Try a 9m or 11m Turbo 2, exceptional range and a great kite, beginner to advance. However for a chick maybe the bar pressure might be a bit heavy, unless of course you want strong forearms? Xbow are almost the same to fly as the Turbo2 however the bar pressure isnt as heavy, although the kite isnt as ruggard as a T2 (T2's are invinsible). If you want to save a few pennys a waroo best is an exceptional all round kite, great for flat water and surf with exceptional depower. Use the money you save and by other gear Great to see another girl getting into the sport! GOOD LUCK!!

And the Waroo comes in a very pretty Pink

the rebel is a great kite but on bar pressure comparison to the vegas its higher ..as in need more arm strength..has a better wind range though than vegas. I would go more for a xbow or flat bow kite to learn on. better relaunch for starters and better low end for more time on the water.

from what I heard out of a shop owners mouth that sells both kites (xbows and rebels) the l plate ladies seem to like the bows more because of the above reasons .

I learnt on a 9meter bow but currently ride the rebels as they are a better kite for my wants.

Christina ....don't get freaked out about arm strength required,the truth is that most of the pull is taken up by the harness. You can set you chicken loop throw to get the right length for your arms fairly easily. You then adjust the sheeting and use the stopper ball.
By edging with the board you can fly with 2 fingers on the bar or no hands at all. I can do this on a Rebel 14m and i am nearly twice your weight. Don't get hung up on upper arm strength, after a couple of years when you get to unhooked kite loops then you will need the strength to hung on. But by then there will be a fully automatic load balancing harness and heated bars. ...Beware though once you have your own gear your life is your about to change, there will be some hang gliding gear going cheap on ebay to fund your new obsesion.
Do you have a board already??

Christina my wife who is the same weight as you rides a 7m flow when I am riding my 12m flow, I havent ridden too many other kites (LF Havoc being one with nearly no bar pressure at all) for comparison but for her and I to learn and progress we have been very happy with our choices.

She also isnt super strong in the upper body but once she was used to using her weight through the harness she became a lot more comfortable.

Hope this helps.

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Originally posted by echostorm
Xbow are almost the same to fly as the Turbo2 however the bar pressure isnt as heavy, although the kite isnt as ruggard as a T2 (T2's are invinsible).

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WOT THE ???
Gotta disagree with you here storm. I reckon the bar pressure on the turbo is a whole step lighter than the Xbow. Turbos do get hell heavy once you are struggling right down at their bottom end (maybe more than the XBow then ?? - dunno 4 sure at that extreme) but if you you adjust your wind range accordingly that doesnt have to be a problem.
Be interested to konw what others think on this one.
AND storm (or anyone) - have you flown the 14M T2 - be interested in your thoughts on this bigger size T2 esp re turning speed & bar pressure.

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Originally posted by rusty7

Beware though once you have your own gear your life is your about to change, there will be some hang gliding gear going cheap on ebay to fund your new obsesion.

Do you have a board already??

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Firstly, there aint no way i am selling my baby glider. i adore her. (plus selling hanggliders on ebay is the best way to kill/maim some idiot who decides he can give it a go without a licence or instruction or anything)

But to the main part.. no i dont have a board. i was going to get over the kite hurdle then look at the millions of boards on offer. Do you have any good advice about boards? if left to my own devices i'd pick the prettiest board in the shop (which at the moment i think was a North Jamie Pro.. it had little faries all over it)

i ride the jamie pro M 128, and its a great board! though i have never riden anything else! only thing ive found is the feet straps dont adjust too well

i didnt realize it was so femanine!, the fairys are actually peter pans! if you look at the base its peter pan theme, peter pan, skulls, tinkerbell, crocks and hook. complete with 'i will never grow up' written

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Originally posted by Neill

If you're buying a single kite to use in many different conditions, i would certainly choose a bow kite. that narrows it a bit.

Size-wise, at 55kg you are 7kg lighter than me, and i fly an 11m GK sonic from 10-30 knots (single kite quiver). I would be looking at something around 8-9m, possibly even a 7 if it's a grunty kite.

My votes would go like this:

1) 2007 8m GK sonic
2) 9m Waroo
3) Switchblade II around this size
4) Other

Try a few before you buy, i think the 8m sonic would be the pick of the bunch but i'm a bit biased. The waroo might have more low-end and will probably be a bit easier to fly initially, but the sonic will enable you to progress quite a long way!

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NO NO NO BAD NEIL GET A C KITE THEY ARE THE FUTURE

christina on subject of boards and designs ..color and graphics check out cardboarding.com

its aussie company and if you like pwetty shiny stuff you can get them to do your own design graphics or choose their large selection. also seems to be well priced compared to other brands.

I have one and not affiliated to them just love the graphics I have on mine and happy how it rides.

anyhow go check out the death graphic thread the dude has posted on there about his boards.also as pointed out...bigger is better to learn on (gee never thought I would say that to a chick).

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Originally posted by INfiniDIE

Theres a guy in Osb Park that sells Skimboards under the name of Sandgroper, and he does custom spraying with rice paper jobs too. so you could just get a board, paint over it and make ur own design

and in response to an eralier question, no u dont know me, ive just seen you and the lads flying around above fences down at cotts, you've got a FUN right?

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Hmm.. interesting.. but i think i will go with the Jamie pro. it's pretty.

Yeah, i have a fun. Pinkish-purple and yellow. Hot pink harness. Only i'm not allowed to fly cott yet. it's an advanced site because of all the people around. i was sooo close to being able to fly before my accident! argh! But.. everyone flies funs at cott. i wanna get me a litespeed, then fly cott! hehe, i'll be giving people haircuts with my tip vortices!

quote:

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hehe, i'll be giving people haircuts with my tip vortices!

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you do know that wing tip vortices are bad dont you? if someone is flying in your wake, you could give them negative lift... stick some vortex disruptors on your upper camber at staggered intervals of opposite angles of 70' and 90' to evenly distribute air wake...

quote:

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Originally posted by INfiniDIE


[you do know that wing tip vortices are bad dont you? if someone is flying in your wake, you could give them negative lift... stick some vortex disruptors on your upper camber at staggered intervals of opposite angles of 70' and 90' to evenly distribute air wake...

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I know they're bad. I fly with paragliders, the biggest, slowest vortex creators. I hate flying in vortices, but it doesnt do any more than create a bit of turbulence. the stuff we create isnt big enough to do any damage. Plus they kinda caused my crash that broke my arm, which is stopping me from flying and kiting, and now i'm grumpy because the kite i was gonna buy is sold.

Anyone else got a 9m North Rebel in pink and black for me?!

Hi Christina
Lots of good advice above but the traumas of learning can be minimised by the following:
1. Buy a Bow kite and learn on this rather than a C kite. Transition to a C later if you like but learning on a Bow is definitely much easier (Crossbow, GK etc)
2. There are plenty of good second hand kites around and you will be able to get a very good 2006 model for maybe 50% of the new kite price. Your first kite is going to have a hard time and you are going to crash it lots before you get the hang of it, so why buy a new one ??
3. Lessons are an absolute must, no exceptions and particularly for an appreciation of kite safety
4. After you have mastered the basics, body drag yourself up and down the beach until you are sick of it, ....and then do it for another couple of days ! Don't get on the nice pink board until you are completely competent in the body dragging dept

Have fun, ....its a fantastic sport