how menny bones have your kites broken?

[the_hatman]

just chatting with Clive and it came to me are there people out there as inept as as me. Apart from the grass burns, striped bark, gravel rash and other miner strains and bruising, how meany of you have dun major damage. Me I've broken 2 bones R little finger and a rib can we make a full broken skeleton.?

Edited August 18, 2015 by the_hatman
not catting any more

[.Joel]

Broke my Fibula in January as part of an unexpected "big M" on launch.  Didn't realise immediately that it was broken, thought the bulge out the side just below the knee was swelling coming up really quick.  Hung around Kingston for another 5/6 days kiting in some discomfort, then after arriving back in Melbourne had X-Rays to confirm it had been broken.

[Clive]

None for me, plus I intend to keep it that way, hence the full body armor, helmet, shin guards and boots.

But there's plenty around on the forum. I will let them give the juicy details.

[Goz]

Think I cracked a couple of ribs doing my best superman impression in 35 knots when I was first starting out. Other than that a bit of sand rash and a few bruises.

[soliver]

I broke my calcaneus (heel bone) on my left foot last December,... it was serious enough to need surgery (day before Christmas eve) and 5 months of recovery... it still hurts too , but not nearly as bad as when I first did it. I knew immediately that I had hurt myself, which is kind of inevitable when you get lofted 10-15 ft and hit the brakes mid-air.

[ssayre]

I broke my calcaneus (heel bone) on my left foot last December,... it was serious enough to need surgery (day before Christmas eve) and 5 months of recovery... it still hurts too , but not nearly as bad as when I first did it. I knew immediately that I had hurt myself, which is kind of inevitable when you get lofted 10-15 ft and hit the brakes mid-air.

That was during a competition Spencer and I had to see who would be the first to top Spencer's previous personal best.  I've since thought of a safer competition we could have.  We could time ourselves and see who the fastest is to set up the nasa star.  I've often wondered how fast others connect lines and get them flying compared to me.

Luckily no broken bones here.

[windstruck]

I still cringe thinking about your lofting Spencer. Must have been a true Code-Brown moment. Sorry to hear you have residual pain.

Sean - set up is super quick as we all know.  I'll give it a whirl under timed conditions and report in. You do the same?  I keep all my Stars in a single large backpack and my two bars in a Navigator bar bag also in that backpack (short line hand-held standard Born bar with 7m lines and my super-duper adjustable width Universal bar with standard 20m lines, chicken loop and custom donkey stick). My set up also includes placing three weighted bags on the kite, unwinding my lines, walking the lines to ensure no tangles or crossings, securing the lines to the three bridle points, walking back to bar, hooking in and launching.  I'll start my timing with my backpack and weighted bags next to each other and my buggy out where I'll be standing with my bar once complete. Time will be from start to kite launch. 

Fortunately, no breaks so far in my kite buggy adventures. Two bad situations that could have been much worse. First, I foolishly tried some "off roading" on a rough field with a steep drop off to the side. I made my turn and the kite dove down the drop off, pulling me down the hill with it. Kite crashed, I wrapped my rear axle with my lines and came to a stop because the lines got caught on a sagebrush plant and the wrapped lines yanked me to a stop. There was a lot of steep rocky downhill left ahead of me!  Minor bruising and abrasions. 

Second, under the power of a 8.5m NS3 that was slightly overpowered, a gust pulled me sideways and I slammed into a soccer goal post (I think I hit it with my rear axle just inside of the right wheel). The goalpost was four inch square tube and full sized but I managed to shift it about 6-7 feet.  I flew out of my buggy and got dragged down a rough embankment trying to pull my safety as I rolled around. Got pretty cut up and abraded on that one.

with these two near calamities in the bag I have had a renewed focus on safety.  

[nigel]

Broken collar bone in three parts and punctured lung.

All healed now, with a nice titanium plate and 6 screws.

 

Cracked several ribs in the buggy, getting too carried away doing to 540's etc.

 

Other bones (not kiting) include both wrists (Yes both at the same time), a cracked sternum, and a few cracked ribs.

[soliver]

Yea... I'm off my speed kick for a good while I'm sure, probably for good. In recent history I haven't had wind to fly anything but my 7m NS3, so timing myself doesn't come into play as I leave the lines and bar connected.

and yes, Nigel, I'm a member of the titanium club too... I've got 2 plates and 5 screws. The residual pain comes and goes with the weather.

[SoutherlyBuster]

That was during a competition Spencer and I had to see who would be the first to top Spencer's previous personal best.  I've since thought of a safer competition we could have.  We could time ourselves and see who the fastest is to set up the nasa star.  I've often wondered how fast others connect lines and get them flying compared to me.

Luckily no broken bones here.

Fastest way to launch the kite is Neil style, which only works if you use handles. The lines are wrapped around the front of the bars. Throw the kite out into the wind, it unflolds, lones spin of the bar, perhaps a few death spirals in for good measure, once the lines have payed out, spin the kite until the twists are removed. It's ammazing watching it, I have only sucessfully done this once or twice.

Back on topic, no broken bones for me, closest I got was a very sore shoulder for 4 weeks after a bail out during a landboard down hill run. Every thing that could go wrong did go wrong: one flat tyre unoitced, camber drop off on side of road, soft patch on side of road, me sining the board left to right, speed wobble kicked in and threw me off. Zac has it all on film, will see if I can dig it up.

[the_hatman]

It's not even safe in the water, I was body surfing behind my 12m ziptip off Trig WA tacking hard to get past the reef (this was about my 3rd run each time getting nearer the end of the reef), I turned to cut across the end of the reef feeling the power pull me out of the water (like a fishing lour being wound in) just as i was about to go round the swell dropped revealing a blood (soon to be) greet square rock (about 8x8') 6' in front of me. Now if ever you decide to get rock rash avoid barnacles and other marine life as a side dish.

[gum-nuts]

Thankfully only bruises and scrapes so far!

[SoutherlyBuster]

It's not even safe in the water, I was body surfing behind my 12m ziptip off Trig WA tacking hard to get past the reef (this was about my 3rd run each time getting nearer the end of the reef), I turned to cut across the end of the reef feeling the power pull me out of the water (like a fishing lour being wound in) just as i was about to go round the swell dropped revealing a blood (soon to be) greet square rock (about 8x8') 6' in front of me. Now if ever you decide to get rock rash avoid barnacles and other marine life as a side dish.

Ouch, like barnacles clinging to vertical coral towers on head lands. Once got pulled out by a rip, life saver must have thought I was waving saying hello, anyway, the rip mades it's way back to shore on the headland, me along with it. That is where my shins discovered the barnacles. Lesson learned, always know how to get your self out of trouble, rather than rely on otheres.

[the_hatman]

OK so far just a simple diagram

[KiteStyle]

I've only fractured ribs (both sides) from kitesurfing at different times. 

Non Kiting, my poor left side:

Broken a finger (basketball I think) 

Fractured wrist (rollerblades)

Smashed elbow 2 titanium plates, 12 screws, 2 operations (skateboard, a year ago) 

Dislocated shoulder numerous times (injured monoskiing when young)

collarbone (snowboarding)

 

Apparently I fall worse on the left.

Right arm only has a fractured wrist from an incident involving running backwards on top of a 44 gallon drum down a hill. Not a sport I recommend. 

 

 

[the_hatman]

@KiteStyle try log roiling there U just fall in the water or get crushed by another log.

hold on how about log surfing this may be a team sport size of team depending on the size of log.

points scored for speed (point deduced for time over or under set time for course), elegance of team power kite rooteen (ruteen, rotean routeen i give up) and number of remaining pilot.

Edited August 18, 2015 by the_hatman
insperation

[IMK]

• Broken tibia and fibula (spiral fracture) - both legs - skating. 
• Broken wrist - indoor soccer.
• Broken fingers - sparring - martial arts

My last break was my tibia and fibula on my left leg.  After the surgery I looked at all the metal in my leg and asked why nothing was done to fix my fibula.  Their response was that the fibula doesn't do much when compared to the tibia and not to worry about it.  I've now got a rod going down the inside of my shin bone that is fixed with screws below my knee and above my ankle.

Even though none of my injuries occurred whilst kiting, suffice to say that I'm a lot more cautious with my kites.  I won't be chasing any speed records.  I just don't heal as quick as I did when I was young.  It's been almost 8 months since I broke my leg and I'm still not able to walk for more than 30 mins without discomfort.

The upside of injuring myself is that I've re-kindled my passion for cycling as its the only cardio exercise that doesn't cause me pain.

Edited August 19, 2015 by IMK
dyslexia made me do it

[RedSky]

My friends foot became mince meat after his buggy accident. A fence post nearly took his foot clean off after a hot launch went wrong on a gusty 30mph day.

Airlifted off the beach.

Don't look if you're squeamish. Picture taken on the beach.  http://i207.photobucket.com/albums/bb277/Turks63/Leg/11042010656.jpg

Ok, time to lighten the mood. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CmbQ3LqUMRM&feature=youtu.be

 

[jhn.holgate]

Don't look if you're squeamish. Picture taken on the beach.  http://i207.photobucket.com/albums/bb277/Turks63/Leg/11042010656.jpg

Geez, you weren't kidding about the 'mince'.  What a mess.  How did/is the recovery go/going? 

[m.klinge]

Only a broken collar bone here from an unexpected unhooking during a 360 tail grab on lamdboard - and I plan to stay that way. Yet I still try do push my speed record on lamdboard and jumping hight on the water :-D 

//M 

[igeighty]

Ive been lucky, smashed my head a few times on hard sand (in a helmet) getting yanked out backwards from the buggy.

Once got lofted on main beach byron about 20 foot, i had been messing about with my 6m peel, when a fellow from Melbourne rocked up with a home made 10m peel copy, after getting lifted a few times with it i got cocky and being a goose, got boosted up really high, kite landed in the tree, i landed on my hip and had a bruise the size of a dinner plate, with my board short's fabric texture engraved into it. it looked like jupiter. was unconscious a few minutes that i didn't remember.

Another time, not exactly a 'bone' injury, well sort of  was bugging down belongil beach, on shore north easter wind in summer, wearing nothing but wet board shorts that where flapping up around my belly, i hit a very large patch of bluebottles for what seemed like eternity. the front tyre turned them into bluebottle mist. and baisted my junk and thighs with bluebottle pulp.

its so funny i am laughing as i type it out.. wasn't funny at the time though.

[TheVelcroCats]

I got a long spiral fracture on my fibular and some damage to my tibia too. It was from a landboarding sesh when I got lofted a little but fell in a rotation. My leg twisted as I fell. Lucky for me it was in the kitesurfing off-season. For the three months I was in a cast I took up RC flying with my bixler.

 

[SoutherlyBuster]

 

Ok, time to lighten the mood. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CmbQ3LqUMRM&feature=youtu.be

 

That is a riper. Was that one of yours?

[plummet]

Would have died if I wasn't wearing a helmet.  But helmet saved me. Only ended up with 4 stitches  in my head.

Got some perminant wear in my right hip from the 24 hr landboard I did. 

 

[andy666]

No broken bones from kiting, but dislocated shoulder twice which later required surgery and 6 months rehab :(