Kitesoul Magazine #10 English Edition

176
TECH
Harnesses 2.0
not compress the rider, leaving
the rib-cage and lungs free
and giving an altogether feeling
of greater freedom and movement.
C- Lower weight and smaller dimensions.
This type of harness
can weight up to 30% less than
a traditional one as well as being
smaller and more compact. This
is because bigger dimensions
are not necessary to transfer
the traction as it is absorbed
by the rigid structure. In order
to understand this concept it is
sufficient to have a look at the
Ride Engine harnesses.
Type of use
The type of end use is defined
by the combination of the different
possible values, between
support and flex. This means
that, for example, if you bought
a harness ideal for top freestyle
riding but you use it for wave
riding (or vice versa), it's as if
you were using a Ferrari downtown
or, if you prefer, a Fiat 500
on a Formula One track ... in
both cases you are driving a car
but just not the most appropriate
one. I have always believed
that it is a good idea to take
two harnesses when travelling
abroad because if you lose one,
it gets stolen or breaks, you still
have the other one and secondly
you can choose which
one to use according to which
discipline you want to practice
and therefore perform at your
best. If you want just one harness
and you practice a bit of all
disciplines with some compromises,
the best choice are the
freeride harnesses or an adjustable
flex one.
Renato Casati “Dr Kite”
RRD’s wave team rider. Kitesurfer since 2000,
PKRA and KPWT athlete and judge. For the
last 12 years he has been writing for several
kiteboarding magazines.