Just remember, as soon as you
leave the water, depending on your kite size, you will need to steer
the kite to control your flight. You don't want to steer it too far in
either direction, or you will be slung across under the kite and it
will hindenburg. Most likely, you will eat it hard a few times before
getting the timing right - do not worry about that. Most people have a
favorite kite that they are best with, also. The larger the kite, the
slower it turns and the quicker you'll have to be with corrective moves
- otherwise you'll have a stalled kite and you will plummet to the
water with a resounding thud. This is what impact vests are for if you
think you need one, get one. Some impacts from large jumps that were
poorly executed could result in knocking the rider unconscious. Start
jumping in stages. Don't go huge your first jump. Practice your timing
by "sending" the kite with progressively more snap each time you jump.
When you think you can go big, only then should you be trying to send
the kite in the opposite direction. Kitesurfing delivers a violent
surge of power through the harness to the rider which typically freaks
most riders out when they first go huge.
As you progress and
complete hundreds of jumps, you will be able to control the kite to a
point where your hangtimes will be much longer, and you will be able to
control where you land. Spins and rolls will come much easier when you
master the art of high jumping, which is undoubtedly the most
attractive feature of kitesurfing.
Kiteboard style for jumping
Small
boards need more power, large boards need less power. Keeping this in
mind, for any winds speed, use a smaller board in the higher winds for
more control and a larger board in the lighter winds for more planing
ability.
The more power the kite generates, the shorter your
session will be on a smaller board since the rider has to resist more
of the power of the kite with the legs.
Shorter boards are
better for jumping since they create less centrifical force while doing
spinning tricks, weigh less so you can go higher, and you can release
your edge with a smaller board more quickly.
A thinner rail is more efficient than a thick rail for edging into the water. The sharpness of the rail affects the edging ability, as does the thickness. A longer rail is more efficient for edging.
Less rocker is faster due to less drag, but no rocker is slower. A plywood board will typically flex to create less drag.
Directionals are typically better for variable wind and light wind conditions due to their size and volume.
More
fins help you hold down more kite, but they can also slow you down.
More fins will also help to go upwind for the first time in learning
this skill.
Wider is better. Wider boards will "plane" up more quickly than narrower boards.
Can I Wear Booties With My Board Straps?
Basically,
a lot of people ask how you can wear booties in the footstraps of
your Crazyfly board (or any other board with footstraps and pads, for
that matter). Its pretty simple. There are two popular methods to
choose from:
1) Unscrew the kiteboard foot strap at each end and
put the screw through the outermost hole of the strap, making the strap
around your foot longer, so it can fit your foot and bootie. or...
2)
Unscrew the strap, and replace the screw with a longer one (stainless),
and use a small aluminum, or plastic, spacer to raise the strap
connection points off the board a bit.
Each of these
modifications takes a few minutes with a phillips screwdriver and will
allow you to ride with either booties, or neoprene socks in the spring
and winter.
