Extreme Buggy Pilot SVB heads to PL & a change of Strategy

Latest news from Stephan van Bommel

Hello people, hereby I proudly announce that that PETER LYNN is my new kite sponsor.

For the coming storm season including my two trips to the USA, Peter Lynn will support me with their products.

I will face and conquer the biggest storms of both Europe and the USA. For this challenge I chose a new kite set up, meaning that I will battle the storms with the ultra fast fury tube kites. These kites with their high aspect ratio and fast flying characteristics have already shown their potential to me, and I am confident they will be bring me beyond my current speed borders.

The choice for these kites is however not merely a choice of speed, it is a choice of philosophy. A philosophy in which thinking different makes opportunities.

Do you want to know more about the Fury Peter Lynn, check out their website: https://www.peterlynn.com/kiteboarding/fury/

PASSION MAKES ME FLY,
Stephan van Bommel

Stephan van Bommel & Peter Lynn

Stephan van Bommel & Peter Lynn

Lets Talk About Speed and Upwind Performance….Again

Ok…so we know the fastest kite in the world recorded is the Vapor….but that mainly is because there are not many people mad enough to go out there in the extreme winds needed to break records… the data, is really quite limited if we think about.

I have long thought, depowerable kites are the way forward when it comes to speed, I even wrote about it a few years ago on my web site, mainly because you have much more control over the kite, for instance you can start off fully trimmed in, and as the speed builds up let more and more out, as the run comes to an end trim in again if needed…Fixed bridle in these conditions in my mind is much more dangerous, you only have to look at some of the footage at NABX 2009 when Arjen broke the record and the year before, to see him getting thrown around like a rag doll, and that was before he even gets in the buggy.

A few years ago I made contact with a guy called Christopher Krug from the US (A PL Sponsored Snow Kiter)…he flys depower kites on snow and ice…..on skis…his top speed so far is 73.5mph, and he is very confident of breaking 80mph..so these great big kites can go quick…this has confirmed it for me, yeah we knew about the 50s and sometimes getting into the 60s…but this guy does it regularly.

The video below was taken a while ago…he is flying a Phantom, the wind I would guess is around late teens…just look at the upwind performance of this kite about half way through…he is almost going directly upwind, you can see this via the snow skating across the ice…..then after this look at the acceleration when he dials it in….I am amazed at this for such a large kite, just imagine the speeds obtainable on a 20-30mph day….of course space is his problem….its not like Ivanpah where you have mile upon mile to go at….anyway have a look at this

Here’s what he says about this video
I found some footage from a session last season on Lake Chocorua. I had mounted up an old pair of Salomon 1S skis with a new lifter and was testing them out just to see how they felt compared to my regular DH stuff.It turned out to be a damn good day for going fast inspit of the lack of room. I don’t know how fast I went that day because I didn’t bring my GPS and the goggle battery was dead from the day before. Oh well, it was a good day to be out.The thing I like about this footage is that you kinda get a sense of the speed as I approach the East shore and waive off. I could probably have gone a bit faster but with no snow on shore, glare ice and nothing between me and the trees and rocks you have to keep a margin for error.The kite is a 12m Peter Lynn Phantom 2 prototype. Damn I love that thing.At 1:27 I touched a wingtip, that’s why she went down. At 2:15 I hook a good gust and ripped as far as I could. I really like the footage after that of the kite riding the gust out semi at the edge of the window as I work my way back up the lake.Jim Cline was the other kiter on the 5m Frenzy.This was one of the nicest days I’ve seen on Chocorua. The wind was pretty much straight NW with little variation and pretty consistent gust factor. Usually that lake is a total
goat rodeo. =)”

and for off board footage at a different location

Ok…its not buggying, and I know depower kites have been used for years in a buggy, but now I think if we start using them in vengeance…at the right location, who knows what is possible

Stephan van Bommel photo by Bas Metsemakers

Stephan van Bommel photo by Bas Metsemakers

 

Good luck Stephan, fly safe and conquer your goals


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