Kiteloops: Hooked In or Unhooked

stringer · Since 31 Jul 2007 694 Posts Chucktown Flying Tomato

So I switched to riding fuels this (my 2nd) season and want to start kitelooping.
I have gotten pretty familiar with downlooping during turns and jumps on T2s and fuels, but never legit powered kiteloops.
I also have been getting pretty comfortable jumping unhooked (mostly fuels).
It seems like people tend to get injured at this stage in the game.

Riding fuels, should I learn to kiteloop hooked in or unhooked?

pkh · Since 27 Feb 2005 6549 Posts Couve / Hood Honored Founder

Unhooked is safer, and on the C kites much easier. The newer bridled kites turn so fast its tough to do the fishing pole style unhooked loops like the C kites.

Start with slightly under powered on a 9m-11m kite.

Hurricane Mike · Since 19 Jun 2006 128 Posts Stoked

This season I've started to kiteloop too- WOW!!! the power is amazing. There's no feeling like it. My whole body get chills when I just think about it.

My first kiteloop wasn't really a kiteloop, but still fun. I stayed hooked it (I'm going to start working on unhooked soon) and started my kite at 10 then sent it to 1:30 or 2. When I'm in the air and I feel comfortable, I send the kite the rest of the way around. You kinda pendulum under the kite. Make sure you point your board STRAIGHT downwind WOW!! I'm getting chills right now.

Today I was modifying the KL with a backroll- CHILLS AGAIN. I didn't jump high at all. Just started a simple backroll and pulled HARD with the backhand. I would pendulum and just skim the surface. WOW!!!!

Good Luck with the learning process!!!

Mike, Da Hurricane

DAMN I LOVE KITEBOARDING!!!

forrest · Mon May 05, 08 7:48 am

Stringer, make sure you have big air dialed in and hooked in kiteloops will be cake. Start them in steady wind when you're not over powered.

I'd say that unhooked loops are a little easier since you generally have more control over your destiny but make sure you have raleys down a little first cause you're gonna get laid out and need to be comfortable pulling your feet back underneath you.

Either way you just gotta take you lumps. Try them first by leaving the board on the water behind you and penciling into the water when you land. Make sure someone is keeping an eye on you too.

magicmaker · Since 29 Oct 2006 895 Posts da Hood Opinionated

i learned how to KL hooked in on my fuels. first i started off throwing cranking powered KL's but not with that much air, and this kinda hurts when you come down and hit the water. numerous times while haveing my first 10 - 20 attempts, i would kick my legs and board forward and try to hip or ass check into the water as opposed to crunching my knees/ankles. this was last spring, i was wearing my 6mm wetsuit which provided some decent padding. i had some serious bruises on my hips and legs from when i would throw my feet out forward to avoid landing to hot. anyway, this definately isn't the best way to learn.

like forrest said, get your big air dialed in first. learning how to load your board with lots of pop against the kite is key for going huge. anyway, so load your board, swing your kite, pop huge, swing your kite out to about 2 oclock and let it stall there for a split second while you reach the apex of your jump, and then just crank on it, keep it going the same way and as you start to come down. crank the f*** outta the bar. you want the kite to rotate as fast as possible to get it going up and overhead once it finishes the rotation; this way you can swing under it somewhat and your landing isn't so hard. this really isn't a mega loop like ruben, but they're fun and once you get 'em dialed you can throw some pretty big kite loops w/o too much risk of landing super hard.

for unhooked kiteloops, i just recomend starting/rigging small, and i think it is more important to load and pop with your board on unhooked KL's, this way you're not dangling with your arms stretched out because you caught a lot of air with the kite. same stuff applies, loop your kite at the apex of your jump for

anyway, mega loop is probably the most simpul to describe, rig 5m,7m or 9m in at least 30knots of wind, load and pop really hard, and just crank and pull the kite as you take off and as you're goiing up instead of waiting for the apex of your jump.

i also started doing some pretty much straight overhead KL's on my fuels out at rooster rock last Saturday. i was on my 7m fuel, would boost pretty big, swing my kite back and forth a couple of times, then once i was positioned nicely underneath it, swing hard, try to steer the kite behind you and let it loop around overhead.

there are also transition kiteloops that are pretty easy, go into your jump pretty fast, swing the kite way to one side, the opposite of your direction of travel and pendulum out the other direction, when you reach the apex of the jump, if hte kite is still in the other side of the window, you will swing back under your kite like a pendulum, and this is when you throw the loop. the pendulum swinging motion from your jump will keep you traveling int eh opposite direction of when you took off.

if i were to learn all over again, i think i would start with the first method, where you throw the KL at the apex and try to keep it overhead as much as possible. then learn the KL transition. then learn unhooked, IMO.

forrest · Mon May 05, 08 10:55 am

Kiteloops are pretty punishing though. My knees ache for days when I land one wrong.

Inept_Fun · Since 14 Apr 2005 1417 Posts Hood River XTreme Poster

kiteloops are what I like to call gay. I am guilty of liking this trick in the past tho.

Do them unhooked at least.

forrest · Mon May 05, 08 11:38 am

I don't think they're gay unless I do them in boots. Smile

That's definitely gay and I have done them once in boots.

pkh · Since 27 Feb 2005 6549 Posts Couve / Hood Honored Founder

If kiteloops are gay, then this must be gay porn:

http://www.kitecinema.com/len10/len10-movies-.html

brass · Since 15 Jul 2006 152 Posts Stoked

[quote="Inept_Fun"]kiteloops are what I like to call gay. I am guilty of liking this trick in the past tho.

never thought I would hear that. How am I gonna break it to my girlfriend that I am suddenly gay?

stringer · Since 31 Jul 2007 694 Posts Chucktown Flying Tomato

I had no idea gay could be so much fun!
I just clenched my cheeks and gave it hell, and it worked!
Maybe it will be more fun if I do it with kite pants and a go-joe...
Thanks for the tips.

Inept_Fun · Since 14 Apr 2005 1417 Posts Hood River XTreme Poster

Fuels loop good, just be ready for a yank. Seriously tho you should just stay away from the kiteloops and try to learn some wakestyle tricks.

forrest · Tue May 06, 08 5:21 am

I think you should learn both. You gotta do your time with kiteloops. Wakestyle is important too Stringer, especially since you have a skateboarding background.

viento · Since 18 Dec 2005 56 Posts

shymac · Since 20 Jul 2005 919 Posts Home Valley, Wa. Bigfoot

I would recommend wakestyle ticks over Huge kiteloops. There fun but the reality is that your kicking the shit out of your knees either way you put it, and if you gots no knees you gotz no pop! Unless you are bound to kill it like Lent10 and somehow come down soft then have at it, ill watch from the beach.

Nothing is "Gaer" than missing the entire summer on an injury....

Try sticking a 313 or a flat 7 of the kicker, those are some sick tricks to dial.

forrest · Tue May 06, 08 6:44 pm

Your knees will suffer at first, but once you get it dialed, you won't have any problems.