OK, Imagine you are on a kitesled expedition……you just woke up, the sleeping bag is oh-so-cosy today.
Dave passes you a bowl of oats with an extra 80g of butter in it, he tells you that the wind has come up overnight - Its time to get moving!, But what are you going to wear?
Here is a guide…now swallow that bowl of stodge and get moving!

Training: Variety is the spice of life.

Usually this is where any website of a “modern day explorer”  has pictures of people hauling tyres along a beach, getting their core strength fit for the unique stresses of pulling a dastardly heavy load along in a sled or cart, all day, every day.

Well, we need to do a bit more than that! 

For while hauling is a necessary capability, (on those windless or unkiteable days), an expedition kitesledder has to be ready for grueling sessions driving the sled and keeping their senses sharp at the same time, (Think of the stresses facing round the world yacht racing).

Accordingly: we have their own mix of training activities, these focus on conditioning for:

1.) Specific fitness: hauling, kite-skiing (knee and core strength as well as flexibility)

2.) Aerobic ability: Getting enough oxygen to the muscles and, importantly, the brain - this is needed to “stay in control” and make big decisions (such as route finding and assessing risks while on the move in a dynamic environment)

3.) Mental endurance: Kite-sledding looks and usually is easy…but try piloting a sled over bumpy terrain for more than an hour and staying focussed, especially when the kite has to be “piloted” (that is - flown in a wave pattern) to generate sufficient power to pull the sled. Watch Ben overpower his unladen kitesled 3a and lose it in this video:

So how do we train?

For the physical side of things we usually balance tyre dragging with stretching, long bike rides plus middle distance running (on hard ground) and longer runs (on the sand).

While the best mental training we have come up with is also physical:

• Long non-stop bushwalks such as the three peaks challenge in the Blue mountains, and;
• Long coastal “downwinder” kitesurfing journeys that last for many hours and finish far from the starting point. These are as taxing as they are beautiful and require constant vigilance for a number of unique reasons.

Above all, we make sure to mix it up, the above activities are rarely boring, and can be fitted in around (or into) our jobs and family time. For we feel it would be a shame if we pursued this dream at odds with the other pleasures and realities of our lives…”Single-minded determination” and “giving it all you’ve got with no compromise” is all very well for some people, but a balanced life it does not make for!

We make every decision out of love, If it’s not part of real life then we think carefully about whether we should be doing it!

See you out there!

Pat