Since friends and relatives seem to want to know how the kiting is going I’ll report that I’m taking a couple full strides into being an intermediate kiter. The weather this last trip was horrible, but I did slip in a few days of kiting. It was mostly too low wind on really big kites or it was nuclear gusty conditions on tiny little kites. But, my riding is progressing nicely and I am seeing steady progress. Even in challenging conditions I can usually make it upwind. My simple transitions are smooth and fast and I seem to have figured out the timing of load and pop – thank you Toast for the great advice. Why pop you ask? Its the start of some turns, big jumps, and many tricks.
I had three days of nice chest high to slightly over head high wave sessions and enjoyed myself immensely in those conditions. I still suck at toe side riding and my new goal is to figure out the timing and body positioning of a down loop turn. Why a down loop turn you ask? Well, its a bit quicker to pull off, it maintains power coming out of the turn, and it just looks cool when you do it correctly and flash a shower of spray.
For those of you who are wondering what its like out there I have a new favorite video clip from TDZ. And yes, I can survive and even enjoy those conditions on my trusty twintip board. The guys pictured are pros and really good at what they do. Its hard enough staying on top of a twin tip, focused, and going in the direction you want to go WITH straps. These guys are using strapless surfboards and landing their jumps. Its epic stuff.
kite surf iceland from TDZ on Vimeo.