Starting up

[cholder]

I have been wanting to get in to kiteboarding for the past year or so but I decided I couldn't because I was a little to small and I didn't have the money. So now that I have the money and have gotten bigger I decided to get into the sport. I am 17 I am 6 feet tall and I weigh 150 lbs (if that matters). I don't live in Florida I actually live in Missouri and i have no idea of any kiteboarders around me or any shops. Also I have been looking around and have seen on almost every site they recommend that i need to get a trainer kite to have better kite flying skills, and I need to get lessons. So my question is does anyone know of any place in or by Missouri to get lessons and does anyone have a recommendation on what size/brand of trainer I should get,or should I even get a trainer kite at all? Thanks

[ricki]

I don't know of any shops or kiteboarding schools in Missouri personally but found the following from a net search:

Gulfport Windsurfing
City: Gulfport
State: MO
Zip:39507
Phone: 228-864-7517

If Florida's Panhandle is doable for some weekends you would do well to hookup with some experienced instructors there if other better options closer to home don't show up. Mark Rush with http://www.emeraldcoastkiteboarding.com/ comes to mind in Panama City.

Regarding trainers, you could go with many different 1.5 to 3 m foil kites for this purpose. I would check with Rush or the outfit in Gulfport to see what they have and relative pricing. You may be able to find one used on Ebay or ikitesurf as well.

I am not a huge fan of spending a ton of time on trainer kites alone. I feel by all means start with a trainer to develop kite control, basic launching, landing, relaunching, etc.. I feel moving on to a small inflatable kite, say around 3 to 4 m will provide some valuable insight on how full sized LEI traction kites behave than might be imparted from a trainer foil. I don't mean to move from a trainer to a full sized LEI without an instructor either, not a good idea. Your instructor will provide trainer kites for a fee of course so there is no imperative need to get one yourself unless you want to try to reduce your time in instruction.

There may be some operations in Alabama as well but again, I have no personal knowledge of any. Be sure to interview your prospective instructor to improve the odds you get what you need and are paying for. Some ideas along those lines appear at: http://fksa.org/showthread.php?t=937

Let us know how things are going for you.

[cholder]

As of right now i have contacted emerald kiteboarding and i am waiting for a reply. So if eveything goes right and i have some free time i will probably be paying a visit to panama city sometime is summer

[toby wilson]

You may want to also consider a 3M trainer kite. In my opinion, a 1.5M or 2M trainer kite just flies too fast and does not produce enough power to give you a good feel for the way a larger kite flies and for the amount of power that these kites can generate. Using a 3M trainer will definitely give you a much better feel and respect for the larger kites...just my $0.02...

[cholder]

so do you think if i get a 3m trainer before i go (if i get a chance to go) it would be a good idea. Also what trainer would you get

[cholder]

as of right now i am not going to be able to get to Florida this summer, but i am definitely going to LA so maybe there will be schools out there. if any one knows of a school or instructor in the San Pedro area that would be very helpful, also what would be a good 3m trainer kite under $200. thanks