hello, i'm new to kite powered sports and have some crucial questions; i am into both speed, and cross country, and have been considering the following: a mountainboard, dirtsurfer (2 wheels), or doomwheels (homemade offroad inline skates, see plans @ doomwheels.com).

being an ex-skateboarder, the mountainboard seemed like the way to go, since it would be the most familiar, but then i remembered how unstable skateboards are at high speeds (death wobble), and how the few times i've seen people ride them, they never seemed to be going very fast, and , looked kind of awkward.

then i read @ doomwheels.com, that (bob childs) got the fastest speed one day at a buggy event on his "doomwheels" skates; so i thought, maybe that would be the way to go, stability, and speed.

then, i came across "dirtsurfer", and saw pics of someone on one with a kite in the files section of the yahoo kitelandboarding group, and, although the dirtsurfer always seemed a bit strange to me (how do they turn?), i wonder if the stability and speed are much better than either mountainboards or off-road inline skates.

having no experience of my own with any of these, i am curious to find out so i can get started already.

i appreciate any info you guys can give me, or, if you can direct me to the right group, forum, person, or site to ask and find out what the deal is. thanks

reverend mykl
:puzzled:

Quote:

so i thought, maybe that would be the way to go, stability, and speed.

Dirtsurfer looks like a lot of fun although prabably not with a kite. And mountain boards are good for medium sized jumps and tooling around at a moderate speed (though not too far). But nothing short of a buggy beats kiteskates for speed and stability.

Reasons: 4 big wheels & 2 long skates! you can lean over against the pull of the kite and when you are really feeling the power can spread your skates to give more leverage similar to downhill skiing in a hard turn.

I enjoy skating and boarding but definately in a 8-2 ratio!

thanks for the reply, i've been so anxious to hear from ppl what their thoughts on the matter are.

last night i did a ton of research on the dirtsurfer, and they really do seem like a sweet, fast, stable ride. unlike mountainboard/kitelandboard videos, where you see guys putzing around at moderate speeds (and that's being generous), the dirtsurfers were flying, and, due to the gyroscopic effect, the faster you go, the more stable it is.

i read reviews/testimonials by ppl who own/use them, and i have been very anxious to get one since. i like how some ppl said how incredibly like snowboarding it feels, and how stable and controlable they are.

though they did have them, i saw only very short scenes of dirsurfers with kites, but it totally seems like the way to go, for what i'm looking for anyway. the trouble is, they start at over $400 US for the base model alone, waay beyond my budget.

so it looks like now, mountainboards are out of the question, and i'll have to build myself some doomwheels. props and respect to you, bob childs, for being so generous as to put the plans to build doomwheels, on your excellent website.

still, i'm curious, are there any members out there who have had the opportunity to ride a dirtsurfer with a kite? does the pull of the kite greatly affect the steering of the DS? any more so than with a mountainboard? i'd love to hear from you.

peace love respect good food good beats and gale force winds

reverend mykl

super old thread, but.............

I just got myself a dirtsurfer and man it rocks with a kite although it is quiet difficult to use the kite going backhand. Speed runs are amazing and the steering seems to be ok.

feels like snowkiting on an alpine board. "until i hit the sand and removed alot of skin from my forearm"(Pads are in the mail as i speak)

I use "bindings" so you can`t change from natural stance to goofy stance, What I`m trying to say is that riding with your back to the kite is a pain in the neck!:wink2: