I'm FLY-IIIIIIIIIING!!!!!!!!

[winddoctor]

http://www.loonbedrijfklaver.nl/kiten/a ... 20x240.wmv

[ChrisW]

Thats incredible (a Google search shows it haapened back in 2001)
http://starbulletin.com/2001/06/01/sports/story2.html

[more force 4]

WOW!! As good an arguement as any for sticking with windsurfing!! As Dale says, Airtime, its all about airtime! Sometimes there can be too much of a good thing....

[jimbob]

And of course, those strings are unbreakable right?

[Wingnut]

At least he knows what a thermal is now. If he stayed centered in it he potentially could have gone to cloudbase.

[JL]

GULP!!!!

[AirushDM]

Any info on the clip. Who, What, Where, When, and Why.

[Kite Kook]

Any info on the clip. Who, What, Where, When, and Why.

His name is Erik, I met and kited with him when I was at Kailua 2 years ago. He got lofted somewhere else on Oahu, I believe, by a crazy onshore thermal. Luckily, he had also been a paraglider, so he sort of knew what happened.

I don't know much about those kind of thermals, but it is my understanding they don't happen around here (thank God!).

The interesting thing is, as shown in the video, he was orginaly UNhooked. He hooked in while in the air, just before being violently yanked.

Dude is lucky to be alive, hard to believe he didn't break anything!

Cheers.

[clownboy]

I read an article in the British Kitesurf mag about it. They explained that in light conditions a pocket of warm air can accumulate and suddenly rise. Mr Myerscough told me to watch for a similar effect at Cook St. as the air can pile up in front of the cliff. Only in light conditons, though, as I understand it, sufficient wind will blow the micro-cell away before it gets large.

[jamie]

there must be heaps of these stealthy updrafts lurking in our atmosphere. heaven knows what they're up to up there! frothing around, waiting to strike at any second no doubt. i'll stick to windskipping and death from above will be evaded for the time being.