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Big Air · Intermediate

Heli Loop

See it in the Trick Tree

Heli Loop is a powerless kite loop pulled tight above the head after the apex of a big jump, so the kite catches the descent and cushions the landing.

Also called: helical loop

Prerequisites

Basic JumpDownloop Transition

Unlocks

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

Schools teach this differently

Our sources disagree on three points. Direction: MACkite says a heli loop can be done either way, forwards or back, and that you follow whichever side of the window the kite is already on, while Elite Watersports lists looping forward as a mistake and calls for a tight back loop overhead. Timing: MACkite says wait until you have reached the descent of the jump before pulling, while Elite Watersports names "Looping Too Low or Too Late" as a mistake and tells you to loop just after the pause at 12, before your body has fully dropped. Height: Elite Watersports says 10 to 15 feet is enough to start, whereas KiteAdvice says the move is only beneficial on a jump above 8 metres.

Ideal conditions

Elite Watersports puts the learning window at a steady 16 to 22 knots over flat water, adds that shallow zones cut the risk on first attempts, and says to skip light wind as well as gusty or overpowered days. On kite size, MACkite says learn it on nothing bigger than an 11, or even a 10, while KiteAdvice suggests a kite between 10 and 12 when the wind is light.

How to do it

  1. 1. Set up and send

    • Come in on your dominant tack at moderate speed with the kite around 11.
    • Gently steer the kite to 2 to start the boost.
    • Use a controlled edge release to jump into the air.
    • Ten to fifteen feet is plenty for the first sessions. The key is not how high you go, but how well you control the kite through the 11 to 12 to loop sequence.

  2. 2. Swing under the kite

    • At the apex, send the kite back to 11, the direction you were already travelling. That begins your forward swing and realigns your body under the kite.
    • Ease the bar out a little, sliding it up.
    • Let your body swing through until you are underneath the kite. KiteAdvice lists pulling the bar up before you get under the kite as an error.
    • Bring the kite to 12 and pause for just under a second. That hover slows your momentum, bleeds off forward speed and stabilises the descent.

  3. 3. Pull the loop

    • MACkite has you wait until after you have reached the descent of the jump before pulling. Elite Watersports instead has you loop just after the pause at 12, while the kite is still high and your body has not fully dropped.
    • Pull a tight loop with the kite still above your head, at the top of the wind window.
    • MACkite: loop toward whichever side of the window the kite is already sitting on as you come down.
    • Pull hard on that side of the bar and push with the other hand.
    • Keep the loop high. Pull it down into the power zone and it becomes a late downloop or a late kiteloop.
    • Small bar inputs are enough. You do not need to force power into the loop, only enough tension to bring the kite around cleanly.

  4. 4. Land and redirect

    • Keep your eyes on the landing zone and point the board nose downwind.
    • Absorb the impact with soft knees and ride out clean.
    • Land with the board pointed downwind. A looping kite generates a lot of downwind pull and can give you a hot landing.
    • After the loop, steer the kite where you want to go by pulling in on your front hand.
    • If you need it to go the other way, redirect it with a downloop. Otherwise it shoots straight up above your head and needs direction.

Common mistakes and fixes

Mistake

Looping at the apex or before it.

Fix

MACkite is direct about this: loop at the apex or before and it gives you a hard yank, which is not the goal of the trick. Wait until you have reached the descent.

Mistake

Pulling the loop down into the power zone.

Fix

Keep it above your head, at the top of the window. MACkite: pull it into the power zone and it becomes a late downloop or a late kiteloop.

Mistake

Pulling the bar up before you have swung under the kite.

Fix

KiteAdvice names this one. Release the bar a little, let your weight swing through underneath the kite first, then work the bar.

Mistake

Rushing the sequence and skipping the pause at 12.

Fix

KiteAdvice lists doing it too quickly as an error. Elite Watersports says to pause at 12, because even half a second slows your descent and reduces forward speed, and that the pause is what separates a heli loop from a kiteloop.

Mistake

Landing with the board still pointed upwind.

Fix

Turn the nose downwind before touchdown. MACkite ties hot landings to the downwind pull of a looping kite, and KiteAdvice lists failing to go downwind on the landing as an error.

Mistake

Pulling too hard on the loop.

Fix

Elite Watersports: keep bar input tight but measured, let the kite move with control rather than brute force. Small bar movements make for smoother landings.

If it goes wrong

  • If you touch down before the loop has closed, ride it out. MACkite says even an accidental early landing still softens the impact.
  • Keep the loop above your head. Pulled into the power zone it becomes a late downloop or a late kiteloop, with the pull you were trying to avoid.
  • After the loop, steer with the front hand or redirect with a downloop, otherwise the kite shoots straight up above your head.
  • Learn it over flat water. Elite Watersports says shallow zones reduce the risk on first attempts and make it easier to reset, and to stay off gusty or overpowered days.

Learn this with a coach, not from a page

This guide explains what the move is and what riders get wrong, so you arrive at the session knowing what you are trying to do. It cannot watch your kite, read the gust coming, or stop you committing to something you are not ready for — a coach or instructor can.

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

How much wind do I need for a heli loop?+

Elite Watersports puts the learning window at a steady 16 to 22 knots over flat water, and says light wind will not give you enough lift while gusty or overpowered conditions throw off your kite positioning. None of the other pages we opened give a wind range.

How high do I need to be jumping before I try one?+

The sources disagree. Elite Watersports says you do not need extreme height to start, that 10 to 15 feet is enough, and that controlling the kite through the sequence matters more than altitude. KiteAdvice says the heli loop is only beneficial on a jump above 8 metres. IKSURFMAG describes it as the loop you throw before landing a massive jump.

Does a heli loop pull like a kiteloop?+

No. MACkite is blunt about it: heli loops have no power, and the difference is timing. A strong kiteloop is pulled before you reach the top of the jump, while a heli loop is pulled after the peak, as you are descending, so it catches you. KiteAdvice describes the same split and calls the heli movement smoother. Elite Watersports calls it one of the safest and most useful loop variations, because the kite loops above you rather than in front, which reduces the chance of getting pulled uncontrollably.

What kite should I learn it on?+

MACkite says learn it on nothing bigger than an 11, or even a 10, since larger kites are slower, harder and not very effective. KiteAdvice suggests a kite between 10 and 12 when the wind is light. Neither page ties a specific kite type to the heli loop itself. Elite Watersports says to practise on your regular setup once you are confident with jumps and kite steering, because a trainer kite will not simulate the altitude or bar pressure required.

Do I loop with the front hand or the back hand?+

MACkite says a heli loop can be done either way, forwards or back, that you pull with the back hand and push with the front or the reverse, and that whichever side of the window the kite is on as you come down should be the way you pull the loop. Elite Watersports teaches it differently and lists looping forward as a mistake, calling for a tight back loop overhead. KiteAdvice describes both a front hand and a back hand technique, and IKSURFMAG's Get High With Mike tutorial has a chapter on setup for the back hand heli.

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.