The Kiteboarder Magazine Vol. 8, No. 5 by The Kiteboarder Magazine

Vol. 8 No. 5 The Alaska Backcountry Central California

Across the African Desert Bali Bagus!

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Original by F-one

contents

Features: 12 Between a Rock and a

Nunatak in Alaska

26 California: Not Far from Home

38 Across the African Desert 68 Bali Bagus! Bali Bagus!

Departments: 46 Profiled: Suave Krauze and Chelu Guardati

50 The Scene 52 To the Moon 58 Exposed 66 Wish List 78 15 Minutes 80 Roots

On the Cover: Jake Buzianis in the Alaska backcountry. Photo Gavin Butler

Bertrand Fleury has little reason to travel with conditions like this near his home in Indo. Photo Epes Sargent

FROM THE EDITOR

Fletcher Chouinard found this wave close to home. Photo Paul Lang

Keep it Close Sometimes you don’t have to travel far to go on a trip. That’s the lingering thought I had in my head after spending a few days running around our local area with the Liquid Force crew for this issue’s story about the Central California coast. For five days it felt like I was on a constantly-moving road trip, but I was still sleeping in my own bed every night. While we all look forward to the next exotic trip to flee our hometowns to find someplace different for a few days, the truth of the matter is that most of us live within a day’s drive of plenty of interesting places. Getting on a plane to check out a new place is always fun, but it’s also expensive and can suck up limited vacation time in a hurry. Over a three day weekend, you can easily visit any place within a 500 or 600 mile radius and return to the office with a great story to tell while everyone else spent their weekend weeding the garden or some such thing. There’s no need to count down the days on the calendar to your next vacation to have an adventure. Take a serious look at a map and chances are you’ll find somewhere to kiteboard within a day’s drive that you’ve never been to. Looking to try snowkiting this winter? Consider piling a few friends into your car and heading up the mountain. You might get lost, you’ll probably eat some terrible food along the way, and someone will forget something important somewhere. You’ll also have a great story to tell. On big kiteboarding trips, you always have the chance of finding no wind, leading to a huge disappointment when you don’t get to ride after spending months imagining how epic conditions were going to be. If you’re on a near-home road trip you can simply head home or find somewhere else to check out. If you get the urge to go on a kiteboarding trip, consider looking at the forecast for nearby areas instead of looking at airfare prices. If the forecast looks good somewhere, throw your kiteboarding gear and a sleeping bag in the car and hit the road. A few years down the road you probably won’t remember that weekend you spent trying to find the cheapest TV or the time you mowed the lawn again. You will remember the time you impulsively jumped in the car and found another great kiteboarding spot just a few hours away.

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

CONTRIBUTORS Steve Carr, Boris Polo, Mauricio Abreu, Blake Pelton, Chris Moore

PHOTOGRAPHY Gavin Butler, Epes Sargent, Steve Carr, Pascal Bouglakow, Petra Rostocil, Isabelle Quesada, Boris Polo, Clara Guglielmi, John Bilderback,,John Bonetti, Charles Ash, Omar Nazif, Mr. and Mrs. Butler, Damien LeRoy, Alexis Rovira, Danielle Gordon, Christopher Dunkley, Tracy Kraft Leboe, Stefan Kuback, Katherina Kaelin, Josh Pietras, Nicolas Calvez, Jason Wolcott, Slawek Krauze, DeeDee, Jim Stringfellow, Carlos Manosalvas, Lori Kirchner, Reinout Smit, Matthew Blew, Craig Williams, Josh Byrd, Dave Oates, Chris Schulz Thanks to all editorial and photography contributors for supporting this magazine!

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Between a Rock andOne Day ain AlaskasNunatak Backcountry Sometimes nature will reward the patient kiter. Patience is just one ingredient required to snowkite in the Alaska backcountry. After enduring a lengthy bout of unusually ugly spring weather, our reward finally arrived on a sunny day in April when Mother Nature finally gave us the window of opportunity we had been longing for. Within a one-hour bush plane flight from Anchorage are some of the best snowkiting sites in the world and we wanted to access some of them. The glacial ice fields south of Anchorage were our target. These ice fields are massive high-elevation glaciers that occupy the valley space surrounding the peaks of the Kenai Mountain Range located within the Kenai Peninsula.

By Steve Carr

Before the day described in this story, snowkiters had never ridden the Sargent Ice Field. Photo Steve Carr

The ice fields offer world class snowkiting. Some are easier than others to access. A kiter can spend a lifetime and a stack of cash exploring these precious locations. Scouting here requires very specific local weather and glacier knowledge, timing, and an experienced bush pilot. When these elements all come together, a session here can be like nothing else in the world. Two teams of professional snowkiters gathered in Anchorage to find photo opportunities and the experience of a lifetime. The first team included me and Ozone videographer and photographer Pascal Boulgakow. Guillaume “Chasta” Chastagnol was supposed to join us, but unfortunately he would miss this adventure due to delays at his hometown in France. The second team consisted of Best team rider Jake Buzianis (aka Wookie) of Utah and Alaskans Tom Fredericks and Obadiah Jenkins from Alaska Kite Adventures. Jake had been kiting around Alaska for several weeks in a RV, making the best of the strange spring weather. Ten days of heavy overcast skies and rain kept Pascal and I listing around our hotel in Anchorage, just a six minute drive to our plane and pilot. Needless to say Pascal found Anchorage culture a daily dose of entertainment while far from his home near the French Alps. With some new Ozone prototypes in hand we managed to get some photo work done during the wait, making the best of the Anchorage area scenery. Meanwhile, the Best crew had been scouting locations by air whenever possible with mixed results. We were seriously excited to get on an ice field after all this precipitation, each of us knowing the higher elevations would be loaded with fresh powder! When we finally woke to clear skies, we knew our lucky day had arrived. At 10 am Jake, Tom, and Obadiah tossed their gear in a bush plane and flew out. They headed to the Harding Ice Field, which is a known snowkiting destination. “Not enough wind to blow out a candle” was the report from pilot Jim Chaplin. Jim explained this is typical of a high pressure (sunny) day on the South Central Alaska Ice Fields. Jim is also an avid snowkiter with many years of wind chasing under his belt. He knew of a spot 35 miles to the east on Nellie Juan Lake nestled between Paradise Peak and Ellsworth Glacier. Weeks earlier, this spot paid off for some local kiters he had taken there. Jim discovered the catabatic winds spilling downward from the high glaciers were very reliable here. Jake, Tom, and Obadiah got back in the plane and relocated to find that the wind was on at Nellie Juan Lake. They unloaded quickly and immediately got after it. Next, Jim pointed the plane toward Anchorage to pick up Pascal and I now waiting at frozen Lake Hood – well, sort of frozen.

Pilot Jim Chaplin at the controls. Photo Steve Carr

Pascal finds an amazing view at the east end of the ice field. Photo Pascal Bouglakow

The Alaska backcountry is a seemingly endless land just waiting to be explored. Photo Steve Carr

As the world’s busiest seaplane base, Lake Hood is where most visiting adventurers take bush flights out to the backcountry. On this day, all was relatively quiet as all the planes had quit using the thawing lake. This late in the spring season the lake ice had melted away from the shoreline, leaving open water around the edges. However, this didn’t deter us or our willing pilot. There was enough ice to support the plane and that’s all we needed. We tossed our gear over the open water into the waiting plane. Jim’s Cessna 185 is on skis, so we had no choice but to use Lake Hood considering access to fuel, parking, and dock space. There have been several books written about Alaskan Bush pilots. In brief, most pilots who have been around awhile have heroic stories to tell. Flying in Alaska is not your everyday jaunt at the airpark. Any bush pilot will confess that it’s more about charging through rowdy conditions and praying the plane stays in one piece. Most of this risk involves weather; reading weather and making astute decisions are critical skills here. Too many bush pilots have made bad decisions and consequently the mountains are littered with wreckage. However, some pilots have survived through the years based on their hard-earned experience. Our pilot fits into this group. While flying in route to Anchorage, Jim said he had felt a tail wind and managed to set a waypoint on his GPS. Once airborne, we B-lined to that spot and found a 16 mph easterly high over Sargent Ice Field. We scouted around a bit, relying on Jim to feel the wind with his plane. The best wind was on Sargent’s crowned summit, so we landed at an elevation of nearly 5500 feet. The ice here is over 2500 feet deep. Wearing ridiculous smiles we unloaded the plane at a feverish pace. Once unloaded, I wasted no time planting my Ozone windsock as a matter of personal tradition. Jim set off to pick up the others and bring them over to this spectacular unridden spot. After a quick glance around I couldn’t help feeling as small as a mouse in a cathedral while sounds the Cessna’s engine grew faint and the plane disappeared to the west. Pascal and I geared up in record time. Once hooked into our kites we just kept looking around in awe, then at each other, then around again. I thought to myself, “This place redefines epic.” Fresh snow stretched out as far we could see. We where amidst a gently sloping ice field dropping out of sight about five miles away in several directions. The ice field flowed between the mountain peaks, which extended 600 to 1000 feet above the icy surface. These peaks are known as nunataks and they surrounded us with their curious shapes, each one begging to be explored. What a dreamscape.

Back at Nellie Juan Lake, Jake, Tom, and Obadiah had kite climbed a steep 50° chute topping off at a ridge 500 feet above the lake. On top they discovered some righteous terrain with a natural 20 foot tall half pipe. In gusty wind they shredded this zone for almost an hour until Jim arrived. Once Jim landed the three knew they shouldn’t waste time meeting the plane, so Jake led the charge by hucking himself off a 300 foot knob and flew the direct route down, landing next to the plane. The others followed his glide path and then packed up for the ten-minute flight up to Sargent. Roughly 30 minutes had passed since arriving on the Sargent Ice Field when my mishap went down. On the surface the air mass was moving at 16 mph. We raced for the nearest nunatak slightly west of our gear pile. A few minutes later Pascal began to setup to take photos about 250 feet from the edge of a steep nunatak. We agreed that I would ride along the pronounced ridge in front of the nunatak while he took photos. There was a large gap that was created by heat radiating from the rock on sunny summer days which melted a crevasse-like gap between the glacier and mountain rock. This type of gap is known as a randkluft and just for fun on my third pass I sent the kite and boosted above the ridge. Unexpectedly, my kite entered a strong wind gradient sending me up and over the open gap. I dangled there for a few seconds just hovering and directing my kite into the wind toward Pascal. I sheeted out a bit and slowly glided back but I didn’t clear the edge. I landed on the smooth icy wall roughly eight feet from the top edge. Thank goodness for freshly sharpened edges, which allowed me to shave my way down the steep icy grade. Flying my kite overhead in a figure eight pattern slowed my descent, but seconds later I lost loft in the kite and quickly dropped deeper into the abyss. Still in ice-shave mode, I slid even deeper until landing about 70 feet down on a tiny bench protruding out just enough for one ski to rest on. I watched helplessly as my kite floated unresponsive to my inputs. Apparently, it had entered the rotor and down draft air flowing into the gap. Down it went dropping 5, 15, 20 feet below the rim where the kite then drifted across the gap toward the nunatak. It was like a leaf following the current. I quickly glanced across the gap. Less than 40 feet away was a freshly carved rock wall and it was as gnarly as it gets. I realized what was about to happen and feared I would get pulled off my edges and fall further into the gap and likely hit the rock. Too my amazement the kite powered up HUGE! Now following the air rushing up along the rock, the kite quickly ran out of slack line. By now, I was awash in adrenaline and ready for anything.

Obadiah Jenkins takes off from the top of a nunatak. Photo Steve Carr

Photo Pascal Bouglakow

I was snatched off my perch and went airborne. It was only by some miracle that I didn’t swing into the rock. Instead I had managed to pendulum parallel to the rock face within the randkluft gap. In just seconds I cleared the ridge and swung above a snow bridge connecting the glacier surface with the nunatak. I tried pulling on the brake strap but that just made my kite violently thrash around while ascending. I quickly pulled my chicken loop release and dropped about 12 feet onto the soft snow bridge below. After landing I looked up just in time to see my kite, bar, and lines race up clear over the peak.

Wearing a sheepish grin, I skied down to Pascal. “What happened?” he asked. “Damn close one!” I exclaimed. We scanned the peak and noticed the kite bar had hung

up at the peak, meaning the kite was flagging about on the lee side. Pascal explained his perspective. He had his head down to his gear for some time, then looked up and noticed I had disappeared. A few seconds later he saw my kite come charging up along the nunatak. After some discussion we both agreed I was darned lucky the way it turned out, especially the fact that I escaped completely unscathed! Moments later we heard the plane incoming along the leeside of the nunatak. They had spotted the stranded kite and decided to land close on the snowy crest adjacent to the nunatak. Concerned about the condition of the prototype kite, I unpacked another kite and flew over to greet our new arrivals.

Thereâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s always something interesting to see in Anchorage. Photo Gavin Butler

When I arrived, everyone was super excited while furiously pumping up their kites. I told a brief version of my fun with the randkluft. The guys seemed amused at my mishap and then, in a heartbeat, got on with their session. Retrieving the kite involved a steep snow traverse and a sketchy climb up an icy rock face. Lucky for me, Obadiah brought his climbing gear and graciously volunteered for the task. Obadiah is very experienced in glacier travel and backcountry ascents. He was THE man for the mission. While waiting for Obadiah, I took time to use my camera while Tom and Jake found a technical route up the ridge of a burly nunatak. They flew huge glides on their snowboards, sailing off the edge of the nunatak then sticking their landings on the ice field to the north. After

landing they would throw down some freestyle around the camera for extra glory and fame. Still reeling from my mishap, I felt content to just watch and take photos for awhile. Obadiah returned with my kite in record time . To my surprise the prototype sustained no damage. “Damn good thing,” I said. Then he raced up the nunatak and showed us what it is to glide on backcountry skis telemark style. Even Jim managed to get out his gear and join the fun. Everyone was flying on 11-13m kites while Jake demonstrated how to handle a 16m kite in strong conditions – very inspiring. During this session the wind increased in strength. The edge of the nunatak was in a convergence zone where air was channeling through from slightly different directions, creating some seriously rowdy conditions. So, off we went like a band of gypsies with stolen canopies to explore some other features. We sailed northbound across the snowy crest to a cluster of lower elevation nunataks. These rocky protrusions where varied in shape, held more snow, and access was a bit easier. We had found a fun zone that was super good for slope tricks and experimenting with new moves. Since there were no hidden rocks in the soft snow, a kiter wouldn’t have to worry about getting hurt with botched landings. Even after a face plant you just come up laughing every time. At the same time I was keeping an eye on Pascal who had traversed across the opposite side of the ice field. From miles away I could spot him only by following his track with my scope across the vast expanse. Like a true professional, Pascal was scouting for the next photo. Tom and Obadiah proceeded to huck some of the most extended glides I had ever seen. They where tapping into the ridge lift created by the stronger wind flowing up and over the snowy crest that connected the nunataks. This crest was a ridge that divided the main ice field from the section sloping to the west. The wind was channeling between the nunataks and up and over the crest, creating the strong ridge lift. The Alaska Kite Adventures boys took full advantage by launching off a moderate sized nunatak and then flying along the ridge for ridiculously long glides while Jim and I worked the windward slope below them. At this point I felt the urgency to find Pascal. He had disappeared over the horizon toward some large nunataks on the east side of the ice field. I set off across the expanse to find him. It was miles across the ice field and along the way

Steve approaches the randkluft. The randkluft is the gap between the glacier and the rock face on the right side of the photo. Photo Pascal Bouglakow

The look in Pascal’s eyes tell us all we need to know about the flight back. Photo Steve Carr

I boosted off various sized snowdrifts. Did I mention the terrain features were endless on the Sargent? I found Pascal setting up his camera on the northeast end of the long range of nunataks. This site was right on the edge where the ice field drops away over several valleys and lower peaks toward Prince William Sound. The wind here was much stronger as this is where it entered the ice field from the sound. Now blowing well into the high 20s I had to depower my 9m kite. Pascal had found this bold feature, a jagged nunatak resembling a tusk. The long day’s sun was sending afternoon light directly on our new feature. Here I realized Pascal’s experience as a backcountry photographer – his plan was brilliant! We shot photos for more than an hour taking turns as the subject. Eventually Tom arrived to inform us they were packing up to leave. With the wind howling we couldn’t hear him, but hand signals got across the general idea. Pascal and I pushed it as long as we could. The wind had intensified and was now surging well into the 30s. These slow powerful surges filled in everywhere. To keep from being ripped from the top of the world during a surge, we would brake our foil kites down onto the surface until the surge passed. “I wish I had stuffed a 6m in my pack,” I muttered into the wind. After a few of these, I decided to call it quits and headed back to our gear pile. Pascal stayed an extra 20 minutes to catch the rich colors illuminating the scene. By now, elongated powder tails were streaming off the peaks everywhere. The session back across the ice field was nothing short of a silly fun downwinder. The wind, now blowing 30-something, had kicked up the loose snow into a ground blizzard. I boosted off the growing drifts going big into the whiteness. For landing, it just didn’t matter that I couldn’t see, as the snow was plenty deep and forgiving. My tracks filled in almost immediately. It all seemed too good to be true. I thought this is it, dreamland for the snowkiter. If it wasn’t for the windsock, I may have never found our gear pile. Drifting snow had engulfed everything. Just then thoughts of survival on the ice field raced through my head. “Is Jim coming back? Visibility sucks and there is a very

Pascal and Steve were pretty excited to be back on solid ground. Photo Pascal Bouglakow

good chance we are stuck here for a week or so. I wonder how well I could dig a snow cave with these skis?” I pulled our bags from the snow and began to restack it into a wind block that would potentially become the entrance to our overnight accommodations. In the midst of preparing for the worst and chugging ice chunks from my freezing Nalgene bottle, I thought I heard an engine. Just then Pascal emerged from the whiteout. I yelled through the wind, “Quick, let’s get our gear stuffed!” We could hear Jim scouting the landing area. Was he really going to land in this? Would he risk a blind landing? And that he did, in full bush pilot style. He pulled up to us with the engine still running as he swung open his door and yelled out “Load it and let’s go!” Jim wisely stayed at the controls with his prop into the wind while Pascal and I frantically slung gear through the cargo door into a random heap. The look of urgency on our pilot’s face told me volumes. Without saying a word, he was able to say, “There is a system closing in fast, the flight here sucked, and none of us should be here.” I dove in after the last bag, closed the door and Jim let it rip. All 300 hp sent us airborne before the drifted surface could catch a ski. Ah, what’s not to like about a souped-up C-185?

The flight back was a nail biter, putting it mildly. Twice I had to retighten my seat belt to keep from bouncing my head off the ceiling. Jim climbed out to 10,000 feet where the turbulence was doable. I could tell Pascal wasn’t used to this kind of flying. It’s flights like this when I wish I had brought my reserve chute. Jim was as cool as a cucumber yet laser-focused at the controls. We had to cross about 40 miles worth of steep peaks over the Kenai Mountain Range until we could get over the Turnagain Arm, where, as every kiter knows, the air is sweet and steady.

Pascal and I couldn’t help taking shots of the scene below us. The sunset spread alpenglow across the entire range, which was flagging for miles. For these mountains, this was just another system moving in from Prince William Sound. For us, it was pure beauty and power. Closing into Anchorage gave me a few minutes to reflect on how lucky I felt that the Sargent taught me some lessons and yet forgave me for my mistakes. Fifty minutes later we touched down on the lake in one piece. Jim decided his ski plane had to get off the lake immediately, so he just powered up and charged off the ice, water skipping the open water section onto the shoreline. Jim confessed later that our return flight was some of the worst turbulence he had ever flown in. Our whole crew met us at the shore for unloading and we swapped stories of the day. Everyone was stoked. We pulled it off amidst unlikely conditions. If any of us live long enough, we will be sharing this day with our grandchildren.

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Trusted Waters plays an intimate show at the FCD surf shop.

(

far from home

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Words and Photos by Paul Lang

About a year ago my wife and I relocated from the near-windless city of San Diego to Santa Barbara. The reason for our move had nothing to do with a desire to live in a windier area – my wife was offered a job here shortly after finishing graduate school. Knowing that California’s Central Coast is a windy area, I didn’t put up a fight when we talked about relocating. As a result, for the past year my main kite has been a 9m as opposed to the 15m that seemed to be the only kite I was ever able to ride in San Diego. Now living in Florida, Rob “Corky” Cullen had been one of the first to learn to kiteboard in Santa Barbara. “I started in July of 1999 as the surf in SB is pretty nonexistent during the summer and the wind at Jalama gets weird for windsurfing.” Corky said. “Peter Trow was the first guy with a kite in SB, first riding a 5m Wipika and then a hot pink 8.5m. My friend Jeff Logosz sold me a 4.9m Flexifoil Blade (a two-line foil kite) with 40m lines and that was the kite I learned on. It was basically me and Pete that summer at Leadbetter Beach. Eventually we were both on Blades as the foil kites totally outperformed the existing inflatable kites in 10-20 mph. And oh yea, we swam a lot that summer!”

Fletcher Chouinard at Jalama.

Jalama.

esides being a relatively windy place on its own, this area is also close to other world-class riding spots. Ventura’s C-Street is located a mere 30 minutes to the south and the infamous and remotefeeling spot of Jalama is just an hour to the north. Between those two spots are numerous other great places to ride that are lesser known but can be amazing when the conditions are right. Having become used to the madness that is the scene on many Southern California beaches, it’s been a pleasant surprise to find that it’s not unusual to find completely empty sections of beach on the Central Coast. A few spots can involve a 10-15 minute walk from the car to the beach but the reward is worth it. Imagine cresting a small hill to find 20 knots of wind and endless empty waves that you only have to share with a small group of riders. That dream-like scenario in not uncommon here. Early in the fall I was contacted by Liquid Force’s Gary Siskar who let me know that the LF crew would be passing through the Central Coast while on a demo tour. They were going to be spending some extra time in the area and were planning a party at the FCD surf shop in Ventura to celebrate their new partnership with Fletcher Chouinard, a well-known surfboard shaper who shaped one of their 2012 kitesurf boards. The demo vehicle for the tour would be the recently-revamped Liquid Force minibus, an impossible-to-miss vehicle that can hold a ridiculous

amount of gear. For them, the trip was off to an entertaining start when a few wrong turns led to Greg “Tekko” Gnecco having to crawl out of the bus. Just a few days before leaving Hood River, an epic mountain bike crash had left Tekko with a set of painfully cracked ribs. While navigating by iPhone through Portland, mobile technology came up a bit short and the bus found itself wandering through town looking for the freeway south. Phone in hand, Tekko gave directions at each intersection until they came to a T. Waiting for instructions, Gary said, “Which way do we go? Right or left?” At this point, the phone decided to not cooperate with the situation. “I don’t know, the phone says go straight,” said Tekko. This conversation quickly devolved into a laugh fest, with Tekko crying out in pain with every chuckle due to his injury. Cries of “Stop laughing, it hurts!” only caused more giggles. To get away from the laughter, Tekko swung open the door and literally crawled away from the bus to get some relief. After composing themselves and finding the freeway, the demo tour was on. A few days later they called me up to let me know they were in the Pismo Beach area. About an hour later we converged at Jalama, one of the most consistently windy locations on the coast of California. At the end of a 14-mile windy, narrow road, Jalama is one of the most remotefeeling coastal spots I’ve ever been to in California. Somewhere along the road to the beach cell phone coverage disappears, giving you a forced break from

Bear Karry takes a break.

the world of constant updates, emails, and phone calls. Located near Point Conception, a piece of the coast jutting far out into the Pacific Ocean, Jalama is well-positioned to catch wind and waves. The waves here are actually among the heaviest in California and can break in fairly shallow water. In the windsurfing days Jalama was a notorious spot to break gear as masts would easily end up pile driven into the sand if you found yourself struggling in the shore pound. In short, Jalama is remote, cold, windy, gusty, and one hell of a fun place to ride when it’s on. I arrived at the county park at Jalama and met up with Siskar, Tekko, and Jason Slezak. With Tekko’s mountain biking injury and my lingering Sherman Island limbo knee injury both of us were limited to beach duty. Dark clouds on the horizon told us that changing weather was coming, but Siskar and Slezak both got out on 9m kites. The wind was up and down and Siskar decided to come in and pump up a larger kite. From further down the beach, I was surprised to see that he was pumping up a 15m when Jason was still making a 9m work. I walked up to Gary as he finished pumping and asked, “15 huh?” He gave me an odd look and said, “Nope, 12 meter.” I took a step back to look at the wingtip again, thinking I’d seen the number wrong. Nope, it definitely says 15. Gary looked at the wingtip and threw up his hands. “I thought this thing was taking forever to pump up for a 12!” he said. The wind conditions were getting worse by the minute so Siskar decided to quit while he was ahead. Amazingly, Sleezy J was still making it look easy on a 9m kite in light and very gusty conditions. After catching a few last waves, Slezak came in and we packed up and got on the road just as raindrops began to fall. After making plans to head wherever conditions looked best on the next day, I headed back home to Santa Barbara while the bus went on to Ventura to spend the night. The next day proved to be a beautiful fall California day, but unfortunately the wind never filled in anywhere in the area. Early in the afternoon we decided to head to C-Street for a quick surf session where we met up with Teddy Lyons, a young up and comer who recently moved to the area from New Jersey. We were also joined by Tonia Farman, Tekko’s wife who was on her way back to Hood River. One of the great things about this area is its versatility. If the conditions aren’t well-suited for one sport, they’re bound to be good for another. Stuck on land I stood out on the point and took photos before we went just down the road to the FCD surf shop to catch the premier of Keith Malloy’s Come Hell or High Water next door at Patagonia. Come Hell or High Water is a

Sunset surf session in Ventura.

East Coast transplant Teddy Lyons at C-Street. Ian Alldredge and Bear Karry at Jalama.

film about body surfing, so I didnâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t have really high expectations for it. However, the few hundred people in the Patagonia parking lot gave me the sense that I might be in for a surprise. A few minutes into the film I found myself standing there with my mouth open as I realized I had no idea what was possible when body surfing. If you spend any time in the ocean, you will enjoy this movie. The plan for the next day was already in place as a Liquid Force demo had been scheduled at C-Street. I gave Teddy a ride home, went to bed, and then headed right back to Ventura the next morning.

Upon arriving at C-Street, we joined the Ventura Kiteboarding Associationâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s beach cleanup. We were each issued a garbage bag and then wandered up the beach to find some trash. Adjacent to C-Street is where the Ventura River meets the ocean, so there

was a fair amount of plastic and trash we picked out of the brush along the riverâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s path. The beach and kiteboarding launch area at C-Street is in the process of being renovated with the first phase of the project having only recently been finished. The previous bike path and parking lot were eroding and falling into the ocean, so the parking lot was moved inland, making the main launching and landing area much larger. Future plans include vegetated sand dunes as part of an effort to help return the beach to its natural state, but for the time being the beach is wide open and perfect for kiteboarders. Liquid Force designer Julien Fillion joined the crew with the rest of Trusted Waters, his Montreal-based band, in tow. The day started with light wind giving everyone who was so inclined the chance to grab a surf session. By early afternoon the wind came up enough for riders to get out on large kites and a few hours later riders were

Jason Slezak fuels up before his solo sunset session.

on 12m and even a few 9m kites. The wind stayed up until the sun began to set, giving riders plenty of time to try some new gear. After hastily packing the bus, the demo party moved over to FCD for beer, pizza, and a live show by Trusted Waters. The party continued late into the night, but I graciously (and gladly) bowed out of the late-night festivities to take Teddy back up to Santa Barbara. Apparently, the late night/early morning activities included an impromptu jam session that took place in a shipping container set up as a band practice space. Rumor has it that much loud noise was made. The next day found us checking wind sensors over and over to no avail. The lack of wind created another fine beach and paddle surfing day, first at C-Street and then in front of Fletcher Chouinard’s house for a sunset surf. Here I loaded my camera into its housing, dug out my fins, and swam out to grab a few images of the beautiful evening. For me this was a big milestone as it was my first time back in the ocean since injuring my knee three months earlier. It’s amazing how fulfilling a simple swim in the ocean can be after having to spend so much time on dry land. Back on shore, we barbequed at Fletcher’s house and talked about what we thought the weather would do on the next day. There was only one day left before the Liquid Force bus left town and we had not yet seen the type of conditions that really make the Central Coast a special place. A simple look at a swell forecast told us

Ian Alldredge feeling at home on the Central Coast.

that the waves were predicted to ramp up the next day. After much back and forth and both well-informed and ill-informed input, we decided to wait until the next morning to make the call about where to ride. By mid morning the next day Jalama was showing signs of being the best bet for wind. With Jalama, it’s always important to be really sure about the wind before you go as it’s basically an all-day commitment when you head out there. With the lack of cell phone coverage there’s no logging on to ikitesurf to check other spots or waiting for phone calls and text messages from your buddies telling you where the wind is going off. This might be one of the best aspects of Jalama. Leaving the grid for a few hours forces you to slow down and accept the conditions in front of you. There’s no turning around and racing off to check the next spot because that’s over an hour away and you have no way of knowing if it’s any better there. Here, you take a deep breath and go eat a world famous Jalama Burger at the small Jalama Beach Store and Grill if there’s nothing else to do while you wait for the wind to show up. Luckily, there would be no waiting around for the wind to show up today. I arrived with Airborne Kiteboarding’s Mike Sysavat and we met up with the Liquid Force crew, Fletcher and Jason McCaffrey from Patagonia, Ian Alldredge, Bear Karry, and Teddy Lyons. The wind was up, but the forecasted swell was nowhere to be seen with the waves only being about waist high. Eight to 9m kites were quickly rigged and launched. Everyone was disappointed with the small waves after imagining the head-high plus sets that were forecasted, but the small yet fun conditions still kept everyone satisfied. As the day wore on, the swell that had all but been written off started to arrive. Over a few hours, the conditions morphed from small and fun to big and intense. The change was so dramatic that anyone looking at the photos would not believe that the early afternoon and late afternoon images were all taken on the same day. After a short break to refuel with Jalama burgers and fries, the show was back on. Ian and Bear have put an insane amount of time in at Jalama over the past year and it showed in the way they rode when the waves came up. Teddy later admitted that these had been the largest waves he’d ever ridden. As the sun sank low in the sky, everyone came in off the water. Not finished yet, Slezak stuffed a few bites of a leftover burger down his throat, warmed himself up for a few minutes, and headed back out for a solo sunset session, staying out until the sun was down and the moon was up. More than satisfied with the day’s events, everyone packed up and headed out on the twisty Jalama road back towards Santa Barbara. The Liquid Force bus would keep heading south out of the area to continue the demo tour, but the rest of us weren’t going anywhere. For those passing through town the last few days had been a special treat to get a glimpse into what the area has to offer. For the rest of us this is home. To see a 360° tour of the Liquid Force C-Street Demo visit http://www.tourwrist.com/ tours/22593 or scan the code.

Across the By Boris Polo/ www.h2o-extreme.com

African Desert

Boris Polo heads out across the Chalbi Desert. Photo Petra Rostocil

The Chalbi is Kenyaâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s largest desert. It had been crossed many times, but never by using natureâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s wind power. The sheer remoteness of this desert was what motivated our quest to be the first to cross its 60 sun-bleached salt-encrusted miles while being pulled by kites. Combining a desert crossing of this magnitude with land kiting was a sure way to feed our pioneering spirit and hunger for adrenaline! A large part of this adventure was simply the journey we had to take to get to the desert and the trip to return home. Our love of our country is so great that we wanted to see and experience as much as we could along the wayâ&#x20AC;Ś

Boris makes final preparations before the crossing. Photo Petra Rostocil

Our first day’s drive was a short one. It only took three hours of driving on good roads to reach our first stop at Che Shale Bay north of Malindi town. It’s always nice to arrive somewhere new and meet up with friends. At this first stop our good friends Justin and Isabelle joined our expedition along with their Land Rover. Here we spent three days planning our final route, gathering supplies, and most importantly fine tuning kites, land boards, and a land buggy. The sweeping bays north of Malindi are perfect for land kiting as the surface is very similar to that of the desert, offering us an ideal place to test our gear and make final modifications. Birth of a New Sanctuary in Kenya Heading north through the flat lowland areas lining the banks of Kenya’s largest river, the Tana, we arrived at the Hirola Antelope Sanctuary. The sanctuary was recently founded to save one of the world’s most endangered antelope species which only exists in this small part of the planet. Here we met up with our two friends Gwilly, who manages the sanctuary, and Jamie, who would be guiding us to Kampi Ya Simba in Kora Park through Panya (Swahili for rat) the next day. We spent the evening down by the river tagging and releasing various catfish species and drinking red wine while the sun sank lower on the horizon. That night it rained nonstop, but we all slept comfortably protected in our tents. In the morning, we fuelled up with a quick cup of coffee and a few hard boiled eggs, packed the vehicles, and prepared ourselves to hit the road. Ahead of us lay 70 miles of “Black Cotton” soil. When wet, this soil turns into one of the most difficult muds to drive through in the world. We set off as happy as children in a toy shop, each of us wearing ear-to-ear smiles as we ploughed through the terrain. We had to stop only once to dig a car out and completed the drive in four and a half hours. Visiting Kora Park’s New Project Still driving as the sun was setting, the golden sunlight reflecting off massive boulders surrounded by wild African bush was astonishing. We arrived after dark at Kampi ya Simba, a camp set up by George Adamson as a base to rehabilitate and release lions in that area due to their declining numbers as a result of poaching. A well known wildlife conservationist known as Baba ya Simba (Father of Lions), Adamson was killed by poachers in 1989. Since then the poachers have had free reign and as a result there are very few animals and only one lion left in the whole park. The camp is now being rehabilitated by Tony Fitzjohn (who was George Adamson’s assistant) and Jamie Manuals (our guide for the area). Within two years, the plan is to begin reintroducing the first lions back into the park. As we lay under the stars the sounds of the African night were invigorating. A dawn wakeup call from dozens of different species of birds energized us for our morning bush walk and a leisurely afternoon of fishing by the river. In this part

The team discusses how to get this vehicle out of the “Black Cotton” soil. Photo Isabelle Quesada

Oh bugger. Photo Boris Polo

of the Tana there exists a little-documented fish called the Giant Somali Catfish, our ultimate trophy catch. The fishing rods were out and the arduous waiting game had commenced. “I’m in! I’m in!” called Alex, who was sixty yards upriver from us. Sure enough he had something big on his line! Alex, a professional safari guide and veteran of numerous expeditions, thought at first he might have a crocodile and not a fish. Only after pulling it in to shore did we realize what it was. After marveling at the sheer size and good looks of the elusive Giant Somali Catfish, we released it back to freedom. A Paradise to be Experienced Two days later we entered Marsabit National Park after passing through Meru National Park and Isiolo. Here the land changes from hot, flat desert down below to lush rain forest in the hills above. The moisture here comes mostly from mist and not rainfall. We set up camp on the edge of Lake Paradise, a crater lake which has been dry for the past two years as a result of poor rainfall in the area. Instead of being full of water, today Lake Paradise is full of

elephant, buffalo, and zebra looking like a colony of ants in the distance. Taking in the sights and sounds of this forest was exceptional - a true Eden on earth. We’d been driving for half an hour down towards the outskirts of the Chalbi Desert when we stopped for a short break. While answering nature’s call, Lovet (our team mechanic and support driver) suddenly screamed in fear. He had just put his foot two inches from a Puff Adder snake! A bite from one of these bad boys would have spelled disaster. The nearest hospital storing antivenom was a long four hour drive away. The whole team was freaked out, and our collective adrenaline was pumping for a good while.

Photo Isabelle Quesada

Photo Petra Rostocil

Photo Isabelle Quesada

The shore of Lake Turkana. Photo Isabelle Quesada

Finally, the Desert! Finally arriving at the edge of the desert, the winds were howling and it was time for Justin and me to rig up and start our crossing attempt. This was what we had all come for! With our adrenaline still strong from the snake encounter and the winds gusting at 12-18 knots from the east, we set off on what would be an arduous downwinder. Justin sat down in his buggy and I stepped onto my board and we set off. The surface was extremely flat, but felt odd under our wheels as the top layer was covered by one inch of soft dusty red soil. Three and a half hours into the crossing we found ourselves riding literally into the sunset. The vastness of the desert is so incredibly barren and inhospitable, but the parched red soils under the orange colors of the setting sun were stunning. What a treat it was to be kiting out here. We had almost arrived in Kalacha, our halfway point through the desert, when disaster struck. The Land Rover support vehicle suddenly conked out. Lovet

was quickly under the hood to see what was going on. “Oh bugger” were Lovet’s words when he discovered that the timing belt had broken. The crossing had to be continued, and we were not going to quit now, no way! We had commitments to our sponsors and our desire to accomplish what we came to do was overwhelming. We camped out and woke up before daybreak with 35 miles left to go to finish the crossing. We broke camp and set off minus one Land Rover. That evening, we were relieved to reach the other side of the Chalbi, completing our 60-mile desert crossing. Sitting in a natural swimming pool (a stream from a fresh water spring) and sipping wine, we relaxed, secure in the knowledge that we had accomplished what we set out to do.

A Quick Visit to the Spectacular Jade Sea The crossing behind us, we were now on our long journey back home. We drove to Lake Turkana, the largest permanent desert lake on earth. The lake is familiar territory for Alex and me. Back in 2006 we were part of a team that was the first to kitesurf on the lake’s western shores. Turkana is notorious for having the world’s largest Nile crocodile population, with the largest single specimen ever found being recorded at a mere 28 feet in length. Unfortunately this time we would not kite on the lake as we only spent half a day here. We were also full of excuses about why we couldn’t get on the water, as our fear of crocs had grown a lot in five years! The lake is also known as the Jade Sea because of its remarkable almost incandescent water color. As we topped the last set of rocky lifeless hills it was hard to comprehend how this inhospitable place is in fact the “cradle of mankind,” where the earliest evidence of human presence has been found. After a short one night stay spent camping on the shores of the lake, we were off for a 160 mile drive heading south. Climbing from 1,000 feet of altitude to 8,200 feet on intensely steep rocky tracks, we were heading to the Laikipia Plateau at an average speed of 6 mph. Mugi Mugi, in the heart of Laikipia, is a magical place. It’s a private 46,000 acre rhino sanctuary situated on the top of a plateau full of all of Kenya’s animal species. We were kindly invited to camp in the sanctuary by Claus Mortensen, a friend and veteran ranch manager. If you know how hard it is to keep rhinos alive and protected from poachers in Africa, then you can appreciate Claus’s work. The sanctuary has electrified fencing making it a secure home for the rhinos with gaps to allow other wildlife to move in and out. There are a total of 26 rhinos in the park at the moment. We spotted five of them on our first game drive.

The Giant Somali Catfish. Photo Petra Rostocil

Lovett and Chrissie, having been part of our team the whole way, would now be our hosts at our last stop, Lake Naivasha, where they own and run a stunning campsite. They were finally home, but we still had another 450 miles to go! We spent four very leisurely days here at Camp Carnelley’s fishing, eating, drinking, and sleeping before we embarked on our long drive back home to Diani Beach, on the south coast of Kenya. Diani Beach, home to one of the most pristine white sand beaches in the world, is where we live and run our surf centers, H2O Extreme. Back at home it was hard to believe that we had just completed the adventure we had set out to accomplish. While the actual crossing had only taken two days we had been away from home exploring our beloved Kenya for well over a week and we were already trying to come up with ideas for our next adventure. Special thanks to our sponsors who made the adventure possible: Havaianas, Dakine, Von Zipper Sunglasses, and Sand Storm Kenya.

Photo Petra Rostocil

Photo Isabelle Quesada

Photo Boris Polo

PROFILED 46

Slawek “Suave” Krauze One of the fixtures at Sherman Island, Slawek “Suave” Krauze is usually the easiest guy to pick out on the water due to the fact that he always seems to be able to find the brightest colored gear to ride. He’s also one of the friendliest guys on the island and has done more than his share of the work keeping the place going. How did you get your nickname? I used to kite buggy a lot on San Francisco’s Ocean Beach. After landing a kiteloop in the buggy one of my friends told me, “from now on we will call you Suave.” It was probably easier for him to pronounce too. Where did you first see kiteboarding? I was introduced to power kiting in 2003 at the Berkeley Kite Festival. Soon after, I found myself doing 40 mph on rollerblades behind a 3m kite. The next day I ordered my first kite and I’ve been hooked since then. I spent the first three years land kiting and then I started snowkiting. My first season in the water was in 2008. What’s unique about the kiteboarding crowd at Sherman Island? One weekend I pulled into Sherman and it just blew my mind. It reminded me of when I was windsurfing as a kid in Poland. Soon after I had more friends than I could ever imagine and decided to move in full time for the summer. Sherman is a very special place not only because of the unique smooth warm thermal winds but also because of the people that keep the island vibe super chill. In a way we are all one big family of kiters there. I was fortunate enough to make friends with the coolest people that were there for a long time before my arrival like Maui Mike, Nat, Chris; the list goes on and on. It’s hard to find a place you can kite all day and then hang out afterwards with your friends, camp, and do it all over again the next day. What are some of the problems at Sherman? We have quite a big crowd of people there every weekend during the summer and it can get a little dangerous with 40+ kites in the small launch area. The launch is not big enough to fit everyone at once and it’s important that we all understand that putting our toys away leaves space for others. Staying safe and being polite are key to keeping this place as cool as it is. Let’s remember that it should be a community effort rather than one man’s good will to keep everything going. Talk a little about your involvement in the snowkiting scene. When can we expect to see your snowkiting film? A few months a year I ride with the some of the best snowkiters in the US. Snowkiting is just as addictive as riding on the water. It’s like riding frozen powder waves and hitting a park at the same time. Every year we go to a few events where we gather to compete and party. Two years ago I started my company www.snowkitecinema.com and I’ve been working on my upcoming snowkite film Widerland that will be available this winter. What’s your ideal day on the water like? 18-23 mph with my 9m Obsession, a strong ebb tide, and a few friends does the trick.

Photos Paul Lang

Age: 31 Years Kiting: 8 Favorite Spots: Sherman Island, Camas Prairie, Ocean Beach Sponsors: Live2kite, RRD, Mystic, Decosse Customs, Zeal Optics

GEAR

Boards: RRD Poison 133 Kites: RRD Obsessions Harness: Mystic Warrior

Tips: n

Being safe is priceless. You should be able to trust your

gear and look out for others out on the water. Master your current tricks before trying the next thing. This gives you a solid base and makes you more confident to try something new. It also helps define your style. n Don’t forget that at the end of the day kiting is something that should make you happy. Try to be an ambassador and not just a user. Getting other people stoked might be more rewarding than landing a new trick. n

Chelu grew up in Campana, about 50 miles from Argentina’s capital of Buenos Aires. She got a degree in Advertising/Public Relations and worked various marketing jobs in the city for a few years but realized that being in an office was not what she wanted for her life. When she discovered kiteboarding, she also discovered her calling. How did you first get into kiteboarding? In 2008, a friend was getting into kitesurfing and told me that I should learn too. I´d heard about it but didn´t really know what it was, so I started to search and came across Martin Vari´s video from the PKRA Chile and saw how girls were killing it on freestyle. I knew right then that this is what I wanted to do. I took a course and loved it. What first brought you to Peru? What made you want to stay? Octavio, my boyfriend, and I first traveled to Peru for swell. We´d been working as kite instructors at different flat water spots and needed waves (we surf too). When Jose Rosas from PeruKite offered us the opportunity to run his school, we jumped on it. Your nickname is Chelu. Does it have any particular meaning? In Argentina, a nickname for Cecilia is Chechu. As my name is Celina, my friends started to call me Chelu and I´ve had that nickname since I can remember. You were involved with the KSP tour stop in Pacasmayo. What was that experience like? I´d organized events before but it was my first time with a world tour. Kitesurfing in Peru is still young, so getting support from local sponsors was hard work. As a competitor, riding with the best girls was a great way to start my competition career. With one competition under your belt, do you plan on doing more? Of course I want to keep competing, this is just the beginning! Competitions give you experience and you learn so much from other riders that motivate you to push yourself further. You started offering Girls Camps last year which has grown into the launch of your new company Kite Sisters. Do you plan on expanding the concept into other countries? After the Peru Kite and Yoga Camp last October I decided it was time to launch Kite Sisters Kite Trips for Girls (www.kite-sisters.com) and expand the program to different spots around the world. The idea is that girls from all over and every riding level travel together to explore new spots while sharing experiences, progressing their riding abilities, and making new friends. Our seven-day trips include meals and lodging, kiteboarding lessons, and extra activities depending on the destination. What is your favorite style of riding? Waves! I love feeling the power and energy of the waves. When I´m in the water, nothing else matters and I just enjoy what the sea has for me. Where is your favorite place to ride? Peru has an important quality: uncrowded beaches! For freestyle I choose Paracas which offers flat water, constant wind, and just a few other riders. My favorite spot for waves is Zárate, which is in the National Reserve next to Paracas. It’s just you and the waves there. Any words of wisdom you want to share? If you want something, go for it. Don’t doubt yourself because other people don’t believe in your dream. Whatever in life you do with passion and love, it´s going to work out one way or another.

Photo Clara Guglielmi

PROFILED 48

Maria Celina “Chelu” Guardati

Photo John Bilderback

Age: 26 Years Kiting: 3 Favorite Spots: Red Sea, Egypt; Paracas and Zárate, Peru Sponsors: PeruKite and Slingshot Peru

GEAR

Boards: Klimax 5.6 and Crazy Fly Rocky Chatwell 130 Kites: Slingshot Rallys and RPMs Harness: Mystic

Tips:

B e patient when you are learning. If the conditions are not good for kiting, wait for them to be better. n Don´t get obsessed and frustrated because you can’t seem to nail a certain trick. We all have good and bad days, so it’s more important to enjoy the ride. n Learn from other riders, not only from kiteboarders but also from wakeboarders, surfers, and skaters. n For girls: We can have the same level and style as the men, so think and act as an athlete and you will be respected as one. n

BRAZIL ss The Endle r e d n i w n w Do

o C a vi a n L ia

.com

find us

the scene

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1. If this thing was on my harness I might just let it have it. Photo John Bonetti 2. We’re really not sure what’s happening here. Photo Charles Ash 3. Adam Koch discovers an unexpected plus to race boards – no need to get wet when your kite goes down! Photo John Bonetti 4. Sounds good to us! Photo Omar Nazif 5. Cameron Maramenides shows Grannie Dee his photo in TKB. Photo Charles Ash 6. Congratulations to Gavin Butler and his beautiful wife Nadia on their recent wedding! Photo courtesy Mr. & Mrs. Butler 7. Corky Cullen, “I got this one!” Photo Damien LeRoy 8. Jake Buzianis finds himself on the wrong side of the law. Photo Stefan Kuback 9. See! Windsurfing isn’t dead yet! Photo Omar Nazif 10. What the hell? Photo Alexis Rovira 11. Mitu Monteiro enjoys some downtime during the Mauritius KSP event. Photo John Bilderback 12. Sunset beers on the RV. Photo Stefan Kuback 13. DeeDee finishes her session in Maui. Photo John Bonetti 14. Kirk Strassman finds a little inspiration onboard the Best Odyssey. Photo Danielle Gordon 15. Nat Lincoln gets creative in the Sherman Island parking lot. Photo Omar Nazif 16. Claire Lutz enjoying the Bahamas. Photo Christopher Dunkley 17. Dimitri Maramenides continues his fascination of riding near solid objects. Photo Charles Ash 18. Sky Solbach announces the winners in Mauritius at the first ever KSP event. Photo John Bilderback If you have a photo you would like to see in The Kiteboarder Magazine, send it to editor@thekiteboarder.com. 18

to the moon Photos Tracy Kraft Jimmie Leboe Hepp Photography Photos

For this installment of To the Moon, Lou Wainman takes some time to reflect on the variety of people passing through Maui. A few months ago my wife Jill and I were getting a quick lunch at an upcountry café here in Maui and on the wall was a sign. The sign read: “Heaven is where the police are British, the chefs are French, the mechanics are German, the lovers Italian, and it’s all organized by the Swiss. Hell is where the chefs are British, the mechanics are French, the lovers are Swiss, the police are German, and it’s all organized by the Italians.” We only had about half an hour before picking up our daughter at daycare so we quickly ate and between bites commented about the sign and how, in many ways, its humorous truth made perfect sense. We both really like Europe and a few things we agreed on were how the feeling of family and quality of life seemed most important there, like providing health care and the live and let live philosophy. Then I mentioned to Jill, “It’s kind of funny that down at the beach each day we can pretty much tell who is from Maui and who is not, and if not, most likely where they are from.” She agreed but for conversation she asked me, “like how for example?” Then I explained that if you come from here, you generally are not like a five year old on Christmas morning when you see perfect conditions day after day. Additionally, you probably have dirty worn out Locals rubber surf sandals instead of clean new Birkenstocks with blue socks. Then she commented that you can kind of tell the Italians by the way they stand behind the hot girl pumping her kite huddled together with their shirts off. Or the German guy yelling at his kid’s nanny launching his kite in some harsh dialect, “let go now daz vindiz good!”

Then I added, “Or like the French guys who move really fast and do five things in a split second.” Jill said, “what do you mean five things?” and I answered, “I don’t know, it seems like by the time they turn off the car ignition and before the engine actually stops running, the French guy has his kite halfway pumped with one arm while he squeezes into a wet suit with the other, and somehow smokes a cigarette without burning himself at the same

time. Even the way French guys ride is super fast and some slight of hand magic.” My wife just sat there looking at me while I kept yapping on about Europe and how cool it is. “Like in the UK it’s cold and not often windy,” I said. “The group there knows where it’s going to be good and everybody calls each other the night before. They show up at the spot that is going to blow and all drink beer and barbecue afterwards and make it a big event to remember from 5 am until 2 am.” She then looked at me and said, “Lou, that’s good and all but what does that have to do with telling if somebody is from Maui?” I said, “I don’t know, I just miss some things in Europe I guess.” She then said, “We live in paradise here. You can’t find better waves and wind, and you can throw a barbecue anytime you want.” Then I said, “You know what I mean though right? Here in Maui nothing ever really changes. We don’t even do the daylight saving time thing.” She then said to me something genius. “Yeah, even if you live in paradise you have to leave sometimes to appreciate it.” Then we drove to get our daughter and on the way home our little one yelled out, “I hungry!” So we went to McDonald’s and got her a well-balanced meal in 30 seconds with a toy in the box for less than €4. I guess the moral of my goofy story is this: if you don’t want anybody to know where you come from next time you get to the beach you should jump out of your car really fast while smoking, throw your kite down, and pump it up so fast the plastic melts inside the pump. Roll out your lines with your shirt off while flexing and gawking at the girls then yell at somebody who never saw kiteboarding to launch your kite right! Have fun out there and be safe!

Special Advertising Section

BAJA GUIDE LA VENTANA DOWNWINDER INN features six rooms conveniently located near great beach launches. Each room has a queen bed, storage shelves, personal refrigerator, coffee maker, and complete bathroom with hot shower for $50/night. Roof tops offer amazing views and the outdoor community dining area has everything you need to make quick or gourmet meals. Complimentary cars for local transportation and daily downwind shuttle service also offered. www.downwinderinn.com ELEVATION KITEBOARDING’S goal is that each and every student has an amazing experience when booking their services. From radio-assisted lessons with waterproof radio helmet systems to watercraft-assisted lessons, their IKO certified and insured instructors customize all lessons to their student’s needs using the latest equipment from North and Mystic. www.elevationkiteboarding.com

ECO DESIGN AND BUILD OF MEXICO is a full service architectural design and construction company formed in 2011 as the partnership of Sustainable Green Designs, La Ventana Builders, and La Ventana Home Services. They specialize in the design and build of custom residential homes in Baja and also service subdivision, commercial, retail, hotel, and restaurant projects of any scale. www.ecodesignbuildmexico.com

PALAPAS VENTANA is located upwind of the main riding area where waves often break when there is swell or a strong El Norte. You’ll know you’re there when you see the palapa roofs of their quaint casitas with large porches, each overlooking the Sea of Cortez and Cerralvo Island. Lodging includes breakfast and lunch served at the restaurant/bar located just above the launch area. Stop in for a killer espresso and WiFi. Sport fishing, diving excursions, the infamous hot dog tour, and day trips to the island also available. www.palapasventana.com VENTANA BAY RESORT is located halfway between the main town and the hot springs. Offering beachfront rooms and private bungalows nestled in a beautiful desert landscape, their onsite private restaurant serves delicious and healthy meals which are anticipated by both locals and guests alike. Guests can keep to themselves on their private patio or join others for a cocktail at the clubhouse overlooking the bay. The Resort also offers a semiprivate beach for launching/landing, lessons, gear rental, mountain bikes, snorkeling equipment, and kayaks. www.ventanabay.com

Special Advertising Section

VENTANA WINDSPORTS is in the middle of the action but seemingly a world apart. Featuring upscale rooms with thick futons, feather beds, and fine bedding and furnishings along with plenty of hammocks and lounge chairs for your “Baja Deluxe” holiday, you’ll also enjoy a large launch/land area directly in front of the property and a massive hot tub for soaking after your session. Healthy gourmet meals are served at Coya with a panoramic view of the entire bay. Lodging includes meals, WiFi, and use of SUP boards, kayaks, and bikes. www.ventanawindsports.com

LOS BARRILES VELA KITESURF has been creating and perfecting the windsports resort experience for nearly 25 years. Whether you are looking for long tropical beaches with reliable sideshore winds, perfect flat water, or good surf breaks, Vela offers standalone lessons or packages with gear, lessons, and lodging options at many locations around the world. NEW FOR 2011/12 SEASON: Gear rentals – leave your board at home and try new 2012 gear! www.velakitesurf.com EXOTIKITE has been teaching kiteboarding in Los Barriles since 1998. An IKO certified/insured school with experienced instructors offering jet ski lessons and rescue, radio helmet instruction, and a guaranteed safe, successful, and enjoyable learning experience, they operate year round. Other services include kite/SUP rentals and tours, snorkeling, surfing, kayaking, and accommodations. Visit their new store next to Smokey’s Cantina! www.exotikite.com

“...It’s a few notches above the rest in Theofmost delicious food terms the meals, the accommodations The launch and thebest whole casual but deluxe vibe.”

The easiest spot for beginners or beginners, this is the ultimate “FThe most comfortable rooms learning spot. And the hot tub rules.” The biggest hot tub Lots of alternate activities... t Ventana Windsports, we stayed “A

right ON the beach, and wow is the food good. What a relaxing and windy And it’s be allback right the paradise!” water! trip! We’ll to on kiters’

Ventana Ventana Windsports Windsports 56

www.VentanaWindsports.com www.VentanaWindsports.com

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NEW GROUND Gabi Steindl recently explored the potential of kiteboarding in Oman and found a lot to like about the country. Here she discovers a little flat water between the wrecked dhows in the Masirah Island harbor, located just off the coast of Oman. Look for Gabiâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s story about her experiences in Oman in the next issue of TKB. Photo Katharina Kaelin

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SHACKED Mitu Monteiro goes deep during the first ever KSP World Tour competition in Mauritius. Photo John Bilderback

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CROWD PLEASER While big air might not get that much respect among certain groups of kiteboarders, nothing can beat the crowd-pleasing ability of a huge floaty jump. Seb Garat draws a crowd in Egypt. Photo Nicolas Calvez

exposed HIGH FIVE Sam Medysky connects with the locals in Brazil. Photo Josh Pietras

wish list

2. mystic 1. dry case

4. liquid force

3. mti

Scan for the TKB Review

6. modern fuel products 5. FIXMYKITE.COM

1. DRY CASE DRYCASE TABLET - Gives you complete protection with an airtight vacuum seal. Fully functional, even underwater. $59.99, www.drycase.com

2. MYSTIC HURRICANE DUFFLE - Roomy, tough, versatile, and waterproof. Features an integrated clickerbar connection to carry your harness and handy compression straps. $115.95, www.mysticboarding.com

3. MTI FLUID BELT PACK - Designed to be the PFD you’ll forget you’re wearing. Highly recommended for crossings and

offshore riding. $120, www.adventurewear.com 4. LIQUID FORCE COMP HARNESS – Featuring Spinlock, the first ever lockable spinning spreader bar hook. No need to worry anymore about stuck swivels. $199.99, www.liquidforcekites.com 5. FIXMYKITE.COM MULTI-OPTION VALVE - All you’ll need for an emergency replacement on any bladder. Compatible with most brands. $11.95, www.pksdistribution.com 6. MODERN FUEL PRODUCTS X3 KITE COMPRESSION KIT - Includes three vacuum bags and a kite pump adapter to shrink your kites for travel. $32, www.modernfuelproducts.com For the TKB Review, visit www.thekiteboarder. com/2011/09/tkb-review-x3-kite-compression-bags/ or scan the code.

8. promotion

7. Mystic

9. rack it up

Scan for the TKB Review

10. tearepair, Inc. 11. underwave

7. Mystic CODE 01 - Borrowing the flexible back plate technology from the Warrior III, the Code 01 goes one step further by adding the proven BOA Cable Technology. Features softer edges for 2012. $289.95, www.mysticboarding.com

8. PROMOTION WETSUITS CHARGER 6/4 - Features a removable hood for maximum warmth in extreme conditions. Warm and cozy. $279, www.wetsuit.com

9. RACK IT UP BOARD STORAGE SYSTEMS - Simple, easy to mount and adjust, and inexpensive. Designed for twin tips, directionals, and surfboards. $29.95, www.rackitupsystems.us.com 10. TEARepair, inc. TEAR-AID - Peel and stick see-thru patch with extreme bond. Airtight, watertight, and easy to apply. $9.95 (kits) - $28.95 (rolls), www.tearaid.com 11. UNDERWAVE IMPERIAL HARNESS â&#x20AC;&#x201C; Features state of the art thermoform technology, PVC back shell, and soft neoprene in key areas. Will also be available with an integrated patented vacuum patch for a truly custom fit. $199, www.underwave.info For the TKB Review, visit http://www.thekiteboarder.com/2011/12/tkb-review-underwave-imperialharness/ or scan the code.

As we travel the world, we constantly find little phrases that are used to describe the locations we visit. Maui No Ka Oi and Jamaica Man are the first two that come to mind. Some of these phrases are just plain and simple while others are more like a puzzle waiting to be discovered. That was the case for the two words that Iâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;ve always heard from friends that have just returned from Indonesia: Bali Bagus! The more I asked its meaning the more I was told that I just had had to go there to understand.

Bali Bagus! Bali Bagus! Tired of hearing other people talk about it without being able to explain the experience, I decided it was time to try to understand what Bali Bagus was all about for myself. Maybe I would be able to paint a picture in my head that would reflect its meaning so I could explain it to others on my return. Before leaving I started my journey of Bali Bagus understanding by breaking down the phrase into its two words.

By Mauricio Abreu Photos Jason Wolcott

BALI Bali is the main island in the Southeast Asian archipelago of Indonesia between the Indian and Pacific Oceans. Located along the equator, Indonesia is made up of 30 provinces and 18,700 islands. The terrain is mostly coastal lowland with interior mountains on the larger islands. Indonesia has well over 34,000 miles of coastline – more than double the length of coastline in the United States. To surfers, Bali is known to be the heaven of good lefts and warm water, but I wasn’t able to get very much info about the wind conditions in Bali before I left. Bali has an equatorial climate dominated by two distinct seasons that are influenced by the surrounding seas and seasonal monsoons. The dry season in Bali is from June to September and we decided that sometime in this window would be our best bet to find a combination of waves and wind.

Bagus

Well, finding some basic info about Bali was easy enough. Now I know where and what Bali is, but the Bagus part of the phrase was proving to be impossible to find an exact description of. The literal meaning of Bagus is good, but everyone I talked to said it means much more than that and I just had to go there for myself. I rounded up the rest of the Slingshot Surf Brigade and booked our flights. I’d been to Indo a few times but had never stayed on Bali before, so this would be completely new territory to me. Also, this would be my first time traveling with Patrick Rebstock, the newest addition to the Surf Brigade. On top of all that, it was the first time going on a trip for both of us with Slingshot as our main sponsor, so we were stoked to go hit some good waves with the new Slingshot gear. We knew that Bali has many options, but we had been warned that most spots only “turn on” for a couple of months a year. The best time for the best swell can vary from year to year and, of course, from spot to spot. That goes for the wind as well. Making matters even more complicated, not every surfing spot is ideal for kiteboarding. Instead of getting a map and searching for where and when to go and then gambling on our decisions, we decided to hire photographer Jason Wolcott to take us to the best places while shooting photos. Wolcott’s been living in Bali for the past few years and understands just about everything about the place. Right off the bat we scored some insane surf with great wind. We got to ride most of the spots in Shangu except for those that were closing out. The waves on that side of the island are very friendly and are easy to access. From long lefts to hollow shore breaks, the first day’s perfect conditions set the pace for the rest of the trip. A few days later the wind started to shift. In Bali, when the wind shifts, you have to adapt. Because everyone on the trip was a surfer by

nature, we just left the kites at home and took our kitesurf boards to the lineup. In my case I took the exact same board I was kiting on for a paddle surf session. We got to surf Padang Padang with only five guys in the water (apparently that doesn’t happened very often!), Shagun, Old Mans, and even a new surf break called Cyrus Point. Sorry, but we were told we can’t really talk about that place. Spending a little time having to paddle for waves was a great reminder of how kitesurfing can help your surfing so much, and vice versa! Nothing lasts forever, even in Bali. The surf started to die down and the return of the wind was still a few days out. But, luck was on our side. A quick glance at a calendar reminded us that today was Thursday, and that’s the time of the week when the parties start. For you riders that like to trade the day for the night (at least for few days), Bali is the place. Talk about crazy parties! Bali has a diverse mix of young travelers from all over the globe. This influx of people, mostly gorgeous European women and surfers, make Bali quite the little party island. If you’re inclined to cut loose, you can’t go wrong in Kuta, Seminak, and Legian Beach. The upscale hotels right on the beach in Seminak are a great way to enjoy cocktails, watch the sunset, and meet some other travelers. The nightclubs and discos in Kuta start to pop around midnight so you better be ready to party until six in the morning to get the full Bali disco experience. On every full moon there are beach parties at Double Six Beach. Along with weekly parties hosted by local lingerie companies like 69Slam, this place is definitely worth a stop. The music scene is pretty good with a mix of European and local DJs making the Bali nightlife one of the best there is. Let’s just put it this way: It’s probably not a place you want to go for your honeymoon! After a few nights out on the town it was time to rest the body a bit. That was when our teammate Greg Norman Jr. had the great idea to go golfing. For you guys that don’t know, Greg is one of the top crossover kite/cable riders out there and he can play a bit of golf too. By coincidence his dad (golf legend Greg Norman, aka The Shark) had built a golf course in Bali a few years ago so we had all the hook ups to go shred green. I later found out that using that term doesn’t go well with the golf course manager!

Talk about an amazing setup. The Bali Nirawana Golf Club is located right between the Thana Lot Temple and the Indian Ocean making it a truly amazing place. It is by far the most beautiful course I’ve ever seen or played on. I just wish that Patrick and I hadn’t almost killed two tourists that were standing at the wrong place at the wrong time. Actually, maybe we were just playing the wrong sport at the wrong time. For the next few weeks we had the trip of a lifetime. Wolcott was able to maximize our time on Bali and we scored either perfect waves, windy days, or both during the whole trip. We were able to kitesurf, surf, eat, party, golf, and enjoy the Indonesian culture to its max.

So Bali Bagus, what does that mean anyway? Well, like the ones who came before me, I can’t really explain what it really means. Bali Bagus is more like a feeling, a smell, or a color. You have to experience it to really understand. When

I asked Greg what Bali Bagus meant to him he said, “Bali Bagus? How’s perfect untouched waves, a round of golf on a championship course, ideal kitesurfing conditions, and a nightlife that rivals Las Vegas sound? That’s my Bali Bagus! It’s one of the best places in the world for all your needs in my humble opinion.”

Bali Bagus, Bali is the Best! To see a video from this trip, go to http://vimeo.com/31056991 or scan the code.

LIGHT IT UP. THE JOINT.

PERFORMANCE

UNIQUE STYLE

IT ISN'T A FOOTSTRAP. IT ISN'T A BOOT. IT'S THE JOINT. A BLEND OF COMFORT, PERFORMANCE AND STYLE THAT KEEPS YOU CONNECTED TO YOUR BOARD. YOU HAVEN'T SEEN ANYTHING LIKE IT.

STAY TUNED TO SEE WHAT RIDERS ARE DOING WITH THEIR JOINTS AND HOW YOU CAN CUSTOMIZE YOURS AT SLINGSHOTSPORTS.COM.

15 minutes

Omar Nazif catches the dayâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s last rays of sunlight at Sherman Island. Photo Slawek Krauze

Get your 15 minutes of fame and a chance to win some killer swag by submitting your photos to editor@thekiteboarder.com.

John Bonetti enjoying the Maui Life. Photo DeeDee Joseph Petitfils outruns a bomb in Coronado, California. Photo Juan Carlos Manosalvas

Drew Christianson throws down in the Gorge. Photo Jim Stringfellow Bobby Singleton enjoys some flat water in the Florida Keys. Photo Lori Kirchner

Cole Russell enjoying an early season October session at Black Pine, Montana. Photo Josh Byrd

Brian Friedmann breaks free at Waddell Creek. Photo Dave Oates

Rob Born finds the pocket in Santa Cruz. Photo Craig Williams Zeev Gur carves a turn in the Sherman Island chop. Photo Slawek Krauze

Jerrie van der Kop in the Netherlands. Photo Reinout Smit

Brent Beringhouse loads up in gnarly conditions. Photo Matthew Blew

ROOTS By Blake Pelton and Chris Moore, Photo Chris Schulz

Flying a NASA Para Wing (NPW) directly off the bridles made it possible for riders to buggy safely in unbelievably strong conditions and in unconventional locations. Charles “Action” Jackson (aka AJ) first popularized this style of buggying in early 2000. While everybody else was grounded due to completely blown out conditions when not even a 1m kite would work, AJ was able to ride by rigging a NPW in this fashion. Quickly, numerous

riders adopted this method and the annual North American Buggy Expo even created a class of racing just for it. Today, you will see dozens of buggiers effortlessly cruising lake beds using AJ’s method. AJ, an avid land and water kiter, teacher, promoter, and advocate for our sport and industry, was sadly lost at sea in an accident on September 18, 2011. He lived for the sweet smell of salt air and the feel of a brisk wind on his face. He was drawn to sailing and then kiting due to his love for the outdoors and elements of wind and water. A race was held this past Thanksgiving where all participants were required to fly a NPW. Friends plan to make it an annual tradition to remember and honor AJ.

true kiteboarding

TEAM SERIES

GAMBLER

137 cm X 41 cm

139 cm X 42 cm

134 cm X 40 cm 140 cm X 42 cm

125 cm X 36 cm 136 cm X 41 cm 142 cm X 42.5 cm

RideR: tom coUrt_PicS: James BoUlding

E L Y T S T E N E A K M W E V M O

YOUNGBLOOD

Progressive Board Design / Mono Concave Plus Quattro V / Multi Stage Rocker

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