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POV Video - Deathlooping Kite Drags Rider Into A Rock Jetty

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jrfiol
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Re: POV Video - Deathlooping Kite Drags Rider Into A Rock Je

Postby jrfiol » Sat Feb 23, 2013 1:24 pm

I have wrapped my lines like that and been able to undo em pretty quick. From the way he was yanked, it must have been pretty windy. His leash wdidn't have a qr? What a nightmare!!! Thanks for sharing, makes me think i've been lucky in the past. Real important to kite in places without rocks in front. I just noticed he had time to take his gloves off. I wwould say his biggest prob was lack of clarity, bad choices. I'd like to say this could have. Been avoided, but who knows
Last edited by jrfiol on Sat Feb 23, 2013 1:38 pm, edited 1 time in total.

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nikalaitzian
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Re: POV Video - Deathlooping Kite Drags Rider Into A Rock Je

Postby nikalaitzian » Sat Feb 23, 2013 1:26 pm

WOW!!!!many times i ve been in center twisted lines on the bar.fist times almost panic and released completly the kite but you cannot afford of loosin it.The cure is to grap the center lines as high as you can so the kite wont pull you.Then depends on the situation and the experience but most of all not loosin your calmness try to untangle them or ask for help.

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Re: POV Video - Deathlooping Kite Drags Rider Into A Rock Je

Postby Don Monnot » Sat Feb 23, 2013 1:56 pm

I've had center lines wrap around the bar just a few times, and always managed to get out of trouble. I'm trying to remember what I did. I'm pretty sure I just reached up far enough on the center lines to get slack to unwrap. This was years ago, and those kites wouldn't flip on their backs when you did that. Still gave you plenty of pull with the leading edge down, but not so much you couldn't pull them in to get slack. This guy's problem seemed to be that he didn't realize he'd done that. My newer kites, if you pull in on the center lines, the kite flips on its back and gives you essentially no pull. Much easier to unwrap the center lines on those kites, but you need to realize that's what you have to do.

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edt
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Re: POV Video - Deathlooping Kite Drags Rider Into A Rock Je

Postby edt » Sat Feb 23, 2013 3:08 pm

I think we have all been there, worried more about the kite than the body. With the rocks so close, I dont think anything fancy like grabbing lines or untangling the bar is in order, you want to totally release the kite, hit the primary QR and then the leash QR

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Re: POV Video - Deathlooping Kite Drags Rider Into A Rock Je

Postby Toby » Sat Feb 23, 2013 3:20 pm

had it too. managed to unwrap with kite in the air and also when on the water.
Remember, my kite loops only once! love big kites!

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Re: POV Video - Deathlooping Kite Drags Rider Into A Rock Je

Postby AndrewJMcGee » Sat Feb 23, 2013 3:27 pm

Toby

To me it looks like he did release..... but the center line bound the bar in place. Almost like it was being Micro looped down, or held down. He releases but the bar does not reach the top of its throw.. So as the lease goes out its just as powerful as being hooked in. The leash might have given alittle give because of the elastic.

Looks like he had 1 sec maybe to pull Qr 2, but it seems like that was not an option for this rider.

The key for me is control. I answered my own question. If i lose control, ill release.

But again not sure releasing in this spot without a line clear would have avoided this yarding. Experience is everything.

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Re: POV Video - Deathlooping Kite Drags Rider Into A Rock Je

Postby RickI » Sat Feb 23, 2013 3:36 pm

In many accidents and incidents riders don't react in time or properly. Shock, lack of awareness of what went wrong and what to do about it often in very little time. So, these cases can go badly. As near as I can tell the bar was wrapped before the video started. The kite was already looping and not properly depowering when the uneven lines forced the kite into the ground before the jetty. The problem stopped in this case before he was dragged into the jetty allowing a chance to sort things out. In many cases there is no stopping, you're just dragged to impact or through the water until you drown or suffer a heart attack in extreme cases UNLESS you set the kite free. Sometimes something breaks, the kite deflates or stalls, someone might even grab it but there is no certainty in this. You also bear responsibility for harm the kite might do downwind so avoiding this problem in the first place is key.

Once the kiter raised the kite up to hit the QR he started it looping again not realizing that his depowering function was lost. This was caused by a loop over the bar, but excess winding of the lines during the looping could also do the same thing, along with a wrapped wing tip.

If you are SURE you can unwrap the bar and damn fast, then do it. If you are being dragged there is a good chance you won't be able to do this. Otherwise looping kites can disable proper depowering by pushing the bar out due to excess twisting. All that may be left is to set the kite free. If you can do it, I would disconnect your leash first and fast before opening your primary QR. As you can see, opening the primary can send the kite into out of control powered looping.

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edt
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Re: POV Video - Deathlooping Kite Drags Rider Into A Rock Je

Postby edt » Sat Feb 23, 2013 3:58 pm

RickI wrote: If you can do it, I would disconnect your leash first and fast before opening your primary QR. As you can see, opening the primary can send the kite into out of control powered looping.
I disagree. In at least once instance for example this year's cabrinha system, if you hit the secondary release first and then the primary release second, the kite will remain attached to you and then you have to hit the secondary release a second time (good luck figuring this out if you are on a death looping kite). Your muscle memory is programmed for 1) release primary 2) release secondary. Doing it in any other order will add seconds of valuable time as your higher brain functions have to turn on to actually think "what do I do next in this particular case?" instead of the lower brain functions automatically firing. It wasn't the activation of the primary qr that looped the kite, it was already powering up for a loop. If instead of taking off his gloves when his kite was on edge, he had hit the primary QR, then a few seconds later when the kite got ready to loop as he walked toward the beach, he would have had time to hit the leash QR.

Another reason to hit the primary QR first is suppose it is jammed with sand and wont open? If you work on it first, you will often have a chance in a lull to just take the donkey dick out and remove the chicken loop. If you do the leash QR first when the kite starts looping if your primary fails, the chicken loop will be under pressure and it will be impossible to take it off the spreader bar.

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Re: POV Video - Deathlooping Kite Drags Rider Into A Rock Je

Postby KiteCulture » Sat Feb 23, 2013 4:28 pm

I agree with Rick. This happened to me two days ago snowkiting. Gusty, kite dropped in a tiny lull and then powered back up with the cente line wrapped. The main qr didn't stop the looping kite, and then the leash can be a little hard to get to under load being dragged on her back. If I had done the leash first, I would have saved time. That said, I had a pretty impressive reaction time for both release systems.

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Re: POV Video - Deathlooping Kite Drags Rider Into A Rock Je

Postby RickI » Sat Feb 23, 2013 4:33 pm

There are many different systems out there today. Edt I said to release your leash attachment first if you "can." As you say, I think this year's IDS system requires the primary QR to be opened first. So, do that and damn fast to avoid problems if indicated. Some also have an external leash beyond that which should be popped early. Once the primary is opened the kite may well go ballistic ending your ability to easily open your leash QR. In other cases, I disconnect the leash first and then open the primary QR to avoid being dragged.

I have done this for many years with pre-IDS systems when solo landing the kite to avoid getting dragged/lofted if I wrap a wingtip, if the kite powers back up while I am walking down a line to secure it, etc.. I learned to do this many years ago after a guy was slammed into a high concrete seawall, lofted over a two lane road, smashing the hood of a car and then lofted into a tree. His solo landing went bad and his leash took him for the ride.
Last edited by RickI on Sat Feb 23, 2013 5:01 pm, edited 1 time in total.


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