What Is “Kite Tubing?”
Posted July 7, 2006 12:00 pm.
This article is more than 5 years old.
It’s among the latest of the extreme sports. But some worry it’s too extreme.
You may have never heard of ‘kite tubing’ but chances are your kids have. And they’re not the only ones who have become avid fans of the pastime. It’s a thrill that appeals to a growing number of adults as well. Here’s an overview of what it is and why you may not want your family members to try it.
What Is Kite Tubing?
The sport involves standing in an inflatable disc filled with air and being towed behind a boat going up to 50 or 60 kilometres an hour. The wind lifts up the kite, which can measure as much as 10 feet in diameter, as the rider hangs on to the tow rope, giving the person a thrilling ride and the feeling of flight.
What Are The Dangers?
Like many extreme sports, the risk elevates the attraction. But there are a lot of things that can go wrong. The rider may not be able to control the tube, resulting in it capsizing and throwing the person into the water while they’re still airborne.
The boat operator may be inexperienced and can swamp the tube by stopping or slowing the vessel too suddenly. That can cause the disc to nosedive or eject the rider right out of the device, crashing either into the water or the boat itself. Others have hit some stationary objects like piers or bridges.
And the weather and wind conditions can also be unpredictable and can result in the tube tipping suddenly or spinning out of control without the rider being ready for it.
What Kind Of Injuries Can Result?
There aren’t a lot of Canadian stats for this yet, but a man in Guelph died in a tube kiting adventure this week. An incident caught on tape in Alberta earlier this month shows a teen being knocked unconscious, after the wind took hold of his tube while he was in the air and slammed him into the lake. He was rescued and survived.
There are more numbers available from the U.S., where tube kiting has already been banned in a number of states, including Arkansas, because authorities believe it’s simply too dangerous.
The U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission has reports of two recent deaths as a result of the sport. A 33-year-old Texas man died in April and a 42-year-old man from Wisconsin suffered fatal injuries last month.
There are also 12 reports stateside of serious injuries, including a broken neck, a punctured lung, broken ribs, a broken femur, chest and back injuries, and facial injuries like fractured jaws.
