We all get those days where it isn’t quite as windy as you were hoping. 3 years ago, that meant sitting on the beach and crossing your fingers. Now you can get out there in the lightest of conditions thanks to some real breakthroughs in the gear available.
In order to help you make the most of your light wind sessions, I asked some of our expert coaches for their top tips on riding in marginal conditions. Hopefully you find them useful, please feel free to leave your advice and tips in the comments!
Light Wind Top Tips:
Matt Nuzzo (REAL Co-Founder): Hang in the harness & be light on your feet. One of the most important things you need is board speed. If you stand heavy on your feet and edge hard it’s going to be difficult to get going. While you cycle (or sine) your kite, really focus on staying light on your feet to generate apparent wind and board speed.
Chris Stellato (REAL Lesson Center Manager): Time and time again people say “I don’t want to ride a 17m”. Don’t be afraid of the big kites, I can’t recommend enough that you choose the kite size for the conditions and not the kite size you wish you could ride.
Jessie Kilgour (Top Level REAL Coach): Let off your edge and get more on top of your board as you first dive your kite. Don’t try and edge too hard as you get up – you need to get going first.
Chris Lazinski (Top Level REAL Coach): Having a big board is even more important than a big kite. Learn how to flatten out your board at key moments and use the upstroke of your kite effectively to generate lift. Both of those things will help you extend your rides in the light winds.
Trip Forman (REAL Co-Founder): Make your own wind. Dive the kite vertically and make sure to let your kite “breathe”. It’s important not to oversheet the kite – if you do that you slow the kite down and become less efficient. Let it fly! I don’t believe in light wind settings because you are choking up the kite. You don’t have the ability to make more wind so remember to let the kite breathe.