Nice Kite Racing Video

[SBBeachbum]

yes the right equipment being a sail boat....
You can't seriously tell me that an inflatable kite is gonna fly in 4 knots? Maybe, a ram air, but even that is a huge stretch.
Even if Ram Airs would fly, I doubt that Cabrinha will be producing ram airs for the Olympics...

I wish I was wrong, cause that would be fantastic for us Great Lakes Kiters, it is not that I don't want to be able to kite in 4 knots, it's just that the damn kite will not fly in 4 knots. Not today's kites at least.

Yep at the moment inflateable kites cannot fly in those conditions. BUT there are kites that can, and I am lucky to race for a brand that has a high performance 21m2 Ram air kite that in combination with a modern race board works well beyond what current LEIs can do in light breezes. In 6 years a lot of development can happen and board, fin and kite technology will get a lot better. So I am in no doubt that even then other brands will at least try to get kites developed for their team racers that will allow them to kite in the minimal conditions too.

So let's be open to the idea and give Markus and the IKA a chance to get the one part of the sport into the olimpics that has the chance.

I am pretty sure that all the guys and girls who compete in the tour would love a chance to represent their country in the olympics. It's probably not so interesting for the non racers, but this is not about them.

--
Gunnar

Fantastic Gunnar. Can you please post a deep water relaunch of your kite in 4 knots of ground wind?

[gmb13]

yes the right equipment being a sail boat....
You can't seriously tell me that an inflatable kite is gonna fly in 4 knots? Maybe, a ram air, but even that is a huge stretch.
Even if Ram Airs would fly, I doubt that Cabrinha will be producing ram airs for the Olympics...

I wish I was wrong, cause that would be fantastic for us Great Lakes Kiters, it is not that I don't want to be able to kite in 4 knots, it's just that the damn kite will not fly in 4 knots. Not today's kites at least.

Yep at the moment inflateable kites cannot fly in those conditions. BUT there are kites that can, and I am lucky to race for a brand that has a high performance 21m2 Ram air kite that in combination with a modern race board works well beyond what current LEIs can do in light breezes. In 6 years a lot of development can happen and board, fin and kite technology will get a lot better. So I am in no doubt that even then other brands will at least try to get kites developed for their team racers that will allow them to kite in the minimal conditions too.

So let's be open to the idea and give Markus and the IKA a chance to get the one part of the sport into the olimpics that has the chance.

I am pretty sure that all the guys and girls who compete in the tour would love a chance to represent their country in the olympics. It's probably not so interesting for the non racers, but this is not about them.

--
Gunnar

Fantastic Gunnar. Can you please post a deep water relaunch of your kite in 4 knots of ground wind?

Such a mundane thing to post, but I will put the Go Pro on the next light wind training day and drop the kite. But we are talking racing here and not freestyle. If you drop your kite at olympic level even in strong winds your medal chance is gone even if you relaunch it.

--
Gunnar