Unhooking

[TheJoe]

Ok so I just got a msg asking me these questions about unhooking. Instead of just responding I figured I would make a post about it so others can have the info all so. First and foremost I'm not a pro but I have a very analytical mind and try to break things down as easy as possible. Hopefully my observations can help.

1) when you edge the kite shoots at the edge of the window giving you some istant lift to pop off the water...and then???Does it stay there or it just come back???( and so you have the slack while is going back )

The kite will fall back shortly before the wind catches it and it starts flying back to the edge of the window. The time it takes to do this is based on 2 things mainly. 1st kite design, 2nd wind speed.

2) A kite that flyes at the edge of the window easily "slacks" more???But why so many kite in the freestyle settings ( vegas or c4 for example ) stays further back in the wind window

You got this backwards. A kite that sits deep will slack more. A kite that flies at the edge of the window will not fall back far in the window after you pop. Forward flying kites and kites that fly off the front lines don't slack as easy as C kites. To get good slack you need to have a kite that will drift more than fly forward. How ever you can manipulate this by how hard your pop is (you are moving faster than the wind is blowing the kite).

3) Why with bigger kite I get much more slack???Isn't more difficult to send them to the edge of the window???

Read my above answer. Lighter wind = less air over the foil so the kite does not have enough wind to power back up while your in the air.

4) Everybody says to go down wind before unhook...ok, but does it means to ride for a lot of meters downwind or just when you decide to unhook and for a really little while???

Yes you go downwind. This allows the kite to fall back into the window, now as you edge and load for your pop the kite will surge forward generating the lift you need.

Secondly this really depends on a lot of factors. First is again kite design. I ride Fuels they sit deep so if I'm powered up I can bare off downwind and really drop the kite super deep. This allows me a longer edge and harder pop which = more slack. Now with that said I can not do the same with say an RPM as It just wont fall back far enough so I have to do a short edge then pop.

Third is wind speed. The more wind you have the longer you can hold the edge. basically the kite has to fight harder to get to the edge of the window.

5) Why in some video the pros goes clearly down wind just before unhook and in other it's difficult to see that movement???

Read above.

6) In strong wind with my 9 m fully powered I tried to go more upwind I can and just at the end to bare off dow wind ( like you say to do in a older post ): doing that and pulling the bar to unhook the kite follow me and the result is only a SUPERRALEY withuot I can even IMAGINE to do something else.

This one I'm having trouble understanding what exactly you are trying to say. I'll give it a shot though.

I'm guessing this has more to do with board speed than anything else. I would recommend playing around with your edging to fully control your board speed. Stomping out tricks is really all about board speed. If you can control that then you can comfortably and with confidence try new tricks.

7) Why so many riders tells the pass the bar is easier with a smaller kite and for me is exactly the opposite???

I can only recommend that maybe you are overpowered. Next time your on your 9/10m and are having trouble with them put up a 6-8m and then try.

Thank you really much for the answer and excuse me first for my english second for the annnoyance.

Not a problem and I hope that I answered some of you questions clearly enough to help you and others that might be struggling with unhooking or thinking of trying it.

[alex85]

4) Everybody says to go down wind before unhook...ok, but does it means to ride for a lot of meters downwind or just when you decide to unhook and for a really little while???

Yes you go downwind. This allows the kite to fall back into the window, now as you edge and load for your pop the kite will surge forward generating the lift you need.

Secondly this really depends on a lot of factors. First is again kite design. I ride Fuels they sit deep so if I'm powered up I can bare off downwind and really drop the kite super deep. This allows me a longer edge and harder pop which = more slack. Now with that said I can not do the same with say an RPM as It just wont fall back far enough so I have to do a short edge then pop.

Third is wind speed. The more wind you have the longer you can hold the edge. basically the kite has to fight harder to get to the edge of the window.

Ok thejoe, but now can you explain me why everybody say to edge for a second or a splitt???By your words, especially when you write about strong wind, I undesrtand that the more you can hold your edge without stopping, the better it is.

Is it correct to say that:
let the kite sit deeper in the window=more distance to cover for the kite to get the EoW.=More pull after the pop=more distance to cover for the kite to come back=more slack in the lines???

[alex85]

Another questions: do you use your Fuels on the wakestyle or freestyle settings???

[TheJoe]

I only use the wakestyle setting on my Fuels. It really only makes the kite sit deeper which is what I like.

Since you are on RPM's your edge is going to have to be a split second. I would suggest watching some of the Youri Zoon video's to see how quick he unhooks, edges, then pops. He rides really powered and spent a lot of time with the kite. I would say he has it dialed on them. Use that as a reference and then try to mimic his timing.