Unwrapped my new 10m bandit dos today. Wind was 18-20 knots and it felt like a good day.
An hour or so into it and was still in my comfort zone. Jumping, cruising, backrolls etc. - all good fun. Then decided it was time....
Having done a fair bit of research into how best to tackle your first kiteloop I had a good idea of what to do. Decided to depower the kite and go for a backloop and just go for it. My first attempt was.... ahem...rather amusing for everyone on the beach. Lost the board on takeoff, felt an almighty pull as the kite looped and wouldn't have scored highly on the tidiness of my dive into the water. Still, it was a partial success as:
1. I was still alive, and
2. I had committed and brought the kite round in a full loop
Feeling marginally confident after my first attempt I tried a few more. The next 2 or 3 were actually not bad although I was landing square onto my heelside edge and following that with another big splash. But then it happened. With my mates cruising in behind me I threw myself into a backloop and the kite whipped me around as it looped through the powerzone. My legs came round and I landed facing downwind. Not the cleanest of landings - but I stuck it and felt pretty smug. I know this is not a big deal for many people here but for me it was a fantastic moment.
Unfortunately my girlfriend only managed to capture my first attempt on her camera. Enjoy...
P.S. The bandit dos rocks!
