Ok boys. I thought is was apt to start a discussion about surviving those storm sessions.

So the forecast calls solid 20-40 knots, squalls, massive seas. Here's what I do.

check several forecast web sites.
check live wind readings on the day.
check rain radar and cross reference live wind data to hopefully see the wind spike when a squall goes through.
arrive at the beach. check actual conditions at the beach.
select a kite which has a wind range between max lull and max gust of the day.
eyeball the sea to spot the best riding spot.
rig up and launch.
Cruise around for a few mins to get the feel of the wind/waves. then let it loose and go for it.
Spot an incoming squall. Decide are the squalls coming through ridable? If not land with plenty of time to spare before the squall arrives. if yes then head out to sea a bit when a squall hits to get a safety buffer.

What advice do you have?. Add you experience here.

Another tip to remember, after the squall has passed.....it can be followed by an even bigger lull - or even a change in wind direction (offshore), so make sure you know your own local conditions.

So for my local (sunny coast), usually head out into the squall...then when it feels like it may be passing - head back in before my kite falls out of the sky.

If you have misjudged the squall and it hits don't come to the beach! if it is a corka, even get ya body in the water baord out in front and kite low and ride it out. Repeat don't go to the beach, water is softer than land!

grit your teeth

cauncy said..

grit your teeth

Clench butt-cheeks?

i'd add don't look to other riders to decide if a dark storm front is safe - decide for yourself. I am cautious because I have seen how quickly the wind gets up over the years to the point where you may regret not landing in time.

To those that do not know - heavy rain storm fronts upwind of you - the rain pushed the air in front of it making the wind speed rise - so just before the rain arrives it can go mental - also the first of the rain will accompany that wind speed increase also. eg 25-28k knots - 3 mins before rain hits 34knots rain just hitting from cloud gusting 38knots.

Today 65 knot gusts forecast and 42ft swell (that's not even face height..) (Buoyweather) - one of largest swell I have seen for a long time. Rode west coast yesterday it was massive, going to check it again later today.

some good info. when it gets really cold. its snowing down to 300m 20km away today. I bust out the hoody, booties and gloves. keeps me toasty for hours in what feels like polar blasting winds

Plummet said...
some good info. when it gets really cold. its snowing down to 300m 20km away today. I bust out the hoody, booties and gloves. keeps me toasty for hours in what feels like polar blasting winds

What hoodie do you use in the water? I'm looking at the Mystic and NP hoodies with spreader bar hole, but unsure whether they are very usable in the water.

juicerider said..
This reminds me of another point not yet mentioned, don't fly a kite anywhere near a thunderstorm.

You can get caught out even if there is not an obvious thunderstorm. Last weekend I saw a fast approaching squall so came in. A mate jumps on a smaller kite already pumped up and we launch him. Lines start humming, he touches the bar and gets a shock. Problem: kite is still flying, he wants to bring it down and the lines have started humming again. He grabs the bar end and a spark comes off the rivet and shocks him as it comes down. Very very funny, but 20 metres of potential difference can create a big charge even if there no obvious thunder and lightning about.

juicerider said..

Plummet said..


if its a microburst. which is a smaller patch of rain cloud that you can physically see the size of if. those are typically ridable and don't change the wind direction. they typically increase the wind speed 10-15 knots.

Are you sure you mean a microburst. A microburst is a relatively small cold column of air moving rapidly vertically down out the bottom of a thunderstorm, once it hits the ground it then spreads out in all directions so the wind direction would change 360 deg. It usually only lasts a couple of minutes, and you cant see it coming without the aid of doppler radar.
This reminds me of another point not yet mentioned, don't fly a kite anywhere near a thunderstorm.

fair play. my terminology must be wrong. I know what I mean when I see it in the sky......another reason to build experience at your local spots and not rely on internet muppets like myself.

Spend at bit of time on the beach looking at the conditions before rigging up, throw up the anometer for minutes not seconds
Choose a kite that likes gusts, not one that hates them
Straight onshore winds mean if things go wrong your gonna have a tree change
Keep an eye out to sea , dont get too wrapped in what your doing, the signs of a squall are generally just behind you
If you get caught out sink down depower and keep kite low with 1 hand on the safety, or kite low and ride with an edge not flat on the board, again hand at the ready
Always rig smaller than you might need and power up rather than bigger and running out of depower
If tether launching dont unclip until your happy, ( see plenty unclip while the kites on the ground only to discover its too powerfull overhead)
Colder means stronger more powerfull dense wind, downsize kite a couple of mtrs
A thicker wetty is better than a thin one in winter especially if youve a long swim
Give someone the heads up when youll be back
Better having a buddy even if its a poley
If in doubt dont go out, the wind will blow another day.
The strong conditions can be a buzz but are generally ****e wind conditions, imo id take a 25knt wind rather than a 20 to 35knt gusty wind

Through winter around here we get storm conditions frequently ,with gusts that vary up to and over 20 knots,the rule of thumb is small kite big board unless it's 20 + in the low end.
To answer waveslave there's tons of kites that can handle 20-40+ knots even up to 50 knots I see them out all the time,we do ride in some crazy conditions here but through winter you have to as its normally gusty as ,I usually always start a winter with a new set of lines for the high wind days ,and swap out any worn bar parts.
The guys that get hurt are usually the ones who don't know the area and set up too big a kite or have worn lines not realizing how explosive the gusts can get.
There's a lot of good points above but the main thing to remember is if your in doubt due to your ability level or incorrect gear then don't go out.

Yea, kiting in squalls is fun...................what a load of bull. Winter has always been crap for kiting and will remain so, but be my guest, if riding a bronco is your thing by all means.

This kind of thread makes it seem like going out in over 30 knots is fun and even a manly thing to do.

radman4 said..

gruezi said..

Yea, kiting in squalls is fun...................what a load of bull. Winter has always been crap for kiting and will remain so, but be my guest, if riding a bronco is your thing by all means.

This kind of thread makes it seem like going out in over 30 knots is fun and even a manly thing to do.

My most memorable rides have been in 20-40+ knots ,huge surf tons of power on tap on a 6-8m kite that turns fast as ,there's nothing like it I'd take a good storm session over a mild 15-20 knot day anytime,absolutely love those sessions

I don't think it's anything to do with being more manly it's just the buzz factor.

Yep I agree. my most memorable sessions are the same. But it does take a while to come to enjoy those sessions. For some time it scared the tits off me and also I had the wrong equipment. The gear with the right mindset makes those "crap for kiting winters" become a highlight of the year.

Yeh I did t start winter kiting until a few years back when I believed the gear was good enough. But then again I have always erred on the side of caution. Going out in big swell and decent winds reminds me off the time we hit margs on a big swell surfing. It's cold it's intense it takes all your focus. But for me personally anything over 32 ish knots I don't go out even now. So there is storm weather and there is storm weather! I also come in well before a squal hits and have only been caught out a few times but has assessed the situation beforehand and worked out the worst case scenario ( what I feel the max wind gusts will be) then taken out a kite and board that could ha dole that. Reckon if I was younger though and didn't have kids I'd be pushing the limits for sure.

yeh winter kiting is not for everyone. Infact my fav wind in winter is those north westers we get before a big front and it turns westerly south westerly on you. Surprisingly consisten wind with smaller gust range. To the person who bagged winter kiting these are sessions you miss out on.

Dont forget the Fight or Flight pooping syndrome! I dont know about you lot, but I get this every time I'm about to kite in storm conditions and big waves. Pre-Adrenaline effect? I dont know... I guess its just fear leaving the body...