Kiteboarding Skills Assessment Test:
To obtain a kiteboarder certification card, you will have to undergo a live skills assessment with a Certified kiteboarding instructor. The test includes both theory and practical elements.
Procedure:
the Skills assessment usually takes between 1 and 2 hours.
The instructor will ask general questions to assess your level of knowledge, and also quiz you about your knowledge, including right of way rules, safety rules, weather knowledge, knowledge of wind effects, and you ability to assess the conditions.
Your instructor will ask you to assess the daily conditions including;
• making an estimation of the wind speed, using visual indicators.
• The instructor will ask you for the relative wind direction, and its significance.
• What is the tide condition and concerns.
Equipment Knowledge:
• What is the best size equipment to rig for the day?
Then you will be asked to rig your gear, and the instructor will assess how you rig,
• is the gear rigged correctly and safely,
• and are the settings correctly adjusted.
Instructor will ask you to describe your float and fly plan,
• choosing your launch spot, and landing spots, and backup emergency landing spot.
Launching and landing procedure:
• Instructor will ask you to describe how you intend to launch and self-land your kite, as well as your emergency landing procedures.
• You will have to describe “emergency stopping”, and proper “self-rescue” procedure.
Practical test:
• The instructor will ask you to self-launch (where appropriate) and ride in the test area, show good kite skills, and stay upwind, demonstrate good control, turns, jumps and of course strong upwind riding. Safe riding; the ability to navigate among other kiters and other users is a safe manner. Also riding is a safe controlled manner.
• Usually there is a time limit, and a limit on the number of crashes, depending on conditions one or 2 small crashes might be acceptable, but no major loss of control, like crashing into another water user, or severe loss of kite control.
• Student will also have to demonstrate an emergency landing using safety systems, and do a full self rescue. And return to the beach unaided.
Review and redo:
• Finally the instructor will review the knowledge with the student and if necessary recommend more Study, or More practice to get the desired level.
Certification:
• Once a successful test assessment has been passed, the instructor is permitted to Certify the student with the Kiteboarder Card.
• This includes registering them online with the certifying body.
• The student may have to also register online and confirm the test, to complete their registration.
Cost of the assessment:
There is usually no cost for the Kiteboarder Card itself, but the cost for this Skills Assessment is equal to the instructor’s normal hourly rates.
Click here for More Info about the IKO Kiteboarder Card
Click here for More Info about the IKO Skills List
Click here for More Info about the IKO Training Path