Kitesurfing: 5 stages of accepting the inevitable
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Kitesurfing: 5 stages of accepting the inevitable

What awaits a rookie who decides to stand on a kite board
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Ten years ago kitesurfing (aka kiteboarding) was an unpopular extreme sport, about which few people in Russia knew. Surprisingly, even now the situation has not changed much. Yes, several kite shops opened, a popular mobile operator used kites on billboards, but... that's it. People without adrenaline addiction still don't know what the beast is or why these people on the water tied the chute to themselves.

And even those who know have little understanding of how to approach this complex design.

That's because kitesurfing is expensive equipment and a pretty long training period. And only then - complete freedom, unity with wind, air and water. And also - absolutely free gurney without restrictions on time and location.

What is this?

From the outside, it looks like a man tied directly to a parachute. Actually, it's a little more humane.

A kitesurfer is a board, a trapezoid put on a belt, a bar attached to a trapezoid by means of a hook, and actually a sling and a kite (the same parachute). The two safety systems, the slings and the dipopper are not going to be used now, and without them everything looks complicated.

This way the kite does not hold» its «parachute, it rather works as an anchor for it. The hands remain free, their task is to pull the kite by the slings, making him fold his ears and gain «»more or less air. Actually, in this way you can change the traction force and direction of travel and move in almost any direction of the wind window.

The kite itself is basically a big kite with inflatable stiff ribs. You have to inflate them again in front of every gurney.

Until recently, the obligatory part of kitesurfer outfit was shorts held on hips by the power of thought. But times are changing, now the kite fashion is kinder and more human.

What's a parafoyle and what does surfing have to do with it?

The kite industry is evolving very rapidly. It's changing the shape of the kite, the number of slings, the kite inflating mechanism. And the difference between old and new generations is really tangible, like a machine on a mechanic and an automatic.

In addition to the usual «inflatable kite»- a kite that holds the shape due to air cylinders - there are parafoils. Usually they are larger but do not need to be inflated: the paraphoiles hold the shape by the air contained inside them by the valve system. They look epic, but they are said not to be too adapted to water: they can bake and no longer take off.

The boards are different, too. The classic version is a symmetrical board with fins. Legs are inserted into pads - soft hinges-fasteners. A variant for the sophisticated - the surf. Looks like a surf in fact, and behaves the same. Rough riders also use boards with rigid fixation. But this is all the next level of evolution.

How do I start?

While you are learning, kitesurfing will make you go through all five classical stages of accepting the inevitable.

Denial

You just don't understand how that can happen. Snowboard, skateboard, burning courses, MSU diploma and meditation every night ... all this does not work when the kite bar is in the hands. Because he has his own opinion about any action of the insignificant man strapped down from below.

Anger

From the first time it turns out about one person in 20. And this man is terribly annoying. As well as the instructor who time after time offers to do the things entailing not the most pleasant consequences at the slightest mistake. For example, flying over water almost without touching it, or an exercise for a squid man (it's a bodydrag, about this later). And it is also terribly angry that the wind is not the right one, the kite is not listening, the board is not going.

Torg

At some point, it begins to seem that the scoundrel upstairs is animated and absolutely reasonable. And his goal is to mock pathetic men. But trying to negotiate with the world doesn't work either.

Depression

Kite can bring out even the strongest. When neither anger nor persuasion works, nor attempts at rational approach, all that remains is to accept his own failure and sit on the shore in despair. And then return to the water again, to consolidate the failure.

Acceptance by .

This is where the breakthrough usually takes place. When you are already perfectly calm, when the result is no longer important (it is clear that this is fatalitis). You just try again and - hoba! - it's not a mystic, just kite surfing - it's first of all about relaxation and concentration on the current moment. No matter how hipsterish it sounds.

Stages of learning

Swing!

The first stage - learn how to lay out the slings and pump the kite. For now - nothing difficult, besides perfectly pumps buttocks muscles.

Piloting

You are fastened to a small kite and the instructor is fastened at the back as a counterweight.

It is not necessary to agree to offers to play on a class with pilotage«(absolutely» small kite intended for training is not clear who). Fastening of slings and a strip at it absolutely other, and reacts to actions of the person it at all not so, as the adult kite. If you want to play with something flying, it is better to buy a beautiful kite - the benefits will be as much.

Sync by honeybunny

The second stage of training is a bodyguard. And it's probably the most applied of all the failings. The bodyguard learns to cut upwind without the board, using the body as a fin (or edge of the board, if that is clearer).

Trouble is that in the person there is a mouth and a nose: openings through which water with acceleration from a pulling kite gets inside. Beginners usually cannot control the position of their body over the water, so they have the hardest time: returning from the water, you feel like a bulimic whale with plankton.

But bodydrag himself is a very useful skill. And not just because it teaches you how to control a kite in battle«. It's just that in the future you will lose your board more than once: almost every fall or a bad jump leads to it. For those seconds that you spit out and lift the kite, you will be knocked down by the wind. And the board will be carried away by the current. And you can only meet again if you can cut yourself in the wind.

Board

A phase that opens the way for you to kitesurf. From there it will be much easier and faster, you probably won't even need an instructor.

But now the main thing to understand how it is possible - to hold the bar at the same time, to control the kite, not to sink and not to swim under the slings and in parallel - to put on the board.

The basic rule here is not to brake and not to fondle the kite. The longer you hang under the slings with the board, the less controllable the situation becomes. And the bar for the start is better to clamp slightly than not to finish, at the very least you'll understand what's going to happen, and ideally you'll stand on the board right away.

Where to study?

Whatever you are told, we strongly advise you to learn how to fly on water. Yeah, it's colder and it doesn't look so cool from the outside. But ploughing a trench is still worse. And injuries there will be much more noticeable than wet hair or floating glasses: not one knee went down on such training, not allowing students to reach even to try to get up on the board.

You shouldn't go straight to Vietnam or other places with big waves. It's like learning to drive on Zhiguli: scary«, difficult», uncomfortable, but then you can drive a starship without instructions.

Otherwise any place where there are decent schools with their lifeboat will suit. It's perfect to study in Egypt or even on a kite safari in the Red Sea. Close, comparatively inexpensive from the point of view of residing and as much as possible it is lived by our rolling compatriots.

There are good spots in Blagoveshchensk, Yeisk and even in Yaroslavl region - for example, famous Plescheevo lake. But here with a wind there are no guarantees. Under your holiday it will not adjust precisely, it has the plans.

A lot about our wind is evidenced by the fact that in kiting there is a concept of Russian «start . It is considered very dangerous because the kite rises from the maximum pull zone. But in Eisk, for example, they teach it first of all (it is the last chance to lift the kite when the wind slips completely).

Just keep in mind that you can polish the bar with your teeth for two weeks in a torn or unstable wind - and you'll never learn anything but self-rescue and a Russian start«. Or in a week in Egypt or Morocco, where it always blows, to master everything necessary and even for some reason to get a kite passport IKO, without which sometimes do not give equipment for hire.

Where to ride?

The most famous spots with good schools and guaranteed winds in the season are Morocco, Mauritius, Egypt, Tenerife and the Philippines. But you can meet kiteers in Turkey, Kamchatka and the White Sea...

But there are nuances with domestic spots - unfortunately, not every lake or bay will do. Apart from the wide water, the kite needs a smooth wind, not a torn one. Accordingly, there should be no hills or tall buildings on the side where it blows from.

A good spot for a beginner kite should include a «rescue» boat - a boat with specially trained people who will take you out of the water without being wrapped in slings and without forgetting the board in the waves. Unfortunately, the ideal conditions are not always perfect, so it's best not to go out on the water all alone. Otherwise, a bad Hollywood movie about you will be shot - like Nightly «- about water» survival.

How much does it cost?

In an ideal world you will need two (or better than three) kite sizes for a comfortable ride. For example, 9 and 12 meters. This allows riding in almost any wind (the stronger the wind, the smaller the wing area).

This is the most expensive part of equipment: cost starts from 25 thousand for one kite, and last season. The bar and the safety net are most often included.

You will also need a trapeze (from 10 thousand) and a board (from 15 thousand). Then there are the details: pump, wetsuit, lycra...

On the plus side, it's a one-time investment. Unless, of course, you hang your kites on nearby trees or palm trees all the time (this happens periodically and is not fatal for the kite. For the first few times).

Used equipment can also be bought, but in case of a kite - with great care. Because salt water and sand can be very hard on the fabric it is made of. Especially if the past owner did not have the habit of regularly desalting the equipment and removing it from the beach in time after the gurney. Correspondingly, the kite will be tearing up all the time and will get a new owner very quickly.

Danger

The most dangerous thing in this story is the moment of learning. Everything is softer and more controllable from here on out.

Yes, there are rumors among kitesurfers about an anvil cloud that sucks everyone in its path and then spits out wherever it wants. But the chance to meet a newcomer on the water who will drop his kite on you is much higher.

In case of complete hell, kiting provides several safety systems, the last of which allows you to completely get rid of your equipment. Yes, it is expensive, but, firstly, you can find it later by hiring a boat, and secondly, it is still more expensive to repair yourself than a kite.

And one more thing. Beware of windsurfers: many of them carry slashes on top of them in case the kite falls (it really happens periodically, most of the time the kiteboarder rides safely and the poor windsurfer finds himself in the water).

Helpers

It deserves a separate point among the dangers. Because helpers are much more dangerous than any element, because they are motivated by the desire to do more good.

There is one important rule: do not help a kiterer if he does not ask for it or you do not ride yourself. It is most likely that the help will seriously undermine the situation. Here are a few options that are guaranteed to make the life of the boat more interesting (do not do this!):

Situation: A man with a kite above his head walks along the beach, barely touching the ground and flying half a metre away from each gust.
How «to Cheer» up the Kite: Come and«save» him by pulling the stick he holds in his hand.
What will happen? You're going to launch an innocent man, who seems to have a lot of wind, somewhere in the cool stratosphere. It is funny to you, and such precedents happen systematically.

Situation: The kite is lying on the water, a person at some distance away from it is picking up his carriage.
How «to cheer» up the kite: Try to go up to him and ask if everything is okay. It will be even more interesting if you come to him by boat or scooter.
What will happen? In the case of a boat, you have every chance to cut the slings with screws. Walk or swim - get tangled up in them and create tension that will make the kite take off. It's better not to try it, you and the owner of the kite will get it. But at least he'll be able to unbuckle.

Situation: Kiter asks him to park. You've never done this, but you are determined and in good spirits.
How «to cheer» up the kite: Catch the kite and let go when the kite is relaxed or distracted by the board.
What will happen? It's not going to be very pleasant. It's better not to.

«Pros» and«Cons»

The pros:

  • It's a cool company: a bunch of TV people, top managers, and just interesting people do kites.
  • An excuse to visit the strangest places, such as Western Sahara
  • Very harmoniously pumps the muscles.
  • Wind is free.
  • Equipment flies for free by most foreign airlines
  • You learn how to determine wind direction at the tips of your ears.


Minuses:

  • It's addictive.
  • Slings have to be constantly unfolded or unraveled. Your developed fine motor skills will envy any kindergarten teacher...
  • Expensive outfit

See you on the water!

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