Hello - I have never kitboarded before, but it looks awesome and I am interested in finding out more about it. The problem is, I live in Northern Utah and there is only one dealer that I know of (located in the Provo area)... They have told me that lessons are the only way to go - otherwise it is too dangerous and complicated to teach yourself. I don't know if this is true, or if they just want business ($)? Lessons from them are super expensive... I have looked online and found some DVDs ("The Complete Kiteboarding Guide DVD" seems to be a good option)

So... what are everyone's thoughts - Is kiteboarding something you can learn on your own? with the help of a DVD? or are lessons truly the only way to go?

Thanks

You can learn on your own, I know several who have done so. The problem is that they didn't learn all that quick and in most cases, were just barely starting to get up on the board by the end of a season where the people who have taken lessons were able to get up on the board within a few weeks. The other thing you have to look at is that lessons may cost you a couple hundred dollars but one simple trip to the emergency room could cost well into the thousands.

The kites used for kite surfing are HUGE! They create tremendous amounts of power and have delicate control systems on them that if not used properly could cause serious injury to yourself, the kite, both or even death. Would you be willing to trust a surgeon to operate on you without him first going to school and learning what to do? That would be absurd...the same can be said about strapping yourself onto a huge power kite and launching it up into the air without knowing how to control it. Launching the kite has to be done in a certain way or you or your kite will get hurt/damaged. Landing the kite has to be done in a certain way or you or your kite will get hurt/damaged. Adjusting the power has to be done a certain way for certain wind conditions. Safety systems have to be checked and monitored constantly for proper operation...do you know how to use the safety and what it is? The kite(s) you are going to be using for this sport are a lot more complicated than the cheezy diamond kites bought at toys R us. I say kites because each kite will be used for different wind conditions. If you only have one kite and it is not right for the winds you have...chances are you are going to get to know your doctor very well.

Now for the positives on lessons:
The main one is that you get to use THEIR gear! Thats right, most lessons will let you learn on their gear. All beginners slam bash and destroy their gear when they are learning. It just happens. Do you want to shell out 1500 + dollars on a full setup and then go out and slam it onto the ground learning? It would be like using Ferrari's for drivers ed. Take the lesson and if you blow up a kite by accidently slamming it on the ground its not your expense...or at least you dont have to shell out another 200 - 300 dollars repairing it (hey, thats about as much as a lesson costs...hmmmm)

2) You get professional advice that will help you with everything that has to do with the kite including safety systems, how to rig, how to launch, how to land, depower and power, what pressure to blow the kite up to, what to watch for when doing so. Plus advice that may not be as obvious such as where to launch, how the wind reacts at certain spots, where the best spots are, what to watch for in the weather, what kite to launch for certain wind conditions, best time of day to ride, worst place to go, etc...

3) The best thing about lessons is that you will be up and riding as soon as possible - which is your ultimate goal in the first place. People who take lessons almost always get up and riding within the first month. People who dont take lessons can take an entire season before their first ride. This is of course a general statement and there are those who pick up on it much faster than others. But in most cases, a person with lessons will be riding and having fun quicker than a person who didn't.

The DVD guides are good to get, and will give you a ton of information but they can not give you the personalized information you will get from a local instructor such as weather conditions for your area, best place to ride, what to watch for, how the area is affected by different conditions etc...

I strongly suggest taking some form of a lesson for kite surfing. The expense is not that big of a deal when compared to the other costs of trying it on your own. How much is that "flight for life" helicopter ride again???

Hope this helps!

Thanks - it does help. Sounds complicated! Maybe lessons aren't that bad of an idea.

Does anyone else have any feedback?

I taught myself, it took a little longer but lessons are not manditory, you can gain alot from lessons though even if you are expirenced, theres always an easyer way to do something.... just think about it, do you want to just hook yourself to a kite and jump in the water and try to figure it out? think of what can go wrong..... or do you want to pay some guy who has probably been doing this for a while to show you the safe way to start and learn..... its merely up to you....take all the help you can get....

I took one water lesson and was going upwind and everything afterwards.... BUT... I had been flying traction kites and riding a mountain board for a while first.

Kite skills are the key. If you have them already.. a lesson will help the learning curve of water relaunching and safety. No matter what, a skilled instructor will get you going faster... but you can learn on your own. Just remember to be safe, as large kites.. wether on land or in the water... have a lot of power and potential for danger with them.

Take lessons.

I learned before anyone taught the sport. I have 5 significant kitemares that I could share, one on the first day out. My first 30 seconds were spent on my face in 6 inches of water at about 15 mph (we didn't have releases then). I walked away - lucky.

A few weeks later, it was a little too windy, but I went out anyway. I was on a Naish AR5 15.5 (old kite). I launched it and raised it up into the neutral position (Now called the death zone). The only problem was, I couldn't reach the ground. So, after floating around like Tinkerbell for a while, I decided to pack it up for the day - WHAT AN IDIOT. I was seconds from death, and didn't even know it.