Mountain Board Jumping - by Bushflyer
One of the hardest mysteries to unravel in kiteboarding is the art of jumping. Difficult to translate in pure words, ive compiled the following pictures and advice built up over the last year. My thanks go to all those who've helped, in particular my good friend Mr. Brendan Gill.
The first steps - Preparation
Firstly, i need to stress how important it is to have your kiteskills up to a good level before attempting air. You should be able to ride both heelside and toeside in both directions on your board. If you're not familiar with these attitudes when attempting air for the first time you're asking for trouble. trust me, the first few times you'll be concentrating on so many things you need to know your kite's position and attitude in relation to the wind instinctively. A powering up moment with the kite in the wrong position can be very bad indeed.
Another important aspect so often overlooked, and the most simple is jumping without the kite on the board. Best practised on longish grass or soft sand at first to prevent the board from rolling from under your feet. Lower your centre (hips) and spring up, raising both knees simultaneously. Semi-straighten your legs and absorb the landing while using your hands to maintain balance. Practice this until you can land comfortably keeping the weight in the centre of the board, not overly leaning either heel or toeside. Doing this at speed can lead to some spectacular faceplants! The key is to remain calm, relaxed and confident. breaking down the moves, developing solutions and analysing your mistakes from this early stage gaurantees success.
Step two - The first jumps; fast and low
Okay, firstly find yourself a large area with a clean wind. This is important becuase firstly you dont want to rush into your first airs; give yourself a good run up to get your position on the board sorted and load up the kite. Also, having a run-off area is vital as mistakes will happen (i still fall off, you cant forsee everything ;D ). Though the pro's can use gusty winds to their advantage, going out for your first jumps in such conditions is not advisable. The power levels can change in an instant, often in mid air.
So, with the wind somewhere between 10 and 15 mph (dependent on your weight and kite size, please use discretion) get on the board and power off toward your takeoff point.
Start loading the kite up once you're at a comfortable speed by steering slightly upwind to build tension on the lines. Also put your centre over the heelside edge of the board. Remember, a mountianboard cannot hold as much power as a twin tip so dont overdo it. When you're ready send the kite back to around 11-11:30 in the window and steer slightly upwind and jump as mentioned previously.
As soon as you take off REDIRECT THE KITE IN THE PREVIOUS DIRECTION. This maintains the direction of travel and stops the kite luffing. Sound complicated? Try breaking it down into these parts:
STAGE 1
Send the kite back and jump and redirect the kite (note bar position)
STAGE 2
Once stage one comes naturally to you, now try edging the board harder just before takeoff and bring up your knees. This should make you go higher.
Troubleshooting
Having trouble boosting ?
Alter your timing - wait until the kite starts to physically lift you into the air.
Landing hard ?
Redirect the kite more and/or keep it higher in the window. Uplift, not lateral pull is the name of the game here.
Going bigger
- Lower your centre more and spring up on takeoff. this retains more energy in the kite allowing higher boosting.
- Perfect your timing. timing is everything!
- Send the kite back further in the window. this gives even more energy to the kite. Be careful!
- Hook in and/or use depower (if available)
Remember, know your own limits and fly responsibly, dont showboat close to others (especially if they're directly downwind) and take your time. small steps lead to great things.
Get trying!
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