I'd like to see an independent organization (perhaps an existing one) that offers three things:
- Ratings (k1:beginner; k2: intermediate; k3:advanced)
- Insurance (say $1MM in liability insurance)
- A waiver (I won't sue anyone - no matter what)
Anyone who wants to join the organization can pay the appropriate fees for whichever of these items are desired. Crowded sites could require any combination of these to ride there. Sites that are not in danger wouldn't bother. That's basically (but not exactly) what we do in hang gliding. The United States Hang Gliding Association (USHGA) provides these things; and it definitely helps open sites that would otherwise never be opened.
If I (or any damn fool) wants to jump off a mountain in the middle of nowhere, they're free to do so - legally. If you want to fly at a restricted site you need to have the appropriate USHGA rating.
Who polices this? The pilots. We have helmet stickers that indicate our current rating status. If we see a pilot preparing to launch, we don't recognize him, and he doesn't have the sticker, we don't let him launch (don't want to lose our site). I realize not all kiters wear helmets - so a sticker might not work. In those cases we could have patches for kitepants
RC