hello all, great site you have here. been reading all the posts and getting good but somewhat confusing info long time windsurfer looking to get into kiting but chickened out after hearing a few too many horror stories so decided that if I ever did hit the water I would want to first have a very good feel for the kite so why not learn on land first ??? I used to think land kiting was safer because it did'nt require such huge -potentially deadly- kites as kitesurfing, but i see here that you guys are using some seriously big kites ! which brings me to my question; would a 5m montana be too big as a 1st kite ? I'm 145 lbs and plan to use it with a ATB on a beach. i have a trainer and plan to practice more w/it before i fly anything bigger. i know you guys usually recommend starting w/3m approx. but there's a sweet looking 5m sail on ebay and it's a depower which is what i'm thinking is best to mimic the kites used on water. I read some post stating that a 4m is too big for 20 mph winds and then another saying that a 10 meter is too SMALL for 20 mph. what gives ???

hiya...

I adopted the same strategy as you about a year and a half ago, tried my first half-assed water starts today...

I've taken the learning curve slow, but I've been in no hurry, flying on static on a good beach has been my thing for the past while.

look for scoopy's guide in the how to section of this forum, also have look at all the longer "newbie kiter -- what size?" threads from the past month or so, those will answer a few of your questions.

the whole depower thing is not something I've tried yet, but I've spent enough time fiddling with adjustable angle of attack on a couple of my kites, they need more wind than a fixed bridle to show their full depower range, and in general have a bit less power per square meter even when powered up. If you're in a hurry to get on the water, depower trainer on land might be the way to go, but reputable lessons would be best.

depower with ATB: What I've heard is that the montana 5m would be good, but only in higher winds, say 12-25 for you, with full depower only kicking in above 15-18 mph or so. Also the newer montanas are much better than the older ones, there are four sucessive models.

3m fixed is perhaps a touch more grunty than a 5m depower, depends on the quality of the depower kite's set-up.

guys with direct depower knowledge will have to fill you in from there...

btw, the 10m too small for 20 mph does sound a bit off, but it could easily be right, I understand, for a not-so-good inflatable kite on water, which takes a lot of power...

cheers, keep doing your research, the answers are out there...

Thanks for the reply , and good luck on the water ! I did check out scoop's post before, it is good info. also checked other newbie posts and read the responses all good for gleaning knowledge . Just have to put it all together ! I'm not in any hurry to get on the water, if it happens great, but as for now I think this looks and sound like a reall exciting sport in it's own right. I could be happy just sticking to land during the off season for the beach- (labor day -meemorial day) and sailing the rest of the year. I'm blessed w/ a great beach about an hour away w/ HUGE width at low tide and different sections for different wind directions. I hope other readers with depower exp give me some advice as well. Could use all the help I can get. Thanks again for your help and be safe on the water !!

ernie