Kitesoul Magazine #4 English Edition

WAIST HARNESSID HARNESSHOOK A.K.A. SPREADER BAR(FIXED VS. SLIDING):It is the hook attached to thefront of the harness, connectedto the chicken loop and it is ofabsolute IMPORTANCE.It is not by coincidence thatthere are companies dedicatedto the production of spreaderbars.Hooks which are too open couldcause your chicken loop to unhookaccidentally, on the otherhand, hooks which are tooclosed, could not release aseasily but they are consideredsafer overall.Another, recently improved,popular solution is the use of theSLIDING SPREADER BAR. Thebar can move back and forthsideways (DAKINE and MYSTIC)and also up and down (JAY). Itis the perfect solution for riderswho want to use a seat harnesseseven when wave riding.If you use a waist harness, thismoveable hook will allow you totighten your harness a lot more(to avoid it riding up) withoutlosing too much lateral movement.In my opinion, these slidinghooks, are a MUST for wave andfreeride riders who want bothcomfort and performance. Initiallyit might take a little gettingused to, you might want tospend a couple of hours to feelhow it works. However, once youget used to the pulling point ofthe kite changing continuously,you will never go back!!!I do not recommend the use ofthe sliding spreader bar to freestyleriders. During rotationsthe rider needs to have a fixedcentre of rotation or else he willfeel the unbalance.MAIN COMPANY DIFFERENTI-ATING CHARACTERISTICS:The following characteristics arequite subjective, not standardized.