What Is Kitesurfing and How Does It Work?
For some, it is meaningless, but for others, it is everything, and they have built their lives around it! Whether you saw it in person on your last beach vacation, on the internet in your news feed, or in pop culture, it made you think… What are these guys doing dangling in the air beneath that massive parachute? What’s more, how are they doing it?
If we had talked about space travel, let alone landing on the moon, in the early 1960s, people would have thought we were nuts. What if we told someone today that they could have the fun of their lives by standing up on a surfboard, secured in a waist harness, and being pushed along by a giant kite up to 25 metres in the air? That person is unlikely to trust that. Today, we have hundreds of thousands of people learning and practising kiteboarding each year.
Kitesurfing’s Origins and Evolution
To get a better understanding of what kitesurfing is, we need to go back to the beginning and follow its evolution to where we are now.
Kitesurfing may have begun “officially/unofficially” between the 1980s and the late 1990s, depending on who you ask or where you seek for information. The controversy about who was the first kiter and when kitesurfing was invented continues among the kitesurfing community. The truth is that there is no definitive answer, but we do know that the sport has progressed greatly as a result of many dedicated and committed kiters who invested their time, money, and efforts in helping this fantastic wind-powered pastime grow into the exciting sport we know today.
What Kitesurfing Gear Do You Need?
Kitesurfing would not be possible without the equipment we utilise, as previously indicated. Here, we’ll go over the many sorts of kites, harnesses, boards, and other gear that can be used. Continue reading to learn more about the gear that allows kitesurfers to ride with the wind and defy the weather!
The size and shape of the kites varies based on the strength of the wind, your weight, your skill level, and the discipline you’re practising. When you see a kite on the water, look for a number on the canopy that represents the kite’s size in square metres. The majority of kites are between 5 and 18 metres in length.
The LEI kites are the most popular for kitesurfing since they are excellent water kites. This is due to the inflated bladders that allow the kite to float on the water. A LEI kite, unlike a foil kite, can sit on the water indefinitely and be relaunched with relative ease.
Cutting-Edge C-kites, hybrid kites, delta kites, and bow kites are the four different types of inflatable kites. The Legaignoux brothers and their patented design of inflatable kites are responsible for most of this. LEI kites are easier to fly than foil kites, relaunch faster, and are more stable in strong gusts.
