Quote:

Originally posted by Kober ..... You funny ..... .... I think you should write a book .... You have some kind of gift ,,,,, I am coming back to this post and waiting what you write next ,,,,,

Haha, thanks, Kober. I appreciate the encouragement/ego stroking :D

Great to read your blog/text stream of consciousness. You're putting to words what most of us have experienced at one time or another.

I used to live in Cupertino in the 80's. Windsurfing was the thing then and Shoreline was the place as it is now but I guess you've figured that out already.

More importantly, the entire Bay Area is a mecca for kitesurfing. You guys correct me if I'm wrong but I think there are a lot more places to kite on the water in the bay area than on the land. Last time I tried to go landboarding in the SF area, we were pretty limited. (Ended up downhilling the steep fairways at Lincoln Park.) Anyway, once you get your kite chops down with a trainer kite you might want to take a lesson on the water.

Oh yeah, crashing is much less "poignant" on the water also.

Keep the stoke!

G

If wind was 2mph and I HAD to fly .... I'd probably buy a Revolution (Rev for short). It's on my list of kites to get ... as a quad line stunt kite, people say it is awesome to teach/learn kite control (you can look on youtube for some good videos on what people do with them). Some people do "team" flying in groups where everything is orchestrated .... kind of a ballet or follow the leader type thing. You can stack 'em too so you can be in control of multiple Revs yourself. Actually .... might be a good thing for you and hubby to do together. If you plan on buying a Rev, pass it by Lamrith or some of the other Rev guys on the site for an opinion on cost etc.

You are pretty much correct for fixed bridle kites ... the lower the wind, the larger the kite needed to move you on wheels ... 15 mph I am having a friendly tug of war with my 3.0Blaze ... at 6 mph I'm with the Reactor8.3.

I am sure anyone you meet down there from the forum will help you out .... learn right kite for right wind .... My Ace4.5 took me right off my feet and fed me some grass when I got a little #@%$#!y (insert superman in flight photo here):D ... I am finding the Ace has a bit of a mean streak to it (lifty when overpowered)

glad you are so excited .... I see an intervention in your future ..... Hi, my name's zooprincess and I'm a kite addict :Ange09: :D

"My husband was like "Meh" but I was like "OMFG *_*" and so I dropped him off at home and went to Toys R Us!"

Ha! That is awesome.

Welcome to the forum and to a new world of gear lust, weather watching, moments of joy punctuated with moments of frustration and the occasional mix of rage and fear followed by more joy.

Don't be an organ doner, get a helmet and go nuts.

"weaksauce", also awesome. Good read, thanks.

Oh and too bad for a lot of guys in this forum that you're married. Women who are into kites are rare and these guys probably think you're simply dreamy.;-)

I agree with AnnieO about Protec. The B2 snow helmet is their skate helmet with multi impact foam, mesh over air vents to keep out snow/sand and removable ear covers for when it gets warm. I just bought a new one to replace one that just got too ratty. The ace model is more stylish.

B2 snow for about $40. http://altrec.com/pro-tec/b2-snow-helmet

when you move to 4 line legit power kites you'll have alot less headaches in line tangles.
The ability to quickly detach your lines and muddle things about saves so much time

I had an older model of the snapshot and it served me well.

Sorry im late to the party... Im on vacation, and slackin on the forum lol!

Like everyone said welcome aboard! With your attitude, you'll go far lol!


I saw your sig and instantly thought of some damn good pilots you should check out... Look up "ride like a girl" uk based (i think lol, its early) buggiers... ( http://www.ridelikeagirl.co.uk/ ) They are really good, and as of late, kind of a but of inspiration! I jump, and I wanna jump in the bug too!


Any questions at all, about anything really, ask away.... We are a pretty diverse bunch of peeps... Find the "post your mug thread" & post your mug (and see what strange people you now associate with )


Welcome!

Yeah, I remember how fun it was starting out. As a matter of fact we share some similarities there. I got my first kite on bargain barn clearance at Sierra Trading Post. It was a Prism Stylus 2.5M- the older model to your Snapshot. Still have it and use it mainly to introduce friends & family to the sport. Keep up the great enthusiasm!

BTW, I agree totally with Dandre about 4-line kites being easier to deal with in the long run. You will spend exponentially more time flying and less time dealing with walking lines!

You are very fortunate that there are so many accomplished kiters in your area. That is one thing I do not have in my location so I have to rely on this site even more.

Welcome to the sport... My first kite was a snapshot 1.4.

Kudos for the writing!

I kept a log/journal for the first year, stopped it at around the 300-400 hour mark, still regret not keeping it up.

Yes kids love to grab the tail. I often fly a 50' tail on my smaller kites (2-5m 4-line), the regular kids at my spot now know not to grab it, but just let it slide through their hands!

Line difficulties will disappear in time, all part of the learning curve.

+1 for buying used....

WELCOME TO A DIFFERENT KIND OF ZOO!!!!

My wife can attest to the fact that "addiction" is a very suitable term for that in which we place our joy.

You seem like you're having a great time, and that's awesome,... enjoy it as much as you can, whenever you can!!!!

and again welcome.

Saw that Bladerunner, nice!!! Zooprincess you are right, these kites can be dangerous in the wrong hands, I would have done the same thing. The unenlightened can be injured just trying to help.

Welcome from a fellow flying sister

Sounds like you are on the right track - just go slow and practice, practice, practice!

You've got the bug alright!

When you do get a bigger kite, make sure to keep the smaller one for friends and fam to learn on. Still got my 2m Flow for a very good reason.

Have fun and be safe!

Welcome to the forum and to the very addictive sport of traction kiting! You are just static flying now but you will want to try something more in the future, guaranteed! Your enthusiasm is awesome and so are your write ups!

Always keep the non flying public in check when they put themselves in a dangerous spot! Those lines can go through skin in an instant. They may think you are rude, but it could save them a lot of un wanted pain. If someone decides to walk in your fly zone, make an attempt at landing the kite till they move or let them know quickly that they are in a bad spot.

keep up the good flying work and the enthusiasm!

And Chuddy is on awesome kiting sister for sure!

What is happening .... ????

No report for few days now .....

.... You didn't kite ??/ You hubby kill you interest when he realize you will be out every day is windy and bank account will loose big chunk of $$$ if you continue this addiction ???

We miss you already ........

heres a little site for you to get motivation from................ http://www.ridelikeagirl.co.uk/

Quote:

Originally posted by Drewculous http://www.ridelikeagirl.co.uk/

Where'd ya find the link CTB? lmao!

As for people messing and manhandling your kites I have had people get hurt trying to launch my kites. They ALL know more than you. Now I carry a whistle that I blow when they can't seem to hear me yelling at them.:dunno:
Hope to see more posts from you soon. Keep up the fun.

zooprincess, I love your writing and I love this thread you have inspired. So glad to have you here on PKF.

As so many have said here, you are telling the stories we have all experienced ourselves. This is a trip down memory lane for us all.

Philip

Quote:

Originally posted by zooprincess ...but now I have to replace the cords because they are hopelessly tangled.

Never let tangles win. Patience and a couple forks can defeat any tangle. Sometimes you'll have to pack the mess of kite and line, take it home, wait for the kids to go to sleep, and find a comfy chair to work from, but all tangles can be defeated.

Never pull on the loose ends, always pick at the tight spots until they loosen. Then you can pull the loose ends through what used to be a tight spot.

Detaching lines from quad line foils and even some dual line kites can ease the pain of untangling.

If you are frustrated and another kiter offers to help, accept the offer, but watch them work. You will learn a great deal by watching.

Philip

Quote:

Originally posted by pbc Never let tangles win. Philip

+1 I usually just stake out 2 or 3 of the ends and work the remaining ends through the maze they have created. Winding up the sections you have untangled onto a winder card can make life easier.


Shanti Crazy 8, Laser Pro and Innova winders

The most frustrating line I have ever had to detangle was 50# Micro-Spectra line used for an indoor kite. This was further hampered by the fact that I was doing it while visiting my sister and her cats wanted to help... a lot.

Powerkite lines are a pleasure to work with by comparison.

ATB,
Sam

If you get to frustrated send them here. My wife loves the challenge of a huge knot!! She has untangled some amazing balls of lines. Way more patients than me!!

Quote:

Originally posted by zooprincess Am I right in thinking that bigger kites work better than smaller kites in lower wind speeds? If the wind was 2 miles an hour but you just HAD to get in some kiting that day, what size kite would you fly?

I would probably use 10 meters in this wind maybe more for actual bugging. The less wind the more kite you need to get the kite up in the air. For higher wind we use small 2m or less kites to get moving.

What are your plans with kiting. Buggy, surf, landboard?

Quote:

Originally posted by zooprincessI also had a really awkward experience today. A guy and his toddler came up to my kite when I was trying to relaunch it and grabbed it, pulling it up by the tail. I was like "Please don't grab my kite by the tail :puzzled: ". But then he picked up the whole kite, right as a very weak gust came through, and it spun around and lightly wapped his kid on the head. The kid didn't appear to notice or care (it was really weak wind today) but at that point I loudly said, "Thank you for trying to help, but please back away, large kites [lol I have a 1.2 but still!] can be dangerous!" and the guy sort of looked at me weirdly and backed away slowly. It was bizarre. I don't know if I reacted properly or if I should be more assertive next time. I'm not particularly shy or anything (as you can probably tell by my posts) but I also don't like confrontations. So today was my first experience with both super-lame winds AND people manhandling my kite! I feel like I grew as a kiter today :P

This is a common occurrence at any field. I have had toddlers run up to my kite and grab it. I have had kids grab the handles to the kite while i was taking a break. You handle these situations as you see fit. IF people are under your kite you give them one warning then you yell is my motto. Just wait till people ask you if they can fly your kite. That is always a hard one to gauge.

First you think man my expensive kite in the hands of a stranger and a new flier. Then you think well one more kiter is always better. Anyways I was beaten to this by several people but yep guys she's an addict welcome to the sport the forum and the support group. Hope my answers to your questions help you.

**edit***
wow page two didn't see that coming on the posts. I stopped reading on page one and posted my response.

Quote:

Originally posted by Drewculous Quote: Originally posted by Drewculous http://www.ridelikeagirl.co.uk/ Where'd ya find the link CTB? lmao!

Dude ,she's a team rider for PKD! She's a badass!

yea a peter lynn team rider who takes on the boys and beats them in the bksa buggy comps!!!

*woosh!
*make a gesture insinuating something went over everyone's head




i posted the same link CTB did 4 days earlier... lol, he did that in another thread too! http://www.powerkiteforum.com/viewthread.php?tid=22121 mougl posted the link to the buggy gals, and a few days later CTB did

i love their vids, mad respect (carl & "ride like a girl" crew)... the link delay/duplicates with CTB are crackin me up

great minds and all that mate!!!!

Zooprincess you will no doubt come across a word often used on this forum at NABX time "AOXOMOXOA"

If you fly stunt kites to win competions,you won't understand, but if you fly to give pleasure and entertain the audience,
you might find AoxomoxoA

If tangled lines are an irritating frustration, you won't understand, but if you find untangling relaxing and theraputic, you might find AoxomoxoA

If you buy rare and expensive kites and hang them on the wall,you won't understand, but if you risk hand-painted washi-paper or one-of-a-kind kites
in the elements you might find AoxomoxoA

If you're struggling to be the fastest buggier in the country, you won't understand, but if you dream of buggying across dry lakes in the gentle zephyrs at 2 am,
you might find AoxomoxoA

If you build your own kites to save money, you won't understand, but if you sew to try new new ideas, you might find AoxomoxoA

If you wouldn't lend your kite to a stranger, you wouldn't understand, but if you're ready to loose or destroy anything you fly,
you might find AoxomoxoA

If you enjoy buzzing noisy stunters on the beach, you wouldn't understand, but if you,ve found the pleasure of a simple, reliable
single-line delta, you might find AoxomoxoA

And that was the church of kiting right there. And no better place to spend a Sunday All day!!
Any day for that matter!!:bigok:

Curiosity where did the kite crazed newbie go? She posted a few posts now there is nothing come back zooprincess. We miss your posts