My Kiteboarding Accident :(

   I went out today with the wind blowing nicely cross-shore on the Pembrokeshire coastline with land board in hand and the flexifoil sting (3.3m) in my quiver. I set-up and felt confident after flying the kite for a bit so i put my board facing downwind and off I went whizzing along down the beach. As i was looking forward trying to perfect my body position I saw quite a few rocks in my path and after trying to avoid them decided it probably better to negotiate them on foot. I hopped back onto my board on the other side and i off I went but then after what seemed like no time at all I see a patch ( a rather large patch) of very boggy-muddy looking sand but of course I'm reluctant to get off or stop and I try to take the driest looking route. obviously I didn't realise fully that It was sinking sand :/ So I ride in , my board sticks and i fly off. oh well that was my own fault. I wade out covered in sand and reset my board on the other side of a small stream. I put the kite up to the zenith (12 O'clock) and dive it down hoping to get moving but i just get pulled aggressively in the wrong direction off my board. I hadn't realised that the wind was now increasingly gusty and not really safe for my standard. So after 10 minutes of trying to get going but repeatedly failing I was pretty dejected. I turned back to my board having been pulled from it for the millionth time and then my kite must have shot up across the window in a gust and woops there I go. Flying, not very gracefully. 8 feet up into the air and 10 feet down wind before being slammed onto my back . It was not a great experience. I landed hard on my shoulder and my head whipped back smacking hard into the sand. Had I not been wearing a helmet I would have been knocked out at the very least maybe even brain damage. Thank God for my helmet. All that only took a matter of seconds and it really reminded me of the dangers that are associated with kiting. I didn't realise the gusty wind until after the accident and had I ripped off my helmet in frustration I could theoretically be dead. Not nice. oh well I will be black and blue tomorrow but i came away with just some cuts on my back whereas if I hadn't worn the helmet I don't even want to think what would've happened or what state I would be in now. Anyway at least now I know, WEAR A HELMET.
Buy a helmet here --->powerkiteshop

 This add for helmets may be aimed at motorcyclists but I think it sums up teenagers' attidudes towards wearing a helmet

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Flexifoil Sting Kite (3.3m) Brief Review

Well I bought this kite about a year ago and have since clocked quite a few hours flying it around so I am pretty familiar with it. It is the perfect first powerkite/traction kite to buy and i would recommend the 3.3m specifically.
     
    It is agile and light through the air and perfectly blurs the start and finishing points of powerkiting and traction kiting. For anyone slightly confused as to what the difference is between the two powerkiting is to my knowledge where you fly and are not aiming to be pulled along on a board,buggy etc. but instead maybe you just powerkite as the next step-up from a stunt kite or if you want some air. Traction kiting is more about getting pulled along on wheels, most powerkites will not happily do this. However then there is the flexifoil sting. Which behaves nicely as both a traction and powerkite and is therefore perfect because you can learn using it as a powerkite and as you get better and seek further thrills you will not be forced to spend more money on another specific 'traction kite'. It is a perfect introduction into the sport.

  Being a land kite it can be quite erratic and be naughty in gusty conditions but i suppose it is one of the more subdued kites when compared to say a flexifoil rage or blade V. Just make sure you don't get it out or any other power/traction kite in conditions that you don't feel confident in. The BKSA state that in your first year you shouldn't really be going out in wind speeds over 20mph and I think they have a point after my recent accident :/ remember even if the wind speed is around 20mph in gusts it may pick up to 30,40,50mph and that's when nasty stuff occurs. Look out for black clouds upwind of where you are kiting because as they get closer they may bring gusty conditions. If you see them, have a rest and wait for them to clear. It's a much better alternative to hospitalisation.

A Flexifoil sting 3.3m will set you back £160 from powerkiteshop and in my opinion this is a good price for a good all-round entry-level kite. If you want to know anything else about this kite just ask in a comment below and I'll do my best to answer.

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Taught by the Professionals.

After my first confused and frustrated power kiting session I had realised that it was clearly not as simple as I had initially anticipated and so i decided that lessons were a necessity. On my next trip back down to Pembrokeshire me and my dad inquired at the local kitesurfing shop (walk on water) and they set us up with a BKSA qualified instructor who was very helpful. He helped set up the kite and explained in detail everything you need to know. I walked away from that session having flown the kite successfully and felt much more confident. I must say for anyone new to kiting having proper lessons Is a virtual must unless there is someone you know who is willing to give you some tuition. Even then though i still would say proper lessons is a massive bonus for many reasons. A friend will not cover the more boring issues ( ie. safety) which may put you in more danger than necessary and anyway having the piece of mind that there is someone there who knows what there doing while you fly for your first time hooked into a harness is a good feeling. You will enjoy the sport more if you shell out for two or three sessions rather than trying to go it alone So if your interested here is a list of BKSA approved kitesurfing schools across the UK here

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Starting out. Why I began powerkiting.

I was never a big fan of kites when i was younger. They did not appeal to me. I didn't understand how people could stand on beaches or in parks for however long they did holding a single line and staring up, neck stiff at a flapping piece of material. I still don't really understand the draw of single line kites or even some stunt kites. They don't excite me. They also used to terrify me which is why i was surprised (albeit pleasantly) when I flew my first power kite and enjoyed it. In fact i loved it.


 so how did it  begin? I was in wales partaking reluctantly in yet another family holiday on the pembrokeshire coast. which is supposed to be beautiful (weather permitting and therefore rarely is). I didn't see the beauty in cold rain and bitter winds the whole year round but... now I suppose when I'm on holiday in wales i sought of hope for it. Because one of the most frustrating things about powerkiting as a hobby is that it is completely reliant on weather conditions and in the UK a good wind usually blows away the sun and replaces it with heavy black rain clouds. Anyway I was sitting inside looking out onto the beach where the wind was whipping up the sand and generally ruining any chance of outdoor fun. Well that's what I thought at the time. So I wandered around in our holiday flat incredibly bored trying to find any excuse not to read ,'Tales From Ovid by Ted Hughes,' and eventually came across a stunt kite. I really didn't want to read. So as my youngest brother began to scream ,' mum Daniel said my teddy is gay,' I tucked the kite under my arm and made a quick exit. 
 I had a lot of fun flying the small stunt kite and as it had just been my birthday and I had a bit of money I was well up for seeing what was out on the market in terms of kites. Unfortunately my dad drags me to wales to get me away from all technology and so I had no means of researching a kite related investment. My investigation would have to begin some weeks later once I had left medieval wales and returned to England where electricity had been invented. Unfortunately by this time I had forgotten about those hours of joy I had spent on that dreary,freezing beach on the Pembrokeshire coastline and was now much more interested in farmville on facebook (thankfully that was a short phase in my life and after a forgotten harvest or two farmville was an addiction of the past) . 
  After a few months of a life without kites in my mind I was suddenly reminded when my friend showed me a picture of him powerkiting. I asked him about it and was instantly hooked on the idea. I ordered a kite the next day (Flexifoil Sting 3.3m - I will put up a short review about this kite in a later post). The kite came two days later from www.powerkiteshop.com/

 I was stoked to get it out and get flying so the next day I went down to the park. I arrived at where I had planned to fly it and stood there with the kitebag. It was then I realised  I had no idea what to do. I carried on nonetheless  and somehow got it out and flying. well when i say flying... I mean airborne for no more than 5 or 6 seconds before smashing the leading edge hard into the ground. After repeating this several times I resigned to the fact that some sought of teaching would be needed and I went home.  I was not happy.
I will talk more about how i learnt in my next post. thanks for reading :)