Learning to kite landboard starts with becoming skilful with a kite. This could be an entry-level fixed bridle power kite with a wrist leash safety or a de-powerable kite used with harness and leash. The moment you’ve gained some basic control of even a small power kite, you can apply those skills to riding a landboard.
If you’re already a kitesurfer, you might want to downsize to a power kite or a smaller foil kite to grasp the basics controls of the kite on the hard ground.
A few pointers never hurt, so it’s good to take a lesson and get some tips from a qualified instructor. It’ll help speed the learning process. From a qualified instructor and kite school, you can expect to get riding within a couple of hours following a lesson structure like this.
WHERE TO KITE LANDBOARD
To Kite Landboard safely, you need to find an area that is open and has a clean wind flowing. This big, open space should have no trees or people nearby that will act as obstacles. The ideal location of kite landboarding is a vast sandy beach with a hard sand or an open field.
When you start learning to landboard, you will learn to ride downwind before progressing to upwind riding. Therefore you need to make sure that the area is free of obstacles as you ride downwind, and there is no large buildings or trees upwind that could distort the wind flow.
Remember always to check your spot is safe to kite.
- Surface – Is the terrain suitable for landboarding? Hard sand is a great surface to landboard on.
- Hazards – Are you in a big open space away from downwind hazards?
- Other People – Are you on a quiet beach or field? Give other beach users space and keep them safe.
- Environment – How windy is it? How does the tide affect you? Are you using the correct equipment?
HOW TO FLY A TRAINER KITE
Before flying, become familiar with the kite controls. If you never flew a trainer kite, refresh your knowledge by reading this article and watch the below video tutorial by Kitesurf College introduces basic 2 line power kite flying and the wind window.
The kites direction is controlled by steering left and right on the bar like riding a bicycle. If you pull your left hand towards you and extend your right arm, the kite will fly left. Steering right will pull the right bridle and the kite will pivot right. Your wrist safety leash will disable the kite; to use it, just let go of the bar.
For your first attempts, practice in low wind speeds. Do not exceed the manufacturer recommended wind speeds for your kite.
- Start in an open space away from hazards. Attach your wrist safety leash before flying a kite.
- With your back to the wind, pick up the bar and step backwards. The kite will catch the wind and fly upwards. Keep your bar straight, no steering to left or right, and the kite will fly overhead.
- Steer left and right starting with small movements and progressively increase as you gain confidence with control. Keeping the kite high will produce less power. Steering the kite low will increase power.
- Aim for symmetry in kite movement. Imagine the upper half of a clock face in front of you and steer the kite in a figure of 8 (infinity) movement between 10 O’clock and 2 O’clock. This will produce power downwind.
- To move right, move the kite between 12 O’clock and 2 O’clock, down and up repeatedly as if drawing a wave.
- To move left, move the kite between 12 O’clock and 10 O’clock, down and up repeatedly as if drawing a wave.
- Larger movements down and up will produce more power; smaller movements generate less power.
- Practice keeping the kite still at 10, 11, 12, 1 and 2 O’Clock. When you can keep the kite still with 1 hand, you can then pick up a kite landboard.
- Remember, if you lose control, let go of the bar to activate your safety system.
BASICS OF KITE LANDBOARDING
Only introduce the landboard once you are confident with your power kite control. Practice your balance on the board with your kite at 12 O’clock and make sure that you can easily jump out of your footstraps if needed.
- To start rolling, point the board downwind slightly so that you are not resisting against the kite.
- Dive the kite up and down (12 to 2 or 12 to 10) to generate power for movement.
- Keep your knees bent, and weight spread between your toes and heels as you start to roll. Your weight will also be even between your front and back foot.
- As you gain speed, lean into your heels to control speed.
- If you lose too much speed, press into the toes of your front foot to go downwind again.
- To stop, lean into your heels and move the kite to 12 O’clock.
- If you lose control, let go of the bar to activate your safety system and jump off the board.
KITE LANDBOARDING GEAR
Landboard
Landboards (AKA Mountainboards) are derived from skateboards. They differ from skateboards by being a stronger construction board and by using bindings, larger trucks and all terrain wheels. Many Landboards are made of wood, though you can also get performance boards made of carbon.
There are 2 types of Trucks on landboards; “Skate” trucks, or Channel trucks. Skate trucks, as the name suggests are similar to skateboard trucks; they differ by being more robust with wider axles. Channel trucks are a suspension truck with springs and dampers to help stabilise the board at higher speeds. As they have more components, they are heavier than skate trucks.
Landboard Wheels are typically 8″ or 9″ in diameter with a heavy tread for lots of grip so that you keep traction on sand and grass. Wheels are made up of a rubber tyre, inner tube and a hub to mount the tyre and inner tube to.
The final part of your landboard, is the Bindings. These allow you to keep your feet on the board easier and keep the board attached to you for jumps. Entry bindings are typically are velcro foot strap but you can upgrade to ratchet bindings if you prefer.
Kite
For the land-based activities, we naturally need a smaller amount of power as there is no resistance from the water as in kiteboarding, so much smaller kite sizes should be used.
We recommend starting with a small power kite (2-3m even in the light winds), so you have time to learn the control of the landboard before you head for the longer runs.
Once you have good control with fixed bridle power kites, take a lesson with an instructor and learn how to fly a de-powerable foil kite to take your kite landboarding to the next level. Remember, de-powerable kites have more sophisticated control and generate more power, therefore can be more dangerous. There are more things that you need to learn, like 3-step safety systems and setup of the kite, and emergency pack down that you may need to use in case something happens. So please consider at least a few hours lesson with the instructor before you head out.
This great guide from Kitemare will help you choose the best trainer kite for Kite Landboarding.
Harness
If you are using a de-powerable kite you will have to choose a harness to connect your self with the kite, that means you can slowly increase your power and even play around with a jump or two!
There are two types of harnesses used in the kitesports industry, waist and seat.
Waist harness – most commonly used in water disciplines, waist harness (as the name suggest) wraps around your waist, therefore allowing more freedom and higher harness hook point. This type of harness can be used in land-based activities, but you might find that it slides up your body and rotates too easily, as the harness is specifically created to stick to the neoprene material when wet.
Seat harness – similar to a climbing harness or a ‘trapeze’ (translated from other languages) is essentially a waist harness with a leg strap. They come in many different forms from a hybrid between the two harness types to solid seat harness or for lighter versions just a leg staps with a hook.
For landkiting, we suggest starting with a seat harness; you will find it easier to control your kite and your balance on the board. If you are also planning to explore the water based activities then hybrid harnesses are a very good choice.
If you are still unsure what is a better option for you, read this in-depth article from Red Shark Fuerteventura Kite school.
Protection
To Kite Landboard, you need to have good balance and protective gear in case you fall on hard ground. This is a common part of learning to landkite so gear up!
To protect yourself fully we recommend a helmet, knee and elbow pads and a good pair of sturdy boots or trainers that can protect your ankles. Additionally, some tough clothes that can take a beating and getting dirty will help a lot.
If you are not so keen on falling, have an injury, or would like to experience the thrill of the speed, then we would recommend considering kite buggying.
Get out there, stay safe for yourself and others, and have fun!
Awesome Article THANK YOU ????????????
Hey, I just came across your site, searching online for land boarding spots here in BC , vancouver Island and Vancouver. Your instructional videos are amazing!!! I windsurf, kiteboard and now wing foiling. My ATB activity are just practicing how to handle kite and wing. Ive never seen such good instructional videos before. So so good and paying attention to details. Awesome
Hi, I took two kiteboarding lessons which focused on flying 19m/17m depowered kites.
I have a mountainboard and I want to give kite land boarding a try.
I am weigh between 74-76kg. I’m tall, about 188cm.
The wind is usually weaker in my area.
I don’t want to spend a lot of money on an expensive kite, yet. (Eventually).
What kind of kite (I’m thinking trainer) should I look into?
Should I get a 3m or 4m or 5m?
Also, should I get handles or bar?
Since I learned on the bar/harness, bar? I’ll probably be flying alone and maybe in smaller areas. (I read handles is better for that)
Thanks in advance
Hi Mason,
Learning to landboard is an amazing addition to learning kiteboarding, and if you already have a mountainboard, then you certainly should give it a go.
First, when it comes to choosing a bar or handles, I prefer bar and harness when landboarding, it’s just easier to concentrate on the board and it helps you with the balance. Handles are only really comfortable for kite Buggying (this is my personal opinion).
In regards to the kite, if you can get a hold of a foil kite, then something like a 5/7m should be fine in a lighter wind location, but it might be a bit much if the wind is stronger. When landboarding there is essentially no resistance to start moving on the board (not like in kiteboarding, we need to get ourselves out of the water). So as far as the kite flies in the air there will be enough power for you to move downwind. Now if you want to look at Inflatable kites (as to also use them in the water), then you might need a bigger kite. Overall for landboarding would suggest looking at a harness, and a foil kite with a bar. It will make it easier for you to launch and land (on your own) and get less damaged on the beach if they fall. If you never dealt with foil kites, I do suggest maybe getting a lesson for that or find other land borders in the area. Maybe leave a message on a local kiteboarding FB group, most kiters start with landboarding, maybe you will even find someone that has a foil kite that they don’t use, just never got to sell it and might be able to show you how to launch, land and control them (as its different then LEI kites).
Hope that helps.
Samina
Hi great article! Looking to get back into my kiting. What kite would you recommend for someone who already has experience flying a fixed bridle 4-line ozone flow 4m (i think) with a bar but wants something easier to fly for getting back into landboarding and potentially buggying in future? Also, can i use a harness with my ozone flow or is that bad idea? It has the donkey loop attachment added by previous owner.
Hey Neil!
If you’re already experienced flying, I’d say you could go for something like the Peter Lynn Hornet or Twister.
The Hornet is a little more user friendly as it is more mid aspect ratio so a bit slower moving through the wind window making it more predictable. The Twister is a higher aspect ratio than the Hornet so it will accelerate to the edge of the wind window quicker than the Hornet. This would be especially useful with a buggy when travelling at higher speed.
Does the loop have a quick-release above it? If it doesn’t, don’t use it as you can’t quickly get out of trouble.
If it has the quick-release, go for it. Moving the load of the kite into your harness instead of your arms will stop you from getting tired early so you can kite for longer.
I’ve been looking into this for a while now, but am having trouble finding how to get the harness that allows you to get 15+ feet in the air. Can you please provide links to websites where i can buy the kite that has the line running through the middle of the handle that allows you to lift into the air.
Hi Zackery, What landkiters use to jump is a control bar and a harness. It could be the same as in watersports, so you probably be looking at foil kite with a de-powerable bar and a harness if you want to start jumping. If you never used this kind of kite before I would suggest getting at least one lesson with a qualified instructor just so you get a full understanding of safety and the control as it is different than handlebars or a bar without depowering options ofter used in land kiting. Hope that helps, for more info you can check out this video https://youtu.be/NtFmCRn_XAY