Which Is The Right Kite For You?
This is mainly down to personal preference and common sense. The more wind, the smaller the kite; the less wind, the bigger the kite.
2 Line Kites
These are very simple to use. Pull on the right line and the kite goes right, pull the left and it goes left. A 2 line kite offers someone who has never flown a kite before slower turning and is very easy to re-launch. However, don’t spend too much time with one of these because after a few hours you will want to move on to a 4 line.
4 Line Kites
4 line kites give you the ability to de-power (whack the breaks on) your kite instantly during a gust of wind. It also gives multiple power settings and faster turning.
For an average person (between 10-14 stone), a 2-3 meter 4-line kite should be fine and you will generally be able to fly this in anything from 5-30mph winds depending on your experience (or how mental you are).
At 5mph, the kite will fly but won’t pull you and at 30mph it’s incredibly full on. By this I mean you will be all over the place. Great fun but can be pretty damn painful!
2-3 meter kites are also a good sized kite to start buggying with but, bear in mind, that for landboarding you will need to go slightly bigger.
It is not unusual for people who have purchased a 4 line kite, played around with it and progressed their skills to a reasonable level to then purchase other 4 line kites at different sizes to suit different wind speeds.
De Power Kites
This is a different type of flying altogether and is mostly used for kite landboarding and kite surfing. This type of kite has a bar and line set which is usually attached to your harness (unless you are mega hardcore). Pull the bar towards you, power on, let it away from you and power off.
On a de-power kite you can sheet the sail in and out as you would on a boat. By doing this you can spill the wind which gives you a lot bigger wind range for one kite. Although it is a lot more expensive to start off with, it may be more economical to purchase a de-power kite at the outset since a de-power kite costs the equivalent of three or four 4 line kites.
Where To Go/Cost & Equipment
Where
After you have chosen your kite, you will need to find a good location to fly it. A wide, open space at least 400 meters away from trees and buildings is ideal for power kiting. Flying any closer than 400 meters can be extremely hazardous because the wind will, in simple terms, bounce off of trees/buildings and cause the wind to gust. This can make flying conditions very unpredictable. Before you know it you’ll be flying through the air looking like superman gone wrong, until you hit the ground that is! At this point you’ll probably look more like road kill!!!
TRUST US ON THIS ONE, IT HURTS!
It’s often a good idea to check with the local council to see if they have a designated fly zone and whether you need to join a local club for insurance purposes.
If you live near to a beach, there’s a pretty good chance that this is the best place to go.
Cost
Entry level kites start from around £70.00 and go up to about £300.00
Intermediate kites start around £150.00 and go up to about £400.00
High performance kites start around £300.00 and go up to about £700.00
De-power kites start around £400.00 and go up to about £1000.00
Harness (optional) from £70.00 to £150.00
Pads from £15.00
Helmet from £20.00
Equipment
Kite - obviously
Harness – optional
Helmet and pads – optional
If you want to get yourself a kite of any kind, check out www.ufopowerkites.com |
