BayAreaKiteboarding.com

I had two incredible days of riding this weekend and am just stoked beyond belief. I arrived a little late to Alameda on Sunday and only managed a very short session, but spent a solid 4 hours there on Saturday with just incredible progress.

I was out on my big yellow 12m RRD and finally got to take my first spin on the UG FLX I picked up a few weeks ago. My first tack out toward the channel was my most successful yet, getting up to planing speed and staying up for the entire length of how far I felt comfortable going out. Still a little iffy on the return tacks since I'm a goofy footer but I'm working on it. The most satisfying part was riding up and over the small wind swells with grace; I'll attribute that capability to my years of surfing sometimes choppy conditions.

I had one point where my chicken loop came off my harness while up and riding, so I went unhooked for a few moments while I struggled to get it re-attached. Didn't fall, stop or drop the kite. It was incredible to have my mind transitioning from a focus on not falling and watching the kite to worrying about leaning against the kite with good form, as well as attempting to head more upwind by looking that way. Being up and working the kite started becoming a bit more auto-pilot and during crashes, it became reactionary to steer the kite up and depower in the split second before going underwater. Only had to relaunch a few times.

Some things I had reinforced this weekend were: keep your fingers in a place that won't get wrapped around a line in a sudden relaunch. It can be tricky in lighter winds when you're just pulling lines like crazy to get things going. I'm just glad it was a thick line wrapped around my thumb that crushed it more than sawing it off. Just throbbed for a few hours. Also, although I didn't smack my head, there were several times crashing that I was completely convinced my head and board were about to share the same space at the same time, and that's without any leash. Wear a helmet!

Any body got some advice on improving my port-side (non-domnant) riding? I found that I would usually do one of two things at water start: apply too much rear foot, killing my speed and the kite's power, or try heading more downwind to gain speed but I'd quickly catch up to the kite and run out of power regardless of how much I worked it.

Anyway, can't wait to head out again, I know I'll be getting upwind in no time now.

Congrats!! It only gets better.

jwest21 wrote: finally got to take my first spin on the UG FLX I picked up a few weeks ago.

I love my FLX. Not as good of pop as some of the freestyle boards, but it is the BMW of the Bay.

Did you try boosting? SEND IT!

As for your weak side water starts: Sounds like you know what the problem is, and you are right. It's a balance of going downwind enough to get your boardspeed up, but then edging back so you don't catch the kite. The classic beginner move is to go directly into your upwind tack therefore stalling your boardspeed... start on a downwind tack then as you get your speed up start leaning back into the wind. Its a give and take situation. How big is the board? If you are really bad at riding back on your weak side you may want to try a board with more buoyancy. Small boards are more difficult to understand the mechanics of staying upwind.

Glad to hear you had a great day! Alameda looked like a struggle for lots of folks on Saturday.

jwest21 wrote:Any body got some advice on improving my port-side (non-domnant) riding?

Don't know that I have any great tips, but I can tell you how it went for me. When I was learning, I got up first on my right side, and was riding comfortably there for some time while getting up on the left seemed a total mystery (I'm right-handed, no surfing background). I kept at it, slogging away, and soon had some short wobbly rides, then somewhat smoother rides, and then one day the clouds parted, the heavens sang in harmony, and I just started getting up and riding on my left like a fiend. Within a short time, both sides felt equally comfortable, and that has continued to this day. In fact, jumping while on port tack feels much more natural than starboard, probably because I've done it lot more.

So in short: just hang in there, it'll happen!

NCKite_Ryder wrote: Did you try boosting? SEND IT!

It's gonna be hard to boost if he can't edge upwind yet.

NCKite_Ryder wrote: It's a balance of going downwind enough to get your boardspeed up, but then edging back so you don't catch the kite. The classic beginner move is to go directly into your upwind tack therefore stalling your boardspeed... start on a downwind tack then as you get your speed up start leaning back into the wind.

+1 :P

I'm between 140 (like now, from 2 weeks of a bad cold) and 150lbs with a 132x39, so a little short for learning but definitely something I can grow into and continue using as I advance. I've got an old 6'6" surfboard that I've been toying with the idea of taking out and trying one of these days. Not really down to cover in straps or grip pads just yet so it'd be wax only.

I didn't do any boosting, although I did accidentally launch myself off of my board and up a little when I stopped paying attention to the kite and was watching my path in the water a lot more, sending the kite directly back the opposite direction. Haha

I've researched, studied, and watched kiteboarding theory and experiences so much that it's all embedded in my head just ready to be put into practice, practice practice. Can't wait for the day when those clouds open up and I'm riding both ways upwind. I'm very optimistic that it'll happen soon. Hot damn my legs and arms are beat today! Probably going to consider kites with a little less bar pressure when I ditch my smash-em-up learner kites and get something shiny and new(er).

Personally, the day I started riding upwind was when I let my front hand leave the bar and point with it where I wanted to go (Best advice ever, thanks again bruce).
Anyway, yes, you might look stupid with your front arm pointing into the wind BUT:
It opens up your shoulders, so it opens up your hips and so it puts your feet in the correct stance.

jwest21 wrote:I'm between 140 (like now, from 2 weeks of a bad cold) and 150lbs with a 132x39, so a little short for learning but definitely something I can grow into and continue using as I advance. I've got an old 6'6" surfboard that I've been toying with the idea of taking out and trying one of these days. Not really down to cover in straps or grip pads just yet so it'd be wax only.

Might be a little small for learning to kite upwind... Not many people ride boards smaller than that anymore. My dad is 135lbs and as an experienced kiter rides a 131, and I'm 190 and ride a 132. You will love the board once you are staying upwind, but consider something bigger. You should really learn on a twintip.. the surfboard will come next as jibing is another lesson.

As a beginner I struggled to get upwind... and then my instructor game me the "BIG RED" twintip... After about an hour of riding upwind on it I swapped it back for the smaller board.

Thanks for the advice le noun, I definitely felt myself inching more upwind when I started looking that way and turning my shoulders, I imagine pointing could help even more. I always teach people learning to snowboard the same idea, don't look at what you want to avoid, look where you want to go with your whole body, and the board will follow. One thing I felt hindering me was not fully grasping how much power to expect at various points in my sining. I would have to abandon my edging on a jolt of unexpected power to stay on my board and would edge too much at points when my power was low and loose momentum. I know there were plenty of factors keeping me from heading upwind (small TT, light winds, inexperience edging hard through the gusts) but I'd actually be a little weirded out if I was able to start heading upwind the first day I really felt comfortable being up on my board. What's the chances I could borrow a bigger board from someone for a session, once losing my board became a distant past worry? I just can't justify the expense for a board that may only be useful for a few sessions since my go-to light wind board will most certainly be a directional as soon as I'm ready to learn jibing.

There are places in the world where wakeboards are too expensive so people kite just using palm fronds and a shortboard

In other words learning to ride a twintip is only a necessary element to kiteboarding but not kitesurfing. I say as long as your body dragging skills are solid, and you are skilled with the kite (you're not face planting your water starts) go mess around with the surfboard a bit too to mix it up.

You might find that not having to have movement to plane (because of the increased float) for you might just be easier to learn on. Learning the water start on a strapless board is much easier than you think too. Practice floating at your twin-tip and getting it on your feet without using your hands (just using the kite slowly/lightly back and forth at 12 to give you steady pull/pressure downwind at it until it sticks to your feet enough that you can slip your feet in)

Also can always go back to twin-tip