I do not see the attraction to this sport. <a href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NB_hfplLnFI" target="_blank">http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NB_hfplLnFI</a>

it looks like it would be fun for like a week. That really had to suck to get hooked by that plane.

No way....LOL <BR> <BR>I think it looks like fun, but it would suck to lose the wind and be in the middle of a lake.

Kiting is a lot of fun. I haven't done it on the water yet but do it on the snow a bunch for something to do while the lakes in WI are frozen over. Strap on the snowboard and go. You can get some really good air and the landing are usually pretty soft. It is way more of a rush than wakeboarding is because you are dealing with the wind which can be unpredictable and slam you pretty hard if you're not careful. It gives you a whole new respect for it once you're harnessed into the kite.

I used to windsurf a lot (I actually taught it) and it was a blast when your decent at it, Kiteboard ing really just looks like the blending of that and wakeboarding or surfing. Doing it on a lake you don't really get the full effect or fun out of it, if you've ever seen it done in the surf it looks like an absolute blast. The best times for it are on windy days at the beach where it's too choppy to surf but there's still a good swell, those guys are flying and I mean fast and high.

.....I have 5000 dollars in gear sitting in my basement....and its still practically new...while I really like the sport...it can present some access problems unless you live close to a nice beach......then you have to make all new friends because chances that your wakeboard buddies are all into it is slim. Yeah getting stuck out in the lake sucks.....kiteboarding is fun when you are a more advanced rider....they can do anything and rarely get "stuck".....kiting is also more of a whole or half day thing.....go set up your kite and gear board for an hour take a break go out again etc.....at my level I go back and forth and get of the water by a few inches....so its pretty boring compared to riding a wakeboard (but then I am way better at that)....again if your good it is a blast! <BR> <BR>....yeah that video is a beauty! <BR> <BR>(Message edited by absoluteboarder on March 06, 2008)

we have started calling the kiteboarders in our area "teabaggers" because due to the dangly nature of the tricks they do they look like a bag of tea dipping in the ocean. <BR> <BR>it looks like it could be a lot of fun (and I have played with a kite on the beach) but on the other hand it seems silly to be able to get 30 feet of air without actually jumping.

.....thats actually a kiteboarding term "teabagging" <BR> <BR> <BR>...thats when you have lost your board in high wind and the gusts pick you straight up and back down like you said, a tea bag......however with the new generation of bow kites this isn't as prevelant as before...as you can turn the power on or off.

I am not sure if the video is real or not--sure looks like it is--I have seen the kiteboarders out on Lake Michigan before--I think the speed and air they get would cause me to soil my self. If it is real --I wonder how the boarder turned out--hopefully ok but who knows--anyone with some insight to this video?

....I brought this one up before ,......and the consensus was: not real...but very well done!

Kite boarding is as addicting as wakeboarding. I have only done it on the snow and have no plans to try it in the summer but once your out there and get the hang of it I would say it can be more fun than wakeboarding. The power that the wind can give you is absolutely amazing and with kiting it can be as aggressive or mellow as you want to make it. I think that also comes with snowboarding, but wake boarding to me feels like it is always on the more aggressive side.

just bought a kite, i'm near sandusky, oh and i think there may be some very good kiting areas around here, but i don't know anything about the sport. with the cost of gas going through the roof, i might even enjoy it more. <BR>anyone close to northern ohio? i need help!

You guys have no idea. It will change your life.

Kiteboarding is awesome ! that vid is a fake ,,, <BR> <BR>heres a way btter example of kiteboarding: <a href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=19fHdHbZqtE" target="_blank">http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=19fHdHbZqtE</a> <BR> <BR>and like tiger20 said it will change your life , that s true I grew up in the midwest (us) and all our lakes freeze over and no wakboarding then .. so I started snowkiting its so fun! these guys from scandinavia are really pushing it : <a href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MpjEopb2aLU&amp;feature=related" target="_blank">http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MpjEopb2aLU&amp;feature=related</a> <BR> <BR><a href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=m1_iYmbWkl4&amp;feature=related" target="_blank">http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=m1_iYmbWkl4&amp;feature=related</a>

kiteboarding fully powered is no different than wakeboarding behind the cable. Wakestyle kiteboarding is sick and all the other dangling **** is gay and needs to get out of the sport because of the image it gives kiteboarders. check out kitescoop.com or watch andre phillip or sam light kiteboard and you will see how sick the sport actually is.

I picked up kiteboarding two summers ago and I fell in love with it the first day I rode. Its just like wakeboarding except when you fall you dont have to wait for someone to come pick you up to start riding again. As long as you stay connected to the board and keep your kite in the air all you have to do is a couple power turns with the kite and you are back up and riding. Once I finally learned how to stay up wind I could stay out for an hour just carving, jumping, and trying spins.
Not only is the sport fun but the people are amazing as well. Don't get me wrong I love wakeboarding but it seems like some of the guys in the sport are kinda "bro'd" out and a lil egotistical. Kiteboarding can go from being fun to dangerous in a blink of an eye so everyone has to watch out for eachother. I am from Nor Cal and have done the majority of my riding out in Rio Vista on the Sacramento River.
If any of you guys are in the area you should try it out. I got my lessons from a guy who has been kiting for over ten years and he is probably one of the chillest dudes I have ever met. One of the best parts about it is that once you have all your gear which i will admit is a lil pricey, but once you get it YOU DON'T HAVE TO PAY FOR GAS!!!! You just go out there and use mother nature as your boat. It's pretty bad ass and I recomend it to anyone who loves the sport of wake boarding. And for all you old schoolers who remember Shannon Best from back in the day and have wondered where he has been or what he ended up doing with his life. Well he has his own kiting company called Best KItes and he still kills it on the water. Sorry if I seem like I'm jocking the sport a bit but it really changed my life. Peace out!

Here's a video that's a little more progressive and what a lot of the core riders are pushing:
http://vimeo.com/7326487

Thanks to ACL Digital Cinema for that one. Nothing beats Red Cam footage.

kiteboarding is awesome
 

kiteboarding has allowed me to travel to lots of cool places around the world and find awsome people. i recomend kitesurf to discover the wide range of tricks places and the feeling of navigate through the ocean.

www.caribbean-kite.com
http://www.facebook.com/kiteboarding...elcarmenmexico