Kite Tubing: The New Extreme Sport

[Pangloss62]

Leave it to America to find new ways to recreate with motorboats. I started hearing about kite tubing when the accidents started to happen.



Sure, it looks like fun; unless you are not too smart. Evidently, a lot of dumbasses got the kite tubing bug at Lake Powell, and now nobody can kite tube there anymore:

Park Bans Kite Tubing

By Marianne Karraker, Permits Coordinator
June 19, 2006

The National Park Service has prohibited “kite tubing” at Glen Canyon National Recreation Area after careful evaluation of recent accidents involving this new activity. The restriction is effective immediately and applies to the entire park, including Lake Powell.

“Kite tubing has proven itself to be extremely dangerous,” said superintendent Kitty Roberts. “Ensuring the safety of our visitors is always the top priority of the National Park Service. There are many other, far safer ways to enjoy Glen Canyon – from waterskiing, to fishing, to exploring narrow side canyons”

Kite tubes are large, round inflated tubes towed by a boat at 20 to 40 mph. The user holds onto the kite tube as it rises into the air, 15 to 60 feet from the surface of the water. Controlling a kite tube is extremely challenging, and the slightest upset in its balance causes the kite tube to violently fall into the water. The fall can be particularly traumatic, due to the height (often 30 feet or higher), forward speed (35 to 40 mph), and the unusual position at which victims may hit the water.

Park rangers first observed kite tubes at Glen Canyon in April of this year. Since that time, four individuals have been airlifted from the park with serious injuries, and there have been reports of additional minor injuries.

The restriction applies to any device which is towed by a boat and allows the user to take flight. This includes the Wego Kite Tube, manufactured by SportsStuff, Inc., and the Manta, manufactured by Sevylor. The restriction also applies to parasailing and kite boarding.