Wind moves us, literally in kitesurfing ... or not, if there isn't enough. If there is too much it might just move us to the hospital ward. Then comes time off the water, perhaps work, painful lengthy rehab, or worse. It happens and more than it should too. People ignore weather at times, may be more concerned about kite pants than understanding winds that can make a stellar session or a real painful one.
Last year there was a video of a dozen or more guys riding all around a funnel cloud in Italy (see the photo above). They seemed to ignore it as if it wasn’t a threat at all. Two riders were lofted with one thrown into a car totaling the front end and another was hurled into a house. Tragically he didn’t survive the experience. Then earlier this year there were dozens of guys riding in the UK in front of a shelf cloud straight out of Hollywood movie special effects, this cloud looked EVIL (see first photo). Despite that these guys just rode around until the winds boosted to 50 kts. or more, sent kites & kiters flying all over. No one was killed, that time. Then in the last year, there was a young guy riding in Spain, hazardous weather was forecast and another black cloud from hell moved in. The resulting winds lofted him at speed inland to an impact he failed to live through. There was the man several years ago who was lofted and blown over 100 m high and 500 m downwind into a mountain in Portugal. He didn’t make it either. There have been many dozens of others worldwide over the years. Virtually every one avoidable to varying degrees. More to come too sad to say.
ricki