Folder: 5

Slug: kiteboarding

Title: Kiteboarding

Description: <p>Kiteboarding&nbsp;or&nbsp;kitesurfing[1]&nbsp;is&nbsp;a&nbsp;sport&nbsp;that&nbsp;involves&nbsp;using&nbsp;wind&nbsp;power&nbsp;with&nbsp;a&nbsp;large&nbsp;power&nbsp;kite&nbsp;to&nbsp;pull&nbsp;a&nbsp;rider&nbsp;across&nbsp;a&nbsp;water,&nbsp;land,&nbsp;snow,&nbsp;sand,&nbsp;or&nbsp;other&nbsp;surface.&nbsp;It&nbsp;combines&nbsp;the&nbsp;aspects&nbsp;of&nbsp;paragliding,&nbsp;surfing,&nbsp;windsurfing,&nbsp;skateboarding,&nbsp;snowboarding,&nbsp;and&nbsp;wakeboarding.&nbsp;Kiteboarding&nbsp;is&nbsp;among&nbsp;the&nbsp;less&nbsp;expensive&nbsp;and&nbsp;more&nbsp;convenient&nbsp;sailing&nbsp;sports.</p><p></p><p>A&nbsp;person&nbsp;kiteboarding&nbsp;in&nbsp;Kanagawa,&nbsp;Japan&nbsp;in&nbsp;2022</p><p>Thumb</p><p>A&nbsp;person&nbsp;kiteboarding&nbsp;in&nbsp;Varberg,&nbsp;Sweden&nbsp;in&nbsp;2022</p><p></p><p>Thumb</p><p>A&nbsp;kiteboarder&nbsp;being&nbsp;pulled&nbsp;across&nbsp;the&nbsp;water&nbsp;by&nbsp;a&nbsp;power&nbsp;kite</p><p>After&nbsp;some&nbsp;concepts&nbsp;and&nbsp;designs&nbsp;that&nbsp;emerged&nbsp;in&nbsp;the&nbsp;late&nbsp;1970s&nbsp;and&nbsp;early&nbsp;1980s&nbsp;were&nbsp;successfully&nbsp;tested,&nbsp;the&nbsp;sport&nbsp;received&nbsp;a&nbsp;wider&nbsp;audience&nbsp;in&nbsp;the&nbsp;late&nbsp;1990s&nbsp;and&nbsp;became&nbsp;mainstream&nbsp;at&nbsp;the&nbsp;turn&nbsp;of&nbsp;the&nbsp;century.&nbsp;It&nbsp;has&nbsp;freestyle,&nbsp;wave-riding,&nbsp;and&nbsp;racing&nbsp;competitions.&nbsp;The&nbsp;sport&nbsp;held&nbsp;the&nbsp;speed&nbsp;sailing&nbsp;record,&nbsp;reaching&nbsp;55.65&nbsp;kn&nbsp;(103.06&nbsp;km/h)&nbsp;before&nbsp;being&nbsp;eclipsed&nbsp;by&nbsp;the&nbsp;65.45&nbsp;kn&nbsp;(121.21&nbsp;km/h)&nbsp;Vestas&nbsp;Sailrocket.&nbsp;Worldwide,&nbsp;there&nbsp;are&nbsp;1.5&nbsp;million&nbsp;kitesurfers,&nbsp;while&nbsp;the&nbsp;industry&nbsp;sells&nbsp;around&nbsp;100,000&nbsp;to&nbsp;150,000&nbsp;kites&nbsp;per&nbsp;year.</p><p></p><p>Most&nbsp;power&nbsp;kites&nbsp;are&nbsp;leading-edge&nbsp;inflatable&nbsp;kites&nbsp;or&nbsp;foil&nbsp;kites&nbsp;attached&nbsp;by&nbsp;about&nbsp;20&nbsp;m&nbsp;(66&nbsp;ft)&nbsp;of&nbsp;flying&nbsp;lines&nbsp;to&nbsp;a&nbsp;control&nbsp;bar&nbsp;and&nbsp;a&nbsp;harness.&nbsp;The&nbsp;kitesurfer&nbsp;rides&nbsp;on&nbsp;either&nbsp;a&nbsp;bidirectional&nbsp;board&nbsp;(a&nbsp;&quot;twin-tip&quot;,&nbsp;similar&nbsp;to&nbsp;a&nbsp;wakeboard),&nbsp;a&nbsp;directional&nbsp;surfboard,&nbsp;or&nbsp;a&nbsp;foil&nbsp;board.&nbsp;They&nbsp;often&nbsp;wear&nbsp;a&nbsp;wetsuit&nbsp;in&nbsp;mild&nbsp;to&nbsp;cold&nbsp;waters.&nbsp;In&nbsp;the&nbsp;early&nbsp;days&nbsp;of&nbsp;the&nbsp;sport,&nbsp;there&nbsp;were&nbsp;significant&nbsp;injuries&nbsp;and&nbsp;some&nbsp;fatalities,&nbsp;but&nbsp;the&nbsp;safety&nbsp;record&nbsp;has&nbsp;improved&nbsp;with&nbsp;better&nbsp;equipment&nbsp;and&nbsp;instruction.</p><p></p><p>Check:&nbsp;<a href="https://www.wikiwand.com/en/articles/kiteboarding" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">https://www.wikiwand.com/en/articles/kiteboarding</a></p>

Images: []

Related sports: [1492, 1493, 1497, 1335, 1499, 1336, 1409, 1505, 1341]

Aliases: ["Kitesurfing"]

Position: 0

Published: Yes

Published at: 2025-06-02 00:14:18 UTC

Visits count: 0