Top 5 reasons why kitesurfing isn’t for women
top 5 reasons why kitesurfing isn’t for women
Top 5 reasons why kitesurfing isn’t for women
Kitesurfing is a man sport, everybody knows that. Simply walk on your local kite beach and you will acknowledge that a majority of riders are male. Why is that so? It seems that women are not attracted to kitesurfing, or have the idea that it is not a sport for them. Here are the top 5 common misconceptions that keep women away from this awesome sport.
- You need to be strong to hold onto a kite
WRONG! The beauty of kiting is that it is accessible to anyone, no matter their level of fitness. Because you are counterbalancing the power of the kite with your own weight, you don’t need to be miss muscle to ride. You simply need to be on the correct kite size to match your own body weight.
- It is too dangerous
WRONG! Bare with me, if it was too dangerous for women, it would be too dangerous for men too, and only the daredevils would give it a crack. It is all about knowing what you are doing and knowing your safety systems. Confidence will come with proper instructions, hence, you should – everyone should – get a proper instructor when starting kitesurfing.
- It’s too scary
WRONG! If someone has hooked you to a fully powered kite and sent you in the water right away, you probably did end up in trouble and scared yourself from kitesurfing for life. Kitesurfing is not always easy to learn. It is not easy for anyone, no matter the gender. There is a step-by-step process to go through before being fully in control of the kite, so don’t rush it and avoid shortcuts. Kite control and knowledge of the safety and rescue procedures will give you confidence. If you are being scared, ask your instructor to slow down your lessons until you feel comfortable and in control of what you are doing.
- Women are not welcomed in the kitesurfing community
WRONG! Unfortunately, like everything in life, you will run into a few idiots that will belittle your skills, based on the sole judgement of your gender. However, most of the gents will be very courteous to women riders. Especially when you are learning, some will go out of their way to pick up your lost board or give you a launch.
- Kitesurfing gear is not adapted for women
WRONG! Women do not need adapted gear. Even though there are some brands that did launch kites and boards for women, for most of it, it is just a matter of colour and marketing. And if like me, pink is not your favourite colour, you may not go for it. What really matters is to have a board and a kite adapted to your weight and skills level. The two pieces of equipment that I would study more closely for women would be the harness and the bar. Women’s hips and waist are simply different than men’s. Women’s harnesses will generally feel more comfortable. However, some women ride men’s harnesses without any issues. Truth be told, you won’t know until you try it on. As for the bar, some shorter women just can’t extend their arms as high so they may be looking for a short throw bar, or easier to find, a seat harness. It will bring the hook lower and help to reach the bar when fully sheeted out.
So what is holding you back? If you are still not convinced that kitesurfing is for women as much as it is for men, talk to your local female riders, or even book a lesson with a female instructor. They will be happy to tell you how much fun they have and how empowering kitesurfing can be.
top 5 reasons why kitesurfing isn’t for women
1 Comment
Interesting. As you know, we are cruising yachties. In the South Pacific it seems that we are meeting more and more sailing couples who also kite. And if it’s a family, a “kidboat”, their children learn to kite too. It does seem that the guys often pick up the sport first, but the girls get drawn in. So my experience has been in supportive kiting groups where the ratio is about 3 women: 4 men.
There is hope!
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