Hey guys, I've mentioned on other threads that I'm fairly new to the sport. Had a bad experience being stupid a number of years ago and took about 6 years off. Just spent a week taking lessons on Kite Beach and I'm eager to get back into it again.

I'm thinking I'll get a 2012 Cabrinha Switchblade, but not sure on the size.

Height -- 6'0"
Weight -- 170lbs (been losing weight )
Preferred style -- Wakestyle/Freestyle
Location -- Northern Utah
Conditions -- Flatwater
Wind -- 7 to 20 knots and gusty (mountain winds sometimes thermal)
Elevation -- 6,000 feet
Temp -- 70-100F

I've been looking at the 12M Switchblade but not sure how much the elevation and other conditions are going to affect the ride. Unfortunately, there really isn't a way to test out any gear here. Down on Kite Beach I used several different kites. The most common was Bandit V 9M, but I also used a couple Liquid Force 6M kites on the really heavy days and once I used a Best. The Bandit was ok but for some reason it really felt unresponsive to me. That might have been because I naturally prefer a bit more bar pressure and I frequently found myself pulling back on the bar too much and stalling the kite.

I have a wakeboarding background. Nothing extreme but I can do some fairly technical stuff like backrolls, tantrums, raleys, etc... So I'm right at home with unhooked conditions with a bar really tugging on me.

Is the 12M gonna suit me ok? I'll be getting into snowkiting this winter as I can ride right behind my house on an open mountainside. Utah powder. Afternoon wind picks up to around 10-15 knots almost every day as the sun starts to set.

Thanks

yeah you don't really prefer anything quite yet
Still learning, then it would take some time. Most beginners do what you do, pull as much on the bar as they can. If you can backstall the kite, I think your school have not done their job setting up the kite right....but that is my opinion.

The wind you describe a 12..or maybe 14 sounds reasonable. You will not get to take a 12 out in 7 knots though. Maybe more like 11-12 knots. In the beginning maybe even more. If you already have your kite selected the hardest part is done regarding gear

All the kites mentioned would do the trick. Once you have learned the basics, read more and tried some more kites you will slowly find the right great for you. The bandit can set for heavier bar pressure, it may have been on the light bar pressure as it is really light on the light settings. The bandit 12 will turn much faster than the 12m switchblade and will unhook much better. But the switch blade will give you more direct grunt and feedback, the banditV smaller leading edge flies forward a little more. As an experienced rider bandit for me, starting out, the switch maybe.

You can see on the chart here that the equivalent size of a 14m kite at sea level and 20 degrees centigrade,

At 2000m and 30 C is equivalent to about 10.6m

viewtopic.php?t=5159&postdays=0&postorder=asc&start=10

12m is a little kite for Utah, I would go to the utahwindriders.com site and ask these same questions. I fly 17m dyno -15m dyno, (north kites rule in the snow cuz they are so durable, even the light weight dynos hold up great!)often...in the winter you want the biggest kite to pull you around in the fresh. Having a 12 is great for a begginer here, and you will get plenty of days with it, but you will need a big kite to ride often. some times I ride 5or more days a week on big kite.

I am no guru but I live in northern ut and am familiar with the conditions.

There are people who let others in the community try out there gear, we have about a 50 plus kiters in our summer crew...but finding cabrihna gear to try will be hard, it is mostly North, ozone, and best gear around here...as I said most snowkiters want the burliest gear we can own, for me that's north, plus they help support local athletes and events, etc...

There are lots of kites for sale on the local forum also...I personally am selling 2012 12m evo

Thanks for the graph. So as a direct comparison to Kite Beach, DR which was the same air temps but 0.0 altitude, 70% humidity... I would then expect that in a direct park and ride situation I would need a 12M kite in UT to provide the same grunt as the 9M that I was flying in the DR.

Hmmm, that is unfortunate because there was one day that the wind dropped to 10-15 knots and I felt a bit under-powered on the 9M Bandit. I was really having to move the kite a lot to keep planing. Of course, I was 25 lbs heavier at that time too.

I might just have to go out of my way to travel to the lower elevation lakes when the wind is lighter. The three best spots nearby have surface elevations of;
1350m
1800m
1650m

The closest one is the highest. That one can get some good wind but conditions can change in a hurry and when the wind is strong, the gusts can get pretty crazy because it is a mountain valley.

Great info!! Thanks.

I've never been out with a modern big kite. I have a older 15M from back in '03. That thing is pure power and still scares me to fly it cause it can't handle gusts at all. I'll be out in a steady 15kts and a 25 thermal gust comes through and I'm flying.

I've never snowkited before, but I'm an advanced snow rider on both skis and board. I've always been told that I should expect to use a smaller kite for snow because there is less friction and the air is more dense. You are suggesting that I use the biggest I can get. Is that just cause they aren't riding the waist deep pow pow that we get here?

Are you riding Utah Lake, Deer Creek, Bear Lake, or Willard in the summer?

I ride almost every spot in the north but most commonly, it's dc and utlake. Utlake is the easiest spot.

I would ask all these questions on the local forum. We have all the spots wired. It appears as though you are doing a bunch of assuming, when all you questions can be answered there by the local community.
BB

I would buy Billy's Evo 12M, would be a great place to start.
And then you've got a new kite buddy and mentor.

I weigh about the same as you.

I have a 13m crossbow which is like a 14m switchblade which works for the wind that you describe. I fly the 13m up to about 20mph, but the average is usually more like 16-17 with gusts to 20. If it is 20 with gusts to 25-30 then I fly a 10m crossbow.

I fly the 13m down to about 10mph, but need a very big board.