Kite Front Stalls (how to fix and how to avoid)

Many people have experienced that unsettling moment when they see their kite flying down towards them. This guide explains what a front stall is exactly and what you can do once a kite has front stalled. With front stalls, however, prevention is better than cure. Therefore this video also explains the situations that can cause frontstalls, so that you are able to deal with them, including:
-light wind frontstalls
-switching wind or gusty wind frontstalls
-closing in on a kite at speed
-kite overflying the edge of the window
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• Kitesurf lessons in or...

[@kitesurfcollege]

Access our playlist to watch all tutorials in order: kzbin.info/aero/PL41dAinz_9ZeaG5FJ_XU8vyBAE_HL_Cgl

[@danielvahidi9382]

Can’t think of ANYONE on KZbin who explains kiteboarding topics BETTER than Kite-Surf College! Extremely methodical and easy to follow and understand. Great job Kite-Surf College and two HUGE thumbs up!!

[@sauce729]

This is 100%. I found all these things out the hard way learning how to snow kite in the alpine. Wind tends all over the place, because of the complex terrain. I've front stalled my snow kites so many time. They tend to overfly in gusts because they're so light. The key is to keep the kite moving just like you explained!

[@DadGoesKitesurfing]

Ha ! I wish I had watched this video prior facing this front stall ! Thanks to have used my video, so proud that it may contribute to help others to learn from it ! Top quality explanations as usual, many thanks !

[@kitesurfcollege]

Thanks for sharing your learning experiences on your channel. Lots of good stuff for people to think about and learn from. I wish I'd recorded all my misadventures when I got started in kiting.

[@gethighwithmike]

Excellent video as usual!

[@joe_tacular]

excellent tutorial as always. I have taken lessons but these videos are so helpful & clear in understanding. Really awesome job breaking things down & talking about stuff that not everyone does Like in this Font Stall video.

[@ABESuperKiteDay]

The Hindenburg. I use this expression too. Great video dude. Legend

[@kitesurfcollege]

Thanks very much :-)

[@blubb9004]

I have watched many good channels till this day about kiting and yours is simply the best by some margin even. Thanks for the really really helpful videos!!! Greetings from Germany to the UK

[@0h0h0h0]

Such a good video! I just had two lessons today and while it was good to have the intuitive experience it's really good to see the logic behind it (for example I had no idea it was the center lines specifically carrying the tension haha). Thanks!!

[@tlv7257]

Wow! Great video! I am newbie, and purchased a 4 M trainer to begin my journey. First use was last Sunday. Very light (3-5 mph) wind, but heck, I was stoked to begin to learn to fly! When I could get the kite to try to fly (direct downwind launch!) it either immediately looped into the ground like a dying swan. Front lines had tension, rear lines slack. I relaunched into a puff of air and the kite quickly climbed to 12:00 o'clock. Oh boy, it was up! Again front lines were tensioned (sort of), back lines, not so much. The kite quickly climbed past vertical and stalled (think the wind died) and did a major dying swan (all lines slack). I gave up frustrated and have been wondering what happened. Think I experienced a bit of a front stall along with a dying wind condition. My control lines are all equal in length (checked again when i got home) and the Ozone trainer is new so I guess I became a victim of myself by forcing the kite to try to fly without enough force in the wind. Many thanks for your videos....I'm still stoked!....T

[@kitesurfcollege]

Many thanks to Dad Goes Kitesurfing for sharing the Hindenburg clip. kzbin.info and to Gaspard Dabbadie for sharing his hydrofoiling clip: kzbin.info

[@KookProofActivityCenter]

Really nice video. Super well explained.

[@gBayCanada]

Another great video. Had not heard of the expression "Hindenberg," it's very fitting and I have experienced my fair share.

[@kitesurfcollege]

Thanks Mike

[@phuesler]

Another excellent video on the subtleties of kite surfing. Thank you. As you mentioned, not parking your kite at 12 in gusty or low wind conditions goes a long way to decrease the likelihood of front stalls, especially during entry and exit where you move at low speeds.

[@OneLaunchKiteboarding]

wow ! super useful content. Simply and well explained. Congrats !

[@kitesurfcollege]

Thanks a lot 😊

[@vladimirmarants999]

Amazing channel, thanks a lot)

[@bearlemley]

Thank you for another informative video

[@kitesurfcollege]

You're welcome

[@alphaseries5173]

-loved it subbed-

[@hanswelsch676]

Amazing videos👍👍😎

[@tristansmith5203]

Can you do a video on one handed kite control in the air? I can strapless jump well but I want to learn how to do board offs better and some tips on how to jump big with one hand would be much appreciated!

[@aaronmiller2466]

Great video. I have sent it to a mate whom I am instructing. I can generally get out of any problem except one. A BOWTIE I know it's hard to replicate. But my 2015 nitro is bad for it. I have since trimmed the steering lines with a figure 8 knot 2inches higher to maintain it flying upwind instead of front stalling Infront of me if I land a jump wrong. My question is. How to recover from it? When one of your turning lines is behind you centre lines. Is there a way to recover from that? How that for a curly one. 👍😜

[@karlc.5626]

Thanks for the clear explanations on a topic that is not discussed often. I have a vantage 17m which is very easy to front stall (light wind), I was hoping to find ways to improve this. Based on your video, it seems like there are no setting adjustments that can be done?

[@kitesurfcollege]

I don't know any simple tweaks to make a kite front stall resistant. I think it's a problem with weight distribution - most likely it's a bit heavy near the leading edge, which means the leading edge drops more easily. I had that problem with SS Octane kites and didn't find a solution other than to never stop moving!!

[@karlc.5626]

@@kitesurfcollege Thanks for sharing. Same solution here ^^.

[@jamesnaylor3277]

@@kitesurfcollege The video is about stalling (loosing laminar flow) and overflying. "Front stalling" just doesn't seem to be the right term. IMO You are correct about kites that are out of balance (nose heavy) like most of the kites from 10 years or more ago that would Hindenburg when overflown or when the lines loose tension. It's not really a stall because the kite is still flying as it comes toward you. Most of the newer kites are designed to drift down wind when over flown or during loss of line tension. Your other examples are just a stall that most call a back stall. Back stalling happens when the kite is over sheeted and looses laminar flow and basically acts like a parachute and heads for the most direct point down wind, in the water.

[@joshharrison2657]

Kitesurf College (Kite Surf Wing & Foil Tutorials) Wouldn’t attaching your back lines to the shorter line knots (more “power”) tend to tilt the kite back, decreasing the chance of wind hitting the top for a front stall? Just as the opposite (attaching back lines to longer “depower” knots) tends to tilt the kite forward and decrease the chances for a back stall?

[@CarlCreange]

It is a (kite) public utility video. Thanks. In my experience, front stalling indeed is more likely in these situations - jumps with too little kite movement / steering (it is explained here) - launch / landing areas: because the wind is less clean and also because of obstacles at ground level such as other kiters, rocks, or specific path to/from water that is not ideal relative to wind, the kiter may be forced to walk or even trip over towards the kite. That is why, even if it requires a bit more effort, I prefer to walk in the launch / land area in an upwind direction and get the kite at 1 or 11 (12 to be avoided as noted) on the side that allows me to walk upwind and not choose the "lazy" downwind walk. I had one front stall this season on a beach and that was due to the fact I walked too fast downwind to avoid another kiter on the beach. I should have had my kite on the other side on the wind window when taking my fist steps on the beach at the end of my session.

[@nandy10]

Sugerencia...mi inglés por ahora no es muy completo y no lo entiendo todo. No está en español todos los videos? O otro que lo esté...?

[@lovetofly32]

This is my biggest issue while trying to learn with my 2019 slingshot. It makes it extremely hard to even think about putting the board on my feet

[@SupremeBootyGod]

does depowering increase the chance of front stall ?

[@fgkfriz]

Generically speaking yes, but if you are depowering is because there is strong wind and by depowering the kite is exposed to wind in a different way as it closes down on the leading edge

[@vinifons]

Noice! ❤️

[@pegas2929]

Do you think Rebels stall more than othe kite?

[@kitesurfcollege]

The rebel stalls more easily than an evo or neo for example. A higher projected aspect ratio, slimmer profile and flatter less-C-shape arc all create more power but also make a kite stall more easily. There's more about this in the kite shapes video: kzbin.info/www/bejne/g6W6aaZpjqanmLc However for a kite that was designed to produce a lot of force, the rebel is very stall resistant. The XR range or orbit for example all stall much more easily. It's difficult to make a powerful kite stall resistant, and duotone made huge steps in making that possible.

[@simpleman5494]

Is there any way to change the trim to make sure the kite will frontstall less often? E.g. change attachment points further back/further in front? How does changing that change the frontstall behaviour?

[@kitesurfcollege]

I think it's mainly the kite's aspect ratio and weight/weight distribution that have a big effect on how well a kite handles front stalls. Altering the bridle attachment point can make a small difference but I'd say you're generally best of with the default set up.

[@simpleman5494]

@@kitesurfcollege Thanks. That's one of the issues that we have with inland waters like lakes etc.. Especially if it blows offshore... then gusts are often so unpredictable, that even if there is more than enough wind for kitesurfing, the conditions might be "unkiteable". I had this problem a week ago in my lake area, that the wind was blowing strong but a little gusty and offshore. The result was that my kite got Wind from below, flew over me, and shortly after it got "downdraft" and the next gust blew from the top onto the canopy... In some other Video I heard that I could have tried to power it aggressively and therefore force it to backstall... But that would have meant that I was about to get pulled hard very soon... Maybe an aluula dyneema fronttube kite might help a little to solve the issue.. but that of course will hurt my wallet a lot...

[@kitesurfcollege]

Hi, it's quite rare for lakes to be kiteable. You really want your wind to have reached you approaching over a huge region of flat surface (i.e. water). You probably know this already but this video looks at what makes kiteable wind:

[@kitesurfcollege]

kzbin.info/www/bejne/hnjZg5Kcr8etetU

[@kitesurfcollege]

There are some lakes that work around the world, for example near here is Brandvlei where in a NW wind approaches the lake from very flat farmland. It's still fairly gusty, but with some experienced it's fine to ride on. Wind approaching from desert can also be okay. Wind approaching from bush, scrub, trees, buildings or hills is usually horrendous for kiting.

[@Druimmer]

Yey, first :D Nice video!

[@kitesurfcollege]

Thanks

[@fgkfriz]

Where is this beautiful place please? Can you do a tutorial on how to adjust lines on a kite? I have a 12 Best TS from 2013 and when I pull the bar in I kill the kite instead of lifting me up. Why?

[@kitesurfcollege]

Hello, sounds like your kite is stalling or nearly stalling. Backstalling video: kzbin.info/www/bejne/gHykqmyPrp6ml6s Tuning lines: kzbin.info/www/bejne/f3KYi2yqqMmFbas Also, there's a lot about slowing and stalling kites in the light wind video: kzbin.info/www/bejne/j6jYgpp7qLB-l5I

[@kitesurfcollege]

The location is Noordhoek beach in South Africa

[@fgkfriz]

Oh wow I was hoping to hear it was UK. Much closer to Italy... But is the lagoon always there? (cos I don't see it on Google maps)

[@fgkfriz]

Spot on for the back stalling video :) I will try with the depower next time thanks

[@jamesnaylor3277]

Adjust your lines so they are all the same length with the de-power mechanism set at full power and the bar pulled (sheeted) all the way in.

[@jimmyjames1411]

Where is this guy at with these videos?

[@surfshaker3041]

Looks fine, but You shows only in shallow water...

[@bubbahottep8644]

I just realized that that stupid, pacifier-looking thing is a camera holding device. Carry on.

[@bjpastoor]

I rather have my kite frontstalling in open sea than to have to endure one more youtube add while trying to watch your (great) tutorials 😤.

[@trippygod9737]

*Kite-Surf-College Tutorials and Tricks* my beats would sound great on your channel 💯 🔥🔥🔥 lets collab

[@kitesurfcollege]

If you have something that would work well as background music feel free to send me an email [e-mail] . I mainly look for clean sounding, smooth, happy background music, that is nice to listen to but isn't sharp or shrill and doesn't have a heavy beat - basically so it doesn't distract from the content. Ambient stuff but with a bit of energy. Feel free to get in touch. Thanks, Alex.

[@CarkeekW]

Ooor your back lines are too slack