Saftey, yeah who are you foolin, not me!

[BigSmelly]

TALK TALK TALK, I agree... We all do it, but as you said, when the slightest breeze comes up, we run (or drive, as fast as we want) like mindless zombies drooling at the mouth and forget about all our preaching’s. I AM AN ADICT - GUILTY AS CHARGED!! Although I must admit, that I have never preached Helmets, Impact Vests, Life jackets, or any other safe or non safe practice that I do or do not use myself - besides board leashes, as being the selfish git that we all are, I value my life, and see this little catapult set-up as an easy way to come home with a hole in your head!

I do not use ANY saftey gear, did not use a kite leash (up until moving to the Psychos - now I use it ALWAYS), and never wait for my friends to pitch up to launch my kite when I get to the beach first, even if I end up having an hour completely alone, in overpowered winds, with only gawking passer byers that know nothing about kite saftey / dangers. I AM AN ADICT - GUILTY AS CHARGED.

On the other hand, I try to stay away from people, when launching, cruising and especially jumping, but... and here's the selfish git, slap me down, I am a still a snotty little kid, kicker - NOT, because in my mind, at the time of kiting, I am actively looking out for 3rd party's better interests, but because I know that other people (and their beach chairs, sharp objects, BBQ's and CIGARETTES) are the biggest danger to my equipment than anything else on our generally big sandy beaches here in Israel. But, no, I do not relish the thought of landing on a little kid from 8 meters up, so yes, I am not entirely selfish, all the time. (Wheeew [smelly wipes the sweat from his brow], I was startig to look like a crazed mad man there - wait, are the trees swaying already, this early in the morning... [stupid, uncontrollable grin forming]

This is the strongest addiction that I have ever had in my life and I see no cure, and definitely want no cure. That feeling of pure, relaxed pleasure after a good session, or the sweet, dis-attached, freedom during the session. There is no substitute for these emotions. Now please excuse me, I have to go and give my 15.5 Psycho a spin.

[fokiten]

Now we are cooking,Big smelly kites rock we are definetly sicko's and the world spins round and round life is good, and i have to go we got wind,hehehehehe watch out lizards here i come.

[Toby]

BigSmelley, you are not alone.....

we all are addicted (well, I assume...)

[zastrow]

Your message is lost in your semantics which clearly indicate your inability to think clearly. However I couldn't resist pointing out that statistically most of us are much more likely to get hurt or killed driving around in our cars every day.

As far as kite surfing is concerned, like with anything else we do, one can choose to minimize the risk by taking precautions (kite size vs wind, leashes, off shore wind, close to shore, crowds, etc.). This will not insure complete safety but will, hopefully, reduce risks to levels we can tolorate.

Wow, I wrote a message without swearing. Will wonders never cease.

[Air Vermont]

I really worry when people say that it is statistically safer to kitesurf than is is to drive to the beach. Frankly, I don't think that ther is any way to compare the two, and I am certain that there are no such statistics. I suppose it is true that more people die in car accidents than kite accidents. That does not make kite surfing safer than driving. I kite at a lousy launch, in cold conditions, and in high wind, and I am absolutely certain (just not statistically certain) that I am much safer in my airbag equiped, crash tested, and handily piloted car. The other "statistic" often seen here is the one about sharks. More likely to be killed in a car accident than by a shark. Yep, probably true, especialy if you don't go in the ocean.

Gary

[fokiten]

On 2002-11-08 17:30, zastrow wrote:
Your message is lost in your semantics which clearly indicate your inability to think clearly. However I couldn't resist pointing out that statistically most of us are much more likely to get hurt or killed driving around in our cars every day.

As far as kite surfing is concerned, like with anything else we do, one can choose to minimize the risk by taking precautions (kite size vs wind, leashes, off shore wind, close to shore, crowds, etc.). This will not insure complete safety but will, hopefully, reduce risks to levels we can tolorate.

Wow, I wrote a message without swearing. Will wonders never cease.

Zastrow, my apologes to you, my inability to think cleary WAS my message. Your comment above "we can choose to take precautions" is in fact the point of my post. You see most talk the talk on saftey like you,you go as far as citing stats? Yet, I bet you launch where you can, nearly never abort a session, and basiclly choose "to kite" even if it seems "less than safe". If Im wrong im a not nice personhead with shit for brains.(thanks anon) If im right I am just about the only person on this site that is willing to admit that I take unnessary chances just because I lov to kite and kiting is more important to me than being safe. Whats your story? I bet tolorable level means you kite if you can????? Who is BS'n Who? Go ahead and swear statman
(who is editing my posts? richard{anon} called me a not nice personhead with shit for brains why can't i quote him?)whats up toby?

<font size=-1>[ This Message was edited by: fokiten on 2002-11-08 22:21 ]</font>

[Johnny TBKS]

Aight. With all due respect to you fokiten, I found this thread pretty boring...aside from the occassional creatively written posts. It's not the topic that makes it boring but the same thing being said over and over and over. Fokiten made his point to me in his first post..which warranted no reply from me....IMO. Now you guys are argueing and cussing at each other. daaaaaamn. Maybe somebody better start passing out some Xanax!

I'd like to be the one to be able to come in here and say that if the conditions are less than favorable I won't launch...but I wont lie. I do my best to make the launches and landings that I do decide to take on, as safe as possible! At the same time, I am not addicted to the point of kiting getting in the way of my good judgement. If I go to the beach, and the sky don't look promising, and the winds 12 gusting to 28...well, I DON'T KITE! I LOVE to ride overpowered, but I don't care too much for survival sailing or hospitals.

Not everyone is the same or thinks alike. I could give 2 shits who see's me pull what. I don't care if the beach goers never see me pull a trick. I don't kite for them, I kite for myself. So you dont see me hot-dogging just off the shore line or seeing how close I can be to people when I do launch a jump. (One bad enough experience will usually straighten out those who don't practice the golden rule of 'DISTANCE IS YOUR FRIEND'...for me, luckily it was just a concussion that taught me...others aren't always so fortunate). Matter of fact, I PREFER that my friends dont see or know my full potential, that way when we all start talking shit on the beach, I've got a surprise or two for them on the water. Try appearing to be less than you really are instead of more than you really are and you will more often come out the guy on top in confrontations of the such. What is it that people get from showing off? I don't do it and I don't get it....is why I ask.

I agree that we can't talk 'statistically' trying to compare safety. That's the biggest bunch of BS their ever was. Of course you are safer in you luxury sedan with air bags, seat belts, total control, dummy and crash tested extensively than when you attach yourself to a kite. I don't buy into statistics. They don't take enough factors into consideration.

I think the best thing I have seen from this thread is....

On 2002-11-08 08:53, BigSmelly wrote:
This is the strongest addiction that I have ever had in my life and I see no cure, and definitely want no cure. That feeling of pure, relaxed pleasure after a good session, or the sweet, dis-attached, freedom during the session. There is no substitute for these emotions. Now please excuse me, I have to go and give my 15.5 Psycho a spin.

And to you fokiten, I hear ya brotha! I understand and really do appreciate where you are coming from. I think this thread would have been alot shorter if maybe some less attitude came across in your writings.

Pea's Out!

Johnny

<font size=1>[ This Message was NOT edited by: Johnny on 2002-11-08 and won't be cuz I wont be returnin' to it!]</font>

[Nico]

Guys like fokiten should warn everyone if they are going kiting, or even driving for that matter.
That attitude is what is the real danger for the sport.
Regards
Nico

[Toby]

fokiten: d-i-c-k is a bad word and censored. Therefore it will be replaced by "not nice person"

it will be replaced automatically. If I would edit something in your post you would see something like this below:

<font size=-1>[ This Message was edited by: Toby on 2002-11-09 09:01 ]</font>

[BigSmelly]

On 2002-11-09 08:58, Toby wrote:
fokiten: d-i-c-k is a bad word and censored.

If Di-ck is a bad word, then I have to try some other bad words to see what happens....

f***, cunt, pussy, cock, bitch, whore, shit, shite, crap, turd, nice person, fucked, fucking, not nice person, ass, nice person, arse, shitter, piss, wank... Damn, is that all I know, what a dissapointment...


<font size=-1>[ This Message was edited by: BigSmelly on 2002-11-09 10:29 ]</font>