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Getting Started
http://snowkiting.com/forum/viewtopic.php?f=1&t=572		 Page 1 of 1
Author:  Swizzy [ Sun Dec 06, 2009 8:11 am ]
Post subject:  Getting Started
I just started looking into snow-kiting and i was wondering what i have to buy to start kiting. I have a snowboard and winter gear but i don't know what kite i need what kind of system or if i need lessons. I have seen harnesses and wrist safeties so I'm a little confused. Im from Mass and i go snowboarding every sunday so I'm very advanced at snowboarding
Author:  Matt R [ Sun Dec 06, 2009 5:06 pm ]
Post subject:  Re: Getting Started
Hey there welcome to the sport!

I can help guide you through the process no problem. A quick question though, how much are you willing to spend? alot depends on this so give me your honest answer and we can brew up a plan for ya

Ride on!
Matt
Author:  Swizzy [ Sun Dec 06, 2009 7:14 pm ]
Post subject:  Re: Getting Started
I'm 15 so i can get a decent amount from my family and i will be making alot this summer so money is not to much of a problem. I'm planning on saving for next season
Author:  Matt R [ Mon Dec 07, 2009 4:09 pm ]
Post subject:  Re: Getting Started
Sounds good. I would say that a foil kite is a good way to start. They are inherently pretty stable kites and are very forgiving when you crash them.

For starters i would look into the HQ brand. They make quality kites a low cost. Once you get more advanced you can look into the ozone category and Peter lynn as well. Finally, after your first kite, you might want to consider LEI (leading edge inflateable) kites also. They are geared for water use but can also be used on land.

this is a multi step process, so look into the articles on this website, there is one I wrote a while back about buying gear on a budget or getting your first rig.

Let me know what the next question is!
Author:  Swizzy [ Mon Dec 07, 2009 4:22 pm ]
Post subject:  Re: Getting Started
i was looking at an ozone access xt is that a foil

i also want to buy a kite that is more intermediate so i don't have to buy another kite
Author:  Matt R [ Tue Dec 08, 2009 5:43 pm ]
Post subject:  Re: Getting Started
It sure is a foil! and a fantastic kite too. Many people like the idea that you follow (buy bigger at first), and it has worked too. However, realize that learning on a big kite will have more bumps bruises and crashes than learning on something smaller.

If you do decide to go bigger for your first kite, please please be careful, and ask alot of questions, and watch a lot of videos (figure out why the people wiped out)! My biggest suggestion would be to start in very low wind (10-15 mph) and then work your way up. Wear pads if u got em, and keep the kite above your head!

You might consider getting on some more forums and try to see if anyone lives near you that has a small kite for you to learn steering on at first. Then while you are saving up and waiting for it to ship, you can already get the hang of it and not risk your brand new kite the first days out.

Good luck with everything and let us know how its working! Always know where your kite is and know what your safety releases are and you should be fine :)
Author:  beakks [ Wed Dec 09, 2009 2:56 pm ]
Post subject:  Re: Getting Started
Hey Swizzy, I would suggest any kite with a mid aspect ratio, too flat you'll just be cruising, too high have some really rough crashes.
When I started kiting I weighed 175 lbs(still do) i purchased a fairly shity no-name 5M trainer simple 2 line system. Got me hooked. Then stepped right into a Naish X2 10m C-kite. I would only go out in 10 - 15 knot winds. the very bottom end of the kites wind range, and it was one hell of a challenge to hold down or keep-up due to the sometimes turbulent conditions around my area. Did about a season of just boot-skiing and a month of body dragging in the summer before even getting on a board. You gotta have a lot of patience when going this route but it might pay off nicely. Now I fly a 16M bularoo in any wind below 20 knots and my 10m bularoo in anything higher that I feel comfortable in, and taking jumps. All within 2 years of self teaching but mainly by studying vids:
Real Kiteboarding: Zero to Hero
How to Snowkite Vol. 1: The Basics.
Kiteboarding 101 & 201

I personally found the Zero to Hero video to most helpful due to its kite flying content.
Author:  nate@broneah [ Mon Dec 14, 2009 5:02 pm ]
Post subject:  Re: Getting Started
Wow.... no one actually recommended getting a lesson! You guys are all super dizzy!

Listen, save yourself A LOT of time and swearing (save it for no-wind days)... get a lesson! You'll be able to abuse the school gear (get all your crashing out of the way on some one else's gear) and then decide what kind of kite you want. Not to mention most schools will give you a discount on gear after a lesson.

You could learn yourself, but again, with help from an INSURED PASA or IKO instructor you'll go from 'zero to hero' faster and safer than learning from ANY video.... period.

Don't be a kook.
Author:  beakks [ Mon Dec 14, 2009 6:49 pm ]
Post subject:  Re: Getting Started
That's a pretty harsh statement. Most newbies to the sport now a days live in places where there are no school or teacher, or nice-stable conditions. The places that have solid conditions already have schools and can be pretty pricey for some to get to. Secondly he mentioned getting lessons himself and was asking what he had to buy to get into the sport. Even if you take lessons, you might want a vid to study off of.

But if you have a good understanding of flight all you need to do is experiment with small kites and work your way up!
I don't think a company like Ozone would come up with a product like the Pure package, if lessons were that imperative.

In my opinion the whole school debate "is like motivation self help books>If your motivated enough to go to the store to buy the book, what do ya need the book for? And self help? If you did it yourself you didn't need any help. And if your reading a book on how to help you by someone else that's not self-help, that's help." George Carlin
Author:  Matt R [ Tue Dec 15, 2009 9:39 am ]
Post subject:  Re: Getting Started
haha that was a good line breaks. Nates got a point though. If you have the money for a lesson and a school in the area, by all means get a lesson!

Those guys will have mounds of info for you, probably more than you could remember in one day, so grab a business card so you can keep calling the guy with questions down the road!

I'm in the same boat as breaks, we have no school around here. So our university club has become the makeshift school. We don't give pro/paid lessons but we provide advice and tips for smooth progress.

So back to the original post, everything here are valid statements, gear, instruction, tips, etc. Let us know if you have anymore questions!!!!

Matt
Author:  nate@broneah [ Fri Dec 18, 2009 1:21 pm ]
Post subject:  Re: Getting Started
A trainer is the best way to start, if you insist on not taking a lesson. Every training package I have ever seen has a big 'ol warning that states that it is NOT intended to replace lessons tho!

If you can't or don't want to find an instructor, join a club or start one. Get your club and take a road-trip to a demo or arrange the Demo yourself!

A human being who has been trained to get you having fun as quickly and safely as possible seems like a good investment to me. Unless, of course, you like to learn from frustrating, time-consuming or avoidable mistakes... like what its like to be overpowered, launching hot and dragging yourself face-first towards an obstacle... that might be cool. Chicks dig facial scars right?

Just because you can climb into the cockpit of a plane doesn't mean you know how to fly it safely.
Author:  beakks [ Fri Dec 18, 2009 6:10 pm ]
Post subject:  Re: Getting Started
We aren't talking planes here, its a kite, I don't see any electronics on these things. Man its not as complicated as people are making it now a days.
http://kitesurfingschool.org/kitesurfing.htm
This site will be as complicated as it can get.
Author:  Matt R [ Sat Dec 19, 2009 11:39 pm ]
Post subject:  Re: Getting Started
You guys both have good points. Lessons are the safest way nate I agree, but not always the easiest way as beaks points out. If there is a school then take advantage of it, but like nate said if not then join or start a club, or teach yourself like beaks said.

Lets not get too side tracked from the topic at hand. We are still only trying to answer the question of the author.

I say we put it this way (let me hear your take)

1) kite school is available - Take lessons
2) no school - find a friend with knowledge/trainer kite
3) no friend - find a small trainer kite/teach yourself

Obviously we wanna stay safe, and if lessons aren't as available as we wish, I do believe its very possible with small trainers. Our club bought a 1.7m HQ harmony for 60 bucks and we teach all our members on it. Nice kite that pulls a little on the arms to get the wind window concept down.

Swizz sorry about the minor highjack, we all just have our own input :)
Author:  lives2fly [ Mon Dec 21, 2009 5:53 am ]
Post subject:  Re: Getting Started
Good debate..

I think a lesson is a good way to start kiting. Its the quickest way to learn all the safety and set up stuff with someone on hand to answer all your inevitable questions.

I think the best way to learn is to get out with friends and mix trial and error with input from them on the day. If you dont know anyone who kites - or they are hard to meet up with regularly then you can learn on your own for sure (I did after one lesson) - Its a harder process but the depth of understanding you get from working everything out yourself really starts to pay off later on. DVD's are good learning aids for giving you ideas and keeping you motivated when the weather wont let you ride.

To answer the original question of what you need to buy to get into kiting (on land) you need a 4 line power kite, control bar and lines & a harness. The ozone access is a great kite but if you get a good size to learn with (4m) you will quickly outgrow it and need to add a bigger one. this is no great hassle if money isn't an issue. the 4m will just become what you use in high winds.

I started landboarding with a 3.5m foil - it was great to learn the basics with but I still use it to this day - every time the wind gets over 30 knots.
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