sailor

If you want the extra height get a C kite, they boost much bigger, the hybrids/bows tend to give more hangtime but its more of a long low glide.

is there any point doing that?

worry that if you are on a bow kite your back is now nowhere near a wall.

Handle pass?

get a dry suit and save the bother!

You will only be able to flag the kite to 1 line if you have ring or something similar to hook your safety too. I used to have one of these kites back in the day but cant really remember the setup. I think the only way to do it is to fire the recon, the kite then ended up down wind of you leading edge down, you then have to keep pulling in on one of the steering lines to try and turn the kite into a safe position. not easy i'm afraid, and alot of dragging the kite around the beach. the recon 2 had red plastic balls on the steering lines you might be able to hook onto that if it will allow the bar to then shoot up the line, I would really need to see a pic though.

OR recommend paraffin wax.

check the line lengths on your bar first, it could be that the 9m is more forgiving of short back lines.

James yea you are right it is a Dakine, so maybe thats the problem, although its never been an issue with any other C loops. I would rather replace the rope and save £20, I have never worn out a C loop to the point that the release was knackered.

best stuff is paraffin wax, just put some on the zip once every few sessions. you can also use it to coat your depower rope which will significantly reduce wear.

micro hook is fine, just turn the chicken loop around or remove it if you dont like it. I found with the naish loop that once hooked in it stretches, the chick dick a) isnt long enough after the loop stretches and b) isnt stiff enough, this would then result in unwanted unhooking usually at the worst possible moment. £30 for a new depower rope is a bit ambitious also, jesus those are nearly North prices!!

3 shiney new vegas coming this week!

just chopping in my torch 4's for vegas 08's. The torch is a light kite, its built light and feels light in the sky with not much in the way of bar pressure. There isnt much throw on the bar but you dont really need it, the double depower works well but you cant steer the kite in this mode its really just a get out of trouble thing. The torch 9m is very sweet, nice and quick, I thought the 12m was a little slow to turn but as they all fly on the same bar i guess its no surprise. The bar itself is pretty good although a little fussy and complex for me (there is lots going on with the double depower), the chicken loop is **** and the chick dick doesnt really do anything. There is loads of room for adjustment though with leader lines etc, this is a good thing as the kites dont fly great out of the bag, I found I had to shorten the steering lines in order to get the kite to perform at its best. So they take some setting up and setups will need to be changed if you switch to the 'grunty' mode. Once you have the kite setup though they are sweet, good range and a surprising bottom end too. Vegas I think is more like a truck compared to the torch, it feels a lot more solid in the air and there is significantly more bar pressure (although not quite in bow territory), you tend to feel that you are more powered than you actually are which is a bit strange. These kites are built like no other, lots of super heavy duty material, built to last. The bar is top drawer, very simple, all parts easy to replace, chicken loop is the best I have come across. Again 1 bar for all kites but they are adjustable for the smaller sizes. The vegas turns quicker than the Torch, I would say the 14 is on par with the 12m torch, and for a big kite it loops well. Again these kites have a good bottom end, very grunty, but the top end goes on and on, huge wind range. Both jump well, 9m torch is awsome, havent tried the 9m vegas yet so would be unfair to compare. If you want a light feeling kite, with little bar pressure, quick setup (octopus) then I would go Torch. If you want to be trucked along, like a heavier feeling quicker kite and are willing to pay a lot more for the build then go with the vegas.

the foreigners are not a problem if you punch one out on your first day, you soon get a reputation and they will stay clear from the crazy englishman!

you could easily get away with the 132, the 134 is a big board plus the width jumps 2cm from the 132 which makes a huge difference. It does feel like a smaller board when you ride it because it is loose but at 42cm wide the 134 is getting into proper light wind board territory.

El Gouna is great, just check the tides though. Movenpick beach is owned by the hotel, its a lot smaller than Mangroovy and is really for the more advanced rider due to windshadow at the launch site and 20m out, and swimming area down wind, there is 1 kiteschool there. Mangroovy is a much larger beach and has i think 3 schools, its much busier and less tidal and more suited to beginners, particularly when you are out on your own and learning to stay upwind.

08' are alot like the 06 vegas but a bit more refined. vegas have never been known for bottom end though and as the 08 is back to 'proper C kite' size for size it will have less bottom end then the ozone. sweet kites though, probably the best built out there at the moment but they are way over priced!!! my advice is 08 torches less money and more performance! but between the vegas and instinct whats there to think about..........vegas any day.

you would probably be better of with the 08 or 06 vegas, didnt rate the 07 and the fact that the 08 is very similar to the 06 says it all. they also did away with the 2 pump which can only be a good thing!

depends what kite you are riding, Bow/SLE kite to 12 oclock C kite to 10/2 oclock keep the bar sheeted in. could also be that when you send the kite you are sending it too low through the window which will have the effect of launching you forward as well as up which may explain the slack line thing, and also underswinging as mentioned earlier. get someone to watch you do a couple of jumps and see whats going wrong, not so easy to comment on technique problems on here.

Shinn twin 2008, great board! I have the 132 and been riding it i guess a month or so. the 132 is a great all round size, good in light wind but will hold down a lot of power. I came from a 126 666, i initially thought the board would feel too big and would not hold down the power i was used to, but this hasnt been the case and it has given me significantly more bottom end on each of my kites. Its not as quick as a 666 and is much looser, its also a lot carvier. The fins are positioned right at the end of the board which makes it great for turning on the wave, also because of this it turns much tighter. I guess it depends on what you want the board for, if you want to feel locked in etc get the 666, if you want a more carvy looser board the shinn will be better. It also has better stance width options than the 666. If you have any specific questions drop me a line, its hard to assess what best to put down without doing a 'full' review.

slingshot is a good leash. naish do a similar one, same sort of release but is shorter. Those 'stupid clips' are better than the round ones which can come undone and are not as robust.

Double depower, on a full on C kite!! Thats a bit girly dont you think.... haha yea, it just pulls in the 5th line (no steering though) not quite as girly as the fuel................ you cant cleat it off!!!! come to think of it its still girly though, anyone know where i can get a quiver of black tips from?

I have 9, 12, and 16 torch 4. very nice kites, havent tried the 16m yet. the 9m is awsome, super fast, (they are all very quick for their size). They dont fly straight out of the bag though and require a little setup, depending on which pigtails you connect to. It seems they like to fly with short back lines, somewhere between the B and C leader line knotts. isnt much throw on the bar but you dont really need it. double depower works well, you cant steer the kite in double depower mode but it may keep you out of trouble if it all goes wrong. What else can I say, high performance, fast turning and jump high. I did have a set of Helix but didnt like them, they were just a good hybrid/SLE, nice kite, good range etc but no real balls. havent tried the alliance but as the helix was touted as the performance sigma kite i doubt it will be any better, performance wise at least, in which case the torch wins hands down.

BUPA covers travel and kit.

I believe some of the airlines are cancelling flights out there for the next 4 weeks.