edt wrote:easy answer, when you release the kite, you dont want a hook that can snag you!
Exactly - and the longer answer is, that windsurfers has the very same "load" like we do, and in the same direction most of the time too - so the spreader bar is a must to distribute the load so we dont get chrushed ribs
As said - thankfully the windsurfers has taken the toll of evolution for kitesurfers during the early years.
A sliding hook, or rolling hook, has always been offered for windsurfing harnesses too, so one can choose whatever one prefers - some like a fixed hook, others want a sliding hook.
No news here either, in kitesurfing perspective.
Always great to think outside the box though, very true
Peter