Kiteboarding

Kiteboarding is the latest extreme sports craze, combining elements of wakeboarding, snowboarding, windsurfing and paragliding.

by Richard McIlwain

How it Works

The kite is obviously the most important piece of equipment in kiteboarding - otherwise it would just be called boarding! Kiteboarding kites, being dependent on the wind, must be able to get off of the water or the ground very quickly in order to fly. This problem was solved by an invention called the Leading-Edge Inflatable kite.

Leading-Edge Inflatable kites, LEI for short, have an airtight bladder running across the leading edge of the kite, as well as several struts across the canopy, which are inflated with air to form a rigid frame. Since the frame is made up of air, it adds very little weight to the kite, and most importantly, makes the kite float if it crashes in the water. Once the kite is in the air, it manufactures its own wind, which creates a proportionately faster rate of speed for the rider.

Most kites have four lines, which allow the rider to control the direction that the kite is flying, and the amount of power the kite produces. There are two main kiteboard designs out there right now, twin-tips and directionals. Twin-tip boards are the more common variety, and look an awful lot like wakeboards, and in fact, evolved directly from them. Directional boards on the other hand look more like windsurfing boards, and you guessed it, evolved from them as well.

The History of Kiteboarding

Heads up surfer dudes: there's a new king of the sea - kiteboarding - and he's much more extreme then you're used to! Although it may be somewhat of a surprise, kiteboarding has roots that date as far back as the 13th century to, of all places, China. Initially referred to as kite sailing, it was used as a simple mode of transportation. The foundation of kite sailing strictly depended on the wind, which generated energy and momentum to mobilize canoes across water. With the addition of motor boats, kite sailing lost its popularity, but has since been reincarnated into a new, extreme adrenaline-soaked sport.

Though it has roots that date back to the 13th century, modern day kiteboarding as we know it probably would not have started up at all if it wasn't for an invention back in 1987. This invention consisted of an inflatable floating kite, which could take off even if it had crashed into the water. As you can imagine, it was the invention and perfection of these kites in the late '80s and early '90s that allowed kiteboarding to slowly grow into a viable extreme sport. On the heels of these new kites, kiteboarding started to develop in the mid-90s in Oregon, France and especially Hawaii, where it was really popularized in Maui by windsurfing and wakeboarding legends. The beauty of kiteboarding is that it is still growing to this day, and as a matter of fact new techniques and events are being created every day for people who enjoy the sport. Stay tuned and enjoy the ride because this wave is just starting to break!

The Equipment

THE KITE: C-kites are just what they sound like. They're shaped like a "C" and have no bridle lines. Most people who learned to kite before 2006 learned on a C-kite, and they can still be used to teach people. However, C-kites can have limited de-power (or powering down the kite, which allows more direction control) when compared to the newer styles of kites and can be more challenging to re-launch.

Bow kites are flatter than C-kites and are supported by bridle lines. Bow kites perform better in low-end and high-end wind ranges than C-kites and have an amazing amount of de-power. Bow kites are usually very stable and they re-launch easily, though some models lack a solid feeling of connection to the kite.

An SLE (Supported Leading Edge) kite is basically a modified bow. Any kite that features a bridle could be called an SLE, even bow kites. Not every SLE kite behaves the same, as there are many differences between manufacturers.

Hybrid kites don't really fall into a certain category, as these kites can be very different from one another. A hybrid is not a bow, SLE, or C-kite, but rather a combination of the benefits and performance of some or all of the aforementioned. Choosing a hybrid kite is very dependent on the style and skill of the rider.

THE HARNESS: There are two main harness types: waist and seat. Waist harnesses fit around your waist and have a relatively high hook position. Seat harnesses have leg straps which keep your hook from riding up, and have a relatively low hook position. There are also hybrids of the seat and waist harness.

THE BOARD: Most kiteboards range in the area of about 135 cm to 160 cm in length and 38 cm to 45 cm in width. There are many sizes and shapes of kiteboards out there, as well as fins, bindings and other accessories to go with them.

Kiteboarding 101

RIDING UPWIND: Riding upwind is what good kiteboarding is all about. Staying upwind allows riders the ability to do all sorts of jumps, tricks and spectacles. In order to do this, there are a few things to master: kite position, body position and speed control.

KITE POSITION: Keeping the kite in the same position helps the rider focus on maneuvering the board, rather than the kite. You should keep your hands centered on the bar and have the kite at a steady 45 degree angle to the water. If the kite goes too high, it will pull the rider up, causing the board to lose its edge, and in turn, lose control.

BODY POSITION: Your body position for riding upwind should be with your front leg straight and your back leg slightly bent, while leaning your body away from the kite.

SPEED CONTROL: Speed control is accomplished not only through powering and de-powering the kite, but also through board control and the angle the rider takes into the wind. By cutting too hard into the wind, the rider will lose speed and sink back into the water. By traveling too far downwind, the rider has a tendency to gain too much speed, too quickly. The rider has to travel downwind to get speed, and then slightly de-power the kite to allow control and stability, while edging the board upwind.

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