LJ Adama asked:


So you have caught the kiteboarding bug, you have seen videos, watch kiters, read some magazine and your all about the sport now. The big question comes to mind where to start; with all the information out there the brain can tend to get on overload mode. I hope to ease you mind here with these easily simplified steps you should be out kiting in no time.

1. Find a Certified Instructor-Certifications to look for in your instructor; IKO or PASA.

2. GET SCHOOLED-Go get take some classes, lessons, kitecamp vacations. Alot of people think its okay to get out in the water and just try and teach themselves. This is NOT a good idea, this can be a very dangerous sport especially with any instruction. Plus this is a good time to try and learn about kite gear.

These are the First two basic steps, they are easy enough for anyone to get done after most people have taken classes and feel confident about getting there own gear and pursuing the sport is when things can feel overwhelming. Follow these next steps can save you thousands of dollars.

3. Go to Local Kite beach and talk to other kiters about gear and wind conditions in your area. Before the wind starts to blow most kiters will be sitting around on the beach this is a good time to walk around and meet some people in your area. Asking the questions about what type of gear they are using and what they recommend. Make sure you talk to various groups of people everyone has there own idea of the best brand, but many will have a good idea of what is the right size of kite to use based on the wind in your area. Make mental notes of what everyone is telling you when you get home write down anything you learned about kite brand, type and size.

4. Visit Your Local Kite Shop-Do Not purchase anything your first time to a kite shop. It is very tempting when you see all the gear at the store and to get pumped the employees kite enthusiasm. This is good time to boost you kite knowledge see what the sales associate has to say, take notes and mark down prices of things. GO HOME EMPTY HANDED! You will be happy you did this. By this time you should have some sort of idea on what type of kite you are leaning towards.

5. Research kite gear online and in magazines-Okay now its time to do a little research on everything you learned get online and read reviews on the different kites you may be considering. Some questions you may ask yourself while looking stuff up-Do you need a brand new kite, how much has this years kite model vary from last years (Kites have advanced A LOT in the last few years, newer kites are much safer and easier to use) Should you buy a used kite (Its not usually a good idea to buy a used Kite on Ebay because plenty of kiters will sell there first ever kite on there and it will not be in good condition. Make sure you can go look at the kite if you going to buy a used one) How much money do you want to spend on your first kite (You don’t need to have top of the line, most expensive gear out there for your first kite and you be glad you don’t when you slam the kite down on the beach and it gets pulled across the sand)

6. Throw you Local Kite Shop some business-If you can give you local kite shop the business then do so, especially if they helped you with you initial information gathering. Sometimes though you find an amazing deal online that is too hard to give up. If this happens see if your local kite shop can match the price. If they can’t try to buy some of your other gear there-i.e.-board, harness, bar and lines.

7. Purchase your gear-If you got to this step you can feel confident and satisfied that you purchased the right gear and probably saved and bunch of money from resisting the urge to impulse buy. Now go out and practice set up your gear until your 110 percent comfortable with it.

Read more at www.kiteboardkitesurf.com



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