I agree 100%, and also have a similar situation with a mate that will wait 6 months for the absolute perfect conditions. Although in one sence i can respect his decision to not put him self in risky situation ,i still feel sometimes jumping in the deep end can be the only way to learn how to swim.

I will 2nd all of the above, GO HARD NOOOOOOOOOBS

BennyB12 said...

Hey noob groovers,
Ive got a mate thats been kiting for over a year and still not up and riding.
Hes had lessons and now hes just bein a wuss.
So if youve had your lessons and youve got your gear then its time to just get out there.
The only way to get anything out of kiting now is to live it all the way.
You have to make some sacrifices(friends, family, relationships and sometimes work) but they will have to understand.(or start kiting)
If your still a bit scared,good, get out there.
If you think its a bit strong, depower, and get out there.
You will get nowhere with your kiting if you wait for the ample conditions that come round now and then.
Im not advocating throwin a 12 up in 35 plus, if youve had your lessons you will know why thats not a good idea, but definately get out of your comfort zone.
It wont be the last time.
Go hard noobs, live the kite dream and soon enough it will be second nature and you will reap the rewards.
Let the palm trees be your guide.
Oi,
BennyB

right on newbs..

Embrace your bucket hats
Maximise you pooh stance
Be proud of your board leashes
Put on the 3/2 full length wetsuit
Fear not the walk back from struggle street downwind
A 12m is fine in 25+ knots
Pull in your bar one handed whilst launching

But most of all......

The only way you will improve is through long days on the water and doing yourself damage and injuries.

Hi ya'll, I'm one the aforementioned "noobs". I completed my lesons in october, I made no excuses and went out at any oppurtunity, even when I should have been working sometimes. It was daunting at first and I thought the walk of shame was going to be with me for a long time.

I put in as many hours on the water as possible, not that it was work, I frickin' love being on the water regardless, I'm now way upwind in ugly botany chop, jumping (terribly), gybing with ease and speed and very rarely does the kite fall in the water. Only problem is, instead of waking up and thinking about what I need to do for work, I wake up planning my next sesh !. Get out there and one day it will click, be careful though, once it clicks theres no turning back!

I am a nervous noob.. but I'm nervous because there's not enough wind, damn! Where's the seabreeze?????

I try.
1st session after lesson - not enough wind and the steering lines don't work. Bar flops harmlessly back onto my harness.
2nd session - snap clip that holds harness down before I even unpack the kite. Three days before Christmas and I wait until the following Friday before it arrives.
3rd session - 25 knots cross-onshore (good), go to a new place. Shallow reef 100 metres upwind, narrow beach (less than the length of kite lines) to launch from ruling out self lauching, gusty, experienced kitesurfers tell me not to go out. All bad. Watch forlornly instead. I had a 9 and they were all on 5, 6, or 7. Nervous now.
4th session - drive 100kms south as the wind is looking good and strong. 3 km off road track which is a fair bit of low range 1st gear rockin n rollin. Get to the beach. Wind is cross offshore, not cross onshore and I am not stupid enough to think I can get back to shore by myself (I am the only one on the beach).
5th session - cross onshore on a different beach. Internet is telling me 15-18 knots. Surely enough? Get to the beach and launch. Steering lines still useless and bar still retracting to my harness without any power. Try to self land, use IDS, kite flops into the shore break as I couldn't get it to the edge of the wind window without steering. Walk up the lines to get the kite. Look down. Most of the 15m of four lines is a birds nest at my feet. Spend the next hour and a half slowly - so slowly, excruciatingly slowly - unpicking the tangle. I only scream once.

On top of all this the wind season has been one of the dodgiest for a while. I surf and this time of year arvo surfs are normally off limiits because of the 25 knot onshore seabreeze. I have been getting lots of arvo surfs in 10 knot onshores.

I would love to throw myself in the deep end, but I just seem to pick the wrong conditions or do something dumb. It is windy the next two days, and I will be trying again.

Hey the drip,
That sounds alot like my first few sessions, but i had a 2 line kite and the leash was a piece of elastic attatched to my wrist and to one of the lines!!!
It may feel pointless and frustrating but you are learning a little something everytime, even if you think your not.
Wind direction on what beach, kite flying skills in different conditions and even that seabreeze graphs sometimes are not totally reliable(hey laurie)
This is all good stuff to know and makes you a better kiter.
Wont be long now till your the dude on the beach givin out the advice and savin someone else from a career ending kitemare...
Keep at it bud, the rewards are worth it...

yea boi....

Nice one B12 for starting one of the first refreshingly honest and positive threads for a while. Taking the elitism out of an awesome and accessible sport.

I met a guy on the beach last week and within a minute he told me 'Kiting changed my life'; I've done plenty of sports and never had this response, particularly within one minute of talking to a stranger.

Nice work noobs you are the future of the sport - go steady but GIVE IT A GO!

As Gorgo said, better the nervous noob than the over-confident noob.

Nice thread, BennyB12. Thanks for starting it. I used to be one of those nervous noobs, committed to other things and too scared to go out in anything over 20 knots, but last year I finally committed everything to it, took a few "brave" pills, and jumped right in. Now, I'm staying upwind, doing smooth transitions and starting to put together some longish toeside runs. Soon, I will be jumping at last...

Little did I know that it was mostly fear, and not a lack of talent, that was holding me back.

This is a great message (but, it should go without saying that bravery is no substitute for learning proper safety skills, knowing how to use your safeties when it all goes pear-shaped (and it will) and applying a bit of common sense...)

yea great read throughout thread,started myself 8 months ago,persisted through winter (Brisbane)payed of big time now kiteing in 25 -35 knts ,just had last 3 days in surf at Straddie ,can not agree more just get out there,but keep it safe.....[:)

tezzza

Soak up the love noobs !






...Because you won't be noobs forever !!

I love the fact that in this forum nobody is a noob and everyone is so fkn hardcore.

Core to the core.

Everytime a noob extends himself and gets a facedrag there is threads about how fkd they are and safety is out the window and "guess what this loser did today at my local"

Mark _australia said...

I love the fact that in this forum nobody is a noob and everyone is so fkn hardcore.

Core to the core.

Everytime a noob extends himself and gets a facedrag there is threads about how fkd they are and safety is out the window and "guess what this loser did today at my local"

Way to bring negative to a generally positive thread.
Dont you have a caption comp to attend to?