Kiteing in wave tips

[narly1]

sick...
he do it on perpiss..?

z thats the tickit.

[zgur]

Hello gang,

As you may know from having read this forum, wave kiting is my passion. Yes I love freestlye - when there are no waves to be ridden with a kite.....

....kiting in waves has gone through a rapid progression in the last 2-3 years, and it's best explained by referring to stages of the sport (I to IV). Yes, I'm borrowing this concept from someone else, but I really love the structure.........

In order to improve, you need to understand where you are in your development lifecycle, and focus on the skills which you gain in each stage.......it's a little bit like math: you can't skip any basics, or you will have a tougher time down the road (if you don't pay attention during geometry, calculus is a bitch)......

......I have had the pleasure of going through these stages, and belive that I have a lot to share with those goig down the same road...............

The stages of kite surfing in waves:
I. ìStage oneî is where anything goes and riders first venture into the surf after getting proficient at flatwater riding. Riders are just figuring out whatís possible; staying upwind, jumping (using the waves/swells as ramps), figuring out how to catch waves and what to do with the kite/board once you catch one. Riders either get super stoked and come back for more, or they get scared and don't come back for quite some time....

II. ìStage Twoî is kiteboarding in the surf. This is good riders on twin-tips and mutants doing wake inspired flatwater moves in and through the surf. Typically the wave-riding is limited by the short/thin boards and there is a lot of riding at the wave and doing a big hacking direction change and still a lot of jumping in the wave zone. At this point riders are hooked on riding "3d" water, and start to dedicate time to getting better......

III. ìStage Threeî is typified by riding short directionals and is what I would call ìkitesurfingî This is when jibing became essential again. The boards are often in the 4-5 foot range and the power of the kite is visibly dominant in the riding: riding is following the kite as it swoops through the power zones. The riders often kept both hands on the bar through the turn and really relied on the power of the kite to pull them through the move.

The riding tended to be less vertical because in order to get vertical, you need to slow down (which you can't when a lit up kite is pulling you) and do a real bottom turn and the small boards just can not carry the speed (the board drops off a plane and sinks a bit, kite gets to bee too powerful at that time.....)up the face and into the lip without constant pull of the kite.

Most riders in this stage are lustfully dreaming of riding waves. They practice riding swells in rivers/bays, they practice jibing in flat water....

IV. The ìfourth stageî I call ìsurfing with kitesî and it is typified by riding more ìnormalî (from a surfing perspective) modern thrusters (board with 3 fins) tending towards six feet and smaller kites. The riding is more vertical with speed and a variety of fluid surf style moves linked together smoothly on each ride. There are rarely two hands on the bar and usually just at the bottom of the wave to give slight corrections to keep the kite in the right place and give just enough power to keep the speed flowing and connect sections of z wave.

At this point, the rider is addicted beyond help. They have multiple directional boards - "just in case one breaks, you gotta have a back up so you don't miss any good days"....they manage calendar of life based on wind+swell forecast and can forecast good conditions better then ikite/nws.....they buy kites based on how well they behave in waves..they have a fitness program which is specific to improving kiting muscles....they ask their friends to video them in the waves so that they can improve skills...............

So, where are you in this journey? Do you want a guide to help you enjoy the ride?......I paid many dues due to the fact that no one was helping me along the way.....

....my progress would have been much more rapid had someone been with me during my progression to help.....

.....this is my reason for teaching next year: I want to help others learn, enjoy and respect this amazing resource.....

Good winds + waves, Zeev.

[fearlu]

Spreading the stoke for FREE to his friends. Thanks, Zeev!

(If I could also use your gear while I'm there, that would be most excellent!)

=D>

[whitecap]

Zeev -

Great! Teach a whole bunch of folks......down in Southern California, that would be great! Perhaps up on the Oregon coast! (Not sure about how the crew at Waddell will feel about a bunch of students wiping out in the impact zone with kites at 12...or about the guy who brought them all out)

I would have a word of advice for all pursuing the waves for the first time.....go surfing first. This is the best way to understand the dues you should be paying to earn a spot in the lineup. You will also learn how to place a board on a wave, as well as how to read the waves. From some of the comments above, you will see it is not that hard to get in over your head, and I really can't see the point of bringing groups of uninitiated kiters to local beaches.

Bob

[narly1]

me too ,!
love the write up Z
and i printed it out ,to refer to later...
like when my brain gos mub from fear... of the PoWer of a litte wave.
thanks Z
again.

[zgur]

Bob,

I would NEVER bring a large crew into any lineup.....my thinking was more a 1-3 students on a given windy beach......IF @ waddell, waaayyy past the river mouth - out of the way of those getting after it......just planning it out.....

People are venturing out into the waves: any given weekend, there are MANY new faces @ waddell who don't seem to have any regard for basics. It's better if they have some education about the 'rules of the road' vs. just going for it and getting in the way...........

Agreed 100% on your comments regarding surfing.

Z.

[Bulldog]

If it's truly a natural progression from flatwater to 3D, then the beaches are going to fill up anyway, Bob. Better to have the uninitiated come with a guide than by themselves, no?

My question to Z. is this: You have a bias towards "surfing" in the waves, but isn't it true that some people choose to continue riding their twintips and using the 3D water as a "park and pipe" scenario, even after they've been riding in the waves for a while? Ollie and Chip seem to kite in the ocean quite a bit, yet they seem pretty happy to stick with their thin boards.

There may be a limited number of breaks in the BA with good wind AND good waves, but there are also places with good wind and waves that are only good for freestyle most of the time. OB comes to mind.

And one more question. Are all the "good" beaches really full here, or is it a question of people choosing to all go to one beach because all their buds are riding there? I probably will never kite at Waddell regularly because of the distance, but it seems there are several options further north that are closer to me.

[whitecap]

Paul -

All good points, and I am glad to hear from Z that his plans are not overly ambitious. I also concede that Zeev knows the game in the lineup well, and has plenty of motives not to piss off his bros on the south coast, as he gets down there more than most....I agree that it would be better for a new entrant into the game to benefit from Zeev's wisdom and experience, as it is pretty easy to get in the way if you have not spent some time watching and learning.

Regarding twin tips - it depends on the beach. Fo sho OB is a skate park, and blasting off of lips for airs, spins, loops, etc. is all fair game. Chip and Ollie, not to mention LMG are amoung the best I have seen for that style at OB. That style is fine for any beach break with side on wind. However, if you have a legitimate wave, with the wind a bit more sideshore, twin tips might get in the way a bit more, as the temptation to blast some airs can be too much to resist! A directional focuses your attention on the peak, and working the wave, which will be a bit more sympatico with the rotation...

bob

[bobbyboom]

I hear that when kiters get into wave riding that's all they want to do. I guess I just haven't experienced it yet. I was never much into surfing even though I've done it. With skatebaording I was always into freestyle street skating over riding a big 12 foot 1/2 pipe. It can be amazing, but I really dig the freestyle riding, tricks etc. that's always been my game.

However, in saying that I'd love to take a lesson or 12 to learn how to ride waves for sure. It seems I'm really missing out on something even though I'm 100% addicted to kiting already! If i was any more addicted I'd be one of those guys who live in a trailer and travel to where the wind is... Hmmm, maybe not a bad idea! :)

-Bobby

[Bulldog]

My comparison is with skiing. I prefer skiing in the trees, even when there's big wide open bowls full of powder. I've never been one of those looking for the perfect turns; I like the obstacle-course adrenaline.

I'll make sure not to get in anyone's way while they're going down the line.