| 2005.Mar.15 |
When is the right time to start lessons? |
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This talks about
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It's the middle of winter in Ontario. A rider writes
"Hello, I'm very interested in kiteboarding and was
wondering where I could take some lessons in the
summer". It's the middle of summer and we get "I'd
like to get into kite snowboarding and want to take
some lessons in the winter". The short answer is you
should start right now. |
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About 80% of riding kite powered equipment (buggies,
skis, snow & mountain board, surf board) is about
flying the kite. The more time you spend flying the
kite, the easier it will be to apply that knowledge
to your gear when you decide to surf, buggy, ski or
board. |
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If it's off or between seasons... Let's say
it's winter and you want to learn to kite board on
water. Start with a snowboard or skis (a snowboard
translates better to water) and learn to fly your
gear when you don't have to worry about buoyancy;
when you don't have to learn about how to pull
yourself out of the water. The right kiting skills
can make both of these a lot easier. It's all about
kite technique! If you already practice similar
water sports like wake boarding, water skiing, wind
surfing, or sailing, you've already got a great head
start. |
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If it's in the middle of the season...
Let's say it's summer and you want to learn to
winter kite. You think I'll wait and take lessons in
the winter. Nope! Get started right away with an
experience instructor. They'll be able to guide you
with equipment and kiting skills. Don't try to teach
yourself from scratch. It can endanger you, and
those around you. You can learn most of what you
need flying stationary in a park or in a beach after
you get some qualified instruction. Practice flying
the kite safe, packing and unpacking, winding and
unwinding the lines as much as you can. All of these
require techniques. The more you have down, the less
you'll have to figure out when it comes time to put
things in motion. |
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No matter when you start, you'll wish you hadn't
waited so long. I've seen people say they want to
get into the water side of the sport. It's winter
and they wait for the ice to melt, and eventually
the water warms up. They do eventually learn and
enjoy themselves. Then the season ends. The lakes
freeze and they're curious about how to enjoy this
sport all year. They try the winter and find out
that it's even easier than the summer. Then they
realize they missed last winter and it would have
made things so much easier on the water and they
would have enjoyed one more season. |
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So the time to start is NOW! As Warren Miller, the
famous ski film producer has always said, "every day
you don't you'll be another day older and wish you
had!" |
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Grant Fitz |
