The Kiteboarder Magazine Vol. 10, No. 1

VOL. 10 NO. 1 WESTERN AUSTRALIA EXPLORING ECUADOR

SOUTH AFRICA DONKEY ISLAND

$9.99US

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Marina Chang, Publisher marina@thekiteboarder.com Paul Lang, Editor paul@thekiteboarder.com Shana Gorondy Art Director Alexis Rovira Editor At Large Gary Martin Technical Editor Amy Robb Online Media Manager amy@thekiteboarder.com EDITORIAL CONSULTANTS Neil Hutchinson, Stefan Ruether, Rick Iossi, Toby Brauer, Brendan Richards, Matt Sexton, Kevin “Irie Dog” Murray, Kinsley ThomasWong, James Brown, Ginette Buffone, Maui Mike, Members of the Central Coast/Santa Barbara CKA

CONTRIBUTORS Eric Rienstra, Alex Fox, Brandon Scheid, Sam Medysky, Alec Dektor, Reo Stevens, Scott Drexler, Pat Goodman

PHOTOGRAPHY Craig Young, Jason Brook, Mo Lelii, BS Media, James Boulding, Gilles Cavet, Tyler Brown, Jason Wolcott, Lysanne Lavigne, Verena Haase, Jon McCabe, Pro Leezure, George Karellas, Brian Caserio, Bryan Eagle Shaw, Jessica Stanley, Momi, Manuel Kalionchiz, Cheeba Goon, James Boulding, Lukas Nazdraczew, Brandon Scheid, Vincent Bergaron, Roberto Foresti, Cole Elsasser, Joe Irons, Bonetti, Jansci Hadik, Claire Canese, Whitey Golm, Sean Buell, Helen Trotman, Maria Enfondo, Nick de Bruijn, Ydwer van der Heide, Quincy Dein, Stephen Whitesell Thanks to all editorial and photography contributors for supporting this magazine!

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CONTENTS

“We decided to use a GoPro to get some unique footage from a remote control plane,” said Dimitri Maramenides when asked about this photo. “We got so close on one jump that I had to pull my board up to avoid the plane. It was a big challenge as the wind was 20 to 25 knots that day. Unfortunately we didn’t get to use any of the footage because we lost the camera. It fell off the plane while we were trying to do the same thing in the waves.” Photo Craig Young

FEATURES: 12 BRAZILIAN POLE DANCE 20 ECUADOR 30 CAPE TOWN 38 DONKEY ISLAND 60 WESTERN AUSTRALIA 72 STRUTLESS KITES

DEPARTMENTS: 10 FROM THE EDITOR 46 THE SCENE 48 PROFILED 52 EXPOSED 68 WISH LIST 70 15 MINUTES 78 ROOTS

On the Cover:

Susi Mai in the Dominican Republic.

Photo Quincy Dein

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FROM THE EDITOR WE LIVE IN A WORLD WHERE IT SEEMS LIKE ALL THE INFORMATION WE COULD EVER WANT IS AT OUR FINGERTIPS. Full information about most travel destinations is just a Google search away. With virtually zero effort it’s possible to find written descriptions, research current and past weather patterns, and go on a virtual tour via Google Earth all from the comfort of your own phone. This knowledge has made traveling much easier as we often know everything we could possibly want to about a spot before we even get on the plane. We know exactly what gear to bring and clothes to pack. We can look at photos of the hotel and read reviews from people who stayed there before us. We know what the food will be like and even know the best place to get a beer.

Welcome to Donkey Island.

Wherever it may be.

Photo Paul Lang

The prevalence of easy-to-find information is beyond helpful when planning a trip, but I believe we’ve given up something very important in trade for it. We’ve given up the sense of mystery that used to be such a large part of the traveling experience. Very rarely do we get on a plane not knowing what we will find when it lands. This has helped everyone to have more productive vacations, but it has also taken away the ability to be amazed by a new place. Most of the time, a new spot either lives up to its online reputation or it doesn’t. It’s now a rare experience to be blown away by something you didn’t expect.

Most of the stories in this issue involve taking some leap of faith into the unknown, but none more so than the story about Donkey Island that begins on page 38. Raphael Salles planned this trip with only a dusty windsurfing magazine with no information about the location to guide him. When he decided to bring his team here he had no guarantee that he had found the right place. Even if he had he still had no way of knowing whether or not the windsurfers happened to be on the island during a rare time when the wind and waves lined up perfectly.

Everything worked out well. Raph found the right location and it turned out to have consistent wind and swell, but it just as easily could have gone horribly wrong. It could have been a very costly ten-day vacation to a remote island with no wind and no waves. To me it’s that potential for everything to go wrong that makes the experience that much better when things go right. We found perfect conditions in an unknown spot and we had it all to ourselves.

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We decided as a group to keep the location of Donkey Island a secret, but the reason isn’t so we can keep it to ourselves. None of us feel we have any more right to the place than anybody else. We decided to keep it a secret because we felt it wasn’t up to us to rob anyone else of the same experience we had. If you want the easy travel experience there’s no shortage of amazing places to go and no shortage of information. If you’re looking for an adventure and are willing to make a few wrong turns along the way it’s nice to know that unknown places like Donkey Island still exist. Heading off into the unknown might lead to dissapointment, but the potential to discover a gem along the way is well worth the risk.

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ok son Bro s By Ja to o h P a| Rienstr

By Eric

a i l i z a r B

e c n a D e l o P n BRAZIL IS KNOWN AS ONE OF THE GREATEST FLAT WATER KITEBOARDING SPOTS IN THE WORLD. During high tide water

from the Atlantic Ocean spills over the dunes and combines with rain water to form perfect beachfront lagoons. These lagoons have become legendary and some of the world’s top riders travel here to train every season. The flat water and smooth daily wind combine to provide one of nature’s best kiteboarding training grounds known to exist.

Being exposed to such good riding conditions all the time has also set the level of the local riding scene light years ahead of most other places. Any given day a pack of locals might roll in to the lagoons and throw down freestyle tricks usually only seen from the top tier of tour riders, one right after another, all day. Some of the most cutting edge and technical tricks ever done have probably been thrown in these brackish waters.

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It turns out that transporting 18 feet of pole on a buggy can be a little sketchy.

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or the months of October and November, Sam Medysky, Craig Cunningham, and I lived together in a small house just upwind of the Taiba Lagoon. All we did was sleep, ride, and eat açaí. As expected the level of our riding improved drastically as a result of training day after day in the flat water. But, even perfection can lead to boredom if you relive the same day enough times. Being the park style riders we are, we soon developed a thirst for some sort of feature. Despite the ideal conditions, none of the locals had set up any kind of park, so it was up to us. After weeks of procrastination, we awoke to an amazing gift from the sea. A huge piece of a wrecked pontoon boat washed ashore between our house and the lagoon.

It was quickly dragged into place and sessioned hard. Unfortunately, just one day later we returned to find it had been taken and scraped, leaving us with a serious case of the jibsteeze blue balls. After the quick disappearance of our first gift from the ocean, we knew that whatever we built would need to be portable enough to take to and from the lagoon every day.

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The search for scrap and cheap material began immediately. We found a few places with some PVC and metal pipe for sale but soon realized that material like that was in very high demand and very short supply in Brazil, driving prices through the roof. We had pretty much given up when our photographer Jason Brook found a sweet pipe rail in the nearby city of Paracuru that had been set up in the town square for skateboarders. It was

“W e thought the removable legs would make the rail easy to transport, but driving with it on the buggy through town and on the beach was still crazy.

An 18 foot long metal pole is a lot longer than you think it is.” about eighteen feet long and four inches in diameter with three one foot long legs welded on. It was too low for us to use to kite on so with the city’s permission we brought it to a local metal shop where we had them hack off the legs and add extensions to make it into an incline. We kept the first leg for the start and ended with about a six foot tall leg at the end. To make it easy to transport we designed removable legs that would plug in and lock with a few bolts. Once everything was ready we thanked the metal workers and loaded the rail on top of our buggy.

We thought the removable legs would make the rail easy to transport, but driving with it on the buggy through town and on the beach was still crazy. An 18 foot long metal pole is a lot longer than you think it is.

Going around turns was sketchy and we almost took out a few bikers with the end hanging off the back. On the beach the rail was bouncing up and down with each dune we passed over. I thought for sure the roof rack was going to rip off. Once we got it back to our house in Taiba we tagged the rail up fresh with a Brazilian-inspired paint job and took it out for its first shred sesh. We set it up in the shallow end of the lagoon, upwind of where we had been throwing freestyle tricks. That way we could hit the rail on one tack, turn around, and still have room for a freestyle trick on the way back.

The metal rail slid amazing and was surprisingly stable considering the narrow

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width of the feet relative to the height. It only got knocked over a couple times when some random kiters tried to hit the rail and leaned into the side with their kites high. As the crowd died down later in the day we got a real taste of what it is like to hit a feature with perfect wind and no chop. We rode until the sun went down, becoming more and more comfortable with each hit.

The next morning we loaded up and hit the lagoon early for a photo shoot with Jason in the golden light of the sunrise. I really hate waking up early and even after coffee and an energy shot I was still walking around like a zombie. But as soon as the rail was set and my boots were laced up I came alive and the bangers started rolling. There are not many single pipe rails in kiteboarding, mostly boxes, since variable wind and water make it hard to get precise hits. In these magic lagoons the perfect wind and water conditions allowed us to dial in the most consistent and precise hits I have ever had, almost better than a cable. As expected, our progression continued to climb rapidly. After banging out the photos you see here and logging some solid video footage, we packed up the rail and brought it back to Paracuru so it could continue to be used by the local skaters. Our plan was to bring it back to the metal shop and put the original legs back on, but once some of the locals saw our upgraded version they wanted to keep it that way so they could set it up next to a ledge and use it as a down rail.

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The success of our project has really motivated me to return next year and build more features. I can’t say enough how amazing it is to be able to hit a feature on a kite in such consistent conditions. Locations like this are the key to unlocking kiteboarding’s full potential on rails. We all pushed ourselves on our Brazilian pole, but no one really took any hard diggers, which was unfortunate for the entertainment value of our video. I guess we will just have to build it bigger next time.

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Ecuador OFF THE RADAR IN

THE ABILITY TO EXPLORE THE UNKNOWN IS ONE OF THE ASPECTS OF KITEBOARDING THAT HAS ALWAYS INTRIGUED ME. Diving into a new spot, new environment, new culture, or new language often leaves me with an inexplicably special feeling. That is why my head cocked at a slight tilt when Ecuador was mentioned as a possible location for a photo shoot and demo tour. I had met the Ecuadorian distributor for Slingshot last year in Oregon and he had expressed an interest in having me visit for a demo, but Ecuador wasn’t a country I had heard much of anything about and I had absolutely zero knowledge of its kiting potential.

This by itself sparked my excitement. I felt like it was time to head off the radar so I booked my ticket with no preconceived notions, no friends contributing their ideas or reservations, just a blank slate and an eager mind.

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By Alex Fox Photos By Mo Lelii

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Miami I met up with Mo Lelii, one of my really good friends who would be shooting photos during the trip. We have shot together a bunch in Florida, but we’ve never had the opportunity to be on the same trip. Needless to say we were beside ourselves with excitement. After a few high fives, mile high cervezas, and a couple of bad movies we touched down in Ecuador’s largest city, Guayaquil, where upon arrival we were greeted by Javier, one of our host’s best friends. He quickly informed us of the two and a half hour car ride we had to our destination of the city of Manta, warned us about his driving, and told us to let him know if we ever felt frightened.

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In my head I quickly dismissed this warning, deeming it as irrelevant seeing as how we love adventure. After a quick bite to eat and a coffee break we were off, but upon our first 85 mph speed bump jump I realized why Javier had warned us about his driving. What followed was more than two hours of pure terror as Mo and I exchanged anxious looks all the way to Manta. Manta is the largest port city in the country and, to my great delight, is one of the world’s largest exporters of tuna. Davo Hidalgo is the importer for Slingshot in Ecuador and owns one of the local kite schools. We arrived at Davo’s house around two in the morning so it was nice to grab some sleep and then get right to it in the morning. He had arranged a party and demo schedule for the week so we were going to be rather occupied for the duration of our trip.

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I have frequented many kite schools in my travels. It kind of just comes with the territory I guess, but seldom have I encountered one like what I found in Ecuador.

Meeting up with us were John Perreira, Andres Velasco, and Tibi Hurtado, just a few members of the Slingshot South America crew. I have been fortunate enough to spend quite a bit of time with these guys over the past year and having them join us on this trip was destined to make it a memorable one. As we left the posada and made our inaugural trip to the beach in Manta, we really got a chance to see all the city had to offer. Manta is a large city made up of a wide variety of neighborhoods chaotically arranged together. There’s a bustling downtown district similar to what you’ll find in just about any big city, but the main attraction of Manta is the port. With what appeared to be a thousand ships, the harbor looked more like the Greek army in the Trojan war than a typical marina.

Booming with tourists, street vendors, fishermen, sailors, and locals, this was the city’s epicenter.

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About 20 minutes from our posada, along the outskirts of the city, was Santa Marianita, a local beach village with a few restaurants and kiteboarding schools. Davo owns the Ocean Freaks kite school which would serve as our base camp and stomping grounds for the next ten days.

I have frequented many kite schools in my travels. It kind of just comes with the territory I guess, but seldom have I encountered one like what I found in Ecuador. Davo’s spot overlooks one of the most scenic parts of Santa Marianita. With a great little beach break that consistently threw waist to chest high ramps at us right out in front and a decent little point break just downwind, it really is situated in one of the best places for kiting in Ecuador. Moreover, what was most appealing to me were the locals that call it home. With kids everywhere, Ecuador reassured me that kiting has a bright future. When I approached Davo about it, he sort of shrugged it off as if it was no big deal. To me this is one of the most rewarding things about traveling – finding people who are just as eager to spread the sport to the youth as I am.

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On the weekend there were kids ranging from ten years old up to twenty, but the average age was around fifteen. Davo has taught kiteboarding to a huge number of local children, but the most amazing thing to me was that even though most of the kids didn’t have much of anything to call their own, Davo had found a way to outfit them with full-on kite setups. It was almost as if you traded a typical after-school soccer program with a kiteboarding team. Here was a whole entourage of teenage girls and guys socializing around kiteboarding just like it was the yearbook committee. It’s no secret that kiting’s average age is well above 30, so to have a beach filled with the next generation of kiteboarders who still couldn’t legally operate a car in the states was refreshing. The youth will always be the future and although sales are driven by the older generation it’s the kids that will be at the forefront of our sport no matter the discipline. It was a special feeling to see the future taking shape in a place as unlikely as Ecuador, yet there it was as strong as I’ve seen anywhere. As I took it all in I knew it hit home for Mo as well. He was just in awe of the whole first day. After a great day of shooting and getting acquainted, Mo and I went for a quick body surf and as the last burst of sun descended beyond the horizon he smiled and said, “I could get used to this.” Me too Mo. Me too...

The next day delivered more of the same with perfect 12m weather and warm water. Having arrived late the night before, we took it easy and hit the water early in the morning and began shooting. Ecuador was amazingly scenic. Sitting next to the Pacific Ocean we frequently sighted sea turtles and, as the name of the city of Manta suggests, manta rays. Large rock bluffs cascading down into the pearly blue ocean made it a dream place to shoot, and again I found myself questioning why I had never heard of this place. I hadn’t seen Tibi and Andres

since our trip to Venezuela almost a year ago so it was great to get back on the water with them followed by throwing back a few drinks and sitting down to plates of local seafood post session. Being a large exporter of tuna demonstrates Manta’s dedication to its seafood.

With local dishes ranging from ceviche to paella it’s safe to say that we ate well. On our first night we had kept a low profile and had a mellow evening, but now John, the Slingshot importer from Venezuela, was ready to put some damage on the three bottles of Venezuelan rum he had showed up with. And damage we did. I awoke the next morning with vague memories of street fights, falling backwards out of a moving pickup (driven by Javier of course), and doing my best to ruin Mo’s relationship back home. It turns out this was just a typical night in Ecuador.

The following days went on like this relentlessly. Mornings began by shaking off the hangover and replacing it with the anxious jitters of a few cups of coffee. Then we hit the water with every day seeming better than the last at this perfect yet unknown location that delivered the conditions we all yearn for. With the consistent wind and even more consistent shore break, we started to really dial in our riding. Notable hammers were Tibi’s regular and switch crow mobes and Andres’s mute frontside fives.

The locals were killing it as well with Pepe Agudo leading the charge blasting off the kickers with huge kiteloop threes and fives. The best sessions in Ecuador were when the whole Ocean Freaks crew hit the water with us. It is a complete cliché, but it truly is the people that make a trip, not the location, and I was constantly reminded of that on this journey.

Although I was partial to the perfect ramps right in front of Davo’s school we wanted to see all that Ecuador had to offer, so we also did quite a lot of exploring. Upwind and downwind of Santa Marianita were two beautiful point breaks both featuring some of the perfect left handed waves that have made South America famous. We also found a beautiful lagoon with butter-flat water and smooth consistent wind with a few downed tree branches that made for endless jibbing possibilities. Ecuador truly never relented in exceeding my expectations for offering some of the most diverse conditions in the world.

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For this trip I got on a plane with no expectations of what I would find. I think that is what made it so memorable.

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As the end of the trip neared we had one last hoorah. Davo had organized a music festival, a full day of kiteboarding demos, and a full night of dancing and partying with some old friends and a lot of new ones. As we danced and celebrated the end of an amazing trip Mo and I were filled not only with a sense of accomplishment but also the feeling that this wasn’t the last trip we would take together. A lot of people go on trips like this in search of something, whether that something is a wave, a certain type of condition, or something else, but this trip was different. For this trip I got on a plane with no expectations of what I would find. I think that is what made it so memorable. We went in looking for nothing yet found everything we could want. Sometimes it’s the most unlikely places that have the most impact on you; sometimes getting a little lost is the best possible way to find what you’re looking for.

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A

Diverse & Distant Land

By Sam Medysky and Brandon Scheid

Pro riders Brandon Scheid and Sam Medysky recently traveled to South Africa for the first time. Dubbed “The Americans� by the local crew since visitors from North America are few and far between, we asked them to share their impressions of the country and riding spots they explored during their month-long adventure.

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Photo BS Media

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Photo BS Media

BY SAM MEDYSKY

After 15 years of kiteboarding around the world in search of the best wind and water conditions this year I decided to head to Cape Town, South Africa. I’d heard so much about it from friends and also from the designers at Best Kiteboarding that I had to check this place out. Cape Town is mostly a European travel destination as it is only a ten-hour flight from many major cities there, so visitors from North America are relatively rare.

I arrived in Cape Town after a long flight from Toronto, Canada.

I was greeted at the airport by friends and Best employees Ryan Evans and Rich Sabo who had arrived the week prior. Straight from the airport jet lagged and sweaty the boys took me to meet up with our new team rider Maika Monroe for my first session in South Africa. We headed an hour up the coast to a spot called Langebaan which offered some amazing flat water and 11m winds, but one thing I learned right away about South Africa is that the water is chilly.

For the next two weeks of my trip I lived in a three-bedroom apartment with Maika, Ryan, and Rich. The four of us were the only North American kiteboarders in Cape Town at this point.

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We were lucky enough to have great hospitality from the Brits, Euros, and South Africans who took us to the best spots suited for each particular day’s conditions.

Ryan and Rich had to actually work Monday to Friday from 4pm to midnight, so Maika and I rented our own car from local company Rent-a-Cheapie. The name says a lot about the car but our 1990s VW Citi had no problems getting us from point A to point B. Now that we had wheels we were able to check out some of the sites and activities Cape Town had to offer on no wind days. Most no wind days would consist of an early morning trip to the Blue Rock cable park for a session followed by an afternoon of hiking somewhere around Cape Town. When the wind was on we would try to get out early, but even so Maika usually ended up overpowered on a 5.5m Kahoona. When the wind was pumping in the afternoon it was usually a megaloop fest with Ruben Lenten, Lewis Crathern, and I in Big Bay. As Maika, Ryan, and Rich’s trips came to an end, the Red Bull King of the Air was approaching. Meanwhile, Brandon Scheid was packing his bags in Hood River prepping for the flight to Cape Town where we would begin our adventure together.

Photo BS Media

BY BRANDON SCHEID

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s I flew south over the Sahara Desert I couldn’t help but let my imagination wander – I was off for a winter of kiteboarding in South Africa. I had heard a ton of great things about Cape Town and it was finally time to experience it for myself. As I staggered off the plane exhausted, I was greeted by my good friend Sam Medysky. We have traveled together on many occasions, but we were both a little out of our element on this trip with the big winds, big waves, and being a lot further from home than either of us were used to. We felt much like a couple of little fish in a big ocean.

After a much-needed rest, I awoke in sheer awe of the view from our apartment. Staying in the aptly named area of Table View, we were treated to spectacular views of the whole of Cape Town with the landscape dominated by the ominous Table Mountain. I was amazed by this bustling city tucked amongst the raw and unforgiving African landscape. The age and power of the Earth is immediately noticeable in Africa. The amazing scenery is complimented by the sheer power and beauty of the sea. I was instantly intrigued and excited for our adventure to begin.

Photo BS Media

Photo BS Media

Photo Ydwer van der Heide

As we began to drive around the city I was overwhelmed with a sense of cautious safety. The disparity between the haves and have nots was easily noticeable. There were people driving around in Ferraris right next to people hustling on the street corners to feed their families. The economic difference makes for a very volatile-feeling environment; it’s not a place you would want to leave your car unlocked with all your gear in the open. There were bars and locks on most stores, barbed wire or electric fences surrounding all the houses, and security guards scattered all about. It has the look of a toned-down South America, guarded but safe. However, it did not feel like we needed to keep an eye over our shoulders and we didn’t feel like we couldn’t wander around at night like some of the other places we’ve traveled to.

Things felt a little different in the shanty towns in the outlying areas surrounding Cape Town. These large, very poor areas would not be somewhere you would want to venture into alone. To me they felt somewhat comparable to American ghettos or the notorious favelas of Brazil. These communities house the numerous workers who have abandoned their lives in the countryside to work in the city and hopefully earn more money. Imagine houses constructed of whatever materials are available all crammed together into an immense network of maze-like roads. It is always sad to see people struggle so much in life, especially when we were there to have fun. Both Sam and I were as generous as our meager funds allowed us to be, but the Rand equivalent of a US dollar can go a long way for some of the poor people here.

As with any new location you need to begin the trip by getting your bearings. Cape Town is a huge area and scoring the right conditions can be a bit of a logistical challenge. Luckily, Sam had been shown around a bit and he already had some of the riding spots dialed. We spent our first week riding in the immediate area.

With spots like Big Bay right down the street it was hard to venture far. During those first few sessions I came to terms with the notorious Cape Doctor winds. Solid southeast winds blowing in from miles of open ocean alongside large period swell made for a steep learning curve. We quickly realized that if you wait too long to go kite, you better have a 5m kite ready. Cape Town has a reputation for strong winds, but if you’re willing to take a drive you can find a full spectrum of conditions. There’s a huge variety of riding spots in the area. It reminded me a lot of Hood River with so much to do and see.

After that first week riding with the full American crew it was time to say some goodbyes and also to greet some new faces. Our good friends Ryan and Rich were headed back home and the Red Bull King of Air was about to begin. This event brought together a

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large international field of competitors with the sole purpose of pushing the high wind side of kiteboarding. With riders like Ruben Lenten, Lewis Crathern, Nick Jacobson, Billy Parker, and Jesse Richmond, we were sure to see some action. On the first day of the waiting period the conditions lined up and the event was off with a bang. The wind was strong, the waves were huge, and the whole of Big Bay transformed into a stadium. I have never seen so many people come together to watch a kiteboarding event. It really made me think about how far kiteboarding has come from a small sport done by a handful of people to a show capable of entertaining thousands. Not being a big air and high wind specialist I spent my day on the beach cheering for Sam and all my good friends. The conditions were great and all the riders were pushing each other to go bigger and bigger. I think Kevin Langaree had the biggest jump I’ve ever seen. I was scared just standing on the beach watching. It was great to see all the guys going off and even better to see everyone come in to the beach injury free. In the end the day belonged to Jesse Richmond, who earned a well-deserved first place.

With the event over it was time for me and Sam to get exploring.

There are many kiteboarding spots within an hour drive of Cape Town. You have Langebaan in the west, Muizenberg to the south, the whole of Cape Point at your doorstep, and quite a few other spots in between. Each spot has something different to offer whether that is kickers, large peeling waves, flat water, or insane backdrops and locations. Brandvlei Dam stood out as one of the most stunning places. A large fresh water reservoir nestled among the vineyards and surrounded by large ancient mountains, it’s a bit of a drive and doesn’t always work, but when it’s on it is one of the only flat water spots in the area. Also being inland the temperature of the water was nice and warm, a nice change from the regularly chilly ocean.

On the opposite end of the spectrum was Muizenberg and the Misty Cliffs. Located about halfway down Cape Point, both places are really exposed to the full force of the wind and waves. On the day that we rode there we could barely hold down 6s and 7s and the waves were anywhere from a few feet overhead to double overhead.

Photo James Boulding

Photo BS Media

With all the exposure we were a bit nervous about sharks. Cape Town is located where the Atlantic and Indian Oceans meet and this makes for a very active area, one that is home of some of the most notorious predators in the ocean, the great whites. Sam always seemed to be bringing up the sharks, especially before getting in the water. I tried not to think about them as it’s a fact that they are there and there’s not much you can do about them. The sharks were especially on the top of our minds when we crashed or had to body drag to get our boards back. I will admit that it never took us long to get back up and riding.

We were lucky this trip to not see or hear about any big sharks, but if you really want to get your nerves going check out http://sharksocearch.verite.com. Cape Town is a busy place for whitey, but the sharks tend to stay over on the Indian Ocean side of the Cape as the water is a bit warmer and there are plenty of yummy seals.

Another spot that really stood out for us was Big Bay. It can get a little crowded, but it really shines when the wind is cranking. Not only is it one of the coolest spots to pull up to for a session, but it was also the venue for the King of the Air. Surrounding the beach are two big rock piles (almost like jetties) which create a sheltered bay perfect for kiteboarding. There always seemed to be a nice wave kicker coming into the bay. When you’ve had your fill in the water you can dry your kites on green grass and grab some food and a beer at one of several restaurants on the boardwalk, perfect for watching the sunset or just enjoying the show in the arena-like atmosphere.

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Every day of the trip seemed to bring a new adventure, new places, and new people. The city itself is an international melting pot, bringing together cultures from all over the world. The kiteboarding scene is no different. In any given session I could count riders from several different countries. The funny thing was that in the beginning the only people that seemed to stand out were the two of us. Here we were, two loud Americans (Sam is Canadian, but we got grouped together as “The Americans”), thrown into the mix with a predominately European population. We learned to take the piss with the Brits, how to train hard with the European PKRA riders, and party hard with the

local South Africans. That’s what was so great about this trip. It was a chance for Sam and me to mingle with the huge variety of people that make up our sport. By the end of our adventure we had an overwhelming feeling of acceptance from our European counterparts. It felt like by coming to Cape Town we showed effort on our end to strengthen our international kite community and we were rewarded with open arms and plenty of smiles.

i

initially booked my trip with the intention of kiting as much as possible. Like most kiters I chase the wind and crave the next session. However, after a few weeks I really wanted to see what else Cape Town had to offer. In our short month in South Africa we managed to see all the typical tourist attractions. We climbed Lion’s Head, swam with seals, shared beaches with penguins, went wine tasting, and even managed to hike to the very south end of Cape Point. We couldn’t believe all the things this place has to offer, and we barely even scratched the surface.

Not only is there plenty of non-kite related stuff to do, but the food is amazing. We had several five-star meals for under $20

Maika Monroe on her way to the beach.

Photo James Boulding

Photo BS Media Photo BS Media

Photo BS Media

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Photo BS Media

a person. If you’re a true foodie then you must go check out the Biscuit Mill on Saturday mornings. It is the best food market in the whole city and you can get amazing fruits, pies, great coffee, micro brews on tap, and a whole variety of traditional and fresh delicacies. We would regularly buy several things and stock up with a few days' worth of lunches. If I had to recommend anything I would get some fresh crepes to snack on and then stop by the Pesto Princess booth for an amazing take-away sandwich. Just make sure you go early as it’s usually absolutely packed and the good food runs out quick. It’s a great way to spend the morning eating and people watching in the heart of Cape Town.

Along with the Biscuit Mill, spending a day at Camps Bay and hiking Table Mountain are some of the absolute must dos! This is not the place to sleep in. Getting out early helps set up the day and makes sure you don’t get blown off the water in the afternoon. I think variety is the spice of life and Cape Town really delivered. If you really wanted to you could have a new activity every day, making it ideal for travel with non-kiting friends or family.

Most North Americans don’t seem to have Cape Town on their list of must-do places. When it comes time to book winter travel, Hawaii, the Caribbean Islands, and Mexico seem to have much more appeal. The travel time is shorter, they are closer to home, and, in Hawaii’s case, it’s still within the country. However, I highly urge more Americans to take the plunge and travel to this stunning country. The scenery is beautiful, the cost of living is low, and everyone speaks English. I found it really easy to fall into life in Cape Town. Accommodations can range from the gypsy traveler at the Mystic House to lavish beachfront houses. It’s surprising how Photo BS Media

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much you can get for your money in South Africa. Comparable places stateside would be double or triple the rate.

Traveling from the states seemed like a mission. I can personally tell you that I was definitely feeling jet lag with the ten-hour time difference between the West Coast and South Africa. It’s nothing that a few kite sessions won’t shake off though. The hardest thing for most people will be remembering what side of the road to drive on, which is harder than you might think. South Africans drive on the left hand side of the road and the driver’s seat is on the right. I certainly made a few turns onto the wrong side of the road followed quickly by panic and a really fast U-turn. It sure was funny to see Sam squirm being that he was the one that put the credit card down for our ride. Unlike the large car culture of America everyone here drives relatively small cars like much of Europe. Now I get why when foreigners come to the states they are so amazed by all the giant trucks. As Sam mentioned earlier, our car in Cape Town was by no means a luxury ride, shook violently at 140 kph (85 mph), and only one of the doors opened from the outside.

Maybe we shouldn’t have rented from Rent-a-Cheapie after all but it got us around the country in one piece although there were plenty of close calls along the way.

By the end of the trip we had hiked countless miles, kited in several new and exciting spots, made a ton of new friends, and really got to live the South African lifestyle. It is really obvious why this corner of the earth has been so popular with kiteboarders and it really found a spot in our hearts. I can easily say that come next winter I will be heading south to spend my time in wonderful Cape Town. I highly encourage everyone else to do the same!

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It’s always worth it to leave the beaten path behind. Deep in the outer islands of Indonesia, Reo Stevens sets up for another barrel over shallow reef. JASON WOLCOTT

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D o t p i r T y M 38

Alec Dektor on his very first photo shoot trip. Photo Paul Lang

d n a l s I y e k n Do

By Alec Dektor

WHILE CHECKING MY EMAIL ONE EVENING I WAS SURPRISED TO FIND A MESSAGE FROM THE F-ONE OFFICE. The message was a casual invite to join the international team for a ten-day photo shoot on a small, remote island. At first I figured the dates in the email must have been wrong, as the start of trip it mentioned was less than a week away. This was the first time I’d ever been invited to a photo shoot and I was really excited about the opportunity to meet the team. I responded to the email saying I was really excited to go, but I asked what the actual dates were as they had obviously sent me the wrong ones.

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Photo Gilles Calvet

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t turned out the dates were right, so the next day at school I talked to my high school teachers, lined up what work I needed to do, and was able to get the OK to miss a week and a half of school. Just three days before I was supposed to leave, I was still unsure if the trip was definitely going to happen. I didn’t know any details and I didn’t even have the flight booked. Going from the mindset of not being sure if the trip was actually happening to standing in an airport a few days later was crazy to me. It all happened so quickly that checking my bags and walking through the security line seemed surreal.

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After making my way to the right gate at LAX, I met up with Paul Lang. He had also been invited on this last-minute trip with the same short notice. We soon found out that our early-morning flight had been delayed by four hours. This was going to cause us to miss our two connecting flights, one of which was a chartered flight we were supposed to be on with the rest of the crew to get to our final destination. This trip was my first time flying without my parents (I’m only 17), so I was a little nervous. We explored all our options but there was simply no way to make our connecting flights. I think my parents were

more nervous than I was, especially when they heard we had trouble with our flights. They kept calling to make sure everything was OK and to get an update on our travel info.

Luckily, everything worked out even though we ended up losing a full day and had to spend a night in a random hotel full of cruise ship passengers. This was definitely not as much fun as spending the day kiting would have been, but at least we made it.

We arrived on the island the next day and met Tom, who runs the hotel we would be based out of. Tom picked us up in a small pickup so I jumped in the back while Paul hopped in the cab. One of the first things I noticed were the wild donkeys – they seemed to be everywhere. Around almost every corner we would find a pack of donkeys simply wandering around like they owned the place. Suddenly it started pouring rain and I was getting soaked in the back along with our bags that held our cameras and computers.

Tom and Paul were talking and didn’t notice right away.

When they did finally notice, they stopped, put the bags in the cab, and left me to continue getting soaked in the back of the truck!

Because of our delayed flights, Paul and I arrived a day later than everyone else. We ran into Raphael Salles right after we arrived and heard about the day they had spent exploring the island and kiting a wave they found. At dinner that

Photo Paul Lang

Photo Gilles Calvet

Photo Paul Lang

Photo Gilles Calvet

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Photo Paul Lang

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Photo Paul Lang

I had a really frustrating time as I the wind was too light for my largest kite and I just couldn’t manage to get upwind at all.

Photo Paul Lang

evening photographer Gilles Calvet opened his laptop and showed me the pictures of Mitu Monteiro, Mika Fernandez, and Raphael on the wave from just a few hours before. The photos were really intimidating. The wave looked really heavy and the water was so shallow that I could see pieces of the coral reef sticking out the water. The conditions looked nothing like what I usually ride in at home in California and I have to admit that I suddenly got a little nervous. At dinner I also got to meet Céline Rodenas and Robert Graham, F-One’s new kite designer.

During dinner I found out how this island was picked as our destination. Raphael was looking for a new location to take the team for a photo shoot to get images of the new F-One Trust kite. He had found an old article in a windsurfing magazine that was full of photos showing a really good wave. Raph thought the location would be a great place for a photo shoot, but the article didn’t name the island. After a lot of research involving looking at Google Maps and weather patterns, Raph’s best guess was that this was the island from the article, so F-One planned a last minute trip to see if he was right. When they landed, the first thing they did was rent a small van and drive around the island looking for waves.

Breaking on an outside reef far from shore they found what they were looking for – the unnamed location from the windsurfing article. After asking locals a lot of questions we realized that this wave still has no name and is mainly known on the island as the worst place to go swimming or snorkeling. At dinner we talked about whether we should disclose the location or not, and we all agreed that a secret should stay a secret. In honor of the free-roaming donkeys (one walked past our table just as we were sitting down to dinner), we decided to call this place Donkey Island.

The next day we had a leisurely breakfast and packed the van to go check the waves. Every time we loaded into the van was interesting to say the least. We fit nine people plus gear for everybody in a minivan. Fortunately the island was so small that we were never in the van for very long. On the way to the spot, my adrenaline was pumping in anticipation of kiting the wave I had seen in the photos. However, when we stopped for a surf check we saw that the swell had dropped considerably and we all decided it wasn’t worth the effort to ride there.

Because of the offshore wind direction and location far from shore, we had to organize a safety/photo boat for every session at the wave. We decided to play in the small onshore surf just around the corner instead. I was anxious to ride the good surf spot but was also secretly glad to have a mellow warm-up session first.

Photo Paul Lang

The swell picked back up on the next day, but the wind also dropped. We were launching on the opposite side of the island and then riding downwind to the wave, but first we had to get upwind a little to clear the corner of the island. I had a really frustrating time as the wind was too light for my largest kite and I just couldn’t manage to get upwind at all. Only Raph, Mika, and Mitu were able to get around the corner to meet Paul and Gilles who were waiting next to the wave in our photo boat (one of only three boats on the island).

I sat on the beach in defeat, frustrated that I couldn’t be riding with the rest of the team. That night at

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Raphael Salles (AKA The Boss) bottom turns over the reef at an unnamed wave. Photo Paul Lang

dinner I was even more frustrated when I saw the photos of the clean waves they were able to get.

I woke up the next day determined to get to the wave spot, but I was still nervous about the shallow reef. The swell had dropped off a bit compared to the day before, but there were still some good sets coming in. The wind was much better than the previous day and I had plenty of power on a 9m kite. It felt good to be powered and my confidence started to go up as we rode to the other side of the island. I started out really cautious but ended up with some good waves. I also got scraped by the reef one time when I fell, but luckily it wasn’t too bad. It was just a little reminder that the bottom here was a lot different than the sand bottoms at most of the spots I usually ride.

Photo Paul Lang

Photo Gilles Calvet

That night at dinner I felt really good as I finally got to see photos of myself on the screen as we looked over the day’s best images. As the trip went on I felt more and more confident every day, but unfortunately the swell kept dropping and so did the wind.

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My roommate for the trip was Mitu, which was really fun. We even had a good time chasing a few cockroaches out of our room. Mitu taught me a lot about surfing and kitesurfing a wave like the one we found here. I really learned a lot from just being in the water around him. By the end of the trip I really felt like a member of the team, but one big challenge for me was the language barrier. Even though everyone spoke at least some English, French was the main language of the group.

For instance Gilles had to explain where and how to ride for photos in two different languages. On the bright side I ended up learning a little French, which I knew none of at the beginning of the trip.

After nine days of being focused on riding waves and getting photos it was time to head back to the real world of cold water, high school, and homework. The trip was a great experience.

My riding got much better from kiting a new wave and hanging out with such experienced kiters. Even though I had homework to do on the trip I managed to fall way behind and I am still getting grief from a few of my teachers. It was all well worth it though and I can’t wait to do it all over again.

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THE SCENE

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1. Sierra Snowkite’s Tyler Brown, Derek Brown, and Jared Licht deep in the Tahoe backcountry. PHOTO TYLER BROWN 2. Pete Cabrinha literally has a monkey on his back.

PHOTO JASON WOLCOTT 3. The Best team rollin’ in style in South Africa. PHOTO JAMES BOULDING 4. Just another day of monkeying around at the beach. PHOTO LYSANNE LAVIGNE 5. It’s a little known fact that it always looks windier when you’re upside down.

PHOTO VERENA HAASE 6. Jon McCabe found a mother whale and her calf in Maui.

PHOTO JON MCCABE 7. Jason Slezak, putting out the vibe. PHOTO PAUL LANG 8. One thing you can say about the Pro Leezure team is that they definitely have balls.

PHOTO PRO LEEZURE 9. Alby, Annabel, Seon, Anders, Liam, and Johnny wasting the night away on the Cabrinha Quest. PHOTO GEORGE KARELLAS 10. Kites happen to make a great wind break for dogs. PHOTO BRIAN CASERIO 11. Landlocked in Afghanistan dreaming of warm weather and a strong breeze. PHOTO BRYAN EAGLE SHAW 12. Erika and Johnny Heineken taking a break on the Delta. PHOTO JESSICA STANLEY 13. The 2013 La Ventana TKB Test Crew: Ready for the shootout. PHOTO PAUL LANG 14. Dimitri Maramenides, kiteboarding’s class clown. PHOTO MOMI 15. Céline Rodenas getting ready to ride. PHOTO PAUL LANG 16. Jess Salcido, excited about the perfect La Ventana conditions. PHOTO PAUL LANG 17. Dave (Thor) and Norm (Captain Canada) Beddows at the Beer Pong Championships of the World of La Ventana. PHOTO PRO LEEZURE 18. Somewhere in Baja. PHOTO PAUL LANG 19. Galen Gears and Christian Zapiain riding until sunset at South Padre Island. Photo Manuel Kalionchiz 20. Jason McCaffrey toughing it out while Jason Slezak digs for urchin spines. PHOTO PAUL LANG 21. Patrick Rebstock taking it easy after a busy afternoon of testing Engine harness prototypes. PHOTO CHEEBA GOON 22. Doubling up at a Nobile photo shoot in Greece.

PHOTO LUKAS NAZDRACZEW 23. Maika Monroe, one of the newest additions to the Best Kiteboarding team. PHOTO JAMES BOULDING 24. Photographer Gilles Calvet in the crystal clear waters of Donkey Island. PHOTO PAUL LANG 25. Sensi Graves, all smiles in Baja. PHOTO BRANDON SCHEID If you have a photo you would like to see in The Kiteboarder Magazine, send it to editor@thekiteboarder.com.

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PROFILED Tips:

• Always do what makes you happy.

I guess this applies to more than just kiteboarding. Keep smiling and keep shredding!

• Ride some cable! It’s such a good crossover sport for kiting and you can literally pick a time and date to go ride with no waiting for the right conditions.

• Try something new every session.

You’ll be surprised with what you can learn.

Photo Vincent Bergeron

CRAIG CUNNINGHAM AGE: 26 YEARS KITING: 7 FAVORITE SPOTS: REAL Slick (Cape Hatteras), Taiba (Brazil), Nitro City (Panama) SPONSORS: North Kiteboarding, Rip Curl, Rockstar, ION, Von Zipper

GEAR

BOARD: North Gambler KITE: North Vegas HARNESS: ION Hummer

Canadian Craig Cunningham is from Port Dover, a small town located on the shore of Lake Erie. He grew up playing lots of hockey in the winter and skateboarding in the summer. One day he saw a few kiteboarders and asked them how to learn. One of the kiters sold him a kite on the spot and he’s been at it ever since.

When, where, and why did you start kiteboarding? I started kiteboarding seven years ago on Lake Erie. I was hanging out on the beach when a handful of guys went out. I asked one of the dudes how to get started and he sold me a kite and gave me a quick lesson. I spent a whole summer blasting downwind until I got sick of running up the beach. With no sailing background, I didn’t really get the whole upwind thing. I headed to Cape Hatteras and took a lesson at REAL. That’s where I really got stoked on the sport and have been back to REAL every spring since.

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I think most Americans think of Canada as the land of hockey and snow. What’s

the kiteboarding scene like up there?

It’s really growing quickly in Canada as is the cable wakeboarding scene. On the Great Lakes we actually have a lot longer season than most people expect. Most of the locals are out in March, ride until November, and then the snow season kicks in.

It sounds like you first learned to kite on your own but then ended up taking a lesson. What do you tell people now when they say they want to learn to kite?

Kiting is so user-friendly now but it’s still dangerous if you don’t know what’s going on. Taking a lesson can be the difference between learning in a couple hours or spending all season trying to learn.

Do you exclusively ride in boots? What is it about boots that you like compared to straps? I’ve been riding boots since I could go upwind. It just feels right and I like the support they offer. Boots make it easier to take hard landings and allow me to ride with more power. I spend a lot of time hitting features so it just makes sense for that type

of riding. Really the only downfall comes when you crash. It hurts a little more, but that just keeps you motivated to not crash next time!

Even though you’re focused on wakestyle riding do you ever get the urge to go for a good ol’ big air dangle session? All the time! Anyone who doesn’t isn’t using the kite to its full potential in my opinion. Who doesn’t love sending it when they’re all lit up? If I just wanted to do wakestyle tricks I’d hang out at the cable park. This is kiteboarding at the end of the day. What I do during a session really depends on the conditions.

What about the Vegas works well for your riding style? I’m really happy with the Vegas.

It had been a while since I was on a C-kite and I’m loving it! On the wakestyle setting it slacks really well during air tricks and is super stable and predictable. On the freestyle setting it’s a looping machine.

You’ve been doing a lot of traveling lately.

Any spot stand out as a favorite? Any destinations you haven’t been yet that you want to visit? Yea, it has been a crazy year!

I had a pretty insane trip through Southeast Asia with Sam Medysky, David Drinkwater, and some other friends. Mui Ne, Vietnam, was probably the highlight. As for spots I want to check out, I’d really like to head to Europe and cruise through some spots over there!

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PROFILED

TIPS:

• Get a good start and go the right way.

• Do something every day that scares you.

• Loop it!

ERIKA HEINEKEN

What do you think about kite racing after the recent in-thenout Olympic GEAR debacle? Has BOARDS: Mike’s Lab with Tectonics Maui fins and any surfboard, it changed skimboard, twin tip, or foil board I can get my hands on what you focus KITES: Ozone Edge and Catalyst HARNESS: Dakine and Engine on when you ride? It was temporarily Erika grew up in the San Francisco Bay exciting for our sport to be in the Olympic Area in a sailing family and spent lots spotlight, but since the reversal I’m relieved of time on the water but didn’t sail to have the freedom to continue developing competitively until she was at college in course racing. I wish the International Vermont. The current Women’s Course Kiteboarding Association would give us more Racing World Champion, Erika windsurfed slack, however. I feel like they continue to with her dad and her brother (Johnny establish crazy regulations without really Heineken, the current Men’s Course Racing listening to the concerns of the competitors.

World Champion) at Crissy Field for a few There’s no reason to cap the development years until she learned to kite and then now. The ride has only just begun. never went back. Learn more about Erika at http://erikaheineken.com.

Many kiteboarders recognize your name because they’ve seen it in racing When, where, and why did you start results. Do you spend much time riding kiteboarding? I spent Christmas vacation of a twin tip or surfboard? My love for kiting 2008 in Costa Rica. I owe my kiteboarding emerged not from tense moments on the career to Bob at Cometa Copal, who worked starting line, but from weekend camping on Christmas Day to teach me and my crazy with friends and learning new tricks. Most best friend how to kiteboard. I was hooked racers ride other boards often. In Los from day one.

Barriles last month our crew got so tired of our race boards that we rode Johnny’s Was racing the primary reason you hydrofoil board until the foil fell off! started kiting? Absolutely not. After two seasons windsurfing I still couldn’t jibe, but by Is there any rivalry between you and your day three of kiting I could, and immediately brother when it comes to race results? the possibilities opened for me. Kiting None whatsoever, he’s the fastest guy in the gave me the thrill that I couldn’t quite get world! We support each other on and off the with windsurfing, and it continues to do so water and I couldn’t imagine having a better whether or not I’m on a race board. brother and friend.

AGE: 26 YEARS KITING: 4 FAVORITE SPOTS: Crissy Field, Sherman Island, Tuba SPONSORS: Ozone, Silicon Valley Bank, St. Francis Sailing Foundation, Mike’s Lab, Tectonics Maui

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Photo Roberto Foresti

Why do you think the San Francisco race scene is so much stronger than anywhere else in the country? The strength of our local racers derives from a combination of the St. Francis Yacht Club running organized events, the San Francisco weather consistently delivering wind, and our fleet continuing to test and develop the best gear. Now that race boards are more accessible to purchase, I think we’ll start to see many local fleets developing internationally.

We’re lucky that kiting has unique ingredients to make it more accessible, more fun, and less costly than other sailing classes.

What do you have to say to other girls who want to kiteboard but feel intimidated by it? I don’t understand why it’s more difficult for women to commit to kiteboarding than men.

I wish friends of mine would fly by the seat of their pants a little bit more, but I’ve stopped trying to force them into it. The drive must come from within, and you must be willing to put yourself out there and get beat up a little. If you have what it takes to get past the learning stage, you will never go back.

What is something you do outside of kiteboarding that most people wouldn’t know? I’m an engineer.

What has been your most memorable kiteboarding experience so far?

Winning the World Championships with my brother is up there, but it’s difficult to decide between my road trip to La Ventana, snowkiting trips to Utah, long days at Sherman plus long nights rockin’ out to DJ Guacamole, hiking along the California coast to kite our secret spot, and riding around for hours with friends and stealing each other’s boards.

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EXPOSED

CLASSIC GORGE “This was a classic Gorge sunset session with strong winds and beautiful lighting,” said Matt Elsasser, shown here above the Washington/Oregon border. “My twin brother Cole was able to snap this shot while fighting the strong currents of the Columbia River. For me this image perfectly captures the raw beauty, size, and power of the Gorge.” Photo Cole Elsasser

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EXPOSED

IN THE BACKCOUNTRY Packy Cronin finds plenty of room in Montana. “This photo did not come easy,” said photographer Joe Irons. “This location is about a 15-mile snowmobile ride into the Madison Range backcountry. I had noticed this photo opportunity a month earlier and went back with some friends on a windy bluebird day.” Photo Joe Irons

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EXPOSED

ROOM TO ROAM Years of traveling around the globe has enabled me to discover many amazing locations for wind and waves,” said long time pro rider Bertrand Fleury. “This is one of my favorite spots in western Java, Indonesia. It’s an amazing left hander and totally uncrowded.” Photo Quincy Dein

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EXPOSED

SPRING BLOWS

HERE (and we mean that in a good way.)

Contrary to what you might think, the wind is usually strong in La Ventana in the Spring.

The water ’s warm and uncrowded, and Ventana Windsports has great discounts!

As usual when you stay with us, you’ll be in a baja-deluxe room, right on the beach, with the best launch for beginners and experts alike. The food is awesome and so is the giant hot tub.

www.VentanaWindsports.com

Think about a quick visit to get tuned up for the upcoming season up north!

Besides... staying home blows.

(And we mean that in a bad way.)

Ventana Windsports 59 www.VentanaWindsports.com

Reo Stevens, somewhere in the land of Oz.

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Deep South

By Reo Stevens I Photos By Jason Wolcott

SOME OF THE BEST PLANS ARE THE ONES NEVER MADE. Spontaneity is one of the things that keeps life interesting and takes the monotony out of the predictable schedule of our everyday routines. There is very little in my life that I am more passionate about than riding waves.

Tracking a swell from the birth of a storm to actually catching and riding the waves they create is something I love to do. Even though tracking swells and anticipating the coming waves is something I relish, sometimes the buildup and knowledge of what’s to come steals some of the magic from the day when the waves actually arrive.

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o

ut of nowhere I got an email from Western Australia’s Ryland Blakeney saying there was a large swell headed in his direction and that I should get on a plane as soon as possible. Ryland is known for his adventures centered around chasing crazy mutant waves and I couldn’t find a single reason to turn down his offer. I knew nothing about the place and didn’t even look at the forecast. I just took Ryland’s word for it and booked a ticket.

Since I live in Hawaii, I was quite a long distance away from Australia and had no time to waste to get there in time to get the swell. Less than 18 hours after getting the email I was boarding a plane for the 24-hour journey to Western Australia to meet up with Ryland and a few other daring people to head south into a world of possibilities. The trip began with an early morning flight from Honolulu to Sydney where I made a brief stop before traveling further onto Perth. This is where I met up with Ryland and the rest of the crew. One of the conditions of allowing me to come on this trip was that I could not say the name or exact location of where we were going to anyone for fear of attracting a crowd. That turned out to not be a problem as I doubt I’d even be able to find the place again or point it out on a map.

On this trip I was flying completely blind.

I had seen a few blurry photos of waves in the area, but I was mainly going on the faith that Ryland knew best. The crew was outfitted with two brand new (and completely necessary) four wheel drive vehicles courtesy of Jeep and Ryland’s jet ski for rescue and towsurfing possibilities.

We were headed to “Nowheresville,” Western Australia, and we were on our own if anything went wrong.

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We arrived at the destination the day before the peak of the swell. We were at a break that Ryland has frequented often.

He has many stories, both good and bad, to tell from this place. The last time he was here his jet ski was hit by a wave and washed onto the rocks, completely totaling it. Needless to say, Ryland was a little hesitant to head back out here

“ LESS THAN 18 HOURS AFTER GETTING THE EMAIL I WAS

BOARDING A PLANE FOR THE 24-HOUR JOURNEY TO WESTERN AUSTRALIA TO MEET UP WITH RYLAND AND A FEW OTHER DARING PEOPLE TO HEAD SOUTH INTO A WORLD OF POSSIBILITIES.”

without giving it a proper assessment. The swell hadn’t fully filled in yet, but there were still plenty of waves coming through.

The wind was a little light, but there was still enough to go on our big kites. After all, we didn’t come all this way to sit on a beach. We shared a great session as the wind and waves picked up throughout the day and we left the beach smiling in anticipation of the next day knowing that we had only seen the beginning of the swell.

The next morning we awoke to the roar of the swell in full effect.

We knew that this day was the day. Everyone had butterflies and no one said much as we loaded up and drove to the only spot we thought might be able to handle the swell. We sat perched in the howling wind on top of a ridge overlooking a wide aqua marine colored bay. The swell was truly pumping and the wind was gusting in the thirties, maybe even forty on the outside. We watched a spot at the extreme left side of the bay to see if the wave we hoped for was working. After five minutes, a large set appeared on the distant horizon and as it approached the rock slab at the tip of the point Ryland began yelling, “Look at this set boys!” The wave formed a widow’s peak as the lip hurled itself onto the barnacle-covered rock shelf that lies mere inches below

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the surface. The first section of the lip was ripped off by the wind and spray blew downwind for at least 100 yards.

My eyes were wide open in amazement while looking at one of the heaviest waves I’d ever seen in person. The photos and videos that you see of the Western Australian slabs can give you a case of the butterflies while sitting behind your computer.

When you see one of these waves in person, especially with the intent of actually trying to ride one, those butterflies can become a flurry of angry pterodactyls trying to beat their way out very quickly. The feeling seemed mutual throughout the group. I’m not entirely sure everyone felt that we were there to check the spot with the intent to ride it and instead were only checking it to give it a look because when the question, “Where do we launch?” broke the silence there were a few surprised and nervous faces. Personally, I had just flown nearly halfway around the world to kite a slab and this being a bit heavier than what I had in mind wasn’t about to cause me to let this opportunity pass by. Ryland decided that he would sit on the jet ski and stand by in case one of us needed to be rescued.

Getting off the beach was no easy task. The winds were gusting from nothing to 35 knots and the shore break left little room for error, not an easy combination. Timing was everything. I waited on the beach for about ten minutes looking for the right combination of a gust of wind and a lull in the waves to make my way to the outside break. As my kite went into the air it was nothing short of a dance of six

steps forward and four steps back just trying to keep my kite in the sky. When I finally made it to the water, I jumped on my board and rode about forty feet extremely overpowered only to instantly stop, fall backwards, and watch my kite start to fall out of the sky. I thought that this was it for me and I would soon be swimming back to shore in defeat with a wet kite and a ball of spaghetti for lines while trying to block out the memory of all the hungry shadows swimming around that we had seen earlier. But somehow, just a few feet above the water, a gust of wind hit my kite and sent it skyrocketing back into the air, giving me just enough time to make it outside the shore break and out into the steady wind line.

It was only pure luck that allowed me to make it outside to the wind line. The others tried repeatedly to make it out but to no avail. Each of them only got a few yards offshore to either get taken out by the shore pound or have the wind lull and their kites fall out of the sky before swimming back to the beach.

All the nervousness that I had been feeling went away the moment I got outside of the shore break. I must have been holding my breath during the entire experience of getting out because once I made it to the steady wind line I took several deep breaths in relief. For me, I am always most nervous on the beach while looking at the conditions, but once on the water adrenaline kicks in and the nervousness disappears. As I tacked upwind towards the wave I started to realize just how big it actually was. There is a point when a wave gets big enough that

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it appears to be breaking in slow motion. As I got closer and closer I was mesmerized by its beauty and power while watching the twisted beast break top to bottom. It was a breathtaking sight and a feeling that I will never forget.

The waves in this area are different in the sense that the sets were the only waves that came in. Normally the sets would be a group of the biggest waves within a swell with smaller waves breaking between them, but here the set waves were the only ones that came through. With no waves to offer in between, the big ones were the only options. I spent about ten minutes tacking back and forth in the channel while assessing the situation by looking at the wind angle, where the wave was breaking, and how close it was to the rocks on the inside. Everything looked like it would line up perfect, swell direction, wind angle, and everything else. The only hindrance would be how close it was to the exposed rocks on the inside as I did not want to end up getting washed onto them if I fell. Ryland was on the ski ready to rescue me and that was enough of a reassurance to help me believe that the wave was rideable. After a few more tacks in and out, a lull in the sets came and I figured it was as good as time as any to head into the lineup to try and catch one.

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hen the next set came through I figured it was best to take the last one in so no more waves would be behind it in case I did fall to give myself some sort of margin of error. As I came in on my first wave, I watched this massive wall of water in front of me start to suck from the bottom up and begin to break. I began my bottom turn and set my line. It wasn’t the exact line that I wanted as there was a boil that created a step in the wave causing me to bottom turn wider than I wanted to leaving me a bit more on the shoulder than I needed to be to get completely in the barrel. However, I wasn’t too disappointed as this wave was big and gnarly and playing it safe on the first one wouldn’t be a bad thing. Like watching from the channel earlier, time seemed to slow down and I could hear the roar from the wave behind me.

It took all my concentration to stay on the board and keep my line for the channel while avoiding the rocks and unpleasantness that was waiting for me on the inside if I fell. I must have been holding my breath again because when I kicked off the wave I exhaled in relief and looked at Ryland sitting in the channel with his hands up claiming the ride for me.

I tacked back out to get another wave and rode a few others, finding that the boil I discovered on the first ride was there causing that weird step in every wave. It was a troublesome obstacle as I could not set the line I wanted to as I would need to air drop on the step while strapless and overpowered (I should probably point out that it was blowing 35 knots and I was extremely overpowered on a 7m, in serious need of a 5m). I did my best with what I had, but when it was all said and done, I knew what could be done differently and wanted to go back with what I learned to better ride the wave. Its potential is jaw dropping and has given me a goal for the future. I’m hoping to come back, possibly with foot straps, but at least with a correctly sized kite and get as deep in the barrel as possible. Hopefully next time someone else will make it out with me because there’s nothing more thrilling and inspiring than seeing your mates charging harder than you.

This session is definitely one that will stick out in my mind for a long time, not necessarily because of the wave itself as bigger and gnarlier waves have been ridden. It was a special day because of the entire experience. We were in the middle of nowhere with nobody other than our own crew around for miles.

We were completely on our own if anything were to go wrong. It was quite an exhilarating and humbling experience, and that was with everything going right.

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“ I MUST HAVE BEEN HOLDING MY BREATH AGAIN BECAUSE WHEN I KICKED OFF THE WAVE I EXHALED IN RELIEF AND LOOKED AT RYLAND SITTING IN THE CHANNEL WITH HIS HANDS UP CLAIMING THE RIDE FOR ME. ”

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WISH LIST

1. GARMIN

2. EPIC KITES

3. ENGINE SHOP

4. FIX MY KITE

5. DRYCASE

6. MYSTIC BOARDING

7. MYSTIC BOARDING

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8. PATAGONIA

1. GARMIN FORERUNNER 910XT — An all-in-one device

5. DRYCASE BACKPACK — Keep your stuff nice and

to measure distance, pace, elevation, and heart rate.

Keep track of your mileage and time on the water. $399.99, www.garmin.com 2. EPIC KITES TRANSPORTER BAG — Perfect for travel to your local beach or halfway around the world, the Transporter can hold about ten kites, two twin tips, and four bars. $249, www.epickites.com 3. ENGINE SHOP ARMOR CUSTOM — A custom madeto-order waist harness with a rigid carbon composite shell that spreads the load from your kite and keeps your spreader bar from riding up. $290, www.ride-engine.com 4. FIX MY KITE ER FIX KIT — A reusable bag filled with all the essentials for basic do-it-yourself sail, bladder, bridle, and line repairs. $49.95, www.fixmykite.com

dry. Features an inflation compression system and only weighs 2.4 pounds. $79.99, www.drycase.com 6. MYSTIC BOARDING FORCE IMPACT KITE D30 2013 — Let this zipless impact vest with D30 shock absorption technology take the beatings for you. $174.95, www.mysticboarding.com 7. MYSTIC BOARDING WARRIOR 2013 — Mystic’s most popular harness gets updated with even smoother edges, better wrap around for your back, and the new LowTorque 4th Generation Clickerbar that will not ride up. $269.95, www.mysticboarding.com 8. PATAGONIA WAVEFARER BOARD SHORT — Tried and true, these are live-in-them board shorts made of Supplex Nylon with a DWR finish and a 21” outseam. $59, www.patagonia.com

CORRECTION: In our previous issue (Vol. 9, No. 4) the Axis Kiteboarding UTS Footpad/Strap System was mistakenly labeled as Airush. Learn more at www.axiskiteboarding.com

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15 MINUTES

DeeDee cruises by the Lanai shipwreck. Photo Bonetti

This issue’s winning photo (above) takes home a pair of Patagonia’s Wavefarer Board Shorts. Send your photos to editor@thekiteboarder.com to get your 15 minutes of fame and a chance to win something from Patagonia.

Jan Marcos Riveras in the DR. Photo Jancsi Hadik

Christian Canese in Stuart Beach, Florida. Photo Claire Canese

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Jim Demarco carving away in La Ventana, Baja. Photo Whitey Golm

Ken Kerr, international man of mystery, spotted in La Ventana.

Photo Paul Lang

Andrey Salnik makes the pass but loses the hat. Photo Maria Enfondo

Roderick Pijls training in Brazil. Photo Nick de Bruijn

Rocky Chatwell passes in front of Nicolas Bascunana-Dulac. Photo Helen Trotman

Rob Buell sliding around in Islamorada.

Photo Sean Buell

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Dominique Legaignoux an the early kiteboarding Airush believes the Zeroprepares kite will for open door to a wholetest newin 1985. level of ultra light wind kiting. Photo Ydwer van der Heide

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STRUT YOUR

STUFF. OR NOT.

By Marina Chang and Gary Martin

IN THE BEGINNING THERE WERE FIVE. THEN THERE WERE SEVEN. THEN THREE. Over the past ten years we’ve flown kites featuring one, two, three, four, five, six, seven, and even nine struts.

This year, for the first time ever, we are seeing production kites with zero struts. While their designers all claim they are lighter, more compact when packed, and feature better low end performance than kites with struts, they each took different approaches to their creations. Just as existing strutted kites can’t be put in a single performance category, strutless kites will each have their own unique personality. Strutless kites promise to be cheaper to build and easy to travel with, but the sudden appearance of multiple strutless kites on the market got us interested enough to look into why companies are suddenly so interested in this concept.

Four companies that we know of will introduce strutless kites in 2013. The Zero is Airush’s 18m kite designed for kiting in ultra-light wind conditions.

Naish is introducing the Trip, a 10m strutless kite targeted at riders who want one all-around go-to kite. Former Naish board designer Greg Drexler launched Boardriding Maui in 2011 and released the strutless Cloud kites in January of this year. The Cloud is available in a full range of sizes from 5m to 17m. Liquid Force is currently refining a strutless kite with the expectation of offering a full range of sizes with their 2014 line. Strutless kites are too new for us to get any meaningful consumer feedback in terms of overall performance, value, durability, and fun factor, but we spoke with each designer to find out what they believe is so promising about strutless kites and what we can expect from each brand.

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Greg Drexler turned heads when he unveiled the Cloud kites at the Naish Race Series last August.

Photo Scott Drexler

Designer Mark Pattison says the Zero’s wind range will be around 5-12 knots for a 145 lb. rider. Photo Ydwer van der Heide

“We started development on the strutless kite concept back in 2009 after trying to go one more step towards simplicity from the ONE kite,” said Airush Kite Designer Mark Pattison. “At the start we just wanted to see how simple we could go. After a while we figured out how suitable the kites are for light wind because of the radical power to weight ratio.”

A strutless kite was also the natural progression for Naish. “We went down to three struts with the Park and then played with the idea of one strut but weren’t happy with the result,” said Naish’s Damien Giradin. “I then went to two struts with the Ride which turned out to be such a good kite that it felt natural to move forward and design a strutless kite.”

Greg Drexler started out with the premise that a kite that could go flat would offer greater depower performance and that reducing the parts that can fail would be a nice added bonus.

“Having never seen it done, I kind of expected it wouldn’t even fly,” he said. “In the end we got better performance than we thought possible, but not for the reasons we imagined before we started.”

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Liquid Force is refining their own strutless design and sees great promise with the concept. Designer Julien Fillion said, “I decided to start flying our current kites without inflating the struts after seeing a strutless kite in Maui last year. I was stunned with the results! I’m excited about the design as I think

A sneak peek at Liquid Force’s 2014 strutless kite. Photo Julien Fillion

strutless kites offer a significant weight reduction which allows them to feel lighter in the air and easier to fly in the low end wind range. Less parts translates into less things that can go wrong and less cost which will also allow us to offer them at a more affordable price point.”

Most riders, including ourselves, have a lot of questions about kites with no struts. How stable are they? How well do they relaunch? Drexler understands the skepticism as he had the same questions when he first started the project. “When on the water the wingtips expose enough of the canopy for it to open without input. It’s normally not necessary to grab an outside line to roll the kite on its side. The swept back leading edge allows you to keep two hands on the bar while relaunching.

For stability, this can be looked at in different ways. Plenty of absolute statements have been made that struts are necessary to stabilize the profile and that higher pressure must be necessary to support the leading edge. That’s really not the case for this design. The profile is set by the broad seaming in the canopy and does not require any further support. Struts do not support the leading edge so there’s no unique requirement for this design.”

Airush believes their Zero kite opens the door for a super light wind segment of kiting to emerge. “Don’t use the Zero if anyone else is kiting on a normal 18m kite as you will get blown off the water!” said Pattison. “The Zero is designed to be used in wind

The Naish Trip targets intermediate to advanced riders that want an all-around kite that packs small for traveling. Photo Quincy Dein

that almost no other kite would relaunch in because there would not be enough wind to make the kite roll over. The Zero has special long wing tips which help to open the canopy and lift it off the water. It works really well.” In terms of stability, Pattison said, “Regarding the kite’s ability to stay over your head without falling in light or gusty winds, then it’s more stable than any kite with struts. If you mean stability in terms of the kite’s canopy fluttering in high winds, then it suffers a bit from this.”

So what advantages and disadvantages do strutless kites offer? “Even though the high end control on the 10m Trip is really good, you will reach a limit where the kite will simply saturate and start fluttering when you sheet out or head downwind,” said Girardin. “For general comparison purposes, strutless kites are similar to battenless windsurfing sails. A soft sail with no battens has great feel, is lightweight, and has good low end power. As speeds, loads, and winds increase, a sail with battens will become better and better at keeping things stable and performing well. A strutless kite, like a battenless sail, will slowly become more difficult to handle and will lose much of its performance, but especially when riding

slow and relatively underpowered, a strutless kite is great.”

Naish has no immediate plans to develop any additional strutless kite sizes. “We believe that our 10m strutless kite is all you need. It covers the low-end performance of a 12m strut kite and the high end of a 10m strut kite. Essentially you have a 9-12m range of kites with the 10m Trip.”

Airush seems to have reached a similar conclusion regarding strutless kites except they believe the design is best suited for light wind conditions. This is why they only plan on offering the 18m Zero kite, at least for now. “At the top end of the kite’s wind range the turbulence you get from depowering the kite causes drag and pushes it back in the wind window,” said Pattison. This can reduce the ability of the kite to depower as efficiently as a kite with struts. We have built strutless kites in all sizes, but we found they don’t offer much of an advantage when it’s windy due to canopy flutter. Once you are powered up and riding, say on a 14m, you may as well have struts to support your canopy.”

Drexler commented that riders can be confused by the different way the Cloud luffs. To his eye, all kites luff at a

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Revolutionary or evolutionary?

Only time will tell whether strutless kites are here to stay.

Photo Scott Drexler

certain angle of attack. “Struts keep localized areas tight so we’ve been accustomed to a limited feeling of luffing,” he said.

“Looking more closely, struts set an angle of attack different than what the canopy between them adjusts to. I don’t think this is good for performance and so I don’t experience the Cloud’s luffing as a disadvantage. In fact this was our goal in introducing the concept and we worked hard to reach maximum depower within a short throw in the bar. Some riders immediately love the on/off handling. For others it doesn’t make sense. And that’s cool because we all have our own handling preferences.”

All the designers seemed to agree that their new strutless kites really shine in the surf due to better drifting performance. Pattison claimed strutless kites offer great drifting, better than any kite with struts. He added that they unhook well in lighter winds, but feels when it’s windy you are better off on a kite with struts. Giradin said, “Whether you’re letting the kite drift or turning it while riding down the line, the Trip is very lightweight, making it great for wave riding.”

Greg Drexler went a step further saying, “If conventional kites have drift, then we need a new word for this performance.

I think weight plays a decent role, but even more so is the profile’s ability to adjust. In gusty conditions it doesn’t shoot forward and overfly. It sort of self corrects. If the wind drops to zero its tendency is to drift back, not fall forward.”

So are we going to see a rush of strutless kites hit the market this year? Chances are not likely as the industry waits to measure consumer interest and feedback on the new concept. “Greg’s work with the strutless kite is interesting and

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innovative,” said Ken Winner, North’s Kite Designer. “I haven’t tried one of his kites, but I’ve watched them in the air for the last year or so and I have to say it looks like Greg has done a good job. The most obvious benefits of going with no struts are low cost and low weight. The most obvious liabilities of few or no struts are lots of luffing and fluttering, particularly in sweeping turns, and weaker power spikes for jumping.

These are standard tradeoffs that kite designers deal with all the time. As for whether North will produce a no-strut kite, the answer is that we’re open to the idea but experience leads us to think that we probably won’t. We’ve explored lower strut counts over the years and are pretty familiar with the tradeoffs. We would rather look for ways to lower cost and weight other than entirely eliminating the struts.”

Strutless kites are an interesting new concept that could carve out a unique niche in kiteboarding. It was 15 years ago that some of us saw the first 2-line Wipika kites. Think of how far this industry has come in such a short period of time. Strutless kites could be the next big thing, they could become a semisuccessful niche product, or they might fade away as a passing trend. Only history will be able to determine the fate of this development, and we’re excited to watch what happens.

TKB will have the chance to test some of the new strutless kites in the coming months. Keep your eyes on http://thekiteboarder.com for our test results.

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ROOTS Photo Stephen Whitesell

By Pat Goodman, Cabrinha Kite Designer

The pulley bars we used on the early Bow kites had several purposes. They were introduced with the 2006 model year when we released the first Cabrinha Crossbow. Basically, the reverse purchase from the pulleys effectively doubled the efficiency of the steering and depower. You could say that this setup nearly doubled the effective length of the control bar and shortened the depower travel. For example the steering response of a 48cm control bar would be as effective and fast as if you were using a non pulley bar nearly twice the length.

This made the kites extremely responsive in both the steering and depower sensitivity. This

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was a huge breakthrough at this time and helped open the door to high performance wave riding.

The enhanced efficiency of the pulley bar gave the rider the responsive steering and additional depower needed to ride waves properly without struggling with the kite.

As a side effect, this also nearly doubled the bar pressure. We moved away from the pulley bar mainly due to the increased bar pressure and added complexity. As the kites and bridles were further developed we were able to get the depower and steering response we were after without the mechanical advantage of the pulley bar.

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true kiteboarding

north freest yle / wakest yle r ange 2013

wake a passion

st efan spie s s be rg e r:

TOM COURT:

ja i m e h e rr a i z :

” U lt r a l ig ht Te x tre m e Ca rb o n ,

” Fo r m e t h e Ga mb le r i s t h e p e r fe ct

” M y P r o Boa rd is a cl as sic!

a h a rd progre s siv e f le x a n d a r e a lly re s pon siv e, di re ct fe el i ng . M y we a po n o f ch oice for th e PK R A Wo r ldc u p. ”

wakest yle to o l. E s p e ci a lly d e sign e d fo r ridi ng b o ots, wh ich m a ke s i t id e a l fo r ri di ng h a r d b e h i nd a k i te o r o n t h e ca b le . ”

Th i s ye a r comp le tely rein v e n ted: s m o oth e r, m u ch l ighte r a n d w i th a pion e e rin g, futu rist ic s h ap e. ”

team series

134 x 40 cm / 137 x 41 cm / 140 x 42 cm

gambler

136 x 41 cm / 139 x 42 cm / 142 x 42.5 cm

jaime

130 x 39 cm / 133 x 40 cm / 136 x 41 cm / 139 x 42 cm www.northkites.com