I weigh about 150 pounds, and wanted to get into Kite Landboarding. I read that 2-4 meter kites are good to start with, but wasn't sure if I would need something bigger if the wind wasn't blowing too much here. I looked at weather.com's wind reports for the next 10 days and see between 4mph and 9mph. Is this too low for landboarding? Should I still stick with a 2-4meter kite, or go up to 5-7meter kite? The kite's I was looking at were the Pansh Ace's, but any other suggestions are welcome. I saw a lot of good things about the Ace's on these forums. One last question I had was if there is a better way to determine how fast the wind is blowing (besides weather.com)? I looked at WindGuru, but it only had 1 spot in Arizona, which was far away from me. Thanks in advance for any help.

definitely stick with a 3m size kite and stay away from an ace as your first kite in your location. The ace is not a bad kite in clean coastal winds, but when the winds are gusty (like your area should be) it will stomp your butt.
Especially since you are a newbie.

Look at a HQ beamer or Peter Lynn hornet or viper.

Dakitez is right. And the smaller the Ace the more dangerous it tends to be.

Dakitez, do you have any legends left? The Pansh legend is not a bad option because it is cheaper and less "lifty", but I'd go with a HQ Beamer if you can afford it SiphOn.

BTW, I live in Mesa and you could try out or borrow a kite of mine if you want to try it. I've got a park near the GM proving grounds that has decent space for landboarding for you to try.

Lemme know.

Spencer

I stopped selling Pansh almost a year ago. The best move I ever made!

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Originally posted by Siph0n One last question I had was if there is a better way to determine how fast the wind is blowing (besides weather.com)?

You can invest in a handheld windmeter to determine actual wind speeds and average windspeeds for whatever location you show up at but the more you fly the more you learn to gauge conditions and what kite to set up based on visible landmarks (like trees, flags, grass, etc.) as well as the feel of the wind on your neck and around your ears. But it may be an investment you want to make up front as I find newer fliers usually don't have a good grasp on what a 10mph wind actually feels like so they can't distinquish it from a 5mph wind or a 15+. they just know its blowing or its not blowing but they may not know at what point they are overpowered and at what point its more work than its worth to keep the kite up and moving.

start with a 3m and save for a depower. I just started flying depowerables this past fall after flying fixed bridles for about 4 years and really wish I switched over MUCH sooner.

I will have to agree with what has been said above. A small ACE is mean little kite. Great in coastal, steady, constant winds. But in your area, you just wont see those kinds of winds, and its liable to be quite mean to you. If you can, get something more stable, as the aforementioned Beamers and/or Hornets.

Depower is the way to go if you are landboarding. Having the pull more centered on your body will make learning a lot easier on you. Of course, getting a cheap fixed bridle to learn how to fly is always the best way to start, in my opinion. Best of luck.

Hornet or Beamer to learn on. 3m. After that, then go for the larger Twister or DePower kite.

Oops. had this sitting open for awhile...looks like most everyone said the same thing.

Are you looking to do any jumping? I started out with a 4.1m twister II, and I'm only 130 lbs, I've found that to be a good kite for a beginner because it is still plenty flyable in low wind (5-10mph) and it will teach you to have respect for the wind when it picks up without spanking you too bad. Do I ever use it to landboard? No, just like the other posts on here say depower is so much easier for landboarding, particularly inland. There's no better way to get into kites than to get a fixed bridle to learn the basics of flying. If you think you're main thing will be landboarding, I'd pick up a real cheap trainer kite and then once you learn how to fly it and understand the wind window move on to depower. Learn how to fly first, don't worry about landboarding just yet.

Hi, I live in cave creek, Good to see another az flyer! I have bunches of kites from 2.2 to 14 meters, if you would like to meet up you could try out as many as you like.
Earl

Definitely take Earl up on that. Flying with an experienced pilot will teach you more in one hour than you would on your own in a month. Plus hit him up for a burger

Thanks all for the suggestions! I will stay clear of the Ace's.

Live2Hover: Are the GM Proving Grounds right up S. Ellsworth Road? Near the Phoenix-Mesa airport? That's where google maps pointed to it.

BigEarl : Where do you normally ride? Cave Creek?

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Originally posted by DAKITEZ Definitely take Earl up on that. Flying with an experienced pilot will teach you more in one hour than you would on your own in a month. Plus hit him up for a burger

I still haven't got to try one of EaRLS kites or burgers.......Mmmm Tasty

@Siph0n yes it is on Elliot a quarter mile east of Ellsworth. There are 3 large parks with grass and no obstacles. Its basin 116

Basin 116 Map

Sorry to hijack the thread slightly but i'm intrigued that lots of people are suggesting depowerable foils are better for landboarding.

I have used Access and frenzy dp's and i dont like them nearly as much as twisters and blades - I fly both on a bar.

ok they are a bit more convenitent because you only need one kite for most conditions but its not that much hassle to switch foils..

What makes you all think they are better than fb's?

@lives2fly I think most people will tell you it's because of better gust handling ability. At your location, you probably get fairly clean winds, but some of us are not so lucky.

I use a park on Dynamite Just west of Tatum most of the time, but I could meet you anywhere. I'm always looking for good spot.

I like flying my depowers better for everything for a number of reasons. One of which being having one hand free if necessary. Comes in real nice to not have both hands strapped into the kite. I guess a fixed-bridle on a bar would work that way too, but its not quite the same. I also like having the pull coming across my waist rather than through my arms. I can fly a lot longer that way as my arms dont get as tired as quickly...

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Originally posted by Maven454 @lives2fly I think most people will tell you it's because of better gust handling ability. .

Ditto. Much better gust absorbtion and nice to have the extra power when you need it.

Fact is when you're over powered, you're over powered no matter what kite you're on but I love the way the depowers smooth out your winds and provide a power / gust buffer via the bar and trim strap if you need bigger adjustments.

Harness not so much a factor for me as I fly hooked in even with my FBs but I like the safety of hooking in with a depower and not needing a whichard shackle, etc.

Big Earl and lives2fly : About how many days per month is the wind strong enough (in our area - Queen Creek, Mesa, Chandler, Gilbert, etc.) to landboard? I want to be sure I can get a lot of use in before I get too attached to this sport lol....

It depends on your availability. The wind is often there while I am at work, or when I am having family time which is frustrating, but I find time to fly several times a month.

Your kite size will play a big part in what wind ranges will work for you. Also the surface you plan on kiting in. For example, it doesn't take much pull at all to get going on asphault or concrete, it takes a bit more on most grass surfaces, and even more on snow (snowboard/skis) or so I am told since I have never been on the snow.

That is one reason why people here have large kite quivers, to cover different wind ranges and surface needs.

I buggy and static only here. I can get out 2-3 times a week if my schedule allows. I see an epic day maybe 1 a month in the winter and 1 every 2 months in the summer. You never know though some weather may move through bringing a good 3 days of nice wind.