Contact   Imprint   Advertising   Guidelines

are you ready to pull the QR ?

Forum with lots of safety info - a must for newbees
User avatar
Toby
Very Frequent Poster
Posts: 50346
Joined: Mon Sep 24, 2001 1:00 am
Kiting since: 2000
Weight: 95 kg
Local Beach: Cumbuco, Brazil
Barra do Cauipe, Brazil
Favorite Beaches: same
Style: Airstyle
Gear: Rebel 2015 18
Brand Affiliation: None.
Location: World (KF Admin)
Has thanked: 832 times
Been thanked: 2365 times
Contact:

are you ready to pull the QR ?

Postby Toby » Sat Oct 30, 2004 10:55 am

people being scared to realise there kites to the leash before the shit hits the fan. I have a couple of mates who never pull their QR they'd rather just get dragged down the beach and wait for someone to grab them or their kite.

this is the famous nail on the head!

and this thinking and behavior will and does kill people.
The most of us are not ready to pull their QR, or are not trained to do it in a bad situation.
"my kite will get wet - I don't want to swim back - my lines get tangled - etc" famous thoughts before some people die or injure themselves.

This has to stop! We need to actively be ready anytime to pull the QR. Otherwise the best QR won't help us.
If you have a new bar or system, train several times and do it several times to activate your QR. This way you will know that your QR works and you will train where the QR is. This way you will also see, if it works or not.
When I go to Brazil next week, I will also train it during kiteloops, this way I can see if it opens in excelleration and show myself, that it works and I'm ready to pull anytime.

We have to train this, as we had to use the break withing parts of a second to stop the car.

Greets
Toby
Last edited by Toby on Wed Dec 29, 2004 2:21 am, edited 1 time in total.

User avatar
kiter---)
Medium Poster
Posts: 139
Joined: Wed Mar 17, 2004 11:09 am
Has thanked: 0
Been thanked: 0

Postby kiter---) » Sat Oct 30, 2004 11:48 am

In my openion, no matter how trained you are to reach the QR it will always be difficult to reach in extreme conditions.
high123 wrote:this person died because he had a problem operating something which is technical. You know, if people would die in car accidents because it takes them a couple of seconds to find the brake pedal because the position of the break pedal varies it would be a scandal. But we kiters just seem to get used to this situation.
It Is SO TRUE!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

It seems quite obvious to me that safety systems on kites, considering today's advance in technology and materials are still too mediocre and difficult to use in extreme conditions. I think that kite companies are not investing as much money as they should in safety reaserch.

I started kiting about 6 months ago and when reading a bit about kite safety I could not believe that if dragged on the beach one had to reach for his quick release, which most probably would be very difficult to reach considering all the sand in your face, panic, the position under your body of the qr etc.

To use high123's example, a car having a braking system which would be extremely difficult to reach when in danger would be immediately thrown off the market, and this should also be true for kites.

high123 wrote:Hmm.... Maybe they shouldn't only test in the lab but put somebody into a protective suit and drag him over the beach and then see how easy it is to release.
I think that certain international standards should be set up and if a particular kite does not reach these standards it should not be released ... after all this is done for any other product.

User avatar
Dax
Very Frequent Poster
Posts: 2757
Joined: Wed Sep 10, 2003 12:41 am
Brand Affiliation: None
Location: Portland, Oregon
Has thanked: 0
Been thanked: 0

Postby Dax » Sat Oct 30, 2004 6:10 pm

What about the new Slingshot spreader bars (post recall)? I've tried them out and the release is very easy to activate (but not too easy.) Also their new handlepass leash is the first one I've seen that puts a QR right in front of you on the spreader bar.

One release for regular riding, one or two for unhooked leash style riding. Both releases are right in front of your nose and don't move.

Seems like that's the way things should be headed... if it works or not in regular practice remains to be seen.

Image
SS Pro Spreader Bar

appie
Rare Poster
Posts: 5
Joined: Sun Oct 31, 2004 9:38 am
Brand Affiliation: None
Has thanked: 0
Been thanked: 0
Contact:

Postby appie » Sun Oct 31, 2004 10:51 am

they have QR and then not use them thats stupid!!
if you are on shore and shit happens use your QR on water its the same .
they have not invented it for nothing!!!!!!!!!
if you dont wanna lost youre gear don't think so .
get a good insurance for youre gear 8) 8)

User avatar
dazza5172
Very Frequent Poster
Posts: 944
Joined: Mon Jul 26, 2004 5:23 am
Local Beach: Middleton, Port Willunga, Mid Coast
Favorite Beaches: Middleton, U-Turns
Style: Wave
Gear: North Rebels, North Rocket Fish, North Freestyle Fish
Brand Affiliation: None
Location: Australia
Has thanked: 0
Been thanked: 1 time

Postby dazza5172 » Mon Nov 01, 2004 4:17 am

Toby, I agree totally.

Having had experience with Kitemare myself, you will only react if you have practiced releasing the safety (under load) over and over again. It must be an instinct. If you cant, you are screwed!!!

I was extremely wary when I started and whilst sitting in front of the tv put the bar in front of my knees and hooked in put pressure and released the safety over and over again, without looking. I think this saved me. I also suggest testing under high load to see if it will work.

Practice is essential.

A good mate said that, 'if I need it, I will work it.' I know that safety will not work under load. Pin and rope loop, one forumers tested it and it does not release under load!! And he has never used it, never tried it, I worry about him, I will keep working on him.

The first time you release on the water intentially you have a sensation of not wanting to. this is becuase you havn't trained to do it and the mind is reluctant to follow this strange instruction, especially of 'letting the bar go, what???'. This also happens in an incident


Dazza

thestapler
Medium Poster
Posts: 57
Joined: Thu Jul 22, 2004 8:40 am
Brand Affiliation: None
Location: uranus
Has thanked: 0
Been thanked: 0

Postby thestapler » Tue Nov 02, 2004 3:35 pm

my safety has never worked i just wear a safety leash so I don't loose my kite and stop people winging at me its hard to find the little bits and pieces the shops don't sell like the ss stopper balls,the pulgs that stop your bar cutting your chicken loop.

User avatar
Toby
Very Frequent Poster
Posts: 50346
Joined: Mon Sep 24, 2001 1:00 am
Kiting since: 2000
Weight: 95 kg
Local Beach: Cumbuco, Brazil
Barra do Cauipe, Brazil
Favorite Beaches: same
Style: Airstyle
Gear: Rebel 2015 18
Brand Affiliation: None.
Location: World (KF Admin)
Has thanked: 832 times
Been thanked: 2365 times
Contact:

Postby Toby » Tue Nov 02, 2004 4:16 pm

thestapler wrote:my safety has never worked i just wear a safety leash so I don't loose my kite and stop people winging at me its hard to find the little bits and pieces the shops don't sell like the ss stopper balls,the pulgs that stop your bar cutting your chicken loop.

it's your life, we just advise....

Spencer
Medium Poster
Posts: 100
Joined: Sat Mar 08, 2003 5:39 am
Brand Affiliation: None
Location: Portland, OR
Has thanked: 0
Been thanked: 0

Postby Spencer » Tue Nov 02, 2004 6:46 pm

If the wind gets really psycho during a kite session, and it's blowing onshore or side-on, I usually pull my quick release BEFORE I get to shore, then drift in with my kite disabled. Even if there's someone standing on the beach waiting to catch your kite, if they don't catch it right away you might not get a second chance. In extreme wind, when you're straight upwind of the spot where you want to land, just pull the release, well off-shore. Much better to have a long boring drift in with your disabled kite and tangled lines, than to go flying past your buddy (who couldn't quite catch your kite) into the trees or parking lot. Almost all serious accidents happen on the land. If the wind conditions become very dangerous while you're out kiting, make sure your kite is disabled BEFORE you even get close to the land.

Spencer

User avatar
Detlef
Frequent Poster
Posts: 328
Joined: Mon Jun 24, 2002 1:00 am
Favorite Beaches: Cape Town, Cabarete, Cumbuco.
Gear: Kites: Best TS, Board: Best Armada
Has thanked: 0
Been thanked: 0
Contact:

Postby Detlef » Wed Nov 03, 2004 11:04 am

In Cabarete it is often very busy on the water at Kite Beach and Bozo Beach. But already several times I have watched very good reactions.
Last time it was in June during the training for the World Cup: The lines of the kites of Susi and a boy got tangled and both released their kites immediately and completely. Other people captured their kites and nobody and nothing got damaged.

In the picture: Susi with Jose Luis and their friends at Bozo Beach.

Image

Gerard
Medium Poster
Posts: 82
Joined: Sun Dec 08, 2002 1:00 am
Brand Affiliation: None
Location: Chicago, USA
Has thanked: 0
Been thanked: 0
Contact:

Postby Gerard » Thu Nov 04, 2004 6:44 pm

Toby,

I agree with you but have to warn you not to practice the QR duirng a kiteloop as you plan to do.

First, when planning to do a kiteloop which we all know is a very powered up move you should already have assessed your conditions since you are doing a dangerous trick.Hopefully the wind etc. is good and not gusty. BUT yes, we have no control of the weather....

Second, using your QR during a kiteloop will most probaobly injure you more as you will be thrown away from the kite due to the pendulum slingshot effect.

IMO: QR after the kite loop or before the kite loop is ok but not during.

I always do a mental practise of my QR in most if not all conditions, even when doing a jump and other tricks(mostly kiteboarding tricks) but to use your QR during a powered move like a kiteloop will surley throw your body away and hurt you more.

Gerard


Return to “Safety”

Who is online

Users browsing this forum: No registered users and 104 guests