my niece is super keen to learn to kite.ive got a spare kite & board waiting for her.but lookin online to find her an XS harness.she is 16yo , and id say around 60kg max when wet.looking around online, but im not sure if I should get her a waist harness or seat harness.I think a waist harness will be fine, as she is quite tall for 16yo, so she wont have a problem with reach.but im wondering if a seat harness can give her more weight in the harness??technically having a lower centre gravity will give her more weight, and therefore can hold more power in the kite??any advice from others who have put youngsters and light weights into a harness, id be interested in what you've got to say.cheers

The whole ''beginners should all start with seat harnesses'' isn't the best advice anymore. As long as you can find the correct size and correct fit harness there are no reasons even younger and lighter riders couldn't start on a waist harness.

The main 3 reasons waist harnesses rise up and become annoying/uncomfortable are:

1-Harness is the wrong size/fit or of too poor design/quality/tool old

2-Kite is being kept at 12 the majority of time

3-Kite is TOO BIG, i.e. learner is overpowered

The last 2 points are a very common sight with the majority of learners, especially lighter ones, even when taking lessons...

Christian