I always used to just bring the kite in, de-rig and walk back up the beach. Gives you plenty of time to think about why you ended up so far down the beach!

Plus you get plenty of practice rigging your kite up, not to mention it's much safer than having the kite above your head and risking the chance of getting lofted.

It won't be long before you are coming back to the same spot and wondering why you spent so much time walking back up the beach! Most have been through it; just keep going and focus on making that distance shorter each time.

Keep the kite low to the ground

Hey Barongreenback,

There are some good suggestions in the previous answers. keeping the kite low (over the water) will be better for the ribs but a harder walk up the beach, a seat will stop the rib pain but could injure the precious family jewels as the leg loops strain at your groin or landing and walking carrying the kite are all good ideas. It could just be that the spreader bar is too narrow for you which adds to the rib compression you are experiencing.

As you get more proficient, you will want to ride with a waist harny anyway, so maybe better to stick with what you have and find a better way.

A lesson in riding upwind from a good instructor who uses either a boat/jetski and or radios is an even better way to reduce the amount of walking involved as they can point out problems that you are possibly unaware of, which are inhibiting your upwind riding ability.

If you are already up on the board and staying on your feet, but are just going downwind, it is usually a simple matter of changing a few small things to acheive your desired results.

See ya at the beach,

Darren Marshall
Australian Kiteboarding School

I have a mate who bought a waist harness rather than a seat because he said they look heaps cooler, but he heaves his gut over the top to hold it down
Cool or not Who can tell... Either way it seems to work for him.

i found upwind very hard on my barge but as soon as i got myself a smaller board my walk of shame is so much less. something with a nice edge and maybe extra fine.. im not a pro but this is whats working for me atm.