I've had that happen on a V2 bar after I changed to new switch lines. The kite started to loop and the line would still not go through the swivel. I got dragged for maybe two meters and then hit the leash release, sending the kite/bar downwind. I have changed the setup to use a two line safety relea...

I I actually thought during this process. "is this how i die?". I actually had the same thoughts when I was stuck in a suck back zone without a kite. It was close to shore but I couldn't make any forward progress and my arms were getting dead tired. I realized that the only way for me not to drown ...

For big days (> 8ft) in Santa Cruz, I like to use a dakine impact vest that has pretty decent flotation. The vest allows diving under the wave, but it also provides much needed additional flotation. Even if you more or less make it out of the break zone, you might still need to deal with strong curr...

I recommend the Vanguard for a strapless board. I find that it works quite well in the chop at speed and doesn't beat up my ankles and knees compared to other dedicated kite surfboards. This is me on the Vanguard in 5~7ft waves in Santa Cruz. I currently have it setup as a quad. http://www.vimeo.com...

Romanc, I am 5'7 145lb and have ridden the 5'2 Vanguard kite version a few times in good waves. It caught waves good and was great to surf on but was hard to paddle around the lineup. It is obviously much heavier and stiffer than you would want in a surfboard but I still had fun with it. I have sin...

Has anybody tried regular surfing on a kitesurfing vanguard board? I picked up a 5.0, and I was thinking of maybe trying it out as a regular surfboard while waiting for the winds to pick up.

Edit: Forgot to say that I am 145 lbs

Cool thanks. I'll guess I will wait for the season to start so that I can take adavntage of the 30 day guarantee.

Hello, I am thinking about getting a new surf kite for the upcoming spring season. Specifically, I want to get a 5m as I already have a 7m Switch Method v1, and that kite is a bit too powerful once it starts to average 25 mph (I am 145 lbs). One thing which I dislike about the v1, is that it is pret...

Dimitri, I just figured out the problem. Turns out that the red slider has a plastic tab that slides into the U in the chicken loop. But the tab is only on one side. Once I opened up the assembly and put the tab on the correct side, things began to work as expected. I suppose some indication regard...

Dimitri, I just figured out the problem. Turns out that the red slider has a plastic tab that slides into the U in the chicken loop. But the tab is only on one side. Once I opened up the assembly and put the tab on the correct side, things began to work as expected. I suppose some indication regardi...