plummet wrote: ↑Mon Apr 09, 2018 8:12 amA good question and one worthy of a thread in its self.Jyoder wrote: ↑Mon Apr 09, 2018 2:23 amLet’s go existential. What brought you to kiteboarding? For me it was to have a sailboat I could fit in the trunk of my car, and the fun of flying a controllable kite. I was never interested in boosting, “tricks” and the skater culture, but rather a dynamic personal experience of wind-powered movement and peaceful flow. I bought a hydrofoil as soon as I could confidently ride upwind on my TT and sold the TT soon after. It’s been a long hard learning curve and I can’t even do real transitions yet, but I never consider going back. Riding any other board feels violent and jarring now.
I came to kitesurfing and then foiling from land kiting and prior to that mountain biking. I'm not a sailor or a waterman. I'm a terrain rider. Thats what i love. I dont care if its riding a mountain on a mountain bike, blasting a sand dune on a buggy, smashing waves on the mutant or foiling at speed in the swell. For me its about an interaction with the terrian. The more challenging the terrain and conditions the better. Thus i like storm kiting and big waves and anything that challenges my skills in riding that terrain. I too have never been a trickster in any of the sports i do. It doesnt entertain me at all. Thus my selection of toys. All designed around getting the max out of aggressive terrain.
I’m opening here the thread it deserves.
In short:
Dinghy -> windsurf -> Kiteboarding -> KiteFoiling
Initially I liked the idea of being carried forward from the wind and decided I wanted to learn to sail.
Harvesting free energy and exploring/enjoying around.
Yacht sailing was a bit more complicated to learn and do (need a team etc) and got into dinghy/cat to start with.
I liked it but though that windsurfing is more intense, exciting and it’s easier to own and carry around...
Hard to learn and progress but I was passionate and fully into it!
While at the stage of trying to learn to do planning jibes, I got for a week into place where I count not rent a windsurf but could get kite classes. I said I’ll try and see…
Then I said I’ll do both…
Kite eventually won me because it’s even more practical to carry around, relatively easier to progress, has greater community where I am, is even more exciting at lower level (jumps etc), greater wind range (at the low end)
The only thing I did not like is that it was more like “skate in the park” rather than “cross country” and explore
Then foiling came and covered the low end wind and bridged everything! Every wish covered!
(Still at an early phase but so excited for the things to come and so much enjoying the present moment for learning and improving!)