Let us start by agreeing that self-launching should be only done by an experienced kiteboarder and avoided if other individuals are around whether a kiter or not, as you can easily teach someone how to hold a kite for you to launch in less than a minute.

Now that we got that out of the way, and understand that self-launching is not ideal though worth knowing in case you are in remote areas alone. You can self-launch one of three ways. One is by using a heavy object or anchor to have your chicken loop attached to while you put your kite in a  launching position. The second technique is by pulling your lines and having your kite drag on the land into the wind window to launch it similarly to a water relaunch. And the third method is by folding one wing tip over, and covering with sand while the back is on its back and pulling up directly into a launching position.

We won't go in-depth about the three methods as to be taught correctly it must be done by an IKO Instructor in live situation. Though we would like to inform you about the potential dangers of self-launching and why it’s recommended for experienced riders only.

When self-launching unless it’s the anchor method, you do not have time to make sure that all your lines are properly set up. If you do have a tangle in your lines, you will need to be able to properly counter to avoid a potentially dangerous situation. Additionally sometimes you have limited room to work with. If you have lots of obstacles around it adds another layer of challenge to pulling off an already challenging feat. This is why it is highly recommended to only self-launch when it is needed and to be properly prepared.

When is the last time you self-launched, and what is your prefered method?