The Kiteboarder Magazine Vol. 15, No. 2

TANZANIAN CROSSING

By Water, Land and Glacier

GRANT TWIGGY BAKER Kiting as a Gateway Drug

POST MARIA PUERTO Kitesurfing in a Vacuum

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FROM THE EDITOR As the deadline tolled on this magazine I found myself putting the cart before the horse, literally and figuratively. When I should have been at home in front of my computer working my way through one last draft of this magazine, instead, I was stranded on a jet ski out in the middle of Monterey Bay. As a general rule, I have pretty much sworn off boats since the moment I started kiteboarding, but when a friend dangled the carrot of open ocean foil tow-ins, it seemed foolhardy to turn that down.

The jet ski in question was a newly acquired machine, but a well-worn veteran of the Nor Cal tow-in scene during the late 90s. Sometimes adventure happens to us unknowingly and sometimes we throw ourselves into situations with uncertain ends. I can’t be sure what motivated me to put down the printer proofs and ride a tired horse almost two miles out to the Monterey Trench to go foilboarding; it might have been this issue’s interview with Twiggy Baker (PG74) in which kiteboarding became his gateway to big wave tow-in surfing. Or, maybe it was just the computer-generated cabin fever that often accompanies the assembly of a magazine. Regardless of reason, I had a hunch that our foil mission probably wouldn’t go smoothly, yet I drove right by a perfectly good kitesurfing session on my way to a throttle-fueled open ocean foilboarding ambush.

FREERIDE

It’s this very same attraction to adventure that underpins all of the kiteboarding stories in this issue. When Gabi Steindl’s Chile trip derails (PG20), did she hesitate on a hastily planned hiatus into the vast unknown of Patagonia? No, she double-downed and dug deep. Do Emily Reich and Evan Netsch cancel plans to Puerto Rico (PG84) despite the rumors of lingering infrastructure problems in the wake of hurricane Maria? Does Jerrie van de Kop quit his Tanzanian trek (PG96) when his windsurfing kart almost electrocutes him, or after his kite and mountainboard crash hard on the African savanna? The resounding answer in all these stories is no; setbacks in the adventurous mind are mere waypoints in the pursuit of new terrain. Risk is part of the kitesurfers’ profile—such as the kiters who sign up for Surfin Sem Fim’s carefully curated multi-day expeditions along Brazil’s seemingly endless coastline (PG36), albeit with a hefty safety-net that ensures their grand adventure ends each day with a 5-star meal and a luxurious bed.

However, there was no safety net built into our foilboarding tow-in test. After a couple of hours of whipping each other into big rolling swells, my friend Nick uttered the fateful words that have doomed every adventure since the dawn of mankind: “One more time.” I learned a long ago to never use these words. More than mere superstition, this phrase has deep metaphysical implications. In those simple words the adventurer temps the fate of misfortune—he/she recognizes on some level a hairline doubt about the future’s prospects, yet makes the simple yet loaded plea to ignore all indicators of oncoming tragedy for just for one more fix.

Nick Jacobsen

James Boulding

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Within moments of the request for “one more time,” the engine sputtered into a sickly state of distress as I mashed on the throttle and the ski resigned itself into a lackluster limp. We were not in a good place; the waves were big, the wind was still howling and the chop was fierce. We could barely make out the mile buoy and our safe harbor was just a blip on the horizon as the sun moved towards the day’s end. The hours that followed were a game of cat and mouse with a reluctant ski that idled in spits and spurts at a snail’s speed. A quick survey revealed an engine compartment drowning in water. Worse yet, we were caught in a catch-22; the motor would maintain its sickly idle when the engine hatch was left open, further reinforcing our fear that the chop broadsiding us could sink us at any moment. Inching towards our goal, we were about a quarter mile from the harbor entrance when the engine finally gave up for good. With no boats in sight, I dove in with my foilboard and used the tow rope to tug the ski back into the harbor’s flat water. It was a comical sight, the cart before a tired horse—prone paddling our machine with a foilboard back to the boat ramp.

Nick and I laughed until the ski was back on its trailer and for days to come.

Would I do it again? Absolutely, but probably just ‘one more time.’

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20 Chile Buena Onda

When the South American trip of a lifetime goes sour, Gabi Steindl leaves the tiny surf village of Matanzas, Chile for the great wide open of Patagonia, only to return to Roca Cuadrada with a kitesurfing vengeance.

36 Wayfarers of the Wind

When Marco Dalpozzo discovered long distance kite travel in the northeast corner of Brazil, little did he know that he was laying the building blocks for the ultimate kitesurfing long distance adventure company, melding multi-day downwinders with tests of endurance, professional coaching and luxurious accommodations at every step along the way.

48 The Big Easy

Michigan’s Blake Olsen returns from a gauntlet of international kite travel to find himself smack dab in the middle of New Orleans. Exploring every nook and cranny, Blake uncovers kiteboarding in the least likely of places.

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From the Editor

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Frontside

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Profile:

Olivia Jenkins Conquering Maui’s biggest wave.

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Profile:

Charlie McKinney Wind Voyager enters stage left.

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Exposed

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Method

The Backroll Transition

Twig

South Africa’s legendary big wave surfer Grant ‘Twiggy’ Baker reveals kiteboarding as the gateway drug to a late-in-life tow surfing career and WSL Big Wave Surfing World Championship.

84 Puerto Rico: Paradise Restored

Nine months after hurricane Maria unleashed the worst devastation in Puerto Rican history, Emily Reich returns to survey the damage and take advantage of the empty lineups.

96 Crossing Tanzania

Dutch professional kiteboarder Jerrie van de Kop embarks on a massive wind-assisted voyage from the island of Zanzibar to Mount Kilimanjaro in order to bring attention to climate change and the potential remediation efforts by environmental NGOs in Africa.

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Wish List

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Viewpoint

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Passing the torch.

Roots

Kiting’s Shaq looks back.

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Atmosphere Gorge Winds

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On the Map

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Parting Shot

96 84 28 74 36 48 On the Cover

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Blurring all the lines, Eric Rienstra

seamlessly crosses between the

roles of professional athlete, event judge and kite brand rep

while relentlessly pushing the progression of park riding. // Photo Toby Bromwich

TANZANIAN CROSSING

By Water, Land and Glacier

GRANT TWIGGY BAKER Kiting as a Gateway Drug

POST MARIA PUERTO Kitesurfing in a Vacuum

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Join the 2019 Tkb Baja Test Team January 5-13, 2019

Marina Chang, Publisher marina@thekiteboarder.com Brendan Richards, Editor in Chief brendan@thekiteboarder.com India Stephenson, Designer/Editor india@thekiteboarder.com Seth Warren, Senior Contributor elementsmixedmedia@gmail.com Alexis Rovira, Editor at Large alexis@thekiteboarder.com Gary Martin, Tkb Ambassador gary@thekiteboarder.com CONTRIBUTORS Gabi Steindl, Joe Winowski, Jeremy Jones, Emily Reich, Tom Kelly, Fadi Issa, Shea Gibson/iKitesurf PHOTOGRAPHERS Gabi Steindl, Pablo Jimenez, Guillermo Muñoz, Bruna Arcangelo Toledo, Analic Diniz, Bernardo Negri, Isabelle Fabre, Eliseu Souza, Miguel Cortez, Damien Leroy, Hilary Huffman, John Carter, Grant ‘Twiggy’ Baker, Pedro Abreu, Gilles Calvet, Fred Pompermayer, Kimberly Stewart, Bruce Chrystal, Al Mckinnon, Ryan Osmond, Justin Bruns, Tyrone Bradley, Erik Aeder, Freya Miller McCall, Ydwer van der Heide, Rob Born, Tom Kelly, Vincent Bergeron, Alex Schwarz, Austin Walco, Andre Magarao

Come help the Tkb crew test and review all the new gear for 2019 this winter in sunny La Ventana: • Something for everybody – twin tips, directionals, foilboards, foil & LEI kites, harnesses too!

Visit us at: thekiteboarder.com twitter.com/the_kiteboarder • facebook.com/thekiteboardermagazine ADMINISTRATIVE/ADVERTISING OFFICE 1356 16th Street, Los Osos, CA 93402 805.459.2373

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Have you got an idea for an article you would like to see in The Kiteboarder Magazine? Send your submission to: editor@thekiteboarder.com © 2018 Boardsports Media LLC. All rights reserved.

PROUDLY PRINTED IN THE USA

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FRONTSIDE

Brandon Scheid with a switch back lip in Baja’s only kite park. Now that Choco Lake is on the list of North America’s few parks, you might find a slightly different crowd in La Ventana. As Brandon says, “This is proof in the chocolate pudding that if you build it they will come.” // Photo Vincent Bergeron

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FRONTSIDE

Jesse Richman pivots off the top of this mid-sized wave somewhere in the North Pacific. Jesse strives to give every wave the same level of attention and commitment. “Small to huge, I want to ride it like I stole it and feel the explosion under my feet.� // Photo Erik Aeder

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Words by Gabi Steindl

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RIGHT: Gabi Steindl finds the perfect port tack setup in Matanzas, Chile. // Photo Pablo Jimenez LEFT: Posing in front of the Patagonia monument Torres del Paine, the guanaco, Chile’s wild variant of a camel, traces its ancestry back to the llama. // Photo Guillermo Muùoz

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With 25,000 miles of wave-rich Pacific ocean the possibilities are endless, but Roca Cuadrada is ground zero in the Matanzas kiteboarding scene. // Photo Pablo Jimenez

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loating in a small South American lineup, waves wash across the cove’s outcropping and the chill of dark water laps up against my 5mm wetsuit as the pulse of an unbroken swell expands across the horizon. Immersed to my torso in 54°F water, I can feel the exhausting stain of 36 hours of air travel slowly eroding away. We’re only a few surfers in the lineup—it’s shortly before sunset and my first surf in Chilean waters—all of which makes the voice erupting from the nearby rocky point sound the deepest of internal alarms. Adrenaline surges as I make out ‘tiburon,’ the Spanish word for shark. I

spot a huge black fin breaking the water’s surface less than a hundred feet away. Before anyone can move, my eyes tighten on the vertical dorsal fin and I exclaim, “es una orca!”

Excitement takes over my fear as I quickly become mesmerized by the rise and fall of the orca’s black dorsal fin. With all my senses fully in the moment, I identify that electrifying buzz that comes from traveling to a new place and experiencing an entirely different part of the world for the very first time.

“Welcome to Chile,” I whisper to myself and smile.

“Welcome to Chile!”

With over 25,000 miles of wave-rich Pacific Ocean coastline, Chile has been on my bucket list for a while. Having spent three years competing in the early days of the PKRA tour, frequent stops in Brazil and Venezuela sparked a raging infatuation with South America that has long survived the end of my competitive career and 10 years of exploring Australia as a home.

As the captain announced the descent into Santiago, the capital of Chile, my nose pressed hard against the plexiglass window of my coach-class seat while my tired red eyes scanned the immense peaks and rock formations of the Chilean coastal range. Spanning over six countries, the Andes is the longest continental mountain range in the world and with its vast scale of nature, snowcapped volcanoes and pristine lakes, the view out my window was the best in-flight entertainment I could hope for.

After multiple connections my two gigantic quiver bags arrive at the same time and I kick off my Chile adventure with a couple of days sightseeing in Santiago. I check into a little Airbnb in Providencia, a centrally located barrio, and meet up with a friend of a friend named Javier—a local, slightly eccentric young architect and guru on all things Santiago who’s happy to show me around. Together we explore the city’s

nooks and crannies that would otherwise be impossible for me to find on my own.

Sitting atop Javier’s pride and joy—two beautiful, almost antique, silver race bicycles—we weave our way through crowds of people and dense traffic, swing by the most important museums, cruise through beautiful little parks, sit down with local musicians and watch loved-up couples dance the traditional Lindy Hop to tunes somehow still playing from an old cassette recorder that looks like it should be long retired. Javier leads me through Santiago’s Mercado Central, famed as South America’s best seafood market since 1872 before we board a vintage 1925 funicular that climbs a half mile above the city to a lookout point on Cerro San Cristóbal. At the top we inhale staggering views of the capital and enjoy a round (or two) of pisco sours, the national drink for Peru and Chile—both countries claim to be the originators of this lethal yet addictive cocktail. Pisco sours come in two sizes; normal or a large serving size affectionately called ‘catedral’, and feature a combination of clear local grape brandy (pisco) mixed with sugar syrup, lime juice, an egg white for the authentic frothy finish and a dash of Angostura bitters to top it off. The Chilean saying ‘buena onda’ roughly translates as ‘good vibes’ and they say spreading the buena onda is instinctual for Chileans—my time with Javi is perfect proof of this fact.

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The following day I set out on my search for surf, and I can’t help but chuckle when the rental car company delivers my van. Somehow the pictures on the rental company’s website hadn’t prepared me for the unusual format; super short and very narrow, only two seats in the front and a small cargo area in the back—it reminds me of a French florist van you’d find somewhere in Paris. With all my gear stowed in the back, I leave Santiago behind and take the highway towards the coast. My destination is Matanzas, the mecca for wind and kitesurfing in central Chile. No more than 100 miles southwest of Santiago I find the tiny authentic fishing village beautifully situated in the hills above the coast. With only one main street that runs parallel to a long black volcanic beach, it’s a sleepy beach town during the week that comes alive on weekends when Santiago’s city dwellers escape the city and flock to the coast to enjoy the sun, beach and ocean. The area around Matanzas is very ‘in’ and trendy so many wealthy Chileans have built spectacular holiday homes nestled amongst the hills overlooking the Pacific.

Upon arriving in Matanzas, I make arrangements to meet up with the founder of the guiding operation, Kite Chile. Mike is Swiss, but has spent much of his time in Chile as a passionate kitesurfer exploring the area and all of its spots. He’s been an incredibly helpful resource in planning my trip and lucky for me, my stay coincides with Mike’s November and December stint in Chile, which he calls “the best kiting of the year.” I take a room in his rental house and together we head out for my very first kite session; a downwinder from the main spot in Matanzas to Roca Cuadrada, a picturesque square rock situated about a mile to the north and only accessible by 4x4 on a black sand beach. The prevailing surazo is a strong southerly wind that blows 25-30 knots, which according to Mike is the typical strength for the area this time of the year. The coastal region of both Chile and Peru are heavily influenced by the Humboldt Current, a south to north flow of cold water that brings frigid upwelled water from southern Chile to the equator. December is Chile’s summer, yet the water in their ‘warm’ season averages 54°F. The good news is that when it’s windy, it’s usually sunny and most days hover in the upper 70s. As it turns out, in all my weeks in Chile I never felt cold, not even whilst surfing.

Mike takes me on the grand tour of all the spots in the neighborhood, but Roca Cuadrada becomes my favorite. The left peels off the square rock to the south and reels toward the beach with down the line consistency. Depending on the wind and tide, Roca can throw up some really clean faces that 26

Framed to the horizon with cross-onshore whitecaps and black sand beaches, Pupuya beach is on fire. // Photo Gabi Steindl

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are superbly good fun to hit. When it gets bigger, it can get fairly heavy, powerful and often very hollow. Kiting at Roca is magic; with dark Pacific water, sea lions popping up right next to you, a vibrant backdrop of steep limestone cliffs and huge black sand dunes as far as the eye can see, this part of Chile is truly a unique visual landscape.

There’s other spots too; if you go 10 minutes by car further north you will find La Boca at the river mouth of the Rio Rapel. La Boca is a picture perfect flat water spot for learning or freestyle. With consistent wind and water that’s as smooth as a sheet of glass, I was surrounded by blacknecked swans amidst green hillsides and spectacular cliffs that inspired nothing short of awe.

to be requested via fax from an office in Santiago. However, because the whole plot is currently being developed into an area of luxury villas and fancy holiday homes, we are free to pass. Driving through miles of cleared land once home to a dense forest, Mike becomes stoic at the sight of the widescale deforestation but is relieved when he sees nothing has changed along the land nearest the spot we’re headed to.

Matias switches into 4WD and floors the pickup in order to reach the top of a black sand dune where we get an overview of our spot. Stretching a couple of miles in length, a pristine volcanic beach reaches to the south culminating in Pan de Azúcar, a distinctive pyramid-shaped rock sticking 170 feet out of the turquoise Pacific—that’s where the wave breaks.

I’m told that here at Topo the wind usually blows 5-10 knots stronger than in Matanzas and due to the geography of the spot, particularly the headland and cross-offshore wind, the waves are incredibly clean; but for the same reasons, it’s usually very gusty. Matias smiles because without a doubt, Topo is much better for windsurfing than kiting.

“The left peels off the square rock to the south and reels toward the beach with down the line consistency.”

The little town of Pupuya is situated in the next bay south of Matanzas.

The beach offers a lot of space with a cross-onshore wave playground and a small waist high lagoon for learning. Pupuya is home to the stylish La Lobera Kite Club, a kind of Café del Mar for kiters.

A modern architectural structure constructed of glass and wood housing a beachfront restaurant and bar, La Lobera offers superb views of the kitesurfing action, along with hip music, huge chill-out cushions, sun lounges and even a climbing wall on the outside of a shipping container that doubles as a shower and changing room. Complete with a Chilean style outdoor ‘hot tub’—a round, wooden bathtub heated by fire, La Lobera is a superb representation of the contemporary sophistication you will find in Chile.

As the first proper swell pops up on the forecast I manage to connect with Chilean surf photographer Pablo Jimenez.

Our plan is to shoot at an isolated stretch of the coast 45 minutes south of Matanzas at a beach called Topocalma.

Accessible only by 4x4, Mike hooks us up with Matias, one of Matanzas’ top local windsurfers, who is happy to give us a ride in his pickup truck. Until recently, permission to access the privately held beach of Hacienda Topocalma had

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The wind blows a pleasant 1518 knots but the swell hasn’t really kicked in yet. “This is highly unusual,” says Matias, who sails Topo quite frequently.

I pump up a larger kite and head out for a while, catching some small but really fun waves. This all changes in a moment when the wind turns nuclear in a matter of minutes with crazy gusts in the high 30s. My kite stalls in a ‘wind hole from hell,’ drops to the water and before I can relaunch, the kite gets mauled by the heavy beach break. With my kite tangled and tormented by the ferocious wind I begin to selfrescue, but four fingers of my left hand are in the wrong place at the wrong time. As my kite unexpectedly powers up my lines etch deeply into the middle joints of four fingers. For a moment, shock takes over the pain—my index finger cops the brunt of the force with a nasty gash; a huge flap of skin and my bone are staring back at me. Blood is literally pissing out of the wound when I finally make it to the beach about one mile downwind of Pablo, Matias and the other windsurfers.

TOP: With an amalgamation of rocks to the north of Topocalma it’s blatantly obvious why the wind can be extremely gusty, yet the temptation of remote beauty and side-off conditions make it hard to resist. // Pablo Jimenez LOWER LEFT: Gabi soaking her tired bones in a typical Chilean hot tub high up on the cliffs above Roca Cuadrada. // Photo Pablo Jimenez CENTER: The trip to Topocalma demands 4-wheel-drive access only and permission to enter the Pan de Azúcar National Forest. // Photo Pablo Jimenez RIGHT: Chile’s got something for everyone. Gabi cruises a river mouth while waiting for the swell to build. // Photo Pablo Jimenez

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LEFT: The view from atop Roca Cuadrada. Gabi attacks a section and connects with the lip. // Photo Pablo Jimenez RIGHT: Relieved to have all her fingers, Gabi waits for a ride outside a little medical clinic in the town of Navidad. // Photo Gabi Steindl

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“injuries never come at the right time and life’s too short to mope about something that can’t be changed.”

An hour’s drive from Topo, in the little outpatient clinic of Navidad, a charming young Chilean paramedic by the name of Julio stitches my index finger back together. It’s a small miracle that the tendon is still intact; with seven stitches in one finger and bandages on the other three, I’m forever grateful that all my fingers are still where they belong. After a tetanus jab and a pack of antibiotics I trudge outside still dressed in my kite poncho. Nobody is waiting there for me.

I figured Matias would have been super keen to get back on the water so when they dropped me off I suggested they go back for what’s left of the wind and waves. With all the time in the world to wait for Mike, I sit down on a little park bench in dismay, resigned to the idea that this kite trip is over.

Challenges, obstacles and unforeseen events are all part of traveling. It’s my first kitemare in 10 years and of course I’m majorly pissed off that it had to happen on the trip of a lifetime. However, injuries never come at the right time and life’s too short to mope about something that can’t be changed. A few hours later I find myself at a beach bar with Mike in Matanzas sipping on a consolation pisco sour while looking out on the ocean where others are still kitesurfing. “I want to fly to Patagonia,” I announce as Mike chokes on his pisco and stares at me with raised eyebrows coughing. He reckons I would be the only person to plan a trip to Patagonia in under 24 hours. Most travelers take months, sometimes years to plan an expedition to Patagonia, but that evening I open my laptop and book a flight for the following day to Punta Arenas, the capital of the Chilean side of Patagonia.

Patagonia is at the most southern tip of South America and stretches north beyond the border of Chile and Argentina.

With a spectacular landscape, Torres del Paine National Park on the Chilean side is among the world’s greatest natural wonders of our time. Filled with massive glaciers and expansive mountains, gigantic granite rocks in the most peculiar formations, luminescent turquoise lakes and crystal clear rivers that extend into the infinite, the name Torres del Paine is derived from the mountain range and the park’s landmark: three striking granite peaks towering over 8,000 feet high right next to one another.

I exit the small airport in Punta Arenas, slightly shocked by the bitter sting of the outside temperature and wait for the bus to Puerto Natales. During the four-hour journey on a straight road through endless steppe, the only souls seen outside of other tour buses are two baqueanos, or Chilean cowboys, on horses driving sheep across the plains. Historically, Puerto Natales was a small fishing port, but today it’s the last outpost for tourists heading into the Patagonian wilderness. Wandering around the charming streets, there’s something magical about the quaint waterfront surrounded by Chilean fjords and snowcapped mountains in the distance—it’s as if you are at the end of the world.

In my research, I learnt that CONAF (National Forest Corporation) recently started regulating visitor numbers by requiring each entrant to have a bed booked for each night they spend in the park. Standing in the Puerto Natale’s office of Fantástico Sur, one of the organizations that manages

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Putting the mini back into vans, Gabi steers her florist van and house on wheels back on the road to Santiago for a hop over to Patagonia. // Photo Pablo Jimenez

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accommodations in the park, I scarcely believe my ears as I’m told that nobody can enter the park for the next five days due to a total crash of the computer booking system. “What?

But I’m only here for five days,” I exclaim—“Lo siento, no es possible,” says the woman on the other side of the desk. For a moment I feel like I am in a bad movie. My left hand is waddled in a gigantic bandage and I’m still slightly in shock after nearly losing four fingers. I’ve endured a long sleepless night in the rental van at Santiago airport, an obscenely expensive domestic flight to Patagonia and two long bus journeys, all potentially for naught. Despite this revelation, I struggle to maintain my composure.

I leave the office and quickly come up with plan B: Rent a car, drive myself into the park instead of the typical bus route and sleep in the car as opposed to booking a bed in one of the park’s campsites. I scour several rental car outfits, but all the cars are hired out. Eventually I find a car that has to be brought by a driver from Punta Arenas. This translates into additional costs and time, however, the reward is worth it: a brand new pickup truck that will take me into the park. For the first time in my life, I am the proud owner of two rental cars at one time: my florist van stationed at the Santiago airport and a fancy 4-wheel-drive here in Patagonia. This opulence is less a reflection of my budget but rather an indicator of my desperation to get into the park. As I wait for my rental I use the time to buy supplies to get me through five days in the wilderness. I discover Rental Natales, which turns out to be a treasure trove for trekking. Guillermo, the owner, outfits me with a pair of proper hiking boots, walking sticks, a small gas cooker, a metal bowl and some cutlery.

At dawn I steer my flashy new truck onto Ruta del Fin del Mundo, Route to the End of the World. It’s 30°F outside and I’m blasting Latino sounds on the radio as I head towards snowcapped mountains feeling the ultimate sense of freedom. I get goosebumps at the sight of the snowy Paine Massif as I catch my first glimpse of the monument protruding almost surreally from the lush pampa in the distance. Pulling to a stop at the CONAF office at the park gate, a small miracle unfolds; I manage to complete all formalities without anybody asking me where I will be staying and a friendly ranger waves me into the park without any further questions.

The next few days undoubtedly turn into some of the most memorable ever to go down in my travel book. I go for long hikes, including a nine-hour trek to the Torres, watch herds of wild horses roam the steppe and find myself in the middle of a flock 33

of guanacos, a local wild kind of camel and ancestor of the llama.

Patagonia is infamous for its weather and the extreme wind and gusts up to 110 mph regularly rip through the park with enough ferocity to dislodge a hiker with a backpack.

During one hike, in just a moment, the wind turns in perfect Patagonian fashion from calm to hurricane force. I’m lucky there’s a lake upwind of my track and I’m able to spot the gusts on the water coming from afar just in time to brace myself for the impact. I drop to my hands and knees and get as close to the earth as possible while a fellow hiker that doesn’t take the wind so seriously pays the price; a gust hits him so hard he falls, landing unluckily with his wrist on a stone slab.

By the time it’s time to leave Torres del Paine, my body feels stiff and old after sleeping on the passenger seat of my car for too many nights. Patagonia is without a doubt one of the most expensive places I’ve ever set my kiter feet upon, but the aches of rental car living are a small price to pay when compared to the $170 per night price tag on a bed in a dormitory or the $120 per night option to pitch your tent.

Back in Matanzas, Julio, with his charming Latino bedside manner, removes the stitches from my finger. The wound isn’t pretty but with a bit of duct tape I head to Roca Cuadrada with Mike for a seven-hour comeback session. I return to the beach just once to down a few nuts and drink some water, but I just can’t get my fill of Chile. Fearing I hadn’t gotten enough water time this trip, the next day I extend my rental van contract and convince Mike to let me borrow one of the mattresses from the house in order to pimp out my florist van into a home on wheels. First I hit Pichilemu, the surf capital of Chile and home to notoriously famous Punta de Lobos, the most acclaimed point break of the country. When it’s

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pumping, you can watch local big wave hero Ramon Navarro take on triple-overhead-plus water mountains. In terms of wind, Lobos is sheltered from the surazo by the headland, but located just around the corner to the north, Infiernillo can get really good for kiting.

After a few memorable sessions in Pichilemu, I cruise further down south to the ‘surf pearl’ of Chile. With uncountable breaks, empty lineups and picturesque green landscapes, the south coast is what you would call ‘holy’ to the local surfers.

Practically untouched by urbanization, the scarce population lives off farming and fishing in small villages which are often so quiet, they seem deserted.

It’s a different Chile in which time seems to be standing still and it’s as if I’m transported to the past; Chilean huasos, cattlemen dressed in their traditional ponchos and straw hats herd cattle, along with local farmers who are still ploughing their fields with oxen.

I drive deeper and find Curanipe’s classic left-hand point break. With or without wind, and usually in solitude, wave addicts can quench their thirst for long, peeling lefts. At this point in my trip, the legendary coastal fog moves in. A highly typical weather phenomenon for this part of Chile, especially during the hotter months, the wall of fog can sit on the coastline for days on end, grey on grey, quickly turning summer into winter.

Some people call it a curse when the thick marine layer moves in killing any hope for wind, sunshine or warmth, yet I’m completely content with the glassy surf conditions it creates in Pullay. There’s quite a bit of swell around and I surf many of the top breaks in the neighborhood including Buchupureo and Cobquecura, both left-hand peelers that come alive with a southwest swell.

FAR LEFT: En route to the end of the world, Gabi encounters authentic Chilean cowboys in the Patagonian steppe. // Photo Gabi Steindl TOP: Semi-healed and wrapped in duct tape, Gabi’s ‘comeback’ session lasted seven hours. // Photo Pablo Jimenez LOWER LEFT: Happy as can be on her 9-hour return hike from the Miradór Las Torres, Gabi’s kitesurfing time-out led her straight to the park’s most famous landmark whose granite pillars soar over 8,000 feet above sea level. // Gabi Steindl CENTER: The glacial waters of Lago Pehoé are a turquoise jewel in Torres del Paine National Park. // Gabi Steindl LOWER RIGHT: Chilean countrymen, highly skilled horsemen known as huasos, caught in their traditional mode of transport in the small coastal town of Curanipe. // Photo Gabi Steindl

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Chile is one of those destinations that will have you wishing the days have no end and keep you on the water well into sunset. // Photo Pablo Jimenez

Walking to the departure gate for my flight back home to Australia, I’m deeply wrapped in bittersweet thoughts as my epic adventure comes to an end. A sign distracts me from my thoughts. In huge letters it says ‘The Last Pisco Sour’—I have to smile and order one. “Catedral?” the waiter asks. “Sí señor por favor,” I respond. I reckon the waiter can feel my heartache upon leaving as he serves me not only the best, but also the strongest pisco sour of my time in Chile.

However, the tall drink certainly won’t be my last—as I plan to return and explore Chile all over again.

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rider: Ben Wilson

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Words by Joe Winowski

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O

ver the last few years a new segment of kiteboarding has evolved with a few adventurous souls delving into the unknowns of long distance kite travel. Seth Warren and Kirk Harris embarked on the KUZI Project— a 500-mile self-supporting journey up the coast of East Africa and Jesse Richman led a team 621 miles across the Great Barrier Reef for a charity fundraiser. While these journeys are filled with epic stories of challenge and heroism, the inconvenient truth of adventure kiteboarding travel is that while the experience is king, the logistics of striking out and exploring large swaths of terra firma with kites is anything but easy or comfortable. Often plagued with risk and uncertainty, long distance kiting is often

fraught with time-consuming yet necessary logistical tasks; countless months of preparation, learning navigational skills, purchasing safety equipment, organizing support teams, developing contingency plans with access to boats and vehicles in the event of injury and preparing for equipment malfunctions or weather delays. These are all crucial elements when planning a trip into the unknown and come at an astronomical cost in terms of time, effort and money that limits the experience to only a few. For this simple reason, a small company by the name Surfin Sem Fim in the northeast corner of Brazil has created a turnkey kitesurfing adventure that delivers the challenge of distance kite travel with the amenities of a five-star vacation.

// Photo Analice Diniz 39

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began when Italian windsurfer Marco Dalpozzo relocated to Brazil to continue his corporate career managing human resources in multinational corporations. Marco soon discovered a local crew of windsurfers along the north coast of Brazil who were organizing point to point races. Looking at a map, they’d pinpoint their start and finish destination, introducing navigational aspects as a new skill to their already challenging race course. Inspired by this theory, as soon as Marco learned to kitesurf on the beach of Preá in Ceará, he took this idea and explored the far reaches of Brazil, pushing his endurance, challenging his mental state and attempting distance travel with his kite. “Kiting alone towards the infinite without knowing what I would find moved me and reconnected me with nature,” he recalls. With a sense of ecstasy, it occurred to Marco, “other people

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need to have the opportunity to experience this emotion.” After a few initial trips including a successful 71mile expedition from Cumbuco to Flexeiras and then a three-day trip all the way to Jericoacoara, the concept of kite expeditions along the diverse and beautiful northeast coast of Brazil was born. During one late night expedition guided by the reflection of moonlight on the sea, Marco reveled in the infinite ‘Sem Fim’ aspect of their seemingly endless travel, while his friend Vincent Daubagna gushed about the endless surfing potential in the waves they had found—thus the name ‘Surfin Sem Fim’ came to be. With the intent of sharing their experiences with others, the idea soon developed into a team of passionate kite professionals tasked with streamlining the logistics for a trouble-free vacation that seamlessly melds kite exploration with ease and comfort.

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// Photos counter-clockwise from top left: Bruna Arcangelo Toledo, Bruna Arcangelo Toledo, Analice Diniz, Bruna Arcangelo Toledo, Bruna Arcangelo Toledo, Bernardo Negri, Bruna Arcangelo Toledo

Over time Surfin Sem Fim has become not only a single experience, but rather a grand portfolio of carefully curated adventures, fine-tuned for riders of all skill levels and interests. The water is warm and inviting and the wind reportedly blows somewhere in the ballpark of 300 days per year along the remote coastline of northeastern Brazil. Shorter voyages from PreĂĄ to 42

Tatajuba or Camocim lead kiters past wide open beaches and through small fishing villages as an introduction to long distance kite travel. Routes that pass through the Parnaíba Delta encounter remote rivers snaking through white sweeping dunes teeming with wildlife amidst crystal clear blue and green lagoons nearby the infamous Lençois Maranhenses National Park, home of the Red

// Photos counter-clockwise from top left: Analice Diniz, Isabelle Fabre, Analice Diniz, Bruna Arcangelo Toledo, Analice Diniz

Bull Rally Dos Ventos. For those who want to push their physical endurance boundaries, there are extended distance routes, aptly titled Iron Man and Ultra Man for their lengthy itineraries covering massive stretches of the Brazilian coast. Focused solely on windswell, surfers often arrange their trips around the moon to take advantage of incoming tides, as well as book shorter trips that give them

time to latch onto the points and reefs instead of hustling downwind to make it to a far-off destination. Surfin Sem Fim has structured their hierarchy as a one-stop shop for progression, as guests often work their way up the ladder, from shorter to longer trips, exploring different parts of the Brazilian coastline before putting it all together with the ultimate distance trip to test their skills.

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"Each day after kiting guests crash out, dreaming of the next day's waves in a different beachfront pousada, each with its own sense of rustic luxury."

Before Surfin Sem Fim, Marco Dalpozzo and a group of windsurfing friends who fell in love with the coast of Cearå, built two beachfront pousadas: Rancho do Peixe and Vila Kalango, perfectly suited for the kitesurfing vacationer. As the concept of long distance downwinding took hold, Jalila Paulino, the first woman to participate in the expedition, began forming relationships and connecting with other beachfront pousadas to build the ultimate network of lodging dots along the northeastern Brazilian coastline. In this process, Surfin Sem Fim has not only mastered the art of downwinding logistics, but also designed a hospitality experience uniquely catered to kitesurfers. Each day after kiting guests crash out, dreaming of the next day’s waves in

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a different beachfront pousada, each with its own sense of rustic luxury.

The architecture of Brazilian beach bungalows and upscale tree-fort like rooms are filled with flowing canopy beds, garden terraces and views of the endless blue ocean. Unique, small and beautiful local hotels host a range of character; some built with reclaimed wood and carnauba straw and others stationed amidst tiny fishing villages or surrounded by lush tropical gardens.

Upon arrival at the end of a long day on the water, guests are treated to an entirely new adventure in hospitality, handed a drink and shown to their rooms before being served an elegant dinner featuring northern Brazilian cuisine inspired by local cooking and commonly made with freshly caught lobster and shrimp.

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// Photos courtesy of Surfin Sem Fim

Each tour is guided by a professional kitesurfing guide and a small support staff armed with satellite radios and chase 4x4s to ensure the trip goes smoothly and luggage arrives at the next pousada down the line. While for many, the simple lure of a logistical kite adventure is the main draw, others sign up for Surfin Sem Fim in the

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name of progression. Trips often incorporate professional athletes like Mitu Monteiro, Keahi de Aboitiz and Guilly Brandão, to not only accompany guests from point A to point B, but to help raise each guest’s riding level with their extensive coaching experience. Trips with Guilly Brandão often start with a morning spent reviewing video

// Photos counter-clockwise from top left: Analice Diniz, Bruna Arcangelo Toledo, Miguel Cortez, Analice Diniz, Eliseu Souza, Analice Diniz

from the day before, followed by tips and critique during a full day of on-the-fly water instruction. Recounting his favorite moments, Guilly savors those instances when everything clicks for a guest, when those big lightning bolt improvements in riding technique are made. In an environment like Brazil, on a multi-day downwinder you

can see the progression not only from day to day, but from trip to trip which is one of the many reasons why guests return for Surfin Sem Fim’s downwinders year after year.

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THE

BIG EASY Words by Joe Winowski

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// Photo Damien Leroy

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“This is the worst kiting in the world, but welcome nonetheless.”

This was the greeting Blake Olsen received from the first kiter he met in his new home of New Orleans.

Having recently explored the far reaches of the kiteboarding world in the Philippines, Thailand, Qatar and Oman, the local beaches of Louisiana’s largest city, although not as exotic as his previous excursions, presented just another adventure, an unknown series of spots to discover and explore. As the saying goes, one man’s trash is another man’s treasure, and although he was more excited for the kiting opportunities than for the acclaimed nightlife of New Orleans’ French Quarter, Blake couldn’t shake the stranger’s honest yet disgruntled resignation; it wasn’t exactly the welcome wagon he was expecting.

Blake got his start in high school when he taught himself how to kite in secrecy, pushing past his windsurfing parents’ initial reluctance. Having worked as an instructor in a number of outfits, he landed a gig as Mac Kiteboarding’s roving ambassador, traveling around the world, filming instructional trick tips and publishing kiteboarding blogs, with the occasional odd job thrown in to pad his international travel budget. Blake’s girlfriend, Hilary Huffman, grew up in New Orleans, so when they recently moved back to establish home base in the Big Easy, it was a far cry from the kiteboarding paradise of Key West where they’d first met and he’d taught her how to kite.

UPPER LEFT: Blake Olsen and girlfriend Hilary Huffman shortly after moving back to New Orleans. UPPER RIGHT: Hilary practicing her twin tip skills in the no swimming area. BELOW: One of the closer kiting spots to their home in the French Quarter, the riding area outside Seabrook Bridge is nestled between an airport tanker station, an overpass and one of the many river outlets for Lake Pontchartrain. // All photos Damien Leroy

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With an industrial backdrop, Seabrook Bridge is a manmade inlet nestled between an airport fueling station, boat docks, an old railroad bridge and a spaghetti maze of highway overpasses.

While the handful of New Orleans kiters typically choose to drive an hour and a half east along the Gulf of Mexico to find more consistent winds and clearer waters at a beach in Gulfport, Mississippi, Blake and Hilary set about exploring the close-at-hand spots around Lake Pontchartrain. Infamous for the damage caused by Hurricane Katrina, the city is centered on a river delta, the exact spot where the Mississippi River dumps into the Gulf of Mexico and therefore relies on a series of levees and floodwalls to keep its streets dry. To the north of New Orleans is the brackish estuary of Lake Pontchartrain; at over 40 miles wide,

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it’s considered the second largest saltwater body in the US, and to the south of the city, extending into the gulf, lies a multitude of finger islands.

Having traveled extensively from coast to coast, Blake turned to satellite images to scour New Orleans for potential kiteable locations. One of the first spots Blake discovered was just a few minutes from downtown. In the spring this region gets northerly fronts and the north facing waterfront of New Orleans seemed like the ideal location to get in the water. While the area he came upon features a small strip of sand, it’s a far cry

from a kiteboarding beach. Rather, with an industrial backdrop, Seabrook Bridge is a manmade inlet nestled between an airport fueling station, boat docks, an old railroad bridge and a spaghetti maze of highway overpasses. With the wind blowing in the midteens, Blake rigged big and carried his Double Agent foilboard past a group of puzzled locals. Practicing some big foil airs and foil backrolls, Blake entertained the underpass crowd while Hilary dialed in her twin tip skills. Blake made a couple of passes riding the foil sitting down and then scooped up Hilary onto his back and toured the inlet tandem foiling for the fun of it. Regardless of tricks or stunts, the simple act of kiteboarding between the underpasses was a spectacle in and of itself.

Posted signs warn beachgoers to beware of alligators and it’s no farce; Blake has seen a gator himself. Kiting amidst Louisiana’s bayous, marshlands and industrial inlets, most spots are riddled with signs warning of alligators and snakes. To Blake it seems perfectly reasonable to kite in gator-infested waters as long as you don’t swim up to them and present yourself as easy prey; the same applies to being on land. The reptilian locals hiding in the water can be just as intimidating as the locals loitering in the parking lot. The people that frequent the overpass area are seemingly friendly enough, particularly the fishermen casting rods for trout, sheepshead, bass and catfish, but there’s also a motley crew that lend a gangster feel to the place.

When Blake mentioned this spot to the kiteboarders over in Gulfport they seemed a bit concerned for the newcomer’s safety. The Gulfport kiters had heard of the spot and warned Blake not only of the underwater pilings, boulders and glass, but of the more innate dangers that lurked around the vicinity, implying that if he were to kite there, he was going to get shot. With underlying problems of crime in the metro area, New Orleans has its fair share of violence, but in Blake’s experience, he explains “when you’re friendly, put off good energy, say hi and talk with the locals, it’s like showing up at any beach; they’re curious about something they’ve never seen before.” Blake concedes he’s fine with the scene by day, but the blaring rap music and the prevalence of 40 oz. bottles concealed in brown bags indicate that this is probably not the place for a sunset session that lingers past dark.

LEFT: Endless breakwaters, jet fuel tanks, boat launches and alligators make this zone rife with every manmade and natural hazard in the book, yet little of this deters Blake from having a good time. TOP RIGHT: With a parking lot of spectators, Blake and Hilary get ready to put on a show. CENTER RIGHT: Seabrook Bridge locals give kiteboarding a thumbs up! BOTTOM RIGHT: Tandem piggyback foilboarding can make even the lightest sessions a total hoot. // All photos Damien Leroy

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Spots along New Orleans’ Pontchartrain waterfront, like Seabrook Bridge and Bucktown Harbor work on the northerly fronts, but when the wind swings east or southeast, Blake loads his Cabrinha gear into his black Jeep Cherokee and points it onto the causeway.

Heralded as the longest bridge in North America as well as the world’s longest bridge over water, Lake Pontchartrain Causeway runs 24 miles across the center of the lake. The bridge is so long that for eight of those miles you can’t see anything but water.

muddy-bottomed beach launch in Mandeville or travel a bit further east to Fontainebleau Beach Park.

In stark contrast to the industrial scene of Seabrook Bridge, the landscape of Fontainebleau has a southern countryside appeal. With the remnants of an old sugar mill standing amidst a grove of iconic live oak trees dripping with Spanish moss, the beach faces southwest; the sprawling old world oak trees give way to the lake’s grassy shoreline while a low slung pier reaches out into the placid shallow waters.

At the end of the bridge Blake exits onto Pontchartrain’s northern shore. From there Blake can head to the

As Blake continues to explore the New Orleans scene, there’s no shortage of yacht clubs and boat harbors

TOP: Blake cruises the edge of the old southern oak forest at Fontainebleau State Park. // Photo Hilary Huffman LOWER LEFT: Blake cruising around Bucktown Harbor’s murky waters. // Photo Hilary Huffman LOWER RIGHT: Jibbing off natures’ decay, Blake rail taps a petrified tree in Fontainebleau State Park. // Photo Hilary Huffman

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UPPER LEFT: Blake and Hilary roll their Jeep through the south’s iconic oak forests on their way to Fontainebleau. CENTER LEFT: Pinpoint landings are one of Blake’s specialities, yet you’ll typically find him on YouTube explaining the more basic intracies of waterstarting or landing your first jibes. CENTER RIGHT: Blake boosting big airs in the Bucktown Harbor on the south side of Lake Pontchartrain. UPPER RIGHT: Blake feels totally comfortable kiteboarding in gator-infested waters, just be sure not to feed or harrass them. BOTTOM: The seawall at Mandeville’s boat launch doubles as both an obstacle and a slick machine. // All photos Hilary Huffman

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TOP: Mandeville’s harbor creates one of the slickest freestyle zones on Lake Pontchartrain. BOTTOM LEFT: Spanish moss and ancient oak trees exude a laidback Lousiana style. // All photos Hilary Huffman

with hidden flat water riding spots waiting to be found.

So far, Blake is quick to admit that New Orleans is not a kiteboarding destination; some may find the wind light and flukey and the spots a bit sketchy, but the spots he’s ridden so far are more than sufficient to keep him busy until his next international expedition. If the kiting in New Orleans isn’t appealing, just a short trek over the state line to Mississippi’s Henderson Point, Gulfport and Biloxi offer up a host of friendlier options. However, if you happen to be in the Big Easy for a spell, it’s definitely worth bringing your gear and striking out on your own murky water adventure.

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W H Y F A I R T R A D E ?

Because it supports the workers who build our gear.

The surf industry doesn’t like talking about what goes on behind the scenes. There’s a simple reason for that: It’s a business that often puts its own profit ahead of the welfare of workers. But by making our boardshorts in a Fair Trade Certified™ facility, we’re helping change things for the better while ensuring that the people who make our gear are treated with respect.

Reo Stevens racks up tube time on a wind-whipped morning at Cloudbreak. Fiji.

STU JOHNSON © 2018 Patagonia, Inc.

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CAPTION Olivia JenkinsME dropping down the face of Jaws for the first time.

Vowing to line up deeper on the next one, Olivia shows little sign of fear or lack of commitment. With a style that teems with speed and intensity, Olivia is one to watch this year on the GKA Kite-Surf World Tour. Words by India Stephenson | Photo by John Carter

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PROFILED

OLIVIA JENKINS Maui, Hawaii

Conquering Maui’s Biggest Wave Trading tacks on the outside of Peahi while towering house-sized barrels roll through the impact zone, Olivia Jenkins prepares to drop in at Jaws for the very first time. Olivia checks and re-checks the visual landmarks that help her both choose the right wave and locate the crucial takeoff zone. Waiting for her on the inside is a rescue ski with Sky Solbach, North’s board designer, and Patri McLaughlin, famous big wave kitesurfer, boyfriend and pro bono Jaws coach. With a set peeking over the horizon, Olivia lines up with her visual cues on the far-off cliff, dives her kite and accelerates toward the takeoff zone as a monstrous slope builds behind her.

Adrenaline ramps up as she begins to commit to the drop; the speed of the wave intensifies and she focuses her attention on not catching an edge as the choppy imperfections in the face ramp up into oversized speedbumps. Olivia senses the wave turning into a vertical wall and then drives down the line—momentarily looking back at a freight train of a barrel charging behind her. Whatever traces of nervousness she might have previously had have now been completely replaced with adrenaline. With wave one under her belt, she heads out for her second attempt, setting her sights on positioning herself deeper in Maui’s biggest wave.

Born in England, Olivia spent her childhood years in Australia before moving to New Jersey and then attending boarding school in Connecticut. During a family holiday to Maui, her and her brother took some kite lessons and at the young age of 14, Olivia was hooked. Revisiting Hawaii each year, she returned to kiteboarding faithfully, but her sessions were few and far between. It wasn’t until she moved out to California to attend Occidental University in Los Angeles that she began making frequent trips to Maui when the forecast for wind and waves lined up.

Patri McLaughlin handed Olivia a surfboard five years ago and although she didn’t have a background in surf, she quickly abandoned her twin tip and fixated on riding waves. Graduating with a degree in biology, Olivia immediately moved to Hawaii, leveraging a kitesurfing connection into a job as a medical scribe in an emergency room department on Maui. Charged with recording charts and information for attending physicians, the adrenaline and excitement of emergency medical care has all but validated her decision to go to medical school.

It’s safe to say that Hawaii isn’t the easiest place to focus on work or school, let alone study for a crucial and challenging graduate school test like the MCAT. “Summer would have been the best time to take the test,” Olivia recalls in hindsight, yet unintentionally, she scheduled her MCAT studies throughout the winter season when the surf was pumping and the kitesurfing was good. “I was definitely out on the water when I should have been studying,” she giggles nervously, awaiting her MCAT results that are due any day now.

Amidst the challenges of work, studying and scoring surf on Maui, Olivia recently racked up 40 hours of airplane time on her way to Dakhla for her first kitesurfing contest and the second stop of the 2018 GKA Kite-Surf World Tour. “You never know what you’re going to get with contests,” she explains of the smaller surf during the contest and the unexpected freestyle component of the tour.

Having abandoned freestyle altogether with her twin tip, Olivia was caught off guard by the importance of freestyle in scoring points.

“Kiting in big waves is what I most enjoy and that’s where I can excel,” she explains. Her wave game was on, but without a bag of strapless tricks, Olivia couldn’t climb to the top of the rankings.

She did however manage to hold onto 5th place respectively. When asked about inspirations, Olivia points to the top two ladies on tour.

“They have both sides of the spectrum covered,” she says. “Jalou has so much power behind her turns and destroys the wave with insane spray while Moona, on the opposite side, is so graceful and gets six or seven turns on every wave.” With the next few GKA events just around the corner, Olivia will be monitoring the forecasts with plans to book last minute travel should the wave conditions line up.

Surrounded by hard-charging friends on Maui, Olivia is constantly pushed to ride bigger waves. From Ho’okipa to Jaws, Cloudbreak and West Point Dakhla, Olivia has now kited some of the most challenging and diverse kitesurfing waves in the world. With a style inspired by those around her, she powers through turns and charges into the pocket, aspiring to bring speed and aggression to the world of female kitesurfing. Excited by the prospect of a career in critical medical care, Olivia admits to enjoying a good adrenaline rush which explains why this 20-something kiter is equally at home both in the hustle of the emergency room and the high-stakes lineups of massive outer reef breaks.

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From money manager to charter boat kingpin and now kiteboarding film producer, Charlie McKinney oversees principal photography on the set of his new movie Send It. Filming takes place in Hatteras during theTriple-S Invitational and features some of the top freestyle riders in kiteboarding.

Words by Brendan Richards | Photo by Austin Walco

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PROFILED

CHARLIE MCKINNEY Dallas, Texas

Wind Voyager enter stage left It was bound to happen—someday kitesurfing would make it into the storyline of a Hollywood movie—but who would have thought it would spring from the mind of a Dallas-based investment manager? Charlie McKinney has only been kiteboarding for four years, but in that small time he’s kited the far reaches of the world, investing heavily in kiteboarding with two adventure charter boats, a title sponsorship in the Triple-S and now he’s all in on a feature film that packs professional kiteboarders together with Hollywood actors in front of the lens of acclaimed cinematographer Barry Markowitz. As screenwriter and executive producer, Charlie McKinney has cooked up an audacious plan to bring kiteboarding to the masses with a “boy meets girl, sexy, flirty story that’s set in the kiteboarding world.”

Charlie found kiting four years ago when a friend began prodding him to join a Cabrinha Quest trip to Patagonia, Chile. It sounded great, but as Charlie recounts, “you need to be an intermediate kiter and be able to stay upwind to go on those sort of trips, and at that time I didn’t even know how to kite.” Determined to learn, Charlie and his son ended up at Real Kiteboarding in Hatteras and the two learned to kite amidst the Triple-S slider contest.

“We’d take lessons in the day and then at night there’d be these raging parties,” Charlie recalls of his first glance into the world of kiteboarding. After learning, Charlie went on that long awaited Cabrinha Quest trip to Patagonia and followed that up the next year with a boat trip to Fiji and then Tahiti.

Hooked on kite boat exploration, he rented out a 58-foot catamaran to get the rest of his family on board and at the end of the trip was offered to buy the boat. “I’ve never owned a boat,” he says, “but they gave me a hard sell and a compelling deal.” Passing it by one of his financial clients who knows a thing or two about boats, Charlie bit the bullet and bought the boat that would eventually make kiteboarding a family affair; these days Charlie kites along

with his wife, 16-year-old daughter and both of his sons. Shortly after his purchase he acquired the Wind Voyager URL and began a boat charter business for like-minded kiters. In order to put Wind Voyager on the map and because he had a fondness for Real Watersports and the incredible experience he had while learning how to kite there, Charlie signed on as headline sponsor for Real Watersports’ Triple-S Invitational.

“When it comes to investing in kiteboarding, it certainly starts with passion, but I’m a gigantic entrepreneur,” he concludes of his new movie concept. From his perspective, most kiteboarding films are documentaries ideally suited for an audience of kiteboarders, yet Charlie is looking for a way to bring meaningful exposure and growth to the sport by wrapping kiteboarding into the plot of a Hollywood drama. As a money manager, Charlie’s had significant exposure with creative professionals and stars in the entertainment business, and having taken some screenwriting classes in the past, it seemed like the timing was right to leverage his film industry contacts and personal interests into a flirty love story called Send It. Set to start filming in Hatteras and then move location to Spain and Dallas, Charlie admits that the movie doubles as a promotional effort for his new 95-foot yacht Catouche. “So in a way we’re matching all our kiteboarding assets,” he explains.

Learning to kiteboard and buying boats was never really part of Charlie’s long-term plan, yet the two have come into his life for the better and complement each other accordingly.

Aside from its useful tax write-offs, the Wind Voyager has been an incredible catalyst for sharing kiteboarding both with his family and with current and prospective clients. Now, with the production of his full-length film, Charlie’s got high hopes of bringing kiteboarding to the big screen and exposing the attraction of the wind-fueled sport to just about anyone who likes a good love story.

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SIZES: 4 / 5 / 6 / 7 / 8 / 9 / 10 / 11 / 12 / 13 / 14

SELECT

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EXPOSED

Ozone rider Paulino Pereira making the best of contest conditions at the Dakhla GKA event at Westpoint Hotel, Oum Lamboiur. // Photo Ydwer van der Heide

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EXPOSED

Sam Light caught on film in Taiba, Brazil in the middle of a very technical raley backside 360 nose grab rewind frontside 360, a trick for which Sam is the first person to ever land in kiteboarding. // Photo Andre Magarao

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EXPOSED

On China’s Hainan Island, young racers compete for coveted berths to attend the Youth Olympic Games scheduled later this fall in Buenos Aires. Now that the sailing side of kiteboarding has been officially accepted into the 2024 Olympics, you might see one of these young guns taking centerstage at the sport’s Olympic debut in Paris. // Photo Alex Schwarz

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EXPOSED

Kirsty Jones nails a wave over the protected sandbars inside Pointe De l’Or. Located north of Dakhla, Morocco, according to Kirsty, this spot picks up swell from almost every direction and works best with summertime’s medium or smaller sized swells. // Photo Freya Miller McCall

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TOP: Grant ‘Twiggy’ Baker holding his 2016 WSL Big Wave Championship trophy alongside his custom shaped foilboard. // Photo courtesy of Grant Baker LOWER LEFT: Twiggy spends up to five months in Hawaii every winter. Perched a mile down the road from Waimea, he never misses a day in his quest to someday win the infamous Eddie surf competition. // Photo Pedro Abreu LOWER RIGHT: One of the original kitesurfers in South Africa, Twiggy has seen the sport come full circle. // Photo Gilles Calvet

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TWIG “IT’S ABOUT CHOOSING THE RIGHT EQUIPMENT FOR THE DAY AND JUST DOING WHAT YOU HAVE TO DO.”

— GRANT ‘TWIGGY’ BAKER

If you all but casually follow the going-ons of the surf world, you’ve probably heard of Grant ‘Twiggy’ Baker, a name twice scrawled on the top of the scoreboard at Mavericks, covers of magazines and printed across ginormous award checks for XXL waves deemed worthy.

While Twiggy started his big wave career relatively late at the age of 32, few people are aware that before he dominated the world of professional big wave surfing, he was a professional kiteboarder in the early days of the sport. Universally respected by his peers,

Grant ‘Twiggy’ Baker exudes a professional intensity countered by his laid back sense of humor. With the build of a well-traveled waterman capable of paddling into moving mountains, when asked about where the name Twiggy came from, he laughs, “I was a skinny little kid with mean friends.” From the early days of kitesurfing to the high stakes arena of big wave surfing, getting into foilsurfing has brought Twiggy full circle and connected him with F-One’s kitesurfing team in order to complete the waterman cycle.

INTERVIEW BY BRENDAN RICHARDS

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ABOVE: Peahi/Jaws in January of this year. It’s the best big wave in the world and according to Twiggy, “guys are only scratching the surface of what’s possible out there.” The future is wide open. // Photo Fred Pompermayer RIGHT: Twiggy kiting J-Bay back in the day. “Mostly the wind is too offshore, but sometimes you can get a small window and it can be epic. The locals weren’t too pleased with me this day.” Twiggy recalls. // Photo Kimberly Stewart

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Most of the early kiteboarders were crossovers from windsurfing. How did you get your start in kiteboarding?

I started kiteboarding in South Africa. We began with regular foil kites with skis and snowboards on land; we have perfect dunes for that. So, we actually did it on land before water, and started on the beaches with skis and a snowboard I had with a special bottom for that. Then when I got an original Wipika 2-line kite I switched onto the water. This was probably the late 90s, maybe ‘98 or ‘99. From there I pretty much stopped surfing for a couple of years and kiteboarding was my main focus. Initially I started kiting on a surfboard in waves. That was what we focused on at first but soon after I started with a twin tip. I never used boots or a full wakeboard, but we used twin tips to do tricks and ride waves at the same time. That lasted for a few years and then we eventually shifted back to surfboards with straps; I pretty much saw the whole revolution, it was really exciting. I was probably kiting flat out for 4-5 years and it was only when I won Mavericks for the first time in 2006 that I focused back on surfing again. These days I probably spend half my time surfing and half kiting.

Most people know you as a professional big wave surfer, but before that you competed on a kiteboarding tour. How did that come about?

I came in 2nd on the KPWT in 2003 and I did a few of the waveriding stops around the same time as well. Competition back then was all about dangling and how many spins you could do and deadmans and stuff. When the freestyle tour switched to wakesyle we tried to keep up, but between injuries and the new kids it was tough. I wouldn’t consider myself really a professional at that point, Wipika paid me to go on the tour with a travel budget, but back then I was working for Billabong. My aunt, Cheron Kraak, had the distribution rights for South Africa and I went to work in what became the family business (Editor’s Note: research on Cheron Kraak reveals a self-made empire builder and legend in the South African surf industry). During that time we were building Billabong, but I would get time off to surf and do what I needed, so it was kind of a half sponsorship. I worked for my aunt until 2006 when I won the Mavericks contest, and by that point I had become much more focused on professional big wave surfing.

“IN KITESURFING, THE SPEED, THE STRAPS AND THE BOARD ARE SIMILAR TO TOW SURFING. PROBABLY BECAUSE OF MY KITESURFING I WAS ABLE TO SLIP INTO TOW SURFING QUITE EASILY.” How did the transition from kiteboarding into big wave surfing occur?

I was kiteboarding at about the same time that the tow revolution got its start. In kitesurfing, the speed, the straps and the board are similar to tow surfing. Probably because of my kitesurfing I was able to slip into tow surfing quite easily. Initially I towed into waves no more than three times a year but between 2004 and 2014 I was tow surfing flat out; those were the golden years.

We started to tow because of Dungeons and how big and windy it would get, so it was a natural progression to follow what the guys were doing in Hawaii and adapt it to the Cape waters. I won a couple XXL awards, and I would say kiteboarding helped that for sure. Kiteboarding teaches you to handle speed, gives you quick muscle reflexes and helps with conditioning, so I’d say kiteboarding definitely helped my early surfing and vice versa.

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You’ve won Mavericks twice, snagged your share of XXL awards and just a little over a year ago ascended the crown as the 2016/17 WSL Big Wave Champion, yet a survey of the big wave tour reveals a chaotic landscape that poses challenges far beyond risking your life for top performances.

It’s a small pond; at times we had had some unscrupulous characters come into the sport as administrators who didn’t have the best interest of the surfers at heart. Instead their focus was on lining their own pockets and this caused the sport some issues in the past 20 years and allowed it not to grow and flourish as it should have. This in turn has made it difficult for us to garner sponsorships on both the personal and contest fronts. Saying this though, we have had an epic time doing what we love and helping to grow the sport to the level it’s at now—I’ve got no complaints about the life it’s given me and my family.

F-One has brought you back into the world of kiteboarding. How did that connection come about?

I am good friends with the F-One distributor for South Africa—Bruce Chrystal—he’s a classic guy and we go way back. The kite community in Durban where I’m from is small and when I saw foilsurfing was a thing, I wanted to give it a try and Bruce put me in contact with F-One. I’m one of those guys who don’t mind trying new sports; I’m up for anything that is fun in the ocean. I’d been sponsored by a few other companies in the early days but I knew F-One makes some of the best kites on the market and they agreed to send me some kites and foils for testing.

We’ve been working together for over a year and I’ve shaped some prototype boards for their foilsurfing lineup. They’re a family run business and it’s become a great partnership.

We got the chance to ride one of your prototype foilboards last year in Dakhla. What’s the story behind your custom board building business?

It’s called Twig Surfboards. We do step ups and guns for big wave surfing, but I’ve been getting into foilboards as well. Lately, I’ve been working on a board you can surf and foilsurf, which is ideal for traveling and having something that works in all conditions. Twig Surfboards has evolved into a network of shapers around the world; each shaper has the files for my three models—I send them the files and they make me a quiver for when I visit. I test the boards and see what works, then give feedback that goes back into files and then back to the shapers—it’s a very fluid partnership and is working well. If someone wants a board they get in touch with me on my website, I crunch their height and weight and I recommend the right shape; the file then gets sent to a local shaper in their area. I could build everything here and ship boards from South Africa, but it’s good to utilize local shapers. We’ve got Australia covered with top shapers as well as Europe and Hawaii. It’s good to support local shapers and the big upside is that I rarely have to travel with surfboards anymore because working with shapers helps me put boards all over the world.

The kitesurfing industry has long been awaiting the point when professional surfers embrace kites, yet that’s never really happened. Now it seems like every day we are watching another high-profile surfer jump on the foilsurfing bandwagon. How do you explain surfers’ willingness to try foilsurfing but not kitesurfing?

Kitesurfing has always been more oriented to the world of windsurfers. Originally it was the professional windsurfers getting into kitesurfing. I always expected more surfers to get into kiteboarding, but it just never really happened. I can’t think of any real WCT surfers except Kohl Christensen who is another big wave surfer that also kitesurfs. Generally, surfers don’t understand wind; they hate it unless it’s offshore. I started kitesurfing when I was working for Billabong—I had to be in South Africa in September and October and there were no waves, but it was windy. I saw the sport early on and got into it mostly because I was stuck working.

Most surfers won’t embrace the wind but foilsurfing is different; it gives you the rush of big

“WHEN I’M ON A FOIL IT MAKES A 2- FOOT WAVE FEEL LIKE 20- FOOTER.” TOP LEFT: A classic setup at Kite Beach just up the coast from Durban. Twiggy claims this stretch of coast is one of the best in the world for wave riding. // Photo Bruce Chrystal TOP RIGHT: Cortes Bank breaks 100 miles off the coast of Los Angeles.Twiggy tries to make it out there at least once a year when conditions are right. According to Twiggy, “More often than not we get skunked, but not this day in December 2017.” // Photo Al Mackinnon BOTTOM: Foiling is a new passion for Twiggy and his approach to the hatchet is much like that of big wave surfing: “Paddle out in good waves, catch a couple waves without pumping around and ride them as if you are surfing with a rocket under your board.” // Photo Gilles Calvet

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ABOVE: Having competed in the early days of the KPWT tour, Twiggy defected to big wave surfing in 2004 and after winning the 2016 WSL Big Wave Surfing title, he’s back exploring kitesurfing with the F-One team pictured here setting up for the green room at One Eye. // Photo Gilles Calvet

wave surfing—when I’m on a foil it makes a 2-foot wave feel like a 20-footer. Big wave guys made it cool and now it’s filtering to smaller waves and every week you see a new rider from the WCT trying out a foil and ripping it up. Really, foilsurfing is just quite a bit more similar to surfing than kitesurfing.

At the advent of strapless kitesurfing, the debate raged between the old-school strapped riders and the new-school strapless riders. You don’t see much strapped kitesurfing featured in the media today— what are your thoughts?

For any sport, you’re going to use the equipment that the conditions dictate. You don’t paddle out on a SUP when there’s 10-foot barrels—it’s just not the optimal choice—just as you don’t ride a shortboard in giant waves. If the wind is super strong or the waves are super big I’ll use straps, it gives me more control, but most of the time I’ll kite strapless.

Somedays straps make the riding better and there’s other days when riding strapless makes riding better. For me the strapped thing is no different than big wave surfing, it’s about choosing the right equipment for the day and just doing what you have to do.

What’s the next chapter in the Twiggy playbook?

Durban is home and it’s my favorite place to kite. It’s never gone on the radar as a kite destination, but it’s amazing from August through November. We get wind from the left and right and there’s always a bit of swell with long open runs for insane downwinders. My other favorite kite spots are on Hawaii’s North Shore. As far as plans, there’s a lot of good spots in my back pocket and now that I’m teamed up with F-One and my big wave career is slowing down, it’d be great to explore some of these places that I know are epic with the rest of the F-One team. Overall, I’m just really stoked to be getting back into kitesurfing.

Working with F-One reinvigorated my kiting life, I’m super thankful for their support on both the foil and kiting side of things.

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RIDERS: JERRIE VAN DE KOP - KARI SCHIBEVAAG - PHOTO: SVETLANA ROMANTSOVA

“EXCELLENCE THROUGH PASSION”

PASSION MK9

The Passion mk9 is the benchmark of a high performance all-round kite, impressing everyone from entry-level riders to experts.

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• Redesigned Quick air flow valve with protection cap • 3-strut construction with additional reinforcements • 45 degrees leading edge reinforcements panels • Techno Force™ Double Ripstop • Leading edge seam protection • Bridle anti-tangle device • Radial reinforcements

NAME: PASSION MK9 PROGRAM: FREERIDE / FREESTYLE / BIGAIR / WAVE SIZES: AVAILABLE COLORS: 5•7•9•10.5•12•13•15•17 ORANGE/GRAY + CYAN/ORANGE + PURPLE/PINK

CYAN / ORANGE

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METHOD

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BACKROLL TRANSITION WORDS BY JEREMY JONES | PHOTOGRAPHY BY RYAN OSMOND

The backroll transition is a good intermediate move that will open the door to a wide variety of tricks down the road. A backroll transition is when the rider changes direction with the combination of a low altitude jump and a backroll rotation.

Before you try this move for the first time I suggest getting your backrolls down and also working on the precise timing of your jump transition to the point where you can adjust your height and hangtime accordingly. To start with, it’ll help to have both hands on the bar, so get the backroll transition dialed in first and then work on getting a board grab in.

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Start your approach by edging your board hard upwind similar to the way you would in a regular transition. Move your weight back and edge hard at the same time you begin steering your kite towards 12 o’clock. Keep your bar sheeted in about half way to create some tension in the lines.

As you're coming to a stop in your initial direction, you will be sheeting all the way in when the kite hits 12 and use your edge to hook upwind further while lifting your front foot for some pop. Keep that rotation going by looking

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over your front shoulder from the take off. Once you’re in the air, focus on keeping the kite over your head by slowing your steering input, but make sure to keep the bar sheeted in tight to maintain sufficient hangtime and complete the spin. To accelerate your rotation, you can bring your feet and knees to your chest.

Once you’ve completed your rotation, you’ll spot your landing and want to begin pulling harder on your old back hand/new front hand to dive the kite in the direction from which you came. One of the most frequent mistakes is to use too much back hand early in the jump; this earns you more height

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and makes your landing harder. Instead, you’ll want to wait until you’re on your way down to put more input into the bar for a softer landing. As you approach the water, point your new front foot downwind and steer the kite into a full power stroke to ride away. You may need a second power stroke to get back up to speed on your new tack.

Like many hooked in moves, the timing of your kite is critical, so give it plenty of reps and don’t be afraid to change things slightly to find what really works best for you.

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The island is alive. Puerto Rico still stands after Hurricane Maria, yet everyone seemed to question our decision to return so soon after the category 4 hurricane trampled roughshod over the entire island. Amidst reports of widespread power outages and food shortages a handful of friends and I ventured to Puerto Rico for the quintessential surf and kite escape.

With much of the island’s basic infrastructure hobbled, we worried about the living conditions but we’d heard whispers of positive reports so we booked flights, packed boards and camera gear and set about exploring the February kite scene.

PUERTO Paradise Restored after the Storm RICO W O R D S B Y E M I LY R E I C H | P H O T O S B Y J U S T I N B R U N S

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to me, but Puerto Rico has its own uniquely specific aroma that is alive and well, even after Maria.

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he first morning after a red-eye flight I woke up to a view of the ocean in a color and clarity I had not seen in a very long time. I had lived in Puerto Rico a few years back but had forgotten the vivid brilliance of its clear, turquoise water as it unloaded off pristine underwater reefs. I’d also forgotten how the typical Puerto Rican morning greets you with views of intoxicating greens, blues and yellows with wild trees, grasses, palms and scrubs littering the coastal shelf clear into the tropical mountains. The rising sun illuminates the natural environment from the side to create a vibrant contrast between what is light and dark and green and yellow. Even the most professional photographers are hard challenged to capture the true depth of this effect. With humidity so thick, like lingering smoke, the ocean air is heavy with spray churned by heaving waves and gently carried ashore by a subtle breeze. The light from the sunrise ignites the micro drops of water suspended in the air and makes the entire countryside lavish with rainbows backed by a melody of swaying plantain, coconut and palm trees. But in my initial moments of consciousness back on the island, it was the organic scent of island air that struck the heaviest chord of memory. I wasn’t anticipating how vivid this sense of smell would be

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Perched on the hillside above, I watch from the porch of our casita as waves lazily tumble on the shore after the bulk of ocean energy has been expelled in the pockets and underwater caves of the outside reef in which we plan to kite. As a small part of a larger rental property, the structure itself is humble and seems to be the perfect fit for our relaxed crew. The wicker chairs on the porch are well sunbaked and crispy, the reeds broken and tattered, and since we’d be living in our swimsuits, the first order of business was to find a pillow to pad our bums from the pricks of the tired chair. There is a single hammock bright with red and pinks inviting you to take a moment to lay down, close your eyes and listen to life around you. The surrounding garden is immense but curiously empty. The owner tells us his beds are typically filled along with food ripe for the picking. “Hurricane Maria did her best to take a lot of that away,” he said as he looked around regretfully.

But as I could see it, the intention is still there as new growth forms; this small example of regeneration rings true for the rest of the island as well.

Our first impression driving through town was that the damage wasn’t so bad—at least that’s what we thought until we came across the skeleton of a large home with only the foundation left behind. Entire sections of sheet metal were torn off industrial buildings creating huge holes in the roofs, yet business resumed as normal. Maria’s damage seemed erratic; one house could be marred by collapsed walls or the frame of the house entirely missing while the homes of immediate neighbors often stood seemingly untouched. These irregularities were due in part to the mini tornados inside the hurricane that had visited each town. The most poignant scene of destruction we encountered was a school playground in Aguada. A huge tree in the yard had toppled over, its giant roots reluctantly airborne as the large trunk straddled a mangled web of the school’s jungle gym. I could have cried at the sight;

LEFT: Puerto Rico’s early sun filters through the lush canopy. ABOVE: Morning mist hovers conspicuously above empty surf lineups. LOWER RIGHT: Evan Netsch mid cutback in the wide open bowl. LOWER LEFT: Based out of Jupiter, Florida, writer Emily Reich returns to Puerto Rico post Hurricane Maria and finds hope in the wake of the recovery efforts after the island’s worst natural disaster.

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ABOVE: Where you find a stack of vacation homes you will likely find good surf; this reliable right-hander is no exception. RIGHT: The local empanada business is alive and well. BELOW: Endless coastline and reliable wind leave the whole northwest coast open to kite adventures.

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the threat to the island’s children brought Maria’s death and destruction straight to heart. Trees were uprooted along the beaches where we stayed and while every road was passable and the towns habitable, they were not without scars. The mark of chainsaws lay everywhere as a sign of the hardworking clearing teams who had settled into the long process of returning the island back to normal. For the restaurants that had reopened, the destruction presented itself as an opportunity (wanted or not); many owners had renovated and those storefronts that had opened were always busy, a sign we took as strong hope for the recovery of the island nation.

Hurricane Maria left millions without power and access to safe drinking water. While those who could afford to flee the island booked tickets, the families who chose to stay quickly began rebuilding once the storm had departed. The stories we heard of exactly how the locals persevered through those first couple of months

were eye opening and a sure sign of the resilience of the human spirit. One shop owner described how the public water system had failed and how his community turned to freshwater springs; a few of the older locals knew the location of these long-forgotten springs and the community tapped the historical sources for drinking water. People were literally living off the land again, “just as it had been in the 60s.” Those capable of harvesting what Mother Nature had to offer would avoid waiting all morning in a line for a rationed portion of water delivered by insufficient relief efforts.

Puerto Rico has experienced a catastrophic loss, yet there’s evidence that people continue to find the good in every moment and revel in what they are still fortunate enough to have. All across the northwest of the country, the common thread was that “life goes on,” and while rebuilding was not what anyone had planned, after a long search, the people were finding blessings in disguise.

We talked with older surfers who felt transported to 93

“ We found that if you can get your gear there, you can likely kite it.” a reminiscent time when the land was so raw and the population so few. The island was quiet again; there were less happenings and those who were paddling in the lineups were the easy-going type. Gone were the tightly wound high maintenance tourists—the visitors that remained were those with adventurous souls, here to seek uncrowded surf and explore the unknown of a storm-ravaged island. These tourists were perfectly content with the simple beauty of Puerto Rico. One of the most touching stories that surfaced was of a local businessman, a well-known barber from the town of Rincon who spent two months post Maria traveling door to door giving haircuts. It came out that haircuts weren’t his sole intention; truthfully, he was looking to hear people’s stories. He sat them down and listened intently with empathy for the challenges experienced in the aftermath of the storm. In this way, the community healed by sharing, telling stories and connecting the consciousness of the group as a whole.

It’s a uniquely raw and engaging way to recover and I’m not sure you could find that type of initiative in any of the places we call home.

When it comes to exploring the island, Puerto Rico offers an incredibly diverse terrain that affords endless opportunities for hiking, surfing and most importantly, kitesurfing. There’s pristine flat water between mangrove islands on the south coast and strong side-on wind with perfect reeling reef breaks to the northwest. Aptly nicknamed ‘The Maui of the Caribbean’, there’s always a nearby break to surf in the morning before the wind picks up, making Puerto Rico a bulletproof destination for wind and wave addicts in the States, especially for those of us who live on the East Coast.

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Knowing that the area picks up wintertime swell with winds kicking in every afternoon, our journey took us to the northwest corner of the island. Here, there are a couple of staple spots which I’d confidently label advanced due to their launching and landing situations.

However, with a little exploring and scouring on Google maps, we scouted a few other locations that were more user-friendly for the average kiter. Pursuing new locations around the island, it almost felt like exploring new frontiers in the Wild West. We found that if you can get your gear there, you can likely kite it. However, that does come with a disclaimer—beware of flukey winds, broken glass and urchins hiding in the reef.

With the population so thinned out after the storm, it translated to empty beaches, less crowding and ample opportunities to experience island life as it should be. Magnified by the poor state of cell service on the island, we were left without functioning cell phones and thus were forced to break the habit of constantly checking our electronic devices. Freed of this odd tick that’s been conditioned into every waking moment, we found ourselves in the moment and truly able to take in every aspect of our surroundings.

This got me thinking about the concept of travel and as cliché as it seems, what travel does for your head. In college I studied Recreation and Tourism Management where we learned about the classifications of tourists.

Some prefer to stay in the manicured confines of an all-inclusive resort, while others choose to pitch a tent on a vast landscape with no amenities at all. I used to think those who preferred resorts weren’t very good

TOP LEFT: As general manager of the Wyndham resort, Nils Stolzlechner presides over a secret wave spot just off the resort’s private kitesurfing beach Rio Mar. // Photo Alex Schwarz TOP RIGHT: Nine months after Hurricane Maria, scenes of destruction such as this sit patiently awaiting the resources of repair.

BOTTOM: Evan Netsch charges into a lip somewhere east of Aguadilla.

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ABOVE: Even Netsch taking advantage of the evening glass off. The multitude of reefs make Puerto Rico a foilsurfing paradise.

tourists; they weren’t getting the full experience if they didn’t sample the local cuisine or drive down a bumpy road not knowing what was at the end. I used to judge people for that: Why won’t you let yourself see more? And while I’ll always urge people to take a road less traveled, I realized something on this trip. What’s important is the time you’ve carved out for yourself and the experience that you create in your mind. It’s the peace and clear headedness that matters—not where you’ve chosen to rest your head at night. Taking time to breathe and decompress is critical, no matter how you achieve that.

As our trip neared its end we witnessed a sight that I will never forget. Looking west out over Aguada across the elbow corner of the island, from Route 2 we spotted the simple sight of power returned to the streets and a vast hilly countryside alive with the incandescent twinkle of

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homes buzzing with restored energy and hope. Across the island we found freshly tied rebar and newly poured cement that accompanied an impenetrable spirit to recover, regroup and rise. The Puerto Ricans that had rebuilt were proud and those who remained in the process worked passionately in the hopes of ‘Coming soon!’

Although we may have witnessed a Puerto Rico on the mend, it’s still a fragile community that needs our tourism dollars to keep the gears of recovery and progress turning. Aside from the simple fact that it’s a premier wind and wave destination, there’s no better time to take a headspace vacation, immerse yourself in the island’s uncrowded lineups and experience the resilient spirit of the Puerto Rican people and their amazingly diverse island.

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Crossing

anzania T WORDS BY BRENDAN RICHARDS | PHOTOS BY TYRONE BRADLEY

What do Dutch kiteboarder Jerrie van de Kop, a shovel and a melting glacier have to do with one another? Seemingly very little until you tie them all together in an epic wind-assisted journey from the island of Zanzibar across the arid planes of Tanzania and all the way to the top of Mount Kilimanjaro.

Over the course of the 250-mile voyage, Jerrie’s itinerary incorporates six different wind-powered modes of transportation in order to reach his goal of being the first person to snowkite the Kibo Crater. Following Jerrie on his journey is a film crew from Eyeforce, the Netherlands-based film company that has filmed other notable kiteboarding documentaries including Chapter One, and through a partnership with Red Bull, Eyeforce and Merrell outdoor clothing company, Jerrie has leveraged his adventure into a visual eye-candy actionsports documentary that brings awareness to the growing effects of global warming.

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LEFT: Jerrie demonstrates the power of kites by boosting over his new friend Luckman at the beginning of his adventure off the island of Zanzibar. UPPER RIGHT: With a camera crew of four following his every move, the crossing from Zanzibar to Tanzania’s mainland took Jerrie six hours by foil. LOWER RIGHT: Jerrie enjoys a home-cooked Tanzanian meal at the home of his new friend Luckman.

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et in a small schoolyard in a village off the east coast of Zanzibar, 28 miles off the mainland of Tanzania, Jerrie stands before a class of local school kids, showing off his futuristic foilboard contraption and communicating the importance of his mission. Translating through a young local boy named Luckman, Jerrie describes how climate change is rapidly melting the glacier atop Mount Kilimanjaro, reducing the runoff that feeds the surrounding ecosystems, and illustrates how arid soils are unable to retain rainfall. He explains to the kids how he hopes to be the first person to snowkite the Kibo Crater and yet if the glacier continues to

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melt, he may be the last. In understated gestures, Jerrie reveals his plan to traverse the channel of open water to the mainland and pass the plains of Tanzania solely under the power of the wind.

Jerrie has conceived this epic voyage as a partnership with Netherlands-based environmental nonprofit JustDiggIt, a project-based organization focused on improving the retention and availability of rain-supplied groundwater in Africa. The shovel is an icon of its pragmatic problem-solving approach to returning arid lands back to forest and grassland. In many of

the organization’s projects, a simple shovel is used to aerate the ground so it can absorb rainwater instead of becoming runoff that quickly leaves the region.

Starting his trip with steady winds, Jerrie travels six hours by kitefoil from the island of Zanzibar to Tanzania before he lands his kite on the Tanzanian mainland and crashes for the night in a hut in the village of Pangoni. The next morning he awakens to continue his journey. Since the next leg of his trip requires passage amongst a lush canopy of eastern Africa forest, the most reasonable way to follow the wind is

by catching a ride with two fishermen on a hollowed out canoe fitted with outriggers and a single canvas sail. Jerrie helps trim the main sail as the three head east on the River Pangoni, following its winding path towards its headwaters at Mount Kilimanjaro. Its banks narrow as the forested landscape thins to the more arid terrain of the plains. The horizon ahead of Jerrie opens up to a desert-like expanse punctuated with low lying brush and the occasional acacia tree. The latter being the umbrella-like icon of the African savanna.

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Back on land, Jerrie seats himself in a three-wheeled Blokart, basically a windsurfing rig attached to an alarmingly simple tricycle frame. Speeding across a graded dirt road at speeds in excess of 30mph, Jerrie directs the Rube Goldberg contraption with a rudimentary steering wheel and only his shoes for brakes. “I was riding in the Blokart and the guys were filming from a car,” Jerrie explains, “At times, I’d be outrunning the car which was already going 25 mph, so I was going much faster.” When the wind finally dies, Jerrie pushes his cart into a nearby village where he borrows a shopkeeper’s cell phone to connect with the operator of a

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hot air balloon—this being a much more suitable form of transit for the lightest of wind.

By now you’ve probably realized that Jerrie’s story is following an elaborate pre-conceived script that weaves a series of mini adventures amidst small anecdotal moments of humor (flashback to village kids pushing Jerrie in his windless Blokart through the village streets where his mast makes contact with power lines—Jerrie frantically struggles to exit the buggy before electrocution) and periodic character interactions that reveal the environmental and economic struggles that the

Tanzanian people are beginning to encounter. Some of the action in the film is a bit cheeky for the sake of cinematographic entertainment, but the wind-fueled voyage and intended message is nothing short of authentic.

At an elevation of 1000 feet, Jerrie surveys the dry landscape toward the horizon and strikes up a conversation with hot air balloon operator Nihat Karayazi. Nihat explains how the dry riverbeds below them that onced carried water are now, after two years of drought, completely bone dry. Local wildlife organizations have reported heavy population losses

in the wildebeest, zebra and buffalo herds and even more resilient animals like elephants and hippos are struggling while the overall death rate for some species is in excess of a staggering 75 percent. When the wind changes direction and begins to carry the hot air balloon away from Kilimanjaro, the balloon lands and Jerrie finds himself in the presence of two Maasai clansman.

Dressed to the hilt in traditional shukas (earth-dyed robes) along with face paint, walking sticks and feathered talismans, the two Maasai size Jerrie up by curiously touching his long

UPPER LEFT: Jerrie poses in his Blokart.The wind-driven contraption wasn’t equipped with any brakes and Jerrie sustained the trip’s only injury when he tried to slow down using his feet. RIGHT: When the wind dies to a subtle calm, Jerrie boards a hot air ballon to continue his trek towards Kilimanjaro.

LOWER LEFT: Zebras graze near an acacia tree, the iconic umbrella-shaped tree of the African landscape.

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blond hair before anachronistically whipping out a cell phone to arrange a meet and greet with the village chief. While on his way, Jerrie is guided through the Maasai village, passing by a simple arrangement of small-domed mud thatched huts and a group of elaborately dressed Maasai women. Under the shade of a small acacia tree the Maasai leader explains to Jerrie that the Maasai used to roam the countryside living off the land, however, now their traditional lifestyle is in jeopardy. In surprisingly perfect English, the chief explains how the people surrounding the mountain of Kilimanjaro rely upon the glacier runoff to survive and how the newly

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arid landscape prevents moisture from reaching the glacier.

Jerrie nods as the chief talks about his village’s partnership with JustDiggIt to capture the rainfall in the ground instead of allowing it to runoff into the ocean. The Maasai leader takes Jerrie on a tour of a project site where the village has used shovels to break up degraded soils which allows rainwater to infiltrate into the ground to help regenerate a green tree zone.

Armed with the chief ’s words and determined to further spread awareness, Jerrie pumps up a kite and slips his feet into a knobby-tired mountainboard to head off in the direction of

Kilimanjaro. Screaming across the open landscape, Jerrie passes a group of Maasai herders, hits a rock and sprawls himself across the sparsely vegetated dirt, but not before admitting this was his first go at kiting on a landboard. As the wind picks up, he transitions to his kitewing—compact, efficient and a great solution for spots without enough area to launch a kite, holding the awkward amalgamation of hang glider, kite and windsurf sail, Jerrie intuitively grasps the hang of the wing and continues to the base of the mountain.

With Kilimanjaro in near sight, Jerrie connects with Herman

Tesha, a local guide who holds the record for the fastest ascent up Mount Kilimanjaro. Herman explains how the nine-day trek to the top of the Kibo Crater is a deliberate process requiring a slow ascent that acclimatizes newcomers to the high altitude. If they climb too fast, they risk altitude sickness; it starts with a headache followed by nausea but can quickly become life threatening as the brain begins to swell and the climber gets a cerebral edema.

As Herman and Jerrie hike through the forested base of the mountain, Jerrie contemplates whether there will be enough

LEFT: Maasai boys wear black during the months leading up to their circumcision rite of passage.TOP RIGHT: Jerrie uses his kite and a landboard to traverse much of his way to Kilimanjaro. LOWER RIGHT: When the wind gets too strong for his kite, Jerrie switches to the kitewing to keep his mountainboard pointed at his goal. LOWER LEFT: Jerrie is greeted by Massai herders dressed in traditional garb. While they don’t know much about about kiteboarding, apparently, they are very knowledgeable when it comes to cell phone technology.

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glacier to snowkite upon their arrival. By the time the expedition reaches the rim of the crater, Jerrie starts to feel sick and can’t keep any food down—having vomited no less than four times, he begins to experience severe nausea and dizziness. Altitude sickness has set in, and with each step, his fatigue escalates and he struggles for breath and control of basic motor skills. Before him, Jerrie sees what once looked like a 40-foot high mass of glacier filling the entire crater is now largely an expansive field of volcanic dirt sprinkled with a light dusting of snow. After finally reaching his destination, with only a quarter of the glacier backed

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to one side, viewing what’s left of it is anticlimactic and depressing.

Pushing through his altitude sickness in order to accomplish his goal, with the help of Herman, Jerrie rigs a kite, straps on his snowboard and awkwardly swoops his kite into action.

Lurching into forward motion, his balance is non-existent and his edge control is clumsy and precarious. Yes, Jerrie is snowkiting on top of Mount Kilimanjaro, but it resembles the struggling first stab of a beginner kiter. Barely in control, Jerrie avoids rocks, plowing through the snow-dusted dirt,

UPPER LEFT: Professional Kilimanjaro mountain guide Herman Tesha gives Jerrie an overwhelming hug after Jerrie endures severe altitude sickness and becomes the first person to kite Kibo Crater. RIGHT: With relentless headaches, nausea and overwhelming fatigue, Jerrie’s snowkiting isn’t pretty, but with just enough energy remaining, he staggers through a straightline attempt to call it good. LOWER LEFT: As the key water storage infrastructure for the entire region, Jerrie stands next to what’s left of the glacier. LOWER RIGHT: Jerrie and his crew at the top of Mount Kilimanjaro stoked after acomplishing their goal.

eventually crashing chaotically from altitude sickness caused by exhaustion. Having just summited and snowkited the tallest freestanding mountain in the world, Herman runs to Jerrie’s side and in an ecstatic embrace, the two claim victory.

Jerrie’s feat is one small step for climate change awareness and one giant leap for Kilimanjaro’s first and last snowkiter.

from heaven: rain. If we start harvesting our rainwater we can re-green our planet. With rainwater, land will become fertile, vegetation will return and farmers will farm again.

The cooling effect will help restore our suffering climate.

Don’t let our future dry up before our eyes. Join me in starting a green revolution.”

As the credits roll, Nobel Peace Prize Winner Desmond Tutu comes on screen: “We are facing one of the biggest challenges in history; our earth is drying up, we need to reverse this while we still can. Luckily the solution is simple, it comes straight

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SOLOSHOT / Soloshot3 Never miss a moment with the new SOLOSHOT3 auto-track and capture cameraman. Get footage of all your sessions and watch your style and progression. Using your phone’s hotspot you can live stream the action into the SOLOSHOT app and share the link via text or Facebook with your friends to share the stoke. Pulling out the best footage is a breeze using the desktop SOLOSHOT edit application; grab individual highlight clips or make a full reel of all your best moves including the crashes. Two camera bundles are available: Optic25 camera (shown) shoots video at 1080p30/60, 720p120. Optic65 camera shoots at 4k30, 1080p30/60/120.

Starting from $549 // www.soloshot.com

DAKINE / Storm Snug Fit Rashguard When the wind and water call, the Storm Snug Fit Hooded Hybrid Rashguard from Dakine has your back. Constructed with a focus on maximum mobility in the sleeves and underarms this rashguard offers increased freedom of movement from the perforated chest and back panels. Essential sun protection is provided with all-over UPF 50+ and a visor hood for head, neck and eye protection. The hybrid shirt design features S-Cool® self-cooling fabric in the sleeves, upper chest and shoulders for ultimate comfort and the addition of a boardshort connector and ‘Stay Put’ waist system keeps the shirt from riding up when you’re ready to get down. $85 // www.dakine.com

JN KITES / JN Logo Bamboo T-Shirt Committed to environmentally sound practices and recognizing that we all have a direct influence on work ethics in the world, JN’s values guide them to only work with international partners and subcontractors who maintain decent working standards as a matter of policy. Using only the highest quality materials with a focus on natural and green fabrics, The JN Logo T-Shirt is made of 70% bamboo and 30% organic cotton. Soft, smooth, hypoallergenic, antistatic and UV protective—this shirt walks the talk. $28 // www.jn-kites.com

RAZOR / E300 Electric Scooter Twist the throttle to crank up the fun with the Razor E300 electric scooter. Top of the line and the talk of the peanut gallery, the E300’s super-sized deck and frame will leave other riders in the dust with 250 watts of high-torque and an electric punch that’ll hit speeds up to 15 mph for up to 40 minutes of continuous use. The E300 features an all-steel frame and fork for durability and larger 9” pneumatic front and rear tires to take the bite out of rough surfaces. While you probably can’t use this on the sand/ beach to get back to your car after a downwinder, it should be able to handle just about anything else. $269.99 // www.razor.com 112

PATAGONIA / Women’s R1® Lite Yulex® Surf Shorts and Wetsuit Vest Made with neoprene-free 85% Yulex® natural rubber/15% chlorine-free synthetic rubber, with a high-stretch 100% recycled polyester lining, Patagonia’s R1® Lite Yulex Surf Shorts and R1® Lite Wetsuit Vest will keep you protected and looking good this season in water temps ranging from 65–75°F. Meant to fit snugly (it’s a wetsuit), the top features a racerback design in the back and a 6” zipper on the front for ease of entry, while the shorts stay in place and act as a warmer, more secure alternative to bikini bottoms.

Surf Shorts $69 / Wetsuit Vest $99 // www.patagonia.com

BOWJANGLES / Resin Coasters Pro rider Brandon Bowe not only rips, but he’s also an ocean-inspired resin art and surfboard restoration artist. According to Brandon, “The coasters were suddenly a happy accident. I do a lot of abstract ocean seascapes with a type of non-toxic art resin and bought these molds to do something like the coasters. When I use the right combination of pigments and paints with resin, the results are simply stunning. I knew I had something special here.” Instead of petroleum-based resin, the coasters are made with a non-toxic eco resin derived from tree sap. Every coaster is handmade, custom-colored and one-of-a-kind.

4 for $45, 6 for $55 or 8 for $65 // www.bowjangles.com

NP / Tracker Harness The NP Tracker harness is designed to give you all the comfort and safety of a seat harness with the style of wearing your favorite boardshorts. The Tracker features comfort-driven internal neoprene padded straps to keep the spreader bar from riding up and to maintain a lower point of gravity. Especially popular with riders that have back or rib issues, the Tracker also comes with NP’s Tracker spreader bar that features a spring-powered hook which changes direction based on where the kite is. Use less energy and get ultimate freedom of movement with NP’s Tracker Harness. $219 // www.npsurf.com

MODOBAG / Modobag A trendy fad or the next must-have travel gadget? Measuring in at 22” x 14” x 9” and weighing 19 lbs., the Modobag is the world’s first motorized, smart and connected luggage that you can ride on.

Accommodating riders up to 260 lbs., Modobag can travel up to six miles on a single charge at 8mph and easily converts from motor to pull-behind use. Equipped with dual USB charging ports for your electronics, an optional GPRS-GSM tracking system and incorporating a carbon-free Nanosafe Battery System™ that is among the safest and most secure in the world, Modobag is TSA, FAA and ITA compliant. Three times faster than walking, if nothing else, it sure looks like a lot of fun! $1495 // www.modobag.com

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ABOVE: Father and son, Tom ‘TK’ Kelly and Dane Kelly on a boat trip to find surf somewhere off the coast of California. // Photo Rob Born BELOW: Growing up mere feet from the Davenport Landing, Dane has pushed the bounds of progression while quickly mastering the basics of performance kitesurfing in the hallowed reef breaks north of Santa Cruz. // Photo Tom Kelly

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VIEWPOINT

PASSING THE TORCH Words by Tom Kelly

There is a solid groundswell hitting the reef as we pull off the highway. Dane, my 16-year-old son, has only been kitesurfing for a little over a year so after-school sessions are a new thing for us.

The sets are double overhead plus and this time, my usual stoke of anticipation is mixed in with some concern. “Dane, you don’t have to kite today if this is a bit much,” I say as we pull our wetsuits out of the car. It seems like there are good lulls between the sets and it might be the right day for Dane to conquer his first big reef break.

My mind races through a list of crucial advice, “Just steer clear of the bombs,” I add. But to make matters a bit dire, from the cliff I can see the shore pound is seriously violent: tons of water unloading with a wicked rip running south. “Whatever you do, stay north of the middle of the beach.”

I know he can handle this. My wife has made multiple pleas with me to keep Dane out of the big stuff until he is ready. I think he’s ready, but there’s no guarantees on what happens to any of us when we put ourselves into the chaos of large surf. We head down to the beach to rig. Ok, I think to myself. In between sets it seems like getting outside is manageable but I have the luxury of footstraps.

Dane is new school, no straps. “Listen Dane, play it safe today.

No need to push your game to the edge when it’s this size.” Dane is focused and up for the challenge. That’s part of being 16—the biggest poundings are ahead of him, which means he’s still short on ocean experience and certainly operating without fear.

Honestly, I’m now regretting this decision to take my son out here.

As we pump up our kites a huge set blows through. A few friends are on the beach and from my sense of things, they are impressed with his courage and appalled by my poor judgement. Am I an idiot for letting it get this far? Yeah, we’re already in wetsuits and rigged up, but I could still call it off. I bite my tongue and Dane makes the call. “Launch me dad, I’m ready to go.”

We hit the water. I’m keeping an eye on him. Ok, this is working out.

He drops in on a decent sized ‘tweener’ that rolls through—yeah, he’s got this! I’m so stoked but still nervous because we haven’t seen a big set yet. He gets another one. Damn, how did he get so good so quick? I told him only a few years earlier that learning this sport requires a lot of patience. Dane is very patient, but with that said, he bounded through the learning curve with huge strides. It’s not just

me, everyone’s noted his progression; it’s clear he’s ready for this.

Oh shit . . . I catch sight of a huge set looming on the horizon.

Where’s Dane? I spot his kite on the inside, he’s just kicking out the back of his last wave. There is a lot of west in the swell, with that direction and this size, sets can wall up and close out across the entire bay. Not good. Waves are stacked to the horizon. Mountains of water are piling up and in vain, I wish Dane was safe back on the beach. What the hell was I thinking? If I could only tell him to tack back and race to dry land, but his kite is still heading out, racing out to sea as big water races in. It’s a game of high stakes chicken. Damn, I wish he had footstraps—he could air over each wave. I really wish we were back home watching surf videos. Please stay focused Dane. Don’t fall. Panic is your enemy. The truth is that I have enough panic for both of us.

The ocean can be very scary, particularly when your kids are challenging it. If there’s one thing I’ve learned in my days as a surfer, tow surfer and now kitesurfer, it’s that the ocean always wins. We simply survive it. Dane survived the monster set that day and kited to the horizon, halfway to Hawaii before jibing on the outside. What didn’t kill him made him stronger (and full of adrenaline). As the sun lowered in the sky that evening, the magic hour was upon us.

Dane and I closed it down with perfect 10-footers coming through with an occasional 12-foot set in what may be the best kitesurfing day of our lives so far.

It all unfolded for me that day—Being a parent is a trade-off between allowing your kids to take risks and guarding the brake pedal for their protection. You prepare them for these challenges, but eventually you have to let them jump into the thick of it without a safety net. I am truly blessed to share the sport I love with my son, but it was an adventure that started only when he was ready. Our shared experience has evolved so fast in the past two years; from his first body drag to driving bottom turns and now boosting airs.

Passing the obsessive torch of kitsurfing to the next generation was just a natural progression; Dane was always in the driver’s seat and I was riding along for assistance and encouragement. They learn so quick and one day they kite down the line right past you on the road to stoke. Now he’s teaching me stuff. Who knows, maybe someday soon I’ll chuck the footstraps.

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UNLEASHING PROGRESS Words by Fadi Issa | Photo by Erik Aeder

This image brings me way back to the early days of Kite Beach, Maui, the birthplace of wakestyle riding. It’s one of my favorite shots as it portrays a clear representation of the times: 2-line kite in low position, my OG Shaq O’Neal jersey which gave me super powers, my homemade bar with no safety leash and my custom Maui-made wakeboard which was designed for Maui’s waters with an overall hunger to emulate wakeboarding. We were all surfers and windsurfers, but the real novelty was for us to wakeboard without a boat, using only the forces of nature. Back then, not pulling off a trick and crashing consisted of two scenarios: First, hold on and get dragged until the kite crashed or returned to the zenith position or secondly, the bar gets ripped out of your hands and you lose the kite completely. In those days you needed dish soap to get into those LF Ultra Suction boots, so, much like forgetting your pump today, being the first one to the beach back then and forgetting the soap was a real bummer!

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In the early days we all kited as a family—we’d watch out for one another and always help with recovering kites after a crash. Someone would grab your kite and get it back to the beach while another kiter would tow you in after your kite, but there were lots of occasions on downwinders from Ho’okipa to Kanaha where you’d lose your kite and never see it again! These days the evolution towards modern control systems has led to easy recovery of the kite and, in kind, an unprecedented progression in freestyle. What used to take weeks to learn due to loss of kite, now takes just a day or two to master with modern gear!

Fadi Issa was part of the original Maui crew that crossed from windsurfing to kitesurfing in the late 90s. Today, he is a GKA Kite-Surf Tour judge and owns KSF in Fuerteventura where he offers kite and surf lessons.

ALOIS TESTING THE F4 DYNAMIC IN THE FRIGID WATERS OF TRAUNSEE LAKE, AUSTRIA / 6-8°C

PHOTO: TOM OTT BOARD: PLAYER’S DIAMOND 5'4" KITE: MR. FANTASTIC GEN4 DYNAMIC EDITION 12M

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ATMOSPHERE

GORGE WINDS Words by iKitesurf Meteorologist Shea Gibson

The Columbia River Gorge is a near sea level gap that meanders through the Cascades between Oregon and Washington. It’s a very unique and special place to ride—some even say magical.

The river corridor typically experiences strong winds which rifle between the elevated terrain and high cliffs creating epic kiting conditions within the passage. Popular spots such as Stevenson, Viento, the Hood River Event Site, the Sand Spit and Rufus are well known and often highly populated areas to ride.

During the summer, the North Pacific High enters its annual migration northwards towards its position off the Pacific Northwest coast. This creates clockwise air flow aloft that sinks as it condenses and transitions across the Cascade Range. The Cascades open up into the Columbia Basin 50 miles east of Hood River and this arid plateau often experiences low pressure that draws the coastal high pressure through the Columbia River ‘corridor’—the conduit needed for the transfer. The Gorge literally cuts through the Cascades, with mountain peaks as high as 9,000 feet within 30 miles to the north and south of the river. The Gorge is the most common path for sinking air searching for the easiest path to low pressure. Although acceleration down the pressure gradient is the primary cause for the winds ripping through this east-to-west stretch of river, people often attribute the Gorge’s robust winds to the ‘Venturi effect.’ This type of acceleration occurs in areas where this sinking air is funneled through narrowing parts of the river—in these constricted spaces the wind velocity increases.

The Gorge’s kiteboarding conditions are not always consistent as there are a few different types of overall pressure setups: some days deliver solid reliable wind and others can be turbulent with punchy winds at certain spots. The strongest days come when the pressure gradient tightens because of an upper level disturbance, broad area of troughing or a cold front traverses the Seattle/Vancouver areas.

Closer to the river’s surface and driven by rapidly rising pressure west of the crest, these systems will enhance the inversion layer

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(visible suspended marine layer just overhead) over the western end of the corridor and steepen the gradient significantly, ramping up winds to very strong levels as air surges eastward through the corridor. On other days, the mornings start with classic marine layer fog along the western side of the Gorge and a fairly consistent building wind to start the day. However, largescale heating and thermal imbalances sometimes cause the wind to either fade out or become turbulent. The days where the Gorge wind becomes ferociously punchy with large gusts and holes are oftentimes caused by drier conditions that cause the gap flow to be affected by its own heating and thermal pockets. However, as you head east towards Rowena or Doug’s Beach, this turbulence tends to be less influential because in that part of the Gorge, the Venturi effect leads to cleaner, more consistent winds.

Choosing the best location on any given day can be challenging.

Speak with the local shops/pros to find the best places to ride. iKitesurf has plenty of strategically placed wind sensors along the most popular stretches of the Gorge giving subscribers the advantage of near real-time wind observations at each spot. Riding the Gorge is about moving around and experiencing different locations and conditions. Zoe Najim, one of iKitesurf ’s main local forecasters for the Gorge says, “If you just look out your window and assume that those are the conditions on the whole river, you will be missing a lot of riding days.” Some days you might drive east to take advantage of clear skies and consistent wind, or you may have to drive west to escape a heat wave and no wind. If the wind blows east you might drive to Stevenson, or if the coastal sea breeze is the only option you can drive clear out to the Oregon Coast. As the epicenter of summer kiteboarding in North America, the Gorge and its vast range of conditions and kite spots make it the ideal location to set up and go explore.

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Blake Olsen // New Orleans, Louisiana

Emily Reich // Aguadilla, Puerto Rico

Olivia Jenkins // Maui, Hawaii

TK and Dane Kelly // Santa Cruz, California

Jeremy Jones // Hatteras, North Carolina

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Gabi Steindl // Matanzas, Chile

Surfin Sem Fim // Northeast Brazil

ON THE MAP

Fadi Issa // Fuerteventura

Grant ‘Twiggy’ Baker // Durban, South Africa

Jerrie van de Kop // Tanzania, Africa

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Oswald Smith butter slides his way into the swing of summer. // Photo Ydwer van der Heide

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