by Chris Sarnecki

As kiteboarders I think we're extremely lucky to be part of such an incredibly diverse and rewarding sport. We meet a lot of really cool people, we travel to some pretty amazing places and we experience nature from a perspective that only fellow kiteboarders will ever comprehend. We can leave all of our stresses and troubles behind and become truly free. Kiteboarding really has so many great things to offer. Unfortunately, the opposite can also be true. With anything that's as fulfilling and rewarding as kiteboarding, inherent risks always exist. Last winter our local kiting community had to live the nightmare of losing one of our local riders in a tragic kiteboarding accident. The dominant factor in this freak accident was an extreme increase in wind (up to approximately 130 km/h) with little or no warning.

The purpose of this article is not to analyze what may or may not have been done to prevent the accident, nor is it meant to scare anybody out of kiteboarding. Every once in a while we are reminded the hard way how fragile life really is. This article was written to remind the kiting community that we must all work together to promote the safety aspect of our sport and in turn reduce the risk of injury or death both for our fellow kiteboarders and for ourselves. Some things in this world are probably worth dying for; I'd say that kiteboarding is something to live for. Following are some points that I think are very important to consider for kiteboarders of all skill levels. If you think you're too advanced to benefit from this, remember that most serious kiteboarding accidents and deaths involve skilled kiteboarders, not beginners.
Here goes:

KEEP LEARNING

I like to take a three pronged approach to learning:

A. There is no substitute for taking lessons from a certified, reputable instructor. Not only will you learn some really important stuff you might otherwise miss, you'll get bad habits corrected early and in turn speed up your learning curve immensely while avoiding a lot of the frustration that comes with learning. I've seen people take lessons and stay upwind on their first or second day. I've also seen people that refuse to take lessons and still can't stay upwind after trying for many seasons. You also get to trash someone else's gear instead of your own while you're learning!

B. Get as much info about kiteboarding as possible. The manufacturer's websites usually have user manuals for their kites that have some really important info. Kiteboarding magazines have a lot of articles pertaining to all aspects of kiteboarding for all skill levels. Some great instructional videos are available. The internet also contains a lot of good info about kiteboarding safety, tricks and tips. Be a little cautious though as it's hard to tell how reputable some of the people are that post their views in forums and chat groups.

C. Ask questions and pay attention. Our sport is full of really cool people, almost all of which are willing to answer questions in order to help people learn. If you're a skilled rider that has knowledge to offer, offer it. If you're a beginner and you have questions to ask, ask them. Much can also be learned from witnessing other people's success and mistakes and taking note. Realize that kiteboarding is very much a team sport and that we can learn a lot from each other.

KNOW YOUR LIMITS AND RIDE FOR THE CONDITIONS

For some, 20 knots might be more than you're ready for. For others, kite loops over 25 knots might prove to be a bit much to handle. For others still, it might be 40 knots and triple overhead waves. Whatever your skill and comfort level, make sure you respect mother nature by knowing your limits and sticking to them. If it means sitting on the beach for a while, that's okay. If it means riding on the outside of some huge surf for the day, that's okay too. Every once in a while we push it a little too far and get put in our place pretty quick. Leave your ego in your kite bag because mother nature can humble you and kick your ass harder than anything else on earth! Realize that every session is different and it's nice when the conditions are exactly what you want, but sometimes you have to adapt to the conditions. In order to know your limits and ride for the conditions, you must also…

KNOW YOUR ENVIRONMENT

Wherever you ride, it's really important to familiarize yourself with the dangers and hazards particular to the specific location you're riding. Some things are obvious but a lot of things are not. Be aware of dangers such as hidden reefs, strong currents, floating debris, boat traffic, broken glass on the beach, gusty/turbulent/shadowed wind, lofty wind because of cliffs or buildings, onshore wind, etc. If you're riding at a new spot, ask the locals what the conditions are like. If you see somebody new at your local spot, let them know all of the hazards they should be aware of. If you're riding a new spot and don't have the benefit of local knowledge, be extra cautious until you become more familiar with the spot. When riding any new spot always double check the wind strength because sometimes it can be pretty deceiving. A very important point to note is that, aside from one drowning, all of the severe injuries and the few deaths that I'm aware of that have resulted from kiteboarding are impact related, meaning that the kiter struck a hard object. Therefore, it would seem logical that you could vastly decrease your risk of injury by giving yourself ample space from hard objects. For example, make sure you have lots of open space downwind when launching, be extra cautious in on-shore wind, etc. It's very important to know your environment, it's equally important to…

KNOW YOUR GEAR

This seems like a no - brainer, but it's amazing how many people I see that have safety systems that won't release under load or a leash that's always wound around their safety which could potentially prevent it from functioning properly. Whatever you use for a safety release, it's absolutely critical that it will release under extreme load every time. It's also important to make sure that there's no other part of your gear that could potentially get caught and prevent you from instantly disconnecting yourself from your kite. Test your safety under load (your body weight at the very least) and make sure it releases every time. When choosing a safety system, make sure it's operation isn't affected by the presence of sand, snow, ice, etc. Your safety should also remain in a stationary position while you ride. If you reach with your right hand to activate your safety, but it spun around to the left side, it might be too late. It's also beneficial to have a release that can be activated with either hand. If you use a shackle, realize that most shackles won't release under load so they should be used in conjunction with a chicken loop release. A stainless steel ring must also be used so that the chicken loop releases cleanly from the shackle. If you use a spreader bar/chicken loop safety, make sure the hook on your spreader bar has ample room for the safety to pass through. Knowing how your safety system works is crucial but you must also be ready to use it…

CONDITION YOUR MIND

Activating your safety release is really quite comparable to a pilot ejecting from an aircraft. If it isn't done in a very timely manner without any hesitation whatsoever, really bad things can happen. If you think there's a possibility that you may be getting into a dangerous situation, you have to react. Period. Too many times I've seen people get dragged down the beach or across the snow, arms flailing, still attached to their kite. Things happen very fast when you're kiteboarding, and the stronger the wind, the faster they happen. I'm not going to ask you to become a meditating Buddhist monk here, but give this a try - Every once in a while right before you head out riding, sit on the beach, relax, clear your mind and for five or ten minutes just visualize yourself activating your safety. Envision yourself getting into a variety of potentially dangerous situations and then activate your safety. The truth is, we barely ever have to activate our safety in an emergency, so it's fair to assume that we're not going to become very good at it from experience. We must trick ourselves into thinking that we do it all the time so our reaction becomes automatic. This is the same thing many professional athletes do to get themselves to react to certain situations without having to think about them. In our case, the situation is- You're attached to a huge amount of power and if you're not controlling it, it's controlling you. You had better know how to disconnect yourself from that power very quickly. Being able to do that has saved me from injury a couple of times. It's also been a big advantage to be able to…

UNDERSTAND THE WEATHER

I know this seems impossible, but it can't hurt to learn a little about different types of weather systems and how to recognize them. You should know how to recognize conditions that can cause thermals, frontal wind and storm squalls and where the dangers lie. Also try to learn a little about how wind is affected by the landscape (lift created from cliffs, changes in wind direction from buildings, etc). Look for info on the internet and talk to people who have hang-glided, para-glided, kiteboarded or windsurfed extensively, they are usually very knowledgeable. To understand the weather, we must understand that sometimes the weather may be less predictable than other times. The truth is, sometimes the weather can do things that are totally unpredictable; just another reason why you have to…

CONDITION YOUR MIND

Activating your safety release is really quite comparable to a pilot ejecting from an aircraft. If it isn't done in a very timely manner without any hesitation whatsoever, really bad things can happen. If you think there's a possibility that you may be getting into a dangerous situation, you have to react. Period. Too many times I've seen people get dragged down the beach or across the snow, arms flailing, still attached to their kite. Things happen very fast when you're kiteboarding, and the stronger the wind, the faster they happen. I'm not going to ask you to become a meditating Buddhist monk here, but give this a try - Every once in a while right before you head out riding, sit on the beach, relax, clear your mind and for five or ten minutes just visualize yourself activating your safety. Envision yourself getting into a variety of potentially dangerous situations and then activate your safety. The truth is, we barely ever have to activate our safety in an emergency, so it's fair to assume that we're not going to become very good at it from experience. We must trick ourselves into thinking that we do it all the time so our reaction becomes automatic. This is the same thing many professional athletes do to get themselves to react to certain situations without having to think about them. In our case, the situation is- You're attached to a huge amount of power and if you're not controlling it, it's controlling you. You had better know how to disconnect yourself from that power very quickly. Being able to do that has saved me from injury a couple of times. It's also been a big advantage to be able to…

UNDERSTAND THE WEATHER

I know this seems impossible, but it can't hurt to learn a little about different types of weather systems and how to recognize them. You should know how to recognize conditions that can cause thermals, frontal wind and storm squalls and where the dangers lie. Also try to learn a little about how wind is affected by the landscape (lift created from cliffs, changes in wind direction from buildings, etc). Look for info on the internet and talk to people who have hang-glided, para-glided, kiteboarded or windsurfed extensively, they are usually very knowledgeable. To understand the weather, we must understand that sometimes the weather may be less predictable than other times. The truth is, sometimes the weather can do things that are totally unpredictable; just another reason why you have to…

source: Chris Sarnecki, St. Albert, AB

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Labels: kite school, learning, safety, Squamish, story, weather, wind