go the front, then side, avoid the back.

i saw a video from Aaron Kenny recently which is a great example of what can happen if you have it attached to the back of your harness.

Ozone

cauncy said..cbulota said...

Or none at all Christian
I gave this a bit of thought, I can think of only one occasion when I needed my kite to aid me in getting me in, the other few I was glad to get rid, this would depend on your abilities
Yesterday afternoon a guy got in a pickle
He was on his surfboard, inverted his kite, pulled his qr and left the kite at full length whilst swimming in on his surfboard still attached
All good until he got inside to heavy shore breaks, being still attached his kite got minced
Due to the force of water on canopy whilst he was attached
In this instance your better to get rid of everything, paddle in and reclaim your kite
Lines and you don't mix well in the surf, had a look at harness no knife but all good just damaged kite

That's true, kiting leash-less when in heavy surf can be a good idea, but a very specific scenario that doesn't apply to the majority of kiters out there.

The whole point of the short leash is you can attach it right in front of your hook so it's very easy to access and super quick to release even if you're getting dragged and tumbled around. The Ozone short leash is the best one I've seen so far.

Having the safest setup doesn't mean you're safe either, the majority of kiters lengthily hesitate to release their safety systems when real trouble comes, and that come from poor training and lack of practice. Safety reflexes need to developed and that's what really makes the differences when **** hits the fan.

Christian

LittleFella said..
So what are the short leashes everyone is using?
I think I'm going to invest in one but want some feedback on decent models first.

Cabrinha good

Rails said..

LittleFella said..
So what are the short leashes everyone is using?
I think I'm going to invest in one but want some feedback on decent models first.

Cabrinha good

Cabrinha

Unless you're handle-passing the best spot to attach your leash is at the front as close to the harness hook/and body centre line as possible.

Anyone who claims they can activate their leash safety while getting dragged backwards/sideways at speed by a death-looping kite hasn't fully comprehended how much force is in play in a worst case scenario, it will kill you if you give it half a chance. All your strength and dexterity is at your front, why would you leave your last life-saving act to a magic trick behind your back whilst getting dragged backwards and fighting for your life?

Secondly, which way around is your leash attached? I've seen many long and short leashes with the QR at the bar end and not the harness end? either through an correct set-up or a desire to leave the leash attached to the bar/lines instead of the harness when not in use.

If your kite is death looping and you've punched out to the leash are you going to be able to reach the QR on the leash if it's under load? Some I've spoken to on the beach reckon they'll pull themselves up the leash to the QR...

If it's a rear harness mounted, back to front leash, there's no fkn chance in the world would you be able to reach and activate the QR in a real sh1t fight.

Carry a hook knife too.