Posted on October 19 2016
The increasing popularity of water sports has led to the rise of new sporting experiences that combine multiple athletic disciplines. Kiteboarding – an exhilarating water sport – is one such example. It traces its roots back to kite flying, wakeboarding, surfing, and parachute jumping!
Kiteboarding or kitesurfing is one of the fastest growing hobbies in the world. But with great popularity comes not-so-great myths. Here are 5 of the most common myths around kiteboarding:
1. You need to be fit and very strong to kiteboard
It doesn’t matter whether you are young, old, fat, skinny, tall, or short – ANYBODY can kiteboard! All you need to use is a kite recommended for your height and weight. For someone who has never tried kiteboarding, a giant kite may seem intimidating. In reality, the harness takes care of all your worries by easing the pressure off your arms. You simply need to use your hands to steer and the kite does the heavy-lifting! Kiteboarding is a sport for all and is easy to learn.
2. Kiteboarding needs a lot of training
Well, which sport doesn’t? You can ride with the wind in 10 days with some lessons and practice. Every year, there are upgrades made to the gear that makes kiteboarding safer and easier to learn. So, make sure you buy the latest gear. You can also improve your progress by spending some time flying a trainer kite and practicing wakeboarding or snowboarding.
3. Kiteboarding is very expensive
A complete kiteboard kit (featuring a kite, bar, lines and the board) will cost you $1800-$2000. If you were to pick up a different water sport, say, wakeboarding for example, you would need a boat (owned or hired), which costs considerably more.
4. You need to live near the ocean to kiteboard
You can kiteboard in any large water body and in snow (with a snowboard or skis). Sure, an open shoreline with steady wind is ideal but any great lakes or inland reservoirs can be your kiteboarding spot too. Open fields or frozen lakes are also popular for kiteboarding (known as, snowkiting) in wintertime.
5. Wakeboard pros don’t need kiteboarding lessons
Kiteboarding is 80% kite flying and 20% board skills. So even if you have mad wakeboarding skills, it doesn’t mean you can pull off the same act while kiteboarding. You need to learn how to set up and fly your kite. Any mistake on your part puts not only yourself but everyone else present at risk too. At least one lesson is mandatory without any exceptions.
So go ahead and book a kiteboarding lesson to discover an entirely new, exciting, and fun sport. And don’t forget to check out our innovative kiteboarding wearables which are water-resistant, breathable and dry very fast.