"The promise of kiteboarding is that a wind strong enough to draw small whitecaps from the water can take you on a magic-carpet ride."

"But the same wind can be dangerously uncontrollable.... If you swoop too aggressively and lose control of the kite, it can start spinning. In a 'death loop,' the spins become unstoppable; the kite gathers speed, pulling you along with it.... Feeling its pull, I was reminded of riding a horse: each of the kite’s small motions suggested irresistible strength, and pretending to control it was hubris. Whenever I lost focus, the kite swooped and pulled me downwind. I watched the lines: if my fingers got caught in them, the kite could rip them off.... If the wind is good, a light pull on the control bar will start the bow-shaped kite on a turn toward its apex, into the full force of the wind. At the right moment, you turn the board hard upwind and pull the bar: a surge of power lifts you skyward. A beginner might hop a foot above the water, abs tight with effort, then lose the board and crash. But the best riders can rise dozens of feet in the air, then ride away after a soft landing."

From "How Hackers Invented Kiteboarding/An unusual design process combining recklessness, imagination, and computers created one of the fastest-growing sports in history" by James Somers (in The New Yorker).