Great tool for the toolbox. I drift launch frequently when I'm alone on beaches with rocks or shells. Leading edge repairs are the ones to avoid and skidding your kite during a beach self launch is the best way to tear a leading edge. Drift launching removes that risk. Another great vid. Thanks Aaron
Although we are a well seasoned repair shop and so being do 100s of LE repairs per year which keeps us busy. We do not want anyone to ever self launch on the beach. We constantly try to spread the word that self launch and landing on the beach is how you visit Aaron kite repair.
Great video. I've done a lot of drift launches, and I learned some things from your video. Too many people say, "NEVER do this, ALWAYS do this..." Drift launching is not for beginners. An experienced kiter should be able to take your points and apply them to their situation. I think there is some undue criticism of your video. Keep up the good work!!🤙🏼
Love your videos. Rate you one of best and btw at 1:56 you flipped right to left on beach so I expected you to flip left over right in water. But at 2:39 you flipped again in same direction right to left. You said in opposite direction so you should have flipped it left to right in water. I have had 5 years on and off lessons and now at 68 just getting up!
We certainly need to redue this video. In transparency it was three takes. my dog swam out on one and would not leave the launching area, second take tongue twisters got a hold of me and then the third was released. hahah. Enjoy the journey. You should visit us and our instructors. We will certainly speed track your next steps in progression.
I love you videos, but this is wrong. FIRST you completely undo the lines from the bar (with the kite still attached to your leash), THEN you release the kite. Otherwise, should the kite catch wind with the lines still wrapped to the bar, the only option you have is a full release. …and there’s no chance of walking to the kite at wind speed (whilst in the water!) if something goes wrong and it really powers up. My 2 cents 🙂
Far from terrible but we do like your feed back. This allows many people out there to see and hear of different techniques that work for themselves and may not work for others. In this beautifully controlled environment we find that keeping the lines wrapped up is fine. You can always walk as fast as the drift in order to address any issues with line entanglement
Agreed. I always connect up the lines double and triple check to make sure they're in the right position then wrap up on the bar until 1 1/2 length of kite from leading edge to trailing. Then hold on to leading edge and especially if I need to swim connect my safety leash to the leading edge of the kite. While I'm walking out I'll unravel the lines from the bar while still connected to the kite. Then I switch my safety leash to the depower of the kite while holding onto the middle leading edge. Finally, to realease the kite I hold onto whichever outside line for the direction I want the kite to drift. I let it drift halfway the length of the lines then let go of the lines completely and grab the bar while it drifts the rest of the way to the end of the lines. I would never recommend keeping the lines on the bar while powering up. A gust of wind pops up and that isn't going to be a fun ride. With the lines off the bar I'm anticipating if I need to activitate saftey line and fully depower to do a recovery. That close to the shore you want as fast as possible access to the depower once you release the kite to the wind.
Terrible! You didn't mention lines must be brought under the kite before you flip on beach. Letting go of the kite with your lines still wrapped up is extremely dangerous, you cant flag the kite and if an outside line wraps around the bar, death spiral!!👎
There are definitely different technique's and tid bits that are different for everyones situation. Thanks for studying the video and hopefully it has helped you reconsider and evaluate what you're doing. Adding comments helps all rider and adding your experience will further the effectiveness of the video. Elaborating that having the bar with the lines still wrapped while deploying the kite in higher breeze is certainly a high risk situation and not to be tried in "higher" breezes. But in lower winds it is certainly manageable. If the lines do get tangled or wrapped, simple walk with the kite at the speed of the drift to relieve the tension. Flipping the kite a certain way with bar either on top or bottom or line on top or bottom should have been explained in deeper format. We were relying on the student to visually copy the motions and steps rather than strictly auditable. We will surely work on a more detailed verbal approach in videos to come. Please continue to add your experience to further educate your community.
Nice catch. Two different takes. My dog was swimming in the line and we had to regroup. Rule still applies unless experience eventually allow you to know which way to flip it or if it even matters.
@@ewatersports im 8 years into kiting and still don’t drift launch really ever. I botched the one spot where we need to do it like 3 times in a row on higher winds so I fused I should watch a few videos on it!
This is not the process I follow. Seems a bit too risky. I always connect up the lines double and triple check to make sure they're in the right position then wrap up on the bar until 1 1/2 length of kite from leading edge to trailing. Then hold on to leading edge and especially if I need to swim connect my safety leash to the leading edge of the kite. While I'm walking out I'll unravel the lines from the bar while still connected to the kite. Very important here that you make sure your lines don't get caught on the kite and bundle up as you're letting them out. Then I switch my safety leash to the depower of the kite while holding onto the middle leading edge. Finally, to release the kite I hold onto whichever outside line for the direction I want the kite to drift. I let it drift halfway the length of the lines then let go of the lines completely and grab the bar while it drifts the rest of the way to the end of the lines. I would never recommend keeping the lines on the bar while powering up. A gust of wind pops up and that isn't going to be a fun ride. Plus you won't be able to activate depower. With the lines off the bar I'm anticipating if I need to activate saftey line and fully depower to do a recovery. That close to the shore you want as fast as possible access to the depower once you release the kite to the wind.
Strong wind is all relative. In some areas of the world, that means 30-40kts and other places 20-30kts We definitely do not recommend drift launching in those conditions unless you have experience. In which it is done quite frequently in our neck of the woods in “strong winds”. So simple just clarifying for the rest of our subscribers. More time you do something the better you become at predicting the future.
Great tool for the toolbox. I drift launch frequently when I'm alone on beaches with rocks or shells. Leading edge repairs are the ones to avoid and skidding your kite during a beach self launch is the best way to tear a leading edge. Drift launching removes that risk. Another great vid. Thanks Aaron
Although we are a well seasoned repair shop and so being do 100s of LE repairs per year which keeps us busy. We do not want anyone to ever self launch on the beach. We constantly try to spread the word that self launch and landing on the beach is how you visit Aaron kite repair.
Great video. I've done a lot of drift launches, and I learned some things from your video. Too many people say, "NEVER do this, ALWAYS do this..." Drift launching is not for beginners. An experienced kiter should be able to take your points and apply them to their situation. I think there is some undue criticism of your video. Keep up the good work!!🤙🏼
Thank you so much for shedding light on this. We become set in our ways and we need to be adaptable. Every location around the world is different.
Thanks for your insight!
Love your videos. Rate you one of best and btw at 1:56 you flipped right to left on beach so I expected you to flip left over right in water. But at 2:39 you flipped again in same direction right to left. You said in opposite direction so you should have flipped it left to right in water. I have had 5 years on and off lessons and now at 68 just getting up!
We certainly need to redue this video. In transparency it was three takes. my dog swam out on one and would not leave the launching area, second take tongue twisters got a hold of me and then the third was released. hahah. Enjoy the journey. You should visit us and our instructors. We will certainly speed track your next steps in progression.
Good job Aaron! Thanks!
I love you videos, but this is wrong.
FIRST you completely undo the lines from the bar (with the kite still attached to your leash), THEN you release the kite.
Otherwise, should the kite catch wind with the lines still wrapped to the bar, the only option you have is a full release.
…and there’s no chance of walking to the kite at wind speed (whilst in the water!) if something goes wrong and it really powers up.
My 2 cents 🙂
Far from terrible but we do like your feed back. This allows many people out there to see and hear of different techniques that work for themselves and may not work for others.
In this beautifully controlled environment we find that keeping the lines wrapped up is fine. You can always walk as fast as the drift in order to address any issues with line entanglement
Agreed. I always connect up the lines double and triple check to make sure they're in the right position then wrap up on the bar until 1 1/2 length of kite from leading edge to trailing. Then hold on to leading edge and especially if I need to swim connect my safety leash to the leading edge of the kite. While I'm walking out I'll unravel the lines from the bar while still connected to the kite. Then I switch my safety leash to the depower of the kite while holding onto the middle leading edge. Finally, to realease the kite I hold onto whichever outside line for the direction I want the kite to drift. I let it drift halfway the length of the lines then let go of the lines completely and grab the bar while it drifts the rest of the way to the end of the lines. I would never recommend keeping the lines on the bar while powering up. A gust of wind pops up and that isn't going to be a fun ride. With the lines off the bar I'm anticipating if I need to activitate saftey line and fully depower to do a recovery. That close to the shore you want as fast as possible access to the depower once you release the kite to the wind.
thank you
Terrible! You didn't mention lines must be brought under the kite before you flip on beach. Letting go of the kite with your lines still wrapped up is extremely dangerous, you cant flag the kite and if an outside line wraps around the bar, death spiral!!👎
There are definitely different technique's and tid bits that are different for everyones situation. Thanks for studying the video and hopefully it has helped you reconsider and evaluate what you're doing. Adding comments helps all rider and adding your experience will further the effectiveness of the video. Elaborating that having the bar with the lines still wrapped while deploying the kite in higher breeze is certainly a high risk situation and not to be tried in "higher" breezes. But in lower winds it is certainly manageable. If the lines do get tangled or wrapped, simple walk with the kite at the speed of the drift to relieve the tension. Flipping the kite a certain way with bar either on top or bottom or line on top or bottom should have been explained in deeper format. We were relying on the student to visually copy the motions and steps rather than strictly auditable. We will surely work on a more detailed verbal approach in videos to come. Please continue to add your experience to further educate your community.
In the water you flipped it the same way you flipped it on land :)
Nice catch. Two different takes. My dog was swimming in the line and we had to regroup.
Rule still applies unless experience eventually allow you to know which way to flip it or if it even matters.
@@ewatersports im 8 years into kiting and still don’t drift launch really ever. I botched the one spot where we need to do it like 3 times in a row on higher winds so I fused I should watch a few videos on it!
This is not the process I follow. Seems a bit too risky. I always connect up the lines double and triple check to make sure they're in the right position then wrap up on the bar until 1 1/2 length of kite from leading edge to trailing. Then hold on to leading edge and especially if I need to swim connect my safety leash to the leading edge of the kite. While I'm walking out I'll unravel the lines from the bar while still connected to the kite. Very important here that you make sure your lines don't get caught on the kite and bundle up as you're letting them out. Then I switch my safety leash to the depower of the kite while holding onto the middle leading edge. Finally, to release the kite I hold onto whichever outside line for the direction I want the kite to drift. I let it drift halfway the length of the lines then let go of the lines completely and grab the bar while it drifts the rest of the way to the end of the lines. I would never recommend keeping the lines on the bar while powering up. A gust of wind pops up and that isn't going to be a fun ride. Plus you won't be able to activate depower. With the lines off the bar I'm anticipating if I need to activate saftey line and fully depower to do a recovery. That close to the shore you want as fast as possible access to the depower once you release the kite to the wind.
Great Video. I always learn a lot : )😄
Happy to hear you like our videos! Thanks for letting us know!
This method shall not be used in stronger wind, not safe method at all…
Strong wind is all relative. In some areas of the world, that means 30-40kts and other places 20-30kts
We definitely do not recommend drift launching in those conditions unless you have experience. In which it is done quite frequently in our neck of the woods in “strong winds”.
So simple just clarifying for the rest of our subscribers.
More time you do something the better you become at predicting the future.