|
||||
|
Frequently Asked Questions I want equipment but I don't want to pay $2000 for my first setup, what should I do?The bottom line is that kitesurfing is an expensive sport. But not as expensive ask skiing, golf or scuba diving. Once you have your kite gear, the wind is free. Now take a ski equipment package of say $1100 to $1400, add daily lift tickets of $75, lodging, expensive food and travel costs - now that's an expensive sport. Same thing with golf. We don't have greens fees or tee times in kitesurfing. By comparison, kitesurfing is a greater investment up front, but a cost savings over the course of a year. And besides, kitesurfing is awesome. Having said that, beginners packages are put together for people who don't know what they are buying. Every year we have a number of students who come to us with kites that don't fly well and boards that don't ride well - purchased in a package that said it was perfect for beginners. Yup, they did save $500 on the package. But they spent their summer in the shallows endlessly trying to relaunch their kite rather than kitesurfing. Let's face it, we kiteboard for enjoyment. And when you are learning, you don't know if it is you or the equipment that is doing something incorrectly. Beginners often blame themselves for the mistakes of their discounted equipment. You owe it to yourself to buy quality equipment. All kites are different. I can sell you a reasonably priced package and recommend others - but please, be careful with the cheap, knock-off kite and the online discount sales. What brands do you recommend? As a kitesurfing instructor, I've tried a lot of equipment. Although I haven't tried everything, I have a list. There are certain brands I like, and certain brands I do not recommend. I won't publish that here. It's best to discuss in person or on the phone as I don't want to blacklist any brands simply based on my experience. Once I get going in the sport, what gear should I expect to own? To maximize riding options, a common inventory might be: 2 kites complete with bar and lines, 2 boards, a harness, pump, helmet and a wetsuit. When buying your first power kite, make sure to consider your weight when buying. Buy the kite that you will use in medium winds (15mph-20mph). For a person weighing 175lbs this will be an 11 or 12 meter inflatable kite. In low winds (10mph-15mph) you can use this kite to practice body dragging, relaunching and one hand control after you have taken a water lesson. Then, in medium winds you can practice waterstarts and riding. That same person would later on buy a smaller kite such as an 8 or 9 meter for higher wind days. The first board to buy is the light wind board and then later buy the smaller board for quick jibes, carving and jumps. What should I buy first? Don't buy anything first. We supply all equipment in lessons. Take a lesson first; that way you know if you want to continue without spending additional money on gear. Having said that, a student should buy a trainer kite first. Practice as much as possible with the trainer kite. Students who practice with a trainer kite can progress as much as 4 times as fast as a student who doesn’t. Why can’t I just learn on my own? For several reasons. 1) It’s a safety hazard for you. You might ask the same question of hangliding. Why can’t I just learn hangliding on my own? Air sports such as paragliding, hangliding, parachuting and kitesurfing involve a degree of risk that can be greatly minimized with the proper experiential training. People lacking understanding of the sport have been hurt and killed by putting up a kite in unsafe conditions, not knowing how to rig a kite properly or not knowing how to control it. 2) You can hurt other people. Out of control kites have injured other people. Exercise your social responsibility and realize that if you are launching a power kite without the proper knowledge, you are endangering yourself and others. 3) You risk endangering the sport. How does kitesurfing get banned from beaches? Beginners come to that beach, pump up, have no or little experience, get hurt or need rescue, and at the next town meeting a notice is passed banning the sport. It’s happened in towns here in Massachusetts and continues to happen throughout the world. What’s dangerous about this sport? Most kitesurfing accidents occur from being lofted on or close to land. Even with modern safety release systems, a gust of wind or a moment of distraction can send a kite diving through the power zone and a rider flying. Novices are most likely to experience unwanted lofting but many experienced riders have suffered as well. Wearing a helmet, flying kites over the water, avoiding beaches with large rocks and other obstacles, avoiding onshore and gusty winds, can minimize the chances of an accident occurring. How many lessons does it take to be able to kitesurf? Typically a student is ready to progress safely on their own after 2-4 lessons. The Total Package we offer is sufficient for most people. In kiteboarding, when we say “being able to kiteboard,” we typically mean the rider can travel upwind and return to the spot where they launched from. This level of skill is up to the student in terms of how diligently they practice. A feature of Boston Kite School’s program is homework - kite exercises that a student CAN practice safely on their own. The more a student practices, the faster they will progress - it's that simple. For some new riders it’s a matter of several weeks, for others it may take months. What beaches do you teach at? Kite Skills lessons take place in Dorchester, MA, Nahant, MA and mid Cape Cod. We have 6 different locations for water classes from the Northshore of Massachusetts down to mid Cape Cod, Falmouth area. |