Now you’re done with your basic kitesurfing lessons and you can get up and ride in both directions it’s the time to learn how to effectively change the direction of travel. When starting out, you will end each run by slowing down, bringing the kite to 12, dropping back into the water and performing water start in the other direction.
We’ve had a bit of mixed bag with winds over the last few months but winter has kicked off to a great start. Kiting in the cold has lots of benefits – aside from looking like a badass! Our local kitesurfing community is out all winter too, it’s all down to having a decent wetsuit (like the Mystic Majestic here), gloves (see video below!), boots and you’re ready to go!
Legends tell of people all across the land displaying their prowess on the water. Some jumping high in the air, others performing acrobatic tricks and those who race across and above the water’s surface. We sometimes hear tales of those who are the highest, the most technical and the fastest, but which area could hold the accolade as having the ultimate team… we’ve never known, but that’s about to change. Read more “Kitesurfing Weekender, Scotland”
We love teaching kitesurfing in Scotland but it’s good to pack just shorts and t-shirts and head over somewhere sunny! We’ve just came back from our first this season trip to Tarifa, Spain, with the next one coming up in February (check it out here!). It’s an amazing place – warm waters, constant winds and incredible food to refuel after whole day on the water.
It’s also a true kitesurfing mekka, especially during summer with hundreds of kiters taking to the water. After years of kitesurfing in Scotland we very much prefer less air traffic. Think of it as Three Airport vs Heathrow. There are days at our local spots – Longniddy near Edinburgh or Troon near Glasgow, when 12 kitesurfers on the water equals “busy day”. Hence why we avoid summer crowds and travel down south outside the season. It’s still very mild and way less congested. Here’s how our stay looked like in November!
Kitesurfing is generally a fairly safe sport where risk mostly depends on the kitesurfer himself. After our lessons you’ll know how to control the kite safely and you’ll know how to perform effective board recovery so you can continue progressing on your own. However, a very small number of kitesurfers feels like adding a potentially lethal piece of equipment to the game – a board leash. Wearing one is a dangerous and stupid idea.
Relaunching your kite in light winds is one of the neat tricks every kitesurfer should have in their quiver. Especially if you kitesurf in Scotland where wind can drop to next to nothing even on a perfect day.
We never stop improving, learning new stuff and doing our best to get you in the world kiteboarding in the safest and most effective way. We not only use the world’s best selling and highest quality kites from Cabrinha, the famous Switchblades changing them every season for brand new kit. We’re also working hard on our own progress so our faceplants are quite a spectacular to see! To improve our coaching even further we have partnered up with BbTalkin’ – world’s leader in on-water coaching communication.
Kiteboarding is very much community-focused sport. Unlike surfers we like to stick together, ride together and keep an eye out on each other. It’s like mafia, once you’re in, there’s no way out! It keeps us safe and watching others ride ups your motivation levels to keep on progressing.
Every kitesurfer has his own reasons to take up the sport. For some of us it’s a stress-buster, a form of meditation, a way to chill and run away from the busy lives. For the others it’s all about heaps of adrenaline and going as hard as they can. But we all always knew what scientists has confirmed recently: the beach has awesome effects on our health.
Kitesurfing is the best vehicle to experience the world like you’ve never done before. It gives you freedom from everyday life. Allows you to unwind and workout at the same time. It’s a life changing experience within reach of anyone willing to give it a go. There are also a lot of myths about kiteboarding. So here’s a list of things we’re getting asked about during our kitesurfing lessons in Scotland.