Old movie I thought I'd uploaded from March, 2010.
End of winter ride in the park on the ol' landboard, earlier this year, filmed with a helmet mounted GoPro.
You'll notice around 3:28 the very, very good reason for wearing kite killers! Also note that the back strap in no way affected my ability to ditch the kite when the gust hit ...
Showing posts with label kava. Show all posts
Showing posts with label kava. Show all posts
Friday, November 26, 2010
Wednesday, June 9, 2010
Old dog, new tricks
After looking at the weather, forecasts and wind station data all day and humming and harring, I decided to go home after work, grab the kites and head back out. 10 knots was forecast, wind stations reported abut 4m/s so it should be good ...
... and it was! Well-powered on the Rebble with exciting gusts! Did some toe-side riding, carving (psch!) turns and practiced my slides ... and got my first ever boo-boo on a landboard - all this time riding, all this lack of talent, all the hairy things that have happened but I've yet to actually fall off, let alone hurt myself on a landboard until today - cant' be trying hard enough :D Went for the big slide but hit a very hard, smooth patch of dirt, losing grip under my back foot and I sort of plopped down onto that bum cheek but managed to graze my outside calf on the other leg. Pretty feeble effort : comparing the discomfort of the trifling graze to driving home with stinky socks - the socks are far more unpleasant.
Anyway, it was one of these slides that nearly put me on my bum, I thought "Hey I almost went the whole way around to toe-side ... hmm ..." and whaddya know, I can now slide around to toe-side then carve a turn back to heel-side! Well, kinda ... I imagine it looks like a hippo trying to ballet dance on skateboard but I get around ...
... and I got something else to practice now! Level up!
... and it was! Well-powered on the Rebble with exciting gusts! Did some toe-side riding, carving (psch!) turns and practiced my slides ... and got my first ever boo-boo on a landboard - all this time riding, all this lack of talent, all the hairy things that have happened but I've yet to actually fall off, let alone hurt myself on a landboard until today - cant' be trying hard enough :D Went for the big slide but hit a very hard, smooth patch of dirt, losing grip under my back foot and I sort of plopped down onto that bum cheek but managed to graze my outside calf on the other leg. Pretty feeble effort : comparing the discomfort of the trifling graze to driving home with stinky socks - the socks are far more unpleasant.
Anyway, it was one of these slides that nearly put me on my bum, I thought "Hey I almost went the whole way around to toe-side ... hmm ..." and whaddya know, I can now slide around to toe-side then carve a turn back to heel-side! Well, kinda ... I imagine it looks like a hippo trying to ballet dance on skateboard but I get around ...
... and I got something else to practice now! Level up!
Saturday, May 29, 2010
Thou shalt relax
Had today (Saturday) off work so wife determined it to be a family holiday. Well it is her birthday on the 1st so I guess that's fair ;)
Started the day looking at a pair of possible houses - think we found one but it's much further from the lake than where we live now - maybe a 40 minute drive instead of 10 minutes ... but it's a nice big house in a very peaceful area. Should be good.
After that we jumped on the highway to Hamamatsu, Shizuoka for a micro-break at the beach and Belle Grave - the Cadillac of love hotels! Arrived here (am now typing from the hotel) about 2pm so we headed to the Lake Hamana flower park, site of so many groovy kite adventures ...
Wind was southerly and for that park, really smooth (usually a good blow is gusty as hell) so I unpacked the Rebble and jumped on Kava. The park is all sorta hard-pack but long, thick grass so it was a bit of a workout for the fingers, hands and arms but it is SO much nice to ride on something that won't take my skin off like a cheese grater, unlike my regular park back home! There was a concert going on in the grounds but I had a strip right across the park where I could ride unimpeded and had some really good, nicely powered runs ... good to be back in the saddle again - too much rain & no wind days recently :(
The gusts were picking up though, and I made the mistake of finishing one blast by carving around for a toeside run ... I was on a good reach and thinking about carving back to heelside when just as the grass started to run out, I got hit by a gust and got all powered up and went shooting off the grassed area and into the carpark!
The options were jump off board and risk a broken ankle and a fall on asphalt/concrete with no pads at speed or ride it out ... I thought I could ride it out, wash off the speed slowly but the speed I gained on the downward slope into the carpark translated into more kite speed, the lower friction of the 'crete added to the kite speed even more and suddenly, I'm going way, WAY too fast - still riding toeside, all twisted up with the kite powering up behind me ...
And now I've got speed wobbles!
3 seconds of terror and I'm thinking about letting the kite go to the killers but as the small hedge/big hedge/river looms up large in front of me, I sucked it up and turned downwind at what is, for me, mad speed. Kite falls out of the sky, misses the small hedge and I end up riding in a circle around it as it falls to the ground, rolling to a stop right back upwind of it.
Relax sphincter. Relaunch kite. Act cool. Get back on board and ride back to the grass like you meant to do that all along so that the carpark attendent with his eyes out on stalks doesn't get the idea that I nearly filled my pants :D
Few more runs - on the grass - but the crowds and gusts are picking up so I pack it up and get out the Rev 1.5 while the wife looks at the flowers. Had a nice time playing with that - getting close to being able to do inverted hovers - and my no-snag handle mods worked fine.
And so, in retrospect, it was a rather nice way to spend an afternoon. Very relaxing - even the tense bits!
Started the day looking at a pair of possible houses - think we found one but it's much further from the lake than where we live now - maybe a 40 minute drive instead of 10 minutes ... but it's a nice big house in a very peaceful area. Should be good.
After that we jumped on the highway to Hamamatsu, Shizuoka for a micro-break at the beach and Belle Grave - the Cadillac of love hotels! Arrived here (am now typing from the hotel) about 2pm so we headed to the Lake Hamana flower park, site of so many groovy kite adventures ...
Wind was southerly and for that park, really smooth (usually a good blow is gusty as hell) so I unpacked the Rebble and jumped on Kava. The park is all sorta hard-pack but long, thick grass so it was a bit of a workout for the fingers, hands and arms but it is SO much nice to ride on something that won't take my skin off like a cheese grater, unlike my regular park back home! There was a concert going on in the grounds but I had a strip right across the park where I could ride unimpeded and had some really good, nicely powered runs ... good to be back in the saddle again - too much rain & no wind days recently :(
The gusts were picking up though, and I made the mistake of finishing one blast by carving around for a toeside run ... I was on a good reach and thinking about carving back to heelside when just as the grass started to run out, I got hit by a gust and got all powered up and went shooting off the grassed area and into the carpark!
The options were jump off board and risk a broken ankle and a fall on asphalt/concrete with no pads at speed or ride it out ... I thought I could ride it out, wash off the speed slowly but the speed I gained on the downward slope into the carpark translated into more kite speed, the lower friction of the 'crete added to the kite speed even more and suddenly, I'm going way, WAY too fast - still riding toeside, all twisted up with the kite powering up behind me ...
And now I've got speed wobbles!
3 seconds of terror and I'm thinking about letting the kite go to the killers but as the small hedge/big hedge/river looms up large in front of me, I sucked it up and turned downwind at what is, for me, mad speed. Kite falls out of the sky, misses the small hedge and I end up riding in a circle around it as it falls to the ground, rolling to a stop right back upwind of it.
Relax sphincter. Relaunch kite. Act cool. Get back on board and ride back to the grass like you meant to do that all along so that the carpark attendent with his eyes out on stalks doesn't get the idea that I nearly filled my pants :D
Few more runs - on the grass - but the crowds and gusts are picking up so I pack it up and get out the Rev 1.5 while the wife looks at the flowers. Had a nice time playing with that - getting close to being able to do inverted hovers - and my no-snag handle mods worked fine.
And so, in retrospect, it was a rather nice way to spend an afternoon. Very relaxing - even the tense bits!
Wednesday, May 19, 2010
You can't always get what you want
When faced with the choice of going home and getting on the exercycle or going to the park in iffy wind, there really is no choice at all. Went to the park to enjoy the forecast 12 knots. Camped out on the riverbank and launched the Rebble, waiting for the grounds keepers to leave so I could use their precious fields.
Wind was good, but I was feeling lazy and although I initially wanted a spanking session on the board, I ended up lying in the fresh cut grass with the kite riding at the zenith, the cool breeze washing over me and the chatter of birds in the trees. It was all very peaceful and rather relaxing.
The keepers finally left and I think they took the wind with them to spite me. I had a few thundering good runs to begin with, which were made rather entertaining by the hard-caked mud in the soccer pitch that had been trampled by booted players and dried all lumpy ... then the wind dropped till I was working the kite like a mad thing, lines pumping up and down between the gazebo, the goal posts, the golf flags and random fences trying to keep the board moving - even riding the board across the concrete. I should have pulled out the Core but I was actually enjoying just cruising around, playing with the board and taking it easy.
Spent probably 2 and a half hour at the park. Didn't get the epic session I thought I wanted ... but if you try sometimes, you get what you need.
Wind was good, but I was feeling lazy and although I initially wanted a spanking session on the board, I ended up lying in the fresh cut grass with the kite riding at the zenith, the cool breeze washing over me and the chatter of birds in the trees. It was all very peaceful and rather relaxing.
The keepers finally left and I think they took the wind with them to spite me. I had a few thundering good runs to begin with, which were made rather entertaining by the hard-caked mud in the soccer pitch that had been trampled by booted players and dried all lumpy ... then the wind dropped till I was working the kite like a mad thing, lines pumping up and down between the gazebo, the goal posts, the golf flags and random fences trying to keep the board moving - even riding the board across the concrete. I should have pulled out the Core but I was actually enjoying just cruising around, playing with the board and taking it easy.
Spent probably 2 and a half hour at the park. Didn't get the epic session I thought I wanted ... but if you try sometimes, you get what you need.
Thursday, May 6, 2010
A small session
Went out for a quick blast on the board today ... gusty southerly at the other park meant really crappy winds but a ride was had and that's better than sitting in front of telly ...
Thursday, April 22, 2010
The wind has ADHD
Forecast yesterday was promising 16 knots from the north so I was looking forward to a good evenings play time. Had to wait for the grounds keeper to clear off so I launched the Cult from the riverbank to see if it would be enough for the wind that was/wasn't there. Well ...
I must have been a sight to see - parked kite at the zenith, arms were jerking up and down like a puppet on a string. Like rap dancer waving their hands in the air cos they just don't care. Like Scotty flicking the "engine on/off" switch to get back at Kirk for sleeping with Uhura ... you get the picture. So I do some stunting to pass the time ...
Ok Mr Dingleberry the park nazi has finally gone, so I pull the board out of the boot (trunk for our Yankee brethren) and move myself onto the soccer dirt strip.
Whee what fun - it's gusting from like 0 to 30 knots and the wind is all over the place, northeast at one end, northwest at the other. Doing the herky-jerky to get rolling then running totally out of steam in the middle, working it through then get mad power roll in right as I'm heading straight at the open door of the porta-potty on one side or the power lines on the other. The Cult is stalling all through the power zone and going completely flat like a sheet of paper then powering up like it's a JATO rocket.
Despite all that, I had a bit of fun.
And guess what? You CAN jump with a 3.5m kite! Send the kite up from just above 9 or 3 as fast as you can and yes, even my fat arse goes sailing through the air! I thought that was all very amusing and laughed heartily until the Cult lifted me and the board right off the ground - when the kite was at zenith! That's when I knew it was time to pack up ...
I must have been a sight to see - parked kite at the zenith, arms were jerking up and down like a puppet on a string. Like rap dancer waving their hands in the air cos they just don't care. Like Scotty flicking the "engine on/off" switch to get back at Kirk for sleeping with Uhura ... you get the picture. So I do some stunting to pass the time ...
Ok Mr Dingleberry the park nazi has finally gone, so I pull the board out of the boot (trunk for our Yankee brethren) and move myself onto the soccer dirt strip.
Whee what fun - it's gusting from like 0 to 30 knots and the wind is all over the place, northeast at one end, northwest at the other. Doing the herky-jerky to get rolling then running totally out of steam in the middle, working it through then get mad power roll in right as I'm heading straight at the open door of the porta-potty on one side or the power lines on the other. The Cult is stalling all through the power zone and going completely flat like a sheet of paper then powering up like it's a JATO rocket.
Despite all that, I had a bit of fun.
And guess what? You CAN jump with a 3.5m kite! Send the kite up from just above 9 or 3 as fast as you can and yes, even my fat arse goes sailing through the air! I thought that was all very amusing and laughed heartily until the Cult lifted me and the board right off the ground - when the kite was at zenith! That's when I knew it was time to pack up ...
Tuesday, April 20, 2010
Cor(e) Blimey!
Took the newly arrived Core 6.7 out tonight, ostensibly to set it up and parapack it nicely ... but despite the Crappy wind, it flew real nice and pulled good so I got the board out of the car and got some riding in!
Big surprise; I'd say there was maybe 3-6 knots and I know I would've been walking the Rebble backwards to keep it in the air. So despite the Crappy wind, it flew real nice and pulled good so I got the board out of the car and got some riding in! Mixed bag of carving turns; some half-hearted others powered - my timing needs a little work! Good fun slides, even in the Chicken Gravy wind!
The Core is a lower aspect ratio kite, sorta short and fat like the Vibe and unlike the longer, thinner Rebble.
I'm using Peter Lynn long handles and 20m 200/100kg lines. In that light wind, it flew slow but steady and reacted well to pull turns and brake only turns. Turns as good as the Rebble even though it's bigger and probably holds more speed through the turn too.
Good solid pull through the window, kind of reminded me of the Ace with it's non-stop steady power supply; the Rebble is sorta jerky as it comes into the power and takes off in comparison.
I stalled it several times trying to jump with it, which I put down to lack of wind and me sending it too far to the edge of the window ... we'll see how it goes in a little more wind.
Compared to the Blade III 6.6 I had, it's a lot less of a handful in the lighter winds; launches easy with a little backwards walking and fills quickly, going up to zenith and sitting there quite happily. Unlike the Blade, which in the same or slightly stronger winds, had to be yanked off the ground and turned to one side to trick it into launching then kept on the move or it'd stall when it got to zenith. That may well have something to do with just how light the Core is, compared to the Blade; newer, lighter materials maybe.
Anyway, it's a bloody good kite and looks like it'll turn a session of Crap into Chicken Gravy.
Big surprise; I'd say there was maybe 3-6 knots and I know I would've been walking the Rebble backwards to keep it in the air. So despite the Crappy wind, it flew real nice and pulled good so I got the board out of the car and got some riding in! Mixed bag of carving turns; some half-hearted others powered - my timing needs a little work! Good fun slides, even in the Chicken Gravy wind!
The Core is a lower aspect ratio kite, sorta short and fat like the Vibe and unlike the longer, thinner Rebble.
I'm using Peter Lynn long handles and 20m 200/100kg lines. In that light wind, it flew slow but steady and reacted well to pull turns and brake only turns. Turns as good as the Rebble even though it's bigger and probably holds more speed through the turn too.
Good solid pull through the window, kind of reminded me of the Ace with it's non-stop steady power supply; the Rebble is sorta jerky as it comes into the power and takes off in comparison.
I stalled it several times trying to jump with it, which I put down to lack of wind and me sending it too far to the edge of the window ... we'll see how it goes in a little more wind.
Compared to the Blade III 6.6 I had, it's a lot less of a handful in the lighter winds; launches easy with a little backwards walking and fills quickly, going up to zenith and sitting there quite happily. Unlike the Blade, which in the same or slightly stronger winds, had to be yanked off the ground and turned to one side to trick it into launching then kept on the move or it'd stall when it got to zenith. That may well have something to do with just how light the Core is, compared to the Blade; newer, lighter materials maybe.
Anyway, it's a bloody good kite and looks like it'll turn a session of Crap into Chicken Gravy.
Thursday, April 15, 2010
Time flies when you're having fun
Went to my park last night - forecast was for 8m/s and there was certainly wind, but unfortunately the grounds-keeper was still in his little hut till 5pm so I had to wait about 50 minutes before I could set up. Hummed and harred the whole time whether or not I should actually get out of the car cos it was cold, I was tired and didn't have my pads.
The wind was crappy gusting to gravy for my 3.5m Cult so I packed it up and pulled out the Rebble. That shifted the wind range into gravy gusting to stupid, but mostly epic.
For once though, the gusts were treated to an attitude of patient disdain rather than my usual fear and trembling, as they try to rip my arms from their sockets and stretch my fingers. For the extended gusts, I even threw caution to the wind and tried some jumps ... had some real good ones too, sort of hovering and hanging in the air.
Has some nice riding too although the park was soggy and I had to keep an eye on the kite to stop it collapsing in the silly gusts. Did some carving turns and a bit of upwind riding toe-side. Only once got gusted to over-powered on the board and was heading for a park bench, but didn't panic and even made a nice power-slide to stop, if I do say so myself!
So I'm glad I got out of the car and got nearly 2 hours kiting in! I'm sore today though ...
The wind was crappy gusting to gravy for my 3.5m Cult so I packed it up and pulled out the Rebble. That shifted the wind range into gravy gusting to stupid, but mostly epic.
For once though, the gusts were treated to an attitude of patient disdain rather than my usual fear and trembling, as they try to rip my arms from their sockets and stretch my fingers. For the extended gusts, I even threw caution to the wind and tried some jumps ... had some real good ones too, sort of hovering and hanging in the air.
Has some nice riding too although the park was soggy and I had to keep an eye on the kite to stop it collapsing in the silly gusts. Did some carving turns and a bit of upwind riding toe-side. Only once got gusted to over-powered on the board and was heading for a park bench, but didn't panic and even made a nice power-slide to stop, if I do say so myself!
So I'm glad I got out of the car and got nearly 2 hours kiting in! I'm sore today though ...
Wednesday, April 7, 2010
Back on the landboard
Supposed to be big wind coming through today but too cold to get in the lake ... forecast said 20 knots at 8ºC!
Thought I'd check out the place where we play hockey in Kosei, next to Yasu River ... we play in the carpark (inline hockey) but there's baseball/soccer fields down the other end. Despite it being the middle of the week, when I arrived there were some people playing baseball on the hard-pack dirt area. So I had a go on the grass area.
Wasn't sure of this locale for landboarding because of the topography of the area. Probably won't use it much cos it's a long way from home and is packed on the weekends but holidays might be ok. Anyway, the wind was good but it was gusting too much for the Rebble - when I got picked off the board and went sailing through the air downwind, I decided to break out the Cult. Much better!
Got some good fast powered-up rides in, which felt really nice on the grass ... it's comforting to know I'm not going through the cheese grater if I fall off! I'll have to take pictures of my usual surface so you know what I mean ...
Anyway, the wind dropped after maybe 2 hours so I packed it in. Good way to spend my last day before I go back to work :)
Thought I'd check out the place where we play hockey in Kosei, next to Yasu River ... we play in the carpark (inline hockey) but there's baseball/soccer fields down the other end. Despite it being the middle of the week, when I arrived there were some people playing baseball on the hard-pack dirt area. So I had a go on the grass area.
Wasn't sure of this locale for landboarding because of the topography of the area. Probably won't use it much cos it's a long way from home and is packed on the weekends but holidays might be ok. Anyway, the wind was good but it was gusting too much for the Rebble - when I got picked off the board and went sailing through the air downwind, I decided to break out the Cult. Much better!
Got some good fast powered-up rides in, which felt really nice on the grass ... it's comforting to know I'm not going through the cheese grater if I fall off! I'll have to take pictures of my usual surface so you know what I mean ...
Anyway, the wind dropped after maybe 2 hours so I packed it in. Good way to spend my last day before I go back to work :)
Wednesday, March 17, 2010
Chicken Gravy
It's not as good as gravy made from beef products but it's better than bloody custard.
Had a nice session tonight after work, till dark. Probably 10 to 15 knots when it was good. Working the Rebble like I was rowing a boat! So probably around 15 knots is a real good zone for the Reb, 10 knots is comfortable for working it. The park is still a bit rough for the wind though; even the northerly blowing across the lake must get ruffled by the stop-banks and the little housing estate 1km away :(
After a lot of doodling back and forth, caught a couple of gusts real good and got cracking for a few runs ... had my first true, controlled and intended power-slides tonight! 4 wheel drifting downwind as the kite powered up to the zenith ...! Whee!
Had a nice session tonight after work, till dark. Probably 10 to 15 knots when it was good. Working the Rebble like I was rowing a boat! So probably around 15 knots is a real good zone for the Reb, 10 knots is comfortable for working it. The park is still a bit rough for the wind though; even the northerly blowing across the lake must get ruffled by the stop-banks and the little housing estate 1km away :(
After a lot of doodling back and forth, caught a couple of gusts real good and got cracking for a few runs ... had my first true, controlled and intended power-slides tonight! 4 wheel drifting downwind as the kite powered up to the zenith ...! Whee!
Monday, March 15, 2010
Riders on the storm
... riders in front of the storm, maybe.
30 minute blast as the southerly rolled in and then put an end to my fun with rain. An exciting half hour though with strong and gusty winds, some fast runs and interesting slides to a stop as the gusts yanked me up, down and sideways. Packing up was fun too, I think I have a new method - sneak up behind the parked kite then jump on it and stuff it all into the bag before it knows what I'm doing and decided to fight back :D
30 minute blast as the southerly rolled in and then put an end to my fun with rain. An exciting half hour though with strong and gusty winds, some fast runs and interesting slides to a stop as the gusts yanked me up, down and sideways. Packing up was fun too, I think I have a new method - sneak up behind the parked kite then jump on it and stuff it all into the bag before it knows what I'm doing and decided to fight back :D
Saturday, March 13, 2010
What is it when it's almost gravy?
Custard? I'm not a huge fan of custard, after all ...
Went to the park in a southerly. Supposed to be 10 knots but was not very much. Could get riding but couldn't get up the speed to really get cracking but it was better than nothing.
Weather looks crap till Wednesday next week. Fingers crossed.
Went to the park in a southerly. Supposed to be 10 knots but was not very much. Could get riding but couldn't get up the speed to really get cracking but it was better than nothing.
Weather looks crap till Wednesday next week. Fingers crossed.
Thursday, March 11, 2010
It was Winston Churchill ...
... who said that low-wind kiteboarding is the best way to ruin a nice walk. Or maybe he was talking about golf.
Skunked again ...! Poor little Rebble not up to the task ... that's ok cos I have a cheapo 12m Pansh Ace on the way :D
Skunked again ...! Poor little Rebble not up to the task ... that's ok cos I have a cheapo 12m Pansh Ace on the way :D
Tuesday, March 9, 2010
Asking for trouble
Gusty, gusty and more gusty. Did I say it was gusty? Cos it was gusty. I mean REAL gusty not that lame kind of gusty but gusty. Need I say more?
Ok I do. My teachers at school called it "verbal diarrhea" and so will you. Stand back!
Took the Rebble out to the park to put the new PL handles Dino from Dakites on but I got all excited by the amount of wind there actually was and decided to ride instead of fiddle with lines. No kite-killers cos they're still on the Ozone, just the back-strap. I did have my new gloves on though :D bought them at a tools store for $12 - they've got nice soft leather palms. Blah blah anyway.
Also put the GoPro on the helmet; trying to find a good angle - last day's filming was a great view of my hands and the lines but no kite, like that old gag of the invisible dog dog-collar with a wire in it. I know what I mean. Or of my feet which was interesting maybe, if feet are your thing. Turned the camera on and forgot about it.
Phew, it was gusty but I think I mentioned that already. Lots of searching for the wind then fighting it when I found it. Seemed like I could only pick it up at either end of the field or only going left to right. Come to the conclusion that the back-strap is not the best kit in gusty winds - got yoinked a few times, got hauled downwind like I'm running down the side of a hill all giant steps and all. Then I was coming in to a stop and tried to slide but was off-balance and just let the kite go - so yes, the back-strap does come off over a helmet no problems. Got back on the horse, untangled the mess of bridle and kept going till dark with less entertaining cock-ups. Though my record of never falling off the landboard is still intact and Carl will say I'm not going hard enough and now I've jinxed myself bragging about it I'll probably take the skin off my elbows and bugger my shoulder next time I'm out. Oh well.
Was surprised to find that I got nearly the whole session on film, including the screw-ups. Once I've pruned out 49 minutes of boring crap, I'll post the remaining 2. Great bit of kit the GoPro, I've yet to charge the batteries since receiving it and done 2 days of filming, about 8Gb of movies.
Well, it was better than going home and sitting in front of the telly anyway.
Ok I do. My teachers at school called it "verbal diarrhea" and so will you. Stand back!
Took the Rebble out to the park to put the new PL handles Dino from Dakites on but I got all excited by the amount of wind there actually was and decided to ride instead of fiddle with lines. No kite-killers cos they're still on the Ozone, just the back-strap. I did have my new gloves on though :D bought them at a tools store for $12 - they've got nice soft leather palms. Blah blah anyway.
Also put the GoPro on the helmet; trying to find a good angle - last day's filming was a great view of my hands and the lines but no kite, like that old gag of the invisible dog dog-collar with a wire in it. I know what I mean. Or of my feet which was interesting maybe, if feet are your thing. Turned the camera on and forgot about it.
Phew, it was gusty but I think I mentioned that already. Lots of searching for the wind then fighting it when I found it. Seemed like I could only pick it up at either end of the field or only going left to right. Come to the conclusion that the back-strap is not the best kit in gusty winds - got yoinked a few times, got hauled downwind like I'm running down the side of a hill all giant steps and all. Then I was coming in to a stop and tried to slide but was off-balance and just let the kite go - so yes, the back-strap does come off over a helmet no problems. Got back on the horse, untangled the mess of bridle and kept going till dark with less entertaining cock-ups. Though my record of never falling off the landboard is still intact and Carl will say I'm not going hard enough and now I've jinxed myself bragging about it I'll probably take the skin off my elbows and bugger my shoulder next time I'm out. Oh well.
Was surprised to find that I got nearly the whole session on film, including the screw-ups. Once I've pruned out 49 minutes of boring crap, I'll post the remaining 2. Great bit of kit the GoPro, I've yet to charge the batteries since receiving it and done 2 days of filming, about 8Gb of movies.
Well, it was better than going home and sitting in front of the telly anyway.
Saturday, March 6, 2010
5 knots my eye : Round 2 - The Movie!
After I landed the Rebble, I pulled out the new Ozone Cult 3.5 that I especially got for high & gusty winds ... worked real nice and had a great time although it needed a touch more wind to park and ride.
... anyone know why my videos don't fill the YouTube screen?
... anyone know why my videos don't fill the YouTube screen?
Friday, March 5, 2010
Sometimes it pays to wait
There was a whiff of wind tonight, so I thought I'd go to the park and just have a play.
Arrived and there was more than a whiff - might be worth trying to board this after all! Unpacked the Rebble - which was a bit messy cos of the big wind I packed it away in last time ... I had just sorta stuffed the kite into the bag so in a sulk it had somehow contrived to wrap the right hand power and brake lines around and around themselves, so that was fun to sort out.
Anyway, got it in the air and gave it a go and was sort of wobbling back and forth for a while, which was fine - my arms and back were stiff from last time I was out. Yes I'm old and doddery. The back-strap seemed to be getting in the way of me flapping my arms around like a pre-pubescent seagull learning to fly (it's all about style you know) so I took it off and HELLO! who turned on the wind? Suddenly I got power to carve and edge and slide and stuff!
Once I was sure I wasn't imagining the strength of the wind, I put the back-strap back on and really got into it ... got maybe 30 minutes of hard-core (for me) runs back and forth, well-powered and even over-powered at times, gusty and twitchy though it was. So gusty, at one point the wind collapsed the kite and wrapped the left brake bridle around the right power bridle knot and made a great mess. The wet dirt added to the fun too; the rain last night had added soggy patches that sorta sloshed by under wheel.
Sorted out the bridle tangle and kept going till dark, then did some impressive (to me only) pendulum jumps and some - I don't know the name but you park the kite at zenith then apply the brakes and let it drop then power it up and jump as it shoot back up to the zenith - erm jumps.
Whee, was a good evening! Worth the wait, made a nice change from the wind just dying off as the sun sets.
Arrived and there was more than a whiff - might be worth trying to board this after all! Unpacked the Rebble - which was a bit messy cos of the big wind I packed it away in last time ... I had just sorta stuffed the kite into the bag so in a sulk it had somehow contrived to wrap the right hand power and brake lines around and around themselves, so that was fun to sort out.
Anyway, got it in the air and gave it a go and was sort of wobbling back and forth for a while, which was fine - my arms and back were stiff from last time I was out. Yes I'm old and doddery. The back-strap seemed to be getting in the way of me flapping my arms around like a pre-pubescent seagull learning to fly (it's all about style you know) so I took it off and HELLO! who turned on the wind? Suddenly I got power to carve and edge and slide and stuff!
Once I was sure I wasn't imagining the strength of the wind, I put the back-strap back on and really got into it ... got maybe 30 minutes of hard-core (for me) runs back and forth, well-powered and even over-powered at times, gusty and twitchy though it was. So gusty, at one point the wind collapsed the kite and wrapped the left brake bridle around the right power bridle knot and made a great mess. The wet dirt added to the fun too; the rain last night had added soggy patches that sorta sloshed by under wheel.
Sorted out the bridle tangle and kept going till dark, then did some impressive (to me only) pendulum jumps and some - I don't know the name but you park the kite at zenith then apply the brakes and let it drop then power it up and jump as it shoot back up to the zenith - erm jumps.
Whee, was a good evening! Worth the wait, made a nice change from the wind just dying off as the sun sets.
Thursday, March 4, 2010
5 knots my eye - The Movie!
Went out last night after work - forecast was 5 knots. I think they confused the 5 knot Wednesday with the forecast 15 knots on Thursday ...! Took my GoPro HD for a test run & this is a result. Pruned lots of boring shit of me fiddling with lines in Windows Live Movie Maker.
Tuesday, March 2, 2010
Skunked
My 5m/s turned into nothing, due to a soggy surface and the wind dying off right as I set up - I swear :( So I put the Rebble away and went home. I need that Twister, Ed!
Had a nice tu-tu on Sunday though; took the Cult out for a test flight (thanks Rip!) and when it started rocking I figured it was worth unpacking the 19m Synergy. I was right - filled up nicer this time due to better wind and although it was borderline bottom end conditions, I got it up and flying.
Forgot the camera of course :( but had a few nice little jumps and some big ol' scuds - the beach looks like the farmers have been plowing it for planting :D And again, just as I've finished rolling the kite up, the wind picks up again ...!
Note to self - don't put car keys in the bottom of the bag and forget about them!
Had a nice tu-tu on Sunday though; took the Cult out for a test flight (thanks Rip!) and when it started rocking I figured it was worth unpacking the 19m Synergy. I was right - filled up nicer this time due to better wind and although it was borderline bottom end conditions, I got it up and flying.
Forgot the camera of course :( but had a few nice little jumps and some big ol' scuds - the beach looks like the farmers have been plowing it for planting :D And again, just as I've finished rolling the kite up, the wind picks up again ...!
Note to self - don't put car keys in the bottom of the bag and forget about them!
Monday, March 1, 2010
Say hello to ...
... the Kitewing.
Think of a symmetric windsurfing sail. Now you need something to roll on, and an assload of wind ... 5m/s or more, depending on the surface and vehicle. Less wind and skates on concrete will work but more wind is more fun. Yes.
Not as easy as it looks.
See?
A few minutes, later I did a Superman and took the skin of my elbows and mangled my shoulder again. The camera was off at the time though ...
Think of a symmetric windsurfing sail. Now you need something to roll on, and an assload of wind ... 5m/s or more, depending on the surface and vehicle. Less wind and skates on concrete will work but more wind is more fun. Yes.
Not as easy as it looks.
See?
A few minutes, later I did a Superman and took the skin of my elbows and mangled my shoulder again. The camera was off at the time though ...
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)