Hey Glasstraxx,
Sounds like you are progressing nicely. Kite looping is actually not that difficult and can be learned easily without pain for the most part. As with all tricks, the level of extreme can be dialed up or down with conditions and equipment.
Firstly, a kite loop requires little skill, more courage is what's needed. You can learn basic loops in light winds on transitions and step it up to get more altitude in a normal jump as you get more comfortable. By downlooping you already have a feel for the additional power which comes from a downward turned kite as opposed to an upward turned kite, that's good and will all help.
The severity of the loop is determined by the angle of the kite when you "pull the trigger". If the kite is well over head, the loop will be more above your head than downwind. This is usually initiated by pulling the trigger late in the jump as the kite has traveled to 12 o'clock or even upwind of you mid way through the jump. To execute this loop, simply sheet in and crank the kite hard. The secret is commitment, don't pull out half way. Just allow the kite to loop all the way around and you should land sort of softly, with a bit of speed downwind.
By pulling the trigger lower in the window or earlier in the jump, the kite will be positioned further back in the wind window. When you loop the kite, during the downward circle of the kite, it will come much lower to the water meaning the whole turn of the kite will be deeper in the wind window which will increase the downwind speed of your landing and also lessen the softness of the landing (unless you are going really high).
Interestingly, the more powered up and larger loops are actually usually a softer landing, albeit, much faster.
Size of kite makes a difference. I don't like looping anything much larger than a 10m . The speed is too slow and the radius of the loop tends to be too large which results in some really heavy landings. A smaller kite in more powered up conditions tends to be easier and more dramatic, but don't learn on these. Start on your 10m and work your way up in terms of wind speed, and down in terms of kite size. As you get more comfortable, start looping the kite earlier in the jump and lower in the wind window.
Different kites loop differently, some provide nail biting, "sh1t your pants" type loops, like Vegas, Fuel, Razor and Best GP and many other "pure C" kites. Some kites don't pull at all as they pivot on their inside wingtip and have no airflow over their leading edge. This can be sorted a little by not looping them too tight, but realistically speaking, a "C" hybrid is a better option if you want to loop and do more than just freestyle.
Look for large squared wingtips, not too much swept back leading edges, and a more "C" or "n" shaped canopies. Any kite can be looped, but claiming loops on say an Ozone Reo as opposed to a C4 will result in much heckling.
Above all else, enjoy the progression and don't learn kiteloops in really windy conditions. Work up to it with a "steady as she goes" approach and avoid injury. Kiteloops have been the cause of more cracked ribs and blown knees in kiteboarding than almost anything else. An impact vest is a good investment.
Have fun!
DM
