The wind window — kitesurfing lesson 2

The wind window

Stand with your back to the wind. Everything a kite can do happens in front of you, downwind, in a big quarter-sphere called the wind window. Knowing its zones is knowing how much power you are about to get.

8 min read3 simulator missionsBeach drill

1 Learn

A clock in the sky

Face downwind and imagine a giant clock face standing in front of you. The edge of the window runs from 9 o’clock (left, on the water) over 12 (straight above you) to 3 o’clock (right, on the water).

Instructors use these clock positions all the time: “park it at 12”, “launch at 3”, “dive from 1 to 2”.

Three zones

Edge — the outer rim. The kite is slow and pulls very little. You launch, land and rest here.
Intermediate — between the edge and the middle. Moderate power.
Power zone — low and straight downwind in front of you. The kite is fastest and pulls hardest here. Beginners keep the kite out of it until the instructor says otherwise.

Neutral: 12 o’clock

At the edge, straight above your head, the kite pulls almost nothing and wants to stay. This is neutral — where you park the kite to walk, talk, think or wait.

Left alone at the edge, a kite drifts up toward 12 by itself. Use that: when in doubt, bring it to 12.

Moving kites pull harder

Where the kite is matters — and so does how fast it moves. A kite diving through the power zone makes its own extra wind and pulls much harder than a kite sitting still in the same place.

That is how riders use power: a power stroke (a dive through the window) when they need it, a parked kite when they don’t.

2 Try it in the simulator

Complete the missions in order. Each one ends with the same move to try on the beach.

The simulator needs JavaScript. The missions are listed below.

Fly through the three zones — Start at 12. Steer the kite down into the intermediate zone, through the power zone, and back up to the edge.

Find neutral at 12 — Get the kite to 12 o’clock — straight above your head — and keep it there for 5 seconds.

Park at 10, then at 2 — Hold the kite at 10 o’clock for 3 seconds, then fly it over to 2 o’clock and hold it there for 3 seconds.

3 On the beach

On the beach

Now do it for real

You need: A trainer kite (2-line, about 1.5–3 m²) and your instructor.

Without a kite: stand with your back to the wind. Stretch your arms out to the sides — your hands are at 9 and 3, the edge of the window.
Point straight up: 12, neutral. Sweep your arm down in front of you: that’s the power zone.
Launch the trainer kite with your instructor and fly it to 12. Notice how little it pulls.
Move it down to 10, then 2. Feel the pull grow on the way and fade at the edge.
Say the clock position out loud wherever the kite is, for a minute. Your instructor will use these words with you on the water.

Tick each step after you’ve done it with your instructor.

4 Check yourself