Kitepix Magazine No.6 April - June 2015 | Page 144

wasn’t a choice, you couldn’t visit shops, look online, ask others about what equipment was good to get you started, because there was very little knowledge or choice of equipment. There was no de-power, you went out and used your body weight (or lack of for me at the time) to harness the power of a kite, strap a board to your feet with the main goal to come back alive - a smile on your face and wanting more. So having all of these experiences, I find myself feeling lucky that I had escaped serious injury for so long, but boy did it all come at once! I had been in Australia for less than 24 hours, before my freak accident happened. I’d had a nice 12m session at around midday, and had already fallen in love with the conditions at Safety Bay. I’d seen so many videos and photos of the top riders in our sport riding there, and I still couldn’t quite believe that I was here experiencing it for myself. I had managed to drag myself off the water and go home for some lunch, planning to head back out in the afternoon for a late afternoon session when all my friends had finished teaching. The wind had increased, so I decided to take my 9m, but the weather was less than normal. The wind dropped completely as we walked over to the lagoon. The locals were all a bit confused as the sun was still shining strong and it was unusual that the wind would drop like this. I’m used to UK conditions, so the wind not really knowing what it’s doing is the norm. But the wind did come back, strong! Looking back this would have been the point that I would have changed, like I’m sure a lot of people would; but it is all well and good in saying that now! However, it has taught me a very valuable lesson. Assessing the wind conditions, weather patterns and surroundings “ Looking back this would have been the point that I would have changed, like I’m sure a lot of people would; but it is all well and good in saying that now! However, it has taught me a very valuable lesson. Assessing the wind conditions, weather patterns and surroundings is one of the most important things in our sport, this applies especially in places that you have never ridden and that will offer different weather patterns to what you are used to.