Kiteboarding

History

19th century

Late 20th century

21st century

Jump records (height, length, time)

Speed records

Long distance

Notable journeys

Bering Strait crossing

Transatlantic crossing

Environments

Market

Governance

• The Professional Kiteboard Riders Association, and the Kiteboard Pro World Tour, both of which promoted several international competitions since 2002.
• The Global Kitesports Association, which federates several industry stake holders.
• The International Federation of Kitesports Organizations, covering also land and snow kiting.
• The World Kiteboarding League which had promoted freestyle competitions in 2017.
• The Kiteboarding Riders United which is a union of the professional kiteboarders, since 2016.
• The Kite Park League which is dedicated to international competitions in kiteboarding parks.
• The World Sailing, ex-International Sailing Federation, which promotes sail and boating since 1907. Since 2008 the WS affiliates the International Kiteboarding Association as its specialized kiteboarding racing body.

Styles

Techniques

• Kite, lines and bar handling and maintenance
• True and relative wind concepts, including basic kite navigation in the wind window
• Landing and launching the kite
• Kite assisted swimming, known as 'body dragging'
• Water start
• Relaunch and self-rescue techniques
• Navigation rules and best practices regarding safety
• Up-wind and down-wind navigation
• Basic turning or jibing up to "heel turn jibe"
• Dealing with surf and waves
• Pop and controlled jumping and flying
• Board grabs, tricks performed while a rider is jumping or has gained air from popping by grabbing the board in a number of positions with either hand. Each grab has a different name dependent on which part of the board is grabbed and with which hand grabs it. The names generally originate from other board sports like skateboarding and snowboarding

  The wind

Wind strength and kite sizes

Wind direction and speed

Apparent wind

Wind power, control lines and kite paths

Wind window

Arbitrary atmosphere volume swept by the kite

Air temperature and humidity

Locations

Equipment

Power kites

Leading edge inflatables

• They can become inverted and then not fly properly
• They can be twitchy and not as stable
• Heavier bar pressure makes them more tiring to fly
• Lack of "sled boosting" effect when jumping

Foil kites

Kite sizes

Other equipment

• Flying lines are made of a strong material such as ultra-high-molecular-weight polyethylene, to handle the dynamic load in unpredictable wind while maintaining a small cross-sectional profile to minimize drag. They come in lengths generally between seven and thirty-three meters. Experimentation with line lengths is common in kiteboarding. The lines attach the rider's control bar to the kite using attachment cords on the kite edges or its bridle. Most power kites use a 3, 4 or 5-line configuration. Most control bars have 4 lines, 2 for most of the propulsive power and 2 for steering and for control of the angle of attack. The 5th line is used to aid in re-launching or to further adjustment of the kite's angle of attack, mostly in C-kites.
• The control bar is a solid metal or composite bar which attaches to the kite via the lines. The rider holds on to this bar and controls the kite by pulling at its ends, causing the kite to rotate clockwise or counter-clockwise like a bicycle. Typically a chicken loop from the control bar is attached to a latch or hook on a spreader bar on the rider's harness. Most bars also provide a quick-release safety-system and a control strap to adjust the kite's minimum angle of attack. Kite control bars, while lightweight and strong, are usually heavier than water; "bar floats" made of foam may be fixed to the lines right above the harness to keep the bar from sinking if lost in the water. Control bars can be specific to a particular kite type and size and not suitable for use with different kite types.
• A kite harness comes in seat, waist, or vest types. The harness together with a spreader bar attaches the rider to the control bar. The harness reduces the strain of the kite's pull from the rider's arms, spreading it across part of the rider's body. This allows the rider to perform jumps and other tricks while remaining attached to the kite via the control bar. Waist harnesses are the most popular harnesses among advanced riders, although seat harnesses make it possible to kitesurf with less effort from the rider, and vest harnesses provide both flotation and impact protection. Kite harnesses resemble windsurfing harnesses, but with different construction; a windsurfing harness is likely to fail when used for kiteboarding.
• Kiteboard, a small composite, wooden, or foam board. There are now several types of kiteboards: directional surf-style boards, wakeboard-style boards, hybrids which can go in either direction but are built to operate better in one of them, and skim-type boards. Some riders also use standard surfboards, or even long boards, although without foot straps much of the high-jump capability of a kite is lost. Twin tip boards are the easiest to learn on and are by far the most popular. A new trend is kitesurfing with hydrofoil boards, which is difficult but opens new horizons to the riders by allowing them to ride in very low winds. The boards generally come with sandal-type footstraps that allow the rider to attach and detach from the board easily; this is required for doing board-off tricks and jumps. Bindings are used mainly by the wakestyle riders wishing to replicate wakeboarding tricks such as KGBs and other pop initiated tricks. Kiteboards come in shapes and sizes to suit the rider's skill level, riding style, wind and water conditions.

• A wetsuit is often worn by kitesurfers, except in warmer conditions with light winds. When kitesurfing in strong winds, body heat loss is reduced by wearing a wetsuit. A "shortie" is worn to protect the torso only, and a full suit is used for protection against cool conditions, from marine life such as jellyfish, and also from abrasions if the rider is dragged by the kite. Neoprene boots are required if the beach has much shellfish or hard rocks. Dry suits are also used to kitesurf in cold conditions in winter.
• A safety hook knife is considered required equipment. The corrosion resistant stainless steel blade is partially protected by a curved plastic hook. It can be used to cut entangled or snagged kite lines, or to release the kite if the safety release system fails. Some kitesurfing harnesses are equipped with a small pocket for the knife.
• A helmet is often worn by kitesurfers to protect the head from blunt trauma. Helmets prevent head lacerations, and can also reduce the severity of impact injuries to the head, as well as compression injuries to the neck and spine.
• A personal flotation device or PFD may be required if the kitesurfer is using a boat or personal water craft for support. It is also recommended for kitesurfing in deep water in case the kitesurfer becomes disabled and must wait for rescue.
• An impact vest provides some protection against impacts to the torso area. They also provide some flotation and preclude the harness to climb the chest and hurt the ribs, during high power maneuvers.
• A board leash that attaches the board to the kitesurfer's leg or harness is used by some riders. However, many kitesurfing schools discourage the use of board leashes due to the risk of recoil, where the leash can yank the board to impact the rider, which can result in serious injury or even death. Generally, kitesurfers that use a board leash will also wear a helmet to help protect against this.
• Signaling devices are useful if the kitesurfer needs to be rescued. This may be as simple as a whistle attached to the knife, or retro-reflective tape applied to the helmet. Some kitesurfers carry a mobile phone or two-way radio in a waterproof pouch to use in an emergency. A small Emergency Position-Indicating Radio Beacon can be carried and activated to send out a distress signal.
• A buddy is important to help with launching and retrieving the kite, and to assist in an emergency.
• A GPS can be used to measure distance travelled, tracks and speed during a session.

  Physical practice

Safety

Weather

Aggravating factors

Safety equipment

Statistics

Reports of casualties

• Kitesurfing safety rules

Terminology and jargon

• Air time: the amount of time spent in the air while jumping. This can be remarkably long; the record is Jesse Richman's 22 second long jump. Five to ten seconds is not unusual.
• Apparent wind: the kite's speed relative to the surrounding air. When kitesurfing in a straight line, the kite's apparent wind is a combination of the wind speed and the speed of the kite over the surface, but since the kite is highly steerable the apparent wind can vary widely depending on how the kite is being flown. Most ways of increasing power from the kite involve giving it a higher apparent wind somehow, i.e. diving the kite, riding faster, or riding at a greater angle into the wind. Any of these raises the kite's apparent wind speed.
• Back stall: A condition in which the kite ceases to move forward through the air and becomes difficult to control, often resulting in the kite flying backwards and crashing. Back stall is often caused by lack of wind or by flying the kite with too great of an angle of attack.
• Big air: performing a high jump utilizing the lift of the kite. The jump is often assisted in its initial stage by the rider being catapulted off the lip of a wave.
• Body dragging: being pulled through the water without standing on a board. This is an early step in the learning process, and is essential before trying the board after flying a trainer kite.
• Boost: to suddenly become airborne
• Brain fart: to forget what trick you intended to perform mid air and end up crashing or landing on the water.
• Charlie browner: same as kiteboarder or kitesurfer.
• Chicken loop: a hard rubber loop attached to the middle line which has been fed through the control bar. It is used to attach the control bar to the harness so the kitesurfer can produce tension in the lines using their entire bodyweight instead of using purely arm strength.
• Chicken bone/chicken finger/donkey dick / Donkey tail: a hard rubber "tongue" attached to the chicken loop which the rider feeds through the spreader bar hook to prevent the rider from becoming "unhooked".
• De-power: to reduce the kite's power, generally by adjusting the angle of attack of the kite. Most kites and control bars now allow a rider to rig a kite for a number of different power levels before launching, in addition to powering the kite up and down "on the fly" by moving the bar up and down. Depowerability makes a kite safer and easier to handle. Some new kite models, especially "bow" kites, can be de-powered to practically zero power, giving them an enormous wind range.
• DP: dawn patrol; an early morning session.
• Downwind: the direction the wind is blowing towards; to leeward. When a rider is facing downwind the wind is at their back.
• Downwinder: a kitesurfing "trip" where the rider starts at one point and ends up at another point downwind of their original position.
• Edge: tilting the board with its edge into the water. Used to control the direction of travel. Learning to edge properly is critical for learning to tack upwind. Edging is one of the fundamental skills of kitesurfing and is one of the ways kitesurfing is different from windsurfing or wakeboarding. While windsurf boards have daggerboards and/or skegs to steer the board upwind while lift and planing is provided by the board itself, generally kiteboards actually combine both functions and the bottom of the board lifts the rider and steers simultaneously. Kiteboard fins are generally much smaller and are for keeping the board in the water, but are not essential. Because kite boards have a small rocker, a deep edge can allow the board to act as a large low drag fin. Edging in wakeboarding is used for steering the board; whereas in kite boarding not only does edging steer the kite board, it is essential for kite control and controlling board speed. Riding downwind towards the kite subtracts massively from the kite's power and helps control board speed as well.
• Facial: total loss of flying kite control while on the beach, resulting in the harnessed rider being dragged face first downwind across rocks and sand.
• Freeride: kiteboarding style. Plain kiteboarding that does not involve tricks or jumping. The main goal is keeping a good edge and ability to traverse upwind. This would normally require a board with little rocker.
• Freestyle: kiteboarding style. Freestyle involves tricks where the rider is jumping off the water and experiencing enhanced elevation using lift generated from the kite. Freestyle is, weather-wise, a multi-condition concept and is to some degree equipment-specific. "Big air" is commonly associated with freestyle.
• Goofy: the footedness of the rider, with the right foot leading.
• Guinea pig a person who goes out to test if the wind is rideable or not. If it is, others start riding too. Also known as a Wind-dummy.
• Heel side: the side of a board on the edge where a rider's heels are. "Riding heel side" is riding with heels down.
• Hindenburg: a kite falling out of the air due to the loss of tension in the control lines, and therefore the loss of kite control. Hindenburging can be caused either by lack of wind or by the kite advancing to a position upwind of the kitesurfer in the wind window, also called "overflying the kite".
• Handlepass: while unhooked, passing the control bar behind a riders back while in the air.
• Hot launch: recovering and launching the kite from a position deep inside the wind window so the kite is immediately under maximum power.
• Kiter: the person driving the kite.
• Kiteloop: is a powered group of tricks where a rider loops the kite through the power zone.
• Kitemare: a kiteboardsurfing accident or dangerous mishap. Kitemares can be deadly.
• Launch: getting the kite in the air. The kite may be launched assisted or unassisted. An assisted launch is generally safer than an unassisted launch.
• Lofted: to get lifted vertically into the air by the kite due to a strong gust of wind. Being lofted has resulted in fatalities when kiters on or near land were dragged into obstacles. The danger can be avoided by minimizing time on land with the kite flying directly overhead, and by not kiting in overpowered situations.
• Luff : when the air flow stalls around the kite. It may then stall and fall out of the sky. Like sails, a luffing kite has rippling and flapping panels. When launching the kite, if the kite is luffing, the rider should move farther upwind, or the person holding the kite should move downwind.
• Mobe: this term has two meanings: either a class of wakestyle tricks involving an invert with a 360-degree spin or a specific trick involving a back roll with a frontside 360 handlepass. The former meaning stems from the latter, which was the first type of mobe to ever be landed. Other types of mobes include: mobe 540, mobe 720, slim chance, KGB, crow mobe, moby dick, Pete Rose, blind pete, crow mobe 540, etc.
• Nuking: wind blowing at great speeds. These extreme conditions are dangerous for most riders.
• Offshore: wind blowing at the water from the shore. Never ride in offshore winds without some means of recovery, i.e. a chase boat. This is somewhat less important in smaller bodies of water, of course.
• Onshore: wind blowing perpendicular to and directly at the shore from the water. A challenging condition for beginners, especially if waves are present.
• Dookie dive: loss of power during air time resulting in a crash into the water.
• O-Shit loop: two loops on either ends of the bar that are attached to the kite lines and run through rings attached to the bar. A standard leash attachment point.
• Overhead waves: waves or larger from trough to crest;
• Overpowered: the condition of having too much power from the kite. Can be a result of an increase in wind, incorrect kite choice, incorrect adjustment, simply going too fast, etc. Experienced riders who are overpowered can switch to a smaller board to compensate, to a degree, although it's common to have just one board.
• Pop: height gained above the water using only the board and tension in the lines to get lift, with the kite usually positioned at 45 degrees. Lower kite angles are possible for more experienced riders. Used as a basis for many tricks and regarded as an essential skill for progressing.
• Port the left side of a vehicle, as perceived by a person on board facing the bow.
• Power up: when the kite's power increases, because of wind gusts or the kite's movement.
• Power zone: is the area in the sky where the kite generates the most lift, this is generally between 0 and 60 degrees arc from the center of the downwind direction.
• Raley: a trick where the rider unhooks and then pops in order to fully extend his body into a "superman" position, before landing. This is a power move that's often performed relatively low to the water and forms the basis of more advanced tricks.
• Regular: the footedness of the rider, with the left foot leading.
• Re-launch: a general term for getting the kite back up in the air after crashing it. A relaunch is unassisted and requires the rider to follow a kite-specific procedure. As years of development have gone by, the more recent kites are easier to relaunch.
• Rider: kiteboarder.
• S-Bend: when the rider unhooks and performs a raley followed by a front roll.
• Self rescue: a maneuver by which a rider with a downed kite manipulates the kite in the water to assist them in swimming back to shore. The rider generally wraps up their lines until they reach their kite, then positions their kite so that it is on its back as it would be carried on land but with the wing-tip closer to shore catching the wind. This wing tip acts as a sail and helps pull the rider to shore. This is considered an important manoeuvre to learn.
• Send it: to move the kite aggressively up through the power zone.
• Schlogging: this is riding extremely underpowered. A rider has no power to plane and definitely not enough to jump. A rider and their board bounce from planing on the surface to being dragged in the water.
• Shit hot: the art of stylish smooth moves.
• SLE: Supported Leading Edge. A C shaped kite with an inflatable leading edge, currently the most advanced kite design available allowing massive de-power.
• Side offshore: wind blowing between sideshore and at a 45-degree angle away from the shore.
• Side onshore: wind blowing between sideshore and at a 45-degree angle towards the shore.
• side shore: winds blowing parallel to the shore. Usually the most desirable direction for kitesurfing.
• Spreader bar: a stainless steel bar that attaches to the rider's harness. It has a hook that holds the "chicken loop" when riding hooked in.
• Starboard the right side of a vehicle as perceived by a person on board facing the bow.
• Stomp: to successfully perform a trick.
• Surfstyle: Wave riding using surfboards. Ideal conditions are cross shore to cross offshore with the wind blowing in the same direction that the wave is breaking. Boards can be ridden with or without foot straps.
• Tack: the direction which is being sailed, normally either starboard tack or port tack. In a starboard tack the wind is coming in from the rider's starboard side, similar to sailing a boat. In normal riding, the kitesurfer takes a heading which is as close to into the wind as possible, and in any event leads at some angle slightly upwind, sometimes as much as 45 degrees; jumping or wave riding usually results in traveling downwind, so the net result is to maintain relative position. Alternatively, see "downwinder".
• Tea-bagging: popping out of and falling back into the water intermittently due to light or gusty wind, poor flying skills, twisted lines etc.
• Toe side: the side of a board on the edge where a riders toes are. "Riding toe side" is riding with toes down.
• Underpowered: the condition of having insufficient power from the kite. Can be a result of insufficient wind, choosing a kite that is too small for the wind, rigging incorrectly, board too small, water current in the same direction as the wind, not riding fast enough, etc. A rider who is continuously diving the kite and sending it back up in a sine-wave pattern is usually underpowered.
• Unhooked is when a kitesurfer is riding while the chicken loop is not attached to the rider's harness.
• Upwind: the direction from which the wind is blowing; windward; into the wind.
• VaS conditions: Victory at Sea; rough sea conditions characterized by overhead wind waves causing severe shore break.
• Wakestyle: A style of kiteboarding in which the rider usually uses wakeboarding "boots" for their kiteboard, ensuring their feet remain firmly attached at all times. This style is also associated with performing powered tricks with the kite as low to the water as possible.
• Walk of shame is the act of beach walking back upwind to the location where the kite was originally launched. It could mean that the kiter wasn't able to sail upwind.
• Wind-dummy a person who goes out to test if the wind is rideable or not. If it is, others start riding too. Also known as a Guinea pig.
• Zenith the location in the wind window directly over the kiter's head. This is the neutral position where kitesurfers can place the kite to stop moving or prior to movement. This places the kite in a more vulnerable to "Hindenburgs" position than any other.

  Market data

• 60,000 new kiters annually
• 180,000 kites sold annually
• 75,000 boards sold annually
• 14 board builders
• 19 kite builders

• 1999: 29,000
• 2006: 114,465
• 2008: 140,000
• 2012: 180,000

Compared to windsurfing

World Champions