Kite surf: guide to understanding kite surf -1- Kite surf is one of the latest arrivals in the extreme sports family. It has grown popular in the last few years, succeeding in fascinating thousands of sports lovers who can’t resist the thrill, strength and speed you can experience only on a kite surf.
For novices it’s not enough just to get the equipment needed to start practising and they should remember that kite surf is a potentially risky discipline where you need to be learn using the gear in a gradual way with progressive practice, better if accompanied by a good instructor. As for many other things, approximation won’t give many fruits.
The origins of the discipline, in spite of fashion, seem even to go back to 1979, to Arnaud De Rosnay.
What actually is kite surf? Kite surf is the natural child of surf, with a sail added which drags the surfer thanks to the force of the wind, getting up to considerable speeds and allowing the surfer to give breathtaking acrobatic exhibitions.
Kite surf is also called kite board, or more rarely fly-surf, remembering the sport’s affinity with flight.
There are different ways of doing kite surf, relating to the different ways of “navigating” that such equipment allows. A kite surfer may prefer waves, free style or speed or even boarder cross, one of the most spectacular ways of using kite surf.
Let’s look at the essential components of a kite surf
The wing (or “sail” or “kite”) has classic dimensions which can vary from 7m2 to about 18m2. The choice of surface depends on the strength of the wind, big wings are preferable with weak wind and small ones are reserved for windy days. The wing is made up of inflatable sticks, often five connecting the leading edge to the trailing edge and an inflatable stick bigger than the others which makes up the leading edge.
If you know anything about aeronautics you will understand these terms, which have the same meaning for both an aeroplane wing and a kite wing. The air is distributed along the wing passing from the leading edge towards the trailing edge. Following this path, part of the air passes above the wing while another part is directed below. When the lift surpasses the surfer’s weight, the latter gets raised from the water, like taking off.
The ratio of a wing is determined by the relation between its width and length. People often talk about the ratio as it is an indication on the wing’s behaviour. A weak ratio is mostly for beginners, since it gives more stability and offers easier control. On the other hand a high ratio is given by a wing that can be fast and powerful but which needs more accurate control. The precise figure of the ratio is hardly ever indicated. You simply talk of a weak or low ratio, a moderate ratio and a high ratio.
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