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Kiteboarding fatality in Eckwarden, Germany

Posted: Thu Apr 01, 2004 9:43 pm
by OliverG
On March 21, 2004 a fatal kiteboarding accident occured while launching a kite in strong, gusty winds.

Read the complete story as transcribed by Rick Iossi, FKA here at Kiteforum:

http://www.kiteforum.com/index.php?page ... tton=forum

This is another avoidable fatality we can all learn from. Although conditions were certainly less, this is also why I chose not to take needless risks today in conditions at a location that had the potential to be excessively dangerous. Chances are things would have been ok, but why risk it?

Others present had advised the victim against launching at all, let alone with a grossly oversized kite. Unfortunately, he did a short while later. Keep an eye on your fellow kiters; if you see something wrong or ill advised, speak up. You may save someone's life or prevent severe injury by doing so.

If in doubt, don't go out!

Posted: Fri Apr 02, 2004 9:19 am
by fearlu
My GOD! After reading this account I will forego this morning's 10 to 40 knot conditions. However, the Samaritan should have knocked the guy out with a nice upper-cut to stop him from launching his kite. What was he thinking? Tragic, but avoidable it would seem.

Posted: Fri Apr 02, 2004 1:52 pm
by knyfe
the storry appears in a different way if you read through the german forums. The guy was european windsurfing champion several years ago. He should have know the risk. The better question for all of us is to look on your own reaction at the beach.

Kiting is a drug which sometimes knock our your brain ! Allways accept warnings from other, also unknown people !

CU Knyfe

Posted: Fri Apr 02, 2004 7:24 pm
by OliverG
It's very unfortunate as if it's true that was windsurfing champ, he should have known better. But he didn't and now he's dead. Accidents like this are 100% avoidable.

Kiting is a drug and sometimes you feel like you just got to have it. I was psyched to kite somewhere yesterday, ended up at Berkeley, pumped up, geared up, self-launched, and started getting lofts in gusty conditions at a location surrounded by rocks and highways. I didn't have my helmet. I was on hard pack slippery sand, skittering around, with the kite luffing in the lulls and blowing up hard in the gusts.

Then, I realized, what's wrong with me, this is beyond the limits of what I consider sensible in an already extreme sport. It was a very low tide, so there was room to bring the kite down and pull the safety. After I landed without incident, it then occured to me, what if my lines got tangled on some debris and the safety didn't work, what if the kite didn't depower? What if my shackle didn't release?

It's easy to be cavalier about sometimes, to think that you've got it handled, you're in control, everything's cool. Then you read about a guy who was in similiar conditions, slightly more extreme, and he's no longer with us. For what? Because he had to have it.

Be safe and responsible. If in doubt, don't go out!