AlexHangtime

Hi Guys Thanks for the heads up on this thread Ben. We are available to run courses to suit, we did advertise 2 dates this year but uptake was only 1 or 2 people and we need a minimum of 4 to run a course. BKSA Powerkite Instructor is a 2 day course covering all poerkite types from 2 line to de-power foils & LEI's and everything in-between. Course covers legal aspects, insurance risk assess etc... As for lone working you can under the BKSA system providing you have access to and use technical advice & approved flying sites again this is offered by us and the BKSA. To add Buggy & Landboard to the powerkite course it's a 1 day bolt on but a good personal standard of riding is required for the landboard instructors, buggy standard is not so demanding. Course costs £175.00 inc VAT for 2 day powerkite course, £80.00 for 1 day bolt on lanboard / buggy. To finish and become a BKSA land based instructor you will also need; A Valid First Aid Certificate (Can be completed after the course but you won't recieve your certificate until evidenced) BKSA Individual membership To have assisted an instructor to deliver powerkite instruction (Can be completed after the course but you won't recieve your certificate until evidenced) We can deliver the course at any appropriate flying site (inland or coastal) but additional milage / accomodation costs will apply if outsied a 50mile radius of Blackpool. If you want to keep costs down i'm happy to camp and milage is £0.27 per mile so you can do the sums! If held at your venue you'll also need to provide some form of classroom but i can bring the individual cost down to reflect this as the £175.00 +£80.00 includes room rental. So providing you have 4-12 people a course can be organised especially for you! If your interested please contact me by email: info@hangtimekites.com or phone 01253 870 000 and i'll be happy to chat through options, please don't contact me through forums or facebook as i don't get on them very often, (penalty for having children!) we can also provide first aid training from 6 hour - First Aid at Work, again everything in-between is also available. Hope that provides some food for thought! Happy Kiting Home of Kitesports in the North West since 2004

Our commercial insurance covers the event however we would you to gain insurance with any of the bodies that provide it. More important is your personal level of ability to be honest and the other reason for the £5.00 charge is so that the manufacturers know that when someone comes to demo the gear they have an appropriate skill level to test the gear. Because we're providing some safety cover and we can effectively check your level when we issue the wrist bands you don't need to be gods own answer to kiteboarding but you do need to be a the "staying upwind" and can perform a pack down though. Hope that clarifies obviously land kiting is a little different.

After a difficult 2010 where we didn't manage to arrange a demo weekend at all! I'm proud to announce that we're going all guns blazing in 2011 with our most ambitious demo and event programme ever! Our Kite Blast weekends are designed to maximise your chance to try out the latest kit, talk with suppliers, team riders and manufacturers, gain quality help with your kitemares, riding skills and provide a family friendly beach vibe encompassing Longboard Skateboarding and even Stand Up Paddle Boarding. Competitions and other activities ensure that even if there aren't the wind conditions it's still a great weekend away! We've been as careful as possible in the planning ensuring that tidal conditions are right in the afternoon (allowing for hangovers, mornings are never good for kitesurfers eh?) and ensuring that dates don't clash with the 2011 BKSA events. 2011 Kite Blast Dates * 23rd & 24th April 2011 - Flexifoil Land & Water * 21st & 22nd May 2011 - Naish, SUP & Kite Confirmed * 5th & 5th June 2011 - Peter Lynn - Confirmed * 2nd & 3rd July 2011 * 20th & 21st August 2011 * 17th & 18th September 2011 Come and try out the latest kit, speak with manufacturers & suppliers, take part in one of our kite maintenance, kite tuning or freestyle wind/no wind clinics and take part in one of our insane AMATEUR & FUN competitions (wind / weather permitting). We're planning a course race during each sat pm, and if conditions are right we'll host a big air water comp too. If sunday am conditions are good racing and freestyle land events. We'll be putting the boat on the shoreline to provide safety cover as well so even if you're a little worried about trying out a manufacturers kite we can keep an eye on you and ensure a high level of safety! (And chase down errant boards & kites!) Fleetwood Kite Club will also be here to answer membership questions and provide basic instruction for people wanting to "have a go" at kitesports! Bring your longboard skateboard as we're also running longboard sk8 comps in the car park during the Saturday evening! (hire of longboards is available for those without!) ALL THIS FOR A £5 POUND NOTE! To book your E-ticket for any of the demo weekends simply click 2011 KiteBlast Weekend E-Ticket to book online and recive your wrist band in the shop on the day! Or give us a call on 01253 870 000 Can't make the date? No worries, we're putting on a Kite Blast every month from April to September 2011 alternatively you may decide to come to them al!! To any suppliers / manufacturers interested in showing off their 2011 kite who i haven't contacted (and i'm sorry if i haven't but 2 young children and a business really eat time) please get in touch we'd be happy to welcome you! For more info please check out Home page or Home of Kitesports in the North West since 2004 Alex@Hangtime

Sad to see Turbulence close, i guess it's a sign of the times. The reality is margins are tight for manufacturers, distributors and are particularly difficult for bricks and mortar retailers. It could be argued that the way forward is the internet but then who will put the time into promoting the sport locally? Adam & Lukas did loads for the sport by organising club's, teaching kitesports and arranging demo's, fly in's and of course the fantastic festivals. Adam has allways been a personal friend & mentor and allways had advice and guidance for me even though people might think we were competitiors. This mentallity of helping out others and promoting the sport is perhaps dissapearing once it's gone we will all lament i suspect. Yes you can get a good quick deal and even some good service from the web or the bloke and his van but do they really put back in what they take out? On the up-side if i know Adam Mutiny are going to be very cool and Adam will put his heart and sole into product that he believes in adn won't be associated with any product below par. This means that Mutiny will definatley be a brand to try in 2010. I have moved from ST. Anne's back to my roots at Fleetwood and the reason (before mega speculation starts) is costs! I had made a small faux par and hadn't realised that 2 business properties would have meant the end of my lovely small business rates relief. That in turn would have meant spending £12k a year on the 2 shops just on rates and as i mentioned the margins & customers are just not their for this kind of costs and if we're to survive cutting costs is the only choice left to us. On a positive note i'm still trying to get wheels back on the beach at St. Anne's and we inch ever closer despite Fylde Borough Council's slow action! The season looks pretty good on gear as new manufacturers come and some dissapear or change tack. The market however (particularly kitesurf) is small and finite so every one we introduce to our lovely sport does help all the supply chain. I'm not asking for people to buy from their kite shop exclusiveley but i think it's time to give credit where it's due and remember what the good shops do to promote the sport beyond just selling a kite to a punter, yes you might pay a little more but i'm sure it's worth it for the endless free cups of coffee, free advice & guidance and even a little instruction in the sport let alone the opportuinity to demo some gear and touch the new shiny kites, boards etc... Rant over, Alhoa!

Greatful for your support but we're still not quite there, the more people that post in this thread, and email me and comment on the news section the more power is brought to bear. Thanks again

Thanks folks, please don't forget to share the link and comment! Your support has kept me going on this one and i will never forget the help everyone has given

Hey grant, all the info is on the blog, i will be putting the Safety Management System on as a downloadable file v.soon but it's been hard to keep up with all the events recently! My wife has broken her wrist so kids are now my bag, not enough time in the day eh? Link Here

Update on situation here

To everyone who's supported us over the past 5 years in our quest to regain access for wind powered wheel sports at Lytham St. Anne's beach a huge THANK YOU! We're still (even after 5 years of hard work and campaigning) not quite there BUT i feel we are super close. If you're not familiar with the access situation i've posted a blog to my website, it's taken a while 'cos i kept breaking the website. Please follow the link here I've been a bit rubbish at communicating our campaign in the past and for that i apologise but it's hard work what with kids, kites, beaches, campaining, accounts etc...... No excuse really but there you are. Friday the 26th will see the Policy Developement Scrutiny Committee meeting at Trax Windsports Centre and could be the end of our long fight. We may still need to call on the support of the Kiting community though if things don't work out. It seems that public pressure is sometimes the only thing that the council will react too. I'll try and remember to post here after the meeting but i may be elated or depressed so please check the news feed, PLEASE spread the info as far and wide as you can and please, please, please create an account and comment, your opinions and comments are read, useful, cherished and used in our campaign! Thanks again for all your support, i hope we will soon be able to welcome you all to perhaps one of the U.K.s best land kiting beaches!

Just a quickie! Kitesurf Instructor Training Course 2nd to 6th November if anyone wants more details / info check out the website or give me a call M:07875 957 226 Tel: Fleetwood Shop 01253 870 000 St. Anne's Shop: 01253 781 529 This is the link: http://www.hangtimekites.co.uk/shop/index.php/bksa-instructor-training-1/bksa-instructor-training.html#answer1 still have a few places left, the course is at our new shop and the Trax Windsports Centre at St. Anne's near Blackpool. Alex

Just a quickie! Kitesurf Instructor Training Course 2nd to 6th November if anyone wants more details / info check out the website or give me a call M:07875 957 226 Tel: Fleetwood Shop 01253 870 000 St. Anne's Shop: 01253 781 529 This is the link: http://www.hangtimekites.co.uk/shop/index.php/bksa-instructor-training-1/bksa-instructor-training.html#answer1 still have a few places left, the course is at our new shop and the Trax Windsports Centre at St. Anne's near Blackpool. Alex

have a course on the 2nd - 6th November 09 at the new trax windsports centre in St. Anne's nr. Blackpool see http://www.hangtimekites.co.uk/shop/index.php/bksa-instructor-training-1/bksa-instructor-training.html for more details. Or ring 01253 870 000 Cheers Alex

Hangtime Kitesports & Trax Windsports Centre Now at St. Anne's http://alexhangtimekites.smugmug.com/Other/Backroom/4816572_6ctoZ#681741947_E4S4b O.K. so 4 years in the making and almost there! Eddie Sloane (Trax Group) has poured vast amounts of cash into the former Sand Yacht Club building at St. Anne's. http://alexhangtimekites.smugmug.com/photos/681741914_JqMwz-O.jpg Phase 1 of the building modernisation is finnished (although flag poles and signage are yet to go up). http://alexhangtimekites.smugmug.com/Other/Backroom/4816572_6ctoZ#681741929_p6qQX We've spent the last few days moving some stock into the showroom section and it's looking a little more like the venue we want. http://alexhangtimekites.smugmug.com/Other/Backroom/4816572_6ctoZ#681741870_Q7ae5 We're open most days but for the next few weeks please ring before coming to see us as we're still ferrying stock items from Fleetwood to the St. Anne's venue the address & telephone number are: Hangtime Kitesports at Trax Windsports Centre, the former sand yacht club, Clifton Drive North, St. Anne's On Sea, Lancashire,FY8 2NA Tel: 01253 781 529 open 10am-5pm Tues, Weds,Thurs, Sat & Sundays! However due to a Senior Instructors Course the venue will be closed on the 27th & 28th October, Pop in to see the new gaff at your leisure! http://alexhangtimekites.smugmug.com/photos/681741829_nMcJA-O.jpg We are still committed to our Fleetwood customers and Hangtime Kitesports Fleetwood is open 10am-5pm Fridays & Saturdays through Winter and will be open more from the end of May 2010 for the summer season. We hope you'll find the time to pop in and see the new store, there is still mucho work to be done before we get wheels back on the beach at St. Anne's but we're almost there, the next phase of the project is to train and equip the staff and instate all of the operating procedures needed to keep the public safe whilst we enjoy our superb sport (please note this only includes wheel sports such as buggy / sand yacht / speed sail & landboard and NOT kitesurfing which continues on the Fylde coast.) If you'd like more info on the story of St. Anne's Beach we've posted a blog type thing on the website at http://hangtimekites.com/hangtime-news/st-anne-39-s-beach-access-situation/prod_79.html So come on down we'd love to see you and we'd love the opportunity to show you around and even make you a brew! Alex

Hi Folks Just to let you know that i became aware of this on Wednesday when the fisherman in question (see post earlier in thread) emailed me and the council. I have since responded to his email and written to Paul Mc Williams at Fylde Borough Council. In light of these issues (and it's not the first time) please can i ask anybody kiting at St. Anne's to do 2 things? 1. note times and dates and details of any incidents and drop me an email with details. This will help enourmously when the council write / email or ring me as i can then present the kite communities experiences as opposed to just the complainee's comments. 2. Please be curteous and polite even if the person is "fronting up" and being a little challenging. Conflict gives these people the ammunition they need to complain and get kiting a bad press at best and a ban at worst. (i know this is hard when your blood boils!). We've been working hard at the access situation since Fylde Borough Councils ban on all but single line kites in 2006 and we do have a dialogue with the council, unfortunalty i don't often have the time to get on here so if you've had issues with other beach users please, please, please email a short description of the incident and date to me at info@hangtimekites.com or alternativeley email the BKSA so we can record the issue's.

O.K. so i never come to Ainsdale, not because i don't want to but it's about time management (2 baby boys on the rampage = no time to manage) So i'm perhaps not qualified to comment on this thread. I do hear lot's about Ainsdale though and have many friends who kite on land & water there. I'm really confused by some of the statements on this thread. Competition is healthy and i can't understand why anyone would try to shut it out, there is a good argument for ensuring that traders have correct insurance to demo (client liability, 3rd party liability, events insurance, employers liability) and of course a responsible trader / instructor should have other things in place too. What on earth is the deal with trying to stop sign written vans / boards / buggy's etc... has the country turned into a police state already? perhaps i was dozing as the right wingers moved in. Couple of bits of news; 1. A single concession to 1 operator seems to be causing more hassle than it's worth. It's making people feel like there is an unfairness in the system. 2. The Demo days we've had (at Fleetwood) have always had other shops and in the most part they have been welcome. I don't get why that can't be the same at Ainsdale. 3. I believe that the monopolies commision would be concerned at the action's being taken by the council in turning away other traders etc... 4. The Office of the Deputy Prime Minister issued guidance to councils on the management of Open Spaces for Sport & Leisure, it says that councils have a duty to protect environements for the public to use, suggests user group forum's so that conflict can be avoided and advises that organised user groups should continue to use the open spaces around country. I constantly get the impression that kiters at Ainsdale feel dis-enfranchised, surely the council are following this government guidance? If i, as a British Canoe Union kayak coach decide to take a group of paying clients to Llangollen (where there is a school, shop & cafe) and pay my £5.00 a head to get my group on the river and charge my clients for the coaching no one bat's an eyelid. I'm allways polite and ring before i take a party but never get any hassle. I've also taught kayaking on navigable waterways owned by British Waterways and Estuary's, Rivers & the sea. No council has ever asked me for anything, i'm free to travel the country and practice my profession almost anywhere and i've been doing so throughout Europe and the UK for 16 years. Because of this i've always had a major headache when dealing with kitesurfing as there seems to be a totally different attitude out there. Surley more instructors / schools = more people being educated = better safety for all? I do however think that instructors / schools should reach a standard before being allowed to operate on any site and this should = Qualified / IKO / BKSA / BPKA, Commercial Insurance (it is a legal requirement to carry liability insurance for your CLIENTS if you are operating for hire / reward, and as most claims run into high figures the IKO instructors insurance would not cover you in the U.K. as the precedents have already been set. Risk Assessed, Possibly inspected or audited although the gold seal is probably the Adventurous Activities Licensing Authority who will audit even non licensable centres. for god's sake put down the guns and live in peace, kitesurfing / kiting is supposed to be fun i know people who stay clear of Ainsdale just because they read all this stuff and feel they have to stay away! How's that inclusive (oh that's also a legal requirement by the way). Rant over, phew i feel better now Hope the Meeting settled some issues?