Riding waves backside....

[Bob Marley]

If you're a goofy riding rights or a regular foot riding lefts you should be riding switch and facing the wave. Good kiters who can ride backside and frontside equally both ways don't ride backside often if ever.


It looks like shit and is a waste of waves compared to riding frontside.

[esg]

Check out YouTube for highlights of the most recent KSP wave contest at Hookipa. Robby Naish and Pete Cabrinha both ride backside.
They can both obviously rip front side( and better than you and 99% of us).

" Bob Marley", you are a nice person.

[esg]

" nice person" LOL! How did that get replaced in there!? Kiteforums automated speech bad person software. lol!

[ronnie]

Check out YouTube for highlights of the most recent KSP wave contest at Hookipa. Robby Naish and Pete Cabrinha both ride backside.
They can both obviously rip front side( and better than you and 99% of us).

" Bob Marley", you are a nice person.

Yep - Robby should be easily able to adapt to ride switch on a kite board but doesn't seem to. He does on a windsurfer because he has to and he isn't quite as good switch as he is on his natural side windsurfing but there isn't a lot of difference.

I think he does look better riding frontside than backside with a kite, but its up to the individual what they want to do. Maybe he just likes the variety or it feels more similar to surfing to kitesurf the way he surfs.

[lobodomar]

regarding windsurfing switch,

the mast downward pressure acts as a strong second front foot that helps stabilize the longitudinal axis of the board.

plus, the boom gives the rider something to literally hang on to.

Dropping and bottom turning a big steep wave windurfing switch is thus much easier than doing it kitesurfing switch

[jens]

robbie naish = untouchable windsurf god........ pretty limited in what he does on a kite. strapped directional, never seen him strapless, never unhooked(except way back in the day), never frontside

pete cabrinha = respected all around waterman..............rarely if ever frontside on a right,usually straped, never seen him do any freestyle at all.

i don't see the relevance of using either as an example in this thread.

[esg]

This thread was started with the idiotic statement that riding backside looks like shit. Nothing those two do on the water looks like shit, and they both ride backside. Doing freestyle or unhooking has nothing to do with their wave prowess.
There are definitely better examples of backside rippers. Pedro Henrique being one of them.

[gbgreen59]

The video that ESG posted shows excellent expamples of surfing and kite surfing backside. Maybe it is just me, but the backside looked incredible. Plus, the video shows using the wave for power rather than just the kite, he stays in the the pocket, he gets vert after a huge bottom turn, shows snap cutbacks (with fins popping out), floaters...just incredible set of skills. Too often in kite surf vids, there are only big slashes off the face. Good to see, but there are more skills to learn if progression is your thing.

Just my lame opinion: Backside is a skill that any progressive kiter should pursue. Switch frontside and backside should also be pursued. Exemplifies a good tool set.

[ronnie]

Keahi in Indo.

I tend to see it that all other things being equal frontside looks better than backside, but they are different and backside riding can also be amazing.

[gbgreen59]

If only I could be there...do that...
Keep the vids coming...frontside or backside...it's all good.