skimboard high & low

[sflinux]

Most of you on here are well aware of the fun to be had on a skim. I just wanted to say thanks for the motivation. I've been riding my windwing Flash Austin skimboard more and more over my surfboard. The skim is a great tool for onshore days when you don't have enough power to get off the beach. Before I'd use monster powerful big kites to help get me off the beach. But yesterday I had fun with a fast turning 15M c-kite (RRD TypeWave1) (same power as my 12M Royal Era) and my skim. Other guys on 12s/13s had just come in underpowered. I was the only one riding for an hour doing a downwinder on my 15. I passed a true skimmer running on the sand on my journey. Then the wind came back up and I was to able ride upwind the 3 miles I had gone down, to be joined by other riders now on surfboards.
Landboarding is now banned at my local beach, whereas kitesurfing is not (for now). It is good to know that I can use a skimboard as an alternative to a landboard.
On another note, a couple weeks ago I rode I came in overpowered on a 6M Nano with a surfboard. I put up the 4M Nano and grabbed my skimboard. I had more fun on the 4M and the skim. I was the only guy out for awhile as most guys around here don't have kites this small. High winds, low winds... skimboards are fun.
Thanks for the forum Lonnie. A bigger skimboard like the Zap Pro Large is on my wishlist as I imagine it may improve my low end.

[Lonny]

Hey Sflinux,

Thanks for making my day brother! Your post, and other members that have given me similar feedback are one of the main reasons why I put the time and effort into Lose the Straps. Yeah, it's a lot of work running the forum, but when I read posts like yours it stokes my fire even more. Plus, I know that someone else will come on the board and read your post and think to themselves, "Hmm, that is interesting what Sflinux just wrote, maybe I should try.... " and it goes on and on from there

Thanks to you, and all the other great people on this site that make Lose the Straps the go to source for information about riding strapless on the web. Without great users like you on Lose the Straps it would be all for not.

I love it when I see a real skimboarder on a beach, in fact I just saw some kids last weekend at the beach and they were amazed when I launched a big pop-shuvit right next to them. I think they might be thinking about a kite sometime in the near future And on and on it goes....

[tungsten]

I also want to say a big thanks for running this forum. Skimming gives me a big smile, and you guys brought it to me. I'm far from doing fancy tricks like Jon or Lonny or some other guys I saw performing on here, but I'm taking my ply baby out in all kinds of conditions now, nasty mediterranen chop, 20kn, gusty, and it's so much fun to learn new stuff and progress in a new direction. Rail-to-rail is dialled in, I'm even going switch toe side now, after only like 10 sessions on the skimmy. I've done some of the best face plants ever on my skimmy, and some of the best bottom turns in huge 2 foot shore break . There's a whole bunch of people on my spot getting into strapless surf boards now, and I get major sneers for the wipe outs and major cheers for the occasional elegant perfect move. Keep it up!

Good winds, tungsten

[Lonny]

Hey Tungsten,

Thank you for making my day - TWICE!

Your posts about building your beautiful boards are the stuff of pure inspiration for the DIY riders out there. Thank you for taking the time and effort in sharing all your thoughts with everyone here, and helping out with some great answers to people's questions. God knows, I couldn't answer the first thing about building a board from scratch and its great to have someone here like you contributing.

Switch Toe Side! Nice That is not easy to do and most people never even work on it. They just stay with their strong back foot for toe side. Props to you! Also, I will tell you it has never been and never will be about fancy tricks. Its all about what gets you out there and having fun. Expressing yourself and your style - however you do it. Keep working on those cheers and sneers!

[Waggy]

Yep have to agree with Tungsten and Sflinux, first off i'd also like to take the time to say 'Thankyou' to lonny for setting the forum up, but also for taking the time to keep it up and running...hand on my hart i wouldn't be so into my skimmy without the stoke from this forum...

Funny thing is...i'm the ONLY one out of our local riders who rides a skim (regular) and at a resent 'low wind' session, one of the locals took my skim, who is a very good rider and after ten minutes and several 'faceplants' later the skimboard was back on the beach, with the rider going back to his normal board...made me smile

Also, the last 'low wind' perfect sunny day, fantastic conditions, i was the only one out...all on my own! trying pop-shuvits and un-hooked 360 rotations, lol i took some mega faceplants, over the back board-offs, infact i was yanked off that board in more directions i thought even possible!!...best of it was, i just had this biggest stupidist grin on my face, i can honestly say in some 6 years of kitesurfing, this was the best session i've ever had!

Little did i know at the time, one of the locals had seen my kite in the air and came over in the car to check out who it was, some days later he came over to me as i was getting my skim out of the van and was laughing his a$$ off at my antics a few days before, he said he was sooo green with envy that i was out having so much fun that day...i of course said 'get a skim, and come and have some fun' the answer was 'fook that, it's too hard'...

Once more, thanks for the stoke and fourm lonny and to all the guys and gal? on here!...keep the skim, feel the force, you are young luke skywalker, but you will learn ....but Shhh! dont tell everybody

[sundogchicky]

skiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiimmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmm

[sundogchicky]

...SMALL CRAFT ADVISORY IN EFFECT FROM NOON TODAY TO 9 PM PDT THIS EVENING... skimmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmm?????????

[Lonny]

Hey Waggy,

Thank you for making my day today! It is my pleasure to be able to host a forum with such a great bunch of people. All I needed with this forum was to inspire one person to try something different and to share my passion with other kiters. The fact that so many have been inspired to try strapless riding is just awesome, and better than I could have ever hoped for when I launched Lose the Straps.

I think this season is going to see a lot of new strapless riders out there, and I think Lose the Straps is going to grow along with all the new people trying strapless. Lots of great stuff on the horizon, and lets face it, most of us can't make money right now so kite more!!

I bet that felt pretty good when a local rider, especially a good one, tried your skim and got worked. You gained some respect there, and that always feels good. There is no doubt that skimming and riding strapless requires a good amount of time invested, and it can be "fooking hard", but we all know the rewards outweigh the costs. I have been riding skim now for over 4 years, and the smile has never left my face since that time. I think I laugh more now when I really eat it vs. when I had no idea what to expect.

The positive vibe will always keep flowing on LTS as long as everyone on here keeps it that way... I know I will do my part, and thanks again to everyone contributing.

Sundogchicky, you always crack me up. Hope its good for you out there today. I am ready to see you destroying some more West Coast SoCal surf!!

[Waggy]

Lonny...it's a pleasure to take the time to write and thankyou for the forum and re-lighting my kitesurfing interest! I'd become very fed-up with the same old, same old....skimming is so addictiive! you manage to do the smallest thing on a skim but it puts the biggest smile on your face, guess for me (sad as it is?) it makes me feel a great sence of accomplishment?...the fact the other 'kitesurfers' look on in amasement is a massive bonus...

Was out today and one of the local guys looked at my skim and i said 'have a go' which was very quickly followed by 'Narrr! your ok! I'll stick to my straps, can't ride a board without straps, it's too hard! tryed it once and just kept falling off, dont know for the life of me how the hell you even stay on it?'...

Again...made me smile!....the guy later on said to me 'skimboarding, it's the black art, it's whichcraft i tell you'...'burn him at the stake, he's a witch'

[undertow]

I also want to thank Lonny for the great site. I have been on my skimmy at the sandbar here in HR for about five sessions now, and when I think of kiting all i think about is riding my skimmy and landing those jibes ( i landed one, sloppy though) now Im messing with ollies and improving my transitions. last weekend I was the one who got faceplanted right on the sand twice, but came up smiling. Also the teabagging was fun . Cant wait to go at it again when the wind picks up.

Thanks Again Lonny

[Lonny]

I also want to thank Lonny for the great site. I have been on my skimmy at the sandbar here in HR for about five sessions now, and when I think of kiting all i think about is riding my skimmy and landing those jibes ( i landed one, sloppy though) now Im messing with ollies and improving my transitions. last weekend I was the one who got faceplanted right on the sand twice, but came up smiling. Also the teabagging was fun . Cant wait to go at it again when the wind picks up.

Thanks Again Lonny

Hey Undertow,

That is awesome! Face plant in the HR sand - sweet! Keep working on it, with that kind of dedication you will be killing it in to time! Keep us up to date on your progress.

Thank you for your kind words about the Lose the Straps. I am about to hit the water for a morning session before the HEAT game, and your positive thoughts will make my session that much sweeter. Plus, is super low tide! YESSSSS!