Skateboard Wakeboard
Kiteboarding, Take a Lesson by BRETT NEWCOMB
Learning to Kiteboard
Believe it or not, kiteboarding is easy to learn, and easy to do. Kiteboarders can generally learn to ride in a few sessions, and by properly using a harness and power control, can ride for hours on end without really getting tired. So if its easy, then why the need for lessons?
Using the kite is like riding a powerful motorcycle for the first time, its no big deal unless you accidentally give it too much gas. Although the kite is easy to steer, can fly without pulling very hard at all, and at times seems very easy to handle, there is always an incredible amount of power available (kiteboarding kites are designed to launch riders 40+ feet into the air), and its during those first few hours of using a kite that you need an instructor to help you safely learn how to access that power without getting out of control.
With proper guidance, a person can quickly learn the step by step “how to” of setting up the kite and getting started, as well as how to handle the kite safely when its in the air, and landing it when finished. After just a few sessions of supervised practice, most new riders are proficient enough at controlling the kite and can ride behind it! And with so much power on tap, the riding possibilities are endless. Kiteboarders can ride out and back to where they started, tack upwind or downwind like sailboats, and ride anything from kiteboards, surfboards, and Wakeboards of all shapes on the water; to snowboards and skis on snow covered flat lands, or hilly mountain terrain; to skateboards, off-road skateboards, and buggies across the ground. There is no limit to what or where you can ride behind a kite.
Although uncomplicated and relatively easy to learn, in the sport of kiteboarding, a few sessions with a professional coach are not only a good idea, but should be considered mandatory as you learn to safely use the immense power of a kiteboarding kite to pull you across water, snow, or land.
About the Author
I am an action sports and outdoor adventure enthusiast, with professional training and thousands of hours of experience coaching skiing and snowboard, windsurfing, kiteboarding, surfing, back country and wilderness exploration and guiding.
I teach kiteboarding lessons year round at Air Padre Kiteboarding on South Padre Island Texas, when not traveling for myself or guiding kiteboarding trips for clients.
Motocross / Wakeboarding / Skateboarding / Pit Bike Racing / The 2010 Baja Brawl: The Event
