Sean, do you really think using a leash, (if you always use it that is) is a hadicap for big moves, there seem to be several hot riders on the forum who use leashes?

On the insurance question
The old lady we cut up is sueing the rider and I think also the owner of the bathing
establishment for damages, don't know how much but there's been no
settlement yet, I heard she's had plastic surgery so it could be big bucks.
There are still guys riding onshore without
leashes in summer and doing their thing for the tourists.
A few days ago I asked one of the boys if he would start using a leash if I
showed him a snap shackle that would let his depower and leash spin
together, he said he wasn't interested.
I asked him what he'd do if he was
out and a serious storm came up, he said he'd just depower my kite by
pulling one side of the lines down. Well, he doesn't use leaders or gloves
and imo this sounds like a quick way to loose your fingers. You know pull
one brake line about 1 meter longer than the other and the kite goes crazy
spiralling straight into the power zone, as far as I know, never tried it
myself and don't want to either. He has been kiting for 2/3 years and is
pretty hot on the water.

one day that guy will learn his lesson...
There will be more and more pressure on the beaches and aggressions against kiters not being or riding safe. So this will be solved one day anyway

Let's hope by our common sense and not by legistlation, here in Italy, Coast Guard regulations on windsurfing state that you should go 300/500 meters from the beach with the sail down before starting.
Anyone got a paddle?
Jo

Jo, Toby,

Dont get me wrong, I feel STRONGLY that ALL riders should wear leashes ALL the time, I ALWAYS ride with a leash and do not think that it inhibits me in any way. OK I have to alternate my loops and spins so that I dont get more than 3 twists in the lines (my safety works fine with 3 but 4 is pushing it) if anything it forces me to work more doing the same moves on both tacks.

What I'm trying to say is that no one sector of the sport can force leashes on those that dont understand the obvious need for them.

What is needed is a change of attitude that makes leashless riding 'socially unnacceptable' in the sport. But at the moment the pro's and the mags make it 'socially acceptable' to ride leashless and some could even be accused as promoting it.

Even if you ride at a deserted beach you should use a leash, because if you take a fall and let go of the kite (not even John Messenger could hold when he's unconscious) whats to stop it blowing out to sea (or inland) and causing mischief.

Sean

am i wrong, or did the last issue of kiteboard mag, maybe the issue before last, not sure, but didn't the rider in the Airrush kite ad on the back cover have a leash attached to him? i always give away all of my issues, so i cant check it first hand now, but i thought i recalled seeing it.

i once heard a pro rider refer to my leash as a ball and chain.

i wont say who this rider was as i respect peoples privacy, so we'll just refer to him as

i know this thouh, leashes, impact vests and maybe even helmets will be required if kitesurfing is ever going to become an olympic sport.


they arent really all that restricting, they are just uncool. i care less about cool. i tell people all the time that if they continue to ride leashesless, they will eventually, one day, get screwed big time for it.

please dont go out and be a yoyo.


stop trying to dodge the bullets associated with riding leashless.

riding leashless is bad. mmmmkay

for christ's sake man, put a leash on that thing will ya? before ya screw around and let it bite someone.


cheers to you all.

and especially to marina. was down in cabarete, and well, i must say that she really does something for me.


bedtime for us here. is late and have much kitesurfing to do tomorrow. nighty night.

wow, that was great with the grapnic smiley faces and everything! HOw do you guys put the different smilies in your posts? where is the "smiley menu?"

smilies can be found here....
http://213.239.157.21/php/index.php
andreas

you can get the larger smiley's i have been using in my posts at the adress adreas listed for you in the above message. this is simple to see and find where any image here comes from. simply right click the smiley or pic on this forum you wish to find the source of and select properties. sure enough, in the box that comes up will be the exact url of the image. then, just start backstepping the url until you have the site itself it came from.(by backstepping the url, i mean delete every thing after the last forward slash/) if the new url returns dead page, backstep further, removing everything from afetr the new last slash. anyway, enough computer lessons, here, for the last time, i will share where to get the smileys and how to use them.

first, get the program called emotipad. this program is so sweet and it writes the codes into the post for you to make the smiley you want. just grab the smailey and drag to the post. get this at http://www.emotipad.com
next, you will need to add the smileys you like to the emotipad pragram. this is really easy, and emotipad explains it for you. if you like the larger images i have been using, try http://www.smiley-faces.com for a supply of them. if you like the smaller, normal sized ones, a good place for these to be found is http://www.mysmilies.com/

there are lots of other sources, but these come to mind quick and this post is getting long, so hunt them up if you want more. the two sites i listed contain literally thousands of smileys.

enjoy and have fun pimpin the smileys. everyone knows i do. hope someone enjoys the effort.

KC

I can't remember which edition it was in, but in one of the UK kitesurf mags, the editor did his column on leashes. In kite mags defense, he was saying that everyone should wear a leash, and that when they are doing their photo shoots, there is most often a boat on hand to step in if it turns to custard. But i always wear a leash, i lost my kite onto powerlines when i was learning, and i wasnt wearing my leash, i have orn one ever since. I have a system where i can use my snap shackle, but it can still rotate freely without getting tangled. i resuced one one of my friends kites three times over the last summer, and he still persists in not wearing a leash. What would have happenned if I wasnt there????

Leashes are like a ball and chain, but there
is no way a will kite with out one. The guys locally who don't ride without a permanent leach have a shackel. As long as they are prepared to get killed by staying attached to their kites without releasing ,everything is fine, but I doubt thats the case. Most likely I will be the the victim when the going gets tough, and they have to unshackel.

Where I live in the past Jet ski riders have been the bad guys, killing people over the years. Kiteboarding's honeymoon period is over, saftey now or be banned or restricted.
People will not tolerate be cut and maimed by kiteline, it's a lot worse than a noisey
jet ski.
get your shit together