The Wind Window
The wind window is the area where you can fly your kite, and is very important for two reasons:
- Your kite generates different amounts of power and will pull in different directions depending on where it is positioned in the wind window.
- Safety – when you understand the wind window you know where to place your kite for maximum safety in windy or gusty situations. An unexpected gust of wind can carry dangerous consequences.
The wind window is broken down into three main sections which are pictured in the diagram below. These sections are:
- The Shoulder or Edge of the Wind Window
This area is the closest the kite can fly into the wind and is the area that produces the least amount of power. For example, if the kite is fying directly above your head it is in this zone. You want to keep your kite in this zone when you are taking a rest, distracted, or getting ready for a really cool move. This should be your default position for the kite as it is the safest. - The Medium Power Zone or Intermediate Zone
This area is the area in between the shoulder of the window and the power zone. The kite starts to build speed when flying through this zone and it “catches” more wind than in the shoulder. These two things give it more power. If your kite is in this zone pay attention. It is really easy to send it into the power zone and if you aren’t ready, you can easily be overpowered. - The Power Zone
This zone is aptly named. Here your kite is moving fastest and catches the most wind, so it has the most power. You will use this zone to generate the power you will need for all of your kiteboarding moves. You don’t want your kite in the power zone unless you send it there, so pay attention and keep your kite under control.
Finding the Wind Window
Now that we know what the wind window is, how do we find it? To find the wind window just follow these steps:
- Find the direction of the wind. Just look for the way the waves are moving (on a lake), the way the grass is bending, or just feel it. I use my ears...but then they are rather large flapping elephant type things sticking out the side of my head, by turning my back to the wind I turn my head until I can the wind on the back of both my ears at the same time.
- Turn and stand with your back to the wind (so that you are facing downwind).
- Extend your arms straight out on both sides and imagine lines drawn out in both directions.
- As in the pictures above, the wind window is the area downwind of you and it ends at the imaginary lines you drew out sideways, as well as directly overhead.
Always find out the direction of the wind and get a picture of where the wind window is before you launch your kite. Also, keep in mind that if the wind changes direction, the wind window is going to move too; it is always downwind of you.
Describing the Wind Window
The final thing we will go over about the wind window (right now) is the lingo. To describe where their kite is in the wind window, kiteboarders have broken it down into segments like a clock. To get an idea of the ‘coordinates’ of the wind window are, just:
Stand with your back to the wind, so that you are facing downwind. Then extend your arms out to both sides. Imagine that your arms are the arms of a clock. If your left arm is extended straight out it will be pointing to 9 o’clock position. Your right arm will be pointed at 3 o’clock. Directly above your head is 12 o’clock. Evenly spaced out between 9 and 12 are 10 o’clock and 11 o’clock. Between 3 and 12 are 1 o’clock and 2 o’clock. Take a look at the diagram below to make things clearer.
Now you should be able to describe the wind window in terms of power zones and you should be able to navigate it when someone says something like ‘Launch your kite at the shoulder of the wind window, then fly it up to the 12 o’clock position’.
All kiteboarders use this terminology so if you don’t understand, go back now and refresh until you can. From this point forward, I will be using these terms when I describe things