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This is just a personal scrach-pad about kite links and stuff. Why aren’t you kiting? Kiting will change your life. There’s no other sport that allows you to get as much air and learn tricks as fast. Kiting takes the best of windsurfing, wakeboarding, snowboarding and paragliding and combines it into one sick sport. There’s no other feeling like being powered by the wind while riding on the water. If you haven’t tried it yet, start kiting today. You’ll thank us for a new lifestyle and addiction. Take Lessons. Lessons are the fastest, easiest, and safest way to begin kiteboarding. Even if you consider yourself highly athletic in other sports, you’ll want to take lessons prior to purchasing a kite. Given the right guidance, learning to kite is easy and safe. Most people don’t want to spend the extra money on lessons, but given the extreme power potential of the kite, you endanger yourself and others by not. The cost of lessons varies by instructorl. Typically daily rates are around 50€ depending on whether you use your own gear or rent, and daily and package rates are a little less expensive. Some Finnish kite instructors are listed below.   Get started: The Learning Steps It is important to take a lesson as there are a lot of safety steps that are essential to learn and ensure kiting is safe and fun for you and everyone around you. The following information is to show you what you can expect from a lesson, and is not intended to replace or provide one. 1. The trainer Kite The first thing to do to get into kiting is learn how to fly a kite. The safest and easiest way to get started is to spend 20–50 hours on trainer kite. A trainer kite is usually a 1-2m foil kite. That may seem like a lot of time, but it’s much easier to learn the lessons and get to the point where flying a kite becomes second nature on a trainer kite, than on a powerful inflatable kite. 2. The Wind Window With the trainer kite you will need to figure out how to get the kite into the neutral positions along the “wind window”. If your back is to the wind, the wind window is the arc that extends from your left side to your right side, with directly overhead being the middle and "neutral position". This neutral zone is necessary for launching and landing and it is essential to be extremely efficient in getting the kite there and handling the kite in the neutral wind window. You want to be able to get the kite to neutral as quickly as possible from any possible kite location in the sky.   3. The Power Zone Once you’ve mastered the neutral zone it is time to start getting the kite into the power zones. A good way to generate power is to dip the kite from the 11 to 7 clock positions in a figure 8 motion. Then to do the same figure 8 motion on the other side from the 1 to 5 clock positions. This motion is called your power stroke as you bring the kite through the power zone where the kite is most powerful. This power stroke is the same motion that you will use while body dragging, getting up on the board and then when you’re up and riding on the board.   4. Other Drills and Practice Once you’ve gotten efficient at generating the power stroke you’re a few more steps away from doing your first body drag. It’s a good idea to spend a lot of time flying the kite one handed, backwards and with eyes closed as these are all situations that will occur while out on the water and it’s better to figure out how to recover with a 1-2m kite than a larger one. Try to put yourself in every possible situation and get efficient at bringing the kite to neutral. After you’ve spent 20-50 hours with the trainer kite, flying the kite will become second nature, so rather than thinking about flying the kite you can focus on other things, like where you’re going and trying to get the board on your feet.   5. Depower or flag Your kite Now that you’re efficient at flying the kite it’s time to learn water safety. The first important lesson to internalize is how to completely depower the kite. Depending on the bar and system, the methods can vary. In general you want to have the reflex or instinct to “throw your bar” if you’re in any kind of trouble or uncomfortable. On every bar that motion should completely depower the kite. Depending on the system, and especially if you have the CLS system, you should be able to quickly recover and get ready to water relaunch.   6. The Water Relaunch Throughout your kite-life you will undoubtedly spend countless hours relaunching your kite. Some kites will relaunch better than others and there are systems now to aid this process. Depending on the wind and the kite it can be an incredibly frustrating process or it can be a non-issue. The basic idea is while the kite is floating on the water, it will tend to retain it’s shape due to the inflatable structure and it will make it’s way downwind of you sitting on it’s leading edge, pulling downwind. Once it’s in this position you have to get the kite to flip on it’s back, either by swimming at it and relieving the tension in the back lines, or by pulling on the center lines with the CLS system. However you get the kite on its back, once it’s there you need to pull on one side and allow the kite to fill with air creating a “C” formation. Once in the “C” shape it should be easy to fly it out of the water. This is a technique that takes quite a bit of practice and even an experienced relauncher can have issues if there is current in the water or not enough wind. It is best to have a teacher show you the process and then spend a lot of time getting the technique down before going out and having to swim in.   7. The Body Drag Now that you’re a good kite handler, you’ve learned all the ways to depower and release your kite, and you know how to get the kite relaunched, you’re probably ready to go on your first body drag. If you have someone who cares about you and is an experienced kite handler it is nice to have them do a tandem drag, where they hold onto your harness handle and talk you through the process. If you don’t have anyone like that and are anxious to get going, have your teacher watch you and be prepared to come get you downwind, because you will be going downwind. If you’re unfamiliar with sailing terminology you now need to learn the term “tack” because that’s what you’ll be doing. You will be tacking downwind in a zigzag motion. You will be generating your power strokes one side to go one direction and then on the other side to go the other direction. Keep the kite movements slow and have two thoughts in your head: 1. How to quickly get to neutral 2. How to immediately depower your kite and/or quick release   8. Body Dragging Upwind Now that you’re up and riding and having a blast, it’s time to learn how to body drag upwind so that you don't lose your board. Learning this is essential as we don't recommend using a board leash at all. If you wipeout and are separated from your board, or if the wind is light and it isn't possible to get going on the board and kite home, body dragging is your only option. To body drag upwind you need to learn how to use your arm like a rudder to edge against the kite and use the power of the kite to go upwind. To do this, point your leading hand upwind and try to lay your body perpendicular to your kite lines. Stretch out and use the length of your body as resistance to the kite. It is the same technique that you use with the board on your feet to go upwind and it may take a little while to learn, but make sure you know this before you go out in deep water. Try doing the body drag while holding the board (in an edging style, weight on windward rail) in your pointing/leading hand. It will give you the ability to tack up wind in sub 10 knots. Learn this for light winds and if the wind turns offshore. Once you’ve mastered this, you’re ready to venture safely almost anywhere.   9. Getting up on the Board and Riding After you’ve done a number of body drags and are feeling confident with your kite skills, you’re ready to start getting up on the board. Contrary to most preconceived ideas, you don’t have to have prior board riding experience. The kite’s upward pull and the general dynamics should make riding the board pretty easy. It is best to have a bigger board while starting as you will require less power from the kite to get going. It is also important to wear a helmet and have all your safety techniques down pat. Some kite links below Kiteforum kiteboarding discussion forum in english. Lots of tests, reviews, kiting places, etc. Kite FAQ Kiteboarding Frequently Asked Questions. Kitebeaches search kitebeaches around the globe. Windfinder one of the world's largest directories of windsurfing, kitesurfing and surfing. Kite bulletin board Most popular finnish kiteboarding discussion forum. Kallvik Place for kiting and surfing when wind is blowing from between south-east to southwest. Finnish kite instructors Karri Kolmenen Karri is full-time IKO kite instructor here at Helsinki. Karri is nice dude who eagerly helps also with kite gear. Kiteskiing instructors list of Finnish Ozone's kite instructor here and there.   Kite videos Ozone snowkite manual guide to getting started on snow. Wipika's clips instructional videos for setting up, handling and using kite.