The Kiteboarder Magazine August 2010

THEKITEBOARDER.COM

13,000 Miles of

Kitesurfing 15 Countries over 145 Days in a VW Van

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From the Beginning:

The Franz Olry Interview

Breaking the Light Wind Barrier Demystifying Instructional:

Design

Nuclear Grab, Unhooking in Waves, Hitting a Slider

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Ian, Lakey Pipe/ Indo

helix the evolution of cutting edge Performance

CUSTOM global Snappy versatility

“Whether you are too deep or trying to slow down and stall for a barrel, the Helix has all the stability and de-power/power you could ever ask for. The Helix allows you to position yourself anywhere on a wave in any given moment no matter how windy it is. In this picture, I used the Helix’s de-power ability to stall and position myself in the spot I desire most.”

“The Naish Global Quad 6’0’’ has solid drive.

It delivers an unbelievable bottom turn and is very fast. Most boards are unstable at high speeds in the barrel, but this quad keeps its’ edge and just drives through any section!

It has the perfect amount of rocker which allows you to do big top turns and airs in the most critical part of the wave.”

5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10.5, 12, 14

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5’0”, 5’4”, 5’7”, 6’0”, 6’2”

helix + global “Equipment that sets you free�

Photo: S.Fournet

Ian alldredge

naiShkiteS.com

Pacific boardsports llc info@pacificboardsports.com (509) 493 0043 t hekit eboar der.c o m 3

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Features

Summer is upon us! Get out there and get on the water! Jon Van Malsen grabs in the Gorge. Photo Dan Schwarz

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Need

Can you kite in six knots?

Breaking the light wind barrier

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From the Beginning The Franz Olry Interview

By Paul Lang

T

here is a good chance that you have no idea who Franz Olry is. If you have heard about him, you probably just know that he currently rides and works for Wainman Hawaii, but Franz’s history in kiteboarding goes all the way back to the beginning. Franz was one

From the beginning:

Cedric and Emmanuel take a break on the world’s largest salt lake, Salar de Uyuni, Bolivia.

Photo Cedric Dupont

of kiteboarding’s first pro riders and he worked closely with Bruno Legaignoux on the development of products at Wipika, kiteboarding’s first inflatable kite brand. At a time when everyone was riding large and unwieldy directional boards, Franz shaped Wipika’s first production twin tip, a board with soft rails and a kicked-up nose and tail that people continued to ride for years.

The roots of pioneer Franz Olry

38 Kitesurfing

13,000 Miles of

By Cedric Dupont

After working for Wipika and later Takoon, Franz disappeared from kiteboarding for a few years before reappearing with Wainman Hawaii, a brand founded by his good friend Lou Wainman. Franz also still shapes boards under his brand name of Alkita that continue to be based on his original Wipika board concept. Now back on the kiteboarding scene, we wanted to talk with Franz about his history in the sport. Not only was Franz an early rider, but he was also an early character in Cabarete and has been traveling to and kiteboarding in Cuba since 2000.

i miles from 13,000 San Francisco to Rio

’ve looked for adventure my whole life. I’m driven by the thrill of the unknown and am in constant pursuit of the next rush of adrenaline, so I didn’t surprise anyone when I announced that I, along with my best friend Emmanuel De Rosnay, had plans to drive from San Francisco, California, to Rio de Janerio, Brazil.

Emmanuel and I are childhood friends from the island of Mauritius, where we grew up together like brothers.

When it was time for us to head to college, I ended up studying in Paris and then found a job in San Francisco while Emmanuel went to Australia. We began planning this trip years ago, and we were finally able to make it happen last fall. Both of us put a halt to our current jobs and relationships and focused on what would become one of the greatest adventures of our lifetimes.

Two kiters make their dream trip a reality

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Demystifying Demystifying Design Design: Kites How kite design

By Paul Lang

affects performance

It never fails. Whenever we bring new gear to the beach to test out, it feels like we’re immediately surrounded by people who like to comment on how it will or won’t work based entirely on how it looks. Everybody seems to have a different opinion on how the kite will perform based on the size of the leading edge, the length of the bridles, how rigid the kite feels, the number of struts, and anything else they can point out.

Now be honest: Do you really know what any of the visual clues on a new kite actually tell you about how it rides? I’ll admit that I don’t have a clue when it comes to the subtle visual clues that you can find on a kite, so we decided to ask the designers to let us know what we can expect to learn by looking at a piece of gear.

Remember, there is no substitute for actually riding a kite to find out if it’s the one for you, but hopefully the information here will help you know what you can expect from a new piece of gear.

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D e pa r t m e n t s 34 Close Up

Naish’s Sam Light and Mystic’s Claire Lutz profiled.

48 Instructional

THEKITEBOARDER.COM

Nuclear grab, unhooking in waves, and how to hit a slider.

64 Analyze This

TKB’s feedback on 9 new 2010 products.

72 Designer’s Corner

13,000 Miles of

Kitesurfing

Designers unveil 5 new kite and board releases.

15 Countries over 145 Days in a VW Van

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85 Workbench

From the Beginning:

The Franz Olry InTervIew

Breaking the Light Wind Barrier demystifying instructional:

design

Nuclear Grab, Unhooking in Waves, Hitting a Slider

Reo Stevens cleans up in Hawaii.

Photo Stephen Whitesell.

Is your wetsuit repairable?

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THINK Get Away and Go Ride

T

hese days, it seems like everyone and everything is always connected to the internet. In making this magazine, I work with people from around the globe, but with email, FTP, and Skype, the only difference between working with someone in France and working with someone down the street from my desk in California is the time of the day I get emails from them. I can write and edit stories from anywhere in the world where there is an internet connection, and when I step away from the computer, I have a phone that allows me to stay permanently connected and updated on what is happening in the kiteboarding world. This connectedness has made almost everything seem easier; everything that is except disconnecting from it all and getting away.

Your Editor, getting away from it all. Photo Kevin Murray

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8/19/09

I usually spend much of my day staring at screens. Even when I am out of the office, I shudder to think how many times a day I glance at my phone to see what emails have come in. My friends all probably think that I’m either going mad or that I’m just rude and would rather type away on a tiny virtual keyboard than pay attention to what they are saying. With the speed at which information 7:52:32 comesAM my way, it’s easy to start to feel a bit overwhelmed by it all, and it almost becomes impossible to imagine shutting it all down for a day to take a break from squinting at backlit LCD screens.

The toughest thing about our connected world is that it has become an addiction for so many of us to be online and it is so hard to fight the urge to check emails, just to see what’s there. The truth of the matter though is that it’s OK to turn it off. It’s all right to take a day off and answer those emails and return the phone calls tomorrow. The problem is that I, and I think a lot of other people out there, just don’t actually want to. We get nervous when we don’t know exactly what is going on and we’ve learned to crave the constant flow of information.

Thankfully, we have kiteboarding. Out on the water, where there are no phones or computer screens, it becomes easy to forget about the unanswered emails. In the water, I focus on finding the next peak or on making it around the section in front of me, and the world of instant messages and multitasking completely disappears from my mind. It all comes rushing back once my feet hit the sand, but for those few hours I spend riding, I don’t think I even once worry about what I need to check off my to-do list. I just ride.

Recently, I spent a fantastic five days in Baja California, an area that I try to get to as much as possible. I was in a place with no phone reception and very few and far between wi-fi signals. For those five days, I was disconnected. I didn’t carry a phone and I didn’t even check email. For the first time in a long while, I had no worries other than deciding exactly where I was going to ride that day. I came back refreshed and reminded that it’s OK to shut it off. There’s a whole world out there that we are missing when we spend our days staring at screens. Turn it off. Get out there. Go ride.

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Executive Editor RYAN RICCITELLI ryan@thekiteboarder.com

CONTENT EDITOR/PUBLISHER MARINA CHANG marina@ thekiteboarder.com

EDITOR Paul Lang paul@thekiteboarder.com

ART DIRECTOR SHANA GORONDY

TECHNICAL EDITOR GARY MARTIN

EDITOR AT LARGE ALEXIS ROVIRA

Director Web Strategy Peter Grendler

STAFF PHOTOGRAPHY DALLAS McMahon

SENIOR WRITERS

Marina Chang, Paul Lang, James Brown, Gary Martin

EDITORIAL CONSULTANTS

Neil Hutchinson, Joe Bidawid, Paul Menta, Kevin “Top Hat” Senn, Henry Dupont IV, Bill Lee, Paul Lang, Stefan Ruether, Ruca Chang, Mira Kwon, Rick Iossi, Toby Brauer, Jeff Howard, Dave Loop

CONTRIBUTORS

Dougall McCorkle, Cedric Dupont, Peter Stiewe, Ken Winner, Damien Girardin, Amery Bernard, Julien Fillion, Will Caldwell, Chris Burke, Brendan Richards, Jorge Pulido, Chris Cousins, Greg Drexler, Litewave Dave

SENIOR PHOTOGRAPHERS

Paul Lang, Dallas McMahon, Kim Kern, Carol Bolstad, Nikki Riccitelli

PHOTOGRAPHY

Dan Schwarz, Ryan Riccitelli, Jim Stringfellow, Jody MacDonald, Gavin Butler, Dalai Liddy, Beachlife-realestate.com, Jan Anderson, Robert Sullivan, Isaiah Downing, islandriders.us, Carol Bolstad, Dimitri Maramenides, Jon Rock, SPI Kiteroundup, Epic Kites, Da Gimp, Marylene Aubin, Haley LaFleur, Damien LeRoy, Jennifer Ceriale, Chad LeClaire, Toby Bromwich, John Bilderback, Judith Schutz, Cedric Dupont, Emanuel de Rosnay, Bryan Elkus, David DeVries, Patrick Rebstock, RRD, Stephen Whitesell, Terrie Bodaert, Shal Jacobovitz, Scott Edwards, ProMotion, Syrie Blaco Walsh, XLKites.com, Naish/E. Aeder, Trip Hobbs, Dee Dee, Amy Hunter, Reindert Van Herreweghe, Carlos Garcia-Velez, Ben Icard, Victor Korikalo, Dave Cooper/www.redseamonkeys.com, Aiste, Henry Rico, Darren Edwards, Jens Hogenkamp, Slingshot, Wainman Hawaii

Thanks to all editorial and photography contributors for supporting this magazine!

Visit us on:

www.thekiteboarder.com www.twitter.com/the_kiteboarder www.facebook.com/thekiteboarder www.theringmedia.com

ADMINISTRATIVE/ADVERTISING OFFICE 1356 16th Street Los Osos CA 93402 (805) 459-2373

EDITORIAL OFFICE

The Kiteboarder Compound 14610 Villa Maria Isabel Corpus Christi, Texas 78418

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subscriptions@thekiteboarder.com www.thekiteboarder.com/catalog (805) 459-2373 The Kiteboarder Magazine is a subsidiary of The Ring Media Inc. Copyright 2010 by The Ring Media Inc. All rights reserved.

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PRINTED IN USA

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LAUNCH

Zach Kleppe entertains the crowd with a particularly good wipeout.

Densely populated areas seem to be experiencing the majority of multi-use challenges. Photo Katina Arnott

Can you Kite in

Six Knots of Wind?

By Paul Lang

To make kiteboarding accessible to the most people possible, the low wind limit of kiteboarding needs to be pushed as far down as possible. Decreasing Bythe Marina Changof wind that we need to ride will not only mean more days on the amount water, but will also open up previously unridable areas for kiteboarding, such as lakes, bays, and other places plagued by light wind. Almost by accident, the development that has been done for kiteboarding course racing boards may be doing just that. In searching for the most efficient and fastest board around a race course, shapers of course racing kiteboards have lowered the threshold for light wind kiteboarding to as little as six knots of wind.

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Larger fins make a board more difficult to control, but also increase performance. Photo Jim Stringfellow

Adam Koch shows how a race board can get you going in the lightest wind possible. Photo Ryan Riccitelli

Kasey Campbell, who lives and kites in San Diego, said, “My course racing boards have changed my outlook on light wind kiting. Now, I get excited when it’s blowing 6-10. With a race board, I can get out and kite, and it has changed the way I think about riding. I can do more than just mow the lawn. Since the ability to go upwind is so great, I find myself wandering around to places that were never ever ridable in the past, like kitting in San Diego Bay. Even going kitting in light offshore wind does not scare me anymore.” Because Kasey lives in the Light Wind Capitol of the World, where the wind creeps up to the 10 knot range almost every day, being able to ride in 6-10 knots means doubling or tripling his number of ridable days.

For those who have tried to ride in ultra-light wind, being able to easily ride upwind and even jump in as little as six knots of wind doesn’t sound believable. Alex Aguera, who shaped many of the top boards at the 2010 Course Racing World Championship, gave us the reasons why course racing boards are so efficient. “There is a combination of characteristics that make race boards really fast in light winds compared to other kiteboards including surfboard-style boards. First is the size of the race boards, which are generally wider creating more planing area. Second, the fins are much bigger and create a lot of force to brace against when powering up your kite. The fins will create an almost hydrofoil affect/sensation and lift the board up a little. This in turn will give you a bit of acceleration as well as much increased upwind ability which is nice on really light wind days. Third, less rocker in these boards creates an earlier planing board,” Alex said.

Resources:

Alex Aguera Designs: http://alexaguera.com Mike’s Lab: http://mikeslab.com NJS Designs: http://www.njsdesigns.org

It’s true that race boards can be challenging to ride and difficult to control, especially downwind. For riders that are not interested in racing, there may be a solution to being able to ride in very light wind, while not having to master an unwieldy course racing board. When asked about the possibility of a board designed to be a light wind kiteboard, as opposed to a strict course racing board, Mike Zajicek, a San Francisco-based shaper, said, “That one is certainly open to possibilities. We could add some curves to the outline and rocker, go with a double or tri fin set up for comfort, and fin size could be selected for comfort.” When asked the same question, Aguera said, “I would recommend a race board with shorter fat fins that are easier to ride that come standard on my CR 53 and CR 59. A pro racer upgrades the fins to create more upwind ability. In turn, the larger fins are harder to control downwind if you are an average cruiser just interested in kiting in light air. The CR 53 seems to be sufficient for most kiters who just want to rip in light winds and it is easier to ride as well as faster downwind.” The idea of a light-wind cruising board built just for kiting in light wind is an interesting one, and it looks like there might be one available shortly after this issue hits newsstands. We talked to Nils Stolzlecher of NJS Designs, and he informed us that he will soon have a production board designed for light wind cruising that he is calling the Freeride. “The Freeride is going to have smaller fins, more rocker, and be a wider board with a narrower tail. It’s a pleasure to ride because unlike a race board, it doesn’t take a lot of back leg pressure to ride. It will have a thruster fin configuration and will be built to be more durable than a race board,” said Nils.

The Reality Check:

Unfortunately, there are limits to being able to ride in light wind. Even now, with race boards having pushed the limit down to where it is now, we’ve passed a point where you cannot drop your kite if you want to avoid a swim. With a race board, you can actually ride is way less wind than what is needed to relaunch your kite from the water. Also, when riding at the light wind limit, you are much more susceptible to small changes in wind speed. If you are riding in 20 knots and the wind dies to 18 for a few minutes, you might barely notice the difference. However, if you are riding in six and the wind drops to four, it will take a miracle just to keep your kite in the sky, let alone get back to the beach.

Even though you can ride upwind and even jump on a race board, riding waves on one is basically out of the question. “I don’t think you would want to ride waves on a race board, as waves do not like straight lines,” said Zajicek. Also, because of the size of the boards, powered wakestyle moves are completely out of the question.

The large planning surface and large efficient fins allow race boards to get you moving in as little as six knots of wind. Photo Paul Lang

Mike Gebhardt tunes his fins.

Photo Paul Lang

Even so, a race board, or even a race-inspired cruiser board could open up a new world of possibilities, especially for riders who are not into riding waves or throwing powered moves. Even in moderate and high winds, the upwind ability of a race board allows you to cover a lot more ground than other types of boards. This makes kiting in some conditions and some places possible where it just wasn’t possible before. Is it the same as a good day of kiting on your regular board? Definitely not, but it’s better than slogging on a surfboard or twin tip and a lot better than sitting on the beach waiting for the wind to come up just a little bit more.

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Four lucky winners will voyage to Cabo Verde in the lap of luxury onboard the Best Odyssey. Photo Jody MacDonald

WIN THE TRIP OF

A LIFETIME

By TKB Staff

Are you Driven by Wind? Now through August 31, 2010, purchase any Best inflatable kite, board, or bar online or from your local retailer and you’ll be eligible to win a 10-day voyage for four people onboard The Best Odyssey as she sails around the Cape Verde Islands!

Entrants must submit photographs and taglines in English that show how their lives are “Driven By Wind.”

Photographs must include prominent representation of 2010 Best Kiteboarding products and will be judged by a panel of experts on their creativity and humor.

The winner will be announced in September 2010. The voyage on board the Best Odyssey will be scheduled in coordination with the winner to take place during the winter of 2011.

The Best Odyssey is a 60-foot luxury catamaran dedicated to the pursuit of wind and watersports.

2011 will be the last leg of their five-year mission, circumnavigating the globe in search of the world’s most exceptional and untouched kiteboarding locations.

If you have non-kiting friends or family, the Odyssey is also equipped to provide many more adventures – snorkeling, scuba diving, paddle boarding, paragliding, 1 4 t h ek i t e b o a r d e r . c om

Nine time world champion Kristin Boese will provide the winners with personal instruction. Photo Gavin Butler

surfing, fishing, and sailing – all in the most remote and exotic places on earth.

Joining the excursion will be Best’s Nine Time World Champion and fashion magazine cover girl, Kristin Boese. Listed in the Guinness Book of World Records for her winning championships in freestyle, wave riding, and course racing, Kristin will be on board to provide the winner with expert kiteboarding guidance and instruction. Visit www.bestkiteboarding.com/drivenbywindphotocontest to learn more and for official contest rules. Check out www.offshoreodysseys.com for a taste of what you could win. Good luck!

WANTED:

COOL KITE GIRLS

By TKB Staff | Photo Dalai Liddy

No, we’re not starting an online dating website. Best Kiteboarding is seeking the coolest girls in the world to be featured in their 2011 Best Girls Calendar. Three winners will be chosen to participate in a professional photo shoot by renowned fashion photographer Michael Williams. The photo shoot will take place this fall in Brazil during the Best Annual Product Preview Party, featuring the launch of the new 2011 Best product lineup. In addition to receiving worldwide exposure, the winners will be introduced by Michael Williams to top modeling agencies, and will receive digital copies of all photos taken for the shoot. The three winners will also receive kiteboarding lessons either at the Best Kiteboarding Center in New York with nine time world champion Kristin Boese in her KB4Girls Clinics or at one of Best’s premier school partners around the world.

Winners will be selected in late August 2010 for their demonstrated athleticism, commitment to a healthy outdoor lifestyle, creative use of the Best brand, and natural beauty. To participate in the search you must be a kiteboarder or aspiring rider. Contestants need to go online between June 15 and August 15 and submit two photographs and a brief written statement in English. One photograph must be a headshot, and the other must be a full body shot featuring her in a swimsuit with Best branding creatively displayed. Guys can be involved too! If a guy submits the winning photo of his girlfriend, wife, or friend with her permission he can earn a free trip to accompany her to Brazil.

Throughout the contest, selected submissions will be posted on www.bestkiteboarding.com. For full details and contest rules, visit www.bestkiteboarding.com/2011calendarsearch Ilha do Guajirú boasts more than 300 windy days a year.

NO WIND? STAY FOR FREE!

By TKB Staff | Photo www.beachlife-realestate.com

By TKB Staff | Photo Corran Addison

Ilha do Guajirú was once a thriving coconut plantation before being discovered as a windsports destination. Just 90 minutes from Fortaleza International Airport, this area boasts northeast Brazil’s biggest lagoon measuring 2.5 miles long by a quarter of a mile wide. First brought to the attention of the kiteboarding world by Ocean Rodeo’s Jeremie Tronet and Linn Svendsen, Ilha do Guajirú is an ecological paradise with massive mangroves, a giant Amazon-like river, a huge lagoon, various spectacular beaches, and pristine dunes with the sea behind them. If you are into the surf, excellent waves can be found at the Secret Spot or at the downwind beaches of Praia do Guajirú where the river meets the ocean, and at Praia das Dunas in the open sea. With white sandy beaches, consistent side shore winds ranging from 15-25 knots, and a kicker/slider park in the works, what more could you want other than a wind guarantee? Well, Ilha do Guajirú offers this too. Book any ‘pousada’ at www.theflatwatersea.com with a wind guarantee logo and if it’s not windy enough to kite, you stay for free! Restrictions apply so be sure to check the website for details.

k c a Sm Photo Jan Anderson

Winning this contest could launch a future modeling career.

Kite racing is growing and two new series have formed to help you get your game on. The Squamish Windsports Society (SWS) is very pleased to announce the 2010 Squamish Kiteboard Racing Summer Series. The only one of its kind in Canada, the Series will be held monthly on four scheduled weekends throughout the summer. Races will be hosted from the Squamish Windsports Park (The Spit).

For complete info, see www.

SquamishWindsports.com/events/ events.php Down the coast, the Cabrinha Northwest Race Series comes to Seattle at Jetty Island this summer as well. Races are scheduled through the end of July.

The Northwest Series will have separate classes for twin-tips and surfboards and skims aside from the race-specific board classes while the Canadian Race Series will have divisions for freestyle (twin tip/directional) and race boards. For info on the Northwest races, see www.pskite.org NJS Designs is excited to announce that they will soon be offering a production light wind directional board, based on the R&D that designer Nils Stolzlechner discovered when developing his line of custom race boards. Can you kite in six knots and have fun? This may now be a reality. The boards are expected to be available in the fall of this year. See www.njsdesigns.org for updates.

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INSIDE JOB

Video Reviews

By James Brown

Dan Schwarz

The many faces of Dan Schwarz.

Photos Paul Lang

Company: North Sports Job Title: Sales Rep for West Coast, Baja, and Canada Years in Industry: 5ish Words of Wisdom: Eat a lot, sleep a lot, brush ‘em like crazy, and never try to argue with someone on a public internet forum Years Kiteboarding: 10ish Kite: Vegas in the flats, Rebel in the waves Board: Team 135 in the flats, WAM in the waves How would you describe what you do at North Sports? Surprisingly, it’s a real job. I sit at a desk most of the time and try as hard as possible to fight the disorganization that constantly tries to creep in. Demo tours take up about 50 days a year. Fortunately the office is in the middle of the Gorge, so when I’m not on tour I can usually slip away for a lunch and/or after work session.

What did you do before working in the kite industry?

I was, in turns, a student, short order cook, sailing/ windsurfing instructor, bouncer for a women’s fast pitch softball team (go Durham Dragons!), model, photographer, landscape architect, engineering draftsman, and options specialist.

How did you end up working in the kiteboarding industry? I was working on Wall Street when my brother opened up a retail shop/school in San Diego. It sounded like a whole lot more fun than trading options, and as I was living on a sailboat, I didn’t even need a moving van.

As a former retailer, do you have any advice for shops on how to survive and thrive in this economy? Lots.

Of course, service is the key, but the thing I see that most often hurts the industry is poor communication between retailers. If I was Steve Martin doing that skit on SNL about Christmas wishes, my wish would be that all the kite retailers would get drunk together. Can’t we all just get along?

What is your typical day at the office like? My day generally starts with an oil rubdown from our Swedish masseuse/intern. Then I answer emails -lots of them.

I spend a decent amount of time running down to the warehouse to check kite colors. At lunch time I try to get out for a bike ride, a kite session, or some Greco Roman wrestling with the other guys in the office.

Then, more emails and phone calls before wrapping things up with the rest of the office and doing the standard synchronized swimming practice in the company pool. Like I said, it’s a real job.

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Is working in the kiteboarding industry all it’s cracked up to be? In some ways yes, in others no. It’s cool to meet the designers and ride new gear with some of the world’s best riders, but a lot of the time I could be working at Initech.

What is the best part of your job? The worst?

One of the best and worst parts is the traveling. I get to ride and see friends all over North America and it’s always a good time, but by the end I’m dying to get back to my family in Hood River. Especially now that I have a young son, the time away becomes more difficult. Plus, most of my traveling is in the spring and summer when Hood River really turns on. This year I will only get four days at home in the entire month of June.

What do you think is the most common misconception about working in the industry that the general public has? Some people think that working in the industry is amazing and exciting and that our days are filled with testing gear in exotic places where women lie around in bikinis. Other people think that working in the industry is selling out and that you must be a douche. I don’t think either is particularly true. I think the industry draws in people that really love kiting and they’ll do whatever jobs they can to be involved in the sport.

What do you see as the biggest challenge to the kiteboarding industry as a whole? The internet.

Support your local retailer. Without them, you have nowhere to get gear information, send beginners to take lessons, spearhead campaigns to protect launches, etc. Plus if they’re any good they’ll have demo gear, bring manufacturer tours to town, organize trips, and have a good couch for a postsession beer.

What advice do you have for someone that wants to work in the kite industry? Be easygoing, don’t burn anyone, and never wake a sleeping Gimp.

Big Windy Following in the footsteps of the kite movie Lines, Bilderback Productions brings us their latest kitesurfing film. A beautiful introduction sequence sets the tone for the film by showing that we as kiters should enjoy the gift of the ocean and wind responsibly with little impact to the planet we share.

Much of the film is shot with professional kiteboarders on the Best Odyssey catamaran as they explore the enchanting South Pacific islands. Their travels include Indonesia, the Marshall Islands, Tahiti, and Hawaii. There is a healthy serving of kitesurfing with a little twin-tip action, lifestyle, and interview clips.

Running Time: 47 minutes For details go to: www.bigwindymovie.com North: Behind the Scenes North Kiteboarding just released this promotional DVD available for FREE. The introduction shows short action clips of each team rider. I didn’t catch it right away and then realized that each shot showed them messing up. Normally you’d see the best clips, but as the title of the video suggests, this is “behind the scenes.” It takes a certain amount of humility and confidence for a company to lay it all out there like that. Don’t worry though—there is plenty of sick riding footage and a look behind the scenes at their design studios, board factory, and Sri Lanka kite factory.

Running Time: 53 minutes To order a FREE copy, go to: www.northkites.com Videos available for viewing online: Aaron Hadlow nearly loses a toe on a slider: www.aaronhadlow.com and some other films of Aaron at www.williammilne.com Ruben Lenten, Aaron Hadlow, and Gianni Aragno are featured on a site dedicated to their kiteboarding lifestyle: www.ontheloose.tv Ryland Blakeney killing it strapless in some South Australia surf: www. thekiteboarder.com/wordpress/2010/02/ video-south-oz-searching-straplesskitesurfing/ Cape Sessions action series filmed and edited by Arthur Neumeier and Nick Hoedeman in Cape Town, South Africa: www.eyeforce.nl/ Check out the great DVD and subscription/ DVD offers at www.thekiteboarder.com

comps

TRIPLE S GOES OFF IN OUTER BANKS

By TKB Staff | Photo Bryan Elkus

In its fifth year, the Triple S founded by REAL Kiteboarding has grown into one of kiteboarding’s most anticipated events in North America. By invitation only, the best pro riders in the world converge in the Outer Banks at the Real mega center in North Carolina for a week of sliders, slick, surf and raging parties. In Surf, Ian Alldredge combined an attack of aggressive waveriding, strapless airs, techy transitions, plus three rapid-fire barrels to secure first place over pro surfer/kitesurfer Josh Mulcoy. Bruna Kajiya took the Women’s Surf Discipline in conditions that were well overhead for the girls, combined with the power that Cape Hatteras is known for. Slicks became the battle of the mega loop combined with the technical assault of the world famous Cape Hatteras slicks. Five time World Champion, Aaron Hadlow reigned supreme with massive kite loop combinations, plus every handle pass in the book. Triple-S wildcard winner Sam Light blew it up in the flat water with an unstoppable string of tech tricks to nail second while Bruna Kajiya opened up her PKRA World Champion trick bag to take 1st place for the women. In the hotly contested Slider discipline, Andre Phillip came out on top with Chris Burke slides one of the many features at Triple S. mad speed and style on every run. Two new rail features were unveiled this year, the Liquid Force Wall Ride and John Wayne Cancer Foundation gap. Dre’s dominance in this discipline was nearly thrown by the young guns, Sam Medysky hits the TKB rail at SPI. but style doesn’t come easy, and this is why Dre stayed at the top. Triple-S Double Wildcard winner Chad Worrall, young gun wakeboarder out of land locked Orlando, Florida, took an impressive 3rd on the rails with a performance that blew everyone’s minds. Look for this guy to lead the next generation of kicker and slider riders. In Women’s Sliders, Cape Hatteras local Lulu Vroman ruled the pool, hitting all the rails in the REAL Slider Park including the 80’ JWCF. For a rider who barely breaks 5’ tall, this girl has little fear of large obstacles. For videos, photos and full results, see www.realkiteboarding.com

SOUTH PADRE DELIVERS FOR ROUNDUP

By TKB Staff | Photo SPIkiteroundup.com

South Padre did not disappoint riders who showed up for the second annual South Padre Kite Roundup in Texas. The nineday event for everyday kiters showcased the prime flat water and wave conditions found in this resort community, just four hours south of Corpus Christi. Besides getting the chance to demo the latest 2010 gear and accessories from participating brands, the event hosted a Downwind Race, Freestyle comp, Wave Sessions, Spin event, Speed Trials, Boarder-X and SUP Races as well as many clinics to help riders step up their game. The first few days of the event saw light winds which gave everyone the chance to try out the stand up paddleboards (SUPs) and winch demos. On day four, the wind kicked into its regular warm southeast breezes and held throughout the end of the event. New this year was Speed Trials, where competitors race one at a time down a straight line course while being clocked by radar guns provided by the SPI Police department. Patrick Nederle proved to be the fastest, clocking in a winning speed of 44 mph. For a complete wrap up of the event including videos and photos, see www.spikiteroundup.com

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Rider: Sebastian Cattelan Photo: Rachid Roussafi

Genetrix is proud to announce the North American debut of two brand new kites: the 2010 Hydra V4 and the 2010 Origin. The Hydra V4 is our flat kite concept proven on the European market since 2004, the next generation of the same kite that powered Sebastien Cattelan when he shattered the 50 knot barrier in 2008. The Origin is Genetrix’s latest creation -- guaranteed to take your freestyle to the next level.

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shop talk The Great South Bay in New York offers miles of butter.

owners: Zach Gottfried Age: 30 Location: New York Riding for how long: 10+ years Favorite Conditions: Waves Photos Courtesy www.islandriders.us

Island Riders just opened a second location at Napeague Harbor near Montauk, NY. In today’s challenging economy, what do you think will be your formula for success? We will continue to deliver the highest quality services and provide the best possible kiteboarding experience to our clients, and as long as they are having fun they will keep coming back for more and bring all of their friends!

What motivated you to first get into the kiteboarding industry? I first started teaching kiteboarding as a summer job while I was on break from college. Once I finished school and had the need for a career the combination of my love for kiteboarding and the fact that New York needed a serious shop and school made it an easy decision.

What is the kiteboarding scene like in New York? What do you think is the most common misconception about riding spots in your area? The most common misconception is that people don’t know how good it is here! New York has so many different beaches and conditions that there’s always something to do. Just the Great South Bay (GSB) alone has everything a kiteboarder could want, from a safe and shallow learning spot to the best flat water slick riding in the world to world class wave conditions across the street. Napeague Harbor is very similar and offers all of the same options, which is why we picked it for our new location.

What are your typical conditions? Spring and fall tend to have the best riding conditions with good wind and reasonable temperatures. June and July we get afternoon SW thermals in the 10-25 knot range and the water is warm enough to ride in boardshorts! Fall is my favorite because the water is still warm from the summer, the wind is consistent, and we get waves.

What brands do you represent and why? We represent North Kiteboarding and Cabrinha because we believe they make the highest quality gear with the best safety systems.

Both brands actively support the growth of a solid kiteboarding community which is what we’re all about.

Any issues in your area? Access varies depending on the season. During the summer months many beaches are crowded and kiteboarding is restricted. There are plenty of places that aren’t crowded and are safe for kiting, so just check with a local shop or rider before heading out. Fall, winter, and spring the beaches are less crowded and kiteboarding is permitted at most places except New York State Park Beaches. We are currently working on this.

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Photo Robert Sullivan

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How does your shop support the kiteboarding community? Are you involved in helping the local community in general? We host a variety of events at the shop ranging from our free informational meet and greet sessions for new kiters to our used gear swap meets, kiteboarding race series, women’s clinics, and kid’s camps.

There are too many to list! We also participate in the local beach cleanups with the Surfrider Foundation, sponsor the “Support the Kids” Charity Foundation which is dedicated to helping kids who are battling cancer, and we donate one day each summer on our wakeboarding boat to a charity group which helps get underprivileged kids out of the city during the summer to experience some fun on the water. We are all about sharing the stoke.

What other things are there for people to do if there is no wind or if they are with non kiters? We have lots to do on windless days and for non-kiters. We offer wakeboarding lessons, surfing rentals and lessons, and an on-water stand up paddleboard demo and rental center right at our shop. It’s also a beautiful area for sightseeing, tourist activities, and shopping during the summer.

What tips can you offer visiting kiteboarders who want to hook up with local riders and kite in your area? We provide boat service to the flats in the Great South Bay and that’s the best way to hook up with other riders and get a feel for the scene. Call or email us at the shop or click the like button on our Facebook page to get daily updates on conditions and boat schedules. Definitely come in to say hi and check out our spot.

What is the best way for people to check the forecast and current conditions in your area? The best way is to follow us on Facebook or Twitter as we post real time updates and forecasts for our exact locations. We also use ikitesurf, windguru, and NOAA.

In celebration of 40 years of shaping, Jimmy Lewis is giving away six of his greatest shapes as a thank you to all his past and future customers. Each board is a numbered limited edition so you will have a one-of-a-kind new board to show off at the beach! Now through October, a lucky winner will be chosen at the first of each month to win either a Jimmy Lewis stand up paddleboard or kiteboard. For more info and the latest updates, see www.jimmylewis.com or check out their page on facebook.

Want to find out how long your favorite downwinder truly is? How high did you really jump? Share, compare, train, and compete in your sport with fellow enthusiasts and friends anywhere worldwide live with www.sportstracklive.com Review your session with detailed analysis of performance, speed, pace, altitude, ascents, and descents.

Share your performance and personal bests automatically with friends via email alerts, facebook, twitter, and widgets.This is simply the best sports tracking app available for Android mobile devices.

CORRECTION:

In the CKA report in the June 2010 issue, the freestyle winners were reported incorrectly. The real results are: 1. Patrick Rebstock (Cal Poly) 2. Reed Brady (Cuesta) 3. Zach Goepel (UCSB) 4. Kurt Miller (UCSB)

What do you think is the biggest challenge facing our industry? The biggest challenge for the industry will involve safety and access. As The crew at Island Riders. we continue to grow we will eventually need a central governing body to ensure that kiteboarders are safe and that we don’t lose our access.

Any words of wisdom you want to share with our readers? Never give up.

The definition of insanity is doing the same thing over and over again and expecting a different result. Don’t be insane.

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letters

What Our Readers Have To Say

Board Leash User for 9 ½ Years Thank you for your recent editorial regarding rider safety and the wearing of safety equipment. As a kitesurfer of 9 ½ years, it has been my experience that no matter what type of kite, board, or clothing you use, it is really up to the rider to make him or herself safe. People wonder why I use a leash, but I don’t want to body drag each time I lose the board. Bottom line, it’s up to you to figure out what works best with regards to safety. If you can’t use a leash, maybe you don’t know how to get away from the board. It’s really up to the individual to train themselves for what works for them. Train slowly and progressively for each little move.

Have your equipment tuned properly and don’t go out with uneven lines. Have the kite pumped up accurately so it doesn’t bend in a gust, and watch for other people so you don’t get hit by flying kites and equipment. Be a defensive driver and any type of equipment can work. It’s the rider, not the equipment that matters. Train safe everyone, rig safe, and be aware. Even without pads and guards, you might be okay. It’s up to the rider.

Sam Medysky clears the gap at the SPI Kite Roundup.

Photo Isaiah Downing

Cool to the Gator I just wanted to take a moment and send you an email to let you know how much I appreciate you helping support the Cabrinha Northwest Race Series. This is my first event so you of all people know how overwhelming it can be. Along with The Everett Yacht Club, Motion Board Shop, Dakine, Transcend Apparel, Hyperflex, PSKite.org, Port of Everett, Everett Parks and Recreation Department, and people like yourself, we can pull it all together and make it a success for the community! I just wanted to send super kind regards to The Kiteboarder crew and we will see you all soon! You’re always cool to the Gator!

Walter Young Walter, we know how difficult planning an event can be, so we are glad to help out in any way that we can. The Cabrinha Northwest Race Series features different classes for riders on different boards, so the playing field will be much more even for those who aren’t die hard racers. We think this is the right approach so that everyone can have fun out there. Make sure you send us reports and let us know how the Series goes! –Ed.

Jan Schwartz Jan, I couldn’t agree with you more on the fact that each rider is ultimately responsible for themselves. However, that doesn’t mean that we cannot point out pieces of equipment and behavior that are inherently dangerous and do what we can to promote safe behaviors. Board leashes are dangerous, no matter what you try to tell yourself and The Kiteboarder Magazine will never suggest any rider to use one. You’ve been riding for 9 ½ years and still use a board leash? Are you really that against body dragging? You say people who can’t use a leash don’t know how to get away from their board, but I can’t understand how you are able to get away from your board when you are attached to it. Like you said, you are responsible for your own safety, but I still suggest that you ditch that leash. Avoiding 30 seconds of body dragging isn’t worth the risk of tying yourself to the only solid object near you on the water. If you still think board leashes aren’t dangerous, turn to the Yardsale section on page 80. –Ed.

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letter of the month Return Her Like This I’ve just got to share this story with you. My wife, Jane Fuller, had her kitesurfing picture in the Local Homies section of the June 2010 edition. On 5/18/2010, she was admitted to the Washington Hospital Center and had a quadruple bypass operation. I showed all of the medical staff the picture of her in The Kiteboarder Magazine and told them to look at it, because that’s the way I wanted her returned to me.

They all got a big kick out of looking at your magazine, especially when someone they knew was featured in it. By the way, the operation was a great success. Thanks again to The Kiteboarder staff for showing that picture in your excellent magazine.

Warren Fuller Warren, thank you so much for your letter. We are always happy when we can put the everyday rider in our magazine. Make sure you send us more photos of Jane once she is back on the water. –Ed.

Got somthing on your mind? Submit your letter and you could win a killer t-shirt from Windcult Kiteboarding!

E-mail PAUL@THEKITEBOARDER.COM

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Prolotherapy uses an irritant solution, which is injected into painful ligaments and adjacent joint spaces to promote inflammation and subsequent healing.

how to fix a broken kiter

By Dougall McCorkle

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s there any hope out there for kiters that have exacted such heavy tolls on their bodies that a mere half-hour session renders them incapacitated for days, if not weeks? The answer is a definite YES! However, the answer may not be by using the myriad of conventional treatments pushed by many in the medical field. A little-known fix to your failing shoulder joints, knees, or back called prolotherapy may be just the solution to get you back in the water pain-free.

Having been an active waterman and exercise fanatic for the past 40 years and a kiteboarder since 2003, my 50-something year old shoulders seemed just about shot, making kiteboarding a very painful addiction. Forty years ago kiteboarding and wakeboarding hadn’t been invented, so my adrenaline needs were largely quenched by slalom waterskiing. Skiing in the smooth waters in Florida created plenty of wear and tear on my shoulders, as your arms absorb plenty of G-forces as you carve out tight turns on imaginary slalom courses at high speeds while being dragged by 150 horsepower. Throw in a few decades of weight training where bench pressing twice your body weight seemed to be a good idea at the time and you get the picture. Years later, not surprisingly, I developed a wicked case of tendonitis and arthritic shoulders, something that many fellow kiters may unfortunately learn about first-hand.

My early visits to the orthopedic doctor started off with a couple of fruitless attempts with cortisone shots, before learning of their really

harmful effects on the body. I guess the red flag against cortisone should have been raised when the orthopedic doctor said you really shouldn’t get cortisone more than a couple times in your whole life! After that I experimented with every other conventional and not so conventional approach out there from laser therapy to magnetic therapy, and of course the usual anti-inflammatory drugs.

Unfortunately all were largely ineffective. I finally succumbed to shoulder surgeries on both shoulders, a couple years apart. Sadly, even those invasive and very costly procedures seemed to be just short term fixes.

as few as one or two to as many as six or seven.

My local prolotherapy doctor in Naples, Florida, Dr. Alfred Cormier, observes that the older you are the more treatments you will typically need.

The cost of the treatments vary. I had this done on both shoulders as well as my tennis elbow and each visit ran in the area of $300-$400 per session. Accordingly, the whole program cost me under $2000. While you undergo the treatments, you should be pretty much inactive for the first two weeks of each cycle so your tissues can heal. With that said, you would want to schedule prolotherapy during your no-wind months.

A year and a half ago a mere 20-minute kite session would leave me out of commission from kiting for a whole month, clearly not acceptable to any true kiter.

A friend then told me how prolotherapy helped her mother fight polio and that maybe it could help me too. After doing some online research I discovered that prolotherapy wasn’t some off-the-wall gimmick, but was being done on college and pro level football players and was even performed by the former US Surgeon General. There are no drugs to take or surgeries to endure. The science behind it is pretty simple. An inert and harmless solution of either sucrose (like sugar water) or saline is precisely injected in and around your ailing joints, tendons, and ligaments. This causes the surrounding cells to become irritated and in turn regenerate themselves. After several rounds of these injections (each round separated by six weeks or so), the tendons and ligaments become stronger.

The number of prolotherapy treatments could be

You won’t find many traditional orthopedic doctors doing prolotherapy, and many may even scoff at the approach. For me, however, prolotherapy has allowed me to now kite for hours and days at a time. While it’s not a 100% fix, it has probably taken me back up to 75% of my abilities, offering a level of relief that nothing else even came close to providing.

This article reflects Dougall’s experience with prolotherapy and does not constitute medical advice or endorsement of this type of treatment. Always consult your physician for medical concerns and explore all options available.

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P.S. It helps to not be afraid of needles!

While unproven and unregulated , pro helped Dougall enjoy kiting again lotherapy .

Check out TKB’s killer subscription deals with dvds, t-shirts and more!

Photo: Marina Chang

www.thekiteboarder.com

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1. The best way to have a family that supports your kiteboarding addiction is to get the rest of the clan involved.

Photo Carol Bolstad 2. Chazz shows off his muscles south of the border. Photo: Da Gimp 3. Just the end of another beautiful day at South Padre Island.

Photo Jon Rock 4. Wally the dog is the newest mascot for Epic Kites.

Photo Dimitri Maramenides 5. The Florida State University Kite Club had a great time at the SPI Kite Roundup. Photo Courtesy SPI Kite Roundup 6. I’m not sure what Dimitri Maramenides has in mind for this broom, 2 6 t h ek i t e b o a r d e r . c om

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but he looks like a man on a mission. Photo Courtesy Epic Kites 7. The Wainman Hawaii crew enjoying the shade at the SPI Kite Roundup. Photo Jon Rock 8. Dimitri Maramenides and Epic kite designer Momi have a civilized discussion about prototypes. Photo Courtesy Epic Kites 9. This guy is definitely a kiter. He’s been labeled. Photo Jon Rock 10. Billy Bosch and Bongo play tag in SPI. Photo Courtesy SPI Kite Roundup 11. Baja self portrait on the CaliKites San Quintin Trip. Photo Da Gimp 12. Ella Johnson and Evan Fairchild are all set for the Senior Prom.

Photo Marylene Aubin

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13. Control bars taste better than they look. Photo Haley LaFleur 14. Everyone was a winner at the SPI Kite Roundup. Photo Jon Rock 15. What’s so funny? I guess you just had to be there. Photo Courtesy Damien LeRoy 16. Thumbs up from Paul Lang, big smiles from Corky, and confusion from Hunter Jensen. Photo Da Gimp 17. Neil Hutchinson and Bryan Lake, a few of kiteboarding’s biggest characters. Photo Courtesy SPI Kite Roundup 18. South of the border, things like riding on top of a pile of SUP boards that are barely tied onto the top of a truck sound like good ideas at the time. Photo Paul Lang

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19. Kevin Murray plays with the wildlife on the road to Punta San Carlos. Photo Paul Lang 20. Start ‘em young! Photo Jennifer Ceriale 21. Tim really likes to kite at night, so he put on a few neon bracelets and necklaces so his friends could see him.

Photo Courtesy Chad LeClaire If you have a photo that you would like featured in The Kiteboarder Magazine, please e-mail paul@thekiteboarder.com

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Franz makes a little music in Cuba.

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From the Beginning The Franz Olry Interview

By Paul Lang Photos Courtesy Wainman Hawaii

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here is a good chance that you have no idea who Franz Olry is. If you have heard about him, you probably just know that he currently rides and works for Wainman Hawaii, but Franz’s history in kiteboarding goes all the way back to the beginning. Franz was one of kiteboarding’s first pro riders and he worked closely with Bruno Legaignoux on the development of products at Wipika, kiteboarding’s first inflatable kite brand. At a time when everyone was riding large and unwieldy directional boards, Franz shaped Wipika’s first production twin tip, a board with soft rails and a kicked-up nose and tail that people continued to ride for years.

After working for Wipika and later Takoon, Franz disappeared from kiteboarding for a few years before reappearing with Wainman Hawaii, a brand founded by his good friend Lou Wainman. Franz also still shapes boards under his brand name of Alkita that continue to be based on his original Wipika board concept. Now back on the kiteboarding scene, we wanted to talk with Franz about his history in the sport. Not only was Franz an early rider, but he was also an early character in Cabarete and has been traveling to and kiteboarding in Cuba since 2000.

Now working for Wainman Hawaii, Franz was one of Wipika’s original team riders.

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Lou Wainman and Franz Olry take a break from testing on Maui.

How did you get your start in kiteboarding? What was the sport like when you started compared to now? I started at the beginning of the sport in Montpellier, France, after seeing Raphael Salles (from F-One) out kiting one day. I had been windsurfing with my friends Abre and Marc and we went straight to the shop and I bought my first 5m Wipika. Abre and Marc wanted to start kiting too, but they had to wait since I bought the only kite in the shop. I had been shaping windsurf boards since I was 15, so I made myself a kiteboard and learned to ride on it. I already knew Mat Pendle (from Globe Kites) and he was starting to help Bruno Legaignoux develop the Wipika brand. He asked me to shape a board for Wipika, because they didn’t have any at the time. Bruno sent me a 3.5m and later an 8.5m so I would have a full quiver of kites to use to better test the board.

I will never forget how happy I was when I received those kites.

Immediately, I started kiting full time and quit windsurfing. At first, the sport looked like a good joke. People didn’t know what they were doing, and we didn’t know much either. Nobody had any style at first, but everyone still had a big smile.

What was it like being a professional kiteboarder in the very early days of the sport? Do pros today get more or less support from the brands compared to back then? For me it was a surprise in the beginning. I never expected to be a pro or to get any money for riding. When it happened I was stoked.

The first competitions were really just meetings for international riders because back then there were so few of us. The goal of the early contests was just to discover and promote the sport. Flash Austin was a hero back then. He could jump so much higher and was so much better than any of us Europeans. In the end he just had control of the kite and we did not. It’s funny to think back on that time and remember how little we really knew. As the sport progressed, so did the amount of money that we were paid, but I think we were getting almost nothing compared to some of today’s top riders.

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Tell us about the original Olry board. Many people rode that board for years. Are you still designing boards, and are they similar to that original concept? Very early when I was learning to kite, I quickly felt that a directional board, which most people were riding, was not the right thing for jumping. I was sure we needed something like a snowboard or wakeboard. I made a few different prototypes and even tried to patent a system for fins that would help to go in both directions. I ended up shaping the original Olry board. It was huge compared to modern boards, but that allowed people to learn more easily and to get upwind without needing too much power in the kite. I remember that board was 186 cm long by a good 45 cm wide! It had round rails, as I tried thin ones but never liked them. My current boards, which are sold under my company name Alkita, still use the same concept, but the dimensions have definitely changed. The flipped nose and tail are still there and the rails look more like surf rails than twin tip rails. The boards don’t have much flex but they are very smooth on the water. In southern France the water is really choppy, and I struggle to ride boards other than my own there.

Do you work with Wainman on their board designs? How do you keep your board ideas and the Wainman ones separate? Until now, I didn’t really work with Wainman on their boards. The surfboard shapes came from Jimmy Lewis and the twins were Lou’s ideas. I have always ridden my own boards, even when I worked with other companies. I don’t want to keep my ideas separate, and hopefully we will do a production version of my boards soon. With Alkita, I only make hand shaped boards for myself and my clients, but if I do a production board it will naturally be with Wainman Hawaii.

Not only were you an early pro rider, but you were doing R&D very early on. What were some of the new products and innovations that you’ve been involved with? Because I started with Bruno in the very beginning, I have been involved a lot with R&D over the years. Bruno and I are both French, so it was easy to work together. I shaped that first twin tip for Wipika, but also worked on the kites.

We developed the first 4-line kites together, and that’s when I first realized we could ride without a board leash. This was a huge improvement and we gained so much freedom by being free from the dangerous nightmare of using board leashes. I met my wife in the Dominican Republic, and that’s a reason why I spent so much time there working with Bruno. We were focused on making the sport easier and finding ways to be able to ride anywhere. At that time I was always inventing equipment. I made a harness to do hooked-in 360s, shoes for strapless boards, a safety leash for 2-line wakestyle tricks, etc. We thought up a lot of stupid stuff and sometimes came up with good ideas. With Wainman Hawaii, it’s easy to come up with innovations. We all work together to see what is good and what is wrong, and we can act quickly. For me, the Rabbits are the perfect kite. You can fly them with just four lines and no bridle, and you still have a wicked full-depower kite. This makes our lives much simpler.

Franz spends a lot of time in Cuba, where most of the cars on the island date from before the beginning of the U.S. embargo.

With their soft rails, flipped-up nose and tail, and unique graphics, Franz’s Alkita boards easily stand out at the beach.

Tell us about the first kiteboarding trip you did with Lou Wainman and Mauricio Abreu. What did windsurfers think of the sport back then? We did that trip just after the first Red Bull contest in Leucate. Mauricio was on the Wipika team with me and Lou was riding for Naish at the time. I had been to Tarifa many times before, so I was happy to drive them there. Before the trip, I didn’t know Lou at all, but we immediately became good friends. Even though our riding styles were so different, we had the same concept of having fun, with little interest in contests. We both tried to explore the sport for ourselves. I had a huge amount of respect for Lou before I met him, and after spending time together I was even more impressed.

Lou is a very rare person in that he is an incredibly humble person, but he is one of the smartest people I have even met.

I am very happy that we work together today. About the windsurfers in Tarifa, we had been there kiting a few times before and had already exposed the people there to kiteboarding. The writing was on the wall that windsurfing was already a declining sport before kiteboarding was even on the scene.

What do you think have been the most important moments in kiteboarding?

Are there any products or riders that you think were critical in moving the sport forward? In the beginning every step was very important to make kiteboarding what it is today. Everybody involved back then was important, bringing help and development to a new sport. Every improvement, 4-line kites, twin-tip boards, and bow kites, has been important. The Tronolone video High, which featured Lou Wainman and Elliot Leboe, was a very important event. It revealed the birth of the wakestyle side of the sport and really pushed kiteboarding into a new and exciting direction. The new generation of riders is pushing hard, and I love to watch Aaron Hadlow, Ruben Lenten, and all the good young riders. They all do a great job of showing the potential of kiteboarding and that’s helping to make the sport bigger.

What do you think about the progression of safety systems in kiteboarding? How much safer do you think the sport can become? What were the safety systems like in the beginning? There are probably still some improvements to be made, but safety looks quite good today. I am sure we can do even better and I have some ideas that I am working on. With Wainman Hawaii we try to keep things simple and strong.

The beaches are getting more and more crowded, so we need to pay attention to that too. Back in the early days, we rode connected to the kite without any possibility of releasing under load and some people paid for this mistake with their lives. With good depower and quick releases, today we are far from that, thankfully. Ultimately, each kiter is responsible for their own safety. It’s important that experienced riders try to help the less experienced ones, but the companies have to take care with the construction of the equipment. Like with a parachute, you have to trust your equipment, and this is our responsibility as manufacturers.

How involved in product development are you at Wainman Hawaii? How did you get involved with that brand? I hadn’t heard from Lou for a long time, and when I wrote him a message he told me he was starting his own company and was in Europe. I decided to go see him, and we discovered that we were both looking for the same thing: a good, simple, bad-ass kite. I also met the other partners (Mike and Mark), and we all became friends, so we got to work. A long time ago, Lou wanted to start a company with Nicollo Porcella and me back when I was staying at his place on Maui, so Wainman Hawaii is an old dream that we were finally able to make happen.

I have been involved as much as possible with Wainman Hawaii, not only on R&D, but also with contracts and everything else I can help with. I give my input on each product. Mike collects all the info from me as well as from Lou, Niccollo, and Bertrand and finalizes the products. Right now we have great cooperation between our people in the US and in Europe. We are all friends, love our jobs, and give our best for the company. Lately, I have taken a little time for myself and got married and set up my house in Cuba. t hekit eboarder.c o m 3 1

Can you describe the rationale behind Wainman Hawaii naming each kite size as a different model? What is the thinking behind not sticking to the traditional yearly product releases like the other companies? Most people follow others because they are not so sure of themselves. We don’t follow what the other companies do. Each kite has a name because we love them and we don’t want to just give them a number. Each kite has been developed separately and has its own character. Another thing is that we don’t want to make different models as our kite can suit almost every rider for almost any style of riding. Also, we think changing kites just to make more money is bad. If the kite is good, then why change it?

You might not have heard of Franz before, but he has had one of the longest careers in kiteboarding.

It seemed you disappeared from kiteboarding for awhile before being active again with Wainman Hawaii. What were you up to? I was having trouble finding a company and equipment that I was happy with, so I stepped away from the industry for awhile and focused on improving my boards and creating the Alkita brand for my shapes.

Has Lou Wainman been as influential to the sport as people think he is? What do you think about the fact that many riders who have learned to ride in the last few years have no idea who he is? Lou has been probably the most influential rider of all because all the guys who are influential today were originally influenced by him. To me he is a star and a legend. I say star because it’s like with music and art. A good song can make someone super famous, but when it’s perfect, it lasts forever. It’s the same with Lou. If you watch a front to blind from a long time ago, it was perfect. The difference was that he was the first and only one doing it. It was the same with other moves. He was landing flat 540s and even 720s like ten years ago, and these are moves that the progressive kids are still trying to learn today. Lou has never been one to go running after media coverage, so I think that’s why he’s not as well known to newer riders.

Even after more than 10 years of riding, Franz still finishes every session with a big smile on his face.

3 2 t h ek i t e b o a r d e r . c om

You spent a lot of time in Cabarete when it was first becoming a known kiteboarding destination. Who were some of the characters around there at that time? How is Cabarete different now? At first I remember Eric Hertsens, Marcus Boehm, and some other European guys living there. Cabarete was a really small town then, and kite beach was a nice little spot that was usually almost empty. Today there are many hotels and a real kiteboarding scene. When the kite schools started, some of the Dominicans started to kite and progressed very quickly.

Luciano Gonzalez, Jose Luis, Ariel Corniel, Alex Soto, and Posito are some really good kiteboarders who have come out of Cabarete. The level of riding is really high there, and this makes it a great place for progression. The riders there are always training together and have lots of fun while pushing each other. I like that spirit.

How long have you been going to Cuba to kiteboard? Are people in the U.S. missing out on a great place to go kiting because of the travel restrictions?

I first went there in 2000 and I have been there a lot since then. The first reason why is that my wife is Cuban, but Cuba is a large island with a huge potential for kiteboarding. I know Americans cannot go there because of political reasons, but if they did, they would probably love it. Cuba is not a great spot for waves, but there can be a few good days here and there. The Cuban people make it a very interesting place. Cuba is a spiritual country and has a very rich culture, but economically it’s a pretty depressed country. Even so, I see much more happiness in the eyes of the

people in Cuba compared to most countries where the people have more money. I have a few Cuban friends kiting there, but I ride by myself most of the time. There really aren’t any tourist kiteboarders in Cuba.

What do you think about the current state of kiteboarding competitions and the push to get course racing into the Olympics? I see the windsurfing spirit coming running to kiteboarding, and it makes me laugh because we knew this would happen since the beginning. It seems like people with big interests are deciding how competitions should be, and I don’t even know if these people kite.

It’s going to make kiteboarding look boring, I think. I personally don’t like racing, but if some guys like it I have no problems with it either. If they really want to get more good exposure for the sport, they should focus on freestyle contests instead of racing.

Kiteboarding as a sport is just barely ten years old. Where do you think we’ll be in another ten years? I think it will go in a few different directions. We have wakestyle boot riding, strapped and strapless wave riding, and freestyle riding that will all progress in different directions. Riders’ techniques will also improve and we’ll start to fully realize the potential of kiteboarding. I think line length will reduce and this will bring the best vision for the sport. Imagine how sick freestyle will look on 6-meter lines!

t hekit eboarder.c o m 3 3

close up

According to Sam, one of his hidden talents is that he can make a mean poached egg. Photo Toby Bromwich

1. Popping off your toeside is hard, and like your first raley it takes time. Always remember to lock the bar in to your hip.

2. Don’t forget where you came from and always be nice to everyone! Don’t be a hater!

3. If there’s a camera out and you want to promote yourself make sure you are all over it like a rash and it will pay off. Make sure you’re always hustling.

Sam Light is helping to push wakestyle riding a little further.

Photo Toby Bromwich

By Paul Lang

Sam Light, originally from the south coast of England, is breaking out onto the international kiteboarding scene in a big way. Sam was the 2009 British Kiteboarding Champion and is currently traveling the world promoting Naish International and the sport of kiteboarding. Rumor has it that not only does Sam kill it on the water, but he’s also an English gentleman who can fix you up a proper cup of tea.

Tells us a little about Hayling Island. It sounds like a pretty unique place. There’s no place like home!

It’s not the kind of island where everyone has six toes; there is a bridge connecting it to the mainland, and it’s right near a big city so you get the best of both worlds. As far as the kiting goes it’s recognized as one of the best spots in the UK for its flat water.

The local kite club has had to cap the membership because the beach just can’t hold many kiters and a ban would be devastating.

Have any other sports helped influence your kiteboarding? For sure, especially wakeboarding.

I did it a lot before I kited so I have always had my roots there. Wakeboarding videos get me motivated to transfer wakeboarding tricks to kiteboarding.

I think there are so many tricks that kiters are missing out on.

Growing up around the water, how difficult was learning to kiteboard? I think it was quite natural. I had the board skills down, so I just had to work the kite out. As soon as I had a kite I flew it at every opportunity, so I learned fairly quickly. We have a weather station near my beach, and its site has been my home page for years. When I only had a 7m I used to stare at it and click refresh until it said 15 knots.

What standout features do you most appreciate about your current gear? I know I get paid to say I love all my gear, but I actually do! The Torch has changed considerably from last year; more bar pressure and a huge amount of pop make it pretty much perfect for what I love to do. I also have a secret prototype board that will be coming out in 2011 that I recon we’ve hit the jackpot with.

What do you do off the water to help you on the water? I’m pretty lazy really! I would like to say I stretch twice a day and work out, but that’s kind of lame. I do keep fit playing squash, skateboarding, etc.

3 4 t h ek i t e b o a r d e r . c om

Sam Light

Age: 20 Height: 5’10” Weight: 170 lbs.Years kiting: 7 Favorite Spots: Hayling Island, a few places in Hawaii, Brazil, Perth Favorite Conditions: Flat water on the inside with kickers rolling through Favorite Moves: Crow Mobe, Moby Dick, off-axis rotations Sponsors: Naish International, O’Neill

GEAR SET-UP

Boards: 134 and 138 Naish Momentum Bindings: Ronix Cells Kites: Naish Torch Lines: 20 and 24m Harness: Naish Diamond

I have learned quite a few tricks on the trampoline, especially off-axis rotations. Lately I have been getting into golf. It’s a cool sport, but frustrating. It’s also a great way to chill out in the sun with mates and a few beers!

What trick or style are you currently working on?

I have been working on toeside a lot lately. I think I invented a new trick in Australia, but I’m sure someone will correct me. Basically, from toeside you do an S-bend almost all the way around before doing a frontside 360. Don’t forget the phat melon grab in the middle. It’s like an S-mobe crossed with a Tootsie roll. I call it a Wise Mobe. You can see it in the video Aesthetics from Australia. Check it out and share the love!

What is your favorite style of riding and why?

I’m sure you all expect me to say powered wakestyle riding, but I can appreciate a lot of different styles, though I can’t say I’m a fan of course racing. My favorite style is doing something different, not the same stuff that everyone else is doing. I like seeing people putting their own flair and background into tricks and pushing the sport in the direction they see.

What do you think can be done to draw more young riders into kiteboarding? I would love to get more young riders into the sport. I think the cost of getting gear and taking lessons is the biggest issue. There is no guidance for them about where to start and if they do manage to start out it’s hard to make a living out of it. I really appreciated my Dad’s help when I was starting out, driving me to my first events and helping me get cheaper gear. I also think we need to push kiting further into the mainstream media.

What do you think about competitions? Are you planning on doing more of them in the future?

I’m kind of on the fence at the moment. Right now, the PKRA is in a strange place, especially with Aaron not competing this year and with all the controversy going on in the background. Not many people know what’s going on or know which trick is better than another.

There are a few very talented riders on the tour though; guys like Youri Zoon and Alex Pastor are mixing it up with big tricks and really hard low wakestyle moves. I think it’s something I will do in the future, but right now I think there’s better stuff to do while they sort it out! I am really enjoying doing my own thing at the moment, making cool videos and photos.

What is something about you outside of kiteboarding that most people wouldn’t know? I have pet chickens at my house. They lay the best fresh eggs and I make a mean poached egg!

What are your must-haves that you can’t live without? Music and good headphones; music always gets me motivated and puts me in a good mood. My Mac helps me get through long journeys and I always look forward to Mum’s cooking. What can I say — it’s always good to go home and get some home cooked food!

Any words of wisdom you want to share with our readers? Set yourself a goal and stick to it.

Whether it’s to become the next world champion or to land your first jump, committing and believing you’re going to make it happen is the key. I’m a big believer that what goes around comes around, so share the love and you will get it back.

Let it shine.

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t hekit eboarder.c o m 3 5

close up

Claire was named KiteScoop.com’s favorite kite girl. Photo John Bilderback

1. Keep your kite low and make sure to edge really hard before you pop.

When Claire discovered kiteboarding, she moved halfway across the country to pursue the life of a pro kiter. Photo Judith Schulz

By TKB Staff

Originally from a small town on the shores of Lake Michigan, when Claire first saw kiteboarding she decided that was what she wanted to do more than anything. She saved up all her money for more than a year and took a lesson at REAL kiteboarding and then decided to never leave. After spending two seasons in Hatteras, Claire recently moved to Hood River to work for Second Wind Sports.

When, where, and why did you start kiteboarding?

I started kiteboarding in March of 2008 after a long year of waiting for lessons. I took the Zero-2-Hero camp at REAL Watersports and never left! I had always dabbled in every board sport but never was able to focus on one. I have always been a lover of the water and I was hooked from the first moment.

What was it about kiteboarding that made you pick up and move halfway across the country to do it?

I decided that if I was going to try and kiteboard for a living I might as well be somewhere I could do it almost everyday. I knew that Hatteras was a hot spot for kiting so I did my research and was on my way.

Have any other sports or disciplines helped influence your kiteboarding? I love snowboarding; I do that in the winters while I’m at school and just focus on hitting rails and boxes so I can be better at that when I hit the water. I also wakeboard and skateboard on no-wind days.

What standout features do you most appreciate about your current gear? I love the comfort of both my Mystic harness and my Ronix Frank bindings.

The bindings are super light so I can do all of my tricks a lot easier.

What do you do off the water to help you on the water? I try and stay in shape! I work out every day and this helps me be able to stay on the water longer and keeps the stamina up. It’s good to be in shape when you’re an athlete.

What trick or style are you currently working on and what is the challenge? Right now I am working on the raley to blind, unhooked front rolls, and I am 3 6 t h ek i t e b o a r d e r . c om

2. If you are learning to unhook just practice unhooking and hooking back in while riding normally. This will help you get used to it.

Claire Lutz Age: 23 Height: 5’7” Weight: 120 lbs. Years kiting: 2 Favorite Spots: The Slick in Cape Hatteras and the Sand Bar in Hood River Favorite Conditions: SW at 18-22, it’s the perfect wind consistency and speed Favorite Moves: Unhooked Raley Sponsors: Mystic and Second Wind Sports

GEAR SET-UP

Boards: LF Recoil 127 and a 134 custom hot pink wakestyle board made just for me Bindings: Ronix Frank Kites: Liquid Force, The Rev, and anything I can get my hands on!

Lines: Standard Harness: Mystic Warrior II

always working on hitting sliders. I’m close with the raley to blind. Hopefully I’ll have it down by the time people are reading this.

What is your favorite style of riding and why? I love wakestyle. I love the feeling of unhooking and doing powerful raleys with the kite low. Wakestyle is helping to make kiteboarding more appealing to the masses. Like many have said before me, kiteboarding is like the rollerblading of the ocean, and we’re trying to change that.

You were named KiteScoop.com’s favorite kite girl. What do you think about the Scoop? I love the Scoop! Those guys are crazy. I think it’s great what they are doing. People share their opinions and rant and rave. You name it, they do it. They also launched an updated version which has more kite news, videos, interviews, and pictures. They are called the Scoop Troops because they are the ones really pushing wakestyle.

Do you think the direction that the Scoop is pushing the sport is the direction kiteboarding needs to go?

I think it is already catching on. More and more people are riding boots and keeping their kites lower.

I’m not saying that everyone should ride wakestyle, because that’s not everyone’s thing, but if we are trying to appeal to more people we should try and seem more legit like wakeboarding and surfing.

Right now those people aren’t too convinced that kiteboarding is cool. They should be, because it is!

Why do you think there is so much arguing and bitterness between the different aspects of

kiteboarding? Can’t we all just get along?

I’m not too sure why there is so much arguing.

Everyone is entitled to their own opinions. I think the bitterness comes from the people trying to push the sport to new limits. They are getting upset with the people who are holding it back. This should be about evolution of the sport. How can we make it grow and change for the better?

What was your scariest kiteboarding experience?

A few times when I began kiteboarding I would go out in any wind condition without understanding the wind patterns and a lot of times the wind would die. My friends would say don’t go out further than you want to swim back in, but I didn’t quite listen. I would be stranded so far out in the Pamlico Sound or the ocean, try and self rescue, tangle my lines, and probably cried because I was afraid of sharks.

OK, I did cry.

What is your most memorable kiteboarding experience? When Lulu Vroman and Trevor Murchie taught me how to hit sliders! Lulu is my hero. She kills it on sliders.

What are your must-haves that you can’t live without? Ipod! I cannot live without music. On the water or on the plane, it’s essential. Also a hair tie because my hair is wild and out of control and chapstick is a must!

Any words of wisdom you want to share with our readers? Never give up. There will always be people who won’t believe in you and try and bring you down. Don’t let them!

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t hekit eboard er.c o m 3 7

Cedric and Emmanuel take a break on the world’s largest salt lake, Salar de Uyuni, Bolivia.

Photo Cedric Dupont

3 8 t h ek i t e b o a r d e r . c om

13,000 Miles of

Kitesurfing I

By Cedric Dupont

’ve looked for adventure my whole life. I’m driven by the thrill of the unknown and am in constant pursuit of the next rush of adrenaline, so I didn’t surprise anyone when I announced that I, along with my best friend Emmanuel De Rosnay, had plans to drive from San Francisco, California, to Rio de Janerio, Brazil.

Emmanuel and I are childhood friends from the island of Mauritius, where we grew up together like brothers.

When it was time for us to head to college, I ended up studying in Paris and then found a job in San Francisco while Emmanuel went to Australia. We began planning this trip years ago, and we were finally able to make it happen last fall. Both of us put a halt to our current jobs and relationships and focused on what would become one of the greatest adventures of our lifetimes.

t hekit eboard er.c o m 3 9

Cedric and Emmanuel watch the sun come up at the bottom of the Cotopaxi volcano in Ecuador. Photo Cedric Dupont

Westy charges down the dirt road to Punta San Carlos.

Photo Cedric Dupont

PREPARATIONS

In San Francisco, I packed up and stored my belongings, ended the lease with my landlord, and negotiated a sabbatical with my employer. Emmanuel sold his boat, ended his lease, quit his job, and bought a ticket to San Francisco. When he arrived at my door, we spent three weeks planning the trip and then headed south down the road for Brazil. Our transportation would be a 1980 VW Westfalia camper van that we constantly referred to as Westy. After buying Westy, we added extra security by putting metal bars on the windows and external locks on the doors. With spare tires on the roof, custom-built shelving, and, most importantly, a place to hold surfboards and kitesurfing gear, we were ready to go. We stuffed the front glove compartment with maps, filled up the gas tank, jumped in Westy, and started driving. Because Emmanuel and I grew up on an island, we are both very fond of the water. We love just about every watersport out there, but kitesurfing had become an obsession of ours, so a main focus of this trip was to kitesurf everywhere and anywhere possible.

4 0 th ek i t e b o a r d e r . c om

Cedric washes off the road dust with a session in Peru. Photo Emmanuel De Rosnay

Westy navigates the Death Road in Bolivia.

Photo Emmanuel De Rosnay

DOWN A DIRT ROAD

As we drove down the California coast, we took our time and stopped in Santa Cruz, Santa Barbara, Los Angeles, and San Diego. Five days after leaving San Francisco, we found ourselves at the first of what would be many immigration offices. A car permit and a passport stamp later we found ourselves in country number one, Mexico. We headed down the Baja coast towards San Carlos. We had been told that the roads could be difficult in Mexico, but it wasn’t until we drove the dirt road to San Carlos that we believed the warnings. With only an hour of sunlight left and still over 40 miles to go, we drove Westy slowly trying to avoid the ruts and potholes as the sun sank lower. Four hours later, we reached the ocean and camped out on a cliff above the beach. We had no idea where we were or how close (or far!) we were to San Carlos. We woke up to a sparkling ocean with nothing but cacti around so we decided to keep going and drove along the coast until we saw what we were looking for: kites. To our surprise, here was a campground in the middle of the desert, home only to kitesurfers and windsurfers!

At 10 a.m. the wind was already blowing hard so we took out our gear. After an arduous launch from the top of a cliff, we were riding the perfectly-shaped waves of Punta San Carlos.

BROKEN BRAKES

Our first days in Mexico were only the beginning of an amazing adventure. We drove down to the tip of Baja California where we shipped Westy from La Paz to Mazatlan. We then followed the Pacific coast all the way to the Mexican pipeline in Puerto Escondido before turning inland towards the Caribbean coast. The ups and downs of the roads in the Sierra Madre Mountains of Mexico took a toll on Westy’s brakes. Given the weight of the car and the frequency of our urges to slam on the brakes at every twist and turn, we quickly wore out the brake pads.

We arrived at the city of Tuxtla Gutierrez and stopped at the first mechanic we found. It was a small family-owned shop and a young teenager started to work on the van. When he had trouble removing the brake pads, his dad stepped in with a unique method of heating up the brakes and throwing them in cold water. We were very skeptical of their technique, but once everything was done, the brakes seemed to work fine. We drove to the Yucatán peninsula and then headed south to Belize City where we left our car to explore the Belize Keys. We packed up our kitesurfing gear and took a boat to a small island, Caye Caulker, located approximately 20 miles northeast of Belize City. We arrived to find a long lagoon and turquoise water, a perfect setting for kiters, except for the lack of wind. After two days of forced beach relaxation time, the wind picked up and we were finally on the water. We kitesurfed all day, riding both in the lagoon and over the reef. The water was shallow and so clear that we could see large manta rays soaring underneath us. t hekit eboarder.c o m 4 1

Cedric kiting on Bolivia’s Laguna Verde, located over 14,000 feet above sea level. Photo Emmanuel De Rosnay

CENTRAL AMERICA

We returned to Westy to find it surprisingly intact. We drove through Guatemala and reached the Pacific Ocean before going further south. As we were approaching Leon in Nicaragua, our brakes stopped working again and we came really close to crashing into a truck, avoiding contact by pulling the emergency brake and driving off the road. Once we were able to catch our breath, we tried to go back on the road but were stuck.

There we were, somewhere in the middle of Nicaragua stuck on the side of the road. Things didn’t look promising, but just as Emmanuel and I were about to sing a song of curses, a tractor passed by and helped us out of the ditch. Back on the road, we drove as slow as we could to the nearest mechanic. As we arrived, we noticed an old Volkswagen in his front yard.

We became two very lucky guys as the mechanic had the exact same brake part that was damaged and replaced it in less than an hour. We left Leon after a few days and continued along the Pacific coast, looking for remote surf and kitesurf spots. We were lucky enough to find incredible places, but often at the detriment of Westy. Our biggest breakdown took place in the middle of a small river in the Peninsula de Osa, Costa Rica. We had to wait two days before finding a car that could tow us to a mechanic.

We managed to get the car running again and made our way south to Panama City where we faced the challenge of getting Westy to Columbia.

SHIPPING A WESTY

The Darien Gap between Panama and Colombia is a vast swampland with no roads connecting the two countries. We had to ship our car to Colombia and the process was long, laborious, and complicated. We managed to rent a container for the car and to ship it on a cargo ship. We then had about four days before retrieving the container so we went on a little adventure in the San Blas Archipelago. We asked a fisherman to drop us on a small deserted island and then return to pick us up in two days. The island was perfect! It was no more than 40 yards long with a few coconut trees and was surrounded by a beautiful lagoon. We first joked that it was going to be like the TV show Survivor, but our joke soon turned into reality. We had mistakenly left our food bag behind and had nothing to eat. Thankfully, we managed to grab a few coconuts and caught an octopus with a not so handy hand-crafted spear, but that only teased our stomachs. It goes without saying that we were pretty happy to see the fisherman when he arrived to pick us up. We then flew to Cartagena in Colombia to retrieve our car and discovered that picking it up was almost as complicated as shipping it. After countless hours, we were pumped to have Westy back and to be back on the road again. We decided to make a little detour to try out a kitesurfing spot called Puerto Velero, north of Cartagena. The spot had perfect flat water and we had a ton of fun seeing how fast we could go on the butter-smooth water. We then made our way south and found more exciting places to surf and kite. We arrived in Bolivia, one of the two landlocked countries in South America, a place that we had no expectation to kite. We found ourselves in Uyuni, where our plan was to drive across the world’s largest salt lake and 4 2 th ek i t e b o a r d e r . c om

then through the Bolivian desert towards Chile. After three days on the road following old car tracks, getting stuck in sand dunes, and coaxing Westy to keep going at this very high altitude, we weren’t sure we were going to make it. However, to our delight, we found our way to the Laguna Verde, a lake nestled at 14,100 feet at the bottom of the Licancabur Volcano. Most tourists come here on a guided tour and we arrived just as they were all leaving. We had the whole lake (and volcano) to ourselves and as we stepped out of the car we noticed that the wind was blowing pretty hard. Without hesitation, on went our wetsuits and up went our kites. The lake, usually green in color, had turned white and our only company was a group of pink flamingos. Given the high altitude, the water was freezing but we were so amazed by the reality of what we were doing that it took about an hour to notice that our feet were numb. The setting was awe-inspiring and we were psyched to think that we were likely the first to kite at such altitude. This was definitely one of the high points of the trip.

15 Countries, 13,000 Miles, 145 Days

We finished our trip by driving through the north of Argentina all the way to Buenos Aires. Unfortunately, just as we were getting close to our final destination, Rio de Janeiro, we had another major breakdown. Our clutch burned out south of Rio, about 500 miles from completing our trip. We thought of abandoning the car and hitchhiking our way to Rio, but quickly ruled out

Cedric and Emmanuel give Westy a little help in Argentina. Photo Cedric Dupont

Cedric enjoys a marshmallow he roasted over fresh magma on the Pacaya volcano in Guatemala.

Photo Emmanuel De Rosnay

this option. We were determined to make it to Rio with Westy, as planned. After a few days of searching we found a mechanic who was able to recondition the clutch. He said that the clutch would be good for a few more miles and we crossed all fingers and toes, hoping it would make it to Rio, which it did. We arrived in the marvelous city of Rio with the following: Stripped gears, badly damaged clutch, broken exhaust pipe, and a leaking oil tank. We were shocked that Westy (and ourselves for that matter) had survived the trip. We had covered fifteen countries in 145 days and had driven about 13,000 miles. We had visited some pretty incredible places, sandboarded down a volcano in Nicaragua, roasted marshmallows over genuine volcanic lava, paraglided and river rafted in the Andes, and ate as much ceviche as one could desire. It was an amazing trip, and we were melancholy to see it end. As our adventure concluded, we weren’t sure how keen the Brazilians would be on buying our VW. We soon found out there wasn’t much of a market for a battle-tested Westfalia and we sold what had been our home for four months for a grand total of $200. I left Rio de Janiero and flew to Mauritius for the holidays before flying home to San Francisco while Emmanuel flew back to Australia to grab the last of his belongings before moving home to Mauritius. The adventure that we shared brought us even closer together than we had been before, but at the end of the trip it was time once again to go our separate ways. Now settling back into our normal routines, we both still spend a majority of our free time kitesurfing, him along the coasts of Mauritius and I alongside the Golden Gate Bridge in San Francisco.

Cedric and Emmanuel rush to the top at Peru’s Mach Pichu. Photo Cedric Dupont

t hekit eboarder.c o m 4 3

Tony Logosz and Amery Bernard stand among two years worth of Slingshot R&D. Photo Courtesy Slingshot

4 4 th ek i t e b o a r d e r . c om

Demystifying Design: Kites “Generally, a big LE diameter means more stability and a slower turning kite that flies deeper in the window,” says Peter Stiewe. Photo Gavin Butler

By Paul Lang

It never fails. Whenever we bring new gear to the beach to test out, it feels like we’re immediately surrounded by people who like to comment on how it will or won’t work based entirely on how it looks. Everybody seems to have a different opinion on how the kite will perform based on the size of the leading edge, the length of the bridles, how rigid the kite feels, the number of struts, and anything else they can point out.

Now be honest: Do you really know what any of the visual clues on a new kite actually tell you about how it rides? I’ll admit that I don’t have a clue when it comes to the subtle visual clues that you can find on a kite, so we decided to ask the designers to let us know what we can expect to learn by looking at a piece of gear.

Remember, there is no substitute for actually riding a kite to find out if it’s the right one for you!

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What are the most obvious visual clues on a kite that might tell you a bit about how it will perform?

“You can look at the aspect ratio (AR). High AR means a punchy kite that flies to the edge of wind window. Low AR leads to constant power and a kite that sits deeper in the window” Peter Stiewe, Best Kiteboarding.

Do you know what traits make a kite best for a certain style of riding? Photo Jens Hogenkamp

“The bigger the kite, the more aerodynamically efficient it needs to be in order to perform well. Therefore, larger kites should have a really good match between leading edge arc and trailing edge arc.

In smaller kites, too much aerodynamic efficiency makes them hard to handle and gives them a harsh feel. In those sizes we intentionally cause a bit of a mismatch between leading edge arc and trailing edge arc specifically to take the edge off the kite’s handling” Ken Winner, North Kiteboarding.

“I would say look at its overall outline. For example a kite with a more compact look (lower Aspect Ratio) should tend to turn faster, be more forgiving, and should be easy to jump. A higher aspect ratio kite should make longer jumps and be more efficient” Damien Girardin, Naish Kiteboarding.

“The most obvious clue is the general shape of the kite, meaning how “C’d” up the hoop shape is, the amount the LE is swept back (the amount of rake), and also the wingtip shape. Generally, the more C-shape a kite is, the less depower it has, and the kite will have a tendency to carve through turns. The more open a kite is, the more depower potential it has and the kite will pivot in turns more. Lots of rake in the LE tends to mean that the kite will depower more than a kite with little rake. A fuller, squarer wingtip will usually mean that the kite will carve through turns versus a pointier, narrower wingtip which would tend to pivot more through turns” Amery Bernard, Slingshot Kiteboarding.

“Look at the arc shape of the kite and how swept back the wingtips are. This would give you hints on how the kite basically flies and turns” Julien Fillion, Liquid Force Kiteboarding.

How does the size of the leading edge affect the kite’s characteristics?

“Generally, a big LE diameter means more stability and a slower turning kite that flies deeper in the window. A small LE diameter means a less stable but faster turning kite” Peter Stiewe.

“Several companies increase the size of the LE at the end of the design process when the bridle geometry is not adequate to hold the arc of the LE in place. This will definitely slow down the speed at which the kite flies across the wind window, but most importantly this will add lots of weight on the front top axis section of the kite and make it less stable, increasing the tendency for it to fall light wind. On the other hand, some of the high performance kites out there are equipped with a very solid bridle structure, and for this reason have a much smaller LE, which creates good speed and a lightweight feel, but it could make the kite overfly and difficult to relaunch. My goal is usually to find the middle ground between LE size, weight, and bridle arc structure” Julien Fillion.

“The diameter of the LE affects a few different characteristics of the kite: Rigidity: A larger LE tends to make a kite more solid (less jellyfishing, although a big LE will not correct jellyfishing that is due to the wrong balance of the kite). A more rigid kite will behave better when dropped in the water as it will be less 4 6 th ek i t e b o a r d e r . c om

likely to lose its shape when dropped, but a more rigid kite will also turn slower. Turning Speed: A smaller LE will allow for more twist of the overall wing when turning, which will result in a fast “Another thing that can give a clue for turning turning kite. Upwind Ability and Depower: A kite characteristics is the bridle,” says Amery Bernard. with a smaller LE will create less drag and will Photo Henry Rico fly further forward in the wind window which will allow for a better upwind ability, better pop when unhooked, and more depower overall since your kite will fly with less drag. Overall there is a fine balance to find for the LE diameter. You want it as small as possible but must also keep enough rigidity in the kite” Damien Girardin.

“In general, a larger LE will provide the kite with more structure, slow down the turning, and increase lift in the kite. A smaller LE will tend to have less structure, faster turning, and less lift” Amery Bernard.

“Back when we had C-kites that didn’t depower very well, I thought a small leading edge was a good thing because it allowed the kite to fly farther to the edge of the window, which allowed it to depower better. But now that most kites have such great depower through angle-of-attack control (sheeting out), the small leading edge is less of an asset to most riders. Even when fully inflated, the kite with a small leading edge tends to fold in half during relaunch. In the air it is likely to have less stability and a less positive feel. Nowadays, I see a small leading edge as something racers should be interested in, but not so much cruisers, jumpers, tricksters, and surfers” Ken Winner.

Is there anything on a kite visually that will give clues to the kite’s turning and depowering characteristics? What about jumping?

“Regarding turning, the most obvious way to see if a kite will turn fast is to see how big its wing tips are. Larger means the rider will have more leverage to create torque in order to twist the kite to initiate turning. On kites with swept wing tips, look at the distance between the lowest point of the front bridle and the back line – this is basically a virtual wing tip. For depower, it’s harder to see because it all depends on how the bridles are set up on the kite. If the kite has no bridles (like a Torch), its depower will depend on how far forward the front lines are and how small the foil and LE are in order to let the kite go far in the wind window” Damien Girardin.

“Another thing that can give a clue for turning characteristics is the bridle. Namely, the position where the front lines lie. The further towards the center of the kite, the more the kite will tend to pivot in turns. The further towards the outside of the kite, the more the kite tends to carve through turns” Amery Bernard.

“If the wingtips are more swept towards the back of the kite, it will most likely be a kite that pivots on itself during turns. If the front of the wingtips are closer to the center axis of the LE, the kite will turn

Demystifying Design: Kites Dimitri Maramenides and Momi tune the design for the next Epic kite.

Photo Courtesy Epic Kites

around a wider axis and generate more speed during the turns. Jumping performance is very hard to tell just by looking at a kite on the beach; it’s all about the profile setup and the ability to quickly depower and power the kite up again” Julien Fillion.

“A C-shaped LE means more power during turns, while a Bow/Delta shaped LE equals less power during turns” Peter Stiewe.

What does a strut-less middle canopy do for the kite’s performance?

“It increases both low end performance and drift stability” Peter Stiewe.

“Lots of Things: First it removes weight. This year we realized that weight is the key of kite design, and true performance (stability, reliability, ease of use, relaunch) starts with the weight of the kite. The kite also responds quicker to the turning signal since the LE and canopy are freer to twist in the center. It also cleans up the center canopy, giving room for deeper profiles where it’s really needed (in the center of the kite). Let’s not forget that the kites are also quicker to inflate and cheaper to produce. It was a big challenge to take an existing kite such as the Havoc and change it from a 5-strut to a 4-strut kite as we had to find the perfect balance of outline, arc, AR, and bridles to not lose any of the performance of this kite” Julien Fillion.

“Look at the arc shape of the kite and how swept back the wingtips are. This would give you hints on how the kite basically flies and turns,” says Julien Fillion.

Photo Darren Edwards

What does the Sigma outline and geo-tech shaping do for the kite’s performance?

“Sigma outline provides superior stability to a kite. Basically, it allows the kite to achieve really low angles of attack without falling out of the sky as the weight on the front of the kite is moved back, behind the center of effort of the kite. Geo-Tech provides a very stable canopy when the kite is flying since it keeps the canopy under tension at all times preventing the foil from losing its shape, especially when ridden overpowered. For the rider, this translates into a kite that has superior handling in the high end of the range and allows the kite to steer even when sheeted out” Damien Girardin.

What do more or less struts on a kite do for the kite’s performance?

“More struts add more rigidity to the kite and also more weight. In general, a kite with less struts can be lighter feeling and more responsive. A nice thing about fewer struts is the convenience of having to inflate/deflate less, and the kite also packs smaller” Amery Bernard.

“You can get an inexpensive, light, and quick-turning kite by reducing the number of struts, but you give up some aerodynamic efficiency and load-carrying capacity. A three-strut kite, for example, distorts and flutters badly in big sizes in moderate to high winds and under the load of an average or heavyweight rider. After experimenting a lot with different strut counts, we find we can get adequate performance with three struts (particularly for light riders), but we get the best all-around performance with five.

We’re willing to go to six or seven in a race kite” Ken Winner.

Remember that while this is all great information, there is no true way to find out how a kite will fly without flying it yourself.

Amery Bernard said it best. “Overall, these visual clues are just that: Clues. I wouldn’t suggest that anyone base a buying decision on visual clues because what one clue says, another clue could trump it and the performance of the kite could be a lot different than what you expect. The best thing to do is demo a kite.”

Hopefully the info here will help you know what you are looking at a little better when checking out a new kite, but to really know how a kite will perform you’ll have to get out there and fly it yourself. Look for the second part of this article in the next issue, when we dive into what you can learn about the performance of twin tips and surfboards by looking at them.

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Rider: Reed Brady | Words: Will Caldwell | Photos: Paul Lang

The Nuclear Grab

In my opinion this is one of the most stylish and photographed grabs in the sport. The Nuclear Grab is fairly simple and can be done hooked in and unhooked.

This move is basically a fancy version of a load and pop jump, so make sure you can do a basic jump without sending your kite before you try to add a Nuclear Grab. The Nuclear Grab is a great way to easily add some style to your riding.

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1. Ride along with a fair amount of speed with the kite at a 45° angle above the water. Begin by loading your edge to pop off the water.

2. As you pop off the water, begin to lean forward and bend your front knee while letting go of the bar with your back hand.

3. As you bend your front knee, bring your back hand forward across your body and grab the nose of the board. While doing this simultaneously straighten your back leg. This makes it easier to reach the nose with your back hand.

4. Get a solid hold of the nose and poke your back leg as hard as you can.

Remember, a slap doesn’t count as a grab.

5. Let go of the nose and spot your landing. Put your back hand back on the bar and bring the board underneath your body.

6. Land and ride away.

tips

• K eep the kite steady by keeping your hands near the center of the bar throughout the move.

• The more you straighten your back leg and bend your front knee, the more tweaked your Nuclear Grab will look. With grabs, tweaked is good.

• The Nuclear Grab is easier if you go into the move with a good amount of speed.

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Rider: Chris Burke Photo: Bryan Elkus Words: Chris Burke

How to Hit Your First Rail

So you want to line up and hit a rail? It can be super daunting at first, but as soon as you’re locked into a rail you’ll love it! Before you can hit a rail, you’ve got to check on a few things. First, set the rail in the water pointing somewhere around 45° off the wind.

Make sure your gear is working right and check that your kite flies nicely unhooked without being overpowered or wanting to stall. Take the fins off your board so they don’t catch and it’s going to feel a whole lot better if you’re laced into some bindings for control, commitment, and support.

1. Come in upwind of the rail with your kite set about 45° above the water.

2. Unhook and bear off towards the rail.

3. Try and match your direction of travel with the rail’s angle and focus right at the end that you’re aiming for.

4. As you approach the rail, ollie or lift on the rail into the slide you want to hold – 5050s or boardslides are good to start with.

5. Center your body weight over your board while keeping the board flat on the rail.

6. Keep your knees loose and the bar low for style and control.

7. Now hold it, rotate, or press it until you make it to the end.

tips

• I f you aren’t making the entire slide, you’re probably not lining up with the rail right. Line up earlier from upwind and focus right at the end.

• If your board is slipping out from under you, it’s because you’re either edging onto the rail or leaning off the board. Focus on keeping your body weight low and over your board while riding it flat.

• If you’re losing power coming into the rail, it’s probably because you’re lining up too early and slacking the lines. Try to turn in later so you hold tension and have enough power to slide the whole rail.

By Brendan Richards/Caution Kiteboarding/ www.sckitesurfing.com

Unhooking in the Waves

The idea of unhooking in the waves and blasting down the line with just one hand hanging onto your bar can sound pretty overwhelming to riders that aren’t used to unhooking. However, getting the pull of your kite away from the center of your body opens up a whole new school of waveriding and frees up your body to perform in ways that just are not possible when your harness is connected to your kite.

With a little practice, unhooking in the waves isn’t as difficult as people usually think it is. Because you are traveling downwind on the wave, there really isn’t a huge amount of pull coming from the kite. The most difficult part of riding a wave unhooked is not holding on with one hand, but timing the kite’s movements with the wave.

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Learning to Unhook Starting in flat water, practice unhooking and hooking back in. Make sure that you have good board speed and bear off downwind before you unhook, as this will take the shock out of transferring the pull from your harness to your upper body. Prior to unhooking, put both hands close together near the center of the bar. This allows you to take one hand off the bar while reducing the amount that the kite will turn when hanging on with one hand.

The first time you unhook you will be shocked by how much more drag and resistance you feel from your board and the intensity of the pull from your kite. The more downwind you travel, the less the kite will pull.

When hooking back in, the key to success is using both hands to pull the bar back to your body while hooking in with one swift move. With both hands centered on the bar, pull the bar towards your harness hook. As your trim loop approaches the harness hook, leave one hand on the bar as close to the center as possible and grab the quick release/chicken loop with the other hand and guide it back onto your harness hook. When polished into one swift move, this seems to be the easiest, fastest, and most reliable method of hooking back in.

Some riders choose to keep both hands on the bar and guide the trim loop back onto the

Brendan Richards shows how unhooking in the surf can allow you to move your body in ways that just aren’t possible when you are hooked in. Photo David Devries

PROS

• C hanges the center of effort/pull coming from the kite making riding on a wave feel more like surfing where your upper body often dictates your direction of travel.

• Adds another challenge. Riding unhooked completely changes kiting in small waves, making it fun and exciting.

• Makes you a more well-rounded kiter and less apt to panic if you accidentally become unhooked.

• Makes some delusional egomaniacs feel really cool, even though they continue to be complete hacks in the waves (more of a CON).

CONS

• R iding unhooked sets your kite at a fixed level of power, eliminating the benefits of the latest in depower technology.

• Unhooking works really well in slightly underpowered conditions, but makes wind quality and kite selection much more important.

• Makes you more likely to yard sale in the lineup and burn your friends (and enemies) while you sort yourself out.

• In the beginning, unhooked wave riding tends to offer just a few moments of brilliance when everything lines up surrounded by horrendously mistimed moves and repeated train wrecks.

harness hook, but success at this method depends upon the rigidity of your trim loop and your muscle coordination under strain.

When things go wrong, be prepared to let go of the bar and grab the chicken loop with both hands. If you are using a high depower kite this will kill almost all of the kite’s pull. Once things have calmed down, you can lie back in the water and bring your harness hook to the surface and then muscle the chicken loop back to your harness hook with both hands on the trim loop.

Unhooked Wave Riding When riding waves unhooked, your goal is to ride down the line with only your forward hand on the bar for as much of the time as is possible. Because the kite turns when only one hand is on the bar, the challenge is to time your hand movements with where you want to place the kite, where the wave is, and how much power you need. To slow the movement of the kite, you can hold the bar so your index finger is on the other side of the bar with the depower line between your index and middle fingers.

On a right in side-onshore wind, it goes something like this: Going down the wave, unhook and turn the kite to the right (towards the wave) until letting go with your right hand. Through the bottom turn, only your left hand stays on the bar, causing the kite to slowly turn left (towards the beach). If your timing is right, then the left hand has redirected the kite to the left side of the window as you hit the lip of the wave. Put your right hand back on the bar for a moment to redirect the kite back again towards the wave as you start another bottom turn. This takes a lot of practice to get right, so don’t be frustrated if you don’t nail the timing on your first few tries.

Best Conditions for Unhooking You need steady wind, relatively smooth water, the right kite size, and an appropriately tuned bar to have a good time in the waves unhooked. If the wind is gusty or the water is really choppy, you’ll probably have more fun staying hooked in.

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The P redato r Eric Rienstra, aka The Predator, attacks the side of the Second Wind box in Hood River. Photo Patrick Rebstock

T h e Boss Roberto Ricci is not just the man in charge at RRD, but he can get out there and ride with the best of them. Roberto tackles the waves at Platboom in South Africa while doing the last round of tweaking on the surf-specific Religion kite.

Photo Courtesy RRD

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M e e t Ad ria n a According to her profile on the F-One website, new team rider Adriana Harlan is an Oceanographer and Web Designer in addition to being a pro kiteboarder who kills it in the waves on the North Shore. Photo Stephen Whitesell

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Did n ’t y ou g et the memo ?

Dimitri Maramenides is on a one-man crusade to keep the one-footer alive. Photo Terrie Bodaert

d ua l pu rpose Blake Harrington smacks the lip moments after an unknown rider used the same spot as a ramp to boost at Waddell Creek, California. Photo Shal Jacobovitz

MYSTIC

CROSSFIRE 4/3 STEAMER SHORTLEG 2010

9

product watch

New Products to check out

AIRUSH

SECTOR

The Mystic Crossfire 4/3 Steamer Shortleg is a unique steamer suit with super flexible materials that make it fit like a glove. While it’s made for the mid-season temperatures, it’s ideal for water/ wind temperatures from 55 to 70F (12 to 20C). Since it is a steamer, it comes with all the features of the cold weather Mystic Crossfire suits with the Flameskin chest panel, blind zip, back up water outlet, and 3D composite kneepads.

The length of the suit goes over the knee, so it offers a unique protection below the knee, and leaves the cuffs exposed. If you are in an area where the water and wind temperatures are between 55 to 70F and you are tired of your old wetsuit shooting water under the ankles all the time, this wetsuit can do miracles.

Sizes: S to XL and more - check website MSRP: $289.95 www.live2kite.com/mystic-crossfire-43-steamershortleg-2010-p-1173.html

Airush introduces the Wide Body concept with the Sector 60. At nearly 4 inches (10cm) wider than any other production kiteboard, the light wind advantages of the Sector 60 concept are clear.

The Sector 52 is based on the ideology of a high performance free race directional, with high wind performance for heavier riders or a dedicated light wind board for lightweight riders. The Sector 52 also offers a more maneuverable option to its big brother, the Sector 60. Innovations in the fin configuration and hull design create an easy to use yet high-performance free race board through significant steps forward in upwind recreational performance.

The obvious increase in width enables the Sector to get going early, and continue planning in absolutely minimal wind conditions. sizes: SECTOR 60: 5’8” x 23 ½” (172 cm x 60 cm)

SECTOR 52: 5’8” x 20 ½” (172 cm x 52 cm) MSRP: $959 www.airush.com

ELEMENTAL HERBS

Sunscreen Sport

This zinc-based all-natural organic sunscreen is perfect for watersport enthusiasts and those looking for maximum protection from the sun’s harmful rays. Created with athletes in mind, the sunscreen goes on smooth and has a non-greasy feel that won’t sting or irritate the eyes. The 25% zinc formula offers ultimate UVA and UVB protection while out on the water. The best part about it: the formula is safe for both people and the planet, so there is no harm to coral reefs! Available in SPORT SPF 20, KIDS SPF 20, and SPORT TINTED SPF 22.

MSRP: $8.99 for one-ounce and $19.39 for three-ounce bottles. www.KurtisUSA.com

CAUTION STAND UP

STAND UP PADDLE BOARDS

Caution has entered the Stand Up market with a six-board line up ranging from 10’6” to 9’2”. Designed for stability and ease of use, the new boards feature lightweight yet durable construction with an inset handle for easy transport to the beach. Each board comes with a snow camo deck pad, two optional paddle choices (glass or carbon), and a paddle bag. The 10’6” and 10’ come in a three fin thruster setup and the 9’8”, 9’6”, and 9’2” come with a five fin setup for either a quad or thruster setup. The boards are available with durable EPS construction as well as the slightly lighter EPX II construction. These boards work great in the surf, yet are easy to paddle and are good for cruising with friends.

SIZES: 10’6”x31”, 10’x34”, 9’8”x31”, 9’6”x30 ½”, 9’6”x29 ½”, 9’2”x31” Colors: White with black pinstripe with snow camo deck pad MSRP: $1355 with Carbon Paddle www.cautionsantacruz.com 6 2 th ek i t e b o a r d e r . c om

RRD

FATALWAVE CLASSIC

The 2010/11 Fatal Wave Classic is the first board of its kind. It combines RRD’s most advanced core technology to date with PU foam and Polyester together with PV/High Density Foam and Fiberglass/Epoxy on the heel side of the board. This innovative technology creates a very smooth riding board which will remind you of your favorite surfboard, with the strength you would expect from a kiteboard. The 5’8” was shaped and developed for smaller waves. The fins are in a back position compared to the Fatal Wave Classic 6’0”, which is a board developed for top performances in bigger waves, so it is a higher speed board.

SIZES: : 6’x 18.3”, 5’8” x 18” Color: 5’8” has green high density core, 6’0” has off-white high density core MSRP: $779.95 www.robertoriccidesigns.com/equipment/index. php/categories-kiteboarding/boards/fatalwaveclassic-6-0.html

SU-2

SU-2 PRORIDER II BAMBOO

SU-2 Kiteboards are new to the US but have they been making high-end kiteboards in Europe for the last six years. The ProRider II Bamboo is a freestyle-dedicated kiteboard with a deep concave, a moderate rocker, and very light weight, making this the weapon of choice for many freestyle kiters. The ProRider II offers excellent edging, great upwind performance, and a super smooth ride in chop. Its new flex pattern allows the rider to load the board harder for excellent pop while the new rocker profile makes landing powered tricks easier than ever before. The use of exotic wood has dramatically changed the dynamics of the board and contributes its excellent flex pattern. The clear finish on the bamboo topsheet with subtle graphics gives this board an exclusive and unique character.

SIZES: 125x39, 132x39, 130x41 and 135x41 MSRP: $750 www.su2us.com

PROKITESURF

FMK SELF-STICK-VALVES

The FMK Self-Stick-Valves are designed to stick on any type of bladder, either to build a new bladder using FMK Tuff bladder blanks, or simply fix a faulty manufactured valve. They come in all the most popular valves used in today’s kites and include everything you need. Simply clean the surface with the provided alcohol pad, peel, stick, pump, and ride!

SIZES: All types, inflate, deflate, screw, one-pump, and more MSRP: $11.95 each www.pksdistribution.com www.fixmykite.com

KURTIS LLC

KURTIS SURF GOGGLES

Got kitesurfer fried eyes? Tired of glare, wind, and UV rays destroying your eyes on a daily basis? The new Necker design by Kurtis USA, LLC is 100% UV polarized, flexible, and floats. Designed for kitsurfing and other watersport lovers and handcrafted in the USA, these surf goggles could be the solution for your tired eyes.

SIZES: One size fits all (face forming technology) – 4 styles Colors: Black, white, and red MSRP: $199 www.KurtisUSA.com

SLINGSHOT SPORTS

CELERITAS

This board is fast and super fun! The Celeritas is a short trunk-style board with exaggerated concave and curvy tail lines.

It also features a fast center rocker that blends from the center to the tail giving this board off-the-charts speed and control. The Celeritas is so versatile it is a blast to ride in small mushy surf but also holds it own in good medium surf.

SIZES: 5’4” and 5’8” MSRP: $749 www.slingshotsports.com

analyze this

f-onerevolt3

TESTED: 11m AVAILABLE SIZES: 4, 5, 7, 9, 13m TESTED IN: Pismo Beach, 17-20 knots, small waves

FROM THE MANUFACTURER

To start kitesurfing and to progress smoothly into an accomplished rider, you need simplicity, safety, and accessibility coupled with easy relaunch. The Revolt 3 gives you confidence as it offers progressive traction during the early forward motion with a constant power that you can kill at any time. The kite is perfectly suited to all wind conditions with a huge range. The bar feeling is very precise so you can feel the traction and position of the kite in the air at anytime, yet it is also extremely tolerant to mistakes.

THE KITEBOARDER REPORT

Out of the Box: The Revolt 3 is F-One’s school/beginner/price point kite and it’s based on last year’s Bandit Dos. This is a 5-strut Delta kite and the struts pump up individually (no one pump). The Revolt 3’s bridle is rather long and features two pulleys per side. There are no adjustment settings on the bridle. This kite has a large leading edge and the canopy is especially deep in the forward section. Once inflated, the Revolt 3 seems especially rigid, probably because of the large LE. The Revolt 3 comes with a very clean and simple bar with an above-bar depower strap and a relatively long chicken loop. The quick release is a webbing and pin style release and can only be accessed on one side of the bar.

On the Water: The Revolt 3 is a very stable kite that flies a little further back in the window. Along the edge of the window, the Revolt 3 takes almost no effort to fly, even in gusts. Turning speed on the Revolt 3 is a little slow, but feels direct and the kite doesn’t feel like it loses power when turning. We found that the Revolt 3 has great low-end power, good enough in fact that you could probably get away with riding a kite one size smaller than you would otherwise ride.

Tester Comments: “Because of its fantastic stability, simple design, and moderate turning speed, the Revolt 3 is a perfect selection for beginner to intermediate riders.”

–Kurt Friedmann, 180 lbs., Surf Kiter.

“With a lot of low-end and reasonable depower, a rider could get by with a two-kite Revolt quiver and be fine in most conditions.”

–Evan Fairchild, 170 lbs., All-Around Kiter.

The Revolt 3’s handling is very smooth and predictable, and our test kite never did anything unexpected. Jumping is easy and smooth with good hang time, but this is definitely a less aggressive kite than the F-One Bandit 3. Bar pressure is a little on the high side, especially when riding overpowered. Relaunching is easy and the Revolt 3 also depowers very well and remains well behaved even fully depowered.

• Incredible stability. The Revolt 3 is among the most stable kites we’ve ever tested and does not do anything surprising in the sky.

• The Revolt 3 has great low end power.

CONS:

• The Revolt 3’s quick release is a pin and webbing style while most other manufacturers have moved to molded releases.

• Bar pressure may be a little high for some riders’ liking.

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THE VERDICT:

As a stable, predictable, and forgiving kite, the Revolt 3 is a great kite for beginner and intermediate kiters as well as for those riders who want a simple easygoing kite.

The Revolt 3 has a great wind range, both at the upper and lower ends. Riders who want faster turning and better jumping performance may want to look at the F-One Bandit 3. Some riders may not like the relatively high bar pressure and lack of a one-pump system on the Revolt 3, but others will love the stability, ease of use, and wide wind range.

Tips

PROS:

8 The Revolt 3 has a good

amount of power, so you may be able to get by riding a kite one size smaller than normal.

8 The Revolt 3 flies best when pumped up very hard.

genetrixhydra TESTED: 9m AVAILABLE SIZES: 7, 9, 12, 14m TESTED IN: Pismo Beach, 17-20 knots, small waves

FROM THE MANUFACTURER

The fourth-generation Hydra is the perfect kite for intermediate and advanced riders and is the result of more than 10 years of dedication to perfecting the Flat kite concept. The new Hydra features the SPS (Supported Profile System), a unique bridle structure which supports the front and rear profile, increasing stability in gusty conditions and producing a more powerful kite with breathtaking hang time. Developed by Genetrix, the Hydra is the only inflatable kite to use this system. In addition, our unique MAP design (Maximum Area Power) produces more power per square meter than any conservative Bow or ARC classic kite.

THE KITEBOARDER REPORT

Tester Comments: “A great kite for someone who is into racing and jumping big! The Hydra has only one setting attachment for the back line so tune the sweet spot using the backline micro adjustment on the control bar.”

–Kinsley Thomas Wong, 155 lbs., All-Around Kiter.

“This kite shoots up wind really well and with very little effort. For those that want to get into course racing, this kite is a good bet.”

–Alexis Rovira, 170 lbs., Surf Kiter.

Out of the Box: If you want to get noticed at the beach, you might want to buy a Hydra as this kite looks like nothing else we’ve ever tested. This kite is FLAT and has a trailing edge that is scalloped between the ribs, of which there are six. The large complex bridle connects to the individual ribs as well as to the leading edge. As far as we know, this is the only kite out there that does this. The Hydra has a one-pump system and appears to be well made, with proper reinforcements in all the right places. The Hydra comes with a clean bar that features a push-away quick release, above-bar depower, and adjusters that allow you to adjust your rear lines individually while riding. The lines do not have kookproof connections, which allows you to hook up your lines backwards if you are not paying attention while rigging.

On the Water: The Hydra is a unique kite in the sky, and it feels unique on the water.

Turning is not especially fast, but the Hydra flies very fast through the sky. This kite’s claim to fame is that it was the first one to break the speed sailing 50-knot barrier, and that’s easy to believe when you try to see how fast you can go on this kite. Probably due to the extremely flat shape, the Hydra is a very powerful kite and has a light-medium bar pressure.

The Hyrda is built for a fairly specific purpose, so it excels at going fast and getting upwind, and also delivers big jumps with a lot of hang time, but it is not a great performing kite for kite loops, wakestyle moves, or riding waves. One tester commented that he was able to get upwind on the Hydra faster than on any other kite, so the Hydra might also appeal to the racing crowd.

PROS:

Tips

• If you are about speed kiting, this kite is purpose-built for going fast.

• Good upwind ability and boosting performance.

8 Make sure the Hydra is properly

tuned. This was a completely different kite once we had it tuned right.

8 Pump the Hydra up really hard to get the best performance.

CONS:

• T he Hydra is really good at big air, getting upwind, and going fast, but doesn’t do other things especially well.

• Lack of kook-proof connectors on the lines means that it is possible to connect your lines backwards if you are not paying attention.

THE VERDICT:

While the Hydra does a few things really well, it’s definitely not an all-around kite. If you are looking for a powerful kite to ride fast, jump big, and get upwind quickly, you should take a look at the Hydra. If you are looking for a kite more suited for wave riding and all-around performance, try the Genetrix Origin. This is such a unique kite that you will probably get a lot of comments at the beach every time you ride. For speed kiters, this is one of the kites that can go fast enough to challenge the records, so this might be the kite for you if you crave going fast.

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north fuse

TESTED: 7 and 12m AVAILABLE SIZES: 5, 7, 9, 12, 14m TESTED IN: San Quintin, Baja, and Coronado, CA, 26-28

knots (7) and 18-25 knots (12), medium surf

FROM THE MANUFACTURER

The Fuse is a new freeride/wave kite with a huge wind range, light, predictable feel, and great jumping qualities. Its unique and simple Attack Control Bridle gives the Fuse smooth reactive steering that is especially evident when depowered. Additionally, the new AC Bridle gives you the ability to safely and completely depower the Fuse on its back similar to a 5-line system. Easily accessible low-end power and extreme resistance to back-stalling gives the Fuse great light wind capabilities. The Fuse is built to last utilizing the newest Techno Force d² canopy material that is more resistant to tearing than conventional material.

THE KITEBOARDER REPORT

Out of the Box: Like other kites from North, the Fuse has a very technical and angular look to it, but it’s slightly different from the other kites in the 2010 line up in that it flies on four lines instead of five (it can be used with five lines if you wish). The Fuse is a 5-strut kite that features a nicely done one-pump system, leading and trailing edge battens, and bungees on the rear bridle that keep the back lines from catching on the kite when it goes down. The construction on the Fuse is top-notch, with reinforcements on all of the high wear areas. The Fuse’s front bridle is relatively far forward on the kite, and supports the leading edge all the way to the middle of the LE.The Fuse’s clean bar looks very similar to the North Fifth-Element bar and features a pushaway quick release, above-bar depower cleat, adjustable stopper, and is adjustable to allow you to use one bar with all sizes. The leash can be rigged to release straight to full depower, or for people who like to unhook it can be rigged as a suicide leash that will still allow full depower if you activate the quick release.

Tester Comments: “This kite is good for wave riders and freestylers who want a simple 4-line system.”

–Gary Martin, 175 lbs., Surf Kiter.

“The Fuse’s stability, direct handling, and predictability give riders of all levels the confidence they need to push their riding a little further.” –Paul Lang, 200 lbs., Surf Kiter.

On the Water: The Fuse is very stable along the edge of the window, especially when flown overhead. This kite takes almost no input from the rider to keep it stable at the top of the window.

The Fuse’s handling is very direct and bar pressure is light, but you can still easily feel where the kite is in the sky through the bar. Turning is very direct, quick (but not extremely fast), and happens instantly. The Fuse’s power delivery is very smooth and the kite does not seem to lose power when turning, even when looping the kite. These characteristics of stability, predictability, and direct steering make the Fuse a great kite in the waves, but it also remains stable and easy to control unhooked and has good jumping performance. Relaunching the Fuse was easy and trouble free. We had no trouble at all getting upwind on this kite and we feel that the Fuse is North’s best all-around kite. We tested the 12 on a day when the wind was gusting to around 25 knots and discovered that the Fuse has a great upper range and is still stable and easy to control even when very depowered.

• The Fuse is a very stable and predictable kite that is easy for any level of kiter to feel comfortable on.

• Top end is excellent on the Fuse and the kite still handles well and remains stable even when depowered.

CONS:

• A little extra care needs to be taken when rolling up the kite because of the battens on both the trailing and leading edges.

• The Fuse’s dump valve is located near the wingtip instead of in the middle of the LE, so it’s easy to forget to close it before pumping.

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THE VERDICT:

As a kite that does everything well, we feel that beginner to advanced riders will like the Fuse. The stability, direct and predictable handling, and the fact that it throws no surprises at the rider mean that the Fuse will instantly feel comfortable in most riders’ hands. If you are looking for a wave riding kite the Fuse fits the bill very well. If you are looking for top jumping performance, you might want to look at the North Vegas, but we think that the Fuse is a kite that most riders would be thrilled to ride.

8 Make sure that you don’t oversheet

Tips

PROS:

the Fuse. It’s so stable that it can keep flying when oversheeted, but the kite will feel like it has no power.

8 Take care to not fold or bend the battens when rolling up the Fuse. They don’t like it when you do that!

rrdreligion TESTED: 10m AVAILABLE SIZES: 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11.5 m

TESTED IN: Zuma Beach, CA, 20-25 knots, sideshore 4-8 ft. choppy surf

FROM THE MANUFACTURER

RRD was the first brand to build a specific kite for waves. Since our Type Wave launched in 2002, we have always kept an eye on designing a specific kite that would excel in the waves.

After the introduction of bow and D-shaped kites and new innovative bridle designs, this kite puts together a super-short leading edge to maximize turning speed with a bullet proof Dacron body construction specifically positioned on the hi-tension areas of the kite to prevent breakage in the surf. The Religion will be the right answer for those needing a new path to follow!

THE KITEBOARDER REPORT

Tester Comments: “The Religion turns when you want it to without a delayed response. It holds steady while riding the wave without stalling into the wind window.”

–Alexis Rovira, 168 lbs., Surf Kiter.

“Construction of the kite is excellent. Strong stitching and reinforcements throughout critical stress points enhance the durability of the kite.”

–Kurt Friedmann, 180 lbs., Surf Kiter

Out of the Box: The Religion is RRD’s surf-specific kite, and its construction details show that it’s meant to take a beating. The trailing edge, rib attachment areas, leading edge, and canopy are all heavily reinforced with Dacron. The Religion is a three-strut kite and features a clean onepump system and an adjustable bridle that has different settings for riding waves in sideshore or onshore wind. Once inflated, the shape of the Religion is very boxy with wide wingtips. The bar features a push-away release and swivel, above-bar depower cleat, and is adjustable so you can use one bar with kites of different sizes. The lines feel very different compared to those from other manufacturers and, according to RRD, reduce stretch by 85% when compared to other lines. The bar also has a mini-fifth line attachment for your leash that can be rigged to depower the kite onto one or both of the front lines. The main depower line is relatively long, so people with shorter arms may have trouble reaching the depower strap.

On the Water: The Religion’s stability was immediately apparent as soon as we put the kite in the sky. It is very well behaved at the edge of the window and takes very little attention from the rider to fly. Bar pressure is very light and steering is very direct and predictable. The Religion’s turning speed is very fast and the kite holds power through turns, delivering smooth power even when cranking the kite through turns. The Religion depowers very well, but does not have great low-end power. Riding in the surf is what the Religion was built for, and it works very well for that purpose. In the waves, the Religion remained very stable and never gave us the impression that it was going to stall during hard turns on the face of the wave. Jumping performance on the Religion is decent but it’s not a huge booster. Unhooked, the Religion remains very stable and predictable and takes very little input from the rider to keep it in the right spot when going down the line. Relaunch is almost effortless with the Religion, which is a very useful feature to have when that next set is approaching your downed kite.

PROS:

Tips

8 T he Religion flies further

upwind with the bridle on the onshore setting, which helps when trying to get back upwind after riding a wave.

8 Consider using a kite one

size larger than you would normally ride if you want to be well powered, but remember that you shouldn’t have to be lit if you want to properly ride waves.

• Very fast turning and great stability and predictability make the Religion a great kite for riding waves.

• Bomber construction that uses a lot of Dacron material should help the Religion survive beatings in the surf.

CONS:

• The Religion does not have great low-end power. You may need to ride one size larger than you would otherwise ride to have the same amount of power.

• The mini-fifth line (the leash attachment point) has a little bit of slop and dangled away from the bar slightly.

THE VERDICT:

Great depower, rock-solid stability, easy relaunch, and fast turning speed make the Religion a great kite for riding in the surf. If all you want to do is ride waves, this may be the kite for you. You can still jump on this kite, but it’s definitely not a top-performer in that area. If you are looking for a freestyle kite, you may want to check out the RRD Obsession.

Some riders may not like the very light bar pressure, while others will love it. The liberal use of Dacron reinforcements on the Religion means that it should be able to survive multiple trips through the surf.

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wainman Higypsy

TESTED: 7m AVAILABLE SIZES: 7m (Rabbit Series includes 5, 7, 9, 11, 15m)

TESTED IN: Pismo Beach and Zuma, CA, 20-30 knots, small-medium surf

FROM THE MANUFACTURER

When the wind is firing, you ask yourself a question: Which partner am I going to trust to do the job just right? The Gypsy is a 7-meter kite made to serve experienced riders in stronger winds and rougher water conditions. It is also a very stable and intuitive kite with a great low-end range, which makes it a great kite choice for lighter riders in moderate winds. No matter who is driving `em, they always say: “Nice shot, Gypsy.”

THE KITEBOARDER REPORT

Out of the Box: Like the other Wainman Hawaii kites that we’ve tested, we were impressed with the attention to detail on the Gypsy package. The kite ships with two bags (one basic and one backpack) and replacement parts for the components most likely to wear out: the depower line and line pigtails. The Gypsy is the 7m kite in the Rabbit line, and like the other Rabbits it is a three-strut kite with individually inflated struts (no one-pump). The short bridle is easy and intuitive to adjust or can be removed all together and the lines connected directly to the kite if you prefer more of a C-kite feel. One maddening thing about the otherwise great bag is the zipper.

There is a small strip of cloth on the inside of the bag which covers the zipper, but it constantly gets caught in the teeth when zipping the bag closed. The Gypsy’s bar is very clean and features a push away quick release, plastic-coated depower line, 24m lines (17m + 7m extensions) and above-bar depower cleat. There are multiple leash attachment options, and the Gypsy comes with a mini-fifth line in the bag, but the consumer needs to install it.

Tester Comments: “The Gypsy is very stable and sits back in the window a bit. You can do some stupid stuff with this kite and it stays in the air!”

–Gary Martin, 175 lbs., Surf Kiter.

On the Water: For testing, we flew the Gypsy on the stock bridle settings. In the sky, the Gypsy is a great looking kite that never displays tendencies to flutter or stall. The Gypsy is a fast kite, both in the speed it flies through the air and in its turning speed. Bar pressure is light, but enough that you can easily feel exactly where the kite is in the sky. Turning is very direct and immediate and the Gypsy holds power through its turns without showing signs of stalling. For a 7m kite, the Gypsy is smooth and predictable, but like all small kites it can get a little jumpy in the large gusts.

The Gypsy is a great all-around kite, performing equally well in the waves, unhooked, and for big air jumps. It depowers very well and very smoothly without an excessive amount of travel in the bar. This kite has a great wind range, both at its upper and lower ends. Relaunching the Gypsy is almost effortless, even in the surf. All of our testers thought that the Gypsy was a very fun small kite that will suit a lot of different riders very well.

• The Gypsy is a very simple high-performance kite without any extra frills, yet you can still notice the attention to detail that went into it.

• The Gypsy is a great all-around kite that riders of all levels and styles will be able to have fun on.

CONS:

• The proper leash connection point is not obvious to a beginner or intermediate kiter. We would prefer if Wainman Hawaii shipped their bars with the mini-fifth line installed, instead of leaving it to the rider to install it.

• The fast flying and turning of the Gypsy may be a little but much for beginning kiters in high winds near the top of the Gypsy’s wind range.

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THE VERDICT:

The Gypsy is a great all-around kite that suits a lot of different riding styles. It performs very well unhooked, has great jumping performance, and also works great in the waves. Riders who like simple setups without a lot of fuss will like the Gypsy, but some riders may be disappointed by the lack of a one-pump system. Experienced riders will love the speed and direct responsiveness of the Gypsy, while less experienced riders will enjoy the predictability and stability.

8 All of the Wainman Hawaii kites we’ve

tested so far perform best when pumped up very hard. If you store your kite with the ribs inflated, let some air out before putting it in your hot car.

Tips

PROS:

“In one word, the Gypsy is FUN! This fast, quick turning kite will be a favorite for wave and freestyle riders alike.”

–Kurt Friedmann, 180 lbs., Surf Kiter.

8 Experiment with different

bridle settings and line lengths. You can drastically change how this kite feels by taking the bridle off and flying it on 17m lines compared with the stock settings.

bestShortstick TESTED: 5’6” AVAILABLE SIZES: 5’6”x18 ½”x2” TESTED IN: Zuma Beach, 22-28 knots, 4-6 ft. waves

FROM THE MANUFACTURER

The 5’6” Shortstick is more of an all-round board for everyday sloppychoppy conditions and lighter riders. A thinner Progressive Rail helps reduce bounce in choppy conditions, while the Swallow Tail is perfectly suited to work in waves up to head high. A touch of Fish in the board outline and extending the waist to the front foot helps maximize stability and low wind ability, allowing you to ride a smaller more responsive kite and make the most of every strapless session.

THE VERDICT:

The Shortstick is a good choice for riders who like to ride fast in the waves and who like to break the fins loose. If you want a board purely for staying on the surface of the wave or that can handle larger faces, you may want to look at the Best Spacekraft or another larger surfboard. This board is better suited to riders who like to carry speed and get one big smack on a wave, as opposed to going down the line.

THE KITEBOARDER REPORT

On the Water: The Shortstick is fast to get on a plane and goes upwind very well. We found that the stock fins are easy to break loose, which some riders will like while those who prefer a board that can hold more power through turns should try this board with stiffer fins.

This board is very fun in small-medium mushy surf, but we felt it was too loose to properly tackle the larger faces. The Shortstick is stable underfoot and works very well as a board to throw aerials and other moves in the surf.

Tester Comment: “This board was a blast to step on and go in smaller mushy surf.

The Shortstick was really responsive and loose and can build up good speed.” –Ben Icard, 175 lbs., Freestyle/Surf Kiter.

Tips

Out of the Box: The Best Shortstick is a moderately lightweight epoxy board with a matte finish. The Shortstick has a fish hybrid shape, with a fair amount of width for its size and a swallow tail. The widest part of the board is near the front foot strap and it comes with relatively soft thruster fins that are compatible with FCS. The straps and pads are good quality, but the pads are a little small if you want to ride strapless.

8 I f you want to ride strapless, consider leaving the front pad off the board and using wax instead.

8 F or those who like a board that has more drive without the fins breaking loose, you will probably want to experiment with stiffer fins.

bestSPACEKRAFT TESTED: 5’11” AVAILABLE SIZES: 5’11”x18 ¾”x2 ½” TESTED IN: Zuma Beach, 22-28 knots, 4-6 ft. waves

The 5’11” Spacekraft is shaped like a mini gun, flowing into a rounded pin-tail. Designed for heavy waves, reef breaks, and barreling beach breaks the Spacekraft will work in anything from waist high and beyond, having a little more volume underfoot and a fuller progressive rail it also has great appeal for heavier riders who want a lighter wind board.

THE KITEBOARDER REPORT

Out of the Box: The Best Spacekraft has a shape that is very close to a mini gun, but with a little more width than a true gun would have. This board has a thruster fin set up and comes with fins that are compatible with FCS. The Spacekraft has a very bright red glossy finish and is a moderately lightweight epoxy construction board. The widest part of the board is just behind the front strap and the outline tapers into a pin tail.

On the Water: The Spacekraft goes upwind very well, making it very easy to get back up to the peak for your next wave. This board performs much better in smooth water than the choppy stuff, so it’s better suited for large clean wave faces. Like with the Shortstick, the fins are fairly flexible, which makes it easy to break the tail loose. Riders who focus on getting one smack per wave will probably like this, but down-the-line kiters will probably want to change the fins to a stiffer set.

THE VERDICT:

If you are looking for a Best board to go down the line on large clean waves, this is the one you want. We highly suggest upgrading the fins to ones that can hold more power and provide more drive through aggressive bottom and top turns if you will be using this board in larger surf. If you kite mostly in smaller waves or rough water, you may want to look at the Best Shortstick. Strapped or strapless this is a board that you can feel comfortable on while carrying a lot of speed down the line.

Tester Comment: “The Spacecraft is for wave riding of all types, but it excels in more hollow waves and larger breaks, especially when the face of the wave is smooth.” –Gary Martin, 175 lbs., Surf Kiter.

Tips

FROM THE MANUFACTURER

8 L ook at changing the fins if you want to tackle larger waves or want to be able to hold more power in your turns without the tail breaking loose.

8 If you ride strapless, don’t put the front pad on and use wax instead.

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fonefluid TESTED: 140x42cm AVAILABLE SIZES: 135x39, 140x40, 140x42cm TESTED IN: Zuma Beach, 22-28 knots, 4-6 ft. waves

FROM THE MANUFACTURER

Ideal for freeriding and easy to learn on, this board benefits from all the research made on the high-end models. The new Fluid is equipped with our 3D molded Platinum Pads & Straps for the best comfort and the new Strap Lock 2 for easy mounting and setup. The Fluid is available as a package with the new 2010 Revolt 3, making it the best introductory package at a very competitive price.

THE VERDICT:

The Fluid’s smooth ride and predictable handling make this a great beginner/intermediate or cruiser board. It tracks nicely, gets upwind quickly, and doesn’t chatter or skip out. The board’s jumping performance, while fine for beginner and intermediate kiters, may not satisfy more experienced riders.

THE KITEBOARDER REPORT

On the Water: We tested the largest of the boards available, and found that the Fluid (at least the large size) is very quick to get on a plane and doesn’t take a lot of power to keep it there. The Fluid is very smooth on the water and holds a solid edge that never skipped out on our testers. This board rides fast through the water (but not as fast as some other boards out there). The Fluid’s ride is best described as being smooth and comfortable. Getting upwind is fairly easy and it has plenty of pop for beginner and intermediate riders.

Tester Comment:

“The Fluid is an excellent board for beginners and intermediates to progress on. It’s nice and thin so it is easy to hold an edge.” Gary Martin, 175 lbs., Surf Kiter

Tips

Out of the Box: With the bright colors on this board, you are not going to have trouble finding it. The Fluid is a relatively light board with inverted ABS rails. The rails are thick in the middle and taper to thin rails in the ends. The flex in this board is almost all in the ends, with the middle of the board being relatively stiff. The Fluid features 5cm fins and the comfortable F-One straps and pads.

8 If you are looking for a kite and a board, consider looking at the Revolt 3 and Fluid package from F-One to get the best deal.

8 A djust the foot straps to your own personal preference. If you are unsure where to put them or what angle they should be at, ask someone for help.

NobileT5 TESTED: 134x41cm AVAILABLE SIZES: 122, 125, 128, 131, 134, 137, 140cm TESTED IN: Pismo Beach, 17-20 knots, small waves

The Human Concept has once again driven the development of the 2010 T5 range leading to the most versatile and easy-to-use board we’ve tested. For 2010 we’ve moved to a 100% wood core, offering unsurpassed levels of comfort and anti-vibration control without any compromise to rider feeling.

THE KITEBOARDER REPORT

Out of the Box: The first thing we noticed about the Nobile T5 is that it is not symmetrical. The heel edge is much squarer than the toe edge, which should allow more of the board to be in the water when riding toeside. The second thing we noticed was the huge carry handle. It’s massive! The T5 is very light for its size and has very bright yellow 55mm fins and soft thick foot pads. The profile of this board is very thin and it has quite a lot of flex, especially in the tips.

On the Water: The Nobile T5 is a very quick to plane board that takes very little power to get up riding and to stay upwind. This board tracks very well, but the large fins make it a little challenging to break the board loose. The straps and pads were very comfortable when riding, but they seemed to be a bit slippery and we had trouble keeping the board on our feet during aggressive moves. The Nobile T5 is a fast board that pops off the water well and lands softly.

THE VERDICT:

The Nobile T5 is a well-made lightweight board that works well even when underpowered. Riders who want a solid cruiser board that is comfortable to ride in a variety of conditions will really like the T5. If you like a looser board, you may want to look at Nobile’s Fifty50. In the larger sizes, the T5 should work great for riders who want a lightwind board that still offers good performance, but the T5 will also work well for riders who just want a solid freeride board.

Tester Comment:

“The T5 is a great cruising board. The larger fins allow you to milk it upwind in even the lightest conditions and the asymmetrical edge gives you a bit more comfort when riding on your toeside.” –Andy Krafts, 200 lbs., Freestyle Kiter.

Tips

FROM THE MANUFACTURER

8 Be sure you set up the straps properly, as the board has an asymmetrical outline. The more curved tips should be on your toeside edge.

8 Consider replacing the straps and pads with ones that are a bit more secure if you’re into powered freestyle moves.

U

nlike a pair of well-worn jeans, wetsuits do not get more comfortable with age.

At some point it is time to toss out the old rubber and upgrade. Until then, you can keep your wetsuit out of the landfill by getting it repaired.

The first question is, can you fix it yourself or should you take it to the wetsuit repair guys? Basically, if you can fix the problem using wetsuit glue, you should be able to fix it yourself. If the fix requires stitching or replacing a section of the wetsuit, you should probably take it to the repair professionals who have sewing machines that are geared for wetsuits and the right type of thread and materials.

If you are down in Baja and in a pinch, try to avoid dental floss and duct tape as these make doing proper repairs more difficult.

Instead, take a can of wetsuit glue on your trip to keep you suit patched together.

k worch ben

When your wetsuit springs a leak, it’s time to either fix it yourself or send it off to the experts. Photo: Scott Edwards

Taking Care of Your Rubber: Wetsuit Repairs

By Jorge Pulido, Wetsuit Repair Guy/ProMotion Wetsuits

Easy repairs you can do yourself

When to send to the repair guys

Gouges that don’t go all the way through the material can be easily fixed with wetsuit glue. The wetsuit glue we recommend is called Seal Cement. It is black runny glue that comes in a four fluid ounce can. The inside of the lid has a small brush attached. Another product often sold for wetsuit repairs is a clear product that comes in a tube but we have found the best success with Seal Cement.

Split seams are seams that have started to open on the outside but have not completely come apart. A bit of wetsuit glue will close the seam and should keep it from completely blowing out. Note that you cannot repair a completely blown out seam using only wetsuit glue, unless you add a seam tape to the inside of the seam repair. Using a glue-on seam tape is a good option.

Otherwise, send it to the repair guys.

How to do it

Hold the tear or split seam open as you brush wetsuit glue onto both sides of the tear. Allow the first coat of glue to dry for approximately five minutes. Next, apply a second coat of glue and allow it to dry one more minute. Finally, close the tear or seam evenly and give it a pinch to help set the glue. Do this when your wetsuit is dry and you’ll be back on the water after two hours of drying time.

Material replacements are done when a section of the wetsuit is either worn through or rotted out. If the jersey on the inside or outside of your wetsuit is separating from the rubber, it cannot be repaired but must be replaced. Estimates can go from “worthwhile” all the way up to “toss it out and get a new one.” We also do not recommend iron on repair kits as this home remedy often results in a scorched wetsuit.

Broken zippers can go a number of different ways.

Sometimes only the zipper slider needs to be replaced. This type of a repair is inexpensive. A more expensive repair is needed when the zipper has broken teeth. If this is the case, the whole zipper needs to be replaced. In both cases, have the repair guys do it as some stitching and material replacement is involved.

Photo Courtesy ProMotion

Most wetsuit repairs average $20 to $80.

ProMotion Wetsuits offers wetsuit repairs with estimates on any brand over the counter at their Hood River, Oregon shop.

Wetsuits needing repair should be dry and sand free. ProMotion also sells Seal Cement online at www.wetsuit.com, along with most surf and dive shops. t hekit eboarder.c o m 7 1

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The new Redline Control Bar is a completely new design featuring a new dual depower setup, molded chicken loop with an integrated swivel, a one-piece forged alloy bar center, and smoothly formed bar ends. Photo Gavin Butler

Designer Profile:

Name: Peter Stiewe Age: 39 Location: South Africa/Portugal Job Title: Managing Director R&D, Kite design Designing: Kiteboarding products for 9 years Kiteboarding: 10 years

Product name: Redline Performance Bar Product Category: Control Bar Sizes available: 45, 50, and 55cm Release date: Available Now

Joe Ruscito, Best Team Rider

For 2010, Best has modified its Redline Bar. What are the most significant change on the new bar? The Redline Performance Bar (RPB) has an all-new molded chicken loop with integrated swivel, a new ‘stick’ with new one-piece forged alloy bar center, new carbon tubes, and new smoothformed bar ends with wraparound EVA grip. The dual-depower and Redline safety ropes have been upgraded to a higher abrasion resistance line and we added a kook proof option to the flying line loops. The trim strap remains a pull-pull unit but is of a different design and we even replaced the carabineer with a new spring gate version.

The new Redline bar has a below the bar swivel. What does this accomplish versus an above the bar swivel? The new swivel was designed to be rotated by hand. We consulted riders and they said that being correctly aligned for unhooking was more important than a swivel that spun under its own weight. In fact, they said they hate free-spinning swivels, so the under-bar swivel is built with a little bit of friction. We gave it enough friction to stay where you want it, but we also made sure that the part was close enough to your hands so you could un-spin it as you wanted as well. We think it hits the right spot for riders who unhook and those that don’t. We know we can’t beat nature so we designed the under-bar swivel to be simple, easy to clean, and easy to service.

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huge step up from last year. The single The new Redline Performance Bar is a dual-depower setup, but retains the ard stand the by depower line is replaced r simple, no metal parts, easy to supe is QR Redline safety feature. The new to safe use even with crazy pressure on service, almost impossible to foul, and if you slip a one handed move after a so ped, wrap fully are ends truction, the lines. The hole in the bar now has a one piece cons rline cente The ic. pass you don’t hit hard plast the bar super smooth to ng maki crazy like flared and , sides the hole is wider, smooth on all ’ve even put the your depower and Redline ropes. They turn and should help extend the life of on so it stays fricti gh enou it gave but ist, reach it to untw swivel in the chicken loop, so you can in place for unhooking.

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Best’s new bar is carbon. Is the entire bar made out of carbon or just certain parts? We’ve always made bars with carbon in the tubes, but this year it’s all carbon apart from a single bonding layer of fiberglass on the inside of the tubes. Carbon is a better fiber than glass. It’s stronger for the same weight and flexes less for the same volume.

What are some of the other key product features and performance characteristics on the new bar? Because all the structural components are now molded out of composite reinforced plastics, we can guarantee that every quick release and every swivel will function under load and that they release with the same pressure and continue to do so.

Does the new bar work on all Best kites or only the 2010 models?

How about other kite brands? The flying lines are rigged so that front and back lines are equal when the trim strap is on full power with the bar pulled all the way down; most manufacturers specify the same set-up so it should work across the board. For older Best kites there is more than enough back line adjustability on the kites to compensate for almost any flying line offset.

Naturally the 2010 bar works with all 2010, 2009, and 2008 kites.

What are the leash options on the new bar and how do they work?

The Redline safety system uses a dual front line set-up where the kite is depowered onto both front lines. The kite retains some power in the canopy and will land ready to be relaunched when the safety is activated.

Is the chicken loop easy to put back together on the water or is your session over once you engage it? We think it’s the easiest QR on the market to activate and to rebuild because there are no complex mechanical parts inside, no triggers, no see-saws, no pivoting pins, just a simple living-hinge and stopper ball that can be rebuilt in seconds, even with load on the flying lines. Just grab the inner section, slide in the stopper and pull down the cuff. It is self-aligning and self-locking and can’t be fouled by salt and sand.

Is there any special offer to riders who purchased a 2010 Best kite who want the new bar upgrade? There’s no specific upgrade deal as it’s not the ‘2010 Redline Performance Bar’, it’s the current bar, and it’s probably going to be around for a while. We do have a package deal available with the 2010 Waroo and the new RPB. Check in at your dealer for details on what you can save.

What was your biggest challenge during the prototype phase? Fitting every feature that people wanted into the chicken loop and QR, and getting that to fit in the palm of your hand. We did it though. After all that’s what we do - create gear to make kiting more fun and simpler than ever before.

Now in its fourth generation, the Thruster V.4 offers improved low end grunt, more depower, a faster relaunch, and an allnew control bar. Photo Syrie Blaco Walsh

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The Thruster has been Eclipse’s most popular kite in the line for the last four years. For 2010, what is the biggest change from the previous year’s model? We released the original Thruster in October 2006 so this is our longest running kite and has always been our best seller. The Thruster has many fans around the world. The Thruster was originally designed as a big boosting kite that felt like a C-kite while offering riders big depower and easy relaunch. After the ‘07 and ’08 model years the customers wanted a kite that did more and we refined the Thruster to satisfy more riders. Now in 2010 the Thruster V.4 is an excellent kite for intermediate through advanced riders that are looking for a freestyle kite that works great not only for boosting, but also racing, freeride, and surf. It has better low-end power, faster relaunch, jumps higher than ever before, and offers more depower with the new bar system. Finally, the Thruster has a new panel layout which contributes to performance and we tried our best to make some cool simplified graphics.

What are some of the other key product features and performance characteristics of the 2010 Thruster? I personally won’t make a new kite unless it’s better in some way. We had many riders telling us the Thruster was the perfect kite, begging us not to change it. Everyone just loved the performance and feel of the 2009 model. Bill Hansen mentioned the kite’s pattern was too complex with too many panels. Combined with the scuff guards and heavy materials, it added up to a lot of extra needless weight. Bill’s idea was to strip down and simplify to see what we got. It’s a simple theory - a lighter kite flies better. So that’s what we did and in the end, we took off over two pounds. We got a kite that flew about 30% better than before with easier relaunch, faster movement through the window, better upwind performance, and improved low end. The kite is still built remarkably well, using more expensive yet lighter materials on reinforcement areas.

Are there any tuning options which significantly change the handling of the kite? The Thruster comes pre-tuned for the new Eclipse bar- it’s a no-nonsense setup which will get you on the water fast. If you want more low-end just tighten up the back lines. The Thruster has two speed settings, fast and very fast.

What type of rider is best suited for this kite? At Eclipse we make kites for a purpose. The Thruster is our freestyle/freeride kite for intermediate to expert riders looking to have fun! The Thruster does it all but specializes in old school freestyle riding and racing.

What kind of quick release does the chicken loop use and what are the leashing options? The quick release is a new molded design and it’s a push away system. The leash goes through the center of the quick release - you have your choice of full 100% flag out safety or 80% safety which depowers the kite enough to fall from the air and land depowered in the water, ready for relaunch.

How is the quick release put back together?

Is your session over if you engage it? The collar of the quick release slides over a pin - very similar to other systems on the market. Your session is far from over. It’s easy to put back together in just a few seconds.

Does the new control bar have above or below the bar depower? Is there a swivel to easily un-spin lines? We have two bar options: One with below the bar and one that is above.

Both have a swivel.

How does Eclipse’s Bulletproof Warranty work? It’s very simple. You buy a kite, register it online, and ride it. If the kite gets damaged in any way, you pack it in a box and ship it to Prokitesurf for a free repair. We will send the kite back to you and you’ll be back on the water in no time.

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Designer Profile:

Name: Chris Cousins and Bill Hansen Location: OBX, San Francisco Job Title: Owner (Chris), Chief Designer (Bill) Designing: 30+ years Kiteboarding: Over 10

Product name: Thruster V.4 Product Category: Hybrid Sizes Available: 8, 10, 12, and 14m Release Date: May 2010

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Bill Myers/Northeast Rep, Team Ride

has been tweaked and modified The next generation Eclipse Thruster y performance serious riders ndar lege the of ent ncem to provide enha red with improved quality factu manu been has It expect from this kite. ion 4 kept all the things Vers ster Thru The with attention to every detail. ed it up a level to stepp and ce you liked about the kite’s performan out sacrificing the free ride with t, grun end low r bette with provide an even faster kite bined with expect when the wind picks up. Com and jumping experience you come to wait to get can’t I se, relea y -awa push the with new graphics and the new Morph bar this kite in rider’s hands! t hekit eboarder.c o m 7 3

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The 2011 Wing is much thinner and lighter with a little more flex than the previous model. The new radical single concave bottomand modified rocker help smooth out the board’s feel, especially in chop. Photo XLKites.com

Designer Profile:

Name: Litewave Dave Age: 40-something (barely) Location: Northern-Cali Job Title: Owner/Designer Designing: Composites for 35 years, kiteboards for 12 years Kiteboarding: 12

Product name: Litewave Wing 2011 Product Category: Light Wind Twin Tip Sizes Available: 146, 153, and 161cm (all are 44cm wide at the tips and 41cm wide at the hips) Release Date: July 2010

You introduced the Wing in 2008 as your light wind board. Now in its third generation, what is the most significant change in the 2011 model? The 2011 model has retained the original dog-bone outline, but about everything else is different. The bottom has a radical single concave that really smoothes out the ride and improves grip. The core is now vertically laminated Pawlonia wood which gives fantastic life and feel to the board.

The 2011 Wing is much thinner, lighter, and a little more flexy than last year’s model with just a tad of rocker to handle the chop. We incorporated torsion bars into the new 3D mold that provide side to side rigidity in the tips while letting them flex end to end. This keeps your fins performing well and not flexing off. The new spirograph graphics are amazing and offer lots of windows into the wood core.

What was your biggest challenge during the prototype phase? We switched over from our USA factory to a well known factory in Thailand for this board, so tooling up, approving drawings, getting samples, and putting the final design into production took some time.

Does the Wing’s construction differ much from your Spirit line of boards? Not very much. The construction is very similar. In

Rebecca Geffert/www.Boardsports.com

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Wing, it should be called Session This board should not be called the tional board will barely keep direc Saver. It’s that good! Even when a . It’s easy to go toeside, easy to there you ets rock thing this ind, you upw try it! jump, and easy to fall in love with. Just

7 4 th ek i t e b o a r d e r . c om

the larger boards, we add a little more unidirectional cloth to compensate for flex incurred from length. This keeps all sizes riding similarly.

What are some of the other key product features and performance characteristics on the new board? Last year’s Wing had a flat bottom. The 2011 single-concave bottom really makes it handle a lot better. It is noticeable for sure. Offset fins let you get more grip and ride easier when the wind is light and your board is flat. It can still be ridden toeside because the rail is so thin and grippy.

Do you recommend specific sizes of the Wing for riders of different weights? I recommend the 161 for riders over 200 lbs. and the 153 for those weighing around 165-199 lbs. The 146 is for smaller riders. Of course, if you want to ride in minimum wind, go big!

What do you think riders often overlook or should consider when choosing light wind gear in general? I think too many riders look to the kite as the light wind solution when it is really the board that makes a huge difference. Having the hourglass side cut shape is very important too. By having the extra flare on the ends, you are getting a lot more planing surface right where you need it - on the back corner of the board where your weight is. A regular shaped board tapers in the tips and you lose a lot of potential planing surface area. It is amazing how the shape of the Wing gets you going upwind in light wind. I weigh 220 lbs. and can go upwind on my 15m in 10-12 mph with the 2011 Wing 161.

How do you think the Wing differs from other light wind twin tips on the market? Compared to other boards, our outline shape, the concave bottom, and our rocker and flex are unique.

The Wing lets you ride in light wind, but handles lively in chop, kite loops, raleys, and all your normal tricks. It is super fun to ride in anything 22 mph or less. Above that, I ride the Spirit 137.

What is your warranty policy on this product? Six months against manufacturer defects.

Specifically designed for lit conditions, the Naish Custom Gun offers the smoothest ride at top speeds in their directional line up. Photo Naish/E. Aeder

There are ten models of Naish Custom directional boards for 2010 grouped into three ranges: Global, Fish, and Gun. Where does the Gun fit in your lineup? Naish offers a large variety of waveboard models, so there is overlap in the performance. More than what any given board can or can’t do, the differences between the boards are best described as having different riding characteristics.

Now in its fourth generation of refinement, what is the biggest change from the previous year’s model? Four years into a specific range of Gun (previously called FR, for Fast Rocker), the most apparent change from last year was that we grew the range from one board to two. Last year’s 5’9” was so well received that we wanted to offer more options so riders could fine tune their choice.

What are some of the key product features and performance characteristics of the new Custom Gun? How the Gun differs from our other ranges is how smooth the Gun rides. It is by far the most comfortable choice for riding at top speed. It eats up chop and stays in control without needing focus from the rider.

What type of rider is best suited for this board? Best suited would be riders that prefer to be lit. The Gun handles the fastest speeds. This can be big waves and/or high wind. The Gun also suits riders new to directional boards since it is the easiest to control.

Since the Custom Gun is a fast board that excels in high wind and big swell conditions, does it give up anything in other performance areas such as turning? Some riders would say yes. Like everything else, this depends upon the individual’s riding style. Some riders swear by the way the Gun turns for all riding conditions. Others only use it in big waves, and prefer the different way the Global or Fish turn in smaller waves. For me, it comes down to the board speed I want to carry on any given day. If I know I’ll be blasting, the Gun is the best choice.

What kind of fin system do the Naish Custom’s have? The fin system is called DFS. It is compatible with FCS, but is built stronger to handle the abuse of kiteboarding. The Gun is a thruster. Quads are insane when you want to add power into your turns, or to break the fins loose off the top. For the Gun, we are not trying to add bite in the bottom, but instead just keep it smooth in order to control the speed.

Do you have any fin tweaking tips that will help riders customize the board for different conditions? The fin set we developed for the Gun will suit 99% of the riders, but the sky is the

limit for those wanting to experiment. There is a bit of a trend toward using a smaller trailer fin for a little looser feeling. Fins with more flex can be fun too. There are pro and cons to all kinds of different combinations. We went for the combo that has the right power for tracking and upwind drive, yet is still loose enough to be fun. Riders shouldn’t overlook the huge difference made by back foot placement.

How does the 6’2” Gun differ from the 6’2” Global directional? In general the Global ranges are more suited for moderate board speeds.

They are super snappy, but this can cause speed wobbles when maxing out the board speed on a Global where the Gun would still be ready for more.

Why would you suggest a rider choose the 5’10” size over the 6’2” size? The 5’10” was given a small squash tail to offer a slightly tighter radius turn to riders that don’t have enough power for the 6’2”.

Is Naish’s warranty policy the same on directionals as it is for your twin tips? No. The twins are built to handle the beating of freestyle riding. To reinforce a directional to the same degree would be too big a compromise in all other areas of performance. The waveboards are built for riding surf.

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Designer Profile:

Name: Greg Drexler Age: 38 Location: Maui, Hawaii Job Title: Kiteboard Product Manager Designing: 10 Kiteboarding: 13

Product name: 2010 Naish Custom Gun Product Category: Waveboard Sizes Available: 5’10” and 6’2” Release Date: Available Now

Jim Bones/Team Rider

the tail, allowing for more float and The 5’10” has a little more width in um size waves. This board maintains medi to l smal in turns the punch out of , allowing it to be lightning fast. I nose to tail from the narrow gun shape in the farthest back position gives ed plac have found that the rear foot strap for allowing me to dominate the board me massive leverage over the fins, weapon of choice. Its perfect onal pers my is 6’2” The . rsals in the most hard snaps and board reve s me to pull off radical power turns rocker and narrow pin tail design allow d, literally! Placing the front footstrap as close close critical part of any wave with my eyes ting a wider will help to keep the nose down. Adap The unique to the nose as your stance will allow surf. large in very beneficial for control stance for riding a bigger board is here you go. anyw out stand y reall them s make wood look of these Naish boards also t hekit eboarder.c o m 7 5

Alex Fox presses the nose in Florida. Photo Tripp Hobbs

John Paul Bonetti grabs in the Gorge. Photo Dee Dee

winning photo Submit your photos of “local homies” riding at your home spot and you could win a killer T-shirt from Transcend Kiteboarding! E-mail paul@thekiteboarder.com Laura Maher gets in some hang time at the SPI Kite Roundup. Photo Carol Bolstad

7 6 th ek i t e b o a r d e r . c om

Localhomies Local Homies is all about everyday, local riders sharing the stoke at their home kiting spots.

Rob Witmer’s nickname is Sharkbite because he was bit by a shark two years ago.

Photo Amy Hunter

Scott Edwards kiteloops in front of Morro Rock in Central California. Photo Ben Icard

Victor Korikalo tries to get the attention of the ladies in Vanuatu. Photo Courtesy Victor Korikalo

David Broome taking off in Santa Cruz. Photo Shal Jacobovitz

Carlos Garcia-Velez jumps over his girlfriend Sam in the Bahamas.

Photo Carlos Garcia-Velez

Bram De Lange cruises in Belgium.

Photo Reindert Van Herreweghe

t hekit eboard er.c o m 7 7

kitepages California

Action Watersports (310) 827-2233 Airtime Kiteboarding (818) 554-7573 Aquan Watersport (650)593-6060 Australian Kitesurf Academy (714) 955-7832 Bay Area Kitesurf (415) 573-2619 Board Sports (510) THE-WAVE Board Sports (415) 929-SURF CaliKites (619) 522-9575 Captain Kirk’s (310) 833-3397 Delta Windsurf Company (831) 429-6051 Helm Sports (650 )344-2711 Inflight Surf and Sail (562) 493-3661 Kite Country (619) 226-4421 Kitegearboxx.com (888) 411-0732

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HOW SAFE IS YOUR INSTRUCTOR?

Is your instructor or school insured? Have they been through an internationally recognized, certified instruction program? While insurance and certification don’t guarantee you quality, safe instruction, they can help you better qualify your choices.

Introducing the TKB Certified Schools program. Look for the symbols by the listings!

For complete info or to be recognized as a TKB Certified School, see www.thekiteboarder.com and click on the TKB Certified School graphic.

The Kiteboarder Certified Schools

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Kitesurfari (714) 964-5483 CA Kite Naked (209) 304-2200 CA KiteWindSurf (510) 522-WIND CA Live2Kite (415) 722-7884 CA Long Beach Windsurf Center (562) 433-1014 CA Mako Surf Skate Snow (949) 367-1300 CA Malibu Kitesurfing (310) 430-KITE CA Manta Wind & Water Sports (858) 270-7222 CA Monkey Air (310) 457-6896 CA Murrays (800) 786-7245 x23 CA Offshore Surf Co. (760) 729-4934 CA Kite School (650) 960-1721 CA Solutions (805) 773-5991 CA Soul Performance (310) 370-1428 CA Sky Kitesurfing School (925) 455-4008 CA VELA (800) 223-5443 CA Wind over Water Kiteboarding (650) 218-6023 CA Kite Island (925) 212-2915 CA Xdream Sportz (858) 481-9283 CA Xstreamline Sports (310) 518-1972 CA Xtreme Big Air (805) 773-9200 CA

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OR OR OR OR OR OR OR t hekit eboard er.c o m 7 9

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yard sale No-wind winch sessions and rails always make for a good opportunity for a yard sale. Photo Courtesy SPI Kite Roundup

THE

TOP CRASHES IN FRONT OF THE

LENS

G o t a gr e at w i p e o u t s h o t ?

Email: paul@thekiteboarder.com

Still think you need a board leash? This is why you don’t want anything to do with them. Photos Dave Cooper/ www.redseamonkeys.com

Lithuanian rider Saulius drops the bar in the middle of a kiteloop. Photo Aiste

Scott Edwards breaks a line mid kiteloop in Morro Bay. Photo Ben Icard

8 0 th ek i t e b o a r d e r . c om

This unknown student almost has it figured out, except for the fact that his head belongs above his feet. Photo Dave Cooper/ www.redseamonkeys.com

e 4 lin with e liny th 5 bilit a

Light it up! fuse Wave/freeride

Range of use: sizes: 5 / 7 / 9 / 10 / 12 / 14

· Freeride / Wave / race abilities · Huge wind range · Good and easy too reach low end · reactive steering – especially when depowered · Push & pull manners · 4/5 line option

RideR Sky Solbach Photo Adam Koch SPot The Gorge check out

www.northkites.com