Kitesurfing

RMP&O

Expedition Leader
I am headed down to Baja next month for 4 weeks or so. Been thinking about trying kitesurfing. Any kitesurfers out there?

I been an avid snowboarder for 20yrs, done a little windsurfing and am pretty much a beginner surfer. Kitesurfing looks like a lot of fun though and gives options when the other activities are no good. I was thinking either get some gear before hand and practice on the way down to La Ventana, once there take a lesson. I figured buying gear first will be a lot cheaper then trying to buy it in Baja. I noticed trainer kites are sold, I suppose this would be a good way to get started?

Just looking for some feedback from people who have tried it or do it regularly.

Cheers
 

UK4X4

Expedition Leader
Its an awsome sport- take lessons- its not something you could teach yourself easily

The forces generated by the kite are huge, you can take off 20ft plus standing still, just by moving the kite, no waves required !
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get it wrong and it can hurt !
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The board part is not the same as snow boarding, but similar, more like running powder rather than twisting the board on hard snow.
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4 days you should be scooting along on your own, mainly down wind runs, a couple of weeks and you'll have mastered cutting upwind.

The learning curve is fast, way faster than windsurfing.

You need to be a confident water person, for the crashes dumps and uncontrolled drags !

have fun !
Margarita 2004ish, just started
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RMP&O

Expedition Leader
Thanks for the reply. I have been watching lot's of videos and doing lots of reading. Honestly the basics don't look to hard to get down. I guess it is all about kite control. And once you start riding I suppose remembering everything is simply a matter of repetition. I could certainly see myself hauling butt and forgetting something in the split second and crashing a lot until muscle memory became the norm. I find surfing hard, not the actual surfing part, standing up and riding is easy for me, it is the understanding everything about the ocean that is difficult. I actually didn't snowboard for 4-5yrs after a bad leg injury. I was pretty worried I would have forgotten how to ride. Not the case though, my first trip out after the break and it was like I never stopped riding. All I ride on my snowboard by the way is powder. I gave up on resorts and chair lifts many years ago. Don't care for it, I ride back country as I would rather get one awesome powder ride per day then a bunch of rides in torn up chop at the resort. Plus I like to ride for free. :)

I think a trainer kite looks like a good way to get started. Plus it will allow us to practice as we head down the Sea of Cortez. Seems like with the right kite and board you can ride in light winds, as low as 10 knots. But it also seems the same gear for that is a nono in bigger wind. So it does seem to be a very gear dependent sport and requires a variety of gear to ride all conditions. That looks to get expensive fast!

Cheers
 

redneck44

Adventurer
A trainer kite is good to learn how the wind works, but I would really suggest some lessons, it can go wrong very quick.
I've taught myself most fun sports I'm into, skateboarding, MTB, big wall climbing etc etc but Kite surfing has been quite a battle. Good lessons will save you a huge amount of time, and save you having to correct the bad techniques you will learn teaching yourself.

The general media hype is to have a kite for every occasion, however the opposite of this is a board for every occasion, its not mentioned in the kite press but there are many people who own only one kite but several boards i.e larger for light winds and vice versa. Saying that 10knots is pushing it even for a light wind kite
 
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RMP&O

Expedition Leader
Cool, thanks for the info and reply. I do plan on a lesson but that is 800+ miles south of the border. Got to get there first! :)

I was reading about board size too. Seems they are sized by not only rider height and weight but also for wind conditions as well as type of riding. Bigger planes easier (obviously) and smaller more for tricks. Also the kites come from 6m up to like 18+m. I would imagine the small kite doesn't work well in light winds and the big kite is way to much in strong winds but that is just a guess based on info I have been reading.

Anyways it looks fun! It is also something I can do close to home in the summer so not just a hobby for traveling.

Cheers
 

UK4X4

Expedition Leader
If you take lessons, probably first day would be kite control am- relaunching crashed kite PM 6m kite
second day first body drag, pm body drag maybe a big board depending on how your doing
3rd day would be with a big floaty board and may a 9 meter kite

Once up and riding its just practise practise practise.....once relaively competant board gets smaller- and kite bigger

12-13-14 meters is a pretty standard intermediate size kite, for a lot of conditions, ie the first kit to buy after your up and riding a smaller board

learning curve is fast just stick to the rented gear till your happy

Your first intermediate type board doubles as your light wind board when you get better, don't buy a big floaty thing, would be a waste.
 

redneck44

Adventurer
Your first intermediate type board doubles as your light wind board when you get better, don't buy a big floaty thing, would be a waste.

Unless you buy a surfboard and want to play in the surf, and judging by your location and intended trip, that might be a better option.
 

RMP&O

Expedition Leader
Unless you buy a surfboard and want to play in the surf, and judging by your location and intended trip, that might be a better option.

I would certainly like to but as a 40+yr old I am wise enough to know I best know how to kitesurf first in order to be safe. The plan though is to be doing some surfing too on the west coast.

Cheers
 

redneck44

Adventurer
I would certainly like to but as a 40+yr old I am wise enough to know I best know how to kitesurf first in order to be safe. The plan though is to be doing some surfing too on the west coast.

Cheers

You can learn on a surfboard, just slightly more complicated changing tack. Depends on your surf experience.

p.s I'm 40+ and still trying to get the hang of it.
 

RMP&O

Expedition Leader
I was thinking more along the lines of hazards. Rocks, seaweed, currents and having to concentrate on multiple things at once. Plus when you bail, seems much more difficult to recover. Now maybe I am wrong and it would be more like comparing learning to snowboard on powder rather than hard pack groomers. I learned on powder which is probably why I don't ride hard pack but that was a long time ago when I was young. We'll see.

Cheers
 

bahndo

Supporting Sponsor: Bahn Camper Works
Kiting is a great sport to get into. LA Ventana is awesome but you may find more lessons down in Los Barilles about 2 hours south of Ventana. Kite size and board size/type will very greatly on where you are going to ride and what kind of riding you want to do. My advice is take lessons first and it will all become a lot more clear to you. Good luck and have fun but watch out, it's more addictive than crack....
 

GREENI

Adventurer
I see a few UK guys on here, I'm getting used to the kite, before I venture onto water...though I'm a few hours from a beach.
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