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The History Of Kitesurfing
By Jakob Jelling, Thu Dec 8th
KiteSurfing is by far the latest craze in extreme sports. Theidea of using a kite to enhance speed and gravity for the surferseems like a new and exhilarating challenge, yet the art ofKiteSurfing dates back to the 13th Century Chinese when it wasused as a simple mode of transportation. KiteSailing, as it wasknown, was a medium that used the wind as an aid to harness itsmomentum and energy to mobilize their canoes across water. Theearliest recorded history of KiteSailing dates back to the early12th Century. In the 1800’s George Pocock took the basic kite design to awhole new level by increasing the size of the overall kite andused them as a sail to glide carts on land and ships on thewater. The designs of the kites were engineered with 4 lines,the same setup being deployed today. Both carts and boats wereable to turn and sail upwind. The wind would generate enoughlift underneath the kite to raise it off of the ground andpowerful enough to sustain it for a period of time. These kites have been able to propel a man-made vehicle acrossthe ground, snow, ice and water. These kites are codependent onthe wind and its necessary to get off of the ground or water toget them to fly. However, once the kite
is in the air itmanufactures its own wind, which is proportionately faster andcreates a higher rate of speed for the vehicle.
Yet one issue still remains most of the earlier kites weredeployed from the land and off of the flat ground. Not on thewater where KiteSurfing takes place. In the 1980’s Wipika,Kiteski, fOne, Concept Air, C-Quad, and Naish Kites marketedwater launch kites. These kites could be sailed again afterfalling short of wind into the water. In the late 1990’s off of the Hawaiian coast of Maui, LairdHamilton and Manu displayed the extreme sport opportunities toradical surfers and wake boarders. Its popularity has sinceskyrocketed as one of the fastest growing water sports in thepast two years. Today there are organizations, competitions, videos andmagazines worldwide dedicated to this increasingly popular sportand the thrills associated with it. About the author:Jakob Jelling is the founder of http://www.kitesurfingnow.com.Visit his kitesite for the latest on kitesurfing equipment,kiteboarding lessons, places to surf and much more!
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