The worst scenario with board straps is one foot coming off and the other staying in leading to a broken foot/leg like this poor bloke @8:02:



From a physics standpoint, both feet are much more likely to stay strapped in with heel straps which would make it "safer" than just straps alone. The way I see it is there is two safe options here, one is having heel straps with tight top straps; the other is having the foot straps VERY loose with no heel straps at all so that you can rotate your foot in and out of them if the board ever rotated while still being attached to only one foot. The standard tight strappings with no heel strap that majority ride seem like the most unsafe imo.

True or False? Explain why...

noodelsrominov said..
Also, what's the point of heel straps if I want to be locked in get boots, I ride straps cause I like board off tricks.

More time consuming and difficult to put on, look incredibly dorky, can't feel water or air on your feet... oh and they are f*cking expensive! I won't bag out on them if they are on advanced riders though, then it is totally reasonable!

I used to run heel straps. Crashes are harder because the board doesn't come off. Repositioning the board back for a water start takes longer and it's downright dangerous going through the washing machine in the surf.

i guess the straps helped in the early days When I lacked board control. But soon enough I ditched the straps and never looked back.

When you crash you crash face forward most of the time. So you need to drag the board through the water back in front of you. That's a pain in the arse.

Why the hell not ride a tt in the waves? That is where the biggest boosts are to be had off the wave lips.

That's like saying I wont take my 4wd offroad!...

You just need to watch the king of air to understand why TT's in waves is awesome.

www.redbull.com/int-en/events/red-bull-king-of-the-air-cape-town-south-africa

Stop making useless threads loftywinds

flyingcab said..
Stop making useless threads loftywinds

This isn't useless by any means. I would really like peoples opinions on how safe this is and how much risk I am putting myself in to. Other peoples experiences are invaluable when it comes to these things

My foot slipped out on my last session, if my board had rotated anymore I could have easily snapped my ankle. I will be riding only loose foot straps from now on, no heel straps and when I will just do my usual technique of landing on my back with my feet in the air still attached to board. I love my ankles, stupid idea

NorthernKitesAUS said..

flyingcab said..
Stop making useless threads loftywinds

LMAO

gold

How many loftywinds are there?
I can't keep up.

drewpweiner said..

flyingcab said..
Stop making useless threads loftywinds

This isn't useless by any means. I would really like peoples opinions on how safe this is and how much risk I am putting myself in to. Other peoples experiences are invaluable when it comes to these things

Virtually every question you've asked on this forum gets answered by experienced people. You proceed to tell everybody they're wrong and will continue with whatever half-baked idea you've cooked up. Why should this thread be any different?

The first thing new kiters do when they experience difficulties is look at changing the gear. They keep coming up with all sorts of "good ideas" that will fix the problem. Thing is, the only problem is the incompetence of the kiter. Get better. Practice more. All the problems will go away.

A lot of difficulties are imagined. Boards do come off and can twist around one foot. I've have never heard of legs or ankles breaking from it. It is certainly very rare.

As for heel straps, you get all the inconvenience of boots without the security. The straps are a pain to get into position when you start and a pain to get off when you stop. They don't do much to help keep the board on your feet. One solid whack and you're out whether you want to be or not. Even boots are designed to let your feet out in extreme crashes.

I am not a fan of loose straps. They are too loose and come off unpredictably. Your feet can slide too far into them and then any twisting of the board locks you in and makes things worse. In the worst cases your foot can go right through the strap and you have a board attached to your leg. It has happened.

The best thing is properly adjusted straps so that your feet are tightly gripped when pushed all the way in. The board will stay attached to your feet most of the time. In extremes they will come off safely. If the board twists it usually twists off your foot and falls away harmlessly.

As for landing on your back, really? You're trying to save your ankles by splashing in on your back? As a newb learn to gently parachute in with the bar in and the kite above your head. Even better, learn to time the kite so you send it forward and do butter soft gliding landings. It's not that hard.

Gorgo said..

drewpweiner said..

flyingcab said..
Stop making useless threads loftywinds

This isn't useless by any means. I would really like peoples opinions on how safe this is and how much risk I am putting myself in to. Other peoples experiences are invaluable when it comes to these things

Virtually every question you've asked on this forum gets answered by experienced people. You proceed to tell everybody they're wrong and will continue with whatever half-baked idea you've cooked up. Why should this thread be any different?

The first thing new kiters do when they experience difficulties is look at changing the gear. They keep coming up with all sorts of "good ideas" that will fix the problem. Thing is, the only problem is the incompetence of the kiter. Get better. Practice more. All the problems will go away.

A lot of difficulties are imagined. Boards do come off and can twist around one foot. I've have never heard of legs or ankles breaking from it. It is certainly very rare.

As for heel straps, you get all the inconvenience of boots without the security. The straps are a pain to get into position when you start and a pain to get off when you stop. They don't do much to help keep the board on your feet. One solid whack and you're out whether you want to be or not. Even boots are designed to let your feet out in extreme crashes.

I am not a fan of loose straps. They are too loose and come off unpredictably. Your feet can slide too far into them and then any twisting of the board locks you in and makes things worse. In the worst cases your foot can go right through the strap and you have a board attached to your leg. It has happened.

The best thing is properly adjusted straps so that your feet are tightly gripped when pushed all the way in. The board will stay attached to your feet most of the time. In extremes they will come off safely. If the board twists it usually twists off your foot and falls away harmlessly.

As for landing on your back, really? You're trying to save your ankles by splashing in on your back? As a newb learn to gently parachute in with the bar in and the kite above your head. Even better, learn to time the kite so you send it forward and do butter soft gliding landings. It's not that hard.

Thumbs up Gorgo, seems Drew asks all the questions, gets the answers (from experienced kites) that he doesn't like so goes ahead with his hair brained idea anyway .... he is stubborn but he will learn, most likely through pain ??

Gorgo said..

Virtually every question you've asked on this forum gets answered by experienced people. You proceed to tell everybody they're wrong and will continue with whatever half-baked idea you've cooked up. Why should this thread be any different?

The first thing new kiters do when they experience difficulties is look at changing the gear. They keep coming up with all sorts of "good ideas" that will fix the problem. Thing is, the only problem is the incompetence of the kiter. Get better. Practice more. All the problems will go away.

There can only be one explaination for why this is and it is because YOU ARE WRONG Now... back to my experiments...

Gorgo said..

I am not a fan of loose straps. They are too loose and come off unpredictably. Your feet can slide too far into them and then any twisting of the board locks you in and makes things worse. In the worst cases your foot can go right through the strap and you have a board attached to your leg. It has happened.

Fark, i didn't even think about that! Thanks Gorgo, I don't think I will be wearing it that loose then. See, if I never bothered to make this thread then I wouldn't have come across that good info!

Gorgo said..
As for landing on your back, really? You're trying to save your ankles by splashing in on your back? As a newb learn to gently parachute in with the bar in and the kite above your head. Even better, learn to time the kite so you send it forward and do butter soft gliding landings. It's not that hard.

Afaik this has been a great technique for me for keeping the board connected to my feet while crashing. I wasn't talking about crashing softly from a big launch but from something like a frontloop where you are a bit discombobulated.

I have felt the twist of a TT when one foot slipped out of a strap which could have easily resulted in a twisted ankle. This is why I am converting to a strapless surfboard; it is a more comfortable ride too.