For many kiters in the Northern hemisphere it’s the start of a new wind season, and some of you that have been shying away from the cold weather may not have been on the water for quite a while. Have you found yourself dusting off your kit in excitement for what’s to come this summer, or perhaps you’re feeling anxious whether you actually remember what to do? In either case the start of the season is always a good time for a bit of a refresher as we’ve previously mentioned our Back 2 Beach Clinics blog post.
After being away from kiting for a while you should always consider going over a few basics again as circumstances change and safety should always be your top priority. There’s plenty of good reason to consider getting together with fellow kiters at the start of the season. We like to encourage fun but responsible kiting and so recommend that local kite schools, brand representatives, clubs or even groups of mates might like to consider organising a low key event covering the following:
Location refresher
People forget and things don’t always stay the same no matter how much of a regular you may be at a certain spot. Nature changes things, but there might potentially also be new hazards at the beach, there could be different ‘zoning’ or regulations you should be mindful of too. Responsible kiters are safer kiters and sticking to the rules also will help avoid any possible friction with the non kiting public too.
Equipment check
Kit can degrade, break and stretch and people and their abilities change too. Getting together to check over equipment safety, performance and suitability is nothing but a benefit to everyone.
Self rescue
When was the last time you practised how to self rescue? If it was a year ago using your old kites then that was too long ago – there’s no excuse! Every kiter regardless of level and ability should know how to automatically initiate the emergency safety and recovery procedures and on all of your current equipment.
Right of Way
Clarify the rules and limit any potential ‘kite rage’ out on the water. Make sure everyone at your local spot knows the Right of Way and then there’s no excuses, better safety and happier sessions for everyone.
Confidence building
Beginners should be supported in their learning and need help more than ever once they’ve finished their lessons and are out practising their waterstarts and first runs. Even seasoned kiters lose their confidence so sharing tips together, knowing others are there to give support, or even be a friendly face to share the stoke (or a beer after a session) are always great confidence boosting reasons to get together.
Our Beginner Collection of premium videos features the following chapters of in depth instruction and can be used as a guide for what to cover if you decide you’d like to run a kite refresher event yourself or simply brush up on your own skills :
- Location and conditions: Understand your environment and become an observant and knowledgeable kiter
- Kite Setup: Breakdown and detailed explanation of kite and bar set up, giving you confidence and independence
- Water re-launch & Self Rescue: Detailed re-launch technique and common problem analysis. Outline of the optimum self rescue process.