Kitemare stories?

[dave holmgren]

Is there any interest in Kitemares? Not to be ghoulish, but from the educational aspect- as in: So THAT's what happened- I do NOT want to do what that guy did.
I'd be happy to contribute a recent one- and I've been (learning) kiting since Mike Rossberg got me started in ~2001out at Rush Lake.
If you feel it's not appropriate here, no worries, say the word. I can shut up.

[CPratt]

While I am sure this is something that will be covered in my lesson (if this monsoonal pattern ever quits) I am interest in these 'Kitemare' stories (great name BTW). I have read on other forums about dos and don'ts but it is mostly related to ocean kiting (relation to surfers). I would like to know 'Kitemares' for snow and water.

[Leo Chan]

I got one.

At the end of last season, against Kenny's warning about whiteout condition at Strawberry, I went there after I check the weather maps and guess that the snow might just miss the area. So, I post a message saying that I am going and who would like to go (never kite alone). Sal called and say he would come join me. When I arrived at Strawberry River, there were a few kiters there and the wind was marginal. So, I headed south in search of better wind. I was not able to call Sal because the area has no cell phone signal. At any rate, there were couple other kiters came down south as well and I was not alone when I was setting up. Once I finished setting up, I was the first to go out (Chicken Creek West). The wind started to pick up about half way through my first ride and the two small hills caused a tunnel effect that pushed me further into the frozen lake in straight down wind. Before I could turn around, the wind picked up even more and I was way over powered and pretty much had to fight to keep my kite on the ground. The wind was the prelude to a snow squall and I was dragged out even further (almost a mile and a half from the parking place). The wind did stop when the snow came, while I was a mile and a half out, of course. For the next hour, I tried was hard as I could to get the kite up and back to the parking lot. I managed to get about half a mile before the white room condition started. I had to pack up my kite and walk back to the parking lot under white out condition. I could not see anything more than 50 yards ahead of me. The only thing that let me know which direction to walk to was the traffic noise. It took me almost an hour to walk that last mile! It could have been a really back situation.

The lesson? Never go too far from the parking lot, especially when the condition is forecast to be potentially bad.

[dave holmgren]

Redacted-
Decided to pull this message, what I was trying to point out as a stupid mistake I made (and nearly paid a biiiig price for) was apparently misinterpreted. I'll be happy to send a recap of it to anyone who want to see it and perhaps learn from it as I did (hopefully before it happens to them)...
Cheers...
-Dave

[bordy]

You should have just grabed your chicken loop. Even when the loop is realised there is still enough materal to grab above the loop, just wrap your hand around the chicken line what ever is below that acks as a stopper....then the kite depowers and you can use your other hand to control the kite to land or to grab the flag line and flag the kite. I have taught this skill to most of my newbies this year since they ride with out a leash and can find themselves in the same position.

One you practice it its a no brainer and super easy.

We are saftey nazis here cuz the wind is super gusty and we have lost some friends and had some major injuries amoung the community. dead kiters don't share stories on line.

I have no prblem watching a kite blow away I always think it looks pretty, I have walked a bunch to get them back but the good thing is they almost always stop, and the fact that you can walk and get your kite is much nicer then when some one else has to because your broken and can't walk or maybe even kite again...

[windzup]

The recipe for a kitemare varies depending on location and conditions. Never trust your safety's, always trust your judgment!

I have plenty of kitemares, or what I refer to as epic sessions, but the basic lesson to prevent them is do a proper pre-flight. We sometimes fly wings in the 10-15m range, and the large kites are almost paragliders. A Para pilot ALWAYS completes a thorough pre-flight before inflating/launching their wing.... including looking at their GEAR, the WEATHER, and the LAUNCH area and obstacles around them.

First, the GEAR... is your kite pumped up properly, no tangles, lines clear? Clear kite lines prevents a jumbled or confused situation while powered up on the launch. (most kite deaths happen near launch, very rare to drown)

NEXT, LOCATION....What is around you? Cars, poles, power lines, trash cans? Maybe the launch is not safe and you should be extra careful, or not go at all. Maybe power lines are downwind and you realize that there is no safety zone should you need to release your kite?

Next, WEATHER.... What is it doing right now? and what is it forecasted to ramp up to? Rig for the gusts if you think its getting stronger.

So, since we live and ride near highways and power lines in Utah (snow & water), here is my Kitemare of the day:
Back in 2000 at Lake Mojave I was flying an 8m Wipika Classic in nuking north winds. There was just myself and an Olympic level Windsurfer/Kiter riding with me. I came in to shore to self land, and I was standing in knee deep water. With a rocky shore, and the older technology, the plan was to drop the kite over the water and then release the safety so the kite would flag out. (then of course, I would pull it to shore, secure it, and roll it all up.) Well, when I let the safety go, the kite flagged out, but the knots on the leaders where the kite lines connect to the kite SNAGGED. Just a simple friction knot, with the left and right wing tips hooked up on each other. THis allowed the kite to maintain a full sail shape with no control... I was hanging on by my wrist leash to a single line and was immediately dragged into deep water. I was already cold from the session, now I was freezing and floating farther from shore every second. Two thoughts came up... either continue this situation.... or pull the final release and watch my kite disappear down wind. I made the $1100 dollar choice to eject the kite and swim to shore. The Kite rolled along the water like a high speed beach ball.
Before the American style happy ending, here's the feedback. DO NOT use wrist leashes, they will tear your arm off (Most companies stopped using them and switched to harness leashes several years ago because of that).
Next, DO not trust your safety, something can foul up at anytime (insert Murphy's law here). If there were powerlines or I-40 downwind, severe damage could be done, including car accidents if a kite had to be let free.
Finally, choose to ride in open areas where you are safe to release your kite should you need. And avoid riding in areas with dangers down wind that Cannot be avoided.

Now the happy ending. My friend saw the scenario, and hauls ass downwind after my kite. He grabs the leading edge as it rolled over the chop...and then rides to a rocky sandbar that stuck out into the lake. He places a rock on the kite and then rides upwind to tell me. By now I've given up on the kite and I'm drying off and trying to shake off a minor case of hypothermia. With his directions, I drive down the beach a few coves, see the sand bar, and hike out to retrieve my kite. Not a scratch on the wing, but a mess of tangled lines.

I was stoked with myself to know that I did the right thing, I pulled the safety when I needed, and I cut free when I had to. But I always think about what is down wind of me now, because it may not be safe to let a kite go free, and the safety may not work as expected when sh*t hits the fan.

I write this little piece because the scene at Lincoln beach last week looked like a junk show.. similar to the Vegas scene where a guy died a couple weeks back. People are launching with kites behind cars and in wind shadows. People are walking their kites weaving between vehicles, with a slew of dangers immediately downwind. It was only a few years back when it was standard to ALWAYS launch with the kite toward the water, and in knee deep water if possible. I don't know if it will happen, but ideally we would all carry our kites to the water line, hand it to a designated Kite launcher who would then walk out further so that the kite is heading out to sea and the rider is already safely in the water.

Wow, I wrote a book. WIndzup, Brian Schenck

[dave holmgren]

retracted comment.

[bordy]

Bordy,
Respecfully, got to disagree. Your suggestion- Grab the chicken loop -was the thought pattern I had that got me into trouble. What I should have done was what I said- let it go, and let the safety do its' job.
Also- and I'm a newbie on this forum but not at kiting, my idea for this thread was to get folks to 'fess up to their goofs, so that others could learn from them without having to experience them. When you try to educate a guy who's already been humbled enough to let go of his ego and confess his transgressions- it's not conducive to encouraging others to share their stories. IMHO.

Dave if you want kitemare stories do a search on the forum this is a topic we have really exhausted as a Newbie using search is awsome!. If you were flying a bow(SLE) kite all you needed to do was grab the chicken loop. not my rules, physics.........And if you had a saftey hooked up to a flag line and didn't let go, your still new enough to kiting to not know better, that the silliest mistake I ever heard I thought you were free from your kite, and trying to not let it go down wind in your post. Huh? Almost every kite school and almost every manufactor recomends testing your safteys before going kiting? Hope next time you just let go!