So here is the scenario: Going very fast to port I do a swooping downwind tack to starboard. I go downwind way too fast in the turn, and the T2 loses lift, and starts to fall out of the sky on its back. I grab a yard of the upper outside/rear line, and recover the kite just before it hits ground and it relaunches nicely but very powered up in the gusty wind. Now the s*&t hits the fan. When the kite was falling the wing tip closest to me must have had a very, very slack rear line, this line must have briefly dragged on the snow and my downwind ski went over and through the line set. (another way to think of it is, my left leg has now gone through the bar). When the recovered kite launches I am immediately swept off my feet, and begin getting dragged by my left ski and boot by a fully powered, looping, T2 in wind gusting to 25mph.
The left leader line is wrapped around my ski, boot and also seems to be tangled in the boot buckles. One side of the is bar jammed up against my ski boot After about 3 – 5 loops I pull the SS safety, which as I suspected had no effect. I had no control and felt very helpless at this point. I tried grabbing and pulling in the other leader to balance the lines, and thought I was going to be able get the kite to crash and stay but I couldn’t do it. Everything is very hard to reach from my position and also wearing a seat harness further limits my ability to reach anything. The combination of the looping kite and snow drifts I’m flying over, feels like I’m being dragged by a bucking bronco. I was trying to release the binding on my left ski, but it ended up coming off on it own. I was scrambling, trying to untangle the leader line from boot buckles but eventually the line came off my boot on its own, and I did end up semi-flagging the kite at that point. From looking at a map I guess I was dragged about ¼ mile or more before it ended, and I was about 600 ft from shore at that point. From unwinding my bar I figure my kite looped 40 - 50 times.
Since the kite was not looping high in the air I was thinking about riding it out till the kite hit the trees on the approaching shore, but the death spiral ended mercifully on its own. There was one large property downwind where I could have possibly been dragged into the yard or the house as there were no trees on the shoreline. Nothing I did ended this spiral, I was completely out of control and helpless. Not a good scenario. I was not thinking about getting my knife, I was trying to untangle. I would say that was poor training/thinking on my part.
After Thoughts:
- If this had happened in the water I can see how drowning would be very easy. It would be much less likely to be dragged by your feet in the water but it does happen. I think years ago Coach was dragged by one leg on Waconia. In this situation large bodies of water should be considered MORE dangerous, and a tree lined shore might be your best friend. Even in a death spiral in a better body position, you might want to run through your safety procedures in your mind. Be prepared. Train yourself mentally. If this happened out on Mille Lacs you could be dragged for miles.
- Consider wearing a knife on your helmet. I have one mounted on my water helmet. I will be mounting one on my winter helmet as soon as I get another knife, or just the holster. (my son asked me last week “Dad why don’t you have a knife on that helmet”, and I said it would not be dangerous enough to need one in the winter. Boy, was I wrong. The one I wear on my waist was not very reachable. My right side was being dragged through the snow pretty bad at the time.
- SlingShot white line sets, or any white ones for that matter, are a hazard in the winter. I think if I had colored lines I might have noticed what was happening, even in my peripheral vision. At dusk white lines are invisible. Why SS sticks with the white lines I don’t know. Tighe, maybe you can enlighten them.
- Watch or be cognizant of where your lines are in fast conditions. Not much of an issue on a snowboard or water, but very easy to outrun your equipment on skis. Especially on hard crust.
- I hate to think about what would happen if one of our kids got caught in a death spiral like this, or any aged beginner. I have an 8 yr old now using a 5m Waroo. On water it could be a tragedy. Not sure what to do about this. In some situations a knife might be the only way out, and that’s serious business for a child. You are under a lot of stress when in the midst of a death spiral. Chase equipment might be the best option when kids are involved, ATV or a Jet ski.
I thought I should share this accident report so others might benefit. I was uninjured, and it ended without incident. But I consider myself lucky. It was very intense while it was happening. If it ever happens on water this was my practice session. I think in the water I’d go for knife right away, it’s not worth screwing around. In water you’d be exhausted every quickly
I'm not going to win any fashion awards. But who cares. Lens makes the knife look bigger than real life. Knife is in a hand position ready for business. If right hand is incapacitated, I can still reach with left.
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