Damaged equipment happens. In this case the leading edge bladder of my 9 meter Ozone Edge blew out. I was launching and BLAMMO!
The likely culprit was a small nick in the leading edge fabric from a sharp rock or a piece of broken glass from the last time I landed the kite. I didn’t notice it and when I pumped the kite up and flexed the leading edge a little while launching the bladder blew with a bang. Fortunately, this is likely fixable IF I can find a 2010 9 meter replacement bladder. Later: The good ladies at Karen’s Northshore Kite and Sail Repair had the damaged kite fixed in only a couple days for a very reasonable price. Thank you Karen, Jessica, and Rachel. You ladies rock! And I have a replacement bladder coming from Ozone for when the patch eventually fails.
Torn and blown leading edge