Go big or go home... that's the spirit of big air. But how do you explode those records and show off your Woo stats? This specific discipline requires specific gear and technique but also excellent physical conditioning and the appropriate conditions.
Waves can be a welcomed ramp to go higher. 3 to 5m waves can make great kickers.
Because your landings will be easier in flats, it is more comfortable when periods are 15 and above.
For good Big air spots, see our page on Big Air spots.
You want a place that has constant wind and for big air, it needs to be strong enough to be riding on a kite no larger than 10m.
You will definitely have to go with a hybrid kite with a high aspect ratio because they generate the most lift and have good hang time properties, which ensures you not only go up high but also glide down smoothly. Hybrid kites also travel faster through the wind window which permits edging the board harder.
Naturally to resist the potential crashes and beating in waves, a construction based on a strong fabric is desirable. And an easy relaunch ability is good in these situations.
If you really want to go big, make sure your kite and lines are in a good condition: the canopy must be good with few to no repairs and your lines need to be solid and not used. Your gear is going to be put under extreme stress and you do not want to drop down from very high up in the air because a line snaps or your kite rips! When you experience that, it is really scary...
If your big airs involve kiteloops or megaloops, make sure you have a kite with a fast pivotal behaviour.
Big air works well with 8, 9 and 10m kites: the smaller the kite, the faster you can steer it up and the more lift you can generate. In very strong winds, 8, 9 and 10m kites will deliver lots of power and you need to know your limits and abilities. If the wind is really strong you might not be able to hold the kite and not even edge!
If you really want to go big, make sure your lines are in a good condition: see our recommendation about kites and lines.
Steering a kite for big air jumps is nice with a light bar pressure. Edging hard, sending it, maybe kitelooping, can quickly get exhausting with heavy pressure on the bar.
Light bar pressure is generally dependent on your kite shape and aspect (a hybrid will have less bar pressure than a C-shape) but on some kites you can tune bar pressure with pigtail settings.
In freestyling, when unhooking and doing handle passes, it is common to use a long leash and attach it at the back of the harness. But that is probably the only situation where it makes sense.
In general it is highly recommended to connect your kite leash in the front! Actually even if foiling or free riding, you will want do connect it in the front as well. By connecting your leash in the front, you benefit of a quick and easy access to your quick release, and so with both hands.
If you are riding in deep waters, or in waves you can find yourself pulled by your kite, for example when it falls down because of a bad manoeuvre, or because your kite stalled. What will happen is that your kite is pulled by waves or it may enter a death loop because the kite lines wrapped around the bar. Then you are generally submerged under water, pulled backwards, cannot breath and have to try and grab your quick release with one hand in the back: that is extremely difficult (or impossible) and probably the worst moment to do so.
If your leash is attached in front then you are facing the kite and can release or even try to recover your kite before releasing. But if attaching your leash in front, it will probably be more comfortable to use a short leash instead of a long leash... with less rope hanging around, the short leash will not bother you whilst riding.
Big air can generate a significant amount of pull, and even more if you do kiteloops or megaloops, therefore you will appreciate very comfortable and good lumbar support.
Ideally for big air, your board should be rather small and generate speed. In strong winds, the kite is going to pull you off the water: a smaller, stiff board with higher rocker and solid grip is preferred to hold your edge and control your speed so you don’t skip out. Round tips on the board reduce water projections which can distract you in your approach before you jump, and it reduces the risk of getting destabilised in the chop.
A 38-40cm wide board will be easier to edge and load compared to a 42-44cm one.
Large fins will provide much more control over the board.
Big air requires to have safety skills dialled in. It cannot be stressed enough that safety skills must be practiced and dialled in before attempting to tackle big waves. Crashing in waves can quickly become a catastrophe. Risks are ripping a kite but worse, getting your kite and then yourself pulled by the waves or current (and drowning yourself), getting tangled into lines, getting your board thrown at by a wave...
You must know and have practiced how to roll your lines properly in the water with your safety line wrapped first! You don't want to get back to the beach in shore break with dozens of meters of lines all over the place and the risk of getting tangled in them. You also must know and have practiced how to use your kite as a sail to get back to the shore in cases you would be far. You can also use your kite as a float to rest if needed.
To roll your lines properly in the water with a twintip, it is important to learn how to be balanced with the board in front of you underwater: balance can be difficult to find, but it really helps to be more comfortable during this moment.
A good best practice is to secure the one-pump locks on the struts before any session: that enables you to deflate your leading edge and use your kite as a float if needed.
Additionally, make sure you are familiar with your quick releases including the leash quick release. Also see our recommendation for leash when doing big jumps. What you need to be familiar with may also depend on the type of harness you are using.
A key aspect of the approach depends on where the kite is in the wind window before you steer your kite up. Make sure your kite is not too deep in the wind window (i.e. 10:00 / 14:00) before you initiate your jump, if it is low you will get less upward boost and more forward pull.
You will generate better lift when you steer your kite up quickly and at the same time start to edge.
If you are overpowered with a big kite, and approach a big wave, you do not necessarily need to edge.
The combination of steering up your kite and edging needs a good timing! The combination of steering up your kite and edging builds up tension in the kite lines.
You want to send the kite back only slightly past the 12:00 position.
When your kite is at 12:00 (or slightly past 12:00) you pull the bar and jump off. Pull when the kite is up at 12:00, not earlier and not later! And at that same exact moment push your board off the water or your kicker.
Let's breakdown the steering of the kite to 12:00 as this is key: make sure your bar is depowered as much as possible during upsteering. This will ensure that the moment you pull in on the bar you will have maximized the lift you can get. Then when your kite reaches 12:00 (or slightly past 12:00) pull the bar all in for the takeoff!
When you are in the air, keep the bar pulled in, do not release the bar. Make sure you keep your kite steady above you to keep some lift.
When you are to the point where you need to land, and not before, then you can steer the kite forward again. If you come from very high above and want a smooth landing rather than just drop like a rock, you should do a landing downloop.
Kiteloops, downloops and heliloops are very important in big air as usually you kiteloop to get a boost and downloops and heliloops to facilitate landings. Downloops and heliloops help generate some lift before landing.
Whichever technique you use, you need to land with your board pointed downwind.
A kiteloop generates a significant amount of forward pull and you can also add a figure.
A downloop is a transitional loop used at the end of a jump, trick or transition.
A heli loop is used during big jump descents to reduce the foward pull and help soft landings.