Le$$ons??

[troubleshooter]

Glenn,

Im sorry dude but you need to face the facts before you post this non-sense.

Are you just ticked because lessons are more than your budget allows or are you actually finding based on research that prices in a certain region are unfair.

SE US is a big place. Are you willing to travel 10 hours in any direction to learn or do you want a specific area?

Lets take some S Florida examples (and tehre are many more). Have you visited the sites of The Kite House (Key West), Seven (Middle Keys), Otherside (Middle Keys) , Above and Below (Lower Keys), Miami Kiteboarding (Miami), The Kite Shop (Miami), Jupiter Kitebarding (Jupiter) and many others that are Googled very easily. There lesson prices are posted. Call each of them and discuss packages and compare.

Your question should be what do you get for the price. You usually pay more if a boat or ski is involved. BUT, dont pay more just becuase they take you for a boat ride to a spot. Pay more if that boat stays running and will pick you up and drag you back up wind everytime or get your board for you.

Kitesurfing lessons are expensive but do some research and ask questions after. You will benefit so much more.

But one thing for sure. You need lessons. If not for you, for me.

[noel]

I agree with most of what TS says except for the part about paying for a boat that stays running and gets you back upwind. Especially if you want to try to get the minimum amount of lessons before going on your own. You need to learn on the first lesson how to bodydrag back to your board and how to walk backwards, upwind with your kite and board if in shallow water and how to self-rescue in deep and shallow water. If the school does not teach safety, how to set up the kite on the beach before launching and self rescue when you are done, all in the first lesson, then find another school. Boat support is nice but new kiters don't use common sence all the time in the beginning. Teaching them how far they should go downwind before getting in trouble is always a problem. If a sandbar is 200 ft. long and then it's over your head, common sence says to stop within 200 ft. and walk back upwind. Boats don't pick you up everytime you get too far downwind. Most newbies are haveing so much fun the first time up and riding that they don't think about the fact that the water just got deeper until their in over their heads.

[bigpimp'n]

Glenn, check your mail box, I sent u a PM.

[Glenn]

Thanks everyone for all the responses and good advice. I'm new here & didn't remember to "subscribe" to this thread, so it was good that "bigpimpin" PM'ed me about it.


I live near Boone, NC in the mountains. So, the nearest beaches are 5-6 hours from here. Thanks for ther names of other shops which give lessons, I'll check their websites for rates. Last spring I visited Ft Walton Beach, and the rates posted by the shop there wanted 300 per day for three days and $900 was out of my budget. It turned out to be too cold then anyway.

I liked Steve-O's advice about gaining as much skills before getting lessons, as I can. That is what I was thinking, and I'm glad to hear somebody else say to learn good basic kite skills and board skills seperately before spending time & money on lessons.

Some of you seemed to read my question as "Lessons are a big rip-off and I don't want to take em'."
But, that wasn't what I was saying or trying to ask.

I was trying to get advice about the best way to enter kiteboarding, and where I could find lessons for a "reasonable" price.

With zero "kite time" I realized that any lessons would begin with a lot of classroom/ground school type intro, and then hours of learning to launch, fly, & land the kite.

It seems like that would "consume" at least the first day or two, right?

So, I am planning to learn what basic equipment I need is and buy the smallest "real" kite to use as a trainer kite. It looks like a 4 meter is the smallest sized real kite. The "trainer" kites don't have the same lines or control bars, so seem to still leave you clueless about that important part of the gear. Sort of like trying to learn to drive a car using a go-cart!

Also, I know this is a bit of a tangent, but since I spend a lot of time on Lake Norman (big lake near Charlotte) in the summers I am thinking about trying to pull a catamaran with a bigger kite. That would be a way to get on the water with a kite, but not having to deal with the board. Also, since I'm an "old guy" (just 45) with a family, they can ride too. We can all take turns at the rudder and flying the kite. I figure the rope which normally clips onto your harness would be clipped onto the front of the boat. Also, I'd carry a trolling motor to get to the wind or to get back home.

That seems like a good plan for learning about the wind conditions, flying a kite, tacking to go upwind, etc. Plus I can carry a cooler & phone (just in case!!).


Can you guys steer me towards any good info about the bars & harnesses? The bars seem to come in a variety of sizes or spreads. Maybe a link, book, or video that is good which describes the equipment and basics of launching, landing, and general kite control?

I am not asking all of this so I can avoid taking lessons. I just want to be as prepared as I can when I do get to take my first lesson. I'd much rather be the student which the instructor is "wowed" by instead of the one who they feel sorry for...or rather I'd come on their day off!!


Thanks again for all the advice & tips so far.


Glenn

[thekitesurfcentre]

If you want to do some prcatice before you have kitesurfing lessons the best thing to do is buy a small foil kite around 2m and become eally confident flying it so that you can do it with your eyes closed.
For board control practice the best thing you can do is some wakeboarding

kitesurfing lessons