Kiteboarding Magazine

luke
2010-06-15 12:02:31 | 4924 views | 14 Comments

You’ve probably been to the beach and seen people put sand on both wingtips to keep the kite facing up to create shade. Well, this works for zero-wind days, but what if the wind is cranking? In this kiteboarding how to, find out a method to create shade with your kiteboarding kite that works great in up to 20 knots. If you need shade in wind any stronger than that, you’re crazy — you should be out riding!

Step 1

Inflate the kite with slightly less pressure than when riding. It helps to have a little less air in the kite to help fold the wingtips under. Be cautious about under-inflating because it could make for an unstable tent.

Step 2

Have a friend hold the ends of the bridle that you would normally connect your front lines to, not the ends for your back lines!

Step 3

Flip the kite over facing into the wind and place it upright in a tent position. Your friend who’s holding the front bridle lines should be centered below the leading edge of the kite, trying to find where the kite balances best.

Step 4

Connect the leading edge bridle lines to something in the sand. In the photo above, I buried a pump and just wrapped the lines around it. If it’s windier, a larger anchor, like your board, will hold better. Whatever you use, make sure its buried deep so the kite doesn’t lift up in the wind. If you’re at a spot without sand, a cement block or sandbag will work.

Step 5

Once your bridle is set, the majority of the pressure should be off. Now it’s time to fold a section of each of the wingtips over and put sand on them. If the wingtips keep lifting up, you either need more sand and/or a larger section of the wingtip folded over.

Step 6

Relax and enjoy your shade! Some of your friends will probably want to poach your tent. You can make more room by using the same process to stack a few kites in a row.

Setup time

With a little practice and a good partner, it should only take 10 minutes to get your kite set up and anchored properly.