Unreal. A big hiking group was walking along the beach. I was taking a break from kiting sitting in the car. My girlfriend had gone to the bathroom. Suddenly, my gf came running screaming no no no! One of the older men in the hiking group had picked up the handle that was laying on the beach and started dragging my kite, thinking it was funny. Heejin and I ran down yelling at him to put it down as he just was laughing. The kite almost launched but I grabbed the lines. Just before I got to that #@%$#! he dropped the bar and scuttled away, still laughing. When I was packing up my kite heejin and I found a series of small holes from where he dragged the kite. What the hell is wrong with people? Im absolutely pissed! Thats an $1,800 kite. My kite is Flysurfer, and it is still under warranty for rips, but...I live in Korea. It's times like this when I truly wonder why.

Heejin, my gf, is on the search for that hiking club. Doubtful but why not try?

Vent done!

Sorry to hear that man This is the exact reason why when I take a break I do it right next to the kite. Makes it much easier to avoid things like this. For the most part I have found that people are VERY curious about our equipment and are respectful enought to ask before touching, but there is the occasional idiot. I also stay close becuase if someone were to just pick it up like that, I have a few kites that could just launch someone and hurt them. I'm glad that did not happen in this case.

Definitely sucks that the kite suffered some damage, but on the flip side of that coin I'm even more glad that nobody got hurt. Just sucks that not everyone respects others property.

wait till the dogs start trying to pee on your gear.......

that old dude is living in bliss...how did he get this far? glad no one was hurt in the event.

ignorance is pervasive. expect repetition

that is rough...... I also pack up my gear or fold it up really small before taking a break. it seems people tend to walk on/ run over parked kites..... and sometimes people crash land on them (i'm guilty)

I would be pissed if i had spent that much on a kite and someone had damaged it. too bad napka doesn't have idiot bystander insurance

Quote:

Originally posted by flyjump too bad napka doesn't have idiot bystander insurance

I'd hate to even imagine what that would cost with the price of some of these wings :o

True to all of that. It was just a hair above freezing with the wind off the ocean at about 14kts. The car was right in front of the kites. Yeah im glad nobody got hurt too. Curiosity is one thing but this was unreal. Dude drug the kite 10 meters with sand and a bag on top of it. And laughing all the way until I just about reached him and then scuttles away still laughing like he got away with something? There were about 40 hikers that walked past and not one said anything. Perhaps I should look at this as a small price to pay for a valuable learning experience. Still gotta figure out exactly what I learned though. Other people have been curious before and eager to help me out but this was unexpected. There was almost NOBODY on the beach until the hikers came through.

Ok, I guess venting is not complete. At least I clean up my language each time I do.

I would need KOPKA here in Korea.

Quote:

Originally posted by hondamon Korea

I'm gonna risk being called a rascist but Asians have no #@%$#!ing clue about boundaries - touching other people's stuff and then lying about it. Combine that with blundering around oblivious the everything and... uh oh I feel a rant coming on!

I haven't had holes in my kite gear, I'm glad to say. Have had my motorbike scratched though!!!

I don't like leaving gear out, and I NEVER leave lines laid out unless I'm about to launch or have just landed...

Tough break man. I know it might not sound like good representation. But when stuff like that happens; sometimes, it might have been more satisfying if the kite launched and dragged him onto his face a tiny bit. Just enough to set him straight and humiliate him in front of his friends. But then he would have tried suing you and because you are a good man , you would have felt responsible even though it wasn't your fault he is short a few brain cells. The world is full of all kinds, eventually it will come and bite him in the ass. Hope you can get the kite fixed.

Quote:

Originally posted by hondamon Heejin, my gf, is on the search for that hiking club. Doubtful but why not try? Vent done!

Might be worthing checking the local online hiking forums.

Never underestimate the publics ability to have totally disregard for your gear.

The irony is that even though he was messing with your gear, you might have been liable if he had gotten injured.

ATB,
Sam

I would've had a hard time avoiding tackling the guy since he was obviously being malicious like that.

i wonder if he thought some one abandoned the kite.

I'm big into respect and that is just plain disrespectful....I just don't get it...how someone can play and damage someone else's property like that and think it's funny.

I'm a pretty cool person but like BB, I would have had a hard time not tackling him or talking #@%$#!.

Similar incident happened to me at my local beach a few weeks ago. I had the Speed 2 19m all laid out getting ready to pack it up...the lines were spread out and I was at the bar about ready to wind the lines up. A small group of guys and girls come by with a few of their dogs not leashed. This little pug runs up and is about ready to sqirt on my kite and this guy tries to grab him and the little dog starts to run over my kite. The girl in the party, starts laughing and says "I wish we had a video camera, this would be soo funny to post on youtube". Well the guy ends up getting the dog and surprisingly the pug doesn't get tangled in my lines and fortunately, there is no damage to my kite....the girl says "sorry" and me trying to be polite, says "no problem"...but that really pissed me off.

Then at my local park, I'm flying my kite and this mother and two of her daughters pick up this kite and start flying it. It's one of those kites that they use to fight with. They end up crashing it a few times and can't seem to get it in the air. I didn't think anything of it, until some guy runs up to them and starts yelling at them to put it down. It turns out, it was his kite...they then walk away and don't say sorry or anything and I'm like "WTF...what's wrong with people!?!"

Good on you for handling it a lot better than I would have...

Ha ha... Trust a korean to muck about w your gear, only the mainland chinese are worse in the lack of boundaries... Just be glad alcohol wasn't involved!

Here in HK I have to be careful, the beaches are crowded. Luckily HK locals about just about the most risk-averse of the asian subcultures, bystanders are a much bigger problem up in the mainland (China)... And yeah the koreans are about as risk-prone as they get.

If I'm worried I slipknot the brakelines so the kite can't launch, and usually pull the lines in close to the kite if I am taking a longer break.

Good luck there, and yep just wait til the dogs take an interest!

Boundaries are definitely non-existant here in all forms and conditions - lines (whatr those?), ATM/banking, subway, etc. I actually didnt see him dragging the kite except at the very end, and I thought at first he was trying to help save the kite, but when I got closer I could tell he was just being an ass. And yes, alcohol was most likely involved since it was a hiking group and judging by his actions. Thats what they do...hike to the top, get plowed on makgeoli and soju and then hike back down. Its probably a good thing I didnt see him dragging my kite intentionally, because I certainly wouldnt let that slide. And one thing about being a foreigner in an altercation with a Korean, the foreigner never wins. Its futile. Case in point, my buddy took a taxi home this weekend, the taxi tried ripping him off, another taxi came and the two of them fought my friend and the police came and my friend ended up paying too much for that taxi plus 70 bucks for repairs to one of the taxi drivers' ripped pants. Thats only slightly comical because it wasnt me.

This is definitely a kitemare!