As seen recently on Kiteforum.com ^^^
This pic of a chunk of raw meat (inside of arm just below elbow) shows the result of getting caught by your death-leash.
I would'nt headline them death leashes tho, yerrr that is a narly injury n f*%k that, but freackish injurys can occure from anythin, look at all the cases of people loseing fingers n toes to surfboard fins, but still this does give us abit of a wake up call to the possiblites of wat can happin.
Cheer mate
quick recovery to you so u can get back out and shred it up yeahh!
The whole thread is here.
kiteforum.com/viewtopic.php?f=1&t=2362771
The riders description of what happened is below. It was not the metal hook/clip that did the damage, and it was a very technical trick done with a lot power and of course risk.
Waveslave is just posting it to troll/justify his own leashless riding.
Hope it all heals up well for the kiter involved.
went for a blind judge on suicide leash and got material part of leash with bungy inside it grab my arm and make it into steak, (it was not the metal hook or anything- amazing hey?! ).
Blood started shooting out about 1/2m just after doing it so it was "oh **** i got an artery stick your finger in it quick (as my friend was running away in the opposite direction white faced )". Anyway it all calmed down and got stitched back together with minimal fuss at the local surgery - lovely job! It is the inside of my arm just below the elbow.
Going to get a foam covered or neoprene one to use in future.
Cheers,
Ian
www.dvntkiteboarding.com
Hi 'slave,
I suppose you drive your car without wearing a "Death Belt" too. If so, I suggest you shouldn't, I've seen pics of nasty injuries created by wearing "death belts" in certain accidents 
KH
without a leash? how many ppl ride without a leash? what do u do when u get unhooked? swim after your kite? aren't kites a little expensive to be ridin without leashes????
What happends if you snap a chicken loop?
Or your saftey accidently releases,
Have only had each happen once in 4 years,but it does happen.
These things don't happen to my gear. ^^^
I make my own chicken-loops.
They are heavy-duty and the release is fool-proof.
)
saftey first, think,,, call it what you like, be aware, keep your leash untangled, thats the point. we will all get smashed and hurt, good stuff.
The whole leash issue is an important one. Too often a line can get snagged around a buckle, a hook, bar, some bit of your harness and that's when releasing doesn't work. I don't know if people have noticed but older kites used to pivot on there wing tips. Modern kites turn much faster because they pivot from the centre.
So what, you say.
If a modern kite goes into a spiral after a snag it will loop and loop, dragging the rider powered downwind with no control of the bar or kite. Releasing often doesn't work. Older kites that turned on there tips were more likely to crash quickly and less prone to spiralling.
Now, I'm not advocating going back to old kites, just be aware of this potential problem. We need innovators to design better release systems that allow you to get away from a kite that has snagged your harness or harnesses with cleaner edges that minimise the risk of snagging. Maybe a quick way out of your harness?
Speaking to a mate down the beach the other day - he told me a story of a recent kitemare. A line snagged his harness after a crash, causing the kite to spiral out of control. He was in the surf and being dragged toward the shore unable release from the kite after pulling the chicken loop safety. He managed to loosen his harness buckles and wriggle out of the harness before the kite hit the shore. Luckily, a kiter on the beach jumped on the loose kite.
I can believe this happening. I've had lines caught around my harness more than once, preventing me from relaunching a downed kite.
As far as I'm concerned this is not good enough. Manufacturers have a responsibility to make this gear bullet proof and minimise the possibility of snagged lines. Just putting "kiteboarding can be dangerous" disclaimers on the kite does not absolve responsibility.
Build a bridge and GET OVER IT . sorry had to be said
Hey, red-thumbers, I thought I was clear in my intention to continue using a leash. Are some people offended by any response to slave that doesn't completely write him off as a nutter with nothing to contribute.
I disagree with many of the technical and ethical aspects of his anti-leash evangelism, but if slave has made a good chicken-loop and release mechanism I'd like to see them is all. Surely we can look at his equipment without necessarily endorsing the way he uses it?
Waveslave, could you show us some pics of your custom gear and explain the mechanisms?
As Kit33r said, there are times when conventional releases don't work. We have some creative and skilled craftspeople on this forum, so let's see what ideas (and prototypes) we can put on the table.
After viewing the raw meat photo once again...^^^
I was thinking that maybe a long sleeve wetsuit could have prevented the injury.
But how can you protect your neck area from death-leash mutilation ?
If your lines are caught on your harness or elsewhere, you still can use a hook knife....another safety equipment that you have to maintain....(I've never had to use mine, but when I checked few month later in the pouch, it was rusted to useless)....Rolling onto your lines on larger waves is not uncommon, and that's when it helps....
But beyond all your own safety thing: bystanders' safety comes first!!!
We all knew from day one, that kitesurfing is potentially lethal, or may eventuate in serious injury for the KITER. We cannot pass the risk onto someone who is not involved.
Conclusion: RATHER DIE, THEN HARM OTHERS. If you cannot take this risk, don't start kitesurfing.
.... How personal some of you guys can become with Waveslave....hilarious.. It's not about who is right or wrong. His role is to stir the dust up, so that you can see a little clearer after it's settled....
Even the birds chirp happier when green arrows appear on the charts...like today...
most good kites have a safety release on the leash
you activate the leash safety and problem solved, (assuming you have already activated the chicken loop safety). If the kite lines are wrapped around you that's a problem with or without a leash.
if you got photographers waiting on jetskis in the channel of a surf break, just unhook and let it all go, but for the rest of us, I would like to keep my kite on a leash until any serious problems occur, then release the whole rig and say bye bye
Slave,
seeing as you love banging on about death leashes can you give me some alternitives?
I have three different leashes from different companies and they all let go and are unreliable. I have read in the past that you say you dont unhook - I do.
Is there a better design that I could make myself?
as usual, a post full of bull**** and stupid opinions.
There is a difference between a "suicide" leash as used by the poor guy who got caught out here - and a "saftey" leash, which most if not all manufacturers supply and advocate the use of.
Doing advanced tricks with a suicide leash is a bit like juggling with carving knives,
a calculated risk and no problem when all goes to plan, but can lead to injury when it doesn't.
