Kitesurf Fatality in Germany

[Toby]

I wonder why journalists get paid...another nonsense article from Germany's biggest newspaper.
Sounds like his board had wheels...so it was a landboarder.

http://www.bild.de/regional/koeln/sport ... .bild.html

Riding overpowered:

Riding bigger kites will make you more aware of dangers. Yes, unexperienced riders with a bigger kite can break a golden rule. Experienced riders will think prior to the dangers and try to eliminate them (distance is your friend).
That's why I am explaining the dangers and how tos on my DVD in details, how to handle the kites when launching and landing correctly. This is where most had accidents.
I am not promoting big kites to unexperienced riders, but to intermediate, who want to learn tricks.
And do also make sure to say, to use a bigger kite in lighter winds, then a smaller in stronger.
At which wind speeds do people die most of the time? 20+ knots?
Stay below and you will have nothing to worry about.

[sijandy]

Does anyone know the total number of fatalities from kiteboarding since it began? Difficult to record and keep track of but was just wondering. Would be interesting to see some figures/records from over the years.

[edt]

Rick has the exact numbers but about 8 a year in the early days now about 5 a year but since there has been at least a ten fold incense in kiters since 2000 that means it is relative safe I would say it is safer than trad climbing white water kayaking paragliding but more dangerous than windsurfing longboarding or bowling.

I was talking to a student who just got done with a kiteboarding lesson and I was saying stuff like "yeah so and so nearly died, poor control bar design, it never flagged out, also if you leash to the back you might die could get dragged backwards, and if you get a deathloop on land you might die if you bash your head on something, probably good idea to look downwind make sure there isn't anything hard there."

And she goes, "Nobody told me you could die!"

Dunno if she'll be back.

[plummet]

At which wind speeds do people die most of the time? 20+ knots?
Stay below and you will have nothing to worry about.

Well based on my memory and not hard facts. usually its high 20's.

[Toby]

I would also say 25+ knots.
But I am sure the majority was due to suddenly increasing wind speeds.
That has to be avoided in the first place!

[plummet]

To be honest the real killer is peoples lack of understanding of the weather and how that can affect the wind speed. Usually people see light conditions and put up a big kite and then are killed in an "unexpected" gust.

I have never seen conditions when wind speeds unexpectidly increase. Never. With proper research of forecasts and live weather readings you can predict what may happen pretty accurately.

Before heading out you know if its a gusty day or clean day what the approximate gusts will be. Usually I know what kite I will be using before i leave home.

[Westozzy]

Thing is most of here who have been around 10 years or more and even less probably have done this...

Got down the beach, kind of went, damn it's a little too windy for the kite I got, you quickly rig up shutting off that voice of reason that says, 'dude you may wanna sit this one out',

launch, get fuckadoodled at some point, but luckily without consequences, and live to see another day.

We have all done it surely, it seems some people are either just downright unlucky when they make a poor choice, on a few occasions just get an unlucky bit of weather, or of course are too inexpereinced to get out of the shit fight you know from experience you are about to have.

Surely we have all had our lucky escapes (especially in the early days on those horrible bloody C kites, two line foils etc and even the first SLE's), some just don't get make it.

I for one think we shouldn't judge to harshly as most of us have put ourselves within the realms of unreasonable risk at at least one time...come on....admit it now.

Every sport has its risks and I would bet most of us would have gone to the edge of that risk at some point and are just lucky/fortunate/expereinced enough? to have lived to tell the tale.

[icebird]

I believe the single most important factor in accidents is not having the reflex to let go of the bar immediately.

[Toby]

To be honest the real killer is peoples lack of understanding of the weather and how that can affect the wind speed. Usually people see light conditions and put up a big kite and then are killed in an "unexpected" gust.

I have never seen conditions when wind speeds unexpectidly increase. Never. With proper research of forecasts and live weather readings you can predict what may happen pretty accurately.

Before heading out you know if its a gusty day or clean day what the approximate gusts will be. Usually I know what kite I will be using before i leave home.

Exactly...and no instructor ever will tell that!

[Toby]

I believe the single most important factor in accidents is not having the reflex to let go of the bar immediately.

That's for sure.

And even less release...rememer the helm cam of the guy who got lofted into the tree?

But I do think instruction have a big mistake:

Imagine your instructor for driving a car have told you to get your foot off the pedal in bad situations...instead of hitting the breaks...we would see many more car accidents.

Same with kiting...people should rather learn to release, instead of letting go of the bar.

A scientific research would be needed here...