How You Can Land a Kitesurfing Kite on Your Own

Techniques for Self-Landing Your Kitesurf Kite When There's No One There to Help

Usually, when landing your kite surf kite, you'd want to have someone there to help you.
However, this self-landing of a kitesurfing kite tutorial is useful to know.
Why?

Because most of us kiteboard riders, at one time or another, end-up on a beach somewhere far from our starting point where we launched the kite to begin with.

This commonly might happen if:

1. You go kiteboarding down-wind too far
2. Wind suddenly switches direction (Cabarete Kite Beach has stable winds, but other kite surfing beaches not always so) or
3. You returned from kitesurfing but your helper was gone just then, maybe no one else around to help

…and so you must land the kiteboarding power kite on your own.

There are 2 common situations you will encounter when you want to land your kite surf kite:

Self Landing a Kitesurfing Kite - step1	Self Landing a power Kiteboarding Kite - step2	Self Landing a Kiteboarding Kite - step3
Self Landing a Kite surfing Kite - step4	Self Landing a Kitesurf Kite - step5

You either have enough beach space – or you don't

When you have no space to self-land your kitesurf kite, you just hook out of the chichenloop and let the kite fall down.
Alternatively, pull at the kite's safety release.
The kite will collaps on one of its lines and fall down.

When you do have enough beach space follow these instructions (Tutorial depicts Best Kiteboarding Nemesis HP kite):

Self Landing a Kitesurfing Kite – Front line OSR Technique

To land your best kitesurfing kite using the front-line OSR handles, first thing you do is to fully depower your kite, using the trim strap.

Next thing you do is to undo the bypass/handlepass leash carabineer on the chickenloop.
Now reach up and take hold of one of the front line OSR handles.

TIP: When you grab a front line OSR handle, always make sure that the depower strap swivel is un-spun and that the front lines are untwisted.

With the OSR handle grasped firmly in your hand, reach down and unhook from the kite, dropping the bar.
When the kitesurf kite is released onto a front-line OSR handle, the kite will fall to the ground in the downwind position.
Last step is to secure the grab handle to a solid object and work your way down the flying line to secure the kite.

Self Landing Your Kite Surfing Kite – Rear line OSR Technique

It is always recommended that kitesurfer riders use the front line handles to land the kite if unassisted.
The rear line handles are primarily intended as back up safeties, just in-case you're unlucky enough to break a front line or be unable to untangle your front flying lines.

Anyway, you must detach the bypass/handlepass leash before attempting to land your Best Kitesurfing kite via the rear line OSR handles.
Fly your kite to the side of the wind-window, leaving the kite at an angle of about fifteen degrees to the ground.
This is means the lowest wingtip of kite would be about 5m from the ground.
With your kite at the edge of the wind-window and the retaining Velcro on the OSR handle already loosened, sheet-out, reach up and grab the lower of the two OSR handles.
With the webbing loop firmly in your grasp, unhook from the kite, while holding onto the webbing handle and proceed to drop the bar.
The kitesurf kite will fly slightly to the edge of the window, and then loop under itself, coming to rest on the beach in the dead downwind position, facing into the wind with the leading edge facing up.

This kite self-landing method is only recommended if you have more than two line-lengths of downwind space and it is impractical to land your kite using the front line OSR handles.

Assisted Landing of the Kite: Safest Way a Kitesurfer Lands Kite

When landing your kite surf kite with an assistant, simply fly the kite to the edge of the wind-window and then slowly down to ground level.
Have your assistant firmly take hold of the kite in the middle of the kite's leading edge.
Both you and your assistant now walk towards each other to remove all tension from the flying lines.
Your assistant can either lay the kite down and sand the upper canopy, or hold the kite until you unhook yourself from the bar and safely able to take over the kite.

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The Kitexcite kiteboarding and paragliding center in Kitebeach Cabarete, Dominican Republic is the primary Cabarete kiteboarding school in the area and the only Best Kiteboarding School and authorized retailer on Cabarete Kite beach.
Stefan Ruether was the first kitesurfer on Cabarete and first kitesurfing teacher in entire Caribbean.

If you have any other questions or would like to consult with Stefan  skype: Kitexcite-Stefan or use this form:

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