It is important that we know all the kite instruments to perfection, since this gives us security of everything we do while sailing. Nowadays the different bar systems are becoming easier and safer to handle for beginners as well as for expert athletes.
What is the kitesurfing bar?
The kitesurfing bar is an essential tool for practicing this extreme water sport. In a few words, the kitesurfing bar is the connection between the kite and the rider. The bar allows you to control the acceleration, as well as the turns and jumps in the air.
What is the bar used for?
The bars are characterized by being lines, the bars are composed of 4 to 5 lines, where the two outer lines will be responsible for directing, that is, they are responsible for making the kite is directed to the side we want, while the two central lines will be responsible for boosting, by pulling these bars we are able to capture wind at our convenience and make the kite to increase its speed.
Bar safety systems
Kitesurfing has its dangers, so it is extremely important that from your first kitesurfing lesson you are taught the three bar safety systems, which are: releasing the bar, activating the bar quick release system and the leash.
Releasing the bar
In 99% of the cases releasing the bar will be the best solution. By releasing the bar the lines will lose their tension, consequently the kite will not have enough power to move forward.
Activate the bar quick release safety system
If you release the bar and still the kite does not stop, you should activate the safety system, to prevent the kite from staying in the flag and losing power. An example where we would have to activate the safety system is if our kit is at risk of impact with another kite.
Leash
If none of the two previous options worked, the last hope is to activate the leash, as you can imagine this situation is only used if we are in a life threatening situation. In these cases it is better to lose the kite and not keep it, even if it has no power, as long as we are in a scenario where the waves can not take us to the bottom of the sea.
Parts of the bar and its functions
If you want to start in the world of kitesurfing is essential to be able to identify the kite bar, in this section we will talk in detail what are its elements and what they are used for:
Chicken loop
The chicken loop is a connection tool, used as a control system. It is characterized by a circular shape attached to the back of the bar. Its function is to connect the equipment to the harness, where this connection by law must be qualified to detach as quickly as possible in case of emergency.
Quick release system
This element is relatively new in the market, it is characterized by having a wide hole, thus helping the safety line to slide in risk situations, it can be easily reattached to the system by bringing the bar back to the harness. Its function is to make the kite lose its power without losing the connection with the equipment, thanks to the leash.
Brake rope
It is nothing more than a piece capable of sliding down the bar. If it slides backwards off the bar this will generate less power in the kite, and if we choose to slide it towards the chicken look this will generate more power in the kite.
Bar
The bar is an indispensable tool, as it will be responsible for attaching the lines of the kite to the harness, working as a kind of handle for the person to handle at their convenience. By raising or lowering the bar we will be able to increase or decrease the power of the kite, and if we decide to move it to the left or right we will make the kite change direction.
Floats
The function of the floats will be to ironically give buoyancy to the bar, and thus protect the person from possible injuries that the lines can generate. Nowadays there are many brands that have decided to integrate the float to their line for this very reason.
Prelines
The pre-lines are the connection between the lines and the rods. Some time ago this tool did not exist in the market, which made it very tedious to steer the kite, as it could only be steered according to the wind conditions, making it impossible to remove power. The function of this element is that by activating it we can boost or depower our kite.
I’m Sergio Turégano and I’ve been practicing kite for 10 years. Since I was little I was passionate about the sea and I started to jump into the water with boards since I can remember, I’ve tried body, surf and windsurf but kitesurfing is my passion. I was champion of the Kitesurf TT:R Open World Championship in 2017 and I have been runner-up of Spain in the Junior category. Now I dedicate my life to enjoy kitesurfing as much as I can and teach others how to practice this amazing sport in Tarifa. I love to write about it and share all my tricks, tips and secrets about the kite world.