Headed down to the lake and arrived at 2pm. Forecast looked like it'd be the same as it has been recently. What I DIDN'T know and didn't find out till I'd back up is that a fucking TYPHOON is coming through...
So I happily launched my Speed3 15. Huh, paraglider fun on the beach like in that Gunnar Old School video - this should be good! Wasn't sure I could ride the 'radical but head out on it anyway... ok, holding ground fine and throwing down rooly nice back- and frontrolls but the jumps are just about lame. Hironobu is on his 14m Torch... we're both struggling to get back upwind for a while.
Then the wind picks up. Now we're having fun! I'm hoping Grandpa got at least one of the good jumps on video - I did wave at him after all. That's pretty cool for a while!
Then the wind picks up. Holy shit. Struggling to hold the edge but when I get it right - some of my biggest jumps to date. I land most of them too :D KNEW I should have had the camera on!!!
It was pretty fricken awesome. Started to get a bit hairy at the end and when Miyachi came in to swap his 10m for his 6, I decide to pack up and get an assisted landing... only a few minutes before dark anyway and the amazing show the sky was to put on!
...
The reset mixer was nice - bottom end seems fine, negligible backstall although the lines are still iffy, upwind and stability appear to be fine, but I seem to have lost top-end...? I know it was punchy, cos the tubes were herk-a-jerking too. Several times, the kite sorta taco'd and then surged. Fine on the water but scary on the land.
Kite came off the spreader bar twice. Seems it's rotating up then sticking that way.
First time, I managed to hang onto the bar and although the kite was choking, I kept it in the air then hooked in again. Second time, the kite went to safety and I relaunched the hard way. Hmm, fuck that shit. Fuck that shit right in the fuckin' ass.
Guess the kite was in the water a couple of times then... no problems relaunching until one of the tip bridle lines got stuck. That wasn't pleasant. Had to reland the kite and manually untangle it - the bloody thing had basically lark's headed itself to another line and was wrapped so the line that would pull and release it was stuck too. Neat. Especially as it amplified the surging/taco problem :-/
Nearly did a sent frontroll transition too but sunk on the way out. So I will be able to do them... at least in one direction :D
And now for the crappy pics from the shitty cellphone...
Moment of the day was whooping up a hooj air, realizing that the landing was going to be borked cos redirection was coming too soon but sending it back a tad then redirecting and landing it perfect. Oh fucking yes!
Mood of the session was puzzled hilarious shit-in-pants.
Weather was reported as 8 to 14 knots, gusts to 22. 18°C at 74%.
Wind felt like 30% just underpowered, 50% nicely overpowered, 20% I KILL YOU!!!
What I learned today...
• "Feeling" the kite for big sent backrolls properly means you can boost as high as you want and still put a roll in :) whee!
• Knees up = leaning back, which seems to slow down or halt the rotation. Important for landing downwind and not over-rotating.
• Unfortunately, that now seems to risk CL sliding off the spreader bar :(
• Leaving front rolls for a bit later after you take off seems to work better. For the popped ones anyway.
• Fuck-off big airs... the trick to landing them is to fly the kite DERP but when you feel the kite redirecting too soon, send it back briefly THEN redirect for landing. Kewl!
• Tomorrow morning is typhoon time - I might actually get to use my 7m :o
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