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Big Air · Expert

Double Kiteloop

See it in the Trick Tree

Double Kiteloop is a jump where the rider keeps turning the kite the same way after the first loop, so it makes two full rotations in the air.

Also called: double loop · double kite loop

Prerequisites

Megaloop

Unlocks

Nothing in the tree needs this one yet — it stands on its own.

Schools teach this differently

Our sources do not agree on which way the kite goes the second time. SoulKite's loop tutorial offers "a second kite loop or downloop" as the fix when the kite is about to reach the zenith after a big jump, so either direction counts as a save. The Ozu school history draws a hard line for the named trick: same direction twice is the double loop, while braking a megaloop and looping back the other way is an S-loop. Timing differs too. SoulKite fires the second rotation to rescue an 8m-plus jump and says a third may be needed, whereas North frames the double as two deliberate loops that were written off until 2022 because of expected line slack. The two schools also give different pull points for the first loop: MACkite says about 80 percent of jump height, SoulKite says about two thirds of maximum height when going big.

Ideal conditions

Strong wind and a small kite. Big loops in general get ridden in 28 knots and up on 7-9m kites, and the bigger the kite the slower the loop, so kites over 11m are not recommended for big loops at all. For the double itself the size window is tighter: riders call it very achievable on a 6m, scary on a 7m, and regard it as impossible on an 8m. The first one was landed during a competition in Cape Town, described as the perfect place to practise big air.

How to do it

  1. 1. Pick the day and the kite

    • For big loops the number quoted is 28 knots and up on a small kite, 7-9m. The bigger the kite the slower the loop, and anything over 11m is not recommended for big loops at all.
    • Size down for the double specifically. Riders call it very achievable on a 6m, scary on a 7m, and regard it as impossible on an 8m.
    • Know the level this comes from. The riders doing doubles are already boosting massive kiteloops with front-rolls and board-offs.
    • Check lines, bridles and canopy before your session, and wear an impact vest if you can — Soul Kite Australia names rib injury as one of the most common injuries when looping.

  2. 2. Send it and fire the first loop

    • Bring the kite to the zenith before your hand does anything to the bar. It wants to be at noon, or even a little before noon, when you pull.
    • Pull at around 80 percent of your total jump height. Wait for the weightless peak and there is not as much line tension left, so the loop simply will not go round as fast.
    • Pull hard on the bar when you are ready to initiate the loop.
    • Do not let the kite sail past noon while you hesitate. Overshooting makes the loop lower and wastes a lot of its total energy.
    • Counterbalance the pull by bringing your front knee up.

  3. 3. Carry the kite into the second rotation

    • Keep rotating the kite the same direction as the first loop. Two rotations in one direction is the double; brake it and loop back the other way and you have ridden an S-loop instead.
    • Send the second loop as the kite is about to reach the zenith, or as soon as you feel tension coming back in the lines. Leave it and it can end up behind you and drop like a dead leaf.
    • Know why this was written off: it was widely thought the kite would produce too much line slack on the second loop, so until 2022 riders never attempted it.
    • Let a modern kite do its job. Canopies adept enough at catching you and re-generating line tension are what unlocked these moves.
    • Be ready to perform a third loop if that is what the kite needs.

  4. 4. Kill the rotation and land

    • Once the loop has completed and the kite is on its way up, push the bar away from you and let it come back to the zenith. Do NOT continue pulling the bar.
    • Sheet out, but as you get higher you need less of it to make the kite climb. How much depends on which kite you are on.
    • Always land with the board pointing downwind.
    • To clean up the landing, pull a heli loop with what was your front hand and untwist the lines from the loop.
    • If you are coming in hard, land on the board heel side with your toes downwind, keep the knees soft, and let yourself sit into it.

Common mistakes and fixes

Mistake

Pulling the loop at the very top of the jump.

Fix

Fire it at roughly 80 percent of your total jump height. Wait for the weightless peak and there is not as much line tension, so the loop will not go round as fast.

Mistake

Letting the kite drift past noon before you pull.

Fix

Pull with the kite at noon or a little before. Overshoot it and the loop runs lower and you waste a lot of its total energy.

Mistake

Holding the bar in after a loop has closed.

Fix

Push the bar away as the kite comes up so it can return to the zenith. Do NOT continue pulling the bar.

Mistake

Trying the double on too much kite.

Fix

Go down to a 6m, where it is called very achievable. On a 7m riders describe it as scary, and on an 8m it is regarded as impossible.

Mistake

Practising loops in the middle height band.

Fix

Get used to loops at 2-3m first, then take them to 6m and above. In between you free-fall after the loop but you are not quite high enough for the kite to climb and catch you in time.

If it goes wrong

  • You can still call it off at the front end. There is quite a big window at the start of the loop, until about 3 o'clock, where you can still make the decision to abort.
  • Once the kite has completed the loop and is on its way up, push the bar away and let it come back to the zenith. Do NOT continue pulling the bar.
  • When you are landing harder than you wanted, put it down heel side with your toes downwind, keep the knees soft, and let yourself sit into it.
  • Ride with an impact vest on where you can: SoulKite Australia's kiteloop guide names ribs as what riders most often hurt when a loop goes wrong.
  • Stay out of the height band that is high enough to free-fall but too low for the kite to catch you in time. Perfect loops at 2-3m, then move up to 6m and above.
  • Build up from the bottom: start with very small jumps of 1-2 meters in moderate wind under 18 knots and do not skip the steps.

Learn this with a coach, not from a page

This is a high-consequence move. The sources it is built from describe riders getting hurt on it, and every one of them teaches it as a step you earn rather than attempt. Get coaching, build up in stages, ride with people who can help you, and give yourself deep water and clear space downwind.

Find a certified school

Educational reference, not instruction. Kitesurfing is a risk sport: the steps here describe what named schools, instructors and technique libraries teach, and the page lists exactly which ones, but real conditions involve wind, gusts, water state, traffic and equipment behaviour that no written guide accounts for. Schools also teach justified variations — where our sources disagree, the page says so instead of picking one. Judge your own readiness, use the safety systems on your kite, and do not attempt a move because a page made it sound achievable. KitesurfingOfficial accepts no liability for the use of this information on the water.

Questions riders ask

What wind and kite size does a double kiteloop need?+

No source we cite gives a knot band for the double specifically. For big loops generally the guidance is 28 knots and up on a 7-9m kite, with kites over 11m not recommended because the bigger the kite the slower the loop. The double narrows the size further: very achievable on a 6m, scary on a 7m, impossible on an 8m.

What should I already be able to do before trying one?+

For kiteloops at all you need to be fully confident going upwind, jumping, landing properly, your kite control, basic tricks such as a back roll, and going downwind. The riders landing doubles are already boosting massive kiteloops with front-rolls and board-offs.

Why was the double kiteloop thought to be impossible?+

It was widely thought that the kite would produce too much line slack on the second loop, so until 2022 riders had never attempted it. Kites adept enough at catching you and re-generating line tension are what unlocked it.

Who landed the first one, and when?+

Giel Vlugt, on an ALUULA-powered Rise A-Series kite, announced as a world first and called the mythical Double Kiteloop. The dates in circulation do not match: one school history puts it in 2021 during a competition in Cape Town, where he landed both the S-loop and the double, while North's big air piece says riders had never attempted doubles until 2022. An IKSURFMAG interview with Vlugt also places the filmed first landing in Cape Town.

Can I bail once the loop has started?+

Yes, at the beginning of it. You have quite a big window at the start of the loop, until about 3 o'clock, where you can still make the decision to abort.

Keep reading

Sources

Every step on this page traces to the sources below. Where they disagree or stay silent, the page says so instead of guessing.