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Duty to warn

Forum with lots of safety info - a must for newbees
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Kamikuza
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Re: Duty to warn

Postby Kamikuza » Wed Mar 22, 2017 9:39 am

JakeFarley wrote:
Wed Mar 22, 2017 3:51 am
Several years ago I was riding at a crowded site being fully lit on a 12m Waroo on a short narrow board. I had come in and landed and when packing up I saw this guy pumping up a 20m "C" kite. I went over and asked him about his experience. He said this was his first time kiting, no lessons, no friends that kited, and that he was a professional water skier. So I told him that 1) this was way too much kite for the conditions, 2) his experience as a professional water skier was of extremely little value, 3) he would be seriously injured or killed if he got someone to launch him (winds were directly onshore with trees 50' away), 4) he would endanger other kiters and bystanders and be subject to a reckless endangerment lawsuit, 5) he should invest in lessons to learn to kite safely, and 6) that I had seen too many kitemares and I did not want to have to explain to his widow and the authorities why I allowed him to kite. After all that he still wanted to launch! So I told again to take lessons and if he wanted to go it alone to wait for a day with 10 mph winds and a big wide open spot with nobody around that he could injure. He finally backed down and took my advice to take some lessons. I think that if I was not there at that time, noone else was going to stop him.
I think I've seen the video of that guy's first launch :D

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Re: Duty to warn

Postby Matteo V » Wed Mar 22, 2017 2:57 pm

fpvSB wrote:
Wed Mar 22, 2017 4:30 am
In the winter in Rhode Island, if you show up, you're good enough. Easy to die in really cold water, lots of current, "waves" and heavy wind. The guinea pig goes out and all the sudden there's a group of kiters 15 min later.
Thats me! I am that guinea pig! But only on the Oregon north coast. First one out while every one else watches.

And as for cold water, I have seen some stupid stuff in the Pacific North West too. A TT guy who was ripping in the waves and using them to get massive air appeared to not have a wetsuit on. People came up to him after and were pissed about it as the water out there is around 50°f and the air was around 65°f. Turned out his jersey and board shorts were concealing a cut off 5mm wetsuit. Anybody go to those lengths to look cool out on the east coast? I mean cutting the arms and legs off of a perfectly good expensive 5mm suit just seems like you are trying too hard.

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Re: Duty to warn

Postby edt » Wed Mar 22, 2017 3:07 pm

Matteo V wrote:
Wed Mar 22, 2017 2:57 pm
I mean cutting the arms and legs off of a perfectly good expensive 5mm suit just seems like you are trying too hard.
I do this to. Looks better when you are making a viddy! I don't cut the arms off though because I like wearing a rash guard over my wetsuit.

about the "duty to warn" though. Look, I don't really care if some knuckle head kills himself. Like I'm going to cry because he's stupid. But I will do everything in my power to stop him, I will refuse to launch a noob on a big wind day, I'll grab him sit him down give him a lecture do everything in my power to stop him, even give up part of my session to make sure he doesn't die. Simple reason, of course, when a noob dies at your launch, what happens, either your launch gets shut down or there's all of a sudden a bunch of rules and regulations, suddenly they don't let you kite when it gets above 30 knots, all sorts of dumb stuff. So do everything in your power to keep them noobs from killing themselves, not for their sake, but to save the launch.

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Re: Duty to warn

Postby Matteo V » Wed Mar 22, 2017 3:27 pm

edt wrote:
Wed Mar 22, 2017 3:07 pm


I do this to. Looks better when you are making a viddy! I don't cut the arms off though because I like wearing a rash guard over my wetsuit.

about the "duty to warn" though. Look, I don't really care if some knuckle head kills himself. Like I'm going to cry because he's stupid. But I will do everything in my power to stop him, I will refuse to launch a noob on a big wind day, I'll grab him sit him down give him a lecture do everything in my power to stop him, even give up part of my session to make sure he doesn't die. Simple reason, of course, when a noob dies at your launch, what happens, either your launch gets shut down or there's all of a sudden a bunch of rules and regulations, suddenly they don't let you kite when it gets above 30 knots, all sorts of dumb stuff. So do everything in your power to keep them noobs from killing themselves, not for their sake, but to save the launch.
Nice you admit it! And I like that you will take the time to try and stop a disaster. I am disheartened by the times I have seen other people just look the other way.

All the risks you have mentioned are valid with respect to your launch getting shut down or new rules being made. I too have those feelings. In addition to those, I really DO care if some knuckle head noob gets killed. And I don't want to watch it. And I DO NOT want to have to render aid like cutting his kite free of his mangled body so the emergency crews can work on a non-moving object. Being me, I would stop just short of violence to get this guy to not kite. If that did not work. I would secure my kite, and get ready to render aid such as clearing a path in the bystanders as best as I could and have a kite knife in my hand to start slashing tangled lines/throw the release.

My best weapon against stupid inexperience is to stop the person from kiting by offering a trainer kite lesson on the spot. This works wonders with noobs in understanding the power of a kite. If they fall face forward with a 2.5m trainer, even an idiot can imagine what the power of a 12m kite will do to them. So keep a trainer kite with you at all times. It could save a life.

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Re: Duty to warn

Postby PullStrings » Wed Mar 22, 2017 9:47 pm

plummet wrote:
Tue Mar 21, 2017 7:34 pm
10m on a surfboard in those conditions is a bit silly. Why weren't you on an 8,7 or even a 6?
You funny mutant boy.
If you read it says strapped so handling 2-3m more of kite is no problem.
Then it's no ordinary surfboard being narrow (42.5cm) thruster gun (175cm) pintail. Finally kite is 5 struts with high top end of 36 mph.
And finally i like to jump high like you do and with a 10 it's great.

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Re: Duty to warn

Postby plummet » Wed Mar 22, 2017 10:04 pm

PullStrings wrote:
Wed Mar 22, 2017 9:47 pm
plummet wrote:
Tue Mar 21, 2017 7:34 pm
10m on a surfboard in those conditions is a bit silly. Why weren't you on an 8,7 or even a 6?
You funny mutant boy.
If you read it says strapped so handling 2-3m more of kite is no problem.
Then it's no ordinary surfboard being narrow (42.5cm) thruster gun (175cm) pintail. Finally kite is 5 struts with high top end of 36 mph.
And finally i like to jump high like you do and with a 10 it's great.
Sounds like you need to get a mutant then... To be fair i'd be on the 10m in those conditions too boosting to hell and back. Unless it was a decent wave day then i might punt the 8m for more dedicated wave riding!,,, or lately i'd probably fire up the 4m and try my hand at some foiling wave riding.

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Re: Duty to warn

Postby PullStrings » Thu Mar 23, 2017 1:12 pm

plummet wrote:
Wed Mar 22, 2017 10:04 pm
PullStrings wrote:
Wed Mar 22, 2017 9:47 pm
plummet wrote:
Tue Mar 21, 2017 7:34 pm
10m on a surfboard in those conditions is a bit silly. Why weren't you on an 8,7 or even a 6?
You funny mutant boy.
If you read it says strapped so handling 2-3m more of kite is no problem.
Then it's no ordinary surfboard being narrow (42.5cm) thruster gun (175cm) pintail. Finally kite is 5 struts with high top end of 36 mph.
And finally i like to jump high like you do and with a 10 it's great.
Sounds like you need to get a mutant then... To be fair i'd be on the 10m in those conditions too boosting to hell and back. Unless it was a decent wave day then i might punt the 8m for more dedicated wave riding!,,, or lately i'd probably fire up the 4m and try my hand at some foiling wave riding.
Had mutants...too bouncy...smoother with real gun board for the heavy wind & crazy surf...slices and dices chop and waves to bits..only 18 liters..4.4cm thickness
As a bonus you become proficient at switching feet because you can really only go in one direction
That in turn will make your air jibes easier on your foilboard
Good day

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Re: Duty to warn

Postby plummet » Thu Mar 23, 2017 6:09 pm

PullStrings wrote:
Thu Mar 23, 2017 1:12 pm
plummet wrote:
Wed Mar 22, 2017 10:04 pm
PullStrings wrote:
Wed Mar 22, 2017 9:47 pm


You funny mutant boy.
If you read it says strapped so handling 2-3m more of kite is no problem.
Then it's no ordinary surfboard being narrow (42.5cm) thruster gun (175cm) pintail. Finally kite is 5 struts with high top end of 36 mph.
And finally i like to jump high like you do and with a 10 it's great.
Sounds like you need to get a mutant then... To be fair i'd be on the 10m in those conditions too boosting to hell and back. Unless it was a decent wave day then i might punt the 8m for more dedicated wave riding!,,, or lately i'd probably fire up the 4m and try my hand at some foiling wave riding.
Had mutants...too bouncy...smoother with real gun board for the heavy wind & crazy surf...slices and dices chop and waves to bits..only 18 liters..4.4cm thickness
As a bonus you become proficient at switching feet because you can really only go in one direction
That in turn will make your air jibes easier on your foilboard
Good day
You haven't ridden my mutant. Not bouncy at all. Interestingly even though I now can jibe the foil and soon to foil jibe I still have no desire to get on a traditional directional.

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Re: Duty to warn

Postby knotwindy » Mon Apr 17, 2017 5:18 am

Yea, had to deal with kooks
Most people out on 7,8 & 9's so blowing decent. Two guys trying to launch a 17 dead downwind behind some trees. Went down to talk to them, asked about their experience, not sure why, obviously none, tried to explain all the problems involved, blah, blah, blah. Nope, they were still sure they could make this work and could I'm give them some quick tips. So I said
"Sure but first let me get my camera because the paramedics and police are going to want to know what happened".
As I was walking back to my car I saw them rolling up the kite kind of pissed at me.


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