whoop!!! went out monday in 30+kph winds and got totally spanked flying my 3m kite, but had some of the best runs yet, but man was i sore yesterday! today the winds are forecast around 35kph or more and blowing in the perfect direction for the place i use, must say as a newbie im a little nervous, found the kite hard work before, and have yet to get the hang of stopping and transitions, but figure the higher winds will help with this as will have more speed....makes sense right?...think ill give the harness a miss

35kph (19knots) is just about perfect for a 3m assuming you are an average weight but stopping will be a usefull skill to get the hang of quickly!

Armour up and use the session to practice coming to a controlled stop. Its not good conditions to learn transitions you really want to be on your 5m in lighter winds for that. Learn to slide your board before trying to learn the turn as the key is getting your weight off the board and supported by the kite.

take it its harder to slide on grass right? coz thats the impression i get when my face leaves an impression in the turf!

:D yes, unless the grass is wet.

well it was all hypothetical / i#d gone and checked the place when out running errands / wind was in the wrong direction but still a good 30kpm plus, finished my chores, had some lunch got out there, wind was pathetic! tried with the 5m but all that happened was me and the kite got soaked by drizzle and i had few trundles but nothing exciting......curse on the weather men and their hopeless forecasts!

I miss that feeling of being scared and excited all at the same time in anticipation of a powered session.

When the wind is strong like that keep the kite out of the power zone . Think small movements. You can always bring the kite back around and dive harder the second time. Far better not to have picked up enough wind in the kite than too much wind in the kite picking you up ! Sometimes you hardly have to dip the kite to get moving.

I suggest you wear your harness and use it to hook in to rest up and unhook while flying. Do so with the kite off to one side or the other. That way if a gust hits you will get sent downwind rather than lofted.

While it is far more scary, it is a bit more easy to learn when well powered.

If you are doing actual face plants I would suggest putting more time into static flying and scudding on your boots.
Scudding really helps develop good flying posture and reflexes so that your butt hits the ground more than your face. You can also fly more powered up as you are better anchored to the ground, and can learn exactly how your kite generates power in the zone.
I do a lot of scudding though it may be related to the melted snow and slow rate of freeze on the lakes...

wind wa close to 40kph gusting up to 50kph.....i went out , got my arms stretched, had the fastest run of my life, ended up ditching it in a heap though. then managed to park the kite at 10 /11 oclock and cruise very nicely with pleanty of power with out loosing control. then i tried heading back, got spanked by a gust. took a rest then my kite decided to twist about and fold its self inside out several times leading to some spectacular knotting of the bridle and cross over system. the wind was no help in trying to sort that out so ended up calling it a day, and leaving me to walk a long way back to the van, but counting the fact i hadnt broken any bones a bonus and went and had a coffee at the harbor watching the kite surfers splash about.
The wind was far too strong for me today, but i had to give it try. it is much nicer having lots of power than too little as it meant i could sit right back against the pull of the kite. sadly i think tomorrow the wind is up in the 50kph zone, so i shall give it a miss....probably....would be sensible......

You are right on with your feeling that a 3m kite in less than real strong wind leaves you lacking as far as leaning back against the kite goes. In strong gusty winds it can be frustrating / scary even with experience. Balls on you for going out and learning in those winds!

If those turn out to be your typical winds I see a 5 - 7m depower kite in your future.