Kitesurf trick
Riding Blind
- Fundamental
Riding with your back to the kite and the tail of the board leading, one hand on the bar. You get there from heelside by spinning the board round, and it is the landing position for many blind tricks.
How to
Ride heelside, kite high
Ride heelside at moderate speed, hooked in, with the kite steady and fairly high at 11 or 1 o'clock.
Bring your front hand back
Move your front hand to the center of the bar and let go with your back hand.
Twist hips and spin feet
Unweight the board with a small hop, twist your hips and spin your feet so the board turns 180 and your back faces the kite.
Weight on your back foot
Keep the bar overhead behind you, put your weight on your back foot and reach your free hand back toward the water for balance.
Slide back
To get out, twist your hips back the other way and slide the board round to heelside, then take the bar with both hands.
Common mistakes
Pulling the bar in
Keep the bar sheeted out so the kite does not choke and then yank you off balance.
Weight on the front foot
Shift your weight onto your back foot so the board does not catch and stall.
Staring at the kite
Look toward your direction of travel and feel the kite through the bar instead.
Track your progress on the Riding Blind
Log every session on the Riding Blind in TrickTrack, rate how it went, add photos and videos, and watch it climb:
- 1/5Learning & practicing
- 2/5Progressing
- 3/5Landed at least once
- 4/5Consistent landings
- 5/5Landed every time
- Mastered
Then mark it mastered when it's yours.