Hi Ben,
Going truly MASSIVE requires a few things as I wil detail below. Timing, power, control and the right kite.
Going big also requires a good amount of attitude and a certain aggressive approach.
You don't need to be going 100kph to go big. You need control. Usually going fast means you have less control as you are normally in choppy water and bouncing across the crests of waves. Try riding at a moderate speed as the take off and timing is more important than speed.
The second thing needed is lots of power. The more power you can hold, the better, so long as you can control it. No point in holding down a 12m in 30 knots if you can't pull the bar in to power up and initiate the turn at full power, that's not jumping, that's lofting or teabagging. For my weight (88kg), I like a 9m in around 30 knots, but remember, it's what YOU can control and some kites will let you carry more wind than others. The Core GTS's you have should be fine in upper twenties and I can attest that they certainly will go big.
A smaller kite will boost you up higher than a big kite, but a big kite will give you more hangtime, and most likely a softer landing unless your technique is spot on. The reason a small kite goes bigger is it's speed across the wind window and in turning.
You can redirect a small kite twice as fast as a bigger kite. Finding a kicker or a small wave can be an advantage to going huge, but not essential. Some of my biggest jumps of all time have been off smooth water with no ramp. It's all about edging, timing, control of kite and board and the take off technique. My biggest jumps were on a 7m Core GT in 35-40 knots of wind in flat water. Freakin' scary high!
First thing you need is to know your jump timing ie, how long it takes in distance from the moment you pull the trigger until the kite reaches 12 o'clock going across the wind window. This varies on kites so experimenting is worth while. It maybe a second and 10m distance or more or less depending on kite and how aggressively you pull the trigger.
Once you know your timing or distance, you can line up a ramp or wave to help keep your edge or contact of the rail of the board with the water surface on lift off.
Second thing is to get your kite position and movement spot on. Most jumps should be initiated from about the 10.30 to 11 o'clock position of the clock face of the wind window. Initiating a jump from lower than that is possible but will result in a low trajectory of your kite and a violent downwind pull off the water with a long and lower jump resulting in a hot fast and hard landing. This type of jump can be useful in jumping obstacles but not for going big. By obstacles I mean inflated objects. Don't jump solid stuff!
With your kite at around 10.30, pick your wave and judge your timing distance, then pull the bar in smoothly and quickly to full power as you turn the kite back across towards 1 o'clock on the clock face. You need to keep the bar in at full power throughout the entire jump sequence.
As the kite moves towards the 12 o'clock position, turn your board up the face of the wave or mark you have set as your take off point, in other words, carve slightly up wind with speed and maintain your edge.
Most people I watch boosting, try and initiate the jump by trying to "jump" with the board, bending their knees at take off and trying to "push off" from the water. This flattens out the board and allows the kite to pull you downwind on take off which results in a pendulum type swing under the kite and often ends with the kite falling from the sky upwind of you.
Maintain your edge all the way through the take off and keep it edging until you are in the air, at which point your kite should be at around the 12.30 position in the wind window. The kite does all the work in the jump and take off, don't try and assist it with the board by "hopping".
Keep the bar pulled in and allow the kite to turn to face the wind at around the 1-1.30 position. On a good jump you should be rapidly ascending. Keep your kite steady in the 1pm position all the way to the top of the jump. When you feel you have reached peak height or the apex of the jump and you start to descend, move the kite to 12 o'clock and wait as you start to come down.
When you are approximately half to 2/3rds of the way down, redirect your kite strongly forward with the bar pulled in to full power, back in the direction of travel. Bend your knees for impact and turn your board to align with the direction of travel.
For bigger jumps you may need to sine your kite back and forth across the top of the wind window to prevent swinging under the kite, for really big jumps you will likely have to loop the kite before landing to create enough lift and downwind speed to keep your kite from luffing and being upwind of you.
There are so many parts to a really big jump that all need to come together simultaneously which is why few riders jump really big. The average kiter who learns to jump will regularly jump between 4-8 feet high. An intermediate kiter will jump 8-15 feet high. A more advanced rider will jump from 12-20 feet fairly regularly.
The heady heights of 20-40 feet are reserved for the very few who really know what they are doing and have had many years practice. So keep practicing and we'll see you in the nose bleed section in no time
Cheers,
DM
Happy Days!!!
