Well, I now have a new found respect for all the landboarders I see vids of. All I can say is that this is a completely different set of skills I have to develop.

Out to the soccer fields today, wind at a steady 15-20 mph and 15 meter Synergy at hand. Inflate and launch the synergy without incident. Now came the hard part, trying to put everything together without hi siding or falling backwards. I found out really quick that it's soooooo much harder to balance on a board than on snow skiis. I was able to get a few small runs in both ways even though I had many stumbles. Learning how to get that intitial take off and keep the momentum going proved to be difficult. The surface I had to contend with really sucked to say the least. Tall thick grass and slighty soft ground made it really difficult to keep any momentum going. I think that if I can fall down on the ground and it doesn't hurt, that constitutes too soft of a surface. If the kite would get to the edge of the window, I would slightly lose power and immediately come to a stop, then power the kite back up and end up hi siding. There was a definite pattern here. Wish I could find a more suitable surface to learn on. I need to really develop better board balancing skills and learn how to counter the power better on take off. It's almost like standing on a fence and trying to fly a kite without falling off. Even if I only got a few little runs in, I still feel like I learned a lot and had a blast doing it.

Great job!! That's awesome!

Sounds like you had a lot of fun. If you don't have any prior boarding skills, then I imagine that learning from scratch would be quite difficult. You'll get the hang of it!

One thing about riding a landboard: It's easier to absorb gusts on a board than it is on a buggy. You just have to lean back against the pull of the kite. I find that because of this, it's easier to ride over powered than under powdered; especially on a soft surface. Just keep your knees bent and your weight out behind you. It may take some time to find the spot of balance between how far back you lean and how much the kite pulls you forward. Once you get rolling, momentum builds up and it gets easy from there.

The ability a rider has to hold down a lot of power on a board is very advantageous. I find it most useful when jumping. Because you can get down low and lean way back, you can absorb a lot of energy from the kite and kind of "spring load" yourself before you take off. It will take practice, but I assure you... you will learn quickly :D

Thanks Seanny! Yeah, its my first experience with a landboard. Used to skateboard alot back in the day, but havent touched any kind of board in alot of years. Been skiing most of my life, so combining those two felt quite natural from the start. Gonna have to buy more "Shout", I see alot more grass stains coming in the future. lol

Grass stains are imminent. As are ripped jeans. All of my jeans have holes in them. :P

Try sticking to depower on the landboard... it's a lot easier and safer that way... and, much more fun.

I have completely given up on keeping any pants/shorts anywhere near clean for kiting, so I put on the pads and such and then throw another layer over all that...a layer from goodwill! :bigok:

Glad to hear you gave it a go and are ready to tackle it again! I see the speeds that the buggy guys get up to, and it makes me jealous. Thankfully, if you've got a decent hill and the right wind direction, you can do your best impression of slashing a wave all day long, something the buggies can't. ;-)

Keep air pressure high and the trucks a bit tighter than you'd have them for just skating. Best of luck!

Oh yeah that's another thing. You don't need to put on a marshmellow suit or a steel kit of armor to have fun... contrary to popular belief... just reinforce the common points of impact. With me, ankle braces, knee pads, gloves, and a helmet are a must. Anything else is just extra weight.

Quote:

Originally posted by Chedderhead I need to really develop better board balancing skills and learn how to counter the power better on take off. It's almost like standing on a fence and trying to fly a kite without falling off.

Alternatively inspiring and demoralizing, depending on mood, wrt to board balancing skills:

Home manual
Back Home Board

Note: Bonus points in the second video for not putting the board through the window.

ATB,
Sam

Quote:

Originally posted by Seanny Grass stains are imminent. As are ripped jeans. All of my jeans have holes in them. :P

Yes...the oldest clothes in the closet are definitely in order!!!!

I have to keep in mind every time I go out that crashes and flubs are not necessarily something bad, but merly a lesson on not what to do next time. Most of the vids I see edit out the bad stuff, or good stuff, depending on how you look at it. Almost convinces a person that whom ever made the video is invincible!

Chedderhead,
I've been chastised for giving this advise before but I still think that if your wind and surface is poor and you want to advance your skills, pump your tires to max , tighten your trucks and then forget beam reaches and go for broad reaches downwind carving heel to toe as you sine the kite in front of you, you can loop the kite for extra power in lighter winds and concentrate on riding the board and relaxing on the board, only problem is you have to walk back up wind, but with PL you just turn loose of the bar and take off, kite follows like a well trained dog

Thanks Sam for the video links. Very humbling. I'll have to work at those skills on those no wind days (cough, cough)

g-force, I'll give that a try next time I'm out. Thanks.

keep doing it. enjoy the ride! keep the kite hooked, balance, balance against the kite .

get down low . bends at the knees and the hips ..head back ...push through the board.

power through the crapy grass like you mean it. leave a mark!

pads and all . rinse and repeat

Try not worrying as much about staying upwind right away. Lose some ground at 1st in order to build the speed needed to push through. Then make it up once moving well.

Nice new kite aspects, like a split personality, just keep it all buzzing!

Thanks Phree and Blade for the good advise. Another day off work tomorrow. If I'm not fishing, I'm gonna be back out on the landboard. :wee:

If the wind is from the North, look me up!

Seriously, keep on givin' 'er. And if the board just won't submit, you can use my Coyotes. Pretty much like skis.

Quote:

Originally posted by Seanny As are ripped jeans. All of my jeans have holes in them. :P

uncanny. i ripped a big crotch-hole in my pants today

Quote:

Originally posted by Cheddarhead Learning how to get that intitial take off and keep the momentum going proved to be difficult. If the kite would get to the edge of the window, I would slightly lose power and immediately come to a stop, then power the kite back up and end up hi siding.

dont'cha just hate that?
learning on my trainer, i found the only way to compensate, when the wind wasnt strong enough to keep you going, was to sine (as mentioned above)
you gotta get the second pull from the sine out before you have lost momentum from the first pull.
after i got those two done, keeping momentum was easy. (until i hit a ditch or soft patch)

I'm just starting out on landboard as well... Using 6.5 and 8 fixed bridles, not enough wind for the synergy.

Finding the right ground was my biggest challenge, once I found some (wet) hardpack beach I was alright. Yes breaking the wheels loose is a b#tch! With onshore smooth breezes tho I was able to mow the lawn right away... The first taste of apparent wind was amazing! Like getting hooked on kites all over again!

I usually get to fly right after work on my office days, and so far I've been really happy with my Columbia brand pants with Omni-Shield. I had one pair that I grassed both knees one day. They came clean like new. Now I have 2 pants and 3 shorts, as well as a bunch of shirts. They even have a new level above Omni-Shield called Blood and Guts Shield. Crossing my fingers I'll never have to find out how well it works.

I've been using a couple pairs of ripstop denim pants, they've held up to some decent butt-skuds, not as comfortable as wearing shorts, but nice to not come home with holes in the ass

A tip that's helped me out. When you are taking off, point the board about 30 degrees downwind. With the kite a zenith and you on the board, fly the kite slightly to the opposite side of the window, then start making shallow dives into the window. You are wanting the kite to just start getting you moving. Once moving you can start making deeper sines, where you can start edging upwind. Before I figured this out I was always outrunning the kite till it collapsed, or I'd get a huge serge of power and get pulled off the board. This might not make sense now, but if you practice it'll start to sink in.

Shaggs; You pretty much hit the nail on the head with my take-off issues. I'm typically not letting myself go down wind long enough to build adequate speed before heading across or even upwind. No speed on the board then allows the kite to out run me across the window, then luff. Definetely more surface resistance to contend with and a different stance I'm not quite used to yet. I'm really close, I just need a little more practice and I think I'll have it. If it's not raining tomorrow I'll be back out again.

yeah I've done that a lot, especially because I just want to get ripping like you see the pros do. Since I started this I've had way smoother takeoffs.

a few points you guys might consider for a start with control.

keep your weight/ head behind your heels,

keep the kite hi and make small passes (nibble) at the top of the power zone, like 12 to 1, til you have forward motion and sit back after as power surges get more solid and continuous.

too much speed ? keep the kite hi, head UP wind to engage and keep the kite responsive

learn kite action to slow down once rolling, nibble at the powerzone hi in the window IN the Opposite direction. this is small quick passes like 12 to 11.

rolling resistance is gonna be a point of consideration, grass and rough you need more power to get it going ...smooth will be much less.

the timing will come ...AND ALWAYS do it both ways. stay oriented to window position! this will eventually be a reflex feel from the kite but takes a little time.

keep at it. and BTW tattered clothes and gravity wounds/abrasions and hopefully much less musculoskeletal injuries(which is the accelerated learning program) come with mother nature phed phun! swim at your own risk.

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Originally posted by PHREERIDER a few points you guys might consider for a start with control. keep your weight/ head behind your heels, keep the kite hi and make small passes (nibble) at the top of the power zone, like 12 to 1, til you have forward motion and sit back after as power surges get more solid and continuous. too much speed ? keep the kite hi, head UP wind to engage and keep the kite responsive

This is exactly what I was trying to say with my post. The shallow dives as I called them really helped to ease into the take-off. I really wish I had a larger spot to ride, so I can enjoy the park 'n' ride more than 40 seconds.

Know what you mean with the short park 'n' rides. Just get going good and then have to turn around. Bites! I've only been able to find soccer fields to fly in so far, but the search for better spots never ends. Sometimes when I have extra time to kill I'll just jump in the truck and drive around looking for that magic spot. So far it's proven to be elusive.

we have a peice of heaven thats mile 1/2,can ride east or west wind ,sweet, added bonus we had a ship-wreck to go to last weekend.

wait till you get the riding down, and the jumping.... landing is a whole 'nother game

i found out at JIBE, i cant land on smooth sand to save my a$$! there are a lot of pics with me in a very dirty shirt lol

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Originally posted by Cheddarhead Know what you mean with the short park 'n' rides. Just get going good and then have to turn around. Bites! I've only been able to find soccer fields to fly in so far, but the search for better spots never ends. Sometimes when I have extra time to kill I'll just jump in the truck and drive around looking for that magic spot. So far it's proven to be elusive.

Yeah I've definitely burnt at least two tanks of gas trying to find a magic spot to kite in the summer. With all the open prairies out here you'd think that they'd make a park big enough without adding tons of trees

Last year I pulled off a few 4 foot jumps, bailed hard a couple times when I got brave and tried to do a rotation, ended up only halfway round and tumbled when I landed backwards.:roll: