Which kite for beginner

The Switchblade greatly facilitates waterstarts for learners because of its stability and high predictability. This makes the kite very forgiving and reduces the impact of steering mistakes for beginners especially. The Cabrinha Switchblade is a 5-strut kite with a very sturdy and durable canopy and airframe.

One of the most attractive feature of the Switchblade for new kiters is its outstanding relaunch capabilities — the Switchblade relaunches very fast and reliably.

For this reason, the Switchblade is among the safest kites out there for beginners riding in irregular wind, as it will typically be the first to relaunch with the least amount of wind — and the last one to crash when the wind drops. The Switchblade is also renowned for its extensive wind range. Learners who can only invest in one or two kites initially find the Switchblade to be a compelling option.

The Switchblade offers constant constant pulling across its range, and exceptional low-end power. A beginner will get more pull and power in low wind from a Switchblade than say a similar sized Dutotone Neo. The Switchblade has significant bar pressure, unlike others Cabrinha kites like the Drifter.

The Switchblade is also an awesome kite for learning to jump. As learners progress past the initial learning stage, the Switchblade remains relevant and lets them work on tricks while remaining stable and powered-up in the window even across gusts and lulls.

This kite has very good hangtime which gives the newer rider confidence to push things further. Check out the Cabrinha Switchblade here on Green Hat. The Duotone Evo is also a great entry kite. The Duotone Evo is a 3-strut kite, making it much more lightweight than the Switchblade — the 9m2 Evo is close to. The newer Evo now has a fixed bridle instead of pulleys as in earlier versions, making the kite a lot more responsive without loosing depower.

Similar to the Switchblade, the Evo has a broad wind range — an average sized beginner kiter may be able to ride on a 9m kite in 18 knots as well as in 30 knots. This allows a learner to start with fewer kites for a given wind range. Like the SB, the Evo is easy to control for a beginner kiter.

The stable pull on this kite across wind fluctuations facilitates the learning. The Evo maintains good turning abilities when low powered, helpful for learning to turn and switch directions. The Evo has a lighter feel compared to the Switchblade with much lighter bar pressure — yet enough of it for a newbie to still feel the presence of the kite in the window.

Compared to the Switchblade, the Evo feels much more responsive and fast-turning, due to its 3-strut design and higher aspect ratio. The Evo also has significant amounts of depower, broadening the wind range on the high end. The high amount of depower and responsiveness of this kite makes it suitable for kite foiling and wave kiting, as well as big jumps and freeride — the Evo has lots of lift and hangtime. The Evo has very good and easy relaunch, making this kite beginner-friendly in unstable winds.

Like the Switchblade and Evo, the Rally is also praised for its stability, predictability, easy relaunch, broad wind range, and smooth power delivery. The Rally has very good upwind capability. The Rally, like the Switchblade, is a 5-strut kite which makes it heavier. The minimum wind threshold to fly it is thus higher than on a lighter kite.

That said, the Rally has a pretty broad range. Depending on your weight and skills, you can fly a 10m Rally from 12 to 22 knots. The Rally is easy to power-up for a beginner who can simply dive the kite slightly and start riding. This is in contrast to the RPM, for example, which requires large movements to generate power. First, read the instructions that came with it!

Make sure that you know how to assemble it and be careful not to lose any parts. Then, find a nice open space to fly in, as far away as possible from buildings, power lines, roads and trees.

Trees really do eat kites, and even experienced fliers fear them. And all structures interrupt the flow of the wind, making conditions turbulent for a long distance downwind. Kites do NOT need a lot of wind.

Most are happiest in steady winds between 5 to 12mph 8 to 20kph. Assemble your kite, then tie the line on very carefully. This is never necessary, and in fact makes the kite very unstable. In a steady breeze, most kites will easily launch from your hand, and then you just need to gradually let out more line as the kite rises. Keep some pull on the line as you do this, as the kite will not fly without it. If the wind is very light, have someone hold the kite about 50 feet or more downwind, pull the line tight, and then signal your friend to let go.

At the same time, step backwards and pull the kite into the air. You can then encourage it to climb higher by alternately pulling and releasing the line. Once your kite is in the air, it will usually stay there as long as you want if the wind persists.

When you take it down, wind the line carefully back on the spool to avoid tangles, and pack the kite away to await its next adventure. Once you have really mastered the art of single line flying, you may wish to try the excitement of controlling a two line or even four line kite, of which we have a very good selection. For flying these, see the Tips and Tricks page. If you don't match that, don't use the bar on that kite, because that will make the kite lose all its characteristics.

It is also important to know whether the ends of the bar and the kite can be attached to each other: the buttons and loops must match. If this does not match, you could also solve this with a pigtail set.

A kitesurf bar that fits all kites is the Duotone Click bar. If you have any questions about your bar and whether it fits your kite, please contact us. When you start kitesurfing, it is best to use a short leash.

You attach a short leash to the front of your harness. The moment you need the leash, it is always close by. When you have pulled the safety and the kite is only attached to your leash, you will be pulled facing the kite.

This is in contrast to a long leash that you attach to the back of your harness. A long leash is only used by advanced kite surfers who do unhooked tricks such as handle passes.

You as a starting kite surfer are best off with a short leash. Safety is the most important thing in our sport. Kitesurfing is and remains an extreme sport, it is therefore important that your kite is in good condition. A new kite meets the latest safety standards and the lines are in perfect condition, so a new kite is always the best and safest option. In addition, the canvas of a new kite is completely fresh so that the kite deals with the wind super effectively, so that you can steer more directly and experience a better low-end.

This makes kitesurfing easier for you as a starting kitesurfer and therefore you will make faster progress. It is therefore recommended to start with new kitesurf gear. If you buy this in a set kite, bar, board bindings the purchase doesn't even differ much from a good second-hand.

Check our kitesurf sets here. Of course you can also buy a second-hand kite, but there are a number of things you have to take into account. It is better not to buy a kite that is older than six years. Kitesurfing is a young sport and every year new technologies are implemented in new kites, making them more efficient and safer. If you go back five years, kitesurfing was a different sport.

The industry has made many improvements in safety systems and materials used. So keep this in mind. It is also very important to check a used kite for any repairs or damage. A single repair, if performed by a professional repairer, should not be a problem.

A heavily repaired kite can become unbalanced, making the kite unstable and unsafe. If you are looking for a used kite on the internet, you can see many cheap kites. Be careful of buying kites that are too cheap. Cheap is often expensive. These kites are often less suitable for beginners and can be dangerous due to very old safety systems, poor relaunch and outdated technologies. Never buy a C-kite as a beginner. C-Kites are kites that are almost only used by pro kite surfers, because they give you a very powerful and precise kite.

The downside of a C kite is that a mistake is made quickly and this can lead to a dangerous situation. If you are a beginner and need a completely new kite surfing set including kite, bar, kiteboard and bindings, we have made a number of brand specific starter sets with a very nice discount. A good discounted set sometimes almost corresponds to the price of a good quality second-hand kite surfing set. If your budget is not sufficient for a new set, you can always contact us to see if we might have a good quality second-hand kite available for you.

There is no safety standard for kites yet. There is, however, a safety standard for the safety system on the bar: the quick release system. The latest quick release systems will be provided with ISO from If your quick release system meets this ISO standard, you can be sure that your quick release will work under the most extreme conditions.

So that you can go out on the water with peace of mind and enjoy this great sport.