hello everyone,

im relatively new to kiting and am currently flying a beamer v 4m, and i love it to bits, i have got the basics with reverse launch and understand wind windows etc and can jump static fairly comfortable, i want to make the next step and buy a harness...

here is my question. I use handles and not a bar and understand the strop is what holds you onto the the harness when u hook it under the hook thing on the harness ( cant remember what its called) is this safe? is there a safety device i should have so i can release the kite in emergency and should i still wear the kite killers ? im going to be snow kiting this winter and dont really want to be flying the kite just on my arms...

all advice and opinions taken on board.

thankyou

Dan

dan you're gonna fly away with strop/harness and come crashing down like a metor.
sounds like you're ready to jump to depower my friend.

Welcome!!

I have not flown with a strop myself, I have moved mostly to bar myself already. But here is how I have seen it done.

Std strop larkshead to each handle. Hook the strop under the spreader bar hook. Only way to release is to take tension off the line so it drops out of the hook. And/or force the strop off the hook by hand.

I have see some buggy guys larkshead one end of the strop to a handle and put a large loop on the other end. Then they put the strop under the spreader bar and put the loop over the top of the other handle. Then if they let go of the handles the loop pops right off the handle automatically..

+1 what Dandre said.

ok,
thanks for the info.

Do you think a better option would be for me to transfer over to a bar ? and would my 4m still pull me in snow in a fair bit of wind??. My kite is a 4 line so i think it would be fairly simple to rigg up to a bar.

can you reccomend a full bar set up? and cheap as possbile

thanks for the help.

Always have to throw this vid up when the snowkiting with handles and a strop topic comes up...
Yes it is possible and can be very fun indeed with the right kite and the right skills... from Russia with Love...
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QTvEXqAhSRw

I flew (kite ski and kite landboard) for 3+ years on handles and probably 1.5 - 2 years with a strop on handles (took me 1 - 2 years to get comfortable hooking in) before moving to depowers.

You can use kite killers when on a strop but you can't deploy them when hooked in. Some have made quick releases for strops using certain ronstan blocks or other quick release tophat type devices.

Strops will greatly extend your ability to fly for longer periods of time. Strops should not be longer then the length of your arm from shoulder to wrist (so if you drop one handle hooked in you can still reach it if it slides to its furthest point from you).

There is no need to jump to depowers although I do find them way more enjoyable to fly. Strops are great if you are comfortable hooking in. If things go wrong for you while hooked in, there is little you can do to release the kite but you can reach up to the brake leaders and haul them in as you don't have to hold the handles as they will be held in place by the strop.

If you get a strop, to get comfortable, hook in while on straight runs and then at the end of the run, unhook and reverse direction and then hook back in. This allows you to get a feel for flying hooked in when its most easy to just fly. It does feel different when hooked in. All of a sudden all that "pull" is gone as its transferred through the harness and anchored by your body. However, if you get hit with a gust your body reacts a lot more then your arms as your body doesn't absorb the shock as well.

Here's a pic of what seems to be the most common arrangement - quick release and swing cheek pulley. I don't like just hooking the strop over the hook on the harness because if your lines go slack, the strop simply drops off the pulley which is a pita. And that would not help you in an emergency because you may not have the strength to get the strop off while being dragged.

Mind you, it's pretty easy to kill the kite by reefing on the brakes....

Quick release fixes that - except if you pull it, your pulley will fly off....

4m Beamer will have plenty of pull for the snow once the wind gets up - it's a little more difficult to handle in gusty conditions than my 7.5m Apex II depower.

Beamer on a bar? Absolutely. It flys beautifully on an Ozone Turbo bar (sorry, not real cheap). Easy to reload the safety if you pull it and if that's not enough you can pull the secondary safety on the chicken loop and release the whole lot.

Turbo bar takes a bit of getting used to, but once you dial into it, it's great. I have got a heap of videos with fixed bridle kites on the turbo bar - here's one with the beamer 4m and flow 3m...




edit: I usually have my quick release attached to my harness by a small quick link/maillon rapid and have the release part on my pulley - that way, just the pulley flies off if I have to pull the release...(the other way 'round than in the pic)

Quote:

Originally posted by dandre dan you're gonna fly away with strop/harness and come crashing down like a metor. sounds like you're ready to jump to depower my friend.

Not if ya get the right info from people who ACTUALLY fly stropped. You can use a spreader bar or a QR. Do a little research first , and listen to the folks who have got some experience.

Here's another pic of a setup a little closer to what I use occasionally...

Is it safe? well, safe is a relative term when it comes to power kiting!! Providing you train yourself to hit that release instantly when you need to, it's pretty safe. Practice is the key...

Kite killers - I've never seen anyone use both at the same time, would be a bit of a pita imho. Don't forget, you would now have the ability to grab the bottoms of the handles and pull on a whole heap of brake.....that normally stops the kite in a hurry.

The advantages of flying stropped in are not only the force it takes off your arms but the direction of pull is now coming from lower down on your waist making the whole 'balance' thing much, much easier. Once you get used to stropping in, either on a bar or handles, you may rarely go back to flying unhooked

edit: "crashing down like a metor" ??? What the heck is a 'metor' ???

thanks for all the replys, i really appreciate it!!

John- where did you get the quick release pulley system from? are they actually made for kites? ive seen them on some sailing boats?!

im in two minds i either get something like this ??? http://www.powerkiteshop.com/accessories/ozonesamuraicontrol...

as this will be fairly easy to rig up instead of handle's

or, stay with handles and used a fixed strop, but keep my kite savers on and man up and control the kite and if i stack it hope to hell i can get it off or slam the brakes on...

thanks everyone


i

here's the 2673 wichard http://www.offshorespars.com/store/wichard-quick-release-sna... you can find them at several places, but they are pricey. I got a HoltAllen block from west marine and took out the pin that holds the cheeks together,then replaced it w/ a stainless bolt.The block was another 50 bucks. http://www.apsltd.com/p-4089-40mm-dynamic-snatch-block.aspx

http://www.apsltd.com/search.aspx?SearchTerm=Torsion+Snap+Sh...
here is a place that has all sizes of torsion snap shackles. I wouldn't use the cheaper plunger type(too hard to release under load)

i fly with kitekillers and a strop. if you just happen to come unhooked powered up. the handles have a tendency to be yanked from your grasp. the killers prevent the run for the kite scenario.

I got my quick release at the local kite shop - but it's a Ronstan Snap Shackle (similar to one in WG's link) and it would be available at a good boating supplier. I believe the Wichard is the better unit, but I've never used one of those.

A swivel cheek pulley (CMI/Petzl) should be available from any climbing shop and a small maillon (or stainless quicklink) to attach it to your harness.

I personally don't like that sort of bar set-up as the brakes go through the center so most of the load is on the ends of the bar - so your still holding a lot of force with your arms. and turning the kite with only the front lines will make for a slower turning kite - although that depends entirely on the kite. With the Turbo Bar, the power lines go through the center and to your harness - all the load is there - there is not much pressure on the bar (unless you fly with a big handful of brake..) and turning the kite using mainly the brakes makes for a faster turning kite - providing the kite likes being steered like that - the Beamer is fine as is Flow/Method/Blade - some kites stall too easily when steered with mostly brakes - Reactor II/Century II.

I prefer the turbo bar over handles simply because I'm more comfortable flying one handed and filming with the other than I would be with handles/strop. I also fly depower a fair bit and the safety on the turbo bar is in the same spot - so I never have to think 'where's the safety' - it's always in the same place. Although if you're sitting stationery in the buggy fiddling with your lap belt and you accidentally downloop the kite into the power zone......... well, at least you know where the safety is AFTER you've been ripped out of the buggy and slammed into the sand.... much better to pay attention to your kite and use a bit of forethought than to rely on your reflexes......

I have strops (hardware store variety) on all my PL Vipers and use the same setup as WG (one size smaller snatch block). My son will hook in on skis but finds riding the atb easier unhooked. Fixed bridal or depower to get arround on skis in snow you will need to hook in. The lower center of pull and the relief on your arms will make it easier and more enjoyable.