How to handle kite inversion?

[Todd RT]

Had an intersting scenario yesterday while working on my jumping skills.

I have a SB2 and a missed jump resulted in a trip "around the horn", which lead to a kite inversion. I was able to get the kite inverted again, back to normal, but the inside lines were twisted around the outside lines.

The kite was very unstable in the air at this point. EVERYTHING I've learned says "not to fly a kite with the lines crossed".

Since I was was in shallow water, I could easily self rescue and walked the kite back to shore. (I had a good exit plan man!)

Any advice on how to better handle a kite inversion?? If I had been in deeper water, I coulda been in deeper doo-doo.

There are some really sketchy ways of uncrossing the lines when a kite rolls through itself, but you don't want to try it with the kite in the air. Basically you put the kite in the water, pass your leash through the lines above the bar, pull the front lines over the bar and around the back lines on each side, and then flip the bar over too. I told you it was sketchy, don't try it until you understand it, or never is fine too.

Anyway, the best way to deal with it is to avoid inverting the kite in the first place. Try not to let go of the bar when your kite is moving fast across the window, and to not teather ball and leave your kite up wind of you when you botch a jump.

Just try to keep your kite over your head and some tension on the back lines when you are jumping.

[Todd RT]

Thanks Tom! Yeah.. that bar crossing sounds like something to practice on land with no wind in the kite, or pressure on the lines!

In hindsight, I guess I should have tried harder to simply fly the kite with the lines crossed, If it ever happens again, I'll try that first.

You can continue to fly it with the lines crossed inside each other like that, but not for long... it will wear the lines pretty quick. Just relaunch, ride in and sort it out.

[JoshTaylor]

i wouldn't reccomend passing the bar through the center lines untill you get ALOT more comfertable with the kite. it involved unattaching the leash, and unhooking from the CL which you can easily screw up and end up with the kite rolling downwind and you walking back to the beach.

all of what tom has said is good ways of preventing this, just don't overfly your kite when jumping, remember to redirect the kite into the window.

you can ride also with them cross, just don't for long, come into the beach and rewalk the lines out right away.

I agree with Josh on this one. I didn't want to sound like Mr. Safety so didn't post until he did.
I nearly put a kite in the road at the SW trying what Tom mentioned.
In light wind it's one thing (still don't do it) in 20 it's a really bad idea.
Luckily, the kite hit and stuck to a fence, instead of going in the road when I lost the kite. It was the first time I ever jumped for joy seeing a kite get mangled on a fence (the alternative was someone on the interstate possibly dying).

[toby wilson]

Yeah, remember at last years pre-race party when Erick had that kitemare and alertly tied his kite off to that buoy and the Coast Guard got all concerned because they thought that a kiter was missing and possibly drug under water? That was classic!!!

Actually that was me that was concerned... honestly, I thought it was one of my riding buddies tangled in a crab trap while trying to swim in and pulled under. I aborted my down winder, came in asked around for the kite owner, and after 15 minutes and no success finding the owner, I asked for a cell phone to call 911 and told them they may need to recover a body or not... I wasn't sure.

So it wasted a lot of my time, and the time emergency crew, and I ran out of time to finish my down winder, but I am glad it was just a kite tied to a crab trap instead of a dead friend.

As for the kite line uncross thing, notice I said "never would be fine too". I meant it.

I don't actually recommend ever doing it unless you have no other option or the wind is light, you are pretty sure what you are doing, etc. I only said it was possible since he asked.

I've only ever done it twice in 3 years and both times it was sketchy! i don't recommend it... especially after watching Scott's experience in person. That was pretty scary... I tried to help but we couldn't hear each other in the wind and waves... and then boom kite gone towards road.

Good times... hahaha yikes that sucked!

[Todd RT]

Thanks for all the advice guys! Sounds like prevention is the best cure! But otherwise, I'll see if I can QUICKLY fly her back to the beach, with the lines still crossed. I have been known to be too much of a Mr. Safety myself, so I wanted to get ya'lls advice! Thanks again, Cya on the water.. and in the air!