What Is the Kiteboarding or Kitesurfing?

Kitesurfing or kiteboarding is a sport that uses wind and a high-powered kite to pull the rider across water, land, snow, sand or other surfaces. It combines aspects of paragliding, surfing, windsurfing, skateboarding, snowboarding and wakeboarding. Kitesurfing is one of the cheaper and more accessible sailing sports.

After a few successful tests of concepts and designs that emerged in the late 1970s and early 1980s, the sport gained a wider audience in the late 1990s and became mainstream at the turn of the century. It has freestyle, wave-riding, and racing competitions. The kitesurfing industry sells about 100,000 to 150,000 kites each year.

Most powered kites are leading-edge inflatable kites or foil kites, connected to a control bar and harness by a flight line of about 20 meters (66 feet). The Kite surfer rides either a bidirectional board ("twin tip," similar to a wakeboard) or a directional surfboard or foil board. They often wear wetsuit in mild to cold water. There were major injuries and fatalities in the early days of the sport, but safety records have improved with better equipment and instruction.