Can you kitesurf into the wind

Riding downwind takes practice as well, but its efficacy is challenged. Kiteboarders prefer the freedom and thrill associated with the sport. Riding upwind embraces that challenge without issue. Embracing the power of the wind, your kite, and your board will propel you through the water at insane speeds, which becomes a pivotal point in upwind riding.

With the speed and the height of your kite, you can generate enough momentum to jump feet in the air. It is not a good starting point for beginners who have yet to understand the extent of control and speed.

Riding upwind is so popular because it is exhilarating. The opposite of riding upwind, the wind pushes you along here. Depending on the direction of the water, you may have that pushing you along as well — but that is unlikely. Furthermore, riding downwind keeps your momentum going. It is more challenging to control, but it does not take as much practice. With downwind riding:. Riding upwind involves keeping your board at an angle against the wind.

Beginner kiteboarders tend to experience their upwind at around degrees, but experienced boarders can ride at angles much larger than that.

Moreover, your technique is only as good as you make it. It goes without saying that each kiteboarder has their own prerequisites or necessities. However, no matter what, to master riding upwind, you will need to blend multiple riding techniques into one. Understanding the importance of kite position will help you ride upwind. Your kite is designed to help tether you to a position, allowing for increased balance and guidance when riding. Remember that riding upwind involves riding at an angle.

Therefore kite position matters. The higher your kite, the more it will tether you vertically. With your kite pulling you upward, it will be harder to ride upwind. Instead, lower your kite position a few degrees. Experiment with this until you have found the perfect height for you. You will want your kite to be pulling you horizontally across the water rather than straight up into the sky. Speed is perhaps the most important factor in going upwind, and it is also the hardest thing to get right.

If your speed is too slow, you will find it hard to generate enough wind to ride upwind. The faster you go, the easier it is to ride upwind, but your control will be tested. Instead, try to angle your board between 10 and 20 degrees while maintaining a pretty brisk speed.

If you feel comfortable here, angle some more. It is more about your comfort than anything else. Riding upwind blends many things together, but your stance is one of the most important elements.

The crux of combining them is to always make sure that you have both tension in your lines and the kite high enough before pulling the kite into either loop. At times you may need to turn the board slightly against the rising kite as it comes out of a loop.

The great thing with this combo is that there is no rule as to when you pull one or the other loop, it just needs to match where you want to go and how much power or speed you need. There is no need to do one after the other, a few of one followed by one or a few of the other.

Give it a go and see how you get on:. Final thought on the Combo. For example, if you prefer riding left foot forward you can literally just ride that foot forward as long as possible. What can sometimes make kiting seem difficult is the constant need to adapt to the ever-changing environment within which we practice. The wind is rarely constant, buffeting us with gusts and tricking us with lulls.

The sea is alive, altering state and surprising us with random chop and waves. Traffic and obstacles need avoiding.

Technique Intermediate Riding Downwind. Lieuwe Boards View in Mag. Ride Engine View in Mag. Pic 1. Pic 2. Airwave Kiteboarding View in Mag. Naish Kiteboarding View in Mag. Pic 3. Manera View in Mag. Sequence 1. Sequence 2.

Duotone View in Mag. Sequence 3. Pic 4. Harlem Kitesurfing View in Mag. Pic 5. Slingshot View in Mag. Cabrinha View in Mag. Pic 6. Sequence 4. Pic 7. Pic 8. Eleveight Kites View in Mag. Pic 9. Airush View in Mag. Bring your toes up on your leading. The next important thing is the angle of the kite in the sky. With a kite high in the.

If you have your kite below 45 degrees you will be able to send the kite further to the edge. Theoretically, you can ride up to 40 degrees into the wind when kitesurfing, however. If you edge too hard into the wind, your speed will deteriorate and you. If this happens, come off your edge a little, increase your speed and you should.

Speed is also another thing to consider when riding. Depending on the conditions you may find that. This can be tricky as finding the balance of using apparent wind to ride upwind. With small waves, around waist. With larger waves, you will have to edge into the. To ollie over the wave you want to raise your leading leg whilst. Meanwhile, you will want to pay some heed to the power of the kite. You will want the bar somewhere near the middle of the throw to adjust for variances in power.

If you catch a slight gust, seize the opportunity to edge even more aggressively upwind while letting the bar out slightly, allowing the kite to fly further forward. Conversely, if you encounter a lull, flatten your kiteboard out to maintain speed. When driving upwind, it helps to keep the kite a little lower to allow it to push forward in the wind window. Once your speed is up, you will want most of the tension in the center lines of the kite, easily tested by wiggling the bar lightly.

If there appears to be a lot of tension in the steering lines, you in all likelihood have the bar pulled in too close and are choking the kite.