Dallas Texas Reporting In

[Thor SFBay]

Coleman knows Dallas, he lived there for a while.
One of the guys here in central Texas is about the same size and he rides 10, 14 & 17.

You are proving my point - 14m kite for most winds, 17m for light wind and 10m for higher wind days. So I am wondering why Coleman suggested a 10m for a first kite. That just seems way too small unless most of your kiting days are over 25mph.

I'm curious about kiting in DFW though. My mom lives in Rowlett so I've considered whether or not it would ever make sense to visit her and bring the kites. Having grown up in the area, it seems to me that the winds would be fairly unpredictable. How many kiting days do you get there? Is Lake Ray Hubbard the main spot?

[L0KI]

Because Coleman weighs 150 pounds, and 210 pounds is a long way off.
I think people have a hard time understanding how much 60 pounds makes a difference, and they often recommend a size or two off, going in both directions for weight.
Coleman said 11-13M for 90% of the time, which is right on, ..not sure about the 10M recommendation.
10M seems to be a fairly small kite for a 210 pound guy in medium winds.
10M is also a lot of kite when it is howling 35+.
I still think 8M / 12M / 17M or 9M / 13M / 17-18-19M.

Lake Ray Hubbard is a main spot, but there are others in Dallas.
Yes, inland lake wind is unpredictable and gusty/ cyclical, but there are still people kiting regularly in Dallas and Austin and at several lakes in between.

[NYKiter]

Your going to thrash the shit out of you and your kites.
Get on ebay and purchase a few BOW kites over the year 2008.
I ride a collection of crispy 2008 REVs that a few guys 'intended' to kite on for $250 a pop.

[talbert99]

Thanks for the replies everyone. It's good to see support like this (especially local support) for a newbie like myself entering the sport.

Some steps since my last post:
1) I've joined our local Facebook page/group which obviously puts me right in touch with the local crew. Big plus there.

2) I've contacted and retained the services of a local Kite Board Coach (who's experienced and been around as an instructor). I'll get the proper intro and instruction here. Yay....

3) I also went out to the local Wakeboard/Cable Park (only 4 miles from my house) and have looked in to a yearly pass to work on board skills when the winds are down.

I've got a few PM's to respond to. Getting to that shortly. Thanks again!

[ryuu]

Just be careful with local instructors, I know one is a kook.
Sure you have heard it by now ... you will learn a lot faster and easier if you take a trip to Corpus or SPI, solid wind and shallow water go a long way
good luck man

[coleman]

+1 on the corpus recommendation. A week at the coast will get you further than 6 months learning on an inland lake. It makes a massive difference.