I have never kite boarded before but am extremely enthralled with the sport and want nothing less then to get into the sport. I live in Montana so I will be looking and winter kiting and summer on the lakes. I am 5'10" and 185 pounds. What setup should I be looking for for a beginner such as I?

Hi New Guy welcome aboard.......needles to say a buddy or lessons are the best way to get to where you want to be.. so look for that if possible...otherwise hit up all the tutorials you can, ask questions, have fun and be carefull!! plan on lots of kites of all types..lots of kites

I am planning on taking a course here in Bozeman but it is in the winter on snow. Is there something else I could be doing in the meantime to be ready for water?

Hi new guy.

Taking lessons on water is probably more valuable than on snow. You will be taught self rescue and how to deal with other marine traffic. If there is any way to get water lessons I would highly suggest them.

The tried and true method is to buy a 3m 3 line or 4 line fixed bridle kite and start getting fly time under your belt. It is all about becoming master of the kite and eventually flying it without looking at it. Setting memory reflexes. This only comes with hours under the kite. Buy a good quality 3m because it will serve as your high wind kite and trainer as you build a quiver.

Although you will end up going to a bar and depower kite starting out with handles is a good way to go. You get a better understanding of how adding back / break input influences the kite. This will help you understand what is going on when you move to a depower kite.

If you have a good location and good kite control you can take your trainer out and try body dragging. If by chance when you are shopping you see an HQ Hydra it may be a worthwhile choice even though it is on a bar because it is " closed cell " and you can relaunch it off of water.

Once you have some skills buy a harness and start flying hooked in. Fly with break turns while hooked in. This will help prepare you in transitioning to depower.

If there is nowhere local, take a short vactaion and do an IKO accredited course which will teach you basics, safety, and take you up to getting the board on your feet and hopefully your first shaky runs. Then you will be ready to get some gear and get out there.

First Kite should be a 12m because this is the size that is suited to ideal learning conditions (15-20 knots - thats 16 - 22mph give or take) For your weight.

Forget using Peter Lynn Arcs, Flysurfers and Hydras etc - they have their devotees but the vast majority of people will do better using a modern LEI in almost all conditions. Foil kites are not safe for beginners in the water. you want something nice and floaty to hang on to if that worst case comes along. If you go to a really popular kite spot like Tarifa in Spain or Big Bay in capetown SA, there will be hundreds of kites on the water and out of those hundreds there will be a couple of guys on flysurfers and the rest will be using inflatables.

So some kites to look at would be Slingshot Rally, Best Kahoona, Naish Park, Naish Ride, F1 Bandit. There are more but these are the ones I have flown personally and know to be a good choice to get started on. Get a board which is about 40cm wide. 142 x 40 is a good size but a wide board is more important than a long one for a beginner.

Getting a 3m foil so you always have something to fly is not bad advice. Any time under a kite will be usefull, but the way to learn to kitesurf is to get kitesurf equipment and get in the water.

I'm not an expert by any means, but the advice I took when starting out came from 2 previous UK women's Freestyle champions, both now professional coaches and both still sponsored by major kite brands. It certainly worked for me and i'm just passing it on to you :D

I have a 9m and 11.5m Best Kahoona and am a big fan! Very user friendly, very predictable.