Imagine ...
You are flying through the sky on a clear, blue, sunny Florida day and can see for miles! You are in the midst of something exciting and extreme, the cameras are rolling and you are stoked! Then ... things go wrong, very wrong. You are ripped from your kite, sickly plummeting from almost 150 feet high, wildly out of control. You see your life charge blindingly before your eyes and in seconds feel you are done.
Then you slam into the water and the world goes black! .... PERMANENTLY?
Neil Hutchinson says...
TOWING KITES UP..... DON'T DO IT.
If you don't give a damn, and choose to be stupid, like many riders these days, then stop reading now. The Darwin Awards for singularly astonishing ways to needlessly and stupidly end your life are probably looking for a few kiteboarders.
If you care about staying fit enough to keep shredding and learn from Neil's hard won lessons, read on.
Neil Hutchinson is no stranger to extreme sports and putting it all on the line. He was one of the three riders to complete the world-record Red Bull crossing from Key West to Cuba in insanely rough 10 to 17 foot seas. If the wind wasn’t ripping him skyward off the crest of a roiling wave, he was power diving down the face at frightening speed. Talk about "Blue Crush!" He was overpowered for 8 ½ hours, and claimed he would "make it on his board or in a body bag!" He made it on the board, not the body bag.
Neil has been shredding hard for three years and for the last couple has been competing as a professional in kiteboarding competitions. He recently returned from the Ford Gorge Games and a wrangling session with honking winds. He has also been running parasailing boats for 11 years and knows his way very well around paragliding. He is a hard edged, skillful kiteboarding competitor and singularly well accomplished shredder. Oh ... and he is the only person I know that can shred while holding a cig and a beer!
(IMAGE OMITTED IN THIS POSTING)
Neil, after landing in Cuba
"... anyone got a beer and some cigs?"
(Photo courtesy of Red Bull 2001)
Neil and another pro rider had gotten together with some professional photographers to shoot some riding footage recently in Florida. There was a problem through .... no wind! Neil figured to just tow high off the water under a large kiteboarding kite, pop loose and style in prime-form all the way to the base. It isn't that different from parasailing after all, is it? (WRONG). The first flight went well, or at least no one went to the hospital. Neil towed up to about 80 feet before popping the snap shackle and falling slowly to the water. He was hooked into to a regular kiteboarding harness with the snap shackle connecting him to the 150 ft. towline attached to the handle strap on the back of the harness. In other words, he was being towed aloft backwards! All this and seeing the world behind you as you are pulled up to the height of an eight story building.
On the second, ill-fated tow, he made it to 80 feet again. The cameras were rolling, which is like dumping fuel on a raging fire for many riders. You get stoked and feel the need to get extreme. Judgment was shoved into the backseat and the adrenaline rush made him go for more. Neil said not to fall into this trap when you are in front of the cameras. Stick to the familiar and be cool, you will stay healthier.
At a height of 80 feet on the second tow, Neil cycled his kite, whipping it up to build apparent wind speed and altitude. It also deserves mention that Neil had a board on for this tow, significantly increasing the danger. Following this power-up maneuver and still being towed at high speed, Neil lifted almost vertically to the full extent of the line--almost 150 feet off the water. Looking up, he noticed his kite looked like it was going to burst any second under the intense force. He reached behind him to release the towline snap shackle but the load became just too great and broke the harness line connecting the bar to his harness. So, like a cartoon figure, Neil was suspended with one end of the bar in his hand, feeling lost and quite sick. He was then ripped free from the bar, leaving his kite far behind and blasted towards the water out of control. He only remembers looking down, seeing the water and thinking, “Oh my God! I am done.â€