Three weeks ago, I decided to go KGB (Kite Ground Board) with a mountain board on the salt flats just south of the Great Salt Lake. It was early afternoon and the thermal was just setting up. The wind was very light, so I decided to pull out my Flysurfer SilverArrow 2 19M - Bad idea. The wind was up and down, so much so that it was hard to keep the kite in the sky at times, but after about 20 minutes the wind started to fill-in and I started zooming across the salt flats. After about 10 minutes a minor gust punched me and at the same time I hit a sandy spot which caused my board to flip and tumble. My left foot came out of the straps, but my right foot stayed in. It was real fun putting away my kite and hobbling to my truck. I thought it was a bad sprain, but my neighbor who is a doctor told me that you never know for sure until it is x-rayed. The x-ray revealed a spiral fracture near the base of my fibula that required surgery. The surgery went well, but I have 4 more weeks on crutches and I cannot drive as well. I had to cancel two river rafting trips and a kiteboarding trip to the Gorge. I am just kicking myself for using such a big kite while KGB.

I use my Speed2 19m with the KGB quite a bit - but I'm a lot more cautious on land, due to exactly what you described. You really need to be sure you know the surface before going fast and popping jumps - soft spots are like flypaper... I usually make several moderately slow passes over an area to check things out, then will let things rip if conditions are right.

Tom,

I have been KGB with the SA2 many times. The surface was smooth and I have ridden at the location many times. I don't think the board would have tumbled if a gust didn't hit at the same time that I hit the sandy spot. As you are aware, because the SA2 is so big, it is very sensitive to even minor gusts. I was being picked up at the same time I hit the soft soft causing the board to tumble and rotate. It happened so fast that I was laying on the ground in a split second with no time to react. If this had happened on the water, it would not have caused an injury due to the different dynamics of the board size and weight.

I don't think I will use the big kite for KGB anymore. It is not worth being out 6 weeks for a few hours of fun. I have missed some great water sessions, mountain biking, rock climbing, etc. Plus, I have to have my wife and kids drive me everywhere. I don't think I want to give up KGB, but I think I will keep the kite size at a 12 or smaller.

Kenny

Get well soon dude. Its hard to remember the ground is solid after feeling immortal on water. I still have mild pain from a broken clavicle from 8 years ago. I was diving for a frisbee in a pickup game of Ultimate. Not worth it in retrospect but I have learned my lessons and limits in a not so bad way.

Jake

My point is, it's not the kite (or your ability) - it's the surface. I have seen very experienced guys take seriously hard falls with small kites too (pretty much exactly what happened to you, minus the fracture), so I treat the surface as brand new to me, every single time - until I have actually ridden over a spot (and the area around it) and know it's firm, I don't trust it. This goes double/triple when the wind is questionable, no matter what kite I'm using.

It takes extra time and some guys probably think it looks stupid, but it's worth it to avoid losing days to an injury.

I guess that is possible. The place where I ride covers many miles. I am not sure how I could do what you are talking about. I think perhaps my riding style is too carefree. I don't think I would ever take the time to carefully examine the riding surface, it is just far too open and I am going far too fast to take the time.

I am not so sure that landboarding is for me, since I really liked the big hangtime on the SA2. It gave me a lot of time to spot my landings (especially on rotations). I am not so sure that I would like plunking down hard on a smaller kite and if there is no jumping, well I am not 70 years old yet. I think I will wear the drysuit a little longer this year and pray for early snow in the mountains.

I ride a 3-mile beach, but usually identify certain areas that are good for jumping and do my stuff there. If I just want to cruise, then I just cruise the whole beach and don't jump / go fast in the untested areas.