I get asked how to start kiteboarding all the time, so now I am writing down my lessons learned.

Buy a trainer kite, and go to the park / beach:

First, buy a trainer kite, and get very good at flying it.  If you can’t keep it up in the air for an hour, how are you going to stay out on the water for an hour, with a bigger, stronger kite, a board, current and swell?  Practice diving the kite from the zenith (neutral), and signing it to 6 o’clock and back up to the top.  Work on one side, then the other. 

Also try to fly the kite toward the “Edge of the wind window”, and hold it there very long without dropping it out of the sky.  Very hard to do with a trainer kite, but this is how you launch and land a big kite.  And the people who are helping you probably appreciate it if you have good kite control.

Good Trainer Kites:

There are many options.  Be prepared to spend $90++.  You need a 2-3m foil kite, with a bar, not two handles.  Don’t worry; this is not a throwaway purchase. I use my trainer kite all the time still.  I take it to bar-b-ques, the beach, and just go fly it when the wind isn’t strong enough to kiteboard.  Friends love playing with the trainer kite, it looks easy but isn’t!

Generic trainer from the shop I get all my gear - http://www.kitewindsurf.com/store/detail.aspx?ID=583

Slingshot b2 - http://www.mackiteboarding.com/cgi-bin/shopper.cgi?preadd=action&key=D5KTSLI1154

Best – a good online brand - http://www.bestkiteboarding.com/TrainerKite

Take a Lesson

Be prepared to spend some money taking a lesson.  These kites are really powerful!!!  The instructors will start you on some smaller kites.  Safety will be taught, especially separating the lines and double checking them, rigging the kite for flight, double checking the lines, and also how to use your safety release to de-power the kite.  Pay attention to the gear your instructor is using and always ask him what kind of gear would be good for you.  I should have listened to my instructor more here, but I was overwhelmed flying the kite, learning to ride a board, and dealing with the water!  I ended up taking several lessons.  And I wished I would have watched the Zero to Hero video below, first!

1)     Land / Water lesson combo cost -  Group Land/Water       $350   6 hours

2)     Land lesson -

a.      Choosing a kite for conditions

b.      Rigging the kite

c.      Checking the lines

d.      Using the chicken loop

e.      Using the safety

f.       Self and Assisted launch

g.      Assisted and self landing

h.      Flew the 6m kite on short lines…

i.        Put away

3)     Water lesson -

a.      Went over everything from the land lesson

b.      Practiced launching / landing a couple times

c.      Got in water and body dragged around

d.      Diving the kite for power

e.      Re-launching the kite after a crash

f.       Getting up on the board – for a second!

g.      Safely putting up the kite in the water

Continued Education:

Beginning movie - Zero to Hero covers beginner through self-sufficient riding. 

Why is self-sufficient bold, because your out under the power of the kite, on your own.  There maybe other riders out there, but you have to be able to handle issues on your own.  I practiced self-rescuing myself after every session initially.  I would crash and re-launch the kite a bunch, then self land the kite in the water by releasing my safety or un-hooking.  Then I would work on getting to the kite without tangling the lines, and keeping my board with me. And finally, self rescue to shore.  Its really hard to do in swell and strong winds, I couldn’t imagine being hurt and doing it in strong wind and swell, so practice!  Not many beginners do this, they rush to jumping!

Evolution – Beginner to Intermediate kite boarding.  Evolution is a great video for people who have already taken a land and water lesson.  I would skip it if you have, but I bought the full 5 disc set.  Re-teaches you some things and works up to transitions (turns) and then to riding up-wind.  I wish I had seen it before I went out on my own, as I spent most of my sessions walking up the beach!  I didn’t think to setup a circuit.

Practice, Practice, Practice:

This sport has a high learning curve.  It takes many hours in the water.  Don’t get frustrated.  Once you flip the magic switch, and start riding upwind, its all fun!  Quick progression happens.  You’ll be addicted and checking the wind / kiteboarding forums all day long!