Jumping your mates with a kite - 5 Reasons Not To!
First we have Christopher Bull in the video below, boosting a huge floater in Cape Town and almost landing (like, within 1 meter!) on his mate Richard Jute. Granted, Cape Town in somewhat of a crazy place right now with everyone doing their best Red Bull King of the Air impersonations, but we think you’d agree that this one is a little close for comfort.
Second, one of the Cabrinha riders snapped this pic of him going over the top of someone else, who obviously knows about it judging by the waving arms.
While fun, hilarious and usually ending in smiles all round, here’s 5 things to consider before loading and popping upwind of somebody you call a friend.
1: Do you have the skills to do it? You’d want to be 110% sure you can pull off a boost of adequate height. Every. Single. Time.
2: Do you have the conditions for it? Is the wind gusty? Could you get a gust and lose control, or worse still, get dumped right on top of your mate?
3: Does your mate know about it? Spontaneous mate boosts are fun, but what he he or she jumps at the same time? What if they turn? What if they don’t see that you screwed up and are about to land on their head?
4: Is there a camera rolling? Cameras make people do silly things, and also leave evidence of your shenanigans. Think twice about posting video of you doing such things on the internet.
5: Do you need to? Is this worth lives? Your life, their life, both of your lives and the mother and her child on the beach that your kites might entangle? Surely there’s something else fun you could be doing?
Chances are, asking yourself the above questions is going to lead you down a path to sensible riding. Be careful out there, remember that lines, fins and board rails are sharp!
Jumping over people is a recipe for disaster, but also great viewing from the safety of your couch. Just don’t try it at home.
MAROUBRA, NSW
