Kitesurfing School Lastest Modifications

• You have probably noticed in the last few days that we are in the process of updating the site since early Jan 2007.  This will be take us a while and probably continue until the end of the month.

• We have more than 450,000 visitors in early Jan 2007.  We have reached this number of visitors 2 months earlier than forecasted.  So this means that the sport is still growing rapidly, at least more than we expected.  At this rate, by early 2008, we'll have around 600,000 visitors.

• Via facilities from Google, we have introduced the custom Kitesurfing Search Engine specifically for kiting.  So far we have included more than 500 manufacturers, information, discussions and school sites.

• We have introduced a new format which may help to make the site look a bit more pleasant.  Furthermore, Hyperlinks are now in teal with no underline and the color will change to red when you move the mouse over it.

• This is a major update.  We have reviewed and revised all the sections to make sure that they are all up-to-date and contain most recent kitesurfing info.  We have also added new sub sections and etc.  We have done lots of works here in this update.

• We have adds many new photos to freshen up the site

• We have add many schools, links, feedbacks

• We have been using some facilities from Bravenet.com since last year, mainly the Guestmap (for feedbacks) and the Classified facilities (for used equipment ads).  So far we find that they are very good and efficient for us.

• To reduce automated spam, we have decided to replace all the "@" signs in all email addresses listed on our web site to "[tai]" or "[O]" or some other designations (normally indicate clearly on the page).

• We are experimenting embedding videos directly in our site with Youtube.com code in the Home Page, Safety, Speed, Kiteboat sections and will add more.  If you spot any interesting videos from Youtube.com relevant to Kitesurfingschool.org, please let us know.

• ...More to come...

March 2006

• [We are still updating ... until at least May, 2006]

• Another year has passed and there are many things happening in kitesurfing, kiteboarding world overall!

• We have surpassed the estimated traffic increase from 260K to 320K visitors by 30K visitors - we have 350K visitors and millions of hits so far (that's 30K over 60K visitors or 50% increase in traffic last year).  So it is either our site are getting more popular or there are more kitesurfers out there.  We are in the top 3 in Google, Yahoo and MSN searchs for "kitesurfing", "kitesnowboarding", "kiteskiing" and "kitelandboarding" - our Google page rank is 5/10 which is the same as Naishkites.com and higher than Bestkiteboarding.com at 4/10.  At the current rate, by this time next year, we would estimate the number of visitors to climb to 450K.

• The most impressive things for 2006 will be the introduction of many second generation flat LEI kites and they may cause a big stir in the kitesurfing market.  The combination of 100% depower and easy, safe relaunch with higher performance to no performance penalty, make second generation flat LEI kites an ideal kite for beginners and experts alike.  We added a new section for Flat LEI as it deserves some immediate and future attentions.

• We decided to add a Blog so we can rant about kitesurfing for a whole year before the next annual update to the Kitesurfingschool web site.  The Kitesurfing School blog is at http://KitesurfingSchool.blogspot.com.  Also we have created a Blogs sections to list all the kitesurfing blogs in the world.  If you have a kitesurfing blog, please send us an email to add a link to your blogs there.

• Thanks to Google, we now have a Google Search box right on Kitesurfingschool.org web site.  One can search the web or better yet, search the content of the whole KitesurfingSchool.org web site using the KitesurfingSchool Google Search box. The Kitesurfing School Google Search box is placed on top of the home page as follows:

• The Kitesurfing School Google Search Box can also search the content of the site sports.groups.yahoo.com which contains the legendary Kitesurf and Ksurfschool Yahoo groups that have helped to shape the sport to its present day.

• As it will take us some time to update the site, we'll keep on posting our updates as we go.  So keep come back to this page to see all the new things we add for 2006.  We expect to be able to finish all the updates before our annual spring kitesurfing trip in early May.

• There were lots of schools requested to be added to the School List section

• There were lots of links added to the Links section

• The "Open Source" Kite Teaching Methodology (KTM) is getting more popular as there are more schools world-wide endorsing it.  If you run a school and your school name is not on the endorsement list yet, please send us an email so we can add a link to your site.  As per feed-backs many students prefer an "Open Source" methodology such as KTM as they know exactly what they are getting into and can be more prepared for the lesson.

• We added a Kiteskating section

• We added a Night Kiting section

April 2005

• We broke the annual update rule ;-)  After the major update last month we noticed that there are lots of thing we still like to do in this update.  So here it is: a minor update less than 1 month after a major update

• We got videos now!  Thanks to Ronny Basso of Kitefilm.com who has provided all the direct video links from Kitesurfingschool.org to his collection of how-to and tricks videos. [Check the Feedback section and you will notice that Ronny was a Kitesurfingschool.org reader back in 1999]

• We made another update to the Rules section and added a video links

• We made a major update to the Tricks section and added pictures as well as video links

• We made another update to the How-To section and added video links

• We added quite a few schools to the School list and removed some schools which are now closed

• We added the world-wide emergency rescue numbers to the Safety section

• We added new feedbacks to the FeedBack section

• We checked all the links in the Links section, removed and added some new links

• We made a major update to the KTM sections, adding more lessons, certifications and credentials and especially the list of endorsing organizations at http://www.kitesurfingschool.org/ktm.htm#Endorsements

• We have decided to keep Kitesurfingschool.org 100% commercial free except for the links and ads banners on some pages.  So no more Equipment Deals on Kitesurfingschool.org (the section is still there but no info for now).  We'll remove the section completely in the next major update to the site.

March 2005

• We have now served more than 260,000 visitors!  At this rate, we are serving approximately 5,000 visitors a month.  This rate is pretty constant in the last 2 years so we expect by March 2006, we will have 320,000 visitors.

• This is a very major annual update.  We have gone through all the sections and make modifications to all of them to ensure they are as up-to-date as possible.

• We have now officially made http://www.KitesurfingSchool.org web site "open source" (more info on the Home page).

• We have changed the format of the navigation frame on the left to make it easier to navigate.

• We added a new Tricks section to describe the various tricks that an average kiter can perform comfortably.

• We added a new KTM Teaching Methodology section.  This is the world first formal "open source" multi-discipline kite teaching methodology for all schools or private instructors.

• We added a new Feedback section.  We have kept all the feedback emails since 1999 and now we need to clear our emails.  So the best place to keep them is on the web site.  So here they are: all the feedbacks we received since 1999 and more in the future (you will find feedbacks from Bruno Legainoux, Peter Cabrihna, Don Montague, Jimmy Lewis and many other well-known kiters there).

• We added a new Kite Making section. Kite making is no longer a mysterious art.  So design and make or have someone made your own kite.

• We added a new Equipment Deals section.

• We added a new Bladder Repair section.

• We added a new Winterlude Kite Demonstration Event page (the world first kite demonstration event to more than 600,000 people).

• We added a new Trailhead Kite Presentation page (the first kite presentation in a main stream trade show of canoes, kayaks, golf, bicycles, skis, etc.)

• We added many schools to the schools section.

• We added many links to the Links section.

• Updated the FAQ section (new photos and changes)

• Updated the Equipment section (new photos and changes)

• Updated the Equipment Tuning section (new photos and changes)

• Updated the HowTo section (new photos and changes)

• Updated the LightAir section

• Updated the HeavyAir section

• Updated the Jumping section

• Updated the Landing section

• Updated the Speed section

• Updated the Finless section

• Updated the Rules section

• Updated the Safety section (also add the new "The Art of Staying Alive" sub-section)

• Updated the Glossary section (new version)

• Updated the Kiteskiing section (new photos and changes)

• Updated the Kitesnowboarding section (new photos and changes)

• Updated the Kitelandboarding section (new photos and changes)

• Updated the Board Building section (new photos of other DIY boards)

• Updated the Bar Making section

• Updated the Teaching Kitesurfing section

March 2004

• We have now served more than 200,000 visitors so far!

• This is a major update.  We have gone through all the sections and make modifications to all of them to ensure they are as up-to-date as possible

• We have change the format slightly to make all the pages as "printable" as possible

• We added many schools to the schools section.  The school listing table now sorted by country, province/state, city for ease of finding a school at any location.

• We added many links to the Links section.

• Updated the FAQ section (new photos and changes)

• Updated the Equipment section (new photos and changes)

• Updated the Equipment Tuning section

• Updated the HowTo section

• Updated the LightAir section

• Updated the HeavyAir section

• Updated the Jumping section

• Updated the Landing section

• Updated the Speed section

• Updated the Finless section

• Updated the Rules section

• Updated the Safety section (also added the accident statistics table)

• Updated the Glossary section

• Updated the Kiteskiing section (new photos and changes)

• Updated the Kitesnowboarding section (new photos and changes)

• Updated the Kitelandboarding section

• Updated the Board Building section (many photos of other DIY boards)

• Updated the Bar Making section (Power bar and 3D bar)

• Updated the Teaching Kitesurfing section

January 2003

• We now have served more than 140,000 visitors since inception or more than 40,000 visitors in the last 6 months!  It took us 3 years to get 100,000 visitors and now only 6 months to get %40 of that.  This is a rapidly growing sport!  This is a major update to the site.  We have gone through all the sections and make modifications to all of them to ensure that they are as up-to-date as possible (after making this update, we can tell you that this sport is still changing very fast).
• New Kitesurfing Myths section (or answers to the Frequently Not Asked Questions)
• New Landing section (essential reading for those who want to get into kitesnowboarding)
• Updated the FAQ section (this FAQ is getting extremely popular and we want to constantly update it)
• Updated the Equipment section (to keep up-to-date with all the new equipment)
• Updated the Used Equipment sections (there are some very good deals there).  To serve the user better, we also created the used kite forum at http://groups.yahoo.com/group/usedkite/messages.   If you want to post an ads, just send an email to usedkite@yahoogroups.com.
• Updated the HowTo section
• Updated the LightAir and HeavyAir section (since most have learned to use bigger kites and enjoy kitesurfing starting from 10 knots now, we decided to change the Light Air section to Extreme Light Air for those who want to enjoy kitesurfing in 5 - 10 knots)
• Updated the Safety section to include more safety information and link to the works of Rick Iossi posted on the Kitesurf group.
• Updated the Jumping section and provide link to the new Landing section
• Updated the Tips section to keep it up-to-date and add the instruction how to build a foil/sled depowering system.
• Updated the Discussion section to include the new discussion groups (Kite Forum, Kiteskiing, Kitesnowboarding, etc.)
• Updated the Schools section to add numerous new schools.
• Updated the Kitesnowboarding section to add information about using inflatable on snow.
• Minor updates to all other sections.

June 2002

• I must admit that I have been delaying this update to make it coincide with the mark of more than 100,000 visitors to this web site.  This is at the expense of the Schools and the Used Equipment sections which have numerous changes to both sections
• New Board Building section (how to build a beautiful, finless, rockerless, inexpensively kiteboard that works as well as or better than traditional kiteboard in 1 or 2 hours)
• New Teach Kitesurfing section (how to become a kitesurfing instructor or simply how to teach your friend kitesurfing)
• New Kitesnowboarding section (June is not the best time to introduce a new Kitesnowboarding, oh well, it's better late than never)
• Update Kiteskiing section (to separate kiteskiing from kitesnowboarding as they are two different sports)
• Updated the Discussion section (add the Kite Commercial group)
• Updated the Tips and Trivial Tips sections
• Updated the Links section (numerous changes)
• Updated the Equipment section (to keep up with the changes in kitesurfing gear)
• Updated the Equipment News section (this section will not be updated in the future as all kitesurfing equipment announcements should be posted to the Kite Commercial group at KiteCom@egroups.com.  The group is public so anyone can post and view the messages. To view the posts at Kite Commercial groups, click http://groups.yahoo.com/group/KiteCom/messages.  The other places where new kitesurfing equipment gear are announced are the Kitesurf group at Kitesurf@egroups.com (http://groups.yahoo.com/group/kitesurf) or the KitesurfingSchool group at Ksurfschool@egroups.com (http://groups.yahoo.com/group/ksurfschool).
• Updated the Safety section
• Update the Home page
• Updated the Kitesurfing FAQ

January 2002

• New Finless section (all you want to know about finless and afraid to ask).
• New the Kiteboarding on land section.
• Rafael Rodriguez has finished translating the Spanish site.  Keep up the good work Rafael!
• Added numerous schools listing in the School section.
• Added and updated numerous ads in the Used Equipment section.
• Added a number of new links to the Links section.
• Modified the Kiteskiing section.
• Modified the Safety section to include an "Avoid getting lofted" sub-section.
• Modified the Equipment section to add board selection rule-of-thumbs for wide board and a link to Mel's range estimator, kite size chart
• Modified the Equipment News section

September 2001 (July, August and September)

• Summer of 2001, the world economy is somewhat in global recession (someone may argue otherwise) allow me to have more free time for kitesurfing and working on the site.
• This is a major upgrade to the site and we have reviewed and made major modifications to all sections to bring them up to date with the recent technique and equipment improvements in kitesurfing.  If you have visited this site in the past it is recommended that you revisit all the sections.
• After hours of hard word, Rafael Rodriguez has managed to get the Spanish site up and running with 50% of the contents translated.  Keep up the good work Rafael.
• One of the notable upgrade to the site is to make it friendlier toward wake-boarders wanting to learn kitesurfing/kiteboarding.
• The other notable upgrade to the site is to make it friendlier to both foil and inflatable kitesurfers.
• The "Equipment Tuning" section has new interesting information.  You definitely want to (re) visit it.
• The "HowTo" section now has the launching, landing and relaunching instructions for both inflatables and foils and many other changes for wakeboarders.
• As per recommendations from a number of visitors, all the changes will now be coded in teal color instead of green (slightly harder to see the update but easier for the readers to read)
• A new "Equipment News" section has been added to list all the new equipment released on the market or home-made by some skill-full kitesurfers.
• A new "Trivial Tips" section has been added containing the miscellaneous trivial tips and other tips for kitesurfing compiled by Chris Glazier.
• A new sailing terms picture from Roberto Desideri has been added to the newly updated Glossary section (the Glossary section has also been updated to version 1.08 by Chris Glazier)
• As per the recommendation from Jonathan Smith of the California Kiteboarding Association, we have added the new Kitesurfing Association Links in the Links section.
• Many schools have been added to the School section and many adds have been removed, updated or added to the Used Equipment section.
• This site will be likely updated quarterly from now on.

June 2001 (March, April, May and June)

February 2001

January 2001

December 2000

October 2000

July & August & September 2000

June 2000

May 2000

April 2000

March 2000

January - February 2000

November 1999

October 1999

September 1999

August 1999

June 1999

• First release.

Dec 1998

• First Idea and Design