|
|
|
KITEBOARDING
FACILITIES
ACTIVITIES |
Kiteboarding
FAQs Kiteboarding
is an extreme sport that reflects the revolution of our time and represents a
new generation of adrenaline junkies with a passion for board sports and the
love for freedom of the water and wind. Kiteboarding
is extremely spectator friendly, since you don’t need to be an expert to be
fascinated by the amazing jumps and moves of the riders. The
Kiteboarding World Cups, held for the past 3 years, put the spotlight on the
fast growing action sport. In the
last months, mainstream media have picked up on kiteboarding. Features in
European and US mainstream TV channels and Magazines like Fortune, Men's Health,
GQ, Sports Illustrated, Playboy and Penthouse show the potential. And especially
in the US media, kiteboarding will be in the spotlight in the next months, since
US president candidate John Kerry is a passionate kiteboarder! A:
What looks like paragliders with snowboards on their feet, are kiteboarders
using the power of the wind to cruise over the water.
A large inflatable kite with 30 meter lines attached to a small
control bar is hooked into a harness around the waist.
A small board attached to the feet allows the rider to cruise along the
surface of the ocean, jump high into the sky and do spectacular moves. A:
Kiters are active, adventurous and fun loving people with a passion for action
and adrenaline. They come from many
similar sports like windsurfing, surfing, wakeboarding, snowboarding,
skateboarding and paragliding. Since
kiteboarding is easier to learn than windsurfing or snowboarding, even couch
potatoes are catching the kite buzz. A:
Women are a rapidly increasing
percentage of kiteboarders. In the World Cup, women represent 25% of the total
competitors, pretty high for such a young sport. Women excel at kiteboarding
because it’s a sport of finesse and multi-tasking and not so much of power. A:
Since kiteboarding needs less wind than windsurfing, you can enjoy kiting in
light wind on the ocean, lakes, rivers and also in snow. The most professional
kiteboarders train in Cabarete - Dominican Republic, Hawaii, Tarifa- Spain and
in the Columbia River Gorge in Oregon, because they find at these places perfect
wind and weather conditions. Q:
How difficult is kiteboarding to learn? A:
Compared to windsurfing or snowboarding, kiting is easy to learn.
But because of the power of the kite, beginners should never try
kiteboarding on their own, and always learn in a professional kiteboarding
school. In a kiteboarding school
the student learns first the power zones of a kite with a 1 square meter trainer
kite on land. Later they learn with a bigger kite, body dragging in the water
and when they are able to handle the kite, they are ready for the board. Most
people are cruising over the water already after a few days and do their first
jumps after some weeks. A:
If kiteboarding is learned properly in a school and practiced with common sense
and caution it is a relatively safe sport. Statistics
show that in kiteboarding way less accidents happen, than in Mountain biking or
Snowboarding, for example. But a
beginner should never try kiteboarding by himself, because a kite can create
very strong forces like drag and lift. The
danger in kiteboarding is more comparable to paragliding than surfing, for
example no one just buys a paraglider and jumps off a mountain without proper
instruction! A:
In kiteboarding there are 2
professional world tours and many independent competitions. For the first time
in 2003 there will be just one world champion decided by a point system for all
competitions, depending on prize money and number of athletes participating. For
detailed information check: www.ikorg.com The
first kiteboarding competitions where held in 1999, since then kiteboarding
events worldwide have spread like seeds in the wind. Differently than for
example in surfing, where man and woman contests are held separately, in
kiteboarding woman and man are competing in the same competitions but are judged
separately. The
World Cup with eight stops worldwide is organized by the PKRA (Professional Kite
Riders Association), a non-profit organization, by the riders – for the
riders. www.pkra.info was formed in 2001 to ensure the proper development and
promotion of the professional aspect of kiteboarding. Additional
there is the Kiteboard Pro World Tour (KPWT) www.kiteboardpro.com and many
independent events all over the world. Currently there are about 100 riders
competing in World Cup events, about 20 of them can life as professionals from
their sport. Q:
What gear is needed for kiteboarding? A:
Board:
There
are currently three types of boards on the market, you can ride with foot straps
or bindings: -
Directional boards, rides only in one direction, similar to windsurfing boards -
Bi-directional boards, rides in both directions, similar to wakeboards,
snowboards or skateboards -
Mutant boards, a mix of the directional and bi-directional board The
most popular kites are inflatable with four or two lines. Using a pump, the
rider simply inflates the struts and leading edge tube, which creates a rigid
structure, attaches the lines and is ready to sail. This type of kite is easy to
water re-launch and quite durable and strong. The
second type of kites are the foil or ram-air kites, this kite is very similar to
a paraglider, with many bridle lines attached directly to the sail itself. Much
stronger and less expensive than the inflatable kite. Depending
on the power of the wind the rider chooses for both kite types different sizes,
starting at 4 square meters for strong wind, up to 20 square meter for really
light wind. Harness:
The
large belt worn around the riders waist is called harness, with the hook on the
harness, the rider is attached to the 30 meter lines of the kite and with a
little bar the rider controls and stirs the kite. The harness takes the power of
the kite and needs to be very strong. Safety
system: A
standard and necessary piece of equipment for 2003. All riders should have a
system that allows them to easily let go of their kite if they are being dragged
towards a dangerous or hard object. Helmet:
It
is highly recommended, not only for beginners but also for advanced kiteboarders To
prevent from the sun and avoid scratches from the harness, a lycra is
recommended. If
kiting in colder water a wetsuit, like windsurfers and surfers use, is
comfortable. www.laurel-eastman.com
|
|
