540 Dave

Keeping the kite at the zenith is the right thing to do UNLESS you have been stupid enough to position yourself upwind of something solid or perhaps another beach user. In which case a little steering input to avoid a collision would be wise. It's also a good idea to prepare yourself to activate your safety the moment you touch down. You can always relaunch after you have reassessed the conditions.

What's wrong with back/frontroll, I thought this was the standard term. It also avoids any confusion between loops and kiteloops/downloops.

The move is a backloop (or backroll), however, in backside/frontside terms it's frontside.

Found this explanation of the theory: http://www.skateboard-city.com/fs-bs_guide.php I wouldn't read the bit about shove-its if I were you!

I just ask because I always referred to them as back or front rolls as in kitesurfing so never thought about front/backside. Coming (some time ago) from skateboarding they would be frontside. Are the rules different for kites?

Nice moves, but aren't those frontside 360s

When you pull in the bar you should get max power but not stall the kite. If the kite is losing power when you pull the bar in, it must be incorrectly set up.

I'd agree with that, 12m Frenzy would be my choice with 16m Venom a close second. If you like things a little "smoother" then the Sabre would be the one.

Your best bet is to go for a seat harness to start off with and progress onto a waist one when you are a more experienced rider. Seat harnesses have a lower hook position so they give you the advantage over the kite when overpowered meaning you can handle more power. The disadvantage is one of comfort. Waist harnesses give total freedom of leg movement, Great! On the down side the hook is higher so the kite has the advantage over you when overpowered, this can result in bad form and less ability to handle power. In addition to this a waist will ride upto your chest if your technique is dodgy making the situation worse. The Mystic and the new Scrub seats are well worth a look.

The 10" tyres are great on soft sand where a large footprint is the order of the day, but they slide very easily on grass and they add a fair bit of weight to your board. Either the Strikers or T2s will do a fine job.

The Deimos is an absolute bargain. The lion canyon was good for the price and the addition of the new bindings makes the deimos even better value. The only problem would be if your friend is very large as you can tend to catch big feet (size 10+) on the wheels! The Ejector is very nice too with a lower, more flexible board and a more forgiving ride, I'd go for this if you want to do some downhill as well as kiting.

For what its worth you need to consider that pretty much all the power will be exerted via the bar to your arms, fifth lines can be tensioned but they don't really hold any power which is why it's easy to pull them in even when you are seriously overpowered. You will probably end up (if it works!) with a system like the old Windtools foil de-power, works on paper but sadly too much power for anyones elbows:(

I've been riding the 138 x 39 '05 and have just got the '06 model. I've been very happy with the performance, just the right amount of flex and plenty of pop:D The chop handling is great as the board just flexes through it.

I voted left as it's more natural for me to ride that way, however, I always try to learn everything both ways as soon as possible. I find it gets more difficult to learn the opposite way the longer you put it off.

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