The Benefits of Learning to Kiteboard in Lighter vs. Moderate Winds

Welcome back to MACkite. This is Jake, and today we are talking about whether it's better to learn in lighter winds or heavier winds. Of course, this is just my personal experience and, being here in Michigan, we probably experience more light winds than heavy winds, so that's going to impact my answer slightly.

My personal thought is that light wind is a better environment for learning to kite. I think it's probably easier to learn in heavier winds, but that doesn't necessarily translate to a better learning experience. Let's get into why I think that.

You Have More Time in Light Wind

I think there are a couple things that give you a slight advantage with light winds. One, it tends to be a little safer of an environment to learn in. While you often are on a larger kite, it tends to be a slower kite, and it's not going to generate quite as much power if something goes wrong. If you panic while you're learning, you're probably not going to be able to successfully loop that larger size kite. (I'm talking probably 14 meters and above when I say larger kite.) With a smaller kite in heavier winds, say an 8 or 9 meter, it's a lot easier to lose control and awareness in the sky, accidentally pull the bar while not even being aware of what you're doing, and all of a sudden that thing loops and you're probably going flying. Things happen a lot quicker on smaller kites in heavier winds, and that power can really get you into a lot of trouble.

You Can Develop Stronger Skills in Light Wind

I also think that in light winds you can learn different skills, and you really have to start finessing them. We're in an area where we can self-launch and land, and in lighter winds it generally takes a lot of finesse to get a kite up, as well as back up off the water once you crash. By practicing in lighter conditions, you're able to hone those skills. I learned to reverse launch in lighter wind conditions. While that isn't a skill I necessarily recommend because it's easy to default to that and get yourself into a little trouble, I do think you have a bit more time. Things are less hectic, and you can really fine tune those skills.

When you go down in heavier winds, it tends to be fairly easy to get your kite back up, so you might have an over-inflated sense of confidence. Then, when you find yourself in a bad situation, it can be a little bit tougher to execute if you don't fully understand the mechanics of it.

Likewise, I think it's a safer environment to learn to self-rescue. Whether the wind is high or low, we're all going to have to self-rescue at one point or another, sometimes several times a year or even month, depending on what you're doing. You want to learn that on a larger kite in lighter winds where the chances of something going wrong are way less. Worst case scenario, in light winds you can swim up to your kite and just paddle it back in slowly. In heavier winds, depending on what's happening on the water, that kite can tumble and it can get caught in the surf, so I think that's a good skill to learn in light winds.

Light Wind Makes You Focus on Efficiency

Third, when it comes to actually riding, I think light winds allow you to really focus on efficiency. This includes concepts like apparent wind where you're dipping and diving that kite, pulling in and out on the bar, building speed, and focusing on your body position and board position. You have to think about that a lot more because you're eking out every little bit of extra power that you can. In heavier winds, it's kind of "set it and forget it". While that's a really gratifying experience as a new kiter, I don't think you're going to come away with the same amount of experience.

I think you should start by taking a lesson because that's a safe way to get into it, then struggle a bit in light winds to get a sense of the kite. Then have one high wind session to keep the stoke and confidence high, but still chase after those light wind sessions because they tend to be safer. You get to build skills a little bit more slowly in a more controlled environment, and it helps you a lot with efficiency.

Conclusion

All in all, my vote is going to be for kiting in light winds. I think that's the best way to learn. I do understand that in some places they are just gifted with heavier winds, and that's awesome. One of the guys who used to work here, Tony, ended up going down to Kitty Hawk to teach, and they used a smaller kite with shorter lines, which made the kite a bit less powerful. It was a little faster, but that was still a fairly safe environment to learn in. Again, this is not blanket advice, but personally I think lighter winds are better for beginners. At the end of the day, if you're out there kiting when it's windy, that's a win. As always, thanks for checking us out. This has been Jake with MACkite.

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