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Kite landboarding


Kite landboarding, also known as land kiteboarding or flyboarding, is based on the sport of kitesurfing, where a rider on a surf-style board is pulled over water by a kite. Kite landboarding involves the use of a mountain board or landboard, which is essentially an oversized skateboard with large pneumatic wheels and foot-straps. Kite landboarding is a growing sport, and there are several competitions. Kite landboarding is attracting growing publicity although it is not yet as popular or as well known as kitesurfing.

Typically, kite landboarding takes place in large open areas where the wind is constant and there are no obstructions such as trees or people. Large hard-packed sandy beaches are typical landboarding locations because of the large space available and wind conditions.

The rider starts off by getting the kite into a neutral position overhead. Once strapped onto the board, the rider can orient the kite such that it pulls the rider across the ground. This is done by moving the kite in either direction, generating a pull. As in kitesurfing, competent riders are able to "get some air" which is essentially maneuvering the kite to pull the rider into the air, possibly several feet up. More competent riders are able to do several moves in the air such as grabs, rotations and flips.

More advanced riders can do a number of tricks that are mainly based on those found in kitesurfing and wakeboarding. These include tricks while the rider is in the air which could involve rotations, flips, grabs, or combinations of these tricks. "Board-off" moves are tricks where the rider removes the board from his feet in the air and he can spin or flip it before putting it back on his feet and landing. On the ground, tricks include sliding the board, wheelies and riding toeside (riding with your back to the kite). Various tricks have not readily transitioned from kitesurfing due to the harder surface involved. One such trick is the "kiteloop" which involves looping the kite through the power zone while the kiter is in the air, giving a strong horizontal (and sometimes downwards) pull. In addition to these kitesurfing based tricks, there are also a number of skateboarding style accessories that have become popular such as ramps and grinders. In recent years, specific kite landboarding parks have opened with large areas and ramps and other obstacles available.

The kite is a large sail, usually made of strong ripstop nylon, and is flown on either 2, 3, 4 or 5 lines. Models of kites can have several different sizes within the range - because the stronger the wind is, the smaller the kite used. The kite is controlled via a control bar or a set of handles (kite control systems). There are various types of kites used in kite landboarding. Foil type kites, from manufacturers such as FreakDog, HQ Powerkites, Flexifoil, Ozone Kites, Flysurfer or Best Kiteboarding can be fixed bridle or de-power systems. De-power systems allow the rider to change the kites angle by moving the bar toward or away from them to power or de-power the kite respectively. Most riders prefer de-powerable kites as it is possible to easily adjust the power in case of gusts or an increase in wind speeds. Alternatively "arcs" are growing in popularity thanks to several kites made by Peter Lynn.


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