fionzc said...

stribo said...

stamp said...

fionzc said...

A friend just told me recently about youtube videos on how kiters got dragged off by a jetplane while kiting near a runway, getting swallowed up by a killer-whale etc...loads of drama in this sport it seems.

this is how urban myths begin. you don't seriously believe those stories?

It's on the internet Stamp.It must be true..

He said just google "kitesurfing accidents" on youtube and you'll get the videos...or so he claims. I have yet to try that.

You can't "Google" something on YouTube...but you can search for it. Searching for Kitesurf crash, kite accident, etc will provide you with hours of enjoyment...

Sailhack said...

waveslave said...

Now, having let go of the bar, he is still attached to the kite by the chicken-loop...
zooming thru the sky at high velocity.
Immediately he takes the hit, (the impact with the ground)....
he needs to pull the trigger, release the chicken-loop....
that's assuming he's still conscious.

Would this mean that this guy f#*!^d up then, or as you mentioned, perhaps the initial hit knocked him out? As the report stated, he hit the ground a couple of times before being taken into the air again on his way to the final crunch. Could it be that he didn't want to lose his new shiny kite, and unfortunately, paid a massive price?


(I'm not having a go, I just don't understand the setup, never seen a kite setup up close.)

I'll try to explain. ^^
Most kiting is done hooked-in.
That means you are connected by a chicken-loop to the harness hook.
Even if you let go of the bar with both hands, the kite is still attached to you.
The reason kiters ride hooked-in is because that allows the kite to be sheetable.
Push the bar out, kite depowers.
Pull the bar in, kite powers up.
The chicken-loop has a quick release and if the design is good, it will release under load.

But you need to understand that when a severe lofting occurs, the first thing a kiter experiences is a momentary state of shock.
A massive WTF.
The next thing that happens is the kiter taking a hit.
You see, it's so quick that there's no time for the brain to tell the hand to pull the release.
Sometimes after the initial hit....
if the kiter has foolishly death-gripped the bar, the kite might be sent into a power loop.
This is not good.
A secondary power spike will kick in and send the kiter into orbit.
That is why the kiter needs to let go of the bar with both hands during the lofting.
With regards to the kiter worrying about losing his shiney new kite....
believe me,
the thought never entered his mind.

mate, you have to stop shoplifters before they get to the changeroom!

if you kitesurf use the old boy scouts motto "be prepared"

If the safety on the kite is attacted to the correct point on the kite (a front line) and not onto the chicken loop as a suicide (dangerous as the name suggests, only for real experienced kiters) you can not get dragged by the kite, it only gets tension on the line the safety is attached too, the kite just flags eg, similar to being at the beach flipping your towel down wind to get the sand off, and the kite will fall out the sky in any wind, if its stronger it just falls faster, from the footage of this fella, as waveslave said before he had a death grip on the bar not getting dragged by the safety, i doubt he was unconcious, it's more likely he was trying to get control and was just massively overpowered, a 9m Bow kite (think thats what they ment by flat kite) in that kind of wind is just stupid to start with, a kite like this could get a 90 kg rider up and going in 18 knots and this shows you what it will do to someone lighter in 3 times that wind. He prob had no idea how fast he was heading for the concrete, for a kiter with 5 years experience he should have know how to ditch even while getting keel hauled, he would have been in similar situations on the water before, it looked like this time it all happened way too fast for him to think about it, i think over confidence was the problem in this case..

interesting.. some high access gear (think those window washers you see hanging over the side of skyscrapers) .. have had the same problems as kiters (with regard to release systems).. Let go - good, grip more - bad

One company has introduced a system on a descending device (think abseiling) squeeze handle slide down rope but as in the kite surfing if something goes wrong and persons panics and squeezes handle tight it also stops - "dead mans brake". Maybe kite designers have to look at a system like that. One that depowers when let go and depowers when gripped in a "death grip"..

stamp said...

P.C_simpson said...

If the safety on the kite is attacted to the correct point on the kite (a front line) and not onto the chicken loop as a suicide (dangerous as the name suggests, only for real experienced kiters) you can not get dragged by the kite, it only gets tension on the line the safety is attached too, the kite just flags eg,

thats not right. the quick release mechanism releases the kite at the chicken loop, so if you hit the safety and you are leashed to the chicken loop (suicide), the whole rig detaches.
if you are riding hooked in it doesn't matter where your leash is if you don't activate the safety in time.

But the fella before said he may have been getting dragged by the leash and i said if he was NOT running a suicide the kite would just crash, nothing to do with the quick release on the chicken loop dude.. and not all suicides are attached to the chicken loop harness line some people attach them to the chassis which stays attached to the chicken loop rope.. but we where dicussing the guy getting smashed and what may have happened not the mechanics of the chicken loop that discussion is for the kite forum.

Dearest LizzyBabes,

Judging by the photos and your posts so far, you are almost-to-definitely do-able in my book. Please, consider giving up the strings and floppy inflatables for a long and stiff (but flexible and responsive) pole sometime in the near future. I promise you'll never be board.

PS- You're a teacher? I'm a teacher too. Learning keeps you young! Although you're 21 and I'm 36, dont worry, I don't mind - age is no barrier.

Wet Willy said...

Dearest LizzyBabes,

Judging by the photos and your posts so far, you are almost-to-definitely do-able in my book. Please, consider giving up the strings and floppy inflatables for a long and stiff (but flexible and responsive) pole sometime in the near future. I promise you'll never be board.

PS- You're a teacher? I'm a teacher too. Learning keeps you young! Although you're 21 and I'm 36, dont worry, I don't mind - age is no barrier.

hahaha so smooth. Would you mind if I borrowed some of your techniques??

P.C_simpson said...

But the fella before said he may have been getting dragged by the leash and i said if he was NOT running a suicide the kite would just crash, nothing to do with the quick release on the chicken loop dude..

who said he was being dragged by the leash? i missed that. it looks to me like he was hooked in the entire time.
leash only comes into place once you unhook or activate the QR

puffin said...

So how is the guy in the video doing? The kiter we all saw get slammed
http://www.peconicpuffin.com/the_peconic_puffin/2008/08/kite mare-in-tropical-storm-fay.html

says it never happened.
http://www.peconicpuffin.com/the_peconic_puffin/2008/08/kite mare-aftermath-huh-what-never-happened-dude.html

In the hospital he told doctors that they'd grabbed the wrong guy, that he'd in fact had a good session in the storm, and afterwards went out for dinner before going home. Pointing out to him that he was in the hospital with a back broken in several places did not convince him otherwise.

Obviously he took quite the blow to his head. He's home now, and is said to be walking. It would be great to watch him watch the video. On the other hand, if he never believes it happened (or never remembers it) that will probably make him more likely to get back on his board and kite...and sail another storm?

Hmmm... he may just end up as a Darwin Award nominee

Wet Willy said...

Dearest LizzyBabes,
...
PS- You're a teacher? I'm a teacher too. Learning keeps you young! Although you're 21 and I'm 36, dont worry, I don't mind - age is no barrier.

She probably teaches her kids about teachers like you.