Getting Started with Kiting

It's advisable for all power kiting beginners (whether it be for kite surfing or boarding) not to go out and buy the biggest kite you can find. A wingspan of around 1.5m (5 feet) is suitable for learning to control. The immense forces that larger kites can give is more than you would think. This is a serious sport, and people get seriously injured trying it.

The most important things to learn when you are starting are:

  • taking off (learning when the wind is right)
  • controlling (learning to direct the kite left and right)
  • avoiding other people/objects
  • dealing with different wind speeds
  • landing (without damaging the kite)

Once you have mastered these basics, you can consider moving up to a larger kite. At this point, you will probably move to a 4-string kite. This has two additional ropes, but these are not for balance.

The purpose of these is to act as breaks. If you lose control, you pull back on the the two lower ropes and the kite collapses. This is important as, if you are tethered to the kite when it gets out of control, you may be dragged somewhere.

Once you have mastered all of these skills, you can get off your feet and either into a buggy, onto a board or onto the water.