This section of my site has been created to give people some idea of what power kiting and its associated sports are all about and will hopefully provide useful information for anyone thinking about taking it up. It may also provide a bit of interesting reading to those that are already actively participating in this sport.

When most people think KITES they picture Mary Poppins and "let's go fly a kite" and whilst those single line paper kites do still exist, they couldn't be farther from current kite technology.

Kites, whether they are simple dual line stunt kites or 9 meter wingspan quad line kite surfing kites, have come a long way in recent years and now provide one of the most up and coming 'extreme' sports of today.

So what's it all about? What do you need? What will it cost? and how does it all work? I'll try and answer some of these questions;

What's it all about?
The activity of flying kites has now split into 6 main kite sports, each of these has its own specific type of kite that is best suited. You firstly need to decide what you want to do with your kite - the matrix below shows the 6 main kite sports, a basic description and the recommended kite, along with a rough guide on price. Decide for yourself what you'd like to do. Of course there is no substitute for visiting your local kite shop and getting first hand advice.

What do I need?
Once you've selected your preferred kite sport and thus the basic kite type, you'll need very few additional things before you get out flying, the usual additional item basics are; flying lines and controls. The controls are usually either handles or straps - padded straps for power dual line kites and special handles for the quad line kites. Lines are a little more complicated, they come in various materials, strengths and lengths. The good news is that kites generally come with a recommendation of line that works best with them so you don't have to make any difficult decisions.

What will it all cost?
I've given some rough price guides in the matrix below and for accurate prices you'd be best to check out my links section and visit a couple of on-line kite shops, but for a rough guide; 
A decent power kite, like the Flexifoil Super 10, will cost you around £129.95, the line (40m/135kg) will be about £30 and the controls (padded straps) will be about £10, this makes a grand total of just under £170 although deals can always be had!
A half decent dual line delta stunt kite like the Flexifoil Xtro will only cost you £35 and it comes with lines and controls (handles), even if you added some decent Dyneema line and straps to the package (I broke the line that came with it in a strong wind) you're still only looking at £60 ish.

Check out the rest of my site for more detailed information on specific kites, places to fly, hints & tips and loads more.

I hope you find these pages helpful and informative, and enjoy your flying!

Leon