Nuubie in search of some guidance

WOP · Post by **WOP** » Mon Dec 12, 2005 10:44 pm

I found underground. Have you heard of Amundson Custom. I know your not supposed to judge a book by its cover but he has some choices. Chek it out.

http://www.amundsoncustoms.com/

waiting for pow to come · Post by **waiting for pow to come** » Mon Dec 12, 2005 11:27 pm

Yeah I've heard of Amundson customs, John makes the sickest kite equipment $ can buy. He is a surfer turned kiter, and a very good kiter at that. He takes the time to find out what you need, where you ride, your skills, etc. and makes you the best board $ can buy. I have ridden his Twin tips and wave boards, and NO ONE makes them any better....in my humble opinion.

Having said that, you are a bit too early in your career to get that kind of equipment. Get a used board for about $300, beat the crap out of it, try other people's stuff on the beach, bay area has many riders who will let you try their stuff, including me who rides John's boards.

Once you got a bit of game going - can stay upwind, jump, carve some nice turns, go toe side, etc. - then spend the $ to get a custom board made just for you. It will be bliss....

Most important, enjoy the ride that we call kiting. Don't get too "gear" intenese: focus on a good vibe and improving your skills. And smile, life is good.

Good winds + waves, Zeev.

WOP · Post by **WOP** » Tue Dec 13, 2005 12:14 am

Good above post. I need to degear. Thanks. :)

dewey · Post by **dewey** » Tue Dec 13, 2005 7:04 am

I tried Z's Amundson Custom last year and that was one sweet stick. After breaking my LMG last year I think I'll stick with underground. They seem pretty unbreakable, and ride very nice. I have a 04 132 that I love.

OliverG · Post by **OliverG** » Tue Dec 13, 2005 9:29 am

WOP wrote:"BayAreaKite" Where do you work?

I'm always in the East Bay in Berkeley mostly, sometimes Oakland or Alameda.

In response to Dewey's post, the UG FLX 132's are sick, the 04's are nice, but the 05's are even better with concave.

Ollie

exsailor · Post by **exsailor** » Tue Dec 13, 2005 1:33 pm

Lot's of good advice so far, but thought I'd throw in my two cents as well...

Kite: I would go with the advice to get either a cheap new kite or used kite. You're first kites are going to get beat up (and you're going to discover your preferences) so keep the investment small until you've progressed. That said, the Best Yarga sale (~$300/kite) will get you a kite that you're not likely to outgrow any time soon. The Windwing Rap 12 that Ollie's selling is a great first kite as well, particularly for gusty conditions. Given how cheap these new kites are, I'd probably lean towards them over used ones just so you don't have to worry about any equipment problems.

Board: Biggest thing here is board size. Bigger board will probably help you learn faster, but you'll outgrow it quickly. Depending on your weight, if you only want to get one board something in the 132 range probably makes sense. I've heard great things about the Undergrounds and I've got a Caution Redline that's great (and extremely durable). Boards are much easier to demo so it's probably worth trying a few.

dewey · Post by **dewey** » Tue Dec 13, 2005 5:24 pm

Sounds like you figured it out. If you have a Redline, then no need to worry about a board.

panzerfaust · Post by **panzerfaust** » Tue Dec 13, 2005 5:57 pm

Big board doesn't neccesarily mean that you will outgrow it but that you probably won't use until the time when you need a big kite and big board to ride (like the end of season when you are desperately trying to squeeze the wind into the kite :) )

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Nuubie in search of some guidance

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