Kite BoardingSkimming Across Anything That's Flat And Dry
Kite boarding means 'Kite Surfing' on the ocean to many people these days. However, I'd like to focus on Kite Landboarding here. That's sort of like skateboarding with a kite, across dry ground. Getting wet is for fish. And ducks. ;-) Just waiting for you to hit the Back button... Still here? OK, you can't be a surfer dude then. Or maybe you are, but you're curious about this land boarding thing... All it really takes to get into kite boarding over land is some open space, a traction kite and a landboard of just about any kind. Oh, and some basic power kite flying skills of course. The idea is to get the kite overhead first. Then, when you are on your board and ready to roll, the kite is brought down to generate some sideways pull like a sail. With the kite moving in the same direction as the board, you are on your way! Just like the lady in the pic above. The photo is used with permission, it's copyright 2006-2007 by Richard Bartlett, of www.stikboi.com Here's some reasons why newcomers to traction kite sports might prefer land boarding over kite surfing out on the ocean waves...
Some Background On Kite BoardingLandboarding has been around since the 90s, and like snowkiting is making use of all the latest traction kite technology.Landboarding involves getting pulled across the ground by a power or traction kite. There are just so many combinations of these kinds of outdoor sports. If it floats on water, slides on snow or coasts along on wheels, somebody somewhere has harnessed the power of a kite to add that extra dimension! Here are all the names you might come across, with regard to kiting with a land board or other vehicle...
That 'land surfing' one gives a clue to as to one big factor that's driving kite boarding. What do surfies do when the water is too cold, or there is not enough wind to kitesurf? Many can now hop on a land board and do much the same sort of stuff, across the sand instead of water. There's another factor too. What do snow skiers do when the snow melts? Downhill skiers that is, not cross country. For this situation, 'mountain boards' were invented so it was possible to race downhill on these oversized skateboard-like contraptions. Interestingly, in many cases the mountainboarders raced down the very same slopes that they skied down in winter! Eventually, someone with a traction kite decided to try the obvious. Of course it worked very well, although kite boarding was best done on the flat, rather than a slope. When this got more well known, snow boarders everywhere began to realize they weren't restricted to kite boarding in winter. They could just swap their snowboard for a landboard and still go kiteboarding. Kite boarding over land tends to attract people who just want to do tricks, or 'freestyle', like some kite surfers. That's probably because they are kite surfers first and foremost! There doesn't seem to be much written about landboarders going long distances cross-country, like the keenest kite skiers do. Despite this, it is possible to go very fast across land. Also, at the other end of the scale, trundling along slowly in a kite buggy using a smaller traction kite can be quite relaxing! The Kites
There are a lot of similarities here with snowkiting. The requirements are so similar. You want a steerable kite with decent pull, crash-proof in case it contacts the ground hard, and packable into a small space for travelling convenience. Also desirable is the ability to re-launch off the ground without having to walk over to it, and the ability to 'depower' the kite during strong gusts of wind.Thanks to Cobra Kites who hold the copyright for the pic of the black and red Montana kite over there! All that adds up to one particular kind of kite. The ram-air foil. It's no coincidence that these look like small paragliders, since the parafoil kite design came first! Full size paragliders were later developed from the foil kite idea. Foils are flexible, with an upper and lower surface when inflated. Openings at the front edge allow air in which pressurizes the kite and makes it behave like an aircraft wing. Most depowerable designs have 4 lines, which allow steering and also the 'angle of attack' to the wind which controls power. Like many modern kites of all types, rip-stop nylon is the most commonly used material. At the beginner or intermediate level, most kites are sold as a complete package with lines, control bar and a rucksack to carry everything around in. Add in a harness, and the rider can wear it to take most of the kite's pull. No more tired arms.
Pulling one end of the bar at a time steers the kite. Pulling both ends in towards your body increases the pull of the kite, while letting the bar out decreases the pull of the kite. For emergencies, some kites even have quick-release pins to let you get rid of the kite in a hurry. Another approach to emergencies is to use a hook knife to slice through the lines. Some paraglider pilots have these handy too, for similar reasons. The control bar picture is shown with permission from Cobra Kites, who hold the copyright. For starting kite boarding over land, just about any medium sized depowerable traction kite will do. There's a wide range available, and not surprisingly perhaps, it's the paraglider manufacturers who make the best ones. They also happen to be the most expensive! When deciding just how big a kite you want, here are the things that can affect your decision.
The Boards
I won't get into huge detail about the boards used in land kite boarding since this is a Kite Site after all!Many kite boarders use 'mountain boards' which are basically oversized skateboards. The wheels are pump-up rather than hard as on traditional roller skates. These boards were originally designed for downhill racing and freestyle for when all the snow had disappeared from the slopes! That's because snowboarders decided there must be a way to get down the mountain fast, even with no snow. Hence the birth of mountain boarding, which also came to be known as dirt boarding or all-terrain boarding (ATB). So if you hear someone talking about their dirtboard or ATB you'll know what they are talking about. Since so many people are into these sports, there are many manufacturers all trying to get a piece of the action. That means more different kite board designs than you can poke a stick at! Even so, it's possible to make some very general statements about all these boards. Here's a few reasons to consider the most expensive boards, if you can afford them.
Land boards are a bit shorter than snowboards. A typical landboard is about 110 cm (43 inches) in length, with 4 wheels. The wheel diameter is usually between 18 cm and 33 cm (7 inches and 13 inches). An exception are the 2-wheel in-line designs that have 51 cm (20 inch) spoked BMX wheels. There's even some 3-wheeled designs out there. Other Kite Boarding GearDid I say all you need is a kite and a landboard? That's not quite true if you want a painless experience! Here's all the other bits of gear that complete the picture.
Where To Do Kite BoardingThe best place to do kite boarding is any large flat area with constant wind and no obstructions. However, with some care, any open space can be used. You just don't want yourself or the kite to crash into anything. In particular, things to avoid include power cables, buildings and other people.Here's a summary of the types of areas kite boarders can be seen at.
Here in Australia you could probably add clay pans and salt lakes as well. Oh, and don't forget airfields and airports, if you can get past the security guys. Just kidding! There's some clips on uTube of some Russian guys doing their stuff with large aircraft parked in the background. Now that's actually true! The SceneLearningThere are 3 approaches to getting into land kite boarding.
Needless to say, taking a course is expensive but is sure to give a problem-free and safe learning experience. Also, buying the DVD is quite cheap, and may even convince you that you don't actually want to go any further! In which case, you have not lost much money compared to buying gear, going on a course and then changing your mind. One kiting school has the following sequence of lessons.
Recreation With learning out of the way, you can head off to the nearest large open area and start covering some ground. A trainer kite with only 2 sqr m of area is good to start with. Nice and safe although of course you won't get much speed up in most wind conditions. Later on you can buy one or 2 larger kites to enable speedy kite boarding in a wide range of wind conditions. Just pick the kite that suits the day. That little trainer might come in handy in a gale! If you're game, and have good basic skills, then you can start to tackle those ramps and grinders that are provided in some of the kite landboarding parks. I can imagine that some parts of the world would be a long long way from the nearest dedicated land boarding park though. Not everyone is dead-keen on doing tricks. For example, there's a few speed freaks out there too. They like to compare each other's GPS-verified top speeds, and post them on the Net. Like this guy... Rider: Glen Butcher Newgale. Interesting name for a windy site ;-) Nearly 70 kilometers per hour. That's moving, but I guess somebody has beaten it by the time you read this! Kite Boarding Competitions
Want to get serious? There is a competition circuit for land boarding, although it is much smaller than for kite surfing and is likely to stay that way for a long time. Maybe forever. The kite land boarding comps show off almost everything that you might see competitors doing over water. Here's a summary of the types of stunts that can be done.
As you can imagine, getting any of this wrong is likely to hurt more than if it was done over water! So safety gear is very important. The best riders can put on a decent show using the older-style fixed-bridle kites on handles, as well as with the depowerable-kite / control bar combination that is so popular today.
Last updated: 21 Jun 2007 Return to Power Kite, Traction Kite from Kite Boarding All the way back to Home Page
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