Sports Realm

One of the recent extreme sports to burst onto the scene and achieve a rapidly growing community is Kitesurfing. It offers that alluring mixture of hard exercise, capturing the power of one of natures elements, and being at the seaside! We take a look at the kitesurfing equipment list to get you out into the wind and waves.

Safety should be your number one priority. The sea can be a dangerous environment, aside from the drowning risk, there is the risk of injury such as broken bones and concussion due to the surface of the water feeling extremely hard in the event of a fall from height. The wind and waves themselves are never 100% predictable either, so definitely consider personal protective equipment, especially a helmet or padded protector.

That said, let’s look at the cool stuff. You’ll need a kite for starters, and there are many varieties and sizes available so do your homework before buying one. Similarly, kite control can be a knack to learn and you should try to build progressively larger and large sizes into your skill base to get used to the power and feel involved.

If you’re not accomplished, consider having lessons or a fast track course in the skills involved. This will quickly get you comfortable with the basics and keep you in as safe an environment as possible until you’re happy to get out on your own.

Land and sea kites are very different beasts. The ram air traction kite used on land fills up like a parachute through a mesh grille at the front (or leading edge) of the kite. This is a great design but tends to fill with water if dumped into the drink.

These kites float rather than filling with air and therefore are considerably easier to relaunch from the water. They also have improved capabilities for upwind travel due to the design of the wing.

Most land traction kites have a four line system, two power lines connected to the leading edge, and two brake lines connected to the trailing edge, and all four lines connected to curved handles that allow modulation of the power only by pulling the lower end of the handle back. These kites need both hands on the handles to control them. The idea LEI kite will have a 5 line system, known as a depowerable kite.

These five line control systems attached the leading edge power lines to either end of a stiff bar and connect the brake lines to a 5th centre line and pulley unit that leads through the middle of the control bar and hooks onto a waist harness. This connection generally has an emergency release pull too. The pulley system in the centre allows the wave rider to alter the wings leading edge angle whilst flying, giving more or less power as applicable for the conditions.

The other key piece of kitesurfing equipment you need is a board. Two styles of board have prevailed since the sports inception, one based loosely on the windsurf style of board with a pointed bow to move quickly in one direction, and the other based on a wakeboard. These boards, called twin tips as they are multidirectional, are the most used style today. Whatever kit you end up with, make sure it suits your style of wave riding.

If you are looking for great information and details about kitesurfing equipment by a guy who uses board, kite, and equipment, you will find it fast and easy! Check out Gregg Kell, a sports enthusiast that provides great kitesurfing reviews today!