Snowkiting photos....wave video...

[Marty Lowe]

.

http://www.pbase.com/robv/20050318_ozone

and

http://www.windzup.com/video_chastainstinct.html


-Marty

[lesvierra]

I assume that was chasta in the video. Why does he always do kite loops before he lands. Is it to slow his descent, or change directions, or get speed up for landing, or just to look cool. I havent noticed any other people doing that. Is it necessary or just cool?

[lesvierra]

I assume that was chasta in the video. Why does he always do kite loops before he lands. Is it to slow his descent, or change directions, or get speed up for landing, or just to look cool. I havent noticed any other people doing that. Is it necessary or just cool?

[Marty Lowe]

A kite loop at the end of a big jump/small flight,
lets you redirect yourself,
or get some forward pull,
so you don't come straight down real hard.

So I've been told....


-Marty

[Kenny]

Les,

If you watch closely, he sometimes will do a downloop instead of a full kite loop. Marty is correct, the upswing of the kite will slow your descent on a big jump. When Chasta goes off a large hill. He may have the kite overhead, but his descent often accelerates due to gravity and the size of the kite in proportion to his body weight. If he flew the kite like you normally do during a jump, he would come down hard (I can tell you this from experience). The kite will tend to overfly and will stall & crumple (el taco) if you just fly the kite back and then forward again when you jump off a slope. The trick on a large jump is to either do a kiteloop to keep the kite from overflying or to move it back and forth between 11 and 1. Kiteloops are cool, but if your timing is off you can end up going forcefully into the side of the hill (have done that many times). So, your best bet is to start with the downloops and try the kiteloops in light wind.

Chasta's riding style is really unique. If you watch his water videos, his riding/jumps are very similar to what he does on the snow. The amazing part is that even though he is doing multiple spins and looping the kite at the same time, he always seem to land perfectly naturally. He doesn't have to "force" an extra twist. His downloop or kiteloop at the end allows him to land soft as a feather. His kite handling skills are exquisite. To answer your question, most people don't have the timing down like Chasta does. I wonder if he got slammed a million times, or if he just picked it up naturally.

[lesvierra]

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The kite will tend to overfly and will stall & crumple (el taco) if you just fly the kite back and then forward again when you jump off a slope

I just started jumping so I dont have alot of experience. Wil the kite stall and crumble while you are in the air or right after you land. I understand the right after you land if you dont through a down turn in. But It seems like the kite will stay over head as long as you are still descending.

[Jacob Buzianis]

Hey Les,

What Marty and Kenny said is correct. kitelooping is cool do and make it easier on my landing. You will come down fast and soft landing but sometime hard. It depending on the kiteloop timing. I kiteloop all the time to get those power tricks, redirect myself and prevent my kite from stalling when it go to far over my head. ONE THING YOU NEED TO PREPARE IS THE HARD BEATING PART WHEN KITELOOPING IT WRONG. There time when the wind isn't cooperation or made a mistake on your tricks. I have seen every pro riders, even chasta and myself taking some hard falls and beating on snow and water.

Next time you see me I can give you some pointer.

Start small and be safe,

Jacob Buzianis

[Kenny]

Les,

You don't have to worry about the kite stalling unless you are doing a big air off the side of a hill. You don't have to do the kiteloop either, if you watch Chasta you will also notice that he swings the kite between 11 and 1. That is the chicken method (works for me) when you don't want to throw the kiteloop and you don't want your kite to stall. Loops are cooler, but you definitely will take a beating as Jacob was saying. I think the trick is do the loops when the wind is light and the powder is soft. Then if you mess up it doesn't hurt so much.

Chasta & Jacob will throw the loops when the wind is strong and the surface is hard, that is commitment!

Kenny

[lesvierra]

Chasta & Jacob will throw the loops when the wind is strong and the surface is hard, that is commitment!

See Jacob skyline video!!

Please, sorry to be dense, but how do you stall the kite when you are in the air. So if I ever make a mistake and go higher than I anticipated, I know what you're talking about. I understand the kite loop and 11 to 1. But how does your kite stall or crumble when you are descending. I saw on a beginner jumping video that the jumper pendalumed under his kite so that it was not opened to the wind direction, so it was very important to move the kite back. I also understand that after you've landed you need to get the kite back to one side, but when you are descending, what do you have to watch for that might cause a kite to stall or crumble.

The kite will tend to overfly and will stall & crumple (el taco) if you just fly the kite back and then forward again when you jump off a slope. The trick on a large jump is to either do a kiteloop to keep the kite from overflying or to move it back and forth between 11 and 1.

Will the kite over fly you while descending with kite at 12 oclock, big jump??

[Kenny]

Les,

The stalled kite phenomenom happens far more over snow than on the water. It can happen over water when a kiter hits a big wave and shoots high into the air (over 30 feet). Same thing can happen over snow if you jump in such a way that the hill falls out underneath you. I was speaking of a foil crumpling in the air, an LEI will tend to fall out of the sky. We are talking about jumps when you are in the air for more than 5 seconds.

I highly doubt that you will ever accidentally go big. I have only seen it happen once. Matt Greef tried flying a 16M foil at Skyline and rode down the side of the hill and was surprised when a gust held him 30 feet high for about 30 seconds. A 16M foil is comparable to a 22M LEI, so it not likely that you will get yourself into such a predicament. Chasta is relatively light so he can fly like a bird with a 12M foil. I was able to get long flights last winter, but that was on a 26M foil. I probably weigh 35 - 40 LBS more than Chasta, so I needed a big kite to support my weight. I found that to get the long flights I had to fly on the north side of Bosco Hill where it is much steeper. I was also able to get some good ones at Pow Mow by bombing down the hill near the parking lot with my 26M. The only problem there is that I came close to landing in the trees. So in other words, you really have to go for it to get the flights that require you to swing the kite back and forth. Watch the video 20/10. Chasta's helmet cam clearly shows him steering his kite back and forth and then very aggressively to loop the kite for landing.

If for some reason you do find yourself in this predicament (can happen in very light wind while doing gravity jumps), just fly the kite back and forth between 11 and 1.

Kenny