How'd they die?

flipper · Since 17 Oct 2011 320 Posts Obsessed

https://www.iksurfmag.com/issue84/?page=17

This article surprised me. If someone asked me how many deaths in kiteboarding there were over the last 12 months, I would say none.

How are these folks dying? Body slam to drowned? Dragged to hard object?

chrissmack · Since 08 Jun 2005 526 Posts portland Addicted

pre-existing conditions? Wink

Mark · Thu Dec 10, 20 10:46 am

Covid...

Singlemalt · Since 21 Jun 2015 483 Posts White Salmon Obsessed

Sharks.

Not sure what he was trying to do with that editorial. Maybe reduce backcountry accidents?

It would have been nice to see an in-depth article with an analysis of these fatalities. Maybe that’s what he was suggesting. Now if there was only a magazine.....

jeremy · Since 18 Aug 2006 276 Posts Manzo & HR Obsessed

To answer his first question, maybe because the numbers of hours kited is increasing. The statistic that should be discussed and compared should be accidents or fatalities per hours kited (or 10000 hrs), and even this isn't perfect, because people are kiting in more extreme conditions than they used to 10 years ago, jumping higher than ever, etc. And as Mark joked about Covid, if someone spends enough time on the water, there are going to be heart attacks, etc, that have nothing to do with the sport. I remember reading of a kiter in Hawaii that spent so much time on the water that he actually fell asleep once out there, wipe out time. And just this year, I witnessed a jump at Manzanita higher than my kite was flying, a Naish rider that was just downwind of me, it was spectacular !!

Jumping into the second paragraph, wow, nothing is worth dying for, nothing ? I agree kiting is risky, but it is worth it to me, just like driving, and a whole lot of other risk prone activities. I'd hate to have a life where nothing was worth dying for.

I have no issue with the rest of the article, more transparency, more education, and better equipment, all good stuff that reduces risks. I'm not sure why this guy starts this article off with such a negative spin. He could have said kiting is so compelling that people are doing it in spit of all the risks, and that we should do as much as possible to improve the safety, but the way I read it, it hints at the idea that maybe we should consider not doing it.

oliver19 · Since 25 Jun 2019 84 Posts

I try to pay attention to the details whenever I see a report of a kitesurfer death. It seems most of them happen in big wind conditions (very strong and gusty winds or some storm cell hits an area) plus some type of lofting or being thrown around by the kite. So basically, kite power out of control.

leithaus · Since 20 Aug 2020 21 Posts PDX

I'm a complete newbie to the sport, just took several lessons this past summer and can't wait for next season. I'm also bewildered at how informal the safety information is for kiting. My first sessions without an instructor I tried to talk to as many people as I could on the beach about what I should be doing and I found so many helpful people who went out of their way to show me something I was doing wrong. Sometimes others would ask me to help them launch. I figured I needed to learn, but told them I was a beginner, too. I don't mind making mistakes for myself while learning, but I don't want to put others at risk either.

I'm sure that the more experienced kiters on the forum can tell who is who and the novices at the beach. For me, it seems like I should be wearing a big orange vest for a year or two to signal that you probably don't want me to launch you and that I will need all sorts of guidance and help with my own launch.

It would be nice if the sport had some sort of color-coded armband system that you could wear to show your progress level so that others could identify you, help guide you on what you should do, and keep a good distance away to enjoy the day.

Singlemalt · Since 21 Jun 2015 483 Posts White Salmon Obsessed

It’s called a Go Joe. Put one one your twin tip, people will get out of the way. Plus, you don’t have to drag upwind after your board anymore.

bigjohn · Since 13 Mar 2012 664 Posts Addicted

Remembering and missing a local kiter who died doing what she loved...

But, this article was complete trash.

- 300k people have died from Covid in the U.S. - https://www.worldometers.info/coronavirus/#countries

- 30k - 55k people have died every year in the US since 1934 from motor vehicular fatalities - https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Motor_vehicle_fatality_rate_in_U.S._by_year

- about 6k pedestrians died in the U.S. in 2017 from traffic - https://www.cdc.gov/transportationsafety/pedestrian_safety/index.html

- 857 bicyclist died from traffic crashes in the US in 2018 - https://www.nhtsa.gov/road-safety/bicycle-safety

- 4 kitesurfing deaths in the U.K. last year - https://www.iksurfmag.com/issue84/?page=17

Seems like kitesurfing is about the safest thing to be doing these days.

Spam Dagger · Since 07 May 2008 31 Posts

I started kiting in 2001 on a used Naish AR 3.5 2 line kite. In the winter I'd snowkite on a 2 line flexi blade. The sport is now orders of magnitude safer. I was taken for several rides down the beach bouncing on the sand back then but unless you are launching upwind of a bunch of rocks in gusty 40 mph conditions it's pretty tough to get hurt. By comparison I crashed my mtn bike this summer and separated my AC joint and couldn't kite for several months. Way worse than any injury I ever had kiting. If you don't feel the risk is worth it, don't participate.

Sella · Fri Dec 11, 20 11:46 am

Terrible editorial thinking there is some global conspiracy to not talk about kite deaths.

It's a non-issue is why it gets no discussion. Most are from cardiac arrest and cold water exposure. Which makes sense when grey hair is the predominant color at every beach I've launched from and wearing a full 4/3 inflating a 12M alone can kick your ass. Laughing

May we all be so lucky to have our card punched while holding a kite bar.....because you have a far greater chance of dying on the toilet taking a shit. (10k global)

Windian · Since 28 Apr 2008 902 Posts Newport, OR NEWPORT OG

Big wave surfing is significantly more dangerous than most of the kiting that people do other than kitesurfing in giant surf like Jaws and Nazare. The big wave elite are a group of men and women who have bonded together to help each other and provide safety and assistance when participating in their passion of riding giant waves. Here is a link for a video explaining their need for education of participants and protocol when when things go wrong:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LXVQdG7sifs&feature=emb_title

Kiting for the most part is a fairly safe activity once a rider has made it to intermediate level of ability, and practices good judgement when evaluating conditions before launching a kite and hitting the water. Beginners are the ones who are probably most at risk of injury for obvious reasons. However, I have witnessed some stupid shit done by seasoned riders who don't practice common sense and attempt to ride in dangerous conditions with high risk of injury or death. If the risk is way higher than the reward, then a rider should really consider all the possible bad scenarios before putting a kite in the air.

Would be nice to see some education and safety guidelines implemented for kiting at places that may require self rescue or team rescue if things go bad. At least offer to kiters and other water sports enthusiast something similar to the Big Wave Safety Movement for how to help a rider in distress.

Sasquatch · Since 09 Mar 2005 2103 Posts PNW Bigfoot

Nak · Fri Dec 11, 20 4:28 pm

Sorry.

bfb38 · Since 02 Sep 2016 83 Posts

Whether kiting is the safest thing in the world or not, it might be good if we organized like other sports. Such organization could be used to prevent even the small number of accidents in kiting through reformed practices or technology as well as to leverage access to spots currently forbidden for kiting. There's precedent in the worlds of alpinism, whitewater, and paragliding for such record-keeping and analysis. I'm interested in developing such a registry and I'm interested in feedback and ideas on the process.

International Alpine Trauma Registry
https://www.mountain-registries.org/

American Alpine Club "Accidents"
https://publications.americanalpineclub.org/about_the_accidents

American Whitewater Accident Database
https://www.americanwhitewater.org/content/Accident/view/

Paragliding fatality reports
https://www.ushpa.org/page/fatalities

bfb38 · Since 02 Sep 2016 83 Posts

I don't know much about it but am trying to learn more

https://kiteforum.com/viewtopic.php?f=1&t=2407431&p=1107450&hilit=accident+report#p1107450

sfbomber · Since 27 Jun 2012 114 Posts Stoked

When I had a kid, I shopped for life insurance.
I thought kitesurfing was going to be a red flag.
I was surprised to hear that they put kitesurfing in the risk same category as surfing.
They were much more concerned with rock climbing and motor cycling riding.
We get at least one really serious kiteboarding accident in my area (usually a beginner or someone not familiar with the area). That hasn't changed in the last 20 years, regardless of "improvements" in technology. Whereas we get a serious motorcycle accident in our area daily.