Self Landing - High winds

Does anyone have any ideas on helping me to self land in high winds? I sometimes struggle when its 25kn+ to self land my kite which flags to the single line. I give it a good tug on the centre line but it sometimes turns nasty.

As Christian says - flag out using QR. Easy in shallow water. May need a bit more pre-planning on deep water beaches that have lots of beach furniture/hazards but you're best to do that before you launch your kite.

Tow bar or fence, strong line to big stainless captive hook. If you're going to snow kite it's how you do it too. This method I've tested at 55knots no worries.

Use a teather if you can that's the safest method. Climbing the lines when if super windy is a bit dodgy.

Pull the safety on the leash (not the kite!) Wrap safety around wire fence (triggs, scabs, mullaz) and attach back to chicken loop. Unhook, put kite at edge of window and go get it. I do the same around my bull bar when out of town.

Tethered launch/land is a safe option if done correctly but you need a proper setup which isn't always possible to install and in some cases takes time/effort to put together...not to mention you can only launch and land at that spot only. Most guys who recommend this technique kite at the same spot every day and either have their car on the beach or a permanent setup in place in some remote location where that setup won't bother anyone or get taken down.

Flagging your kite is always a good option especially if space is limited and you don't have the skills/confidence to land the kite in the secure position. The downside to this is it can get messy with your lines and your kite can roll around on the beach (potential for damage)

The initial question was about how to put the kite in a secure position in high winds, without using a tether. Most kiters I see trying to self-land without a tether and without flagging their kite stay hooked in and start yanking on some lines... this IS dangerous.

If you're using a modern bow/delta kites, self-landing can be totally safe with a very high success rate, regardless of wind strength. It's all about using a safe technique (unhooking from the CL first) and paying attention to every DETAIL in the full video. I've taught this technique to many newbies who can now self-land better and safer than most experienced kiters. It's hard to convince experienced kiters that there are better and safer ways to do things...

As the expression says: '' you can't teach an old dog new tricks''

Christian

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cbulota said...
If you're using a modern bow/delta kites, self-landing can be totally safe, regardless of wind strength. It's all about using a safe technique (unhooking from the CL first) and paying attention to every DETAIL in the full video.

I learnt to self land from your original self landing video and even when im overpowered on the water with my 12m (pushing 30 knots), self landing this way is simple and easy.

good vids, highly recommended.

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lozzza said..
I give it a good tug on the centre line but it sometimes turns nasty.

How good of a tug do you give it? I like to give mine a really good tug. First time I tried it I only tugged about 1 foot in and it didn't do it for me, I was left feeling unsatisfied as it didn't pull it to the ground enough but just enhanced the tension. Then I pulled really hard, or at least a lot of lines pulled.

It is almost like for the first 1 foot of lines pulled... the tensions rises and after the first foot of line pulled, the tensions it just drops of completely and it crashes on to the ground and you can pull either side front line or side rear line to position it better.

Maybe that is a different story in 25+ but if it is just buy a massive stake and hammer and hammer it in before you go out for your sesh, then when the time is ready put chicken loop on stake/sand peg.

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drewpweiner said..


How good of a tug do you give it? I like to give mine a really good tug. Then I pulled really hard, or at least a lot.

Thanks for sharing...... but I can not help feeling you are posting on the wrong forum

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cbulota said..

As the expression says: '' you can't teach an old dog new tricks''

I paid the 5 bucks
I learnt something new
turns out you can teach an old dog new tricks

Thanks for making the video

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jamesperth said...
Great clip - worth 10x the purchase price ! I wish id seen this much earlier as Ive personally made all of mistakes as a newbie kiter. In fact after flying foils for an extended period of time i even tried to land an LEI last year by tugging on a back line as it sat on the sand (doh ... why did i do that ? Jet lagged is my excuse.) The method Christian demonstrates is basically foolproof.

James, I would pay $5 to see a video of you doing a foil landing on an LEI if you want to do it again!