1357 posts
Maybe if it's at jaws or mavericks! Shipsterns now that would be extreme!
QLD
4107 posts
Haven't you seen 'Spare Change'? They kite shipsterns, Vari gets smashed. Manages to fall off that lump in the middle of the face like everyone keeps doing at the Zoo.
NSW
230 posts
Mostly no. Sometimes, definitely - see recent shots of people riding Mavericks.
But mostly, I think no. It's all about risk. Kiting is ridiculously safe if you do it right.
382 posts
How can this be extreme?
Middle aged men mostly in the sports' demographic?
Half the time we can tie our shoe laces up the morning after a session!
WA
1991 posts
I think to some extent it still is. In another thread someone has died recently. There are stories of injured people all the time.
I think the "safety" of the gear has led people into thinking its not extreme or as extreme, and that is resulting in some of these injuries. Being attatched to a big kite isnt not-extreme.
We would have injury risk rates pretty high, with consequences equivalent to rockclimbing, big crazy mountain skiers, and the like. How many people have died soully because of the wave size they were surfing. Our deaths are probably up there. Not so much any more, because yes the geear is safer. Big wave surfers have better jetskis etc.
The kites have the same, if not more power than before, its just more controllable.
It can be as extreme as you want it to be.
QLD
561 posts
I think it is pretty extreme, It looks like a hell of a lot of fun when you finally know what you are doing.....
VIC
172 posts
I reckon it is an extreme sport especially when you have told the family that Saturday will be dedicated to them, but when you wake up you can hear the wind. You sneek out of bed, grab your gear and do a runner, it definately becomes extreme when you get home about 3 hours later and too worn out to do anything else!
382 posts
NOW THAT'S WHAT MAKES IT DANGEROUS!
WA
206 posts
Red Bull Air Race is extreme.
I would love to know what their public liability insurance premium is...
Jess
QLD
363 posts
IMO - Extreme sports are those that you can not hit the pin and get out of easily.
for example
1 - Mountaineering - when at 8000+ meter and the weather turns....you can't just run down to safety
2 - Base Jumping - Basically...one chance....
3 - Off shore sailing - If your out in the middle of the ocean and it turns to sh-t...what do you do....not much help around
4 - Solo Rock Climbing(no rope, no gear, hard climb.......well, what else to say...one slip
5 - Big wave Surfing - partly...when locked in on a big wave, way to deep, you know its going to close out....100+ tonnes of water behind you.....what do you do?
6- Moto-X, when pulling some superman, backflip, 360 with 120kgs of dirtbike on top of you, 40 feet in the air over hard packed dirt......well
There are a few more to think of, however IMO kitesurfing is not one of them, yes sh-t can happen, and happen really quickly, and we can hurt ourselves, however it can happen anywhere, more than likely on the way to the beach in the car.
I think Extreme sports are those that....when in the middle of a situation(epic), you can't just say No, had enough and hit the release.
Yes we face some minor risks, however we hit the safety and it all stops fairly quickly, we face lossing our kite, our board, maybe a broken limp and knocked about and even drowning/death... however at the end of the day, we are not going to run out of oxygen and freeze to death, splat from 1000 feet, and no ever how hard water feels when hitting it at speed.....i sure earth or rock must feel harder, or so isloated no one can help
There must be some more, basically sports/activaties where in a situation, out of our control(normally weather or fatigue/body failure, equipment), we have no way out... thats where certain sports can be debated
anyway thats my opinion....what everone else think?
QLD
1245 posts
All this crap that water is soft and kiting is not extreme.... Kiting is a nancy boy sport IF you play it safe, doing small jumps the odd backroll and getting off by staying upwind. Can you back out of a boost in 30+knots winds? When you start getting serious air with technical aerial manurers like mobes or even just an unhooked frontroll with kiteloop that nice soft water is no longer "soft" it hurts to buggery and if you can make it a season without serious injury you are extremely lucky. Big wave kiting is WAY more "extreme" then big wave surfing. Wilson and the crew surfing shipsterns and teahupoo not only can you get snapped by the wave but if you get sucked up and come down on your lines then have the wave hit your kite ur f*#ked. Kiting in 40 knots on a 10m kite.... it all comes down to the rider. All sports, be it motocross, rockclimbing, canyoning, spearfishing, skydiving, skating are just sports until the person takes them to an extreme level the person takes them to.
WA
314 posts
Carbon "IMO - Extreme sports are those that you can not hit the pin and get out of easily.
for example
1 - Mountaineering - when at 8000+ meter and the weather turns....you can't just run down to safety
2 - Base Jumping - Basically...one chance....
3 - Off shore sailing - If your out in the middle of the ocean and it turns to sh-t...what do you do....not much help around
4 - Solo Rock Climbing(no rope, no gear, hard climb.......well, what else to say...one slip
5 - Big wave Surfing - partly...when locked in on a big wave, way to deep, you know its going to close out....100+ tonnes of water behind you.....what do you do?
6- Moto-X, when pulling some superman, backflip, 360 with 120kgs of dirtbike on top of you, 40 feet in the air over hard packed dirt......well"
The word Extreme defines itself really. If you take the sport you participate in and take it outside the very comfort Zone that enables Joe public to contemplate doing the same thing you have attempted, then the sport becomes extreme.
How many of you attempt kiteloops like Lenten??? The public think something like that is extreme, so is riding the Zoo on a big day.
To use one of your examples, I go up to Lancelin and ride Moto X but only attempt the 6 foot jump but I am not an extreme Moto X rider, but participate in the sport!
Get OUT of your comfort Zone and tell me you don't crap yourself???? The harder you push the more likely you are to break something or even DIE.
WA
1194 posts
kitesurfng is loads of fun....the fun part has always stayed the same for me from first body drag to trying to kite loop backroll transition to trying to boost as high as i can to any new trick I take a fancy to trying to get down pat next in my constant fix to keep the fun factor there - the best sessions i remember are the ones where i have progressed or its been hell windy with a good swell (not extreme from my vantage point but on a personal level extreem is subjective)
I will never kite like Ruben who in my view is extreme or kite in waves that are over four times my height - just wouldn’t be in my comfort level of what’s fun to do and to me would be the extreme side of the sport, then again I didn’t get into kite surfing because I thought it was extreme - it was watching videos of old school mega boosts board offs and deadmans that attracted me to try it out!
Base jumping and rock climbing are extreem sports - but i dont think as a generalization that kitesurfing can be called an extreme sport.
WA
517 posts
nahhh. sitting in the office can be way more xtreme. can do a 360 on my chair whilst holding my hot tea. now thats xtreme for you.
Also balancing the pen on the edge of the desk and hitting it up and catching with the same hand can be very risky business if you don't know how much force to apply. The risks to my eyes, and the potential for getting an ink stain on my shirt would easily place office working right up there with BASE and freediving.
WA
5378 posts
As far as statistics go driving a car or sitting under a coconut tree is more extreme than kitesurfing if you are talking about how many people die or are injured each year. i would say opening a stubbie with your teeth is probably more extreme as well. lol
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