Le$$ons??

[ricki]

There are lots of action sports in line with and more costly than kitesurfing. That isn't the point, far from it. Do you have a medical insurance deductible, if so, how much is it? How does that compare to the cost of kiting instruction? Add in possible lost time from work, fun (like kiting and other activities), cost of PT, medication ... etc..

Destroying or seriously damaging costly kite gear is also fairly easy to do if you aren't sufficient skilled to be using it.

Accidents happen, quality pro instruction reduces the odds of such accidents. Worry less about cost and more about finding the best instruction you can. It is worth it speaking from hard personal experience.

[jetpack]

Kite - $1200
Harness - $110
Board - $500

Proper Instruction - PRICELESS



Sure the instruction $$ stung a bit. While taking lessons it was immediate
seeing how the lack of instruction could lead to some very serious consequences.

I took SCUBA lessons in 97' - Roughly half the price. Probably the same
cost as KS instruction today for PADI certification.

In 2000 I was into Hang gliding. Foot and tow launch. Cost about $1200
to solo. Then I had to go buy my own gear. About $4000.

Wanna fly a plane? That will run you about $3,000 just to solo, $8,000 for
private pilot license. Rental cost and rental insurance will run about $120/hr.

I know of no other water activity in the same vein as Kitesurfing, that has
the cheapest per/hour costs anywhere! Not to spend the energy, time,
effort and money towards quality instruction says a lot about a persons
mindset when it comes to theirs & others safety.

The instructors that do this aren't retiring anytime soon, they aren't driving
around in porches and they certainly have full time jobs. The good ones do
this cause love it and they know how important it is.

Proper instruction is VERY important to peoples personal safety and for the
image of kitesurfing itself. Glenn I don't know you, but let's assume you
have a teenager wanting to try SCUBA, SAILING, HANG GLIDING, ROCK
CLIMBING or some other "extreme" sport.

Wouldn't you want them to get the best and safest instruction possible
regardless of the cost? We should want the same things for ourselves.
Considering the possible outcome without good instruction, it's too risky

No one would say that getting instruction is a garauntee for a complete safe
kiting career, but without it, someone stands a good chance of VERY serious
injury. These aren't kid kites. These are BIG ADULT kites that can hurt
if used improperly.

My brother-in-law now wants me to teach him just cause I can ride around
the water. I started in March. NO WAY. I gave him WSW number and told
him just cause I can ride a little doesn't mean I could teach.

Too much at stake not to pay up for quality lessons. Hell, if you do it for 10
years, the cost for lessons is about .12 cents a day.

Sorry for the long rant on this. It's the future daddy in me. Too much at
stake not to pay up for qaulity lessons. I figure

T

[Steve-O]

Hey Glenn,

One way to keep your lesson cost down is to bring some skills to the table before you start paying the big bucks on hourly lessons.

Do you have great kite skills and a solid understanding of how wind works with a kite? Solve that problem by spending a ton of time flying and mastering a trainer kite. These are inexpensive and can save you in the end by requiring you to take less instruction.

Can you ride a wakeboard? Go to a cable park and get some board skills. It is very inexpensive to get hours of experience using a cable system and getting your board skills up to speed. Not to mention the staff that work these parks are more than willing to give you advice for free.

Walk into a lesson with good kite skills and good board skills and you should be up and riding in less time than you think and spending less $$$

Walk in with no experience, and the time it will take will be much longer and ultimately more expensive for you.

Don't forget to train the brain, the most important asset in kiteboarding. Making smart decisions takes knowledge, so a good ground school going over the theory and fundamentals is a must.

A good question you have asked, but I pass it back to you.

What are you going to bring to the table???? Or is someone going to have to hold your hand every step of the way.

Good luck!

[noel]

I have to agree with everything said above. Especially what Steve-o is saying. I have been teaching for 10 years and my biggest pet peeve would be people telling me that they have been wanting to take lessons for over a year but someone told them that buying a trainer kite was a waste of money. Now your just gonna waste more money learning to fly a kite with power through the school. It's all about feel. A trainer kite teaches you on your own time about the wind window and how and when the kite produces power.

Most students with trainer kite skills and wakeboarding skills progress ten fold compared to someone without these skills.

oTHErside Boardsports
www.othersideboardsports.com
305.853.9728