My close call - Be Careful

[le noun]

What cleepa and aloha said.
I like (and do the same thing as cleepa) to carry an extra leash everywhere (you can tether launch from the handicap poll at coyote point for example, but usually, somebody from the Boardsports crew is there to help), but if I can't tether launch or land (OB, or Sherman at some empty hours on a weekday morning for example) aloha's method is THE BEST. It will freak you out at first if you miss the yanking and your are at the Y split and the kite looks like it's gonna power up again, but like phil said, if you hold on to that front line and nothing is tangled, the kite will be fine and not pull you over.

[le noun]

Sounds like OB is the right place to set up and practice self launching and landing in gusty 25mph winds because there is a lot more space downwind. Maybe someone with advanced skills (or maybe a bunch of blind leading the blind beginners) wants to give up a session to be there to help guide a few people in their quest to ‘become advanced’ with self landing and launching.

I'll be more than happy to teach said clinic at OB on a windy enough morning on a Saturday (I know people don't have the same schedule as me and are not necessarily free on weekdays).
Let it be clear, I'm not expert, but self landing and self launching and tether launch/land are the same as pulling your first kiteloop: you are scared shitless of doing it, and the day you do it you realize it wasn't that big of a deal.
I learned to hot launch, self land and tether launch/land at the end of my first season.
Why? Because of my schedule I'm usually the first one on the beach.
How? With somebody who knew how to show me, I wouldn't have dared to try those maneuvers by myself.
It's really not complicated but it can be DANGEROUS, but if you have someone to show you what to do, it's pretty easy.
I'm sure would be happy to help on a Saturday at OB as well (plus I haven't seen him for too long).
Maybe we can plan said clinic soon while OB is still pumping?
Or do you guys think that said clinic would be more armful than helpful? (I see people self landing in windy conditions even if there are plenty of riders around asking if they need a land. Always wondered if it was an ego thing?).
Cheers.

[Sandman_510]

Glad the OP and all bystanders are alright...

Pt. Emery can be a hard spot to self-land and there would be bad consequences if kite hits freeway. Especially as it's typical windy during rush hour...you wouldn't want to add a carpool violation to your medical bills when you hit I80 carpool lane during rush hour

This is a good reminder to be ready to self-land regardless of which beach you launch from and how many folks were around when you launched.

And regardless of which self-land technique you use, be especially ready to activate safety when you self-land...and practice it enough so that it's second nature, especially if you own different make/model of bars. It's good practice to activate safety every time you land so you get that muscle memory ingrained

[KGB Kiteboarding]

TIPS: Always unhook when self landing and give yourself lots of downwind safety area! That way your kite is already able to self flag out when and if the self landing goes wrong, and this way you don't have to rely on logs, bags, leashes etc and you also won't end up getting dragged downwind. So just dive the kite towards (but a bit deeper in from) the edge of the wind window to self land, at the same time unhook while also pulling in top center line, this timing takes practice to master.
The kite will either land properly into the wind or worse case you will be holding onto one center line there by flagging the kite out and allowing you time to get it reeled in with out max load. If the kite starts getting squirly (looping) just let go of the line and the kite will then drift downwind and be instantly flagged out and still under control on your kite leash and not blowing away downwind. There are a ton of videos out there on this safe technique.
There are many other ways but this way is extremely safe if you mess up and you don't have to pull your QR manually, which takes time and thought and is also hard to do when being supermanned into a faceplate or worse.

[jjm]

Royce, is self launch/land part of IKO or KGB lesson plans?

[cleepa]

I guess my main point is that I don't feel self landing is a requirement to kite at all locations. That is an advanced skill, but not a necessary one to kite in locations such as this place if you can launch safely.

And I never claimed that it was. Here is what I said:

If you are at a spot that may require self launching or landing, and you are not confident that you can safely do so, then you shouldn't be kiting there.

But I disagree that self launching is an advanced skill. Intermediate. And the sooner you learn it the better!

I also disagree that OB is a good place to go to learn stuff. When it's blowing 20+ there are still plenty of people around. OB is a place you go once you know what you're doing. And FFS don't go there without knowing what the right of way rules are in the waves!

[androka]

well, some tweakers got the chain that Leo put at Pt emery. I don't know what they do with all our leashes, bungee cords, ropes and chains, probably building a dungeon.

double tap on what Aloha said, and here's some videos showing you how to do it. I use slingshots with the compstick so its pretty easy to get to the Y, some people have to reach further but its still possible. First video has extra german synth rock bonus.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=R6KvdZsTXuc
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-mpaQqpdUDU

[pipedragon]

Welcome to the club, like others stated, worst place to self land/launch. Back in my early days I had a beach goer try to catch my kite, he grabbed the lines and it was flayaling, I told him to hold it and I unhooked and went to grab it and he must of thought I said let go so he let it go, kite flew into the freeway entrance luckily did not hit a car just blocked traffic a sec.

[ozchrisb]

I like this one, self landing by safety type.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=x1hkMW1EPuw[/video]

[yojimbo]

How about just grabbing the center lines and just walking hand over hand on those lines to the kite? I do this whenever I need to self-land w/o an anchor.

I unhook while holding onto the swivel/center line, kites pretty much depowered at that point. Careful to not let the lines slip through your fingers.

I have been in your situation many times, glad you made it out ok, and thanks for sharing.