Hey guys and girls, i return

[CoyoteBoy]

Well, im not sure how long it is - something like 4 years or so (OMG
is it that long) - but im back. Some may remember me, my bike doesnt.
Its been so long since i rode for more than a trip to the shops when
my car was broken. I stopped posting to here as a certain someone was
obliterating the group with **** and i found another sport
(kitesurfing).

I'd burned out on bikes, i have an XC, a DH and a trials bike I'd
built up pretty well from time working in a bike shop, but having
decreasing time and getting bored of the same old trails I sorta gave
up. My bro (riding buddy) moved away and that was the end.

But of recent weeks I found out a mate of mine rides XC pretty
heavily, and i looked at my folorn bikes sitting in the garage and
decided it was time to begin again.

So here I am, starting afresh. Missing the fun i had, and reading
samurai's website brought a lot of it back.

So thinking about it, thanks to samurai and my mate for sparking the
enthusiasm again, im getting out on the trails tonight with any luck.

J

 

[Stephen Baker]

Hey, CB - good to see you again.

You may want to google a thread with kitesurfing recently ;-)

Steve

 

[Coyoteboy]

> Hey, CB - good to see you again.

Ta


> You may want to google a thread with kitesurfing recently ;-)
> Steve

Saw it, I'm trying to ignore it - theres so much that can be said about its
dangers but with almost anything its perfectly safe if you know what you are
up to with it, apart from the completely unpredictable where something nasty
could technically happen - just like driving on the highways, only far less
common. The only problems we've seen in my local spot are from people with
no common sense - which says it all. Surprisingly they are VERY gust
resistant and it would take a massive gust to get you lofted, and then you
QR it, drop 10ft and maybe break and ankle if you are unlucky. I've had far
worse things from my bike.

At my local spot thers 50+ kiters (big beach) and I've known only one
serious incident involving broken bones in nearly 2 years. In 3 years of
biking I knew of 4 people being run over by cars, 3 broken ankles, one
broken collar bone and a broken wrist. Out of about 30 MTBers. Thats kinda
indicative to me. And it must be said that genuine kitesurfers, not
have-a-go guys, are very serious about the sport, if it looks like gusty
wind they dont go to the beach, if it starts getting too gusty they come in
and drop the kite. All kiting is done way up the beach from other beach
users etc. Safety is the key. Kites are leashed so they dont fly away when
safety released, people wear helmets and safety equipment (more than can be
said for a lot of MTBers) etc etc and there is a general community feel. Its
nice.

J

 

[(Pete Cresswell)]

RE/
> its perfectly safe if you know what you are
>up to with it, apart from the completely unpredictable where something nasty
>could technically happen - just like driving on the highways, only far less
>common. The only problems we've seen in my local spot are from people with
>no common sense - which says it all. Surprisingly they are VERY gust
>resistant and it would take a massive gust to get you lofted, and then you
>QR it, drop 10ft and maybe break and ankle if you are unlucky.

Maybe it's a matter of venue....i.e. what's downwind when you have to
launch/land, and how stable the winds are.

At the place I have in mind, everybody I know - without exception...and that's
10-12 people - has a story. The common thread is "I have no idea whatsoever
what happened. I was just standing there and all-of-a-sudden I came to in the
brush downwind all bruised and sraped up...."

I can't call myself a kite surfer - and never will...but I flirted with it for a
couple of seasons..... and when a hole in the wind comes along and that thing
just sort of falls out of the sky right into the power zone and the the hole is
filled in by a gust wowwwwwweeeeeeee!... And, again, local lore is that this
happens to *everybody*....and not just once a season...
--
PeteCresswell

 

[Stephen Baker]

CB says:

>Saw it, I'm trying to ignore it

;-)

 

[CoyoteBoy]

"(Pete Cresswell)" <[email protected]> wrote in message news:<[email protected]>...
> Maybe it's a matter of venue....i.e. what's downwind when you have to
> launch/land, and how stable the winds are.

Quite right. You dont surf when theres ANYTHING hard downwind of you
for at least 100 yards, and if you are getting holes and gusts to that
extent you are in the wrong location and shouldnt be surfing there -
apart from anything it makes life on the water hell. Some people have
few launch spots so I feel for them if they have to launch there, but
in all honesty if its a spot where its that gusty (holey as you say is
worse) then really they shouldnt be surfing it.

We get days of holey/gusty winds, but it if is to the point where its
making the kite fall out of the sky you either a) dont have the skill
to keep it up and should be out in that wind or b) are very skilled
and so should know better that the wind on that day is not surfable
sensibly. As i say, here and there you can get completely unexpected
weather changes, (worst is when the wind turns 180 on you while you
are out 300 yards off) but you could say that about anything - a
freak gust could snap the mast of a 50ft yacht and leave it helpless
in the wind and waves - thats not sport-specific.

You also tend to find some people who do sports like kitesurfing tend
to exaggerate their injuries out of some need to make it seem
dangerous and exciting, which has a rather negative effect really.
I've been lofted, while I was a learner - gusty day, launched a foil
(downwind, bad idea as i hadnt realised just *how* gusty it was) and
as it rose to 12 a gust hit and lifted me a good 20ft off the floor.
But I has launched on a beach with masses of downwind sand, and just
drifted back down with a couple of running hops. Immediately released
my kite and packed up - learned my lesson from that one and never go
out in anything gusting more than 8knots peak to peak.

J

 

[CoyoteBoy]

[email protected]ospam (Stephen Baker) wrote in message news:<[email protected]>...
> CB says:
>
> >Saw it, I'm trying to ignore it
>
> ;-)


I know, I failed miserably

J