How many times am I gonna read this...

Here is a self land for people who are having dramas. There is 2 ways to do it but I'll detail the simple noobs way.

1. get the kite from 12 down to the ground. Nice and slow and under control. Slow it down!
2. Once wingtip is on ground completely let go of bar
3. Once kite has settled down reach up to the joiner on your front lines.
4. Keep even tension on front lines and walk around in front of your kite until it rolls on its back in the 'pump up' position.
5. Hand over hand on front lines under even tension walk up to the kite
6. Secure kite and unhook from bar/lines.


Self land is so simple and I don't understand why people have problems with it.

** if over 25knots not recommended.

RPM said...

How many times am I gonna read this...

Here is a self land for people who are having dramas. There is 2 ways to do it but I'll detail the simple noobs way.

1. get the kite from 12 down to the ground. Nice and slow and under control. Slow it down!
2. Once wingtip is on ground completely let go of bar
3. Once kite has settled down reach up to the joiner on your front lines.
4. Keep even tension on front lines and walk around in front of your kite until it rolls on its back in the 'pump up' position.
5. Hand over hand on front lines under even tension walk up to the kite
6. Secure kite and unhook from bar/lines.


Self land is so simple and I don't understand why people have problems with it.

** if over 25knots not recommended.

Thanks for the advise.

You said:
Self land is so simple and I don't understand why people have problems with it.

Keep in mind that not all people are experienced.
I for instance have only just started and there is a lot to learn. Self landing/launching is also one of them. So I do very much understand why people have trouble.

thanks for the advise though

Not every learner has a willing person standing by to help. I have been practicing with my self landings and takeoffs continuosly and now am quite comfortable.
Dont get me wrong if I was in a position for assistance from some else I would take it. But I kite surf an isolated beach (no people) so it is invaluable to me when you guys give key advice to newbies on how to do something which now comes second nature to you guys that have done it for years. I am working on a self launch aid to assist Cheers

Thanks for all the advice, i found that if disconnect myself from my bar and quickly walk down my center lines. I still need to work on setting my kite down with the leading edge, I got it once! "Pull on the front line attached to the closest leading edge - this will pull the leading edge around so that points into the wind" helped from http://kitesurfing-handbook.peterskiteboarding.com/progression/self-landing-kite.

Self landing is a great skill to have, its allowed me to kite surf more often and increased my independence. Ideally you'd learn it in your lessons but that isn't always the case. Thanks again for all the advice and kind words*.

I tried the technique RPM detailed, the other day. Very good and safe. I'm surprised I've never tried it before. Just goes to show there is always something to learn.

I've noticed that my Ozone 8m Catalyst and 10m Reo do behave differently using this technique. The Catalyst is much more compliant, whereas the Reo tends to hover a bit when it's on its back.

Hey Saffer,
I found the same with the Rev2s, anything over 20 knots and it just wants to skip up and keep flying. I found that by moving upwind as I grab the centerline and giving the line a good hard pull as I move toward the wind usually would get it to bounce down into the landing position. Anything over 25 knots I would bring it down until the tip of the wing nearly touches and then release the safety. It flags out so easily and gently. Takes a couple of minutes to reset, but well worth the effort due to the lack of stress you feel when the kite wants to keep flying. In winter I am almost always alone here on my part of the coast, self launching and landing are part of the gig.
Come summer and everyone comes out from under the woodwork .
I know people keep asking the same questions here, there are always new people learning, perhaps they can be shown where to look for the stickies. I learned a ton of stuff here without asking anybody, and when I couldn't find more detailed info, people were happy to help. Old timers who have been around here answering the same questions do get tired of it, maybe they shouldn't bother to post if it bugs them. Next kite generation guys and gals could take up with the questions until they too get tired of answering the same questions.
That said, there is something to be said about the search function.
Happy and safe landings for Christmas!

Ive never tried this idea, but you can pick these sand anchors up at Kmart/Big W
for about $20, keep it in the car attach a Quick clip to it and away you go(in theory)

There are plenty of ways to self-land a kite and your experience will vary depending on the kite brand/model/size, type of safety system, wind conditions the space you have, etc.

I would recommend working up from a basic self-land to a more advanced self-land, all by using the safety system of your kite. This process will get your familiar with your safety system and the kite's behavior when activating it.

Lots of people try to self-land their kites without using their safety systems and this is very dangerous, simply because if it doesn't work the way you planned it, you will put yourself and/or your gear and/or other people at risk for obvious reasons.

For a basic (beginner) self-land, rest your kite on the wing tip in the water from the water's edge and activate the safety system (Quick Release). Then follow the safety line hand over hand from your leash to your kite (like you would do in a basic self-rescue). If your kite uses two front lines for safety, then pull only one of the two lines to get kite to flag out. This method can also be done on the beach if there is enough beach space (Intermediate self-land) but the kite may roll and tumble a few times, which is not dangerous (safety system has been activated) but maybe not ideal for your gear.

The more “advanced” self-land consists in bringing the kite down to its secure position quickly and safely. Again I would only recommend doing this by using the safety system. This method depends on the safety system of the kite. There are 3 main safety systems on the market nowadays:

a) Single front line safety (four line reride bar, found on Ozone kites for example)

b) Dual front line safety system with mini fifth line (four line SLE bar), most common type.

c) Fifth line safety system, found on North kites for example.
So, if you have enough beach space and there is no one in sight that could land your kite, try the following for:




a) Rest the kite's wing tip on the edge of the wind window (3'oclock or 9'oclock) on the beach. Let go of the bar. Make sure your safety line is connected to the upwards bridle of the kite when the kite is resting on its wing tip (You can plan on which bridle you will connect the safety line when you rig your kite, in case you need to self-land). Hold the leash in your hand just below the connection point. Make a few steps upwind to put tension in your leash line and then activate your safety system, either by pulling the Quick Release (Q.R.) or by unhooking from the chicken loop. Immediately pull the leash line hard whilst running upwind. How hard and fast you will have to pull the leash line will depend on the wind strength. More wind = pull harder and faster upwind. If done correctly this will bring your kite straight into its secure position. If it doesn't work as planned the kite may roll around a few times but you will still be safe because the safety system has been activated.

b) For a dual front line safety system, activate the safety system once the kite in resting on its wingtip (Q.R or unhook). The kite should now still be resting in the same position. Then follow the safety line (typically red in color) until you reach the “V” where the two front lines begin. Grab the upper front line and pull it hard, hand over hand whilst running upwind. This will bring the kite down to its secure position if done quickly enough. In case it doesn't work, the kite may roll around but not pull you as you activated the safety system.

c) When using a fifth line, the kite will typically self-land in its secure position (95% of the time); simply by pulling the safety line hard upwind, once the safety system has been activated. The steps to follow for this one are the same as in a) for bars with single front line safety system.

I have done countless self-landing on all these safety systems using these methods, and they all work well regardless of wind conditions, and most important, they are all very safe. The key thing in all these methods is to put lots of tension on the safety line by pulling the leash early and quickly after activating the safety system. The very worst that can happen is the kite rolls around but will never pull you because you activated your safety system first. With practise and familiarization with your kite's safety system, this can easily be done successfully time after time.

Tezza, stronger winds are always trickier with the 5th line to get the kite directly in it's secured position when self-landing. Try adding the most tension possible on your leash line BEFORE disconnecting from the safety system, then pulling as hard and as fast as you can as soon as it's disconnected. I've experienced two misses where the kite didn't quite land in it's secured position in strong winds (25 knots +) on a North Rebel kite. In that case, I just pulled the 5th line to reel the kite back to me from it's "flapping in the air" position...not a big deal assuming you have enough space.