You know the feeling. You’ve just learned to ride, you’re finally standing on the board, the kite is pulling you and you’re going. It’s amazing. Then you look at the shore and realize you’re 300 meters downwind from where you started. So you take off your board, grab the kite, and walk back. Again. And again.
This is the reality of kitesurfing until you learn to ride upwind – that is, against the wind. And it’s precisely the milestone that separates “I’m still taking lessons” from “I’m an independent rider.”
What Is Upwind Riding and Why It Matters
Upwind riding means you can return on the board to the point where you started – or even farther against the wind. It’s not a trick or an advanced technique. It’s a fundamental skill without which you can’t kitesurf independently.
Why? Because the wind always carries you downwind. If you can’t ride upwind, after every run you’ll end up farther from the start. In a lagoon, that means walking back. In open sea, it can mean trouble.
In the IKO (International Kiteboarding Organization) system, upwind riding is part of Level 3 – the level you need to safely rent equipment anywhere in the world.
How Many Hours Does It Take
Let’s be honest: upwind riding doesn’t come right away. Most students master it after 8 to 15 hours of total instruction. Some faster, some slower – it depends on physical ability, coordination, and conditions.
In our basic course (Basic I, 8 hours), most students reach independent riding and start working on upwind technique. Some manage it within the course, others need a few extra hours of practice.
The important thing is not to rush. Upwind riding requires that you have the basics down – kite control, waterstart, stable riding. If you skip steps, you’ll only get frustrated.
Technique: What You’re Actually Doing Differently
Here’s what separates riding downwind from riding upwind:
1. Board Edge
This is the most important thing. When riding upwind, you need to “edge” the board – press the edge of the board into the water. Imagine you’re snowboarding and want to brake – you tilt the board onto its edge. On water, it’s similar.
The more you load the back edge of the board (the one closer to you), the more the board will cut against the wind instead of sliding downwind. Beginners often ride with the board flat on the water – and that’s why the wind carries them downwind.
Practical tip: Push your heels down. Not your toes – your heels. The feeling should be as if you’re leaning back in a chair – weight on the heels, body slightly back.
2. Kite Position
The kite should be at approximately 45 degrees – roughly between the zenith (12 o’clock) and the horizon. Not too high (there it pulls you up, not forward), not too low (there you risk the kite falling into the water).
At 45 degrees, the kite generates pull that moves you forward and slightly upward – the ideal combination for upwind riding. Don’t sine (don’t move the kite up and down) – keep it stable in one position.
3. Lean Back
Lean back. Seriously. Most beginners are afraid to lean back because they feel like they’ll fall backward. But the kite holds you – the kite’s pull is your counterweight. The more you lean back, the more weight you transfer to the board edge and the more effectively you ride upwind.
Arms extended, body like a rope between you and the kite. Hips forward, shoulders back.
4. Look Where You Want to Go
Look where you want to go. Not at the kite, not at the board, not at the water right in front of you. Look diagonally into the wind, toward where you want to end up. The body follows your gaze – this is a fundamental principle that applies in all board sports.
When you look downwind, you ride downwind. When you look upwind, your body naturally adjusts to ride upwind.
5. Stance on the Board
The front foot (closer to the kite) should be slightly bent, the back foot (farther from the kite) more extended and pressing into the edge. Weight should be mostly on the back foot – roughly a 60/40 or 70/30 distribution.
Most Common Mistakes
Board Too Flat
You’re riding on a flat board and wondering why the wind carries you downwind. Solution: heels down, edge into the water.
Kite Too High
The kite is nearly at the zenith and pulls you up instead of forward. Solution: bring the kite down to 45 degrees.
Too Upright
You’re standing straight as a candle. Solution: lean back, let the kite hold you.
Sining
You keep moving the kite up and down instead of holding it steady. Sining generates downwind pull. Solution: park the kite at 45° and leave it there.
Not Enough Power
The kite generates too little pull and you don’t have enough force to edge. Solution: either a bigger kite or more wind. Sometimes it’s simply not about technique – it’s about conditions.
Why the El Gouna Lagoon Is Ideal for Upwind Training
Most kite spots in the world have some catch – currents, waves, limited space, deep water. The El Gouna lagoon has several key advantages for upwind training:
- Flat water. No waves means you can focus purely on technique. Waves don’t knock your board and you don’t have to deal with chop (short wind waves).
- No current. There’s no current in the lagoon, so when you stop, you stay put. You’re not drifting anywhere. This means your position on the water depends solely on you and your riding.
- You can stand. The lagoon is shallow – typically under a meter deep across a large area. When you need a rest, simply stand up. You don’t have to worry about losing your board in deep water.
- Space. The lagoon offers 2–3 km of space. You have room to ride without worrying about hitting obstacles.
- Sandy bottom. Soft landing, no rocks, no coral.
- Unlimited upwind. Our northern base in El Gouna (since 2016) allows unlimited upwind riding. No barrier, no boundary.
Find out more about the spot on our website.
What If I Already Ride but Can’t Go Upwind
Plenty of people learn kitesurfing, then don’t ride for a year or two, and when they come back, they find the upwind riding they almost had is gone. That’s normal.
We have a refresh course for this – 3 hours for €175 (group) or 6 hours for €395 (private). An instructor will go through the technique with you, correct mistakes, and help you regain confidence. Most people ride better after a refresh than before, because we fix the bad habits they developed over the years.
Details are on the courses page or write to us via contact.
After Upwind: What’s Next
Once you master upwind, the entire world of kitesurfing opens up. You can rent equipment anywhere in the world – because you’ll always get back to the start. You can ride independently, try new spots, and start working on more skills – jumps, transitions, foiling.
It also changes how lessons can work. As a beginner, you shared a kite with another student — 2 people on 1 kite, instructor right next to you. Once you can ride upwind, the kite becomes second nature and the instructor can help you from a distance. According to IKO rules, a higher-level instructor can lead a group of advanced riders — each on their own kite, easily 4–8 people at a time. This is the foundation of our kite camps: a group of friends, everyone on their own kite, instructor coaching via walkie-talkie and focusing on technique, transitions, jumps. A completely different experience from a beginner course — and significantly more affordable per person.
Upwind riding isn’t the end of learning. It’s the beginning of real kitesurfing.
And if you’re in El Gouna and want to work on it, you know where to find us. The lagoon is waiting, the wind is blowing, and walking back is a thing of the past.