This video outlines the steps for learning aerial kiteloops.
Starting with the safest possible options, then building from there.
Although this video is carefully designed to reduce your risks, kite loops are inherently
dangerous and can lead to serious injury.
The safest place to start is a heli loop, in very light wind, that completes on landing.
This can be used to help you ride away from a jump when the wind is so light it’s hard
to regain speed.
Launch your jump as normal.
Just before landing, dive the kite using the front hand.
You’ll land riding fairly slowly, due to the light wind.
So keep steering as hard as possible, with the front hand, for a small loop.
This will drag you downwind. So be ready to aim your board at the kite.
This loop may be completed on the surface, but it’s great practice.
You will learn the importance of steering quickly and you will learn to keep steering
until the kite is climbing.
10 knots of wind is great for your first attempts, then gradually build to stronger wind.
The next step is a complete heli loop.
This is where the kite loops around into the middle of the sweet spot as you land.
If you get it right, you should feel almost weightless on landing.
This is largely about timing.
If you steer too late, the kite won’t return to the high lift zone.
If you steer too early you will have passed through the high lift zone before landing.
The direction of your heli loop is also very important.
If your kite is on the left, looping it right will get you more time in the sweet spot.
If your kite is on the right, looping it left will get you more time in the sweet spot.
If your kite is centred, it can help to first move to one side, and set yourself up for
a better heli loop.
To make things a tad more complicated, bare in mind that the faster you descend from a
jump, the more the apparent wind climbs and the more the window lifts.
Basically, the sweet spot starts to shift upwards over your head at the end of larger
jumps.
A heli loop can be done with the front or the back hand.
What makes it a heli loop is the fact it’s done at the end of a jump.
This is when the kite has crept forward, allowing the loop to stay much higher.
This high angle means more lift and less horizontal pull.
A backloop initiated earlier in the jump is very different.
The kite hasn’t had a chance to creep upwind, so it starts deeper in the window, and circles
much lower.
This low angle gives huge horizontal force and minimal lift.
This early backloop is often called a powered kite loop.
Luckily there are low risk steps for building up to the powered loop.
You can make your first attempts in light wind with a miniscule jump.
This is safe because, even though you will loose lift from the kite, you are low enough
to free fall.
It’s also safe because, even though the kite will catapult you downwind, the wind
speed itself is not more than you can handle.
Let’s walkthrough the procedure for micro back loops.
Ride slowly and steer up slowly.
As the kite crosses 12, pull in for a tiny jump.
Don’t bother popping or edging much.
Then steer as firmly as possible with the back hand.
As the loop starts, you accelerate downwind and loose lift.
No matter what, it’s crucial that you keep steering until the kite is aiming upwards.
Touch down with the back of the board, adsorb the impact and ride downwind.
At this stage, work on getting your kite around quickly.
Your kite should not take long to loop.
Pulling in fully with one hand, and pushing out with the other may give the fastest loop.
But not always.
It’s possible you may get a faster loop with the bar out slightly.
I can’t give you the exact position, because it varies depending on your kite, bar and
lines.
So keep practising these training backloops until your kite rockets around.
Start in about 10 knots and build to 20 knots.
The next step, is trying to complete a backloop, then fly the kite up into the high lift zone
before landing.
It is possible to do this with a jump of about 2 meters if you use the correct technique
and kite size.
Let’s walkthrough the steps.
Ride with medium speed, and a firm edge to help you launch a 2m jump.
Send the kite up fairly slowly though so it doesn’t go too deep in the window.
As the kite reaches 12, pop hard and pull in the bar for a 2 meter jump.
Then it’s really useful to wait for just a moment with the kite near 12.
Because, the kite will creep forwards slightly, which means your loop stays slightly higher.
When you are ready, use your fastest possibly steering, and keep steering rapidly until
the kite is aiming at 12.
Then push the bar out for a moment, allowing the kite to fly forward faster.
Pull in the bar as you land to regain lift.
The exact height that you can pull off a loop and regain lift depends on a lot of factors.
Here is a kiter, easily regaining lift from a 2 meter jump.
In this case we have a 10m kite, flown with a medium/large bar, with a brief pause at
12, and very fast steering.
On the other hand, here is a kiter only just regaining lift after a 6m jump.
In this case there was a 12m kite, with a smaller bar, and the loop was initiated without
a pause at 12, so the kite circled lower.
To get started, it’s good to be slightly underpowered on a 7 to 10 meter kite and use
a slight pause at 12.
Of course, if you go out in a bit more wind and jump higher you get plenty of time to
complete a loop and regain lift.
But, bare in mind, you will pay heavily for any mistakes, and things do get a bit more
complicated with stronger wind and higher jumps.
Because you are jumping higher, the kite starts deeper in the window and loops lower.
You will then have a much longer freefall as the kite climbs.
This longer freefall causes the apparent wind to rise significantly, which raises the window
as well as the sweet spot.
The high lift zone can end up directly over your head.
See how lift only comes back now, once the kite is overhead
Let’s review the technique for these larger powered loops.
Launch a larger jump.
As you climb, steer hard with the back hand.
Keep steering until the kite is aiming upwards.
At this point you must have the bar out to help the kite fly forwards quickly.
Pulling in the bar would slow the kite.
As the kite flies over your head lift will come back.
Pull in the bar for lift, and to slow the kite.
Of course, you land hurtling downwind and your kite is aiming upwind.
You need either very firm steering or a heli loop to stop the kite flying behind you.
If you don’t get the kite in-front of you, you can expect it to drift or drop.
I hope it’s obvious there are huge risks here.
You are playing a dangerous and exciting game of hunt the sweet spot.
If your kite stalls at this stage of the loop it won’t fly back above your head.
This could happen because of a badly trimmed kite, gear malfunction, or simply because
of a lull in the wind.
Equally, with higher jumps, the kite can easily fly clean across the high lift zone.
It could end up hugely upwind and start loosing lift.
If the kite is heading too far upwind, and loosing lift, you will need a well-timed heli
loop to keep the kite above your head.
As mentioned, it is possible to set yourself up for a more forgiving heli loop.
In this case, complete your powered backloop, then aim the kite slightly to one side of
the window.
Which will set you up to heli loop the other way, circling 12 O clock, and maintaining
lift.
Thanks for watching, and safe kiting to all of you.