LANDBOARDING

 

INTRODUCTION

 

LIKE KITE BUGGYING, KITE LANDBOARDING ALSO INVOLVES BEING PULLED BY A TRACTION KITE, BUT INSTEAD OF SITTING IN A THREE WHEELED BUGGY YOU STAND ON A 'MOUNTAINBOARD' WITH YOUR FEET STRAPPED IN (SIMILAR TO A SNOWBOARD). THE SPORT IS TOTALLY DIFFERENT TO KITE BUGGYING, BEING ALMOST ENTIRELY ORIENTED TOWARDS FREESTYLE TRICKS.

THE HISTORY

 

THIS SPORT HAS EXPERIENCED A GROWTH SPURT IN THE PAST 3 YEARS AND PROBABLY GROWN MORE THAN BUGGYING BOTH IN NUMBERS AND DEVELOPMENT AS A SPORT IN THE PAST 3 YEARS.

THE TECHNIQUES

KITE LANDBOARDING BEGINS WITH THE BASIC STATIC FLYING SKILLS, THEN MOVES ON TO PULLING YOU ALONG ON THE BOARD. ONCE YOU MASTERED GOING ALONG YOU NEED TO LEARN THE ART OF STOPPING! THIS IS EITHER BRINGING THE KITE TO THE TOP OF THE WINDOW, SLOWING DOWN AND TURNING UP WIND, OR POWERSLIDING.

ONCE YOU ARE HAPPY WITH THE BASICS THEN YOU CAN MOVE INTO THE TRICKS. TOESIDE (FACING AWAY FROM THE KITE), THEN BASIC JUMPS, FOLLOWED BY GRABS, ROTATIONS, FOOT OUTS AND BOARD OFFS, ALL IN THE AIR. THIS SPORT IS STILL GROWING, TAKING INSPIRATION FROM SURFING, KITE SURFING, SNOWBOARDING, SKATEBOARDING AND MIXING IT ALL UP WITH A LITTLE ORIGINALITY AND A LOT OF AIR.

THE EQUIPMENT

 

THE EQUIPMENT IS BEING DEVELOPED ALL THE TIME, AND EACH YEAR BRINGS MORE INNOVATION OR IMPROVEMENT. MOUNTAINBOARDS FROM MBS, SCRUB, KHEO, GROUND INDUSTRIES ARE MOST COMMON, THOUGH KITE SPECIFIC MOUNTAINBOARDS ARE NOW BEING DEVELOPED BY KITEDECK, DESIGN-EXTREME AND FLEXIFOIL. EXAMPLES OF POPULAR BOARDS ARE THE MBS COMP 6 AND THE SCRUB PRO.

KITES ARE MAINLY DEPOWERABLE KITES FLOWN ON A BAR, LIKE THE FLEXIFOIL SABRE, OZONE FRENZY, HQ MONTANA, AND THE PETER LYNN RANGE (PHANTOM, GUERILLA II, VENOM II). SOME KITERS ARE STILL USING FIXED BRIDLE KITES.

 

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