Kiting in Hurricanes

[Windrider]

...is the extreme version of kiting. Irresponsible for most to try. Anything over 35 knots becomes extreme very easily.

It seems roughly equivalent to:
(1) People popping wheelies at 50-70 mph on sport bikes
(2) People doing extreme downhill runs on skis (down rocky cliffs, down avalanche-ready hillsides, etc.)
(3) People free diving to 100+ m (over 300 ft).
(4) Cliff jumping,
(5) Street racing, etc.

At that level, it becomes a specialty activity that you train for, not just something you decide to try because you're good at the normal levels of performance for the sport. The herd gets thinned out pretty quickly in truly extreme sports.

I was wondering if Dimitri's hurricane video/story was going to "inspire" others to give it a try even though they didn't have the right equipment for the conditions. Seems that it did with fatal results.

Peace to those who pass in trying, but, at least, give yourself a fair chance by using the right equipment for the conditions, and prepare for it with special training (handling quick releases under high load conditions, kiting unhooked in high winds(?)etc. )

[Tom183]

What all these things have in common is that the random element is much larger and the safety margin much smaller. There may be a tiny percentage of riders worldwide with the skills to compensate (and even they often will take extra precautions where possible), and quite a few other guys have simply been lucky - but there are literally hundreds who mistakenly thought they had enough skill and didn't get lucky...

"More balls than sense" simply isn't a good survival technique, no matter how much some guys worship it...

[Wibbler]

Hurricanes are so 'Atlantic Ocean'


Try an Indian Ocean Typhoon.



It's all about non-frontal synoptic scale low-pressure systems over tropical (or sub-tropical) waters with organized convection (i.e. thunderstorm activity) and definite cyclonic surface wind circulation.


Leave your kites at home, go grab a handkerchief.

[joeyb]

I've windsurfed in true hurricanes, on in-land bodies of water.

These are winds over 70 mph!! and usually very gusty.

I WOULDN'T EVER EVEN CONSIDER KITING IN THESE CONDITIONS!!!!

I was windsurfing totally sheeted out, riding the fin the whole time trying to keep the front of the board under control. It was kind of an interesting experience but I'd rather have 30mph day.

PS. I couldn't jybe in those winds, end up going too fast down wind and get bounced off the board. Have to always remember to hold on the boom, otherwise you could loose everything in those winds.

PS. Cops hassled me, so I had to change launches a couple of times.

BUT KITE SURFING = 90% LIKELYHOOD OF CATASTROPHY!!

Joey B