KITE BOARDING
Kite boarding GEAR FEATURES –
HARNESS
A kite boarding harness is necessary to hold the power of the kite. There are two types of harness:
Waist harness – It fits the rider above the hips providing higher centre of gravity. It provides extra mobility for transition, walking, swimming and it is simple to take on and take off. Sometimes it causes discomfort on lower back and can ride up the chest.
Seat harness – It acts as a seat to rider providing comfort. It allows for controlled power riding. When used for a long time, groin straps can lead to discomfort. These are more expensive. It takes long time to place on and off.
KITES
They provide a pull to the rider which helps in movement. There are two basic types: Inflatable and foil.
Foil – These are used for training purposes. It consists of cells open at front to allow the air to inflate it. They are generally not used for water sports due to their inability to re-launch on water.
Inflatable – They are used for riding on water and snow as they float and are re-launch able. They consist of single leading edge with inflatable bladders. The types of inflatable kites include: standard leading edge inflatable (LEI), supported leading edge (SLE) and blow kite.
KITE BOARD
For beginners a huge floaty kite board is suitable. A board 150 cm or longer would work. Once experience is gained the rider may shift to usage of shorter boards for jumping.
BAR
It comes along with kite. It comprises of a safety leash (allows one to completely depower the kite), depower or trim strap, chicken loop(holds the bar and harness hook) and quick release( used in case of emergency when a complete detachment from kite is needed). Though line and bar materials can vary, it allows one to glide, turn, depower and release from your kite.
PUMP
It comes along with kite package. One has to pump the kite before
kite baording.
