Today i had a close call I will share with you. First off I do own a helmet and i wear it.........sometimes.....If im going out for a session of loops i will wear it for example. The wierd thing is that today driving to Nitinat I was asking myself why I dont wear it all the time? Is there one single negative point for wearing a helmet besides the geek factor. Honestly its the only reason. Its not like there in the way or make you hot. Look at the amount of kiters on the water that are staying upwind and have ditched their board leash, I'll bet you 10% of them wear a lid. Why is this?
Anyway I was out on my 13 today having a pretty good time. I decided to try some unhooked stuff and snagged my safety on my bar trying to rehook. It went upwind to the beach where there were no kites flying around and sat on the beach with my kite in the air over the water. I reatached my safety and prepared to head back out. I walked into the water, threw my board down and started to power my kite up so I could hop on my board and get on with business.
A little gust hit and threw my balance off. I got pushed over my board and next thing I know I am 5-6 ft in the air and my kite is heading for the trees. I looked up to try and redirect the kite but being spun around at the same time.
I landed hard with power in the kite and smashed down on my side. My arm and pelvis took a serious beating. I bounced and got slammed backwards with my head into the rocks on the beach. I somehow got my kite off of me and lost conciousness. This happened in less than a second or two.
My thanks go out to Rob and his wife from Golden who helped me out and cleaned me up enough to get to the hospital. Also thanks to Hugo and his wife Sonya from Argentina for taking me home.

What I learned from all this is that the safety options on a bar cannot be activated as quick as you can be slammed and downed.
I usually get in deeper water before getting on my board.
And I woulnt have a hole in my head if I had my helmet on. The Doc told me that I must have hit a nice round rock or the ground itself judging from the wound. If I had hit a pointed rock with that force it would have been a completly differnt day for me.

Will I wear my helmet from now on? Are the risks worth it. In 150 days of kiting in the last 2 years this is the first time I hurt my head or needed a helmet. If the rock had been pointy day 151 might be a long time coming!
At least I didnt look like a geek for those 150 days!
So kiterkliff will don his dome of chrome from now on regardless of looks. I not preaching helmets but I think we should look hard at the real reason why not!
kite safe!

Glad the story ended the way it did...Helmet geeks unite! Maybe if we all add Norsemen horns it will become cool-

For a newbie like me a helmet is a no brainer - pardon the pun

Ouch!!!!! Thanx for sharin.
I'm with you. I wear my helmet everytime I go out.
It saved me once from a bump on the noggen because of a boardleash.
It makes me feel safe....(er)
I wonder, do you think you could have used a punchout bar?
Was there time... would it have made a difference?
Would you have thought to use it?
I'm sure it's not the #1 concern, but I hope your gear survived to.

Educational story 'kiterkliff'...It could happen to any of us @ any time...You are one of the few kiters willing to share your story...I wish you a speedy recovery...

It also keeps the top of my thinning head from getting burnt!!! They are totally required for this sport, as you say just one wrong bump and you may need someone to help you eat ice cream for the rest of your days.

I guess safety releases mosty work when you are in deep water and have time to react such as when a line breaks, or your harness bar comes unclipped on one side. How you detached from the kite is amazing. There can be good gusts hitting the beach at that spot for sure. This also makes me question the wisdom of coming close to shore for carving turns and aerial transitions.

I wear a bicycle helmet. Anyone know if this is the wrong helmet to wear for kiting ?

I wouldn't trust the bike helmet, longevity is a must, a kayaking helmet or some such model.

As far as the geek factor, I just added several layers of tuck tape over the earholes of my hockey helmet for trying forwards....now it matches one of my sails a true fashion statement.

Seriously, people, these sports are high risk activities.....just read the bit about a guy buying it in Oregon. Kite accidents are NOT rare, doods, fer crying out loud wear the lid Even a helmet may not save you or prevent the facial but it cuts the %. Geeky looking? you have got to be kidding.....I like not wearing one with larger sails sailing cuz the wind in my thinning hair makes me feel younger but the geek thing hasn't really occured to me....but then, I wear a hockey helmet, what do I know

BTW, kitercliff, glad you are okay but I wouldn't call what you had a close call, more like last cat life gone. I guess most of us learn thru experience no matter what anyone says to us....I got knocked silly in the Gorge bending my boom into a pretzl with side of my face, puking and passing out on the beach, not recalling how I got there.....been hockey gear since then

I wear a windsurfing helmut for two main reasons - it is great at deflecting my head away from the mast when I hit it. The plastic just slides right off the mast. Getting knocked out in deep water is not an option. Also, I enjoy thinning hair as well.

I don't think they help much with concussions though -- I still have had some pretty good impacts on the water. For kiters, its a must I would think but still not going to save you from severe collisions so you still need to take all the safety precautions you can think of...

Don't wear one skiing (consider it useless at the speeds I go) and I wear a full face helmut for mountain biking.

a helmet can save you a burst eardrum too. actually i dont get the "geek factor" comment at all, helmets are totally commonplace in biking, skiing, skating whatever. I feel way more confident going out and hucking something when ive got my trusty red protec on. I was inspired by dunkinguys old white cooper way back in the day. OK i guess football faceshields might be a bit geeky.

dwd wrote: OK i guess football faceshields might be a bit geeky.

I guess you haven't seen KUS wearing his hokey mask

Just kidding. I totally agree. Helmet is a very good investment even for us poleskippers. And for you, teabags, it's a MUST, I'd say.

Thanks for sharing Kiterkliff get well soon!

I honestly dont get the geek factor too but it is a mind set that is a reality. Puchout system? initially there was no way to get out of the system It was way too quick. I managed to get away with a bunch of stitches and a big ass bruise this time.

i dont know the launch @ where you were.... we made a un written rule at my previous kite beach where by we asked all kiters to not hook in until your well into the water. so you launch your kite unhooked with the kite by the waters edge (and your board) and then hook in once your on the water (which it sounds like you already were)....

the rule saved allot of people running around hanging onto other peoples harnesses and i'm certain stopped many potential accidents. all you have to do is let go of the bar and all the pressure is gone.....

not that this would have prevented your mishap as it sounds like your doing everything right. but it may be a good thang to start or suggest to newcomers that they do this....

Oops I meant to say I wear a skateboarding helmet, not a bike helmet. It has 1" of very hard rigid foam and a thickish plastic skin.

Launching unhooked is surely the way to go as most people get killed on land not on the water. I say that but dont practice it probably out of habit and laziness. My new windwing bars will allow the spinnable safetly line to easily hook in and out of the spinning collar above the chiken loop so you can clip it on your harness while lanching , then move it to the spinning collar when in the water. This does mean screwing around with teh donkey dick to get the chiken loop hooked on your harness which takes your eye off the kite.

I guess this would eliminate using a snap shackle since I cant see how you would snap in with the kite pulling.

I used a kayaking one I got at MEC for $19. It worked great.

The reason I don't wear it now is not the geek factor, it is the freedom factor. I used to have a floater life-vest and helmet and felt confined. The reason I kite is to feel free. Once I got rid of the leash, I felt the balance was such that I would risk kiting without it. There is always the chance of striking a log, or a bad launch, and it does make me think. Although, when it comes to safety equipment, I am more likely to pick up an impact vest than a helmet, as I am more worried about my ribs these days.

I wish you a speedy recovery!

How free do you want to be Kook ? Free of this world ...