TractionKiting.co.uk

Hi All. Been while since I last got the kites out of the bag (in the UK anyway) and decided to get myself a new toy to get my interest back again..
Now have a landboard to play with, nothing special (Scrub Photon) but it gives me something else to try as kitesurfing in UK waters just doesnt appeal... May be something to do with it being Bl*******dy freezing at anytime of year and my being to used to tropical temps.. Anyhoo, anyone got any tips on how to stay on the damn thing?. Probably more to do with me trying it for the 1st time inland with far from perfect winds but any tips appreciated...

First bit of advice is aim the board slight down wind so the "front" of the board is point in the direction of the wind. Don't aim directly down wind but not across the wind either. If that makes sense. This will help with the initial rolling. Once you get moving, lean back on your heels until your back is against the wind....once you want to stop, lean back on your heels again and bring the kite up above your head and you will come to a stop
Sounds easy doesnt it Once you get used to that then you can go out with more power and start to slide the board about the place to scrub off any speed.

O.

Here is a wee diagram Ive just made, I think this makes more sense.

Once your on the board with the kite above your head, gradually bring the kite in to the power and you will get moving, once your moving concentrate on the kite flying but try and fly the kite without looking at it. The minute you look up at the kite, your balance will go and you'll end up on your bum!

O.

Ta muchly... got the starting off bit no probs...eventually, it was the flying, fighting the gusts and staying on the board bit I was having probs with hee hee. I think I need to get to a beach and try with some steady winds... When I first tried it was difficult just keeping my Crossfire 3.2 steady as the winds were a bit iffy'... I've also find I'm leaning back quite a bit just to balance against the kite and turning upwind more than I want...

Think it will take a bit more practice to get away from my usual land flying style.

Leaning back is normal for land boarding but you need to counter the steering by putting less pressure on your heels.

Gusty winds wont help, a lot of land boarders tend to go for depowerable kites so they can handle gusts better than a fixed bridle kite like the crossfire.

O.

cheers. I'll let you know how my next session goes. I

Leaning back is normal for land boarding but you need to counter the steering by putting less pressure on your heels.

Gusty winds wont help, a lot of land boarders tend to go for depowerable kites so they can handle gusts better than a fixed bridle kite like the crossfire.

O.


Thanks from me to Owain, some good pointers there. I had my first try on a board at the weekend at Cruden bay and only succeeded at going two feet at 5mph, and cracking my leg off the bloody thing.
But I'm nothing if not stubborn and stupid

Glad I could help

O.