Upwind struggle

[Trigsta]

Can any1 give me some suggestions on getting further upwind? im spending a lot of time at the mo grounding my board then walking backwards to get upwind. I also tend to skim/bounce downwind when moving. Ive been told to put all my weight on the back foot but not tried that yet. Any other suggestions?

[kitedude]

weight on back foot, look over your shoulder where you want to go.

to start off with going across the wind and ever few meters slide you back foot out even more, this will drive you upwind, level off an repeat.

 

 

make sure your powered up.

[Trigsta]

Cheers, so i level off then cut back in rather than just trying to go ina straight line? will i get further up wind if i have more speed? its just that when i pick up speed i tend to plane more and bounce/skim downwind.

[Tweak]

I also tend to skim/bounce downwind when moving.

 

Ahhh, when i was learning i used to shoot downwind doing that. I have named it tea-traying. Put more weight on the back foot and lean back.

[damesb]

I have a similar problem in that I either bomb down wind very fast (and onto the beach:eek:) or put weight on the board and sink:confused:.

 

Am I doing something fundamentally wrong or is it just a case of finding the balance between the two?

 

Damian.

[kitedude]

edge hard.

 

i.e. tilt the board at a angle and lean back

 

heres a image i just found, note the angle of the board and the riders position

http://www.h2o-extreme.com/images/jclose%20up1.jpg

[Trigsta]

Just a thought. How tight do people have their footstraps? I have mine nice and loose at the moment as im still finding it tricky getting my board on my feet, but because my feet are loose i cant tilt the board enuf to get a edge hard in sometimes. This anything to think about?

[cubik]

what size board you using? i struggled like mad to get it cracked then all of a sudden i did it. i watched fluid edge 1 alot. can you get the copy of kitesurf mag? the one where mike smith goes over edging and getting upwind in detail? if not let me know

[monkeyinshower]

Make sure the kite isn't too high aswell, if it is it pulls you off you edge and thus downwind

[Tone]

you want your kite nice and low, not so low that it is like 2ft off the water, but at about 30degrees.

 

you want to have PLENTY of power and also have your footstraps nice and tights, so you can hold the edge down, now, this is the best one...

 

once you have your kite set, take your front hand off the bar and turn your torso to face the way you are going... this will straighten your front leg and bend your back leg.... try to look back every now and then and see how much spray you are kicking up... always the best way to work out how upwind you are going.

 

Tony

[cubik]

.. try to look back every now and then and see how much spray you are kicking up... always the best way to work out how upwind you are going.

 

Tony

 

thanks for that tip...never really thought of it like that....ta:D

[Howard Marks]

Twist your hips round to look more upwind. I find this puts weight on my backfoot and helps me get upwind..

 

You could also try the New Brunotti fins (bright orange)..they really push your board upwind, even when underpowred.

[Tom183]

It's a matter of balancing the power in the kite with the edge of the board.

 

3 main factors:

1 - kite power

2 - board speed

3 - edging

 

You need to edge hard to get upwind, but this requires more power from the kite.

 

 

If you're sinking, then you need to work the kite more, pull the bar in, and keep your board speed up (so that the kite has more apparent wind).

 

If you're getting pulled off your edge, then you need to work the kite less, push the bar out (and/or pull in the depower strap), and slow down (butt-drag works for this).

 

If you're a bit overpowered, then go slower and edge harder, push the bar out and don't work the kite much.

 

If you're a bit underpowered, then ride faster, don't edge quite so hard, pull the bar in, and work the kite to maintain power.

 

 

There's a balance point, and you'll need to keep making adjustments whenever you go above or below that point.

[Shorey]

I reckon the footstraps thing is personal. I have mine really tight and the board is a bit of a pig to get in/on to, however, once up and riding I can set the edge etc with full confidence. Also...watch Fluid Edge...again and again and again..

[paulie_amoose]

Curl your toe up on your front foot and turn with your shoulders to look slighty upwind. This points the board upwind and the toe curl makes you unweight your front foot. Keep the kite at 30 degrees with it depowered so it sits further forward in the window...

 

Hope that helps...

[Ned1599968590]

Kite low!!!!!!!