Popping the big jump bubble yarn

Turn horizontal speed into vertical speed without looseing energy.

This requires massive line tension and an instant release

Its all in the release. If you release that energy yourself it slacks the line and you dont transfer all the energy.

Get the kite to force you to release it by holding edge very strongly till cant anymore then scoop your legs like a wake boarder

Guy who jumps biggest around here doesn't bear off. Holds edge, sends on gust (which gives him some throw length), a slight noticeable stomp release, bar pulled in...at same time...single point of energy release. I'm still bearing off slightly, annoys me, like a bad driving habit. Find if I don't though the kites arc is sent lower though the window, giving more of a downwind vector jump than I'd like...suppose this is where the throw comes in.

So yeh..agree Overall.

Good post STW and I agree with you . For some reason the idea of " bearing off downwind slightly before jumping" is really spreading around , some of the local guys I kite with think that it is the way. Plums has got it spot on , a small kicker that comes in at 90 degrees to the wind helps heaps

Work out a way to measure your results objectively and try both techniques for yourself.

Both work and you will soon work out which one gives you the best results for your gear and conditions.

Who cares how you get up there.......

Look at Jesse and Dimitri, different styles to occomplish the same task. I for one would love to be able to consistantly get the height of these guys.

Personally I think the way Dimitri jumps is more consistent and easier to time. However the highest single jump in a session normally comes from trying Jesse's technique for me.

Pretty sure if you set up a bar with a strain gauge below your cleat, gopro helmet cam and a land camera. You will see the difference in tension on the lines and the resulting extra height.

The pro's that bear off a little, gain that little bit of extra speed that they then transfer into a little more height. Jesse Richman is an extreme example of this, he pops to his loading position eliminating water drag losses to maintain maximum momentum. For sure it also allows for the kite to cheat a little higher as well, but the end results speak for themselves.

Try both and measure your results, just don't try it once and say I doesn't work. Like everything in kiteboarding it takes practice.

Great input above - seemed to have stopped the "Herd" jumping off the Cliffs
Adding to the good tips..

If living in red bull jumptown - just aim straight at the wave and not much else

But for us - our normal river or ocean crap conditions..

Aggression
Just like when we were Noobs and scared to dive the kite hard on water starts, the same goes for bar input and hip twist / leg stomp - steady steady just wont work.

Board rail shape
A straighter edge with a reasonably square tail - will let you cut into water harder and faster with better grip, reducing wasted time and energy loss for the load n release. My jump board compared to my Monk, the monk slides sideways a little in the extreme edging, losing power... everything counts -

Fin size personal preference..
Try putting a larger well shaped fin, on the heel side and smaller one one the toe, its all about the stomp grip combined with the edge - minimizing time and washout.

Kite
A good jump kite..

Wind Gusts your best friend
Its all about that one big arz gust that will get you over that 5m mark lol, always look for the frizzle patterned wind line charging across the water - try to intersect it just a tad early at max board speed, as soon as you feel it grab the kite... send the kite hard and use your waterspeed to realease the board, pull the bar full in a split second after the boards released - full power is then used to rip you upwards and not unstick you from the water.

Where is the best Ramp
What you should look for is small white caps on the wind swell that will line up with the gust line - behind the white cap will be a trough and hopefully a smooth ramp to launch off, as in surfing - learn to read the water to help you get your timing right.
If you have ocean swell - then count...

So if its 35nots with a gust to 45 - youll be up there with this grin

Safety - Wear a helmet and thick wakeboarding vest untill you got it down... did I mention the fishpole at the top ?

One of a million ways - ideas are good, Capetowns better

That's when the Adrenalin kicks in, and makes the scenery look good when the magic Elevator pulls you up maybe once twice or three times...

Be sure to keep that bar in so the gust doesn't try to invert your kite if riding with a few sizes bigger than norm..

Good effort on the weight loss Dean, Did you do anything specific to achive the weight loss?

Well done Dean, I lost 15 kilos in 6 months but did it with green smoothies for breakfast, and only ate dinner. No beer, no bread. Everything about my kiting improved from losing that weight. It's amazing what a beast a 10 meter kite becomes again. Traveling through Europe absolutely hammered me from all the bread, cheese, wine, etc. Don't want to go down that road again....

Dean

Do you kite overpowered - for your weight?

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kookaburrahz said..
Turn horizontal speed into vertical speed without looseing energy.

This requires massive line tension and an instant release

Its all in the release. If you release that energy yourself it slacks the line and you dont transfer all the energy.

Get the kite to force you to release it by holding edge very strongly till cant anymore then scoop your legs like a wake boarder

Best explanation yet - re: line tension

The best jumps I've had are when I am actually just overpowered.

ie: 12m kite for 15knots is not going to give me a big jump. 12m kite in 20-25knots - now we're talking!

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SaveTheWhales said...
Dean

Do you kite overpowered - for your weight?

Save the whales I'm currently 80kg and I try to kite on the 12m North EVO when ever possible, it would be my go to kite. I average 3 kites a week throughout the year. I'm comfortable in the 18 - 23 knot wind range on the 12, I've been out in stronger but I find it too hard to edge and aggressively drive the kite up in the stronger winds. I have a 10mtr Evo for the Stronger days but here in Vic with our weather conditions I find I can get by on just those two kites. Occasionally we get stronger days 30+ knots and I have a Rebel 8m for those days but I find the hang time to be really reduced when using the 8, landings are a lot heavier and there is no improvement in height gained.

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deanrobi said..
All good thanks Kami, lots of prior planning

They used to advertise it on TV in NZ, and that was one of the rapidly mentioned side-effects :D always got a giggle out of it . . . but if it works, good stuff!

DeanRobi

I understand all kites fly differently and at the 18-23knot range, your Woo height meter sounds about right +-...
For the 'stronger' winds you may have to pay more attention to fine trimming of the kite at full power, as everything is happening within a second. There is obviously a difference in trim between 20-25-30knots, backstall is the height enemy here, we get all excited about the jump but are killing the kite

Trim the kite for max wind speed on the water - your jumping not Lawn Mowing...

At max speed, Just before you jump
let the bar out just enough so the kite will fly forward to the edge of the window (while maintaining its shape and line tension - a big kite will produce a lot of natural wind drag at high winds, trying to pull it downwards and back)
The steering will become lighter for that few seconds
This will also let you initiate the load and pop solving the "find it too hard to edge and aggressively drive the kite up" problem..
Then slam that bar in, your trim will give you better lift..

Try jumping into the wind a little more to avoid the floaty flat jumps

For the 8 and 12, learn how to heli loop just before landing - it takes the meteorite impact out of it 0r steer the kite backward and dive it hard forward just before landing to create lift for that buttersoft style.

Your weights not an issue - my friend Robin from The Pond, goes huge on a 10m at around 110 kg ?

SammyJay

Over the Handle bars hey :) we all remember that stuff. Try some of the above..

Also a good exercise, that I always do at the beginning of a session - is the Max speed Load n Pop with the kite at 45 degrees.
It helps to get into the co-ordination groove again - play with the line tension and board angles BUT keep the kite still.
It will help you find that sweet spot again

Guess what happens when you add the kite to it


Let us know how you all get on

Sammyjay

Sometimes too much kite and the board width/ stiffness / rocker - combined with chop will get that lactic acid burn in you legs like their really on fire, good thing your in the water tell us your setup, others with experience on that gear - may be able to offer some helpful tips..

Be sure to look for those odd bigger white caps, it usually happens when the wind swell / wave is steeper than the rest and blows the top off and have noted them to appear is a small narrow sets of 2-3..

Practice that 45 load n pop but do a small hop before the load n pop - so you land immediately into the load phase.
This at speed, will let you jump a few chop slop waves and land in the trough behind the white cap (which will be smooth)
smacking out the pop move!

Check out the opening clip of Jesse doing the small hop - its quite clear, with a little imagination, how it can be used to clear the chop in the run up..