HaVE BEEN SNOWKITING ABOUT TWO SEASONS - have 8 m foil using downhill skis - waist harness.
Heres my problem , I am having difficult twisting enough to hold the bar in both hands - often times I find myself using only one hand ( the rear one
) to run the kite - pushing and pulling on it almost as well as two hands - but when I turn in farther to use both hands for whatever reason the
kite seems to depower and I have problems reaching the bar ( I dont stretch very well - which is probably also why I struggle with my kayak roll as
well - getting old sucks)
I am not a great skier and have been trying to concentrate on keeping my feet together - I did find when they were wide apart it made it worse.
USing a board would make a lot of sense as I would be facing the kite then - rather than being at 90 degrees but this ole dog never snow boarded.
I am thinking a chest harness may bring the lines in closer as my waist harness always seems to be slipping down pulling the lines even farther away.
Any suggestions would be sincerely appreciated or I may have to take up snowmobiling instead - ugggh sadsack - 1-3-2015 at 04:59 PM
Try handles zero gee - 1-3-2015 at 06:15 PM
Perhaps a sliding rope setup instead of your hook.
I just use the rope now and open my chickenloop and close it over the rope though.rtz - 1-3-2015 at 06:57 PM
Maybe try a sliding spreader bar like the surfers use:
B-Roc - 1-3-2015 at 08:20 PM
You say you only have a problem when you put a second hand on the bar. If you are flying in control and steering the kite with only one hand what is
the problem?Ralph - 2-3-2015 at 06:53 AM
Thanks for all the info !.. I watched you tube races in norway and a lot of them seem to use one hand as I do - I guess its a bit of a pain for every
one to twist like that - I like the idea of a sliding rope or spreader bar but I am not certain how that helps since the kite and your body are
still at 90 degrees ? so dont you still have to twist?
Looking at your pics zero gee. If understand correctly - you simply have made a loop of rope you have attached your leash to the lower and the kite
to the upper loop by rings and now those rings can slide back and forth ? Futahaguro - 2-3-2015 at 09:17 AM
I ride a snowboard and I fly one handed all of the time. The only time I use both hands is when I am about to turn, but even then I don't necessarily
have to use both hands, sometimes I will just pull the bar to one extreme or the other to swing the kite around. You say you think the lines will be
farther away with a seat harness. I have never used a waist harness but I would think it would be the other way around, the waist harness will ride
up and send the bar further away. I use the Ozone Access SB climbing style harness and I really like it. You will see some reviews on this forum but
it is a lightweight harness that stays put and keeps the spread bar low so the bar stays close. The problem I have is that my HQ has a large depower
throw so the bar is quite far away. There are people who have modified the chicken loop to make it smaller but I just deal with the long throw.
Now, as far as snowboarding I would not recommend this since you do not know how to snowboard. It will make your life even more difficult. Yes, in
theory you will be facing the kite when on your heelside edge but you will fall over, have a hard time putting on the binding when you are ready to
go, fall over some more, and still have problems reaching the bar Master one
thing at a time.
Somewhere in this video you can see me controlling my kite and I am on skates, so I have the same orientation as skis. https://vimeo.com/60329075 zero gee - 2-3-2015 at 05:29 PM
Looking at your pics zero gee. If understand correctly - you simply have made a loop of rope you have attached your leash to the lower and the kite
to the upper loop by rings and now those rings can slide back and forth ?
Actually, my current setup is much simpler now. No rings or shackles. One rope, the black sleeved dyneema. Feed each end through the slot on the ends
of the spreaderbar. Using big bore stopper balls to tie the rope on. The stopper balls make a nice big "knot". The knot on the rope fits into the
stopper ball. My chickenloop opens so I close it over the rope. My leash just attaches to my hook. I tie the rope shorter /tighter so that when the
knots tighten up under load the new apex is at the same distance as the hook.ssayre - 2-3-2015 at 06:10 PM
I can't wait to try this. I've got one rigged up for the next time out. Kober - 3-3-2015 at 10:07 AM
Seat harness will bring bar a bit closer to your body when fling kite at 45 degrees angle or higher , also you can mount a stopper ball on your
depower rope if you don't have one . Reaching depower system its hard for many people , most of times I reach with one hand and pull center lines (
like you do when launching in low winds) and use system with other hand . Riding with one hand is best option , skis or snowboard , learning down
loop transition also makes it easier to change direction with one hand . Feeling of depowered kite when switching from one handed riding to both
hands is most likely due changing of you riding pose and taking off tension from your flying lines (front) and banding toward the kite ( you edge less
and loose momentum ) . Learn to ride with more power leaning again a kite , then you skis are a bit more apart , use one hand all the time , try down
looping when changing direction , seat harness will let you ride longer and its better if you have beer belly , only reason to use waist harness would
be to make jumping a bit easier ...
Master one
thing at a time.