Kiteworld Mag - Sliding 180 on a Surfboard

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MOVE: Sliding 180 on a Surfboard

RIDER: Mark Shinn

PHOTOS: Flo Ducate / The Shinn Centre

• Ride along with the kite in it’s normal riding position. Too high and it will lift you off the board and too low and it will be hard to carve the board upwind and start the trick. I find it easiest to place my rear hand around the centre line of the kite to avoid inadvertently pulling the kite backwards in the window.
• Dropping your front hand off the bar opens up your body and gives you more room to make the move.
• Your front foot should be in it’s normal riding position pointing slightly forward with the toes more or less over the centre line of the board. Bring your back foot backwards and as much towards the rail of the board as you can.

• Start the move by carving the board upwind as if you are going to tack. The carve should be progressive and as smooth as possible.

• Once the nose of the board is pointing into the wind then it is time to push with your back foot. You are trying to push the tail of the board through 90 degrees, as you have carved hard into the wind the board is already halfway through it’s 180. If you are riding finless the board will slip very easily indeed, and if you have fins you will need to push a little harder.
• It’s important to remember at this point not to hang your weight on the bar. This will steer the kite and send you into a transition. Also try to bear in mind that you need to keep your centre of balance a little backwards. The object is not to switch the board to toe side but to kick it around and you stay riding heel side with the board backwards. If you let your centre of gravity come forwards there is a big risk to trip over the rails of the board.
• Once the board has started to slide you need to release it and let it go. The feeling is something like kicking the board round. As it turns underneath you keep looking down at it, once it is facing in the right direction you can try to put your feet back on it. Take care to try to put your feet down in the normal riding position. Too close together and you will be unstable and likely to fall off.

• Having landed on the board you should still have some forward speed. If you don’t you either started the move too slowly or you pulled the kite with your back hand and it is now above your head doing nothing. Pull hard on your new front hand as with any transition to gain momentum in the other direction.

• Really focus on getting your weight back over the centre of the board and some power back in the kite. Then simply straighten up and ride away nice 'n' dry!