kite_hh wrote: ↑Mon Aug 13, 2018 10:20 pm
sarc wrote: ↑Mon Jul 02, 2018 5:56 am
Deathloops on launch WILL happen in your kitesurfing career. it may be just a few bruises and a laugh, or a life in a wheelchair or worse. In my case it was a slight concussion and a broken rib... and I was wearing helmet and PFD. It was a perfectly normal launch like I have done 10,000 time before. Since then, I never launched hooked in again (that was a few years back...)
It is quite hard to predict the future, but judging from my past experiences I am very confident deathloops at launch are not inevitable.
While a launch can certainly go wrong and may need to be aborted (be it before things go wrong or using the quick release), a deathloop at start to me seems to be a connection of several mistakes and, being the responsible kiter one should and can be, are not common nor inevitable.
Maybe you can share what went wrong in your scenario? You seem to be an experienced Kiter (10,000 starts) and a concussion and a broken rib really are serious injuries.
Personally I feel safe hooking in and carefully controlling the situation at launch, always mentally being prepared to hit that QR should anything go wrong.
Hi Kite_hh
I remember I posted about it when it happened, you can search my name, but anyway I self-launched leading edge down and walking backwards as in my video, hooked in with my hand on the quick release. 30-35kn with 5m rebel. I was paying attention, looking at the kite, the lines, the launch area and not goofing around.
I probably had a line wrapped around the wing tip, maybe due to the line flapping in strong wind on the downwind tip (which I could not see). I say probably because I can't remember anything except a massive impact on the ground - maybe when I passed out I lost some memory, I don't know. I was my friends telling me what happened.
There has been another occasion around 2005 when I got lofted on launch by a massive gust + wind shift. I was told I was about 5m off the ground (enough to break my back if I land wrong) but fortunately back then I was on Peter Lynn Arcs and they were such well behaved kites, I had muscle memory to stall the kite to depower so instead of overflying and dropping me I floated gently back to ground.
Anyway I have been very happily only launching like in my (or the French pro) videos for the past few years with zero problems and zero worries, including 35kn+ wind. Now I really can't understand why people walk around the beach hooked in.