How to Hot Launch - Kitesurfing Tutorial 

Here is an update of what we have learned after three more years and several thousand hot launches. All of our launches in the last year or two have been free of incidents. We never hold someone from the back of the harness. Doing so will injure two people in strong winds. In strong wind the rider needs to be able to run forward to kill some of the apparent wind and power. In light wind the rider needs to be free to turn around and run back. We no longer fully inflate foil kites. This one thing will prevent serious accidents. If the wind is light, we just run back faster. If we need some air, we'll get a couple of people to swing the kite to put some air in it. If the wind is really light, we'll get a couple of helpers to hold the kite. We no longer bring leaf blowers to the beach. We launch with the kite full depowered for inflatables, and mostly depowered for foil kites. For foil kites it is easy enough to power it up after it is launched to complete the inflation. To prevent line errors the helpers will also double check lines and kite trim.

The best technique was at 3:08 - the old sneakers, lean back and scud with perfect control. Once the kite has some power you can steer it to the edge of the window (if you have room) if you don't like being dragged. I hot launch all the time (started out a couple years ago on fixed bridles), leaning and scudding is second nature. I have it a little easier, as I launch mostly in sand. Obviously make sure nothing in the way downwind while you're walking lines that will trip or spear your feet. The little steps with bare feet or booties made me a bit nervous, as did the folks I saw leaning forward. Kind of asking for a superman. Great video though, you touched on all the important points.

OMG ! PLEASE MAKE A REVIEW ON THE CRAZYFLY SCULP OR AS I SEE IN THE VIDEO THE HYPER ! great vid as usuall tho !

I just went through my pictures and during a school trip I went in the CN tower and on a picture I took I can see you guys kitesurfing in the background!! ( what are the odds) 👍

Thanks!

Good video. I was curious how you guys launched at that spot.

You can also lean forward or even make some steps towards the kite while it gains power , so no drag would happen. And keep the bar out always.

Damn! In Many of these examples shown - people PULLED the bar in?! Why? For hot-launching you grab the two main lines WAY above the adjuster! Quickly yank it towards you and the kite will shoot up through the powerzone without developing much power at all! Works on L.E.i Kites like a charm! Make sure to pull above the adjuster - that way it has less power then "all the way de-powered"! Tried this up to 11m in 25knt. And could still stand on/in the same spot.

SUPER VIDEO !!!

Good advice a

It is a bad advice to have someone holding you from the back of your harness. Then you possibly double the power kite can produce and if something goes wrong it goes badly wrong. In light winds it is unnecessary, in higher winds very dangerous. Never have a solid connection to a kite in which you are in the middle, never tow kite using a boat or car. Many bad accidents have happened and kites/lines/harnesses destroyed when these silly things have been tried.

I thought it was called the Russian launch. Ok, now I know it's the Hot :)

nice slick edit, great audio, this is taken right near Humber College? looks like it

I hot launch often on the beach. I find if you get pulled , drop to your knees and you still have control. When the kiter runs with the kite they often trip and it goes really bad.

Frequently yes, I need a hot lunch...

a foil kite should be fully powered (no depower applied) to hot launch. Having depower can prevent inflation and be dangerous because they never get to apex and just keep dragging you. Sonic 2's often won't even inflate in that configuration.

Hi we are always used to hot start in light wind

I would say it's probably a good thing foil kites take a little while to fully inflate on the first launch if hot launching.

It may be better to have a home made bar with longer lead lines allowing another meter or two more of bar-out or de-power. So the kite can be fully de-powered on the ground instead of fully powered on the ground. Or you need to be be able to pull a meter or two out of the front lines at the hot launch. Trade off is enough power is needed to be able to control the kite. How about tying the chicken loop to that nice tree instead of the harness?

Drift launch in the water would be a solution ;-)

Hot launched 7m today at 5 knots wind by pooling midlines while the kite stayed on it's trailing edge directly down the wind. No need to de-power at light winds.

Hi,did you try Fysurfer self launcher ,is it available only for their Boost kite?

You can also over sheet and stall the kite on the way up 👍

This is so crazy

Wouldn't drift launching be safer at that point?

Great Tips. Thanks. Where exactly is kite flying location?

Attach kite to a weighted shopping cart or sled until the kite is in the air , and then transfer chickenloop to kiter. If anything goes wrong , at least you aren’t attached.

So how cold of temperatures do people do this!? I saw some snow patches in one of the clips! Water temp and air temps?

What way have you found to be the best way to pre-inflate the Flysurfer Soul?

I thought that Canada have the world’s largest population of beavers! Those in your area seem to be quite lazy as I can see the quantity of big trees stopping the wind and avoiding safe launch😜 I have a similar issue on the small lake near home, so if you can find a more active communauty I would be please to adopt a good part of their family, that I hope you will bring with you for your next trip to France😊😎

We call it a russian start hahahahaha

It is not "hot launch", it call "russian start". It is unsafe way, may use only in lightwind, and launch LEI-kite by this way is more unsafe as parafoil. Exist another variant of russian start, by baloon-down orientation: lay down kite on front edge, then pull by drive lines - kite fly up, turning 180dgr, and up done by front edge. With best wishes, from Russia :)

Could you also tie a rope from a hard surface like a tree to the harness?

I used to hot launch my kites until a single accident. It was kind of reversed launch, when my kite was on leading edge, I turned it 180 from parking position, pulled on the steering lines so it lifted, then turned in the air for hot launch by releasing one of the lines. It worked with my 12m LEI. But then I bought 17m LEI and tried the same technique in about 10-12 knots... Got yanked so damn hard! Got swiped off my feet. Good thing I managed to eject in time. Bruised shoulder and couple of scratches, I was lucky. I could have asked other kiters to help me launch, but I'm kinda socially awkward. PS We call hot launch as the "Russian launch". Probably because of how reckless it is.

5:02 "The most important tip of all is to avoid hot launching as much as you possibly can". Sage advice. But, surely, the second most important tip is TO WEAR A HELMET !

Important: Keeping the Foilkites a bit on the brake. They might collapse!

Can't you drift launch inflatable kites on the water?

What about launching your kite from the water without any stress...?!?🤔😉🤙

Hot launch? In gemany we call it * russenstart * :)

I learned on a three meter in 11 - 14 knots

Don’t kite at a spot like that??

That's russian's launch not hot launch.

Its called Russian start

drift launch in water...... no?

Fully depowered on a matrass?! No way, fully powered, the faster it fills itself. I always do it right in the power zone, just steer it sideways when it goes upwards! You can also can use the power lines and steering lines to control it better, if you feel it goes upwards, get both steering lines and pull them slowly towards yourself. Flysurfer have there own tutorial about this

it's called Russian start

no its is not the best idea without shoess :P i member

remind me never to buy a used kite from your area... I do feel sorry for you guys!

Grab only the front lines and the kite started with out power!!!

That's the sketchiest fucking launch site ever. Have you tried teathering the chicken loop to something (a tree) then launching, when the kite is up, unhook from stationary object and hook into harness?

i like it hot ;)

Nice uggs