newbie question

k, i've been interested in kite surfing for the past couple years, but i'm having one issue...

actually learning.

i'm of the ilk to just grab some gear and try try try til i get. it's how i do things.

but aside from reading about naish and a couple others who learnt on their own with a vast windsurfing/surfing background, i'm confronted with going to a 'school' and dragging my ass up and down the beach before i actually get to launch out on the water

is it really as dangerous to newbies as some would have me think, or would a healthy respect for my abilities and the consequences of getting 'out of my league' suffice?

i'd be learning in ontario.... north of toronto

My advice is to get a small 2 or 3 meter training kite and get really comfortable with that. Then get a kite of the size you will use regularly and learn to respect it while still out of the water. Then do the whole body dragging thing in the water till you can control the kite very well while being pulled. This will give you confidence to learn to ride the board i.e....if you fall, you won't lose control of the kite. Remember, those lines can cut like a knife. If you get unsure at any time, find a local who is already high in the learning curve, most will gladly help. Finally, if all else fails, go to school. Hope this helped

This sport is dangerous. If you can afford all the gear, the cost of a few lessons really isn't that expensive. Also (no disrespect intended) if you hurt yourself, that's a shame, but if you manage to injure others while learning, do you have any liability insurance ?

It IS that dangerous.

I've been to Canada (Vancouver Island) - lovely place - going back soon !!

I agree with the previous user that IT CAN BE dangerous.

Kite control is the KEY, being able to fly the kite without looking up at it, or flying it one-handed.. these are some ingredients that will help you when you first try to go out on a board. And being able to fly the kite without EVER dropping the kite (hindenburg) is also important. If you watch the 'experts' they NEVER or RARELY drop their kites.

Also buy one of the kitesurfing videos, and learn from it too. I've watched the How to RIp Harder videos, and they have a lot of tips and suggestions.

And remember this: if things can go wrong, they will'. Some my OWN PERSONAL examples:

1. I disregarded the rule about not flying a kite on land. I was flying a 11.5 MM kite in a schoolground, when an unexpected 25-30 MPH gust of wind picked me up 15 feet in the air.. I was airborn for 4 secs, and it scared the SHIT out of me... I couldn't unhook from my harness while I was suspended .. not enough strength. Luckily I did NOT put the kite into the powerzone while airborne, but kept it in neutral.

2. I've seen a case when I crashed hard into the water. The result was that I twisted my bar (LEFT with RIGHT) a 4-line kite, without knowing it. So when I tried to fly the kite normally, the steering was completely WACKY. I ended up incorrectly steering the kite into the power zone, and my body ended up pulling several G's of mind-boggling power.

3. I've crashed a 4-line kite into the water, and had the bar get tangled up around the 4 lines. This happens when one end of the bar goes between the middle lines and one of the lines that connects to the end of the bar. Even worse, if if the bar goes THRU the 2 middle lines above the 'Y' where the 2 leader lines meet. When the lines are this tangled, and you are out on the water by yourself, I don't expect that too many people would be able to untangle it. I couldn't figure out how to untangle this mess when it happened... and I ended up having to disconnnect the lines from the leader lines, and pulling the line out of the tangled part, and reconnecting it.

4. if the kite crashes, never let the lines wrap around fingers or limbs. If it does, and the kite decides to power back up, you will be sorry. I've heard of a horror storie where a guy had a kite wrapped around his ankle, and the kite was pulling so hard, that it wrapped so tight, and it cut down to his bone. BRING a SAFETY KNIFE, JUST IN CASE!

Anyway, you need to respect the power of the kites. If you don't know what you are doing, they can kill you.. PRACTICE, PRACTICE, PRACTICE!