Have you ever had one of those moments when you inintentionally do something that's remarkable, amazingly stupid, incrediblely inspired, or just plain "OOPS", and you wish "If only someone had caught that on video tape, I'd have loved to see that!!!"

We all have those times when we're powerkiting, that through either our actions, Mother nature, freak circumstance, or any combination of the the three, that we do something that makes you scream "DID YOU SEE THAT!!!" only to find that no one is there, or they aren't paying any attention anyways... I love hearing those stories.

I had an experience a few days ago that qualifies as one of those, and I thought I'd share (so you all could get a laugh at my expense). Here's how it starts:

About a week ago, I was out on the beach by Seaside doing some buggying. It was blowing about 15mph out of the northwest, and I was getting some great extended runs after tacking a considerable way up the beach. I was switching between my 5.5m Ozone Razor (on handles) and my 6m Radsail (on a x-bar) the wind was picking up, so I was leaning towards the Radsail.

Well as I was tacking up, I noticed the wind really starting to kick up (18mph + gusts). On one tacking turn, it almost lifted me out of the buggy. I figured it was probably time head back downwind to base to switch to a smaller kite.

As I get close to base, heading downwind, a big gust comes up from behind and rips me out of my seat. One of my feet catches a footpeg, spinning me around, so that I land backwards on my back (my head facing downwind). Luckely, I'm in the soft stuff by now, so it didn't really hurt, but it did kinda knock the wind out me.

Here's where it gets interesting... As I'm laying there on my back, slightly dazed, thinking "well that wasn't so bad..." out of the top of my eyes, I see a flash of red!!! My kite, which had balled up and crashed, was now fully inflated and rocketing up in the center of the window. The bar, still attached to my harness!! Remember, I'm lying on my back, with my head facing downwind!! I have just enough time to utter "uhoh.." before YANK...

What I did could best be described as an "inverted compression jump!!!" I got about 6 ft of air ( normally, not a lot) except my feet were where my head should've been, and visa-versa!!!

Luckely, I managed to to twist my body enough to land on my side on the first bounce, and on my feet on the second... I landed the kite, with my heart racing. I immediately looked around, only to find 3 tourists on the promenade staring wide-eyed at me with their jaws around their ankles. I gave them my feeble attempt at the "its O.K.... I meant to do that" bit.. I don't think they bought it.

I emerged from this ordeal completely unscathed, except for a small scrape where my ankle had caught the footpeg, and slightly bruised ego. But GOD, I wish someone would have video taped that!!! That would've been sooo cool to see!! Unfortunately, I have no intentions of ever performing that "trick" again!

If anybody has any stories, write them down here (that way people can laugh at you too)

Sounds like you had alot of fun getting your ass kicked by mother nature :D

OH YA!!!!! She does pack a wallop!!!

Lucky not to be hurt
:tumble::tumble::tumble::tumble::tumble:

A cautionary tale, for sure. But in retrospect, damned funny!

I suppose I shouldn't make light of almost getting badly hurt, but then again, half the thrill of doing this sport is pushing that envelope, trying to control the uncontrollable. If I wanted to be perfectly safe, I'd have never started flying power kites.

Remember: " Scars are "tatooes", but with better stories!"

I've had a couple close ones, some hurt some didn't,

One was trying 180's on fairly hard packed sand with a 5m kite in 25mph winds, went in a little too fast and the buggy dug in and stopped 1/2 way around, by stopped I mean stopped dead, I'm not entirely sure what happend next, I vaguely remember a feeling similar to doing the whip out at the roller rink, The first impact marks I found on the sand were 25 ft away from the bug, then another 20-30ft to where I was when I finally got the kite to stay put on the ground. All I can think is when I panicked while in the air I yanked the handles and looped the kite. I was limping for a couple weeks but no long term injury. Probably a good thing because I was bugging on the tide flats alone well after dark. There's a couple lessons I've learned from this one.

The other one shows the need for getting familiar with your safetys, to the point that they're second nature.

Flying inland at the local park, about a week after getting my V-13. Wind's blowing 5mph with gusts to 25, very turbulent as well. Stupid I know but the wife really wanted some pics of the new kite in the air, they are purdy. Well, that's when I found out that the previous owner had not tied big enough knots in the stopper ball for the safety. One of the lines pulled out, kite loops in a gust. Next thing I know I'm 30ft across the park on my back, just upwind of some benches thinking, Thank God that's over, then I look up just in time to see my lovely kite turning nose down and heading straight into the power zone for round two. Pull the safety in time and watch the kite flutter to the ground. It would have been head first into the benches.

The only reason I'd been getting familiar with the safety on this kite is because I usually fly alone, so the best way to land is to pull the safety, anchor the safety line and go and secure the kite. But I'm sure glad I knew how to use it when the time comes. I don't think many of us spend nearly enough time going over the safety side of things. Myself included.