasons to keep doing it. The main reasons would have to be:

I love adrennaline
I'm still a kid at heart
I love the stress relief and feeling of total freedom kiting provides
I love sharing experiences like kiting with friends and family (makes it guilt free spending)
I love that there is so much to learn! (You could never learn everything because the options are limitless)

AND...

I love the reactions I get when I tell someone I'm going to go flying or kiting!

hahaha yes! I love the smile you get when you see the crazy expressions on your friends faces, especially when their faces are like 11 feet below the bottoms of your shoes when you practice jumping while flying static. The float down when you can look at cars as they honk and drive past your field. I love knowing that the small backpack on your bedroom floor contains a piece of nylon that can lift you several stories into the air when the conditions are right. The freedom you experience is unlike anything

there is some peace in kiting... but man, its the rush for me! On the ride to my spot my heart is racing, im freaked out about it all... the pull the lift everything!

The looks i get, the comments, its all second to that rush... landing a big jump, or sliding for a mile(lol).

I like nature, and this puts me there in a crazy way... there are few things about this sport that arent completely amazing... i could do without the occasional limp, or bum wrist, but small price to pay for this much fun!

I love being outside and being in "the zone" where everything else in life just seems to melt away. Some wonderful mixture of fresh air, adrenaline, concentration, and fun :bigok: Cheesey I know!

i fly for a few reasons:

firstly, i live near the coast, so its very accessable for me, i often get the right conditions and i love being outside, so they all come together to kiting.

i also love the adrenalin rush you get and i like the challange. i do several sports which satisfies this craze.

i also find it relaxing in a way. although your body is working, its ver relaxing for your mind.... (make sence ?)

I am living my childhood dreams. I never imagined it would come to be but imagined doing this from a very young age. I remember feeling the wind power in a beach blanket on a vacation when I was young that I think started it all off.

Archkiter is right about the " Zone ". :cool2:

Here's my crack the question!

I like the simplicity - unpack, put the kite up, hop on the board and go - no fuel, no noise. I love trying to harness the power of Mother Nature, be it wind or gravity or maybe a little of both. There's nothing quite like being out on the field or the frozen lake on a beautiful sunny day with a kite in the air!

I love the feeling of the air blowing past me as I ride, that feeling of speed. When the wind's not blowing, I'll take the board downhill for that feeling - just sucks to have to climb back up the hill!

I also like the challenge of learning new teqhniques and imporving on others. For all the crappy gusty sessions I have, I keep coming back hoping to have one of those sessions where everything just clicks.

Time is hard to find though that's for sure.... especially when competing for the sports fields with the soccer players (they always win!). I wish I could get out half as much as some people here do!

Cus it kicks ass.:wee:

ALL OF THE ABOVE.......and............its FUN...........

I fly for all of the above mentioned reasons, but I would like to add one more that is VERY important to me.

This is a sport in which all my kids participate. All boys, ages 18, 16, 14, and 12. It is an awesome sight to see all 5 of us lined up on the beach flying, and seeing everyone support and help each other out. No video games, not arguing. Just lots of fun, pictures, some video and everyone being supportive. Its also cool seeing the smaller guys fly the bigger kites and having the confidence to give it a whirl and know what to do when they get out of their comfort zone. Yes, I do have to hold on some times!

I know my kids will eventually move on, but until then, its awesome to fly as a family.

lamentations from the women

example today,...blowing nice around 20 clouds on one side and some blue skies on the other onshore so i'm working on top pass the break about 100yds out back and forth for hours up and down the beach for a mile or so.

come in close, launch a few holy chit jumps close ( but safe within reason and skill) a few ladies hanging in the break as i peak a 20 footer and close enough to hear
"OH MY GOD"

hmmm.... that's a bit strong. but sometimes you just gotta help people see the light ....
































and human flight seems to work

- I need any excuse to get outside to move/sweat in the sun and take trips to the beach.

- I started with R/C planes, but pinching and jiggling little knobs can't compare to the visceral tug of wind and line. Too much refined, geeky, cerebral stuff - gotta fire-up the Ole Limbic System a little more. (I still like my R/C paraglider for windless days, tho.) ;-)

- Like many people, my favorite dreams are about flying. But not "flying" like Peter Pan, Orville Wright or Superman. More like leaping into the air a few feet and just hanging there, slowly drifting down. More like swimming in air, actually...weightless...free from the ground's clutter...the World's deadening suction. Power kiting is the simplest, cheapest(?) and most direct way to simulate this
(until I can afford one of those Zero G parabolic dive rides one day).:wee:

Too many reasons, most of which boil down to - it's bloody good fun

been doing it for soooo long its become a passion. sport kites ---> traction
started my first job at a kiteshop
started my own business
helped pioneer the sport locally
anything to help the sport grow more and more

if i couldnt go fast or race or meet all the cool people along the way, dunno what i would do next. sleeping would be my next hobby but ill sleep when im dead.

I have to agree with nhlrule56.
I have skydived, parasailed, hangglidded, scuba dived, mountian climbed, rock climbed, flown sail planes, raced dirt bikes, and many more ME sports, and this sport is the only one I can do WITH the entire family.
Don't get me wrong, I get a lot of joy buggying at break neck speeds with a 2m kite. Just like the above answers, I too enjoy kiting for those reasons.
But the Last word is the wife lets me buy kite after kite to keep the family involved and I have 2 more on the way...kites that is... I like family sports.

Why do I fly...... because I can't

Because I CAN.

Susan (npw goddess)