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Originally posted by daggy

In light of the serious accident recently, is there any accepted technique to controlling being lofted. I've never seen any one get unintentionally boosted more than a metre , so how big can this take you? , and is there anything you can do to control it ??? If you're metres in the air can you steer the kite, or dive it down into the water ?

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The main thing you can do daggy is to avoid being lofted in the firstplace.
If you are lofted though, in my experience there is little you can do. There is a video around of a guy in Hawaii lofted a couple of HUNDRED feet vertically!!
He chose to hang on and try to continue to control the kite, he was extremely lucky to survive uninjured.
Most loftings over land, including my own end in serious injury. I chose to hang on only because literally in an instant I was 30 feet in the air, this was on a 5.5M foil on handles - not hooked in or harnessed in.

Remember, every time the wind speed doubles, the power or lift of your kite increases by a factor of 4!!!

Ways to avoid lofting.
Don't fly kitesurfing kites on land.
Don't beach jump.
Avoid winds that are gusty. Gusty means winds varying in strength rapidly, surging more than 7/8 knots.
Avoid standing on the beach with your kite in what I call the "death zone", which is directly overhead.
When you finish a session land the kite and secure it asap.
Avoid going out in direct onshore conditions if the wind is gusty or if there is any forecast for fronts or squalls.
Avoid coming in close to shore and performing tricks for the peanut gallery.
Use a modern bow style kite, which depowers 95% when you let go of the bar.
Always assess your lauch area for suitability, for the prevailing wind conditions, some spots are very prone to lofting incidents, especially places with sand dunes or tress that will create "vertical ridge lift".

Always launch with kite towards the water, keep the kite low, below 11 oclock, and get in the water asap, have your board ready to grab as you move into the water.

Make sure you are a member of AKSA and that you also have good private health cover!

Cya and

Goodwinds

Steve McCormack

simple - if you get lofted press rewind on your time remote and land your kite before the gust hits!

www.wimp.com/flysurfing

dont knkow why no-one has said this, maybe i missed it but if you keep the kite low (near ground at edge of window) you will be better off, i got lofted once, was getting gusty so i decided to come in, i put the kite straight over my head while i was playing with my board, i got lifted pretty high almost instantly, there was nothing i could have done about it except not put the kite above me.
also i noticed in that naish video he did seem to have a little control over the kite but the more he turned it away from the wind the faster he dropped.
greg

can someone tell me why this wont work:

when i do a jump that i havent edged enough, and i start getting higher and closer to the shore, i usually put the kite toward the water in the opposite direction of the way i am travelling.

This has the effect of pretty much stopping my forward direction (toward shore), dropping me like a 105kg stone, and almost always stalling the kite.

So how is this different from when ur getting lofted?
Are people too scared to direct the kite into the drink or what ?
anyone

robbo.

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Originally posted by robbo

can someone tell me why this wont work:

when i do a jump that i havent edged enough, and i start getting higher and closer to the shore, i usually put the kite toward the water in the opposite direction of the way i am travelling.

This has the effect of pretty much stopping my forward direction (toward shore), dropping me like a 105kg stone, and almost always stalling the kite.

So how is this different from when ur getting lofted?
Are people too scared to direct the kite into the drink or what ?
anyone

robbo.

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Robo, when you jump, you are doing it within the kite /kiteboarder weight wind range. When you turn the kite, you are dragged by the initial impuls, than the kite slows down, but your buddy is in full swing, getting in front of the kite, which stalls, and this is when you fall like a brick.
When lofted, the wind is at least 2 times fatser (than 4 times the power). The kite is very difficult to control, as the bar presure is very high - you will have to pull very hard to turn the kite, than, when the kite start to move, it moves at tremondous speed, which will add to the force. The kite will not depower, contrary will start to drag you through the air, towards the water very fast. You end hiting the water (but not the sand) at very high speed and I think this is what scares almost everyboddy.
I've don it once, I had sore backt for few weeks, ended on the Bowen Terapist Table (very painfull on bot my back and my back pocket), and that was all, no major injuries, next day I was back on the water .
However You have to be mentaly prepared for this, and have to be very fast.
Beter avoid to be lofted

I've been lofted before... 20m AEROs and very thermal affected wind just don't mix well. all unintentional and quite quick the trip up... but to be honest i was quite glad i had such a big kite as it worked like a parachute allowing a soft landing in the 3 inch deep water... then i released the second i touched down. It shakes ya up a bit. a friend of mine allmost got killed back in 2001 when a 41 knot squall lofted him up a cliff. No sooner do you realise whats happening you're up too high to release.. just avoid getting into danger in the first place.

This topic came up way back when I had no idea how to control a kite in any conditions but it sounded like good advice even then.
it was from Ryland - short & sweet as is his usual way.
"just keep flying your kite"
I reckon for me the panic would over-ride any chance of sensible thought or action but I have remembered it just in case - it would certainly help if you've got what it takes at the time.
If you watch the vid - thats exactly what flying Eric did to prevent his disaster.

You can yell and scream,
hopefully someone gets it on video and you can enjoy it over and over again.

Try for a grab maybe a roast beef? Def try and look cool even give the finger to ya mates