joriws wrote:.. It still needs some more practice or/and better gear that true foiling is done (on the video the board touches down). ...
Not to much practice at all!
I think my third try has been successful and maybe already a bit better than Marcs (I hope it will be on a video made from a floating camera, Mischa from
http://www.kitejunkie.com has used that day).
My problem with most of the about ten tries was, that I tried to do it in front of the floating camera and maybe with still to much wind.
But the last one I just did for my self, close to the beach in about 10 knt went perfect:
I did the maybe first full foiling 360 (name to be find?) without touching ground and not even cutting the turn on the end.
for sure stocked for a few days
(and it was not even very very difficult)
And that's how it works for me:
As said, yesterday I shortened the lines of my 6 m² Flysurfer Sonic down to 12 m flying lines. (Which is comparable to 15 m for a tube so maybe even a bit shorter than Marcs setup)
Also for the first time I used the long 1,10 m strut of my normal Levitaz Aspect 3,0. (But I think the longer strut was no help, pics:
http://forum.oase.com/showpost.php?p=12 ... count=1035 , if interested maybe a review on that later)
The conditions have been for sure a lot better than on the video with Marc: A lake with constant wind of first 14 knts later around 9 knts and no waves.
The setup with the short lines was not so easy to handle, missed even some jibes and just able to do tacks to one side always with a loop on the end. Especially to get going under 10 knts was nearly impossible, if already foiling no problem.
First I tried some downloops when going half wind and turning downwind with the pull, which was not as big problem also not with the short lines. To not enter the 360 I just go on pulling the kiteloop over the head and therefore ending the turn. This experience is not so difficult but important to get the right feeling of having the right speed which should be high, but controlled enough to receive the pull of the downlooping kite. Additionally it is important to find the right moment to start turning your board downwind. If you do it to late the pull of the kite might overpower you -> crash, if you start turning to early you might loose pull of the kite and therefore speed.
Speed is important, but not so much if you are riding in low wind (around 10 knt) conditions and if your lines are short enough. I think I was never much faster than 40 km/h.
When I said on the beginning: it is easy, it should be clear its from the point of view of a skilled rider. So before trying the maneuver as save as possible you should be sure you are able to go minimum 35 km/h downwind putting of the hands of the bar and doing some slalom at around 35 km/h. If your not sure about this, better not try the 360 as you will have to handle a similar situation and if your not able to manage it you might hurt yourself a lot.
When you do your first try it could be a good idea to give the kite a last small kick/pull upwards when it enters your windward side, but on the end I never managed to concentrate on that, so maybe also forget about that the first tries. What is even more important is to concentrate to your way in front. This means if the kite is directly windward of you wont see it anymore and my experience was its also better to forget about it, but to have all your concentration to the front.
The maybe most important advise/error you have to care about in this key moment:
Don't just got downwind as this just slows you down, but remember to go in a slight turn always more into the new direction which helps the kite more to find itself the way to the other wind window entrance. In this moment you will need the skill I talked before: Going fast downwind but practically without any pull of the kite but still able to maneuver to finish the turn on the perfect line.
(Just for the wisenheimer physicists: the kite will never leave the wind window, but the wind window it self will do a 360 with the kite inside (if your lucky
) ; but here I am talking about a simple static wind window model)
If you manage that your kite reaches the other entrance of the wind window without collapsing (or lets say without collapsing to much, as my foilkite most time folded the tips) you made it. And if your are still foiling or not, anyway the rest of the turn goes by itself ... congratulation.
Oh and be aware, when I did my first one, I was so confused and stocked that I made it, that I fell of directly after and nearly hurt.
So try to keep cool
Yours Bernd
