What To Do With Inverted Lines Kiteboarding: Advanced Technique

99% of kiteboarders should go with option 1, fly the kite like normal and ride back to the beach and land.
The second option is for advanced riders who also know how to choose when to attempt this.
One situation that may happen while kiteboarding is inverted lines. This video talks about the two options we recommend. We'll go through what to do and how to juggle a bar.
For more information check out our blog post here: kiteboardingstpetersburg.com/w...

[@BenjaminLovelady]

I did this a bunch of times at a steady light wind spot and got overconfident. Tried it in Hood River swell about a year ago when it was gusting over 30. Reclipped my leash before the bar was totally straightened out (still not sure how that happened) and a big gust hit when a steering line was wrapped around the bar. Bar was ripped out of my hands but didn't flag out since I was rigged semi-suicide 'cause I was unhooking earlier. Ended up death-looping at least a quarter mile. Strained my shoulder trying to climb the leash, and the sheer terror I felt every time the leash was ripped from my hands wasn't matched until I stalled out a megaloop into shallow water. "Why didn't you release your secondary?" It didn't even occur to me until I started to drag past the sandbar and by then a lull hit and i was able to climb my leash to fix the bar. Since then I land the kite or find someone to hold my kite before doing bar magic. It's a risk I've decided isn't usually worth taking, but I also don't invert my lines as much as I used to so it's easy for me to stand on my safety horse and say "don't do it!" but I'll definitely recommend against it. I don't doubt you could've handled the situation better (grabbing by the center lines like that and holding tension there until the bar is totally sorted definitely makes it safer) but for now I'll pass on this specific technique.

[@KiteboardingStPetersburg]

Yes. Part of being experienced is knowing your conditions. When to attempt this and when not to attempt this. Risk vs reward. But with the proper technique you can minimize your chance of injury

[@kokiter2674]

Looked like you were confused and struggling at 2:33 in 15kts. Do this in deep water when it’s blowing over 20kts. Pretty sure you’ll add to the problem, not fix it. Save some fingers and Just go back to land.

[@KiteboardingStPetersburg]

Done this hundreds of times for students and other kiteboarders. Did this in deep water, 20 kts and offshore winds. Was not confused, as mentioned you want to visualize and make sure you see how the inversion went before attempting. Never had a bad experience. Happy kiting.

[@kokiter2674]

Hmmm... kiting in offshore winds? I gotta see the video.

[@KiteboardingStPetersburg]

@@kokiter2674 Bonaire, Atlantis Beach, Offshore winds

[@chrisduc1]

A Real Pro does not do these things in strong wind and also not in offshore winds ! And I had never in my life (kiting since 2008) twisted lines….😎💥 Always !!!! everybody has to do the safest way, especially a kite surf instructure like you 🤙🏾🤙🏾any problems / back to the beach 🏖️

[@Yepnope1010]

Great job! Thanks very much!!

[@ericmnr]

The big risk is loose your kite or cut your hand. Always do the best to go back to the shore.

[@KiteboardingStPetersburg]

If youre a beginner or intermediate rider. Experienced riders or instructors should know how to juggle a bar

[@criminaldave3703]

Never could wrap my head around this...

[@jamesrodgers6472]

Good video/information. YMMV Be careful.

[@AndreySemjonov]

I do this all the time 😄😄 I found myself that I can do it. It is ok to do when you kite lagoon like in video (where you can stand)

[@KiteboardingStPetersburg]

Right! not difficult to do if you get the kite to the edge of the wind window :)

[@AndreySemjonov]

@@KiteboardingStPetersburg on light wind I do it even when kite laying on front edge ))) no such big pull. When try new tricks with 5strut C kite you can get inverted lines quite easily so it is pain to ride on beach each time ))) Also if you do unhook it is more natural to do such trick :)

[@randalbladel2817]

I’m not sure of what you mean by inverted. Is the kite itself inverted, AKA inside out? And it will fly like that, with the leading edge and struts now on the backside/leeward side of the kite?

[@randalbladel2817]

IF that is the case, I don’t see how juggling your lines solves the problem. The kite would still be inside out, right?

[@KiteboardingStPetersburg]

@@randalbladel2817 this is referring to when the kite rolls on itself and the lines are inside out.. or the outside lines roll on the inside lines

[@strykerf27q1983]

I tried juggling my bar before successfully in light wind but when I tried it in 20 knots I almost lost a finger and tangled up my release so I couldn’t flag my kite out and the wind was pulling me off shore in the pamlico sound very scary I managed to untangle it and pull the release while it was fully loaded upside down on the water pulling hard not fun

[@KiteboardingStPetersburg]

Were the conditions very gusty? was the kite positioned at the edge of the wind window? were you in deep water?

[@strykerf27q1983]

Hey yeah very gusty the water was about 4 feet and I the kite wasn’t at the edge of the window it was directly down wind. I just learned how to launch from land so that should help with twisted lines that I would get sometimes when drift launching. Thanks for all the great videos . I just learned how to kite yesterday I went 10 feet up totally awesome. If you’re ever in New York come check out Plum Beach in Brooklyn thanks again for all your help

[@M9Diry]

Dumb question… don’t you just spin the bar round to in twist ?

[@KiteboardingStPetersburg]

this is if the kite inverted on itself. this may happen if you crash and ride downwind really fast and the kite flips inside out

[@victormathieux]

I’m a kite n00b but this seems like a gnarly way to slice a finger into pieces if something goes wrong.

[@jenbell-taylor4781]

Very dangerous if it goes wrong. A mistake can result in injury or a looping kite without your safety attached. That kite will end up downwind causing problems to whoever and whatever else is downwind of you. Sure, it's easy in knee deep flat water and steady lightwinds. It won't be easy (or not even possible) in very choppy water or gusty conditions where the kite isn't staying perfectly still at the edge of the window. Just ride out back to the beach. If you really want to do this method, you can do it at the waters edge as it will be faster than landing and reconnecting lines. Get someone to hold the leading edge so that what you're doing is much safer then you can do this easily.

[@KiteboardingStPetersburg]

Please read the blog post as I mention this. Also know your skill level.. If you dont feel comfortable doing the second method then dont try it. As an instructor this is a technique you should know how to do. If you pay attention theres key points that will prevent things from going wrong like holding the center lines.

[@jenbell-taylor4781]

@@KiteboardingStPetersburg In the video don't feel you put enough emphasis on the safety points to this. That's my main point. Someone who is too inexperienced to be trying this could try in the wrong conditions, panic and cause an accident. It's not worth assuming people are going to read more detail in your blog

[@ebyvids]

What about just letting the kite lines go completely if its tangled and pulling you on beach and running to grab leading edge?

[@WibovanNoort]

You can also keep the safety attached and unwrap it once you have the chickenloop connected again. Only do this in light wind.

[@DenisShakhovsky]

yeah... it's not enough to be an advanced rider. you have to be advanced also in Visualizing how to untangle. because it's a pretty common scenario when instead of getting it untangled you might tangle it more and more and make it even worse... you just get f yourself in that situation. think about it before doing that... what would you do if you end up getting it tangled even worse... connect the chicken loop back? questionable. because with the totally screwed/tangled lines/bar there is no guarantee you can manage the situation properly. while untangling you can also pull the steering line accidentally (easy) when your bar is in the middle of somewhere. from that video it's a very important note you should know that you can still steer the kite with the initially inverted lines. it's not quite obvious thing if you are a beginner. let say as a beginner i'm not sure if it's safe to re-launch the kite from the water if it was inverted or try to untangle or drift to the beach or release a safety line. if the bar is not tangled then just re-launch and ride back to the beach and untangle when it's landed or being held by somebody.

[@sjoerdmekenkamp]

safety first? Land your kite and fix it.

[@KiteboardingStPetersburg]

For most people yes. But if you're experienced or are an instructor this should be a skill one should be able to safely do. Part of that is choosing the right conditions/ situations to do this. Done it a thousand times and havent had one issue or anything close to an issue.

[@MHLmerrel]

Yes, this looks so easy if you're far from the beach in open water with no solid ground under your feet. Seriously mate...

[@KiteboardingStPetersburg]

Instructors should know how to juggle a bar and the conditions/ scenarios to do it. Did this in deep water, offshore winds and 20 kts.. Key points are to get the kite to the edge of the wind window and hold center lines. Did this hundreds of times and never had an issue.. I guess this technique is too advanced for KZbin

[@bartden9668]

Well, that looked 'simple'... (not!)