Darkslide
Kitesurfing Trick: Darkslide
Darkslide is a pre-step to another highlighted kitesurfing trick which is the Jesus Walk. This attempt can be really tricky because you do not wax your surfboard’s bottom. Darkslide and Jesus Walk pertain to everything which refers to Hangtime, but instead of Boost it is Hangtime above the water. You just need to recall your first attempt to Boost and you just could not get any height that you simply looked like swinging under your kite. Well that is just exactly what you are attempting to do with a Darkslide or Jesus Walk.
For the starters, Darkslide trick is just a matter of eradicating some kind of psychological barrier through an intentional trip forward over the board’s toeside edge. It depends on how your approach could be in which the trick can really be made successful after quite some tries. Most kitesurfers find it easier to do a Kiteloop which is believed to be an effective sequence to a smooth Darkslide. Such preliminary move prepares the surfer of that surge of power which allows an ideal timing to get back up and immediately get the legs back underneath. Majority of good Darkslide delivery is attributed when the kite is stably powered and smoothly travelling up and almost over 12 o’ clock. As soon as it reaches 1 o’ clock the surfer initiates the kiteloop which will then pull the surfer back up.
Best Tip: A slow kiteloop is the key to the trick.
We all know that kiteloop is an initiation trick for you to be called a surfer. It is the foundation in the family of kitesurfing tricks. It requires skill to neatly loop the kite while you do the spinning. Normally, the surfer loops the kite one way and spins the other way. This is done so that at the end of a kiteloop your lines aren’t twisted (this is not actually a requirement for the trick but it is more a confirmation that the kite actually loops while the surfer do all the spinning). A surfer may opt to use shorter lines (15-20m) to gain more kite’s response and less power while executing a faster loop. A Jump Huge is needed to be practiced to allow enough air time for your kite to loop. The Back Spin technique should also be enhanced in order to kiteloop neatly to pave way for a successful Darkslide. The moment you execute this trick, you may now want longer lines to stretch the sliding time due to the kite’s long distance travel before the loop. Another way to increase the sliding time is probably to be more powered allowing the kite to be flown slower and still generate enough lift.
Trick Sequence
1. Ride with speed and initiate the trick by steering the kite slowly towards 12 o’clock.
2. As soon as you feel the lift, pop off the water and then slightly fall forward
3. Slide the back tip of the board through the water by stretching your back leg and bending your front leg.
4. While doing this, you’ll need to keep pulling with your both hands through the slow kite loop.
5. Bend both your legs to lift the board completely off the water and get back on the board before the kite has finished looping.
6. Hold the tip of the board for full control of the board and likewise to gain stability and style at the same time.