Kiteboarding

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Kiteboarding, or Kite Landboarding, is based on the ever-growing sport of kitesurfing. Whereas in kitesurfing the rider is pulled over the water on a wakeboard style board, kiteboarding involves the use of a landboard which is essentially a big skateboard with offroad wheels and sometimes suspensions.

Kiteboarding is constantly growing and there are several competitions and it is attracting growing publicity although it is not as popular yet as Kitesurfing.The word kiteboarding is sometimes used as a synonym for kitesurfing

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Technique

The rider starts off by getting the kite into the neutral position (over-head), and once he is strapped onto the board, he can get the kite to pull him across the ground by moving the kite in either direction, generating a pull. Like kitesurfing, competent riders are able to "get some air" which is essentially maneuvering the kite to pull you into the air, normally several feet up. More competent riders are able to do several moves in the air such as grabs, rotations and flips. Ideally this sport is to be done in large empty areas without any obstructions such as trees or people and where the wind is at a constant. Large hard-packed sandy beaches are therefore seen as being ideal locations because of the large space available and the favourable wind conditions.

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Tricks

More advanced kiteboarders can do a number of tricks that are mainly based on those found in kitesurfing and wakeboarding. These include tricks while the rider in the air which could involve (very often, combinations of)rotations, flips or grabs. "Board-off" moves are tricks where the rider removes the board from his feet in the air and he can spin or flip it before putting it back on his feet and landing. On the ground, tricks include sliding the board, wheelies and riding toeside (riding with your back to the kite). Various tricks have found the transition from kitesurfing a little hard due to the harder surface of land rather than sea. One such trick is the "kiteloop" which involves looping the kite through the power zone while the kiter is in the air, giving a strong horizontal (and sometimes downwards) pull. In addition to these kitesurfing based tricks there are also a number of skateboarding style accessories that have become popular such as ramps and grinders. In recent years specific kiteboarding parks have opened with large areas and ramps and other obstacles available.

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Equipment

The kite is a large sail, usually made of strong Chikara Ripstop Nylon, and is flown on either 2 or 4 lines. Any model of kite usually has several different sizes within the range because the stronger the wind is, the smaller the kite used. The kite is controlled via a control bar or a set of handles (kite control systems) and some riders use a strop and a harness to connect the kite to themselves, in order to free their hands for more advanced maneouvers ( eg. grabs). There are various different types of kites used in kiteboarding. Foil type kites, from maunfacturers such as Flexifoil or Ozone are used by many riders although and many prefer depowerable kites as it is possible to adjust the power in case of gusts and stronger winds. Alternatively "arcs" are growing in popularity thanks to several kites made by Peter Lynn.

There is a vast selection of boards which are commonly used in kiteboarding. The landboards themselves tend to be made out of wood although many riders prefer the lighter composite boards. These are preferred because the lighter the board, the easier it is to jump with, therefore riders have more airtime. Size and width of the board varies from board to board. Longer and wider boards are more stable and tend to be for larger riders or beginners while narrower smaller boards are for smaller people or for pulling off more tricks. Many boards also have suspensions which can be adjusted to preference.

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Safety Concerns

Due to the power that the kites can generate, riders can hit fast speeds and propel themselves several feet in the air. Due to the fact that this is a land-based sport, there have been several concerns about the possibility of injury to the rider or to anyone else. As a result several safety equipment items are used by many riders in this sport. Helmets are essential, especially for the more advanced moves, where a rider may find himself rotating and flipping as well as various degrees of padding can be worn to protect from hard falls (including shoulder and knee pads). Many kite-flying sites in the UK are introducing measures to only allow kiters who have helmets and have valid 3rd party insurance policies.

In addition to this, many kite manufacturers have incorporated safety designs in their kites in order to depower the kite (in order to stop it dragging the rider after a fall and protecting any other people in the vicinity). These tend to include safety leashes connected to the rider which when the rider lets go of the kite's control system, will completely depower the kite and bring it gently back to the ground.

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External links

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See also

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