Yer man it's a piece of piss once you nut it out.
Great way of doing a show off transition.
Just got it 2 weeks ago. My style is crappy.
Can't hold the slide for very long and I loop out of it to lift me and board up to get the board right side up. I mostly ride away in the same direction I started.
Can you provide some tips on how to do it right?
I'm attempting to learn this transition at the moment, with no luck so far. The first problem I had was incorrectly looping the kite, seems i was looping the wrong way, after a few tips from the boys that can do I think I'm back on track. The best way I can describe it is that the kite has to loop using your back hand (I think it's referred to as a down loop) this way as you complete the loop and the kite heads up to 12 o'clock in the direction you are heading you use the lift to pop the board up from the slide position to heelside. Watch the video Chris posted.
Yep got it. Nice addition to the down loop transition. Seems you need to stay powered up during the transition, hence the down loop. Looks achievable, will give it crack next time. Ta.
Good video tips. Thanks.
My version and the darkslide in the videos finish with the rider going downwind and the choice is then to turn to transition or turn in the other direction to continue in the original direction. Seems like it shouldn't be difficult to add the direction change by letting the loop continue a bit longer.
And it looks like I also need to slow the loop a little to increase slide duration.
Thanks. Helpful.
Re original post - The Dark Side is a secret Jedi move. It bears no necessary relation to kiting, but certain Jedi knights who also kite will occasionally pull a dark side whilst kiting. Obviously this is top secret, so it's not to go beyond this thread, OK?
What I can tell you is that it involves a shift in dimensionality and as such is imperceptible to anyone who's accustomed to perceiving in only 4 dimensions. However, if you are attuned to disturbances in "the Force" you may get an inkling that a dark side has just occurred.
Approximately one in seven kiters is also a well disguised Jedi Knight, so dark-sides whilst kiting are reasonably common. A skilled Jedi can also pull a dark side at other times, such as when typing on the interwebs, and yes, even after too many beers and kebabs.
... tee hee, very clever djdojo.
Question, is a dark slide achievable in choppy conditions, is there a limit to how much chop you can attempt it or is it never gunna happen with even a bit of chop?? It would be typical me, try it and give up as a joke only to find out I would never get it due to conditions I tried it in???
You should have seen me try a KGB, it was never gunna happen (read too fat and lazy). 
I was following a guy who was doing them at will, and with a rush of blood to the head and not thinking about it too much, I launched myself into one, how hard can it really be???? And as expected, it ended in disaster with pain. Bugger it, not gunna try that again. 
Anyway,
cheers,
Robbie
I can do it. It's a great trick and feels awesome when you get a good slide! Just practice the slide than when you start getting that try the loop out of it. Practice the loop in lighter winds first lol. Good luck
Obviously not getting to Woodies enough. Im sure its happening down there regularly.
Definitely makes for a cool transition. Got a real 'old school' feel about it. Wonder if its as easy as BEST make it look??
Ditto others to djdojo - even from your standard that reply rates ++ - very clever!
Darkslide was a move on Tony Hawk on PS1, I was pretty good at in the day.
Also a pretty tricky surfing move.
Talking of 'cool' old school transitions reminded me of the all time classic known as the "handstand transition".
Master of the art was one Aaron Jarmin of very bigtime 'old school' fame (when 'old school' was still 'new school').
1st saw Aaron pull this move during a free-ride session at the 2004 Nationals in Gero. For a boy fresh from walking the beach @ Melville; gob-smacked - I was. Absolutely gob-smacked.
Ill try to track down a vid but in the meantime its :
feet out > one hand to handle (when freestylers still had handles) > feet up to handstand position > downloop through the turn > up through 12 to 1 > small boost > replace feet to straps > kite away leaving the crowd in stunned silence.
AWESOME.
Video please....sounds awesome. I don't see it as old school, I see a lot of the stuff now Sh1T school and should be left behind a boat....then again that's cause I'm to old to continue to try...lol
ankle stronger than ever! Yeh leaving this one to a summer easterlie estuary moment one feels. See the wind and swell forecast early next week! Insane.
i failed. i was looping way to quick so i would jump and drag the board for like 2seconds and then launch from the kite loop and land.
i tried a couple times but i kept looping to quick.
Big kites work best for learning and keeping the lift required
Any kind of chop makes it very hard to slide
Hahah too fast it's a switchblade.
I'm just getting way too much lift. I'm going to try hoping earlier to get lower first and then look up and slow loop
