Hey guys!

Just made this video on how to properly pull off a hooked in kiteloop. Check it out!

Pushing the bar out out is essential if you don't want to break your legs in that ankle deep water. Pushing the bar out let's the kite quickly return to 12oclock preventing you dropping out of the sky.

Very impressive!

to complete the downloop and soften your landing ^^^

Bar in all the way initiating the loop at first and sheet out or trim later if you want a slower loop after otherwise you run the risk of just driving it into the water whilst being up high.

Other things I like to mention to people starting is make sure your kite is trimmed properly so your kite wont stall mid loop, watch out for gusty or shadowed conditions doing loops. People always try and start small with loops but once you can go big it's actually a lot easier as you have a lot more time and nearly always get caught to some degree, the windier the better. So not really a build up trick but more pull the trigger and do it.

You also want a vertical jump to begin with otherwise you'll come in way too hot, I like to sheet out on my run in so my kite moves forwards in the window then drive it back as hard as possible whilst sheeting in again, if your kite is deep to begin with you'll just jump long and need a speed board to land.

bar in, sore legs.... im learning im learing.


Edit: I wanna try 20m lines.

Frontliner said..

I'm riding a 12m dice there's no problem looping them yeah?

one thing I have learned through pain is when doing a well timed kiteloop (ie loop initiation before jump apex) is bigger kites dont make it round quick enough to catch you and you'll land super hard.. I dont bother looping at all now on anything bigger than my 8m

Whilst learning backloops i accidently pulled the wrong end and voila! I'm doing a backloop kiteloop. I find this a lot easier psychologically then a regular jump + loop as its a quite natural to pull hard on the back hand while initiating the back roll. Still haven't done a regular kite loop! Winds looking good today! one can hope ;)

eppo said..

NickT said..

Bar in all the way initiating the loop at first and sheet out or trim later if you want a slower loop after otherwise you run the risk of just driving it into the water whilst being up high.

Other things I like to mention to people starting is make sure your kite is trimmed properly so your kite wont stall mid loop, watch out for gusty or shadowed conditions doing loops. People always try and start small with loops but once you can go big it's actually a lot easier as you have a lot more time and nearly always get caught to some degree, the windier the better. So not really a build up trick but more pull the trigger and do it.

You also want a vertical jump to begin with otherwise you'll come in way too hot, I like to sheet out on my run in so my kite moves forwards in the window then drive it back as hard as possible whilst sheeting in again, if your kite is deep to begin with you'll just jump long and need a speed board to land.

The crew here have been working on kite loops all season with varying degrees of success...ouch!

The above info is what we have found works as well, good info.

Also, (and this was past on to me by big eez I think? Can't remember) we have found you really have to edge load and pop and go as vertical as possible, to the point where we are leaving the water almost at 11 ( well feels like it, might be more like 1130) then as it moves through 12, you initiate the loop. Almost in a way the kite doesn't stop, (sort of does but not much). Quicker, tighter loop and you find you activate either slightly before the apex, hence you get a proper yank, rather than the heli type loop.

Still gotta work on pushing out then back in with the downloop, sometimes coming is so hot you lose your sht and just take the landing like a bitch. Ouch...

Pss don't underestimate a good backroll back loop, leave the water early, pull little back pressure on and rip that loop hard...can get big height, whereby you need to do the old push bar away and downloop as well to slow yourself down.!!!

Ok, I first started doing kiteloops in 2007. here's my input.

1) get a kite than kiteloop 9m or smaller. Im talking about a loop that will catch you without a hard landing.
2) Wear a wetsuit, when learning you have to "bum-check" so you dont do any damage.
3) I had to tune my lines, at my weight 21m lines were perfect on a 2007-08 fuel.
4) dont be a whimp. go as high as you can. Theres a window. Land a kiteloop at 10-15m and it will catch you on the up stroke. 15-20m you crash and burn, anything higher and it gives you time to direct your kite and not hit hard. Jump vertically you need more height, jump a little more horozontally and the kite will not stall as much on the upstroke and will catch you quicker.
5)Dont loop when its gusty, if the wind dies on the upstroke ... dont try and land it bumcheck.
6)Take your time, a move like this takes at least 1000 loops before you know what youre doing, dont blow out your knee, or get concussion on a hot landing like I have done. but never had a lower body injury like my mates.
7) try them in 22 knots at least. anything lower, use a small kite depower it and practise f-16's. its a wicked trick to master.
8) Pull the bar late when learning, this will helicopter the loop, ie, it will be more above your head and makes a landing less hot. As you get better go earlier and earlier.
9) oops, learn to boost big before you try kiteloops.
10) I know Ruben does these in Zandvort in choppy water. Dont try it in choppy water unless you have it dialled. landing hot in choppy water unless its a perfect one will result in injuries.

Ive posted this stuff before, it sounds like theres interest in big air rather than PKRA stuff. bring on the red bull king of the air.

a thought has just dawned on me (thanks dave). so doing a really cooked F-16 er no... that should be E16 right? ie. hooked vs unhookedis basically a megaloop with a backroll inserted. right? but because im not looking at it and thinking about it... i dont have the psych hurdle to get over... in fact i dont look at my kite so its effectively doing it by 'feel' (of the kite movement) and so doing it blind (as in not seeing, not the other blind meaning...).

hmmmm.

All this bloody good advice. I'm going to do this on the weekend.

We have allready seen it perfected in the vid.

I'll go pro my stacks for you instead.

NickT said..

Hey Jason, I've got a 45 slingshot bar with 20m lines you can borrow for Sunday. Come down to Pinnas and I'll watch you give it a go!

Thanks Nick, I will take you up on that offer.

Be down there around 3pm.

Looking at the forcast, its looking breezy. fingers crossed.

NickT said..

Hey Jason, I've got a 45 slingshot bar with 20m lines you can borrow for Sunday. Come down to Pinnas and I'll watch you give it a go!

Ill start a new thread for all you guys to document how long your twisted ankles and busted ACL's take to heal...
I don't want to hear about sore ribs or busted kites unless its a north LOL!

OH! And your kites do matter... I'm usually pretty outspoken when it comes to kite performance. If someone tries to tell me you can't do handlepasses on a Switchblade or an RPM because they don't slack I call massive BS on them... Ignorance. Kitelooping however, although possible on almost any kite, will go MUCH better on certain ones. Some of the best "climbing" kites (ones that catch you) are the C4, Fuel, Vegas, RPM, Chaos, GP, TS just to name a few. This is not a complete list.. just ones I've given a go to lately. Short lines help and so does flying a 9m or below.

What a great post!!! More of this crew....

eppo said..

Thanks Dave can you elaborate on point 4... You saying jump more horizontally??

Agreed on the ass check, needed an ass break this arvo actually, think I don't need a colon clean for while. You can land 9 out of 10 but the one you mess up can hurt hey.

What's a F16..suppose I should look it up. Agreed ya need wind. When it's light its unhooking time anyhow.

Hey eppo, sometimes as you know when you jump you go off the water on slightly different angles. The full vertical jumps give you incredible lift and shoot you up, yet even with perfect kite control, you still come down fast. The best jumps are when you time it, soar and float at the apex, and can then direct your kite for a soft landing. Most kiteloop injuries Ive seen are guys trying to loop on the full vertical jumps, and unless your on a 6m youre dead meat. Bailing out of an intended kiteloop when learning them is half the learning curve. Get the angle right on takeoff, get the height and no problem. Get it wrong, try a boardoff instead.

An F16 is a unhooked backroll kiteloop. Betrand fluerry used to do them in his day. You can do these very underpowered. Its great for learning powered downwind landings with not much consequence for injury.

eppo said..

So you are saying that going fully vertical is not the go...somewhere in between going vertical and going downwind too much on your jump...

Back roll kite loop...so that's a backroll with a backloop unhooked right? Jesus I find enough power doing this hooked...actually watched a guy down here do a double back roll with a back loop unhooked the other day...looked unreal!! He made one but ate serious sh1t on the two others. Price you pay I suppose.

Cheers Dave.

I find an unhooked kiteloop (with or without backroll) is actually easier. I use the loop to power me from the water. Loop and pop, rather than send and pop and loop... unless I'm doing it wrong? do you delay the kiteloop the same as you would hooked in?