OlorinZA

http://i44.tinypic.com/vi08cn.jpg Wind was nice and stable. Not my biggest jumps with the Rage by any means, but a good experience overall.

Thanks for the compliments, guys. I'll pass them on. I agree 100% about the float. At one point I was concerned about going too high without the float to cushion the landing, but the problem has more to do with the nature of the wind on the day. If there is more pull, I get easy 10m-15m long jumps at about 2m max height -- superman FTW, no float FTL. If the wind is liftier, like today (30kph), and you keep redirecting when you're up there, the landing is much more casual. Nothing compared to the proper lift-orientated and bigger kites, but still. Today's three hour session entailed about 90% 3-3.5m jumps. Love it!

http://img97.imageshack.us/img97/2967/img9647.jpg Cooling down...

Here are a couple pics taken during December by my fiance. The first lot are at Blouberg, near Cape Town. http://img689.imageshack.us/img689/9127/img9451a.jpg http://img704.imageshack.us/img704/5763/img9455.jpg http://img97.imageshack.us/img97/2448/img9544f.jpg http://img97.imageshack.us/img97/2958/img9548d.jpg http://img697.imageshack.us/img697/7673/img9550m.jpg http://img177.imageshack.us/img177/826/img9549.jpg http://img97.imageshack.us/img97/968/img9654.jpg These were taken a week ago in Margate, an hour's drive from Durban. The winds here are not as potent or stable as Blouberg's, but on one day (not pictured here unfortunately), I did manage to break my own record with one or two four meter jumps in around 30km/h wind. http://img697.imageshack.us/img697/9425/img1425v.jpg http://img80.imageshack.us/img80/6466/img1441m.jpg http://img80.imageshack.us/img80/6973/img1395.jpg My fiance's brother helping his dad with an identical Rage 3.5 in the distance...

You guys are just soft. Here, I found a pic from a January. http://img65.imageshack.us/img65/9135/pict0124dv2.jpg

My new trick is to belly scud for a couple meters, then bring the kite lower through the window, SUPERMAN, and bring your legs in under you in order to land upright. Looks impressive. No shit involved.

Perfect, Phizz -- your contribution is much appreciated. I think this is a question that needs asking, with the Rage as one of the most commonly recommended "learner" kites, it will naturally be a stepping stone to something else. These comparisons will be very helpful.

I would be very interested in a comparison against other kites you own, or have flown. Stability, lift, power, etc.

And a helmet!

I'm about 14 stone. The cool thing is that larger jumps are definitely possible in stronger wind. That was about 25kph/16mph/13kts. It's just the fear of the descent that holds a person back with a Rage. I know that when the wind is howling, my self-preservation kicks in and I end up with jumps not too much higher on average than those in the clip.

http://www.metacafe.com/watch/3205060/kite_beach/ A compilation of yesterday's session. (Tried Youtube but I spent all day synchronizing the music to the jumps only for Youtube to mute the damn thing ).

If that's the way you see a stomach scud, then it makes sense that you'd question the point. I see it a little differently to the art of face-planting after being catapulted forward due to error: Some soft sand, free of debris (helps to check before hand), your starting position is on your stomach, and you bring the kite low across the window with quick changes in direction to ensure continued momentum. Depending on wind speed, kite size and technique, one might be lifted off the ground for short bursts, but in general your eye level will remain close to ground level, helping to sustain a decent sensation of speed. Realistically though, in a two hour session, I might do the above only twice -- it is far more strenuous a task than regular scudding, and there is always the risk of having missed something in your prior recon of the area. I remember what brought me to this, many months ago. A gust and inadequate redirection caused me to land off balance with a face-plant. I found myself on my back, and as I rolled onto my side, the kite flew across the window. I was launched with ferocity, perhaps only two feet high, but about 7-10m. I recall looking over my shoulder at the kite and thinking, "Oh shit!" right before it happened. A desperate tug brought the kite to the zenith and I stopped sliding. That was the day the seed was sowed.

Well, my smallest also happens to be the only kite I've ever used. 3m / 9ft+ vertically in 30km/h conditions with the Rage.

As L60N says, gauge the behavior of the wind for a while. Hold the kite at the zenith and start to bring it across the window in either direction with small movements, gradually becoming larger, but at low speed. When you're happy with that, bring the kite across the window a little quicker, and lower. Over the course of ten to fifteen minutes you'd have a decent idea of what the wind is up to. Before doing pendulum jumps, do basic jumps from a crouching position. I posted this recently: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PFzJtwRViw8 (Check out 0:25, 0:38, 0:59, 1:06, 1:44, and 1:49. The winds were around 25km/h, and I am just under 90kg.) When you're feeling uneasy about the power or stability of the wind, limit the relative strength of the kite on the handles by standing still. The pendulum action will increase the pull exerted on the handles. The Rage is designed with traction in mind and is said to be good for landboarding and buggying, so the odds of being lofted are less than if you were flying a Blade in the same conditions. Also, the tendency (in my experience anyway) is to be pulled forward instead of lofted, in gusty conditions, so count on extra distance to some of your jumps. Hope this helps.

...for want of a better term? Same as regular scudding (in terms of control and intent), but lying on your stomach. Having your eye-level closer to the ground gives more of a thrill IMO. But it's a little riskier (when it comes to beach debris), so I don't do it often.