Gliding off hills - why I fly the honking kite

[Kenny]

I have been fooling around with a 26M Flysurfer Psycho II the last couple of weeks. I had one long gliding jump at Skyline that opened my eyes to the possibilities...

I had a session at Strawberry today that confirmed my thoughts. I arrived at 4:00 PM just as the wind was beginning to lighten. There were 4-5 riders includeing Jon, Mike, and Marty that decided to pack up and leave as the wind was only blowing 8 - 10mph. There was a fresh base of 12" of powder and blue skies. I decided to launch my 26M. The 26M is kind of a pain to inflate in really light wind. However, once I had it in the air it pulled like a truck. However, there was not enough wind to jump on the flats.

I rode out over the lake and then decided to head downwind of the launch spot and start riding up the small hills. I started on a small hill that was only 50 feet high. I tried sending the kite, but found that it was more effective to get speed down the hill and move the kite from 11 to 12. I moved onto larger hills, the highest was about 200 - 250 feet high.

Now for the good part - I was able to jump/glide about 75% of the hill and land about 100 feet from the base of the hill. I was never more than 30 - 40 feet above the ground and I came down very slowly. The landings were some of the softest I have ever had. I found that by pulling the kite gently from side to side in the air, my jumps lasted longer and I was less likely to pendulum. So, no kite loops were required, no special flying techniques.

I am definitely not the most skilled rider around. I am telling you all about this because I think any experienced rider can do it - it is not scary, it is a blast because you come down so slow. What makes it possible is the size of the kite and the relatively slow gliding speed. When I have tried to do the same thing at Skyline, I would go 40 feet high on my 12M Frenzy, but I came down fast as well.

While I am not describing anything really new (Chasta & Alex Petersen have been doing it for years). For less skilled (and less brave) riders I think this is a real breakthrough.

My new dream kite - a 26M made with the lightweight material. The 26M Psycho needs to shed some weight to be effective in light wind snowkiting. The reason I want the big kite is obvious if you compare the projected ratio of the kite to my body weight (180 pounds).
26M - projected area 24.2M = ratio of .1344 Sq. M to every LB of body weight
17M Speed P.A 15.3 = ratio of .085
12M Frenzy Estimate Projected Area 10 = ratio of .055

I will try to get some video before year end as "seeing is believing."

A couple precautions to keep in mind:
1. I wear a climbing harness as a backup.
2. I check my flying lines for wear before launching.
3. I have been taking my time learning how to glide. Start small first.
4. I went out in light, CONSISTENT wind. I would never want to be attached to a kite that large if the wind speed were over 15 mph.

I have to say that today was the best session I have had on a kite over the past 6 years that I have been kiting. I am so stoked, can't wait to get out there and do it again.

Kenny