is it impossible?

[Toby]

hahah, laughingman, had that in Cabarete!
Wind always from east, that day from the west...really rare! Locals started like it is from the east...too funny!
And saw it in Cumbuco too, this time some gringos, wind normally from right, this time onshore...guess how they wanted to launch Then I asked them, if they checked where the wind is coming from and if they notices any difference

10 years ago we had to be so much more aware in order to be safe...nowadays safety doesn't play a role anymore, just getting on the board asap. More fatalities, more bans. Sad!

[SupaEZ]

I think the back of harness attachment point should be banned, the pros have stopped using it, and most people don't even think about attaching at the front until they have the reality explained. Some manufactures don't even offer a side attachment point, WTF?

More people should use short leashes..and more manufacturers should offer them too
That way they cannot connect them to the back of harness
Most people Freeride and do not unhook
I like a short leash that does not swing all over the place
Core has a nice short leash that does the job perfectly for majority of people out there

[edt]

There are ten times as many kiters as ten years ago and less fatalities per year people are better instructed and the gear is safer. there is no such thing as the good old days more like the everyone has a broken leg old days.

true you can get away with more sketch stuff now because gear is so much safer but that's human nature if you make gear safe people will throw down harder which I think is fine

[bnthere]

the broken leg days. we used have "hospital air" and we would see it all the time. guys calling it from the beach: "thats hospital air" watching someone get launched and slammed (usually on the beach/into the rocks) and a lot of them really did result in injuries.

[Dr Makani]

interesting, interesting ...

my $.02 - safety has an upper and a lower level. I personally bounce between them all the time. A helmet and an impact vest when going into waves? Hmmm I choose not to and have several reasons. BUT I am AWARE of what I am doing. Same for the leash. I have a 8ft leash on my SB riding waves, but I don't leash my TT. I decide to ride hard, fast, do new tricks - a helmet and impact vest becomes obvious. I decide to go on a long and lonesome downwinder - I'll carry a small marine VHF ... etc

We all are creatures of habits and mostly do what we've done since beginning of our time. Safety has options and ramifications - we need to be aware of that.

And here is where the rubber hits the road. Dealing with a novice means to give him/her all options and explain the ramifications. Later on it's his/her choice what and when to use.

So, bottom line is: What I DO might not be safe for others (by doing the same). So rather saying 'be careful' I mean 'be aware' - that's where safety starts and you built your personal matrix.

peace

[JGTR]

Here we go yet another instructor bashing thread

Qualified instructors teach safe methods, full safety gear etc etc and what's the first thing students do....???? Ditch the helmet and all the safety gear, go out in too much wind, kite too close to objects, clip their leash to the back if their harness .

And why is this may you ask........because every one else does it, because the experienced kitesurfers who should know better do it Because all the pro riders do it

So seriously stop your jibba jabba, get off your soapbox and take a look in the mirror.

[KiteCulture]

I'm going to put myself out there... I teach people on the weekends and like to think that I'm a good instructor focused on the safety of students. I also value the lessons I learn in each lesson as no two people are alike and your course material needs to adjust on the fly accordingly. I'm not sure that I always blame instructors or shops for some of these issues. In some cases a shop is only as good as the information if receives. I end up taking a lot of time (free) after the lesson responding to questions and gear choice. I make some recommendations and then assume they go to the shop. For all I know they go online and buy a 2006 used kite and hit the beach the next day for their first experience....which may not be good. No matter how much I stress, that after your initial lesson (if they decide not to make more) to break up your learning into segments... set up the kite on a no wind day in a park. Tie your lines to a fence and practice QR reflexes, read magazines, watch other training video's, fly the kite in lower wind (but sufficient) and just fly the kite in the water. Next session, body drag and so on. My guess is that some will get their gear a week or longer after the lesson, hit the water, board in hard and just go for it. Some might be intimidated, some might be smart, some might get it and others might get into trouble. I feel responsible for each student I teach after their lesson and would dream hearing that someone got into trouble, which hasn't happened. Frankly, one full day lesson is not enough to get people confident about getting a kite in the air alone. Financially, very few take more than one intro lesson. While I believe that I give good advice (leash on front, and always explain why why why...for everything) I'm not sure how much they will walk away with (which is why i advise them to break down their learning).

I wonder if the greater concern is that we're suggesting to new riders that you can learn this in a few hours. Yeah, you can learn to fly a kite relatively safely in a few hours, and maybe get a board start out of it, but I'd prefer they take additional lessons - even just so I feel better about their well being. If a student is unsuccessful, I'm quite up front that they should not pursue anything until additional lessons are obtained.

On the shop side... they never know how experienced people are when they ask newby questions. "What riding stye are you looking for"? "I wanna jump", great, here is a Fuel, go nuts." Naturally, i'm simplifying this, but I think we need to download some of this to new riders. Do they really know what they are getting into? Should we tell people that it takes a FEW lessons to get decently skilled, and then several times before they are confident? It's this experience that teaches them about safety. They need to have the kite flip under guidance in order to better understand their options. This all happens in a lesson, but I'm not always sure how much they take away.

[Laughingman]

I could not imagine how anyone could fit all what is needed to be a safe and self sufficient kiter into one afternoon.

Once again though this comes back onto the people and their ignorance. All they want to do is ride and jump, they do not respect the power of the wind and for the most part you can't tell them any different.
I saw a guy teaching himself yesterday. He was being pretty safe generally but he had a wakeboard with boots on it.... yah that'll work for yah... see you next year still learning board starts....
As if no one told him that was a bad idea... he just didn't listen because he knows better then anyone else.

[knotwindy]

people are going to be people regardless of the gear in their hands whether a kite or a car
have you seen how most people drive even though it is much more dangerous to themselves and others

to the OP; yes it is impossible
but we still need to try

[KiteCulture]

Right. There is only enough time to generally cover the basics, and set them up for continued learning on their own while keeping safety in mind. But the lesson, and I imagine most schools that teach a one day intro, is not developed to make them a self sufficient kiter. Too much to cover and even if they had an 11 hour lesson, they'd never retain anything beyond a few hours.

We will continue to always try