Having kited for the last while, there hasn't been too many times that I've felt over powered. I love the feeling of being overpowered, but in control still and able to boost big. Though while kiting today on the Sunshine Coast, at Moffats beach, for the first time kiting I had to stop. After several jumps, and snapping lines I went back out on another bar and lines with a 10M Cabrinha FX. Epic air, Great fun, until it got to the point where the kite became unresponsive from being too over powered. Shock to myself, I had to make the call to go in as it was too much.
This made me wonder, what conditions others have been out in and it got too much. Smart idea would of been to go and get a smaller kite, though I haven't had the need in the past so didn't have one. The wind when I went out was sitting at around 35-40, and when out got to 45-50 Knots. Cant wait to see footage from people standing on the beach watching!
Cheers to Dave, who launched, and landed my kite.
40kn on a 10 is cool for short periods. But how do you hold an edge at 50kn?
Did you say someone had footage? Would be good to see the height And yeah even better woo for next time.
Snapped lines? Too many pies from the tuckshop again 
No wonder you break so much gear 
Select to expand quoteHighjump said..
Smart idea would of been to go and get a smaller kite, though I haven't had the need in the past so didn't have one.
Hmmmm - yes 
I had the lines on the back knots, and fully de-powered when going along, though was powering up before jumping. The wind was that strong that it was hard to pull it away from the direction that it was going.
As for the footage, I'm waiting for the guys that video'd to e-mail them through.
Would say that today was one of the best days jumping that I've ever done! Wish there was more like it (and I had a smaller kite, maybe an 8)
I think sometimes lines break when overpowered - from the kite falling back due to a stuffed jump or turn, then goes full power... creating a 'shear' type loading on the lines - rather than constant tension, progressive load... have you done a few of those
??
No line breakage testing is done with a dropped force... to equal the shear..
Unfortunately it's not letting me upload any videos, though I got sent the video of when it snapped. I brought the kite back, and went to loop it at the end of the jump. Didn't suddenly have that jolt like it usually does, and yes Mr Whale Man, that's happened once before to me.
I'll be honest. I simply don't believe 50 knot 10m combo!...
Unless your 150kg I can't see how it's possible.
That aside I love a powered session. Had one the other day. Gusting to 38 knots on the 8m. I was fully lit. Soo much fun. Had some sold head to 1.5 head coming through to boost off. . . . Oh yeah.
Select to expand quoteHighjump said..
I had the lines on the back knots, and fully de-powered when going along, though was powering up before jumping. The wind was that strong that it was hard to pull it away from the direction that it was going.
As for the footage, I'm waiting for the guys that video'd to e-mail them through.
Would say that today was one of the best days jumping that I've ever done! Wish there was more like it (and I had a smaller kite, maybe an 8)
Yeah I've noticed some kites do that, at different levels of power. Like the steering lines aren't connected at all, and it just rockets off in whatever direction it's headed... glad I'm not the only one.
Select to expand quotePlummet said..
I'll be honest. I simply don't believe 50 knot 10m combo!...
Unless your 150kg I can't see how it's possible.
That aside I love a powered session. Had one the other day. Gusting to 38 knots on the 8m. I was fully lit. Soo much fun. Had some sold head to 1.5 head coming through to boost off. . . . Oh yeah.
Your welcome to come and watch next time :D. I had someone holding my harness walking down to the water
I'm with Plummet. I doubt 50 knots on a 10m happened, but if it did, well done but probably not fun. If you felt overpowered, you probably were so get a smaller kite.
Yeah I can't fathom it sorry. I've been out in in high winds a lot. I can hold to 42 knots on the 8m. That was ****en stupid. The highest wind was when I got lofted on my little 6m reo. No idea what the actual wind speed was i'm guessing min 40 gusts past 50... but no actual wind meter reading that day. Just me sticking my hand out the window at 100 kph and not feeling any wind on it during the downwind drive home.
I rode a 6m Catalyst in 50 one storm after trying a 4 and surfboard. I weigh 90 kg and was still jumping 8 to 10m. Mate who was around 70 was on a 4.
Sounds a little iffy to me to, how much do you weigh?
Yes the graphs said 50 knts but at cape m.. inside along the coast i dought if it got over 40knt gusts still stupid on a 10 even if u do weigh 120+kg.. the wind today was sh#t 15- 40 forget it ...
The Sunshine Coast is not the spot to jump big,
sure the wind was strong yesterday at times but generally speaking it was up and down
pretty orindinary, rainsquals, overcast
If you want to go really big almost everyday for months on end in supa steady wind and sunshine
Head to Penghu Island in Taiwan or Phu Quy Island in Vietnam between November-Febuary
Or perhaps Dongara / Geraldton in January-Febuary but I think the wind in Asia is stronger and steadier
Lol, 50 knots is so strong. I doubt more than 2 or 3 people on here have the balls + equipment to go out.
When there are truly 50 knot gusts, anything bigger than a 4m kite and you will put your kite down on the water, one hand on the safety, and allow your harness to make repeated attempts to rip your body clean in half.
Once the serious gusts finish and it goes back down to 35 knots, 99% of people ride straight back to the beach and pull their safety as they arrive.
95 kgs, 9m switchblade, 137cm board, 45 knots for 15 mins during a squall. Most exciting, yet terrifying experience.
Only did 1 or 2 small jumps and then spent the rest of the time trying to stay off the beach in the direct onshore... Holding an edge was extremely difficult.
Id love to see someone wrestling those winds and properly jumping. You must have got some serious height?!
Looks like you got more than half of your line length in jump height. 12 - 14m ? Good stuff.
4 of us kited in 50-55 knots on 6/7m kites going back about 5 years. Was solid and not gusty, only two of us out at a time. Been there done it, wouldn't do it again. Massive boosts, the pole dancers where snapping masts and all sort of shenanigans that day
I seem to be storm chasing of late, Cronulla recently and now closer to home...the video recorded (Moffat beachie) was from a slightly elevated grassy area and I too reckon boost heights had to be half line length...In the video, the kite flags, having to be ejected after one of the centre-lines snapped with the kite washing in and retrieved, but of concern was that Highjump was heading out to sea up the point (I though he was in a rip and was about to grab my 6'3" shortboard and go paddle after him) when I realised he had swum back to retireve his board and managed to then let the wind and waves bring him in.
Lessons learned, always perform this sport in slightly on-shore conditions in case it all goes to pot, whereby the kite will blow in, your board will too and of course the rider gets pushed in also!!!
For the record, I felt the 10-metre FX, even de-powered really was too big for the conditions as having pumped up my 7-metre Drifter for another session prior to filming the video, carrying the thing upside down, the gusts felt like the canopy was literally going to rip, so I had to abandon any thoughts of heading out again...and knowing Highjump's ability to test equipment strength I down-packed quickly, in case he had ideas of borrowing the thing
.
Oh yeah, and Highjump's last boost was a cracker (using his spare bar and lines this time) finishing with a textbook kite loop and smooth landing...seeing it live, it looked like the footage you see of the boys in Cape Town during the Red Bull King of the Air competition, genuinely advanced level stuff...good one!!!
Lets keep this thread going with more stories of stupid winds and ridiculous adventures.
Storm chasing is dangerous as **** by ****en awesome when you fight the dragon and survive!. .
I loaned my kite to wishy once on a 40+ dead onshore day. When he came in I warned him how the wind gets flukey near the dunes, next second luff and boom! Kite catches wind and luckily takes a left turn at Alberkerki and drags him up the beach in an instant as he somehow fires the release.
Lucky he didnt damage my kite
But on a serious note, lucky he never ended up in the car park 100m downwind.
Pretty sure he washed his pants out afterwards.
I was on my 7m befor the cyclone at the end of Feb, 20 gusting to bout 45. Was not fun. Only went out for the media coverage lol
