Kite Surfing Gear Biography.

Deciding to take up kitesurfing can feel like a pretty big step. Unlike other sports (tennis say), you have to invest quite a few bucks (more than the cost of a racket!) to ensure that you can get out on the water whenever it's on, and to have kit that performs well and will ensure that your riding progresses.

On the plus side, modern kit is built to last and - as we'll look at later - if you make the right choices then your kit won't be outdated for a few years. Realistically you can expect to get around three years of good use out of a kite before it's time to hit up the plastic again. (Although if you've really got the bug then 'next year's kit' might be too tempting to resist!)

Before you get started though, it's important to remember that unlike other sports (such as surfing or windsurfing), you can't really 'ease yourself into' kitesurfing - you can't simply drop the sail, or ditch the board, and then just have another go - kites are incredibly powerful bits of kit and if you don't know what you're doing then you can easily find yourself wrapped around a groyne or stuck up a tree... Modern kites are very safe, but only once you know what you're doing, and you should never just buy a kite, go to beach, and 'give it a go'! The best advice - even if you're an experienced surfer or can land loops on your windsurfer at will - is to take a couple of lessons and get to grips with the controls and, most importantly, what to do if everything starts going wrong - at the very least make sure you're learning with a mate who knows their stuff.

kite surfing gear