Hi All, Sometimes I find myself really struggling to go upwind or just not lose groundin light wind. I see other kiter's also struggling on the same size kite & TT , but they seem to be able to still go upwind. What's the secret ?

I'd love to know too! I have trouble staying on top of the water when I put the kite back up at twelve (figure 8 motion), so I struggle a lot.

you have to balance the speed with upwind...this is a very finely tuned skill.
The moment you are too greedy on the upwind..you'll lose speed on the kite....

Flatten your board a little more, go with speed. Keep speed in the kite...did I mention speed? Tight turns...etc. You have to pinch everywhere...

lightwind kiting is very difficult when you are at really "low" end conditions. You need to maintain speed and produce apparent yourself in order to go upwind. Also you need to work the kite but in a smooth way. Turning him fast up and down dont work most of the times (kite relevant) and you lose speed. Also at start at least you need to downwind - upwind with the board according with the movement of the kite to gain speed and accelerate. After you reach 1 point you can point upwind but dont push it too hard (have your mind on what else .. speed )

Big board + efficient strokes! Combination of the two can make for great fun if you enjoy mowing the lawn! May not be up to the level of kite loops but looping after a turn or to start can be a great way of gaining momentum.

8-9 knots on a 10M today on a 146 UG Stella going upwind @ 65kg. Just need to be efficient with your strokes and make sure you let the kite breathe! If it wont do the upstroke without stalling, then try trimming the kite slightly. If it wont stay in the air, give it up!

very good point on letting the kite breath. a lot of people will sheet in all the way...that is often wrong, and as counter intuitive as it is, letting out an inch or two on the bar will often be better for the low end

light wind as in the low end of the kite is more technical ...it s a combinaison of stroke, board speed and not sheeting in the kite too much....
sometimes u have to go downwind to get some speed so u can go upwind without being to greedy at pointing upwind..