Two of our crew came over to the dark side about two years ago. We were up in exmouth for the expo and they were talking to a couple of poleys, the conversation went as follows
the pros were
-gear fits in a car not a van
-need less gear (they have 3 kites and 3 boards between them to cover 15-35 knots)
-need less wind to have fun
-Flat water, and chop were interesting now not just waves.
-easy to jump, and learn tricks
-easy to learn (compared to windsurfing, 12 weeks from trainer kite to upwind, at 2 sessions a week)
-easy to sell old windsurfing gear on seabreeze

the cons were
- high degree of 'plateau-ing', steep learning curve so huge frustration, then breakthrough, then huge frustration then breakthrough, and when they looked back the difference between getting it wrong and getting it right was really tiny, and they couldn't believe that such small things made a difference.
- the need to spend money on lessons, worth it because the coaching you recieve gets you up and running much quicker and much safer but a bit of a ball ache.
Hope it helps but if you send a pm i can put you in touch with them

Hi Dolph,

I'm a convert. I was a wave sailor for 17 years and never thought I would love anything more than windsurfing. I just kite now and every once in a while (every few years) I'll bump into a mate with a sailboard and borrow it for a quick run. I can still do it although not as proficiently as I once was, and It only reaffirms my decision to leave the windsurfing behind in my dark and sordid past. [}:)]

You'll never look back! As Todd says, there are so many good reasons to go across. First and foremost the ability to ride in 15 knots and be lit up and have a big time. It takes 5 minutes to set up, not 20. It can be transported on a motorbike and kept in a cupboard at home.

Progression is fast and every step of the way it's fun without the frustration of the windsurfing learning curve which is NOT fun.

Have a crack at a lesson and see what it's all about.

DM

A kite and board makes shore breaks and beach breaks fun. It's too easy to slide over a big mound of white water that would smash you on a sailboard.

Actually riding the wave on a kite board takes a bit of practice. I'm getting the hang of it but I'm still not expert at it. It's probably no harder than a sailboard, just different.

Blasting around on the inside using waves as ramps and berms for slashing turns is effortless. Instantaneous chicken gybes are effortless so you can run right up the face of a big pitching wave then turn and run away like a lily-livered nance. It's still good fun and way better than swimming after your gear and getting rag-dolled by a wave.

Alternatively you can pop off the front wave in a set, fly over the second wave, then land and gybe onto the third. This is all intermediate skill level stuff.

Will she be at KS this year

kitingtopher said...

I really like get funkies picture... look up

she has unusually large....shoulders?

I kite and Windsurf. For me Windsurfing has the soul factor and it’s much harder, which means its more rewarding. I’m actually doing more windsurfing at the moment.