Another noob/beginner post

bulae99 · Since 12 Jul 2006 1692 Posts XTreme Poster

TAke lessons from a pasa or iko teacher. Better yet take the Iko course, or the pasa course yourself.

It's alot like playing tennis, sure you can teach yourself but it's alot more fun to take lessons with a fine ass pro.

TAke lessons! Purchase new, brand new kites, fly your trainer until you know every aspect of it. Then find a friend who knows how to kite and have him check out your lines before you launch. Make sure you know your safety systems like the back of your hands.

Take lessons and commit to spending a large portion of your money up to $1000 bucks on a package of lessons that include being followed by a jet ski with an instructor you trust and maybe even like a little.

Take lessons, Take lessons, take lessons, and repeat! Very Happy

SoOR · Since 10 Mar 2007 56 Posts Ashland, OR

i didn't read all the replies so sorry if i repeat but i think the importance of lessons besides not hurting yourself is that you can hurt others(including non-kiters) which is what gets kiting banned in places which really hurts.

i'm not sure how sauvie's hasn't banned it yet...i saw some crazy accidents there including having a lit-up 18m wrap around my parked car as i was getting my gear out and the guy was still sheeting in/fully lit up from the top of the hill as it hit me.

personally i took lessons because it was cheaper than wrecking a kite and the benefit of being in a controlled situation of lessons is that when problems happen you have someone there telling you how to correct it rather than learning on your own as you destroy your gear and potentially get hurt especially if you try learning in the gorge.

also some places if you can demonstrate that you have trainer/kite control understanding/even body drags will fast track you to water starts which can make lessons very affordable

pdxmonkeyboy · Thu May 22, 08 12:50 pm

Darwinism still holds true, even in todays safety obsessed society. So my advice, don't take lessons, just grab any old kite and go for it. You'll figure it out eventually or you will really hurt yourself or others trying.

Just don't come down to the gorge and expect that shit to fly because you WILL be told to leave. People tolerate and even encourage beginners who are taking the proper steps and being safe. Reckless kooks are not tolerated and can be spotted a mile away.

You can also not expect much advice to flow your way in terms of kites and boards when your not even willing to take a few lessons. Sorry but that is how it works.

Hey, what is a good tire for my formula one race car??

magicmaker · Since 29 Oct 2006 895 Posts da Hood Opinionated

i would say dont come to the sandbar and expect not to take at least one lesson. just like all other local spots there are rules and guidlines you're expected to follow. especially when there is 100+ kiters in a very small area, it's pretty damn crowded. if you are gonna go it alone, go somewhere else. there is a place east of hood river, which is where i went and "learned" on my own with an 02 fuel and a naish X3 along with a friend from highschool; we pretty much taught ourselves and learned together. I only took 1 lesson and he didn't take any and we're still around to tell about it.

the wind in the Gorge is different than everywhere else. it is gusty here, period. if you have your kite parked at 12 oclock and a big gust rolls through you're pretty much gonna get picked up off the ground and be in for some pain if you dont land in water. if people see this happen to you down at the sandbar, we will not be happy about it and somebody will mos definately come talk to you while a bunch of others standing around laughing their asses off at you Wink

i'm not condoning what you're posting about doing, in fact, i'm telling you not to do it; get lessons. Ironic tho because i did it myself; just not at the sandbar. another thing, if you do find or know of the place east of hood river that i'm talking about, dont go be a kook on a crowded day there. Get out some time during the weekdays when it isn't very crowded so you can have lots of room. Also, dont self launch your kite, ask someone for help.

another good thing about lessons, if you take lessons from different intructors you can try out different gear and see what you like. some schools like bigwinds probably have more kite brands available to them for teaching.

Nak · Thu May 22, 08 1:41 pm

You can cut down on how many lessons you'll need with good preparation. But you WILL need at least a lesson or two. You'll know when you're ready to solo when you know:

THE PRE-SOLO CHECKLIST

1. You have absolutely no questions about rigging a kite properly. You know the difference between an SLE, a Bow, a "C", and a foil kite. You know how to inflate your kite properly; you have no questions about how much pressure is enough. If you even think you might need someone to check your rigging, you're not ready to go solo.

2. You can fly your kite with precision. You can hold it precisely where you want it to be. You don't "TRY" to maneuver the kite to where you want it, you "DO" it without thought.

3. You know your safety setup cold. You don't have to think about the safety and depower systems, you KNOW them cold and can activate them easily with your eyes closed.

4. You've practiced Self-Rescue and can easily do it again. You have a plan of escape if something goes wrong. You're self sufficient and can save yourself if things go terribly bad. You realize a boat rescue would be nice, but you don't need or expect one.

5. You can body-drag upwind to a lost board. You've practiced doing just that several times.

6. You can self land if you get to shore and nobody is there to help you. You know the risks involved and how to avoid problems.

7. You understand that your you, your kite, and your lines can be a hazard to bystanders. You know how bystanders could be hurt and how to avoid situations that could cause such injury.

8. You know enough about local conditions to make a good judgement as to whether you should attempt to ride or call it quits.

Anyone else want to add anything to this?

pdxmonkeyboy · Thu May 22, 08 1:44 pm

I think I should add to Magik's post in so much as people are getting a little tired of beginners parking their kites at 12:00 and otherwise fouling up that place east of hood river that he speaks of.

So if people don't want you there, and your sure as hell not going to be able to kite at Stevenson, and you shouldn't kite at the sandbar without a lesson...your should start to see a pattern forming.

Just as other have said, we're not trying to be lame about it or exclusionary in any way, but you need to be taking some lessons so you don't hurt yourself or others.
I can assure you that none of your other water activities have prepared you for being on the end of big gust with your kite or for the myriad of things that can go wrong out there.

magicmaker · Since 29 Oct 2006 895 Posts da Hood Opinionated

and to prove a point, it is blowing 5 - 26 mph right now at the sandbar, pretty gusty huh? i was just about to head out too Mad

jdubs · Since 21 May 2008 36 Posts

Thanks guys. I'm a good distance from HR and don't get up there that often but from the sounds of it there's a bunch of beginners who screw up by endangering others and a bunch of people who crash burn and get hurt. Who knows how many of them took lessons or not. HR is not for me in the same sense that I never enjoyed surfing with more then 5 other guys in the water. No thanks. The only time you'll see me there is for a lesson.

It would be interesting to find out how many of the posters here took lessons...

My plan is to just keep practicing with the trainer/snow kite and then possibly get a water start lesson in Lincoln city or lake floras. Thanks eric, spike, ryan, nak and everyone else.

Anybody kited in the Dominican Republic? Might be going there sometime soon with my bro who lived there. kite lessons cheaper with the exchange rate or more expensive because of tourism?

kyle.vh · Since 11 Jul 2007 713 Posts city of angels Addicted

"It would be interesting to find out how many of the posters here took lessons... "
Great question.
PKH: can you do a poll?
I'm thinking:
1. no lessons, taught self
2. no lessons, friend taught me
3. 1 lesson
4. 2-3 lessons
5. 3 + lessons
Let's find out...
The wrap/no wrap poll we did was interesting and insightful to see.

Reaper356 · Since 10 Dec 2006 781 Posts Salem / LC Oregon Opinionated

Go to the coast, lots of room, stay inside the break, you can drag yourself for miles... trust me! Very Happy

I had one lesson and it was definitely worth it. You're going to spend $1500 - 2000 on this sport in the next year or two if you get into it, so what's another $150-$200 to not break your arms?

Buy a '07 / 08 bow kite and know where your safety is.

surfncap · Since 06 Mar 2007 78 Posts NE

I'm Frustrated. When I first got into kiting all I could afford was a trainer, used it all summer at 33rd and nearby parks. Finally invested in a Best Waroo because told was best to learn on.
Got a lesson a the event site, worked my kite skills up at SI, J's Beach, east of HR a little last fall. My kite skills feel really solid, can body drag upwind, board drag. However, because I'm too freaking courteous and stay out of everyone's way, I'm not getting the waterstart (WS) time needed because I only have weekends off when its crowded. There is nowhere else other than Flora's and East of HR that I can stand and practice WS.
I've seen beginners superman, totally out of control, and in the only spots I could practice WS out of the way of more advanced kiters.

What/Where would you guys work on this if you were learning WS this summer with these crowds?

rich · Since 30 Nov 2005 306 Posts portland Obsessed

With the new gear flying the kite, doing water starts, and actually riding the board are pretty simple things. The self rescue stuff, rigging, body dragging upwind, power stroking the kite, and understanding your safety system in my opinion is the real value in a lesson these days. I can't imagine that you'd have to take more than 2, as long as you have a decent thrash level (your background sounds like you do), you might even get by on 1. Dude, seriously, people get f'd up and sometimes die in this sport. Go make a donation to the blood bank, start buying cheaper beer, whatever. It is a one time expense and all totaled really isn't that much.

Nak · Thu May 22, 08 7:37 pm

landfilllonnie · Since 01 Mar 2008 43 Posts Lincoln City, Or

If it's Corvallis you are in, then Lincoln City is probably the closest lesson.

The Siletz Bay is a great place to learn especially as the NW winds are getting started, and the weather is a little more predictable. You can get a lesson from Rob Russo through "Oregon Surf Shop Tim", who is a poster on this site, so you can look up his info in the Members area. Rob does a great job and has a lot of ocean experience, kiting and surfing. He will meet you at your level.

Once you get good enough, the ocean is the greatest playground in my opinion. Newport is a quick drive, there is great wind data you can get off the internet, nwkite.com, and the south jetty is a lot of fun.

Maybe we'll see you out there.

FlyDunes · Since 09 Oct 2007 1034 Posts Aloha XTreme Poster

I'm just getting into water kiting. I started pretty much at the end of last season. I've only had about three or four sessions in the water.

I've been flying foils, paragliders and kite buggying for about 8 years. I got up on my kiteboard the 1st time I tried, mostly due to some great advice I'd recd. I could pretty much ride upwind the 1st time I tried too (in good conditions), but I'm still not very comfortable or relaxed on my board. I can't turn without stopping (or at least slowing way the hell down). I can drag upwind OK, and I know I should dump my reel leash, but I'm just chicken shit of having a problem and losing my board. And yeah, I know I'm risking my skull by using a leash.

I'm still way more comfortable with a big SLE kite and 12-15mph wind than a smaller kite and 20+ mph wind.

I've never taken a kiting lesson, but I ask a lot of questions, people have given me helpful advice and I read a lot. I have damn good kite control and near-psychic ability to read weather from my long years of land kiting and flying paragliders.

I'm old as hell, a newbie, and I'm sure I look pretty shaky on the water. I figure I have kook status for sure, so I try to stay the hell out of everyone's way and to be as respectful, safe, and helpful as possible.

Everybody's been really cool to me, and I appreciate that a lot. There's been a really good vibe everywhere I've been kiting. The kiter community is a good one.

I figure what I really need to do (besides take a lesson to find out about the things I don't even know yet that I don't know) is to practice self-rescue and dump the leash.

I have a three seater jetski so I'll try self-rescue and losing the leash when I have a buddy and my jetski with me. But when it's good for kiting, it sure sux for jetskiing at Sauvies coz the boat ramps are all on the other side of the island and the big chop beats the crap out of you when its blowing.

That's my kiting-life's story.... except for the time I got to hang out with Ruben Len10 Smile

Anyway, any advice from anyone?

Blue · Since 03 Jul 2007 469 Posts I used to be Obsessed