The Kiteboarder Magazine Vol. 17, No. 1

REEDIN’S DREAM TEAM A New Era of Ownership

THE ROAD TO XAI XAI Discovering Mozambique

THE CULT OF DESIGN A Peek Behind the Curtain

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FROM THE EDITOR

STYLE ON LAND_ PERFORMANCE ON WATER.

Strange things amiss in early April; Santa Cruz’s iconic Waddell Creek parking lot goes completely empty on a windy day with head-high northwest swell in the water. // Photo Tkb Staff

We didn’t really want to call this the ‘pandemic issue,’ but as we put

it together, it became clear that the Covid-19 virus has undoubtedly found itself into the stories of every character in this magazine. At one point, as I was shopping for lockdown supplies I came across All

Good hand sanitizer and thought of company owners and kiteboarders,

Caroline Duell and Ryan Rich. As manufacturers of skincare products, they pivoted their production resources from All Good sunscreen to

hand sanitizer when supply was slim. We profiled Caroline and Ryan on P64, but there were plenty of other individuals that stepped up to

the plate during these hard times. Slingshot used their manufacturing connections to secure N95 masks and distributed them to those in

African charity to raise funds to feed people in Cape Town who lost

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need and Matt Maxwell worked with his sponsor F-One and a South their income due to the virus. There have been many acts, big and

small, that have kept the flicker of hope alive during these darker days.

This is also the first issue we are publishing since January. We cancelled

our spring magazine in part because of economic concerns we shared with our advertising partners, but also due to logistical issues with our

American-based printer. Instead of dropping more virus bombs on the doorsteps of our dear readers, we shifted gears and published a digital

kitefoiling and wingsurfing instructional guide that we distributed

for free on our website. Since the support of our readers is crucial to

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These are certainly hard times, but it is worth taking informed, decisive, yet careful actions while hoping for better days. As beaches begin to

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The Spirit of Vanuatu

World explorer Gabi Steindl dives headfirst into the South Pacific with a long-awaited trip to the islands of Vanuatu. The search for hidden surf pearls amongst active volcanoes and tropical forests thick with indigenous culture awaits.

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Mozambique

Paul Serin joins Victor Hays and Nino Liboni on a road trip across the Mozambique border and up the coastal district of Xai Xai. Armed with a short list of local fixers, the team stumbles their way through the uncharted wonders of an emerging kite paradise.

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The New Dream Team

Tunnel Vision

Four-time world wave champion Keahi de Aboitiz pressed pause on his world tour travel schedule to focus on filming fair weather strike missions to some of the best high-performance kitesurfing waves in the world.

We catch up with Keahi just before the premier of his feature length film to get the liner notes.

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Nothing Out of Reach

Jesse Richman follows the North team on a multi-island trip through the Philippines, finding better surf than he bargained for in the infamous ‘Typhoon Alley.’ Bouncing from Pagudpud to Mindoro, Jesse, Jalou Langeree and Nick Jacobsen put North’s Reach to the test.

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The Cult of Design

Liquid Force embarks on an ambitious plan to build an internal kite development team with the help of design veteran Bill Hansen. Brandon Scheid poses the all-important question, what is the wizard behind the curtain really doing?

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From the Editor

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Frontside

64

Profile:

Caroline Duell and Ryan Rich Growing a plant-based business

What happens when a master kite designer and legendary professional athlete drop out, team up and strike off in a new direction? Damien Girardin and Kevin Langeree join forces to create a new brand grounded upon innovation, craftsmanship and personal ownership.

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Profile:

Alex Fisher

Teaching with heart

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Exposed

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Method

Strapless Backroll with Matthias Larsen

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Wish List

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Viewpoint

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Unspoken Truths About Kiteboarding

Roots

The Circle of Lift

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On the Map

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Parting Shot

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76 40 On the Cover

Keahi de Aboitiz takes the cover with a frontside hack on a fresh slab hiding in plain sight off the west coast of Africa. We caught up with Keahi to get the inside story on his new film Tunnel Vision. You can find our interview in the back half of the mag. // Photo James Boulding

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REEDIN’S DREAM TEAM A New Era of Ownership

THE ROAD TO XAI XAI Discovering Mozambique

THE CULT OF DESIGN A Peek Behind the Curtain

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India Stephenson, Designer/Editor india@thekiteboarder.com Alexis Rovira, Editor at Large alexis@thekiteboarder.com Gary Martin, Tkb Ambassador gary@thekiteboarder.com CONTRIBUTORS Gabi Steindl, Paul Serin, Joe Winowski, Matthias Larsen, Ian Hardgrove, Bindu Bhakta Högstedt PHOTOGRAPHERS Marshall Chupa, Kyle Cabano, Stephen Kleinlein, Hugo Badaroux, Ywder van der Heide, Frankie Bees, Ryan Osmond, Taylor Speer, Kevin Langeree, Caroline Woodham, Lukas Stiller, James Boulding, Swilly, Douw Steyn, Cabrinha, Isabelle Kiefer, Blaine Baker, Vincent Bergeron, Brandon Scheid, Gregor John, Alex Schwarz, Julien Leleu, Airush, Stu Gibson, Ayrton Dias, Adilson Ramos 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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FRONTSIDE

With a pool-like water backdrop painted with colors of intensity found only in the Caribbean, Sam Medysky grabs the nose of his board and styles out an inverted backroll over the immaculate white sandy beaches of the Bahamas. // Photo Marshal Chupa

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FRONTSIDE

Stealing a frame straight out of his wildcard video for the 2020 King of the Air, Sam Light puts the RPM’s megaloop aptitude to the test in South Africa in the days before kiteboarding’s biggest event. // Photo Kyle Cabano

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FRONTSIDE

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raveling faster than the speed of sound, the shockwave came out of nowhere and nearly threw me backwards to the ground. The massive concussion that followed nearly burst my eardrums; and in one explosive moment almost too rapid to perceive, a fiery eruption of lava and molten rocks catapulted high into Vanuatu’s thick humid air. Mount Yasur was spewing fire like a wild fairy tale dragon with volcanic boulders hurtling through the air, landing mere feet away. As the earth continued to tremble, the astringent taste of sulphuric smoke surrounded me, stinging my eyes, while a metallic taste crept into my mouth and throat. This mind-blowing spectacle of Mother Nature is well off kitesurfing’s beaten track, but it is just one of the uncharted perks of exploring the islands of Vanuatu.

This small island chain in the South Pacific had been on my radar for quite some time but the logistics never seemed to work out. Back in 2015, I had lined up a trip but the expedition was put on ice when Cyclone Pam, the most powerful cyclone in South Pacific history, ravaged the islands. Buildings and infrastructure were flattened, roads, food stocks and water sources damaged or destroyed, and 95% of the crops grown for island subsidence were wiped out. I had to wait four years, but by 2019, most of Vanuatu had recovered from the after-effects of Pam and I began to plan what I had set my explorer-mind on many years earlier.

Kitesurfing is still in its infancy in Vanuatu, despite the southeast trade winds that blow consistently during southern hemisphere winters. Always on the hunt for offthe-beaten-kitesurf-path solo sessions and as a passionate surfer, Vanuatu—with numerous top-level surf breaks—had everything I was looking for in a destination.

Only 65 of the 80 islands are inhabited and I focused my search for wind and waves on three of the islands in the vast archipelago with the greatest potential for surfing and kiting: Efate, Pele and Tanna.

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LEFT: Mount Yasur is one of the most active volcanoes in the world. Gabi made it a sunset ritual to hike to the narrow black sand path at the rim of the volcano to experience the nightly fire. RIGHT: Surrounded by a magical sandspit and a hundred shades of turquoise, Gabi felt as if someone photoshopped her into paradise on Castaway Island, a tiny, uninhabited oasis, five minutes by boat from the Eratap Beach Resort on the south coast of Efate.

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TOP: Armed and ready for just about anything, the connections Gabi made during her first surf session at Breakas unlocked the secret pearls of Vanuatu including the best off-the-beaten-path kitesurfing setup. BOTTOM RIGHT: Wasting no time, Gabi launches into the left-handed reefs on the southeastern side of Efate during her first afternoon on Vanuatu. BOTTOM LEFT: Having the right set of wheels on an expedition is critical to mission success. The vehicle of choice for Vanuatu is a narrow track 4x4 courtesy of World Car Rentals.

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I touched down on Efate, Vanuatu’s main island in terms of population and tourism, politically and economically. Efate is home to the international airport as well as the country’s capital Port Vila. Although the busiest and most developed of Vanuatu’s islands, once you get out of Port Vila, simple village life awaits along a rugged coastline covered by a thick rainforest with stunning waterfalls and isolated bays. My home base on Efate was a small, secluded resort called Ripples on the Bay, featuring four bungalow options perched on the water’s edge of Teouma Bay. The Aussie owners Sally and Damien fell in love with Vanuatu during their first visit in 2007 and built this piece of paradise from scratch themselves. My friends at World Car Rentals of Vanuatu delivered a Suzuki Jimny to my bungalow’s doorstep, I threw some boards and a couple of kites in the back and headed towards Pango, just south of Port Vila.

“

You know you’re going remote when the airline check-in counter weighs you along with your luggage.

”

My first stop was to say “salut” to Thomas and his wife Fanny of Vanuatu Kite & Surfing. Thomas has been my helping adviser ever since contacting him for the first time in 2014. Originally from Grenoble in the French Alps, he came to Vanuatu 16 years ago. Thomas is a frothing waterman, the kind who never runs out of energy, and has crafted a lifestyle to suit his passions. Presiding over an impressive surf center, he offers surf, SUP, kite and windsurfing rentals and schooling. Thomas’s center also boasts a land-based surf gym with simulators that he designed, constructed and patented. After a quick chat and a tour of his instructional empire, it was time to go surfing. Busy with clients, Thomas suggested I should check Breakas, one of the premier surf spots on Efate, only a short drive from his house.

Paddling out into the lineup of a new break in a new country for the first time is always a little nerve-wracking. The pecking order can be quite harsh, even more so for a girl. The vibe out at Breakas—a hollow barreling left and right reef break— was the friendliest I have encountered anywhere in the world with welcoming locals hooting and laughing, happy to share their spot and trade waves. When the bigger sets appeared on the horizon, they screamed, “Out the baaaack, somebody goooooo!”

Whereas things can get heated in the lineups of neighboring islands like Fiji, Samoa or Tonga, the chances of a peaceful surf with only a handful of people are high in Vanuatu. Plus, there is plenty of potential for the intrepid surfer venturing further afield to surf alone, and the same applies to kiting.

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LEFT: Pango Point is a swell magnet with reef break lefts that can be fast and hollow. The wind is cross-offshore and the closest launch is about a mile to the north—the nearest safety net is New Caledonia, 250 miles to the south.

During this really fun session at Breakas, I met Andy, a local carpenter and builder, who came to Vanuatu on a project assignment over 10 years ago. Born and raised in Melbourne, he swapped Australia for Vanuatu and is now married with three kids to a beautiful Ni-Vanuatu woman. My chance meeting with Andy was a gift; he turned into a guiding star during my trip. Andy clued me into dawnie surf sessions at a secret spot in front of his house and guided me to other breaks off the beaten path.

Later that same day I carved hard lines into clean wave faces pulled by my kite back at Breakas, strikingly all alone. Noticing the dark shadows under the water’s surface from afar, I couldn’t help but to kite closer, curious to find out what creature had joined me out there in the sparkling, translucent clear waters of the South Pacific.

With its finless, bulbous back cutting through the surface of the water with sporadic smacking of its flattened, fluked tail, it turned out to be a mother dugong and its baby cruising right next to me. With its magical wildlife and friendly surf breaks, Vanuatu had already cast a spell over me within my first 36 hours on the island.

Due to their volcanic origins and lack of beaches, most spots on Efate can be challenging in terms of launching and landing a kite. Exposed to the trade winds, Tamanu on the Beach, a peaceful, luxury 5-star boutique resort in the south of Efate, offers one of the few wide, sandy beaches for safe launching. With its private 28

CENTER: Night sessions on the edge of the island are fine and dandy until the wind dies or injury strikes before a daunting mile-long slog upwind to safety. RIGHT: Full of natural sea life, Gabi witnesses a mother dugong and its baby amongst Vanuatu’s endless splendor.

beachfront access and waves right out front, it’s a heavenly place to stay, eat, relax and kite. There’s another great kiting spot called White Sands just an upwind tack or short stroll away. For those beginners or kitesurfers chasing flatwater freestyle conditions, they will find their heaven at Mele Beach, a wide sandy launch with a sandy bottom, kiteable at all tides about 5 miles from Port Vila.

My days on Efate were filled with action and endless exploring. Swell magnet Pango Point became one of my favorite playgrounds for surfing and kiting. It’s a hollow, fast reef break that can be quite powerful, but with the cross-offshore wind direction, there’s no escape option when things go wrong—the chances of landing on exposed coral are pretty high on the wrong tide and there’s no safe place to launch at Pango— the only access is launching from a beach about a mile upwind of the break. It’s worth mentioning that there’s another fun break along the way called Fatfar, which is safer than Pango.

One afternoon, Pango was pumping and I stayed out past sunset. In a pretty serious wipeout, my ankle was slashed by my fin. Amid the pain and bleeding, I had to kite back upwind in the pitch dark, find my launch beach and manage to land my kite by feel on the narrow stretch of sand with very little visibility. After that episode, I promised myself not to stay out that late again.

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TOP: Surrounded by the black volcanic ash of the great Mount Yasur, Gabi poses with brothers Phillip and Jackson of Yasur Backpackers on the island of Tanna.

BOTTOM RIGHT: Vanuatu offers the traveling kitesurfer consistent trade winds July through October along with infinite cultural adventures. BOTTOM LEFT: Navigating the Air Vanuatu check-in counter for intra-island flights is a nod to the early days of aviation. Island hopping passengers are weighed along with their baggage to keep the puddle jumpers running smoothly.

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The kava root is ingrained in everyday life and has been a longstanding part of the NiVanuatu culture as a ceremony since ancient times. Kava ceremonies mark significant milestones in the life of an individual, family or community. When consumed, the pressed juice of the kava root creates a pleasant, numb feeling around the mouth, lips and tongue, as well as a sense of calm and relaxation. Served in half coconut shells, you order the amount of kava you want in the local currency, called the vatu. The smallest amount is a 50-vatu sized shell which is equivalent to 40 cents. One day after a kite session I visited a kava bar and sampled both a 50-vatu and 150-vatu-sized shell and suffered a massive ‘kava-over’ and swore that would be the last time I drank the earthy brown liquid.

“

Over 20 different dialects are spoken on this tiny island and even some of the last remaining cargo cults still hold sway on Tanna. Cargo cults are indigenous religions that believe men from modern societies are deities and their worship will bring the community modern goods and prosperity.

”

After an amazing week on Efate, I packed my quiver again for the trip to Tanna. You know you’re going remote when the airline check-in counter weighs you along with your luggage. Home to the mighty Mount Yasur, one of the most active volcanoes in the world, Tanna is one of the more mysterious islands in the far south of Vanuatu’s island chain. Tanna is isolated, even by Vanuatu standards. Its largest town, Lenakel, on the west coast, is more like a frontier outpost with only a few paved roads, a small outdoor fruit and vegetable market, a couple of upscale hotels, one bank and a handful of tiny shops, most of them without any refrigeration or electricity, thus they’re more like dark pantries full of long shelf-life goods. Tanna isn’t an easy place to explore. Its seclusion has left it undeveloped, with tiny villages few and far between scattered all across the island. Most villages are hidden away in thick bush and dense rainforest, only accessible by long walks in on foot. Living off of the land, the people are completely self-sufficient with a flourishing tribal life steeped in ancient traditions. Over 20 different dialects are spoken on this tiny island and even some of the last remaining cargo cults still hold sway on Tanna. Cargo cults are indigenous religions that believe men from modern societies are deities and their worship will bring the community modern goods and prosperity.

Arriving at White Grass Airport, my local guides Phillip and his brother Jackson of Yasur Backpackers couldn’t believe their eyes when I emerged from the plane with my two huge coffin bags and a third duffle bag, each weighing about 50lbs. Since there are no rental cars on the island, the best way to get around is by hiring a 4x4 with a driver, so we loaded up the ute and headed east into the most remote part of Tanna across the rugged cross-island road. Cresting over the mountain ridge in the center of Tanna, I got a view of its entirety, with the 11,000-foot Mount Yasur giant surrounded by a vast moonscape of black ash fringed by solidified lava rock.

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It was dark by the time we reached Sea Breeze Bungalows on White Beach in Latukuri Village. Just feet from the secluded breathtaking beach, the two bungalows and its restaurant are the results of a joint project between David, the landowner, and the University of South Australia. UniSA students designed and built the structures, sourcing the materials from the surrounding natural environment. I couldn’t have slept any better amongst the bamboo walls and woven coconut frond roof of the simple bungalow.

Every single morning the wind was up at sunrise and all I had to do was walk a few meters down the beach, pump up my kite and glide out into the ultimate kitesurfing dream: crystal clear waters, small waves to play with, local kids running up and down the beach following me, and from further out the back, I could clearly see Mount Yasur in the distance. After a couple of solo sessions, I hung out with the kids in the village, playing with my gear and teaching them how to pump up a kite. They were all smiles and their beaming eyes made my heart overflow with joy and gratefulness.

Almost every sunset I went up to Mount Yasur and stayed until after dark when the natural spectacle took on an added effect. Walking the narrow black sand

LEFT: The active volcano of Mount Yasur is one of Vanuatu’s largest tourist attractions as well as a sacred area for the John Frum cargo cult. Members of the cult revere John Frum, a deified messenger who is believed to live in the volcano and once predicted the material wealth that arrived when American forces were stationed on the island during World War II.

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path around the rim of the volcano and gazing into the abyss was frightening yet mesmerizing. Amongst the volcanic explosions, it’s easy to understand why locals regard Mount Yasur as a living being.

One of my kite missions on Tanna was to find Waisisi Beach. Back on Efate, Andy had hinted to me about a very isolated, magically stunning beach with fantastic waves, but his directions were vague at best. “Seek and you shall find” is the motto on most of my trips, so we loaded up the ute and turned off the main dirt track onto a tiny road that obviously hadn’t been driven on in a long time. My driver wasn’t sure if his Toyota would make it down and especially back up the steep, heavily washed-out super slick track. At rock crawling speeds, it was a long, rugged drive, but once we reached the very last village of the Lauyasia tribe, the road came to an end.

Villagers of all ages gathered around the truck with their eyes wide open staring at me, evidently not quite sure what to make of this tall, strong, blonde, white woman with big bags. According to Jackson, I was more than likely the first-ever white person the kids here had seen. Jackson’s cousin Thomas had come along as he had family ties to the Lauyasia tribe, which is important in the kastom as the kinship-ties meant we weren’t overstepping any boundaries or traditions.

CENTER: Gabi shares a moment with the young village girls of the Lauyasia tribe. Gabi learns about the ‘kastom’ traditions, including elaborate right of passages for boys and girls that preserve the tribe’s cultural heritage. RIGHT: Gabi gets her face painted like a warrior before she goes into kitesurfing battle.

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TOP LEFT: Gabi’s guide thinks it’s quite possible that this kite lesson with the villagers might be their first interaction with a European and definitely with kitesurfing. TOP CENTER: Gabi and the curious members of the Lauyasia tribe head down the path to the beach. TOP RIGHT: At the age of six, boys are circumcised, permitting them to wear the penis sheath and leave their family to reside with the male elders. Only after they boys have learned to hunt, make tools and find food in the forests, can they return home, build a house and gain approval from their mothers to marry. BOTTOM RIGHT: A line forms as Gabi gets ready to blow minds with the magic of kiteboarding. BOTTOM CENTER: Watching from afar, one can only imagine villagers of all ages making the connection between their traditional sailcraft and Gabi’s modern Duotone equipment. BOTTOM LEFT: Gabi dances a traditional kastom dance with the women of the tribe. When a girl approaches 15 years old, her father and mother put a chicken feather in her hair. Interested boys will then fight each other for her. Whoever takes the feather out of her hair, will marry that girl—but only if he has built a house and has a pig and kava for the wedding ceremony.

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The ocean was nowhere to be seen and we knew the village was well above sea level, but everyone wanted to help carry our gear and show us to the beach. It was a good half-hour walk through dense, lush jungle before the vegetation opened up to two long, black volcanic sand beaches, framed by high cliffs deeply covered in rainforest.

The swell was tiny and the wind very light. Most of my helpers didn’t speak a word of English, but we communicated perfectly with gestures and smiles. Together we pumped up two kites, played around in the light wind and laughed a lot. It was really hard to say goodbye to the Lauyasia people and Tanna, but the small, dreamy, volcanic isle of Pele was calling my name.

“

Flying along, I asked him ‘Are you scared?’ ‘No,’ the cute little voice came from behind. ‘Not scared… Excited!’ Suddenly all the kids were in. One by one they jumped on my back to go for a ride of a lifetime.

”

After a quick stopover on the main island, I took a 30-minute boat ride to Pele, just north of Efate. Split between four villages, only about 220 people live on this remote island. My boat dropped me on the beach right outside my accommodation, where my host family, Cynthia and her dad Tarisu of Sunrise Bungalows, warmly welcomed me. After a brief tour and introductions with chief Tom, I was kindly invited to come to church, as it was Sunday. While listening to the beautiful singing of the villagers, I noticed the wind come up outside. I quietly snuck out and in no time, I was being pulled by my kite out into the stunningly beautiful lagoon. After church, the kids gathered on the beach. I cruised over to them and asked, “Would you like to come for a ride?” Afraid at first, most of the kids shook their little heads. Only Magenti, my host Cynthia’s seven-year-old son, was keen. On my back with his arms tightly wrapped around my neck and his legs gripping onto my waist, I took him out to the reef. Flying along, I asked him, “Are you scared?” “No,” the cute little voice came from behind.

“Not scared… excited!” Suddenly, all of the kids were in. One by one they jumped on my back to go for a ride of a lifetime—none of them had ever been that far out in the lagoon.

I spent my last few days back on Efate staying in my cozy bungalow at Ripples where my trip had started. With a solid-sized swell in the water the day before my departure, I rocked up to Pango Point hoping for the best but found the break messier than messy and I declared it unrideable. The tidal window was running out, so I headed over to Andy’s house and found his secret spot was firing on all six cylinders.

The launch at his house and the ride out to the wave had dodgy wind and big holey patches due to the cross-offshore direction, so I drove a few beaches downwind and launched with a solid upwind grind back to the break. I scored the best waves of my trip—once again, all alone in the lineup, and watched the most magical sunset from the water. I was overwhelmed and deeply grateful. Vanuatu had amazed me in so many respects. Screaming “thank you Vanuatu” towards the golden horizon and bowing to Surf God Huey, I bid my farewell to this magical place and some of the kindest people I’ve ever met.

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TOP LEFT: On the tiny island of Pele, Gabi divides and conquers the hearts of the young kids with exhilarating piggy-kite rides, taking them to parts of the lagoon they have never seen before. TOP RIGHT: With endless kiteboarding options, vast stretches of pristine Vanuatu shoreline are open for pioneering kite discoveries. BOTTOM: For the adventurous kitesurfer, June through August are the best months to overlap tradewinds with bigger groundswells coming from New Zealand, although it takes a straight south swell to avoid the shadow of New Caledonia.

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Keahi De Aboitiz has an uncanny ability to slide deep while his XXL kite soars above the roof. Cloudbreak, Fiji. BEAU PILGRIM © 2020 Patagonia, Inc.

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MOZ AMB IQUE Words by Paul Serin | Photos by Hugo Badaroux

We booked a car in Johannesburg and crossed the border into Mozambique with nothing in the way of a plan, just a short list of local people along the coast that could steer us in the right direction. Every day in Mozambique is an adventure—from lion to zebra spottings, the road is full of amazing sights, but above all else, Mozambique has perfect flatwater locations and the makings of a top-tier kite destination in the years to come.

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TOP LEFT: The wildlife in Mozambique is second to none. The sable antelope with its curved horns and sleek coat is known as the supermodel of the antelope species. TOP RIGHT: Paul Serin explores the banks of the Limpopo River just to the north of Bilene. Without the pressure to follow the World Tour, Serin has the freedom to do single passes, go for doubles or simply nail a perfect tail stall. BOTTOM LEFT: Just a day’s drive into the Mozambique bush reveals rich wildlife experiences only Africa is known for. MIDDLE LEFT: The wind never set up quite right to ride the lagoons directly in front of Bilene, but Paul Serin hopes to return one day to score a session.

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LEFT: White Sands is one of the best kite destinations in Mozambique. Located in the bay at Tofo, Paul Serin, Victor Hays and Nino Liboni scored a couple of perfect 11m days while trading tacks with fishermen and tourist boats for hire. RIGHT: Victor Hays orchestrated the trip and demonstrates his years of experience with hard-charging carves and the widest repertoire of grabs. Having rented a car over the internet, when the team tried to cross the South Africa/ Mozambique border, they were turned back to Johannesburg due to missing papers. With a day lost to logistics, they returned with a rental car cleared for Mozambique and chocked it up as part of the adventure.

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TOP LEFT: White Sands beach in Tofo turned out to be a tricky foil spot. With threshold winds and shallow channels barely deep enough for their foil wings, there was no shortage of entertaining crashes. RIGHT: Mozambique offers surf for every level. Paul and Victor scored the right off Tofinho Beach just outside the house they rented. Featuring a high-quality beach break with friendly locals, these beaches can handle just about any size swell.

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TOP LEFT: The lighthouse overlooking the Limpopo River is an easy detour on the drive back to Bilene from Limpopo. RIGHT: Back in Bilene, Paul improves his grabs and tries not to crash in the lagoon known for the biggest concentration of bull sharks in the world. BOTTOM LEFT: Paul and Victor navigate the shallow channels of Tofo. Paul’s favorite aspect of foiling is riding in the lowest wind possible when the water is pure glass.

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Words by Brendan Richards | Photo by Ydwer van der Heide

Kiteboarding’s New

Dream Team LangeREE + GirarDIN

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ecent years have seen no small share of shakeups, reinvention and introductions among some of the biggest players in the kiteboarding industry. In 2019 we watched one of the largest kite brands undergo a complete identity rebrand and a large multinational sail corporation build a brand out of thin air while other companies received private equity buyouts and moved headquarters. Yet, when head kite designer Damien Girardin resigned from Naish Kiteboarding in the summer of last year, it wasn’t followed by a scandalous defection to another company—just a lot of head-scratching as one of the master product developers of the industry quietly disappeared into anonymous contract gigs outside of windsports.

Breakups are never easy, not in romance and certainly not in business. Loyalty and betrayal are complicated matters, but since the dawn of time, employees have parted from employers, choosing the lone road, trading in the safety net of a steady paycheck and robust organizational resources in exchange for agility, sizable risks of failure and the tantalizing reward of personal ownership of their accomplishments. In the winter of 2019/2020, when the industry had all but forgotten what Damien Girardin was doing, the retired designer emerged from that silence, working with athlete Kevin Langeree, to launch a line of kite products under their new brand Reedin Kiteboarding.

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LEFT: One of the few master kite designers in the industry capable of snapping aggressive off the lip maneuvers in the surf and powered megaloops in the air, Girardin is a pro-grade jack of all trades. // Photo Frankie Bees TOP RIGHT: Damien is still all smiles after multiple months of 16-hour work days behind his computer, demonstrating how personal ownership is one of the most powerful incentives in the work place. // Photo Frankie Bees BOTTOM RIGHT: Girardin’s technical education in engineering and years of product management have given him the skills necessary to spin up a high-performance twin tip and a quiver of surfboards in a relatively short window of time. // Ydwer van der Heide

When Damien talks about the path that brought him back to designing kites, it doesn’t seem so much of an orchestrated plan, rather, more of a lifelong obsession he can’t seem to shake.

In his final year at Naish, Damien had suffered a catastrophic knee injury that rendered his future unclear. In early 2019 when manufacturing issues at Naish’s factory in China required attention, Damien found himself hobbling between foreign hotel rooms and production floors on crutches while coping with extreme pain and uncertainty. In the back of his mind, he wasn’t sure if he would ever kite again which brought into question the purpose of his dedication and long days. Having worked at Naish for 15 years, his immense responsibilities combined with his injury had pushed him to critical stages of burnout. Dry on kiting all together, by July, Damien gave his resignation, issued a press 54

release of parting ways and began looking for contract design work outside of the industry. When the dust settled, Damien eased his way back into design starting with some freelance gigs, putting his CAD skills to work on a few boat design projects.

In the weeks that followed, the new design work didn’t seem as fun or as rewarding as he had thought. The separation from kite development didn’t sit well and in his spare moments, his mind drifted back into kiteboarding, batting around new designs in his head.

As Damien began contemplating the importance of kiteboarding in his career, he called up longtime friend Kevin Langeree and pitched the longshot idea of creating a new brand. As designer and athlete, Damien and Kevin had a long history of working

together. Kevin had reached the pinnacle of his athletic career and was looking for the next step within kiteboarding. For both Kevin and Damien, the next chapter seemed to be complete ownership and control over their work. The two sketched out a plan and Damien scraped together personal funds to start prototyping, yet any formal arrangement or launch would have to wait. Kevin had a couple of months left on his athlete contract and couldn’t participate in Reedin’s formation until January, leaving Damien to pour himself into the early design and development alone.

The road that lay ahead was filled with caffeine and adrenalinefueled design streaks where Damien worked well into the early hours of the morning, grabbing some fleeting sleep before his kids

would wake up and start the day. Having complete ownership over the end product changed Damien’s outlook on designing.

Instead of normal work schedules, he could obsessively hammer out details and ideas in front of a computer for 16 hours straight.

When his wife questioned his sanity with a knowing look, he smiled and reassured her he wasn’t working. This time around he was just having fun.

Not only was Damien designing a product that both Kevin and he would bet their personal finances on, but more than that, he wanted to build a kite product that had no compromises. The politics of workplaces make it such that multiple voices steer and influence the direction of a product, and while this often leads to a balanced product with widespread appeal, other times, 55

it yields a product full of compromises. Damien dreamed of building a kite that would be perfect for a professional athlete like Kevin but incredibly easy to use for the average rider. In Damien’s mind, he felt ease-of-use could be a benchmark of a high-performance kite; this would become his guiding principle as he played with leading-edge shapes and designed wingtip structures that facilitated easy turning dynamics. Above all else, Damien believed the perfect control bar design was just waiting to be realized.

Before he had even thought about a brand, Damien began working on a kite file on his computer. At the dropdown menu, he clicked save and typed ‘super’. For French speakers like Damien, the term ‘super’ has a much stronger connotation of awesomeness 56

that far exceeds the word’s effect in English. When Kevin listens to Damien explain the origin of their kite’s name, Kevin jokingly interjects, “So you’re telling me you designed us a French kite?” to which everyone had a laugh, but ‘super’ remained ingrained in the kite’s name.

When it came time to find a factory, Damien looked to China.

While his longstanding relationship with the Naish factory would be the ideal place to start, under the circumstances, it just wasn’t going to be an option. In his search, Damien discovered a factory he had worked with long ago in the early 2000s during his days at French startup Takoon. The factory was eager for Reedin’s business and amenable to Damien’s technical production requirements. While Damien was ready to start

LEFT: After years of kite design, Damien has always considered bridle tuning to be one of the most challenging aspects of the design process. Damien’s fresh take on the SuperModel brought new clarity to the exercise. // Photo Frankie Bees MIDDLE TOP: The DreamStick represents Damien’s core beliefs about control bars and is only possible because of the clean slate and a commitment to feel and performance. // Photo Frankie Bees MIDDLE BOTTOM: Having left China as the Covid-19 pandemic was heating up, Damien joined Kevin Langeree in South Africa for their first session together with production-ready prototypes. // Photo Ydwer van der Heide RIGHT: Having excelled as an athlete in every discipline of the sport, Kevin Langeree was searching for the next chapter that would keep him passionately involved in kiteboarding and building a brand with Damien was just the right step. // Photo Ydwer van der Heide

testing prototypes, he still couldn’t share any of the details of kite design or R&D with Kevin who was still under contract as an athlete.

As a multi-disciplinary designer and product manager, Damien has the skills to shape every part of the bar. Having obsessed over control systems for much of his career, he dreamed up a bar that balanced low weight with an array of performance-oriented features. He began printing parts and mocking up bars with readily available parts as well as testing bar materials and weights. Damien recalls being caught by Kai Lenny at the local beach with one of his rudimentary prototypes. Bent from load testing and wrapped in tape with plastic balls and non-molded parts, Kai shared a lighthearted laugh at the Frankenstein mockup, while Damien explained the

clever features embedded in his CAD files. The Reedin bar would combine auto-rotating center lines and the perfect diameter grip with slick molded parts that kept it’s weight down and it’s form and function on point. The standout attributes included hardware design like the custom click quick release and intricate details concealed within materials and manufacturing methods. Damien approached Cousin, a high-quality rope works company in France, and consulted with them to build the special-grade kite lines with improved production line techniques with precise pre-stretching methods. The bridles are made out of a special Dyneema cord that uses lower weave angles to ensure that the canopy shape stays stable during high loads and for longer periods of time. As Damien can tell you, if you have the patience, there are a million craftsmanship details to be sweated in the kite manufacturing process.

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LEFT: The SuperModel was designed as a kite that is extremely easy to fly with steering dynamics that would lend perfectly to riding waves, whipping kiteloops and sending big airs. Damien’s theory is that a well-balanced kite can excel in more than just one discipline. // Photo Ydwer van der Heide TOP RIGHT: The DreamStick has all the functional features like a click-together release loop, auto-untwist lines and lots of customization in a tight, lightweight chassis. // Photo Ydwer van der Heide BOTTOM RIGHT: According to Damien, Kevin Langeree is the ultimate athlete/owner because he is not narrowed by one way of riding, and slowly but surely, he’s getting better at sitting behind computers and chomping spreadsheets. // Ydwer van der Heide

By the beginning of January, Kevin was free and clear to dive headfirst into Reedin kites and ready to test the latest round of prototypes. With the 12-hour time difference between Maui and South Africa, Kevin called Damien right after his first session on the prototypes. It was 4am in the Girardin household and Damien had just slid into bed when the call went to voicemail.

Like a raving lunatic, Langeree ranted expletive words of excitement and approval over the new kite design. In the days that followed, Damien headed to China to finalize the details of their first production run. Damien’s wife had told him about a flu-like virus circulating in the center of China, but when he arrived, there was no talk about the respiratory sickness growing in Wuhan. It was during Damien’s time in China, working out production details and assembling the control bar that Reedin 58

released its first press release to the world. The notoriety of Kevin as an athlete and ambassador and Damien’s accomplishments in kite design created a buzz on forums and social media. Looking back at it, both Kevin and Damien were surprised by the goodwill and positive support they received from the industry.

While in China, the molded parts for the bar arrived and the control bar was assembled; the Chinese watched as Damien danced around the factory, waving the completed bar in satisfaction. Designing a product never felt so good—the bar Damien had always dreamed of making, both in terms of function and form, had finally materialized. Initially, the bar was going to be named after the SuperModel kite, but it was such a monumental accomplishment, it needed its own name. As they

batted it around, they settled on the word used for the chassis when talking to Chinese factories: the ‘stick.’ In agreement, Kevin and Damien called their new bar the ‘DreamStick.’

bumping and rubbing up against one another in close proximity.

As Damien boarded an international flight to South Africa, the first news of the oncoming pandemic made headlines.

Around January 15, Covid-19 information was leaking out of Wuhan and Damien’s associates at the factory encouraged him to leave the country as quickly as possible. They assured him they could ship the first production run a few weeks later, following Chinese New Year. Due to the demand for flights from travelers vacationing for the national holiday and those anticipating Covid-19, Damien was unable to purchase a plane ticket and was forced to take a train to get to the nearest international airport.

Dragging board bags filled with prototypes, he clambered onto the station’s platform shoulder to shoulder with 40,000 people,

In South Africa, both Kevin and Damien worked on promotional materials and continued to plan the release and distribution of their first kites. The virus raged in China and that was when they got the news that the factories were going to be shut down. Starting a company is a very stressful endeavor, especially when two men, both with families, choose to strike it out alone and fund it out of their own pockets. The pandemic’s production delays added even more uncertainty while potentially threatening Reedin’s launch momentum and excitement. At first, they lamented over choosing the wrong 59

TOP LEFT: Much of the R&D on the Reedin products happened from afar, but when Damien and Kevin work together in person, you can see the comraderie of experienced professionals and friends come through. // Photo Ryan Osmond BOTTOM LEFT: Kevin receives his first shipment of SuperModels in the Netherlands, and despite the pandemic lockdown, manages to sell through the quantity and place Reedin’s second order. // Photo courtesy of Kevin Langeree RIGHT: Kevin’s diversity of riding ranges from serious megaloops to precision hand drags and demonstrates his undying love for the sport of kiteboarding. // Photo Ydwer van der Heide

factory as it lay shuttered while kite factories in other countries were filling orders. However, in the following weeks, the virus spread to every manufacturing country and killed production across the board.

Throughout February when China was building massive field hospitals and initiating aggressive lockdowns of the caliber seen in few other places in the world, Kevin and Damien’s concern grew as the pandemic created massive unknowns for their brand and the pre-order distribution plan. Damien returned to Maui and Kevin returned to his home in the Netherlands.

While their Chinese contacts were warning them to take Covid-19 seriously and describing the draconian lockdowns, the social distancing measures in Maui and the Netherlands 60

were fairly relaxed, and both were allowed to kite through the pandemic. As it turned out, China’s stringent lockdowns during the month of February allowed some Chinese factories to re-open and Reedin’s first production run was shipped by March 31.

The shipment arrived while Europe was in lockdown, but in those places like Holland, where stores were open and people were able to kite, they were able to get demo kites into the hands of riders and the reaction from dealers was really positive. They saw pockets of demand where some demos during a single windy session would produce a handful of orders. They had one kiter in Switzerland who turned out to be a ‘super spreader,’—whenever it was windy he would share

his SuperModel with other kiters and create more demand. As Europe re-opened and more of its beaches and retailers came back online, Reedin sold out of its first production run and placed a second order.

tinkerer and world-class athlete on a quest to build the ideal equipment for themselves. Extrinsically, Reedin brings another blend of performance choices and design elements that aims to heighten the feeling and experience of kiteboarding.

The consistent question that the broader kite community asks when a new brand enters the market is what is the outstanding feature or compelling value proposition being offered that will make them switch brands. Some riders are hoping for a magic unicorn that distorts the rules of physics while others are hoping for another discount brand that subsidizes the cost of kiting in exchange for market share. Intrinsically, the passion and underlying ethos behind Reedin brings purity and simplicity back to the sport, unleashing a consummate detail-oriented

The Reedin equation is as much about what gear should feel like as it is about how to go about building perfect kite equipment.

Reedin’s twin tips are manufactured in Poland where the heart of ski technology still offers the precision handling of resin and curing artistry that delivers lighter boards with better flex and pop. Similarly, Reedin’s first rounds of production surfboards are shaped and glassed in Portugal in a factory operated at every level by surfers and kiters. Outfits like these understand how the resin, foams and laminating techniques are key to 61

ABOVE: Reedin showrunners, Damien Girardin and Kevin Langeree, pose in front of their inaugural product. With proven track records in the industry and universal respect for their hard work, integrity and historical achievements, the Reedin partnership is off to a strong start. // Photo Ryan Osmond

the feel on the water. The manufacturing costs are higher and profit margins are lower, but in the case of Reedin where the brand represents the founders’ names, the resulting quality and performance of the products is a matter of pure pride.

Good things come from organizations of all sizes, but the progression and health of the industry are intimately tied to the people who push the ball forward. Spin-offs, breakups and strong competition are the forces that keep innovation alive.

For industry veterans like Kevin and Damien, the only way to progress and move forward in their careers was to gain total freedom and ownership over their products. Reedin is the vehicle that allows them to do the work they love, but with complete control and satisfaction. Amidst the darker days of 2020, filled with pandemics, soaring unemployment and race riots, it’s a rough time to start a new company, but Reedin’s focus on craftsmanship and performance, pushed by two longtime legends of kiteboarding, might be just the right equation to help keep the evolutionary ball rolling.

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NOT ENOUGH SWELL, NOT ENOUGH WIND… NOT ANYMORE. RIDE WHAT YOU CAN’T. Fine-tuned and tested over countless days on the water by the entire Ride Engine crew, we know you will find the

Rider: Jullien Fillion | Photographer: Debbie Jean Hollomon

perfect Ride Engine foil board that’ll fulfill your passion of flying over the water by whatever means you choose.

BIRD MACHINE 3’10”

ESCAPE POD 4’4” | 4’8”

DAD BOARD 5’2”

MOON BUDDY 6’0” | 7’0”

Kite Surf | Tow Surf

Prone Surf | Wing Surf

Prone Surf | Wing Surf

SUP Surf | SUP Downwind | Wing Surf

Available at your favorite Ride Engine retailer early summer 2020 | For all the spec's visit rideengine.com

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All Good owners Caroline Duell and Ryan Rich walk the talk, using their botanically inspired, reef-safe sunscreen before hitting the water for a session. // Photo Caroline Woodham

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PROFILED

CAROLINE DUELL AND RYAN RICH Morro Bay, California

growing a plant-based business When the owners of All Good began contemplating marriage back in 2006, Ryan Rich suggested to his fiancée Caroline Duell that the two learn a new sport together. Having dated for nine years before making it official, they wanted to test their relationship by aligning their priorities and working towards a common goal. As avid mountain climbers and backcountry skiers, they were advised by friends that kiteboarding was the closest thing to skiing on water.

Hardened self-learners, they immediately recognized the safety issues inherent in kiteboarding and wisely enrolled in lessons, first at South Padre Island, followed by instruction with Sandy and Donny in Rio Vista and finally with legend Kinsley ThomasWong near their home in Central California. They quickly became staples of the Central Coast community, sharing the requisite long walks back upwind with fellow friends going through the learning process. Because of Ryan’s background in surfing, he quickly gravitated towards directional surfboards to pull him into waves while Caroline skillfully earned the nickname, ‘wave-dodger’—she non-apologetically prefers the gentle waves and warmer water of locales like Maui.

Caroline and Ryan started kiteboarding, got married and officially started their business in 2006, but the root of the All Good brand got its start much earlier. Back in 1998, the two were living in West Marin, a suburb of the San Francisco Bay area—Ryan was focused on farming while Caroline was working as a mountain climbing guide. Using her background in herbal medicines, Caroline began adapting the plants from Ryan’s farm to make natural products that would soothe rips, blisters and rough hands from long days spent scaling rocks. As Caroline began growing her own herbal garden, she set about sharing her concoctions with friends and climbing clients; the hobby that started as an extension of their livelihoods began to take on an existence of its own.

At first, it was just a rock climbing salve, but Caroline quickly developed a wide array of botanical products as a response to the needs of their fellow action sports junkies. Early on, Caroline had the idea of assembling an herbal first aid kit that she could use while guiding; not only was she concerned with human health, but she also wanted to illustrate the importance of plant-based remedies

and the connected awareness between consumer products and the environment. When the pain in Ryan’s neck flared up from a teenage surfing injury, Caroline created an herbal ‘freeze’ that helped alleviate the pain. As they progressed in kiteboarding, they realized all their windsports friends were spending long days in harsh UV conditions and routinely getting treatments for basal cell skin cancers. Caroline embarked on blending a skin-friendly and reef-safe sunscreen that would protect her and her friends from sun damage. Central Coast surfing and kitesurfing icon Rob Rebstock was one of their biggest fans—Caroline recalls riffing on formulas with Rob by pure trial and error, but Rob was instrumental in honing in the qualities that went into the All Good SPF 50 Butter. Rob is no longer with us, but to Caroline, his indelible mark on the Central Coast’s kitesurfing community and All Good’s suncare products are warm reminders of his enigmatic spirit.

When asked about the biggest challenge in operating their business, Caroline cited the difficulties and ongoing struggle to make environmentally responsible packaging decisions. All Good considers itself to be on the frontlines of packaging and puts substantial efforts into investing in plastic alternatives. “It’s really hard to create a package that is durable yet affordable as well as regenerative and recyclable,” says Caroline.

Caroline and Ryan attribute much of All Good’s success to hard work, tenacity and single-minded focus on good intention, transparency and a desire to build high-quality products for their communities. With ambassadors who share their vision including Sensi Graves, whose bikini company is a fellow ‘1% for the Planet’ organization, as well as female world champion kitesurfer Moona Whyte, All Good has worked to support powerful role models who bridge the gap between nature and human-powered adventures.

In many ways, the All Good brand has been able to bring their herbal products to the mass market, guided by the needs, input and camaraderie of healthy and environmentally-friendly sports like kiteboarding. Despite their recent growth, it’s Caroline and Ryan’s commitments to reef-safe formulations, better packaging practices and the avoidance of harsh chemicals that keeps the company sights on staying All Good.

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Life behind the wheel of a skiff; Alex Fisher spends his days coaching kiteboarders and unlocking the infinite riding spots of North Carolina’s Crystal Coast. // Photo Taylor Speer

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PROFILED

ALEX FISHER Beaufort, North Carolina

Teaching with heart Alex Fisher skillfully spins the wheel of his skiff, giving a confident nod to the crusty harbormaster standing on the dock as the transom of his Whaler nestles just shy of a mega yacht, and comes to rest against the Beaufort city docks. Fresh off her second kiteboarding lesson and first up and going ride, 10-year-old Magdalena beams with excitement as Alex winds down another long day of lessons in the heart of the Crystal Coast, on the southeast corner of North Carolina’s southern Outer Banks.

Most kiteboarders follow the well-worn path to Hatteras, but if you trace the barrier islands on a map, down around the bend you’ll find the sleepy bayou town of Beaufort, with its calm inlet waterways, large barrier island and infinite sandbars perfect for butter flat sessions. A small but core group of kiteboarders, early adopters and local surf legends like Mitch Parsons, Bill Roach, Joe Brake and Preston Lea got their start in the late 90s and established a tight but dedicated kiteboarding scene in Hatteras’ shadow. For those comfortable in waves, there’re incredible downwinders on the outside of Atlantic Beach, but for those just learning, Alex uses his boat to access endless flatwater zones around the inlet. The wind pattern is similar to that of Hatteras’ steady southwest, but armed with a boat, Alex unlocks the potential for riding in just about any wind direction and any surface condition.

Operating as Teach’s Kiteboarding with a pirate as his mascot, Alex channels the deep maritime history of Beaufort, the second oldest town in the south outside of Charleston; where adventure is literally in the air with talk of shipwrecks and buried treasures around every corner. In his laid back Carolina brogue meets surfer drawl, Alex warns, “When you get on this boat and begin traveling these empty waterways looking for paradise kiteboarding spots, you’ll feel like a pirate with an endless series of islands and inlets to explore.”

Born and raised in Beaufort, Alex’s first run-in with kiteboarding was back in 2006 at the age of 12. His mom bought him a 7m C-kite, but during one of his early attempts at self-launching, the kite lit up straight through the middle of the power zone and yarded him down the beach. Two local kiters were close enough to help stop the kitemare, but the experience was bad enough to kill Alex’s

desire to kite for a while. Gifted with an outgoing predisposition and natural people handling skills, Alex took to teaching surf lessons for Joe Brake early on and this line of business eventually brought him to Real Kiteboarding in 2010, where he worked as head surf coach for several years. Located in the epicenter of kiteboarding for the East Coast, Alex couldn’t help but succumb to kiteboarding in his spare time.

After a couple years of observing kite instruction from the surf department, Alex got his PASA certification and headed home to Beaufort to open his own school. With a lifetime of practice, Alex’s instruction style takes a patient and supportive approach to teaching the safety principles and technical skills of kiteboarding. Because of Alex’s early brush with kiteboarding’s ugly side, he knows how to stay hyper-focused on safety and make sure every student feels comfortable, confident and gets a healthy dose of fun. When Alex describes the stoke of someone’s first ride, you can almost smell his vicarious contact high—as he puts it, “Kiteboarding changes people’s lives,” and he seems to be referring in part to his own.

Having started Teach’s Kiteboarding in 2018, his business has slowly grown over the last three years thanks to steady demand from Beaufort locals as well as transient yacht owners. As a major maritime port, Alex rubs elbows with some high-end boating folks as they cruise the East Coast. It’s not uncommon for Teach’s flyers to find their way onboard and into the hands of adventure-seeking sailors.

The key to Teach’s success is not just having the perfect setup with endless flatwater locations, or glowing word of mouth and online reviews—the secret sauce to Teach’s growth is Alex’s dedication to going the extra mile. In the evening hours, Alex churns out video footage of each session, one of the many ways Alex strives to ensure his students get the most value out of every lesson. At the core of Teach’s Kiteboarding is an underlying passion for the sport and an authentic desire to share the kiteboarding experience in a safe yet affordable way. If some lesson centers can feel like charge and churn corporate machines, Teach’s business model is rooted in the personal connection between a student and an owner/ operator instructor showing you the ropes with true professional pride and dedication.

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The Ultimate Desert Island Kite

N ORT H KB. COM 68

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EXPOSED

Backdropped by Isla de Las Palomas, former world champion Christophe Tack takes advantage of Tarifa’s Levante winds with a clean, offshore session at Balneario. // Photo Lukas Stiller

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EXPOSED

The master of the backside attack, Matchu Lopez demonstrates fearless backhand snaps in the face of insanely critical sections. // Photo Adilson Ramos

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EXPOSED

Looks like Brazil, feels like Baja. This shot of a low back mobe in the slicks of La Ventana pretty much clears up any misconceptions about the Soul’s capabilities for unhooked riding. // Photo Gregor John

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TUNNEL VISION INTERVIEW BY BRENDAN RICHARDS

Four-time world wave champion Keahi de Aboitiz is known for making big wave barrel riding look absolutely effortless. Born and raised in Noosa, Australia, Keahi usually splits his time between Hawaii and Australia, but this year, he’s been watching swells and wind forecasts while lining up strike missions for his groundbreaking film focused on the progressive side of high-performance kitesurfing. Operating as a professional athlete since 2011, the 27-year-old Australian has earned a reputation as a world-class surfer on just about every sort of surf craft. We caught up with Keahi a few weeks before his film was set to release to get the liner notes on Tunnel Vision.

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Photo James Boulding

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The Tunnel Vision project is a fairly sizable undertaking as well as a departure from your regularly scheduled world tour commitments. What made you step back from competition and go in this direction?

I grew up in a little town called Noosa, on the east coast of Australia, which is mostly known for its mellow longboarding point breaks. On big, magic cyclone swells, Noosa turns on, but those days are rare, so my dad got me into everything; surfing, longboarding, kitesurfing and standup paddle. I remember starting to compete at the Noosa Festival of Surfing; I entered the longboarding contest when I was 11 and that got me excited about competitions; from there it naturally progressed into kitesurfing. I grew up moving through kiteboarding contests with results at the national level in Australia, and won a couple of freestyle events and wave titles—that eventually progressed into four consecutive wave titles on the PKRA, KSP and ultimately the GKA tours. It’s been fun to do all those things, except after a number of years on the tour, the traveling part has become really tiring. It’s a long journey to get to some events, and while it’s always really fun when you compete in good conditions, it’s a huge investment of time and money.

I’ve always wanted to make a full-length film to show the full potential of kitesurfing and how it actually compliments surfing. The thing I love the most about kitesurfing is that it’s a way to have fun regardless of the conditions. At the end of 2018, I felt it was time to do something different. Instead of focusing all my efforts on competition, I decided to chase extraordinary swells and I wanted to do it properly. That meant being more flexible for last-minute missions and bringing someone along to document the waves we would find. You see this more commonly in surfing—athletes have a free schedule to drop everything and chase a swell, but it’s just not that easy. Generally, you can try to forecast a week out, but you don’t get that much certainty until you’re looking at a three-day window, so it’s always a gamble, but as Tunnel Vision shows, when it works out and comes together it can be amazing.

Seemingly appropriate, the film gets underway with a rare session in your hometown in Australia. What was that like?

I had discussed the idea with Cabrinha, but then it all kicked off with a first session in Noosa. I’ve been spending more time over here in Hawaii, but when I saw this swell pop up, it looked too good to be true. As I said, Noosa gets a couple of cyclone swells per year, but to get one of this magnitude is special; it’s exactly the kind of swell the east coast craves, and the north, with its point breaks, is made for these swells. That session is probably the best kite session I’ve ever had in Australia. This spot had been on my radar for some time and I knew some guys that had kited it, but it needs the perfect wind direction and an amazing swell, and most importantly, you need sand. A lot of the point breaks at home are dependent on how the sand is built up and every swell ends up breaking just a little bit different. That particular day was tricky—there were 25 jet skis in the lineup and it made it hard to find a wave, but I was stoked to find a few. I think the sand had changed during the course of the swell and while I had the feeling it could be good, it turned out to be insane. I think I had one of my best kite barrels, or at least the longest, but that swell is probably one of the best swells ever seen on the east coast of Australia.

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This spot on the Gold Coast has been on Keahi’s radar for awhile, but only the perfect swell and sand conditions can bring this monster wave to spit massive barrels. Dodging 25 tow teams, Keahi lines up one of the best barrels of his life. // Photo Swilly

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TOP: Cloudbreak is one of Keahi’s favorite left-handed breaks in the world. The kite is the perfect tool for dropping in on bombs when it gets big and shifty. // Photo Stu Gibson BELOW RIGHT: Cloudbreak tends to stay clean even when it gets windy and the cleanup sets thin out the surf crowd when it gets big. // Photo Stu Gibson BELOW CENTER: Fiji offers up a number of different waves that provide a range of options from barreling monster to burger bowls, there’s something for every level and style of kitesurfing. // Photo Stu Gibson BELOW LEFT: Tackling remote offshore waves requires its own suit of logistical skills. // Photo Stu Gibson

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You’ve been spending more time in Fiji these last few years. What’s the draw to that location and how does it play a role in your movie?

For starters, it’s a quick and easy flight from Australia. It’s warm, beautiful and a good way to escape the Australian winter. On the right swell, Fiji is probably home to the best surfing and kitesurfing in the world. We made it a point to line up Cloudbreak, do a proper trip and show how good it can be. Cloudbreak is a hard place to document properly; the logistics are complex because everything is far away from shore and the boat launching can be tricky, but when it comes together, it’s one of the best waves in the world. Cloudbreak has consistently offered up some of the best barrels of my life so far and that’s because of the setup. Part of it is how the reef gets exposed on the lower tides, which means the wind passes over dry land and keeps the waves clean. Those are the days when it’s nice to have a kite.

I always try to encourage people to be respectful when kitesurfing while others are surfing in the lineup. I try to make sure there aren’t that many guys out, and if there is, I’ll give them space and priority. The one thing I really like about Cloudbreak, at least when it’s bigger, is that it can be tricky to surf. The sets wash through the takeoff zone and surfers can’t sit there. Paddle surfers are playing a constant game of cat and mouse, dodging the cleanup sets. The kite allows me to be in the right spot and pick off the deepest waves.

On the day we filmed, there were just a couple of guys out and it was amazing to share waves like that with just a few people. Kitesurfing when the conditions were like they were is almost like driving your own jet ski. You can just pull yourself into a wave and unlike calling waves with a tow partner, the kite gives you that choice yourself, which is really nice.

Cloudbreak is the legend, but Fiji has some more mellow waves as well, and it’s fun to mix it up with different conditions. There’s the right off of Namotu, and Namotu lefts which are a little more user-friendly. It’s pretty nice to have all the different options because conditions are always changing, and if you kite, foil or SUP, it’s impossible not to have fun in a place like Fiji. There’s so much variety over there: perfect barrels, down the line waves and some fun setups for onshore airs—it just has everything to keep you busy.

There’s a lot of footage of backside barrels in your movie. Some might guess you have a preference for backside barrel riding over frontside. Is that true?

As much as I like backside barrels, it’d be wrong if I said I didn’t like frontside barrels more, but it’s one of those things, where it just happens that most of the better kitesurfing waves in the world are lefts. I’ve made it a point to get good at backside barrels. It’s a different feeling for sure, but once you figure it out, dropping in backside is really fun.

Coming from a traditional surfing background, kitesurfing has made learning to ride backside more fun, and although it’s trickier, it’s really rewarding when you figure it out.

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The movie does a great job of covering some of the best swells at the key big wave kitesurfing spots we’ve come to know, but you also got footage at Skeleton Bay, which is well known in the surfing world but until recently, relatively off the kitesurfing map. What was that like?

Namibia has been on my bucket list for a long time. In the surfing world, people have been seeing videos of it and there’s a bit more familiarity with the area. It is truly one of the wonders of the surfing world. It takes a really big swell for it to get good, but when the conditions are right, it turns into a two-mile-long barreling left point. It also ended up being a little windier than we had thought. It’s an amazing place: sandy and cold, but full of life with lots of seals and even jackals on the beach—it’s crazy to see such a different landscape over there. It’s a bit of a mission to get to, but when you see those lines wrapping around the point and you get one good wave at that place, it’s all worth it.

I wasn’t too sure of what to expect when it came to kiting this wave. I’ve had a few friends that have had a go and I got mixed reports on how it went. It’s such a fast wave and trying to get it to line up with the wind angle is challenging and makes it a pretty technical wave to ride with a kite. It took me some time to figure out because the wave is moving so much faster than typical waves, but having a really good surf kite like the Drifter made it much easier to deal with. You can get multiple barrels on this wave and some of the longest, most perfect down the line rides. The kite is a great way to save those super long marathon walks back up the beach to the top of the point. I think I spent 12 hours in my wetsuit that day and I don’t know if I could have finished the day if I was just surfing. When you get a swell firing like that, it’s a long day, and standing there on the beach watching those waves run down the point—it’s hard not to get out there and be a part of it.

There’s a wave in the movie that’s located somewhere off the west coast of Africa, and despite being featured on several magazine covers, there hasn’t been much said about this perfect right-hander. What’s the setup like?

To finish the movie off we wanted to go somewhere special and this has been an area that I’ve spent some time at, but this wave has never had the right swell. That’s the challenge with doing a project like this; it’s always a gamble. We decided to do this pretty late last year and it was a little bit of a headache to get it all together. We didn’t really know what we were going to get, but after the first day, I knew it was turning out to be one of the best trips of my life.

It’s a pretty crazy wave—the way it sets up, it has this mutant slab feel with some steps in the takeoff that make you navigate some pretty gnarly drops. Again, this is that situation where a kite is the perfect vehicle to put yourself exactly where you need to be. Although I think it would have been fun to paddle into some waves on that day, I don’t think I would have gotten the same waves that I did kiting. Being able to use the kite to sling yourself into those slabs is a pretty nice feeling, especially when you can use the kite to pull you out the back when things go wrong. The thing I’ve grown to love with kiting is the extra power that you can give yourself when you need it. It’s a pretty special feeling to have all that power and speed to lay into turns and I’m hoping the Tunnel Vision project showcases what kites can bring to surfing. It’s been an amazing couple of years and I’m really stoked to finally get this out there.

Tunnel Vision is live and free to watch on Cabrinha’s YouTube channel.

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ABOVE: Deep within the skeleton’s maw, Keahi grabs a fistful of rail in the freight train-like barrel of the iconic Namibian monster. // Photo Douw Steyn CENTER PHOTOS: The drive to Skeleton Bay is eerily empty until you pull up to the point and watch machine-like lefts unwind over two miles of coast. // Photos Cabrinha BELOW: The final destination off the coast of West Africa yielded one of the most perfect right-handed barrels in Keahi’s two-year-long search. // Photo James Boulding

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NOTHING OUT OF

REACH WORDS BY JOE WINOWSKI | PHOTOS BY YDWER VAN DER HEIDE

Jesse Richman strained his eyes and released the stiffening pain from his neck, trying to shake his travel exhaustion as the van clamored down the rutted street, veering right towards a definitive clearing in the forest to yield Jesse’s first sight of water. After an international flight into Manila, followed by a regional flight and then a two-hour drive to the Caparispisan area, the physical and mental stresses of traveling to this outpost on the northernmost tip of the Philippines is a gauntlet, but as Jesse knows well, it’s not too dissimilar to the sleep deprivation experienced in early fatherhood. Billed as both a surf and freestyle trip, Jesse’s expectations for surf quality were low, but as the swaying palm trees parted at the entrance of the Kingfisher Lodge, the lines of pumping surf out front left Jesse nothing short of shocked.

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LEFT: Lush tropical forests and vibrant reefs border immaculate bodies of water offering up the perfect testing ground for the new Reach all-terrain platform. RIGHT: Nick and Jalou load gear onto a doubleoutrigger called a Bangka, the most effective mode of transportation to find uncharted kite spots.

The Lodge at Kingfisher is perched on a peninsula sticking out into the South China Sea, a stretch of water between the Philippines and Taiwan known as ‘Typhoon Alley’.

The long sandy beaches are fronted by shallow lagoons with protective offshore reefs that follow the curving shoreline to the southwest. North’s Brand Director Mike Raper first discovered this location with designer Pat Goodman on a testing mission back in 2010. “Pat and I kept checking Google Maps, eyeing this one peninsula that stuck out like a sore thumb, then we zoomed in and saw white sand—that’s when we knew it had to be good for waves due to the long fetch,” Mike recalls. “Next thing, we’re driving around the area looking for launch spots.”

They headed down a private road and found three basic little bamboo huts, but “suddenly the owners come out with their dogs barking, questioning what we were doing there.” Since Mike and Pat were with a good friend from Boracay during that trip, they were able to talk their way into getting permission to launch from their beach.

Mike recalls his first session on the smooth flatwater inside the shallow reef, with powerful barreling waves about 500-feet out. “As we dropped our kites on the beach, exhausted from an epic session of testing, someone had kindly traveled into town to buy a massive tuna.” They had a BBQ and drank some beers on the beach with their new friends and came back again the next day, and so it began. “Over time we developed a relationship with the owner, Mon Manotok, an incredibly generous man, and he eventually built some villas and started his own kite school at Kingfisher.”

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Ten years later, Pat and Mike brought North team riders Jesse, Jalou Langeree and Nick Jacobsen to stay at the Kingfisher Lodge, now with its beachside pool, fullservice kitchen and a wide selection of villas. From the moment they arrived, the wind was relentless; blowing day and night, the trades are a reliable fixture of the Monsoon season, stretching from November through June. The northerly winds never stopped after sunset, building a good-sized windswell over the long fetch to the north and waking the North team every morning to the grinding sound of breakers freight training over the reef.

Upon arrival, Jesse launched his kite and headed to the reef out front, gliding through the lagoon and punching out into the head high right-handers unwinding over sharp coral. The waves were fast and peeled perfectly into multiple barrel sections that would run for 20 feet or so before closing out. Although Jesse was only nabbing one and two-second barrels as he charged down different sections of the reef, he was logging over 50 barrels a day.

The set up was euphoric and the days were long and full of action.

After a couple of sessions out front, the crew loaded into cars and headed west along the peninsula to find a brown water beach break with a flawless barrel unwinding onto a shallow shelf. The wave had a perfectly formed A-frame section that would set up as it charged into the shallow shorebreak, which worked in unison with the side-shore wind. As the team explored the beach breaks to the west they encountered massive wind farms in the hills and unlike anything they had seen before, they found towering wind turbines erected directly on the sandbar near the water’s edge. To Jesse, it seemed eerie to kite around these monoliths. “Like kiting under the Golden Gate Bridge, you know the structure is way higher than your kite, but it still feels weird being anywhere near it.”

At some point, the infamous Nick Jacobsen swapped his twin tip and GoPro for a surfboard and headed into the lineup to score some waves. As Jesse claims, “Nick is probably the most talented rider in the world when it comes to jibbing objects. He’s got this mastery of spatial awareness and kite control that allows him to jump islands and thread the needle on big dicey airs in close proximity to fixed objects, but get him in the surf and it’s hysterical.” Nick was really excited to ride a surfboard and he ended up going for it. Even without a background 90

LEFT: Jalou sets up for a perfect backside hit on the reef out front of the Kingfisher resort. RIGHT: Giant windmills line the beaches to the south, wreaking havoc on the rider’s sense of scale and safety.

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LEFT: Nick and Jesse explore perfect flatwater inlets around the Pagudpud area, finding hidden slicks and boosting big airs. RIGHT: Aided by their faithful Bangka captain, the North team was able to access pristine islands and remote riding spots that had likely never been kited before.

in the surf, he’s still capable of reading conditions and pushing his limits. Jesse is quick to point out that having veteran teammates like Jalou and Nick makes these photo trips fun and easy because everyone’s on the same page working towards the end goal. “Nick was chasing us with a GoPro from five feet away in double overhead waves and then when it comes time to jump over an island, we’re there to help him get the shot.”

It’s not just the riders that made this trip what it was.

Having North’s designer Pat Goodman on this photo trip was a monumental experience as well. When he was a young teenager on Maui, Jesse remembers working with Pat to tune super small kites that would work for his pintsized frame. As a mad scientist in the kite department, Pat has an amazing technical grasp of the physics behind kiteboarding, replete with his own unique language to describe every aspect. Having watched Pat dial in models like the Orbit and Carve kites, Jesse has learned some of Pat’s language, adopting the vocabulary and working to contribute his pro-caliber experience into the design process. According to Jesse, “Working with a designer on a photo trip is a huge advantage—Pat can watch me pull into barrels and observe the kite in core conditions.

When you use a product in high-performance conditions, you can make a crucial adjustment, like tweaking a bridle, that would take longer to figure out under average testing situations.”

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The Philippines expedition was conceived as a marketing trip to demonstrate the extreme range of use of North’s newest freeride kite, the Reach. Designed as a userfriendly kite, the Reach has been tuned to cross back and forth between surf, freeride and freestyle riding without compromises. Jesse remembers his days on tour when he’d have to truck two or three different quivers of kites along with the essential collection of boards to cover the freestyle, race and surf disciplines. For a diverse athlete like Jesse who is both a charger in the surf and the newly minted Red Bull King of the Air, a crossover kite brings simplicity to the travel quiver and helps him focus on a single kite for his varying style of riding.

To prove the Reach’s freeride potential, the team packed their bags and parted ways with Mon and Kingfisher’s A-frame setup for a flight to an island in the central part of the Philippines that offers a pure freestyle paradise.

Landing on the island of Mindoro, the team headed to the southeast region of Bulalacao, finding the Kitesurf Mindoro resort surrounded by nothing but lush tropical tree canopy, white sandy beaches and crystal clear flatwater.

If the first part of the trip was geared towards the waves, the latter part of the trip focused upon exploring the freeride and familiar user-friendly capabilities of the Reach’s crossdiscipline platform. The surrounding hillsides were laden with lush mountains and bordered by a completely virgin coastline dotted with the occasional village. The empty expanse of Bulalacao is the purest antidote to crowded and overdeveloped kite destinations. Perched in the center of Bislig Beach, Kitesurf Mindoro is at the center of a large shallow bay protected by an outer reef and blessed with clean side-onshore wind.

After a few local sessions in the shallow bay out front, the North crew piled their gear into tuk-tuks and winded up through the hills to an adjacent village where they could connect with a charter boat. Boarding a double-outrigger called a Bangka, the North team explored an endless line of local islands in search of pristine sandbars and perfect flatwater zones. The team filmed all kinds of antics, carefully choreographing aerial shots of symmetrical carving jibes and perfectly synchronized side-by-side kiteloops.

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LEFT: The emerald bays of Bulalacao offered up endless flatwater spots with brilliant colors of reef and fauna with amazing water clarity. RIGHT: The tuk-tuks are the easiest way to get around, unless you’re transporting 200lbs of kite equipment over steep hills. Perhaps they should call them push-pushs.

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BELOW: It’s been a tough year for Kitesurf Mindoro. After being nearly wiped out completely after two typhoons, with the assistance of international kiteboarders who continued to stay at the hotel during the rebuilding process, the hotel was able to make a recovery. RIGHT: From big air megaloops to stylish grabs off wave kickers, Jesse Richman is the ideal candidate to put the Reach to the test.

As the founder of Kitesurf Mindoro, Kathrin Borgwardt had decamped from the adjacent island of Boracay three years ago after it had become crowded and overcommercialized. Building her kitesurfing and yoga retreat on the immaculate southeastern coastline of Mindoro, she created her personal slice of paradise to share with a select clientele. Having survived two strong typhoons this last season, Kathrin’s resiliency shined as she quickly rebuilt her version of kiteboarding bliss. The resort offers a healthy experience full of raw vegan food and an airy eccentric yoga vibe replete with luxurious camping tents and beautiful open-air spaces. “Mindoro is like the next Brazil,” Jesse noted, “the same perfect wind and flatwater lagoons you’d expect in top-tier destinations, yet without the crowds.”

Looking back at his time in the Philippines, Jesse was once again humbled by the unexpected riding conditions and generous hospitality of both Mon and Kathrin who opened up their backyards to the North team. It’s amazing how many windy places there are in the world and with obscure kiteboarding destinations coming online in farflung locales, it’s encouraging to know that as we grow as a sport, there’s a frontier of exploration that’s still very much alive. With such a wide variety of kite terrain and endless trade winds, this isn’t the first time Jesse’s traveled to the Philippines and it certainly won’t be the last.

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METHOD

STRAPLESS BACKROLL

WORDS BY MATTHIAS L ARSEN | PHOTO BY ISABELL A KIEFER

One of the biggest keys to the strapless backroll is the takeoff. You can do the backroll on flatwater but launching off of a small wave will give you the vertical boost you need to make this trick much easier.

Begin with a lot of board speed and spot your kicker while positioning your kite between 10-11 o’clock. You don’t want to send the kite for this trick; keep your hands close to the center of the bar to avoid steering the kite. Edge your board into the face of the wave and into the wind to get a clean release, then tuck your head into your back shoulder to initiate your rotation.

As you leave the water you will want to remove your front hand from the bar. This automatically injects a small steering impulse that moves the kite further overhead. Begin reaching your front hand towards the rail of your board. It’ll be easier to get the grab the more you bend your front knee.

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Force your head to look over your back shoulder—this will help you to continue your rotation. You can straighten out your back leg to ‘bone out’ the maneuver and if possible, try to grab your rail closer to the nose for extra style points.

As you begin to rotate back towards your original direction of travel, you will want to spot your landing with your eyes, release your front hand from the rail and extend your front arm out to slow your rotation. As you approach the water you will want to begin to straighten your legs to keep the board connected to your feet during your final descent and get ready to absorb the impact.

To soften the landing, you can sheet in and steer the kite forward, or in less powered conditions, you can initiate a tight, mild-powered kiteloop.

If you’re having trouble completing your rotation, tuck your head earlier into your back shoulder on the takeoff to speed up your roll. The strapless backroll requires a lot of practice and patience, but when done properly, it can be one of the most stylish strapless tricks out there.

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CULT OF DESIGN W O R D S

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Photo Blaine Baker

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’ve already called something like 10 offices, but no one can give me a clear answer,” says Brandon Scheid with exasperation. With a car full of prototypes parked hastily on the side of Highway 14, he scrutinizes an access point to the Columbia River that remains curiously open.

At the beginning of April 2020, America was at a standstill, battling the Covid-19 pandemic with very little known about the contagion as death stacked up in nursing homes and urban centers. At the time, the world’s only apparent solution at hand was shuttering all social interaction and grinding economies to a halt. The local Port Authority shut all public access points to the Columbia River, placing Hood River’s vast corridor of relentless wind and water completely off-limits to kiteboarding. Just a couple of months ago, the lockdown would have rated as a mere inconvenience for professional athlete Brandon Scheid, but in his new role as the driver of Liquid Force’s kite development, finding water access and testing kite samples has become the ultimate pandemic buzz-phrase, an ‘essential business activity.’

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It’s a little-known fact that designers... don’t freely hand out the keys to the design kingdom.

Kite development is a unique and selective calling that employs only a handful of people that possess a precise yet wide array of skills required to drive highly nuanced prototypes into mass production. The process generally starts with listening to supply chain feedback and identifying goals that can be achieved by manipulating complex computer programs. Decisions have to balance kite performance against durability and navigate an infinite number of considerations amongst material selection, construction and manufacturing techniques. Kite designers must be capable of sensing and rating minute performance attributes on the water and typically have to do double time as factory liaisons, overseeing and averting foreign manufacturing problems. Designers are the engine of a kite brand, but they

also tend to be quirky, protective of their craft and secretive about their processes and knowledge. Even to their coworkers and employers, designers are often powerful wizards behind an obscure curtain.

Brandon’s transition from athlete into kite development happened gradually at first and then recently accelerated full speed ahead.

As a dominating force in freestyle and park riding competitions, Brandon stepped up into a marketing role at Liquid Force just a few years back, striving to have more control over the media and marketing image of kiteboarding. As an athlete, Brandon gravitated toward photoshoot production work not only at LF but with businesses outside of kiteboarding, including car companies and peripheral sporting products. In those days, while Brandon was working in marketing, Julien Fillion was designing kites for Liquid Force. Brandon often helped with testing and feedback because shaking down samples is intensive work that requires two sets of hands. Despite this experience, Brandon had very little exposure to the deeper design side of the kite products. It’s a little-known fact that designers, as employees within a kite brand, don’t freely hand out the keys to the design kingdom. No school issues kite design diplomas—the only way to learn is through prototyping trial and error which requires a substantial investment in computer software and sizeable perunit manufacturing costs. It’s just not feasible for an individual to teach themselves design without the resources of a brand in their back pocket. Brandon continued to plug away as an athlete in the LF marketing department until personnel changes within the company created an opportunity for new blood.

As the relationship with their previous designer changed, LF collectively struggled to find the best path forward and strive for excellence in design and manufacturing. According to Brandon, there’s only a handful of kite designers in the world and most of them seem to be happily employed with full production schedules. For those few contract designers who might be willing to take on additional clients, the problem is that the company rarely gets much insight or control over the process. The brand might sign a contract for services with performance parameters and the designer cranks out a design file for the brand to take to a factory and make the kite. Since kite development is a lengthy process with immense detail, there’s a lot of risk and potential for errors in these arm’s length transactions. Contracting with hired design guns may solve short term problems but doesn’t create long term institutional knowledge and fails to normalize the design process.

LEFT: With a wagon full of samples, Brandon struggles to find open beach access during the darker days of the pandemic. // Photo Blaine Baker RIGHT: Having spent the bulk of his career shaping the image of freestyle kiteboarding, Brandon backfills into the development side, putting his 15 years of kite flying to work. // Photo Vincent Bergeron

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“BOTH ATHLETES AND DESIGNERS REQUIRE SIMILAR COMMITMENT TO LEARNING, AS WELL AS LIMITLESS PATIENCE FOR REPETITION AND A WILLINGNESS TO FAIL AND THEN TRY AGAIN WITHOUT A LIGHT AT THE END OF THE TUNNEL.”

After much discussion, Liquid Force stopped looking for a design contractor and instead sought out a mentor that would work with them through the design process and help oversee the manufacturing of a final production run. As chance would have it, the LF team met with industry and design veteran Bill Hansen, who was at the 2019 AWSI meeting in Hood River to meet with sailcloth manufacturers about his ideas for material innovation.

Hansen was surprisingly open to the concept of a mentorship contract. With a long history of innovation in windsurfing sails followed by the launch of the Windwing kite brand, over the last ten years, Hansen has consulted with companies like Slingshot and Switch, but had never encountered a contract structured as a mentorship. Like many of the top designers in the industry, Hansen’s resume prior to windsports as a research physicist includes an extensive list of high profile projects ranging from studying moon rocks to building hydrofoil-wing boats for world speed record attempts, yet despite his credentials, Hansen was open to passing his wealth of knowledge onto the team at LF. When asked about the sizeable transition from athlete to kite development, Brandon is quick to point out the similarities between the two roles. Both athletes and designers require similar dedication to learning and growth, as well as limitless patience for repetition and a willingness to fail and then try again without a light at the end of the tunnel. In terms of the differences, athletes are punished physically with wipeouts and blown out knees while design failures can be mentally draining and painfully expensive when the number of kite samples gets tallied up. Both roles require different risk assessments and skillsets, but ultimately Brandon points to the common drive for relentless progress and growth—personality traits ingrained at an early age. Brandon has done a lot of sports since he was a kid, “everything from mountain biking to paragliding, but the most addictive aspect of these sports is learning.”

Brandon has found that one of the biggest challenges in kite design is to figure out how to take the ideas about performance from his head and translate those qualities into a digital CAD file.

The roadmap just isn’t freely available. As Brandon had learned from his experience with previous designers, those methods and lessons are kept close to one’s chest and questions about design decisions get short shrift answers and tend to be explained as a matter of art rather than definitive concrete principles.

In his work with Hansen, Brandon has had to learn the basics of an engineering skillset and revisit his background in math.

The design programs available to kite designers are powerful and offer the craftsman a great degree of control, but they are not always intuitive when it comes to the art of sizing structures and

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ABOVE: Kite design has historically been an obscure science, but with the mentorship of Bill Hansen, Brandon is armed with a roadmap of engineering and design skills necessary for kite development. // Photo Blaine Baker LEFT: Brandon’s superhuman athletic feats and success in park riding demonstrates his ability to focus on perfection, innovate and push a discipline forward. // Photo Vincent Bergeron

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designing control surfaces. From Brandon’s experience so far, “It’s easy to make something that looks beautiful on the computer, but if you build it wrong, the end result has a lot of problems.”

Out in the field of real life, the testing of designs is just as challenging as the hours spent mousing behind a computer.

Kite performance can be very subjective because kite products are used in such a wide variety of conditions. Designs have to balance both intended uses as well as ritual abuses, and Brandon knows as well as others that kiteboarders routinely ride kites well outside their wind range and do so with high expectations. “Most kiters love to be overpowered; it’s as if being under-powered is a stigma. When I show up at the beach, I find most people rig two meters larger than me.” Brandon explains, “In the Gorge, it’s not uncommon to witness riders take a 10m out in 40 knots, store it on the beach for a couple of hours and then put it away wet.”

From his experience in paragliding, Brandon’s flying wing gets meticulous care and never sees the sun if it doesn’t have to. While the materials are similar, the standards of care are radically different yet kiters expect exhaustive levels of performance from a product that has to be built for extreme consumer abuse and misuse.

When it comes to shakedown testing samples in the real world, Brandon has learned how to look at a product and assess its build as it relates to performance. Brandon can now intuit a lot about a kite from how it looks on the beach and as a lifelong rider of LF products with access to the historical files, he has volumes of perspective on these models. For Brandon, every testing session follows a routine set of steps, starting with the kite in the air and a series of drills that assess bar pressure, rear line tension and power distribution from the hook and bar. Noticing these things immediately, Brandon then checks overhead stability and evaluates the canopy’s response to depower.

Brandon’s prototype examination continues with simple observations on routine power strokes. Paying particular attention to the sin wave, he takes mental notes on the power generation during downward strokes and studies the hook into the upward stroke.

“Riders are typically edging hard on the bottom turn and the kite should climb and drive out of the turn if everything is in balance.” He observes how the kite climbs, turns and boosts, not just on typical jumps but on lofty transitions and then again on jumps where the kite is over-sent and poorly flown.

LEFT: As a hyper-productive athlete in the photoshoot department, Brandon has forged new boundaries and achieved marketing goals with a ferocity demonstrated by few others. // Photo Vincent Bergeron BELOW: Bridle tuning is often regarded as one of the bigger challenges of kite design. With a background in basic woodworking, Brandon describes kite design as “less band saw and more mouse work, but just the same amount of creative tinkering.” // Photo Blaine Baker

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The kite gets the megaloop treatment and on long upwind tacks, the airframe is loaded with extra tension to see what happens to the wingtips, airframe and bridle points. Different models have different performance criteria—for instance, a freestyle kite needs to ride comfortably unhooked when over-sheeted, while wave and freeride platforms need a completely different set of qualities. Even something as simple as relaunch can be analyzed and tested; Brandon likes to crash the kite and skate towards it to encourage it to roll within itself. It’s easy to test a kite for the optimal user, but you can learn a lot about a design by simulating rider error.

The testing process is exhaustive and subjective, but most designers rely on a team of strong users for feedback. Few designers are launching megaloops, so having an athlete is crucial—if a rider like Nick Jacobsen can’t break a product in his psycho daily life than that is a good sign. Since most designers aren’t doing advanced moves, they require a tester to tell them whether the turns are drivey through a powered kiteloop or if the kite is not catching the rider on the drop. However, this requires a very refined language and communication between a designer and an athlete. The average user can point out the difference between a C-kite and a bow kite, not only because the latter has a bridle, but the extra depower is apparent. When you start comparing freeride kites against surf kites, or surf kites against surf kites, it becomes harder for the average person to discern the subtle changes. Yet for Brandon, a lifetime of riding and pushing both himself and his gear beyond the edge of what is thought possible, these subtle differences are palpable.

TOP LEFT: Although kites are designed on computers and built in factories overseas, understanding basic sewing and seam construction are vital requisites for hands-on problem solving. // Photo Blaine Baker ABOVE: What you won’t see on glossy spec sheets; the typical design loft complete with wooden 2x4 shelving and historical kite bags stuffed with prototypes overflowing onto the ground. // Photo Brandon Scheid RIGHT: As a professional athlete, running a sample kite through its paces is anything but normal. Brandon owns the market on stylish method grabs. // Photo Vincent Bergeron

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When asked why the culture of designers tends to be so secretive and closed off from the average user, Brandon identifies a number of realities that come with the cult of design. “Designers want to qualify the people giving feedback; you need some type of validation to trust the value and accuracy of the feedback.

Sometimes people don’t want to tell you when a product is bad and other people don’t have the skills to perceive and isolate performance behaviors from conditions or personal riding styles.”

Brandon has noticed that most people don’t like new kites when they first fly them. “There’s this resistance to change; they like their old kite because a new kite requires adjustments to the way you ride and many aren’t always open to that.” When Brandon tests with the LF team, he never offers up his opinion, instead, he fields input and weighs that against what he knows. Brandon doesn’t have this problem, but he believes designers can have a hard time separating their ego from the design, especially when their work gets validated, like having the ‘kite of the year,’ and this endorsement can get in the way of progress.

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ABOVE: When Brandon first broke into the world of professional kiteboarding, he took notes from mentor Jason Slezak on the finer details of riding style, brand loyalty and the importance of being an all-around, down to earth rider. In his latest endeavors, Brandon’s philosophy is that “good stuff speaks for itself and the plan is to build equipment that we are really passionate about.” // Photo Vincent Bergeron

Designers are generally put on pedestals—partly because of past successes, but partly because of their rarity and the mystical complexity of the design process. Who’s to say that an athlete can’t be a kite designer? The first generation of kite designers tended to be Ph.D. carrying master level innovators, rocket scientists and brain surgeons, but will that hold true for our future? For those who have been around long enough, there’s a collective laundry list of historical innovations that have been heralded for their technological leaps but ridiculed for their hype and failure to improve the user experience and stand the test of wind and time.

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Is it possible that the synaptic intelligence of a lifelong kiteboarder could prove equally as important as a pocket protector? There’s a very solid argument to be made that the mechanical process of designing kites could be far easier to learn than the intuitive skillset of sensing the precise metrics of a kite’s performance. The math and engineering side of kite design could be easily taught in a classroom or textbook if such a curriculum existed, yet the ability to perceive and feel minute performance changes may be a far more difficult and murky skill to obtain. While these questions may remain unanswered, armed with his superhuman athletic talents, a relentless desire to tinker and the guidance of his mentor, Brandon Scheid is plotting a course behind the curtain of kite design.

Cape Lookout National Seashore

Congrats.

You just found the historic lighthouse on the Crystal Coast.

Now it’s time to BookTheCoast.com and visit North Carolina’s Southern Outer Banks.

North Carolina’s

southern outer banks

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PATAGONIA RØ® Hoody This long-sleeved surf hoody is made from light, fast-drying 85% recycled polyester/15% spandex with four-way stretch, an antimicrobial finish and 50+ UPF sun protection. Wear it in or out of the water, the RØ Hoody offers excellent protection from the sun and wind; its three-panel brimmed hood with adjustable drawcord provides a secure, custom fit around the face, sheds water and shields your eyes from the sun. $65 // www.patagonia.com

GLOBAL RESCUE Bivvy Stick The new and updated Bivvy Stick turns your phone into a 2-way satellite communication device and allows you to share your location, get a weather report, send a message or initiate an SOS. With roughly half the weight of most cell phones, it’s compatible with all GoPro mounts and works 100% off global satellite coverage anywhere you can see the sky. $349.99 // www.bivystick.com

SOLSHAKA Surf Scarf Take your amphibious sunscreen protection to the next level. The Solshaka surf scarf has been developed by a kitesurfer for every kind of athlete. Keep your face in the shade and breath easily, even when having a nasty wipeout or getting seriously dunked. The quick-drying fabric, custom moldable noseband, adjustable head strap, large breathing vent and loose fit combine together to create a comfortable, all day, wet or dry, high performance sun shield.

Handmade in the USA. $35.99 // www.solshaka.com

MANERA Meteor X10D Hybrid 3/2mm It’s very frustrating to be cold when riding in a warm place. Manera designed their hybrid shorty to be warm and packed it with the same technologies as the 3.2mm X10D Steamer. The inside X10D is stretchy, light and super comfortable. It’s a perfect suit for waveriding, freestyle, wingsurfing and SUPing because of its ability to follow the rider’s movements without any restriction. If you’re looking for lightness and flexibility, this is the wetsuit you need. $269 // www.manera.com

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ONTRACKGEAR Transition Portable Shower Stay cool and clean! The Transition is an electric portable shower that does not require any pumping and provides up to three weeks of daily showering thanks to its internal rechargeable battery. With a capacity of 9 liters packed into a lightweight, compact and easily portable design, the system features an easy trigger showerhead handle which regulates pressure and instantly stops the flow of water to maximize every precious ounce. $115 // www.ontrackgear.com

WEATHERFLOW Tempest Weather System Designed in Santa Cruz, California, this powerful all-in-one personal weather system accurately measures a dozen weather parameters, including wind speed, temperature, wind chill, pressure, lightning, and UV index. The Tempest Weather System uses your real-time weather data and cutting edge data science to deliver a hyper-accurate forecast for your location, delivered via the Tempest app or iKitesurf. Plan your day with confidence that the weather won’t get in the way. $329 // www.weatherflow.com

ION Wetshirt Hood Protect yourself from the sun’s powerful rays with this hooded wetshirt. Made from breathable, quick-drying material that will protect you from UV rays, this shirt’s multi-functional material makes it comfortable to wear all day, in or out of the water. $49 // www.ion-essentials.com

REVBALANCE Swell 2.0 Designed to improve your flow and prepare you for moments out on the water that require your entire body to work in unison, the balance and coordination skills learned by using the Swell translate to real on-water improvements. You can’t always make it out for a shred session, but with a Swell in your living room, you know you’ll always be ready. $169.95 // www.revbalance.com

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VIEWPOINT

THE UNSPOKEN TRUTH ABOUT KITEBOARDING Words by Bindu Bhakta Högstedt | Photos by Alex Schwarz

There is something so inherently beautiful in the culture of kiteboarding that no one talks about. It doesn’t get mentioned in the lifestyle videos made by the pros and legends in our sport.

Trust me, I’ve spent countless Covid-19 quarantine hours straining my eyes over Reo Stevens’ videos of Marshall Island, Moona and Keahi showing off glorious blue barrels in Fiji, Jalou on exotic boat trips and Mitu teaching his beautiful children in Cape Verde. In all that action, the most common theme left unacknowledged is the unprecedented willingness within our community to embrace one another so opening, lovingly and trustingly.

When and where else in the world do you have the opportunity to cross paths with people that share such a strong common bond?

We meet in airports waiting for our ‘golf bags’ at the oversized baggage claim, excited to go ‘golfing’ on an island without a golf course. We stir restlessly on windless beaches, comparing notes and pondering acts of superstition or tribal mysticism—anything crazy enough to summon the wind Gods. After a long downwinder, we trustingly pile into a stranger’s van, and despite our sand-laden wetsuits, bulky gear and soggy nature, we are welcomed aboard and delivered safely back to our starting point. We have aftersession ‘board’ meetings and share our day’s successes and failures over beverages and sunsets. Last but not least, the legends of our sport are only a quick text away, and often so open with their advice and happy to share the stoke, all for the love of the sport.

We learn quickly to entrust our lives to these people—legend or not. We depend on each other for launches, landings and rescues.

Somehow, these kinships seem to transcend the typical timeframe it takes to forge long-lasting, quality friendships. We trust fellow

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kiters with our passports (something most people keep in a safety deposit box) while traveling through foreign lands. We throw ourselves at uncharted territory and unknown people, all for the love of the wind. I’m not quite sure how this happens, but newfound kiting friends can feel closer than most of the friends we grew up with, and if you are a kiter, you know exactly what I’m talking about. Even in the most territorial kitesurfing spots, riders often choose to take the higher ground and accept an unfamiliar face or take the time to explain basic riding etiquette to the newbie.

We are bound by the need for wind, collectively cursed by its absence, and regularly demonstrate severe addictions to devices that monitor wind when we’re not near the beach.

Shortly after learning to kite, I traveled to questionable areas across unsecured borders. I jumped on a boat and shared communal bunk rooms with 12 random individuals just to kite the San Blas Islands, an archipelago just off of Panama. I have hiked, biked, bowled, surfed, scuba dived, snorkeled, kayaked, skateboarded, camped, rock climbed, rollerbladed and danced competitively, yet, in none of those sports have I come close to making the kind of connections I have found so easily in kiteboarding. I have shared ski cabins with snowboarding friends for 16 back-to-back seasons, yet the camaraderie baked into snowsports still can’t hold a flame to the unity found in kiteboarding.

In all the sports I have experienced in my life, kiting by far is the one sport to rule them all (excuse any references to The Lord of the Rings)—the unparalleled culture of the kite community is an unspoken worldwide ‘family’ and it comes with an automatic initiation the moment you sign on for your first body drag.

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THE CIRCLE OF LIFT Words and photos courtesy of Airush

The Lift is highly remarked as the kite model that, back in 2002, put Airush on the map. The glossy product spec sheet for the kite’s historic release reads, “The design principle was to turn advanced sailors into experts, and make winners out of mere competitors.”

At the time, sales hype and lofty promises were all the rage, however, it was widely believed that the qualities offered by the Lift made it one of the most advanced kites on the market. The Lift became celebrated for its wide power range, top-end control and big air capabilities.

A Lift pro model was introduced in 2004 for super aggressive riders, hungry for even more kite speed and insane boosts, but by 2005 the Lift was back to one model and Airush expanded their C-kite range to include the Flow and Reactor. The Flow was designed to cover the intermediate capabilities that the range needed, whilst the Reactor was considered the ultimate highperformance, high-speed, highly explosive kite in the range.

Yet the Lift remained the flagship high-aspect, boosting kite for the brand.

According to longtime Airush rider Mike Birt, “Straight off, it was ahead of everything that was out there, which at that time, was very surprising. The 9.4m Lift was a beautiful kite; very efficient with tight handling. It was just very, very good.” It was commonly regarded as a massive step forward at a time when safety was a major concern. “You used to see people getting yarded every five minutes; I don’t miss that in kiteboarding. But when the Lift was released, it really helped reduce those sorts of accidents as it had a pretty amazing top-end and that meant you could push your performance much more,” recalls Kyle Flower, former sales manager of North American distribution.

With the growth of niche-specific models for freeride, freestyle, wave riding and racing, the Lift was discontinued at the end of the 2007 season when it was determined that the Flow and Reactor had encroached on the Lift’s big air performance. The Flow and Reactor were followed by highly popular freeride models like the Lithium, Varial X and eventually the Union. Freestyle C-kite performance was handed over to the Razor and surfers moved towards the Wave. If the Lift of 2005 was compared to the kites within the modern Airush line, the Varial X would have been the closest parallel, as a kite easy enough to use but with performance levels taken up a notch for super huge jumps. Along the way, there were some other niche models like the Lithium Zero no-strut kite, the Vantage for racing and the Ultra which was designed as a super lightweight single strut kite for foiling and traveling.

Having just moved to Maui at the time, Kyle recalls, “It handled a lot of wind and was predictable too, which was very cool. The Lift was what experienced riders had been waiting for. It had the level of performance for riders that knew what they were doing and who wanted to throw big, floaty jumps that were the fashion then—the Lift was definitely a kite that could get you there and in control.”

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Fast forward 13-years later, Airush has come full circle and is now bringing back the Lift as an entirely new platform that incorporates the latest design knowledge and developments to deliver a new era of the Lift with superior high-performance, big air boosting.

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ON THE MAP

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Brandon Scheid // Hood River, USA

Keahi de Aboitiz // West Africa

Jesse Richman // Mindoro, Philippines

Damien Girardin // Maui, Hawaii

Nino Liboni // Bilene, Mozambique

Gabi Steindl // Vanuatu

Over 40 years of experience combined

Imagine kiteboarding #beyond... www.reedinkitesusa.com @reedin.usa 119

Fresh out of lockdown, Helena Brochocka and Christophe Tack enjoy a socially distanced kite session in Rio Jara amongst the bucolic hills of Tarifa. // Photo Julien Leleu

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2021 BAJA FREERIDE TEST

COME TEST WITH TKB! L A V E N TA N A , M E X I C O | J A N 9 - 1 7 , 2 0 2 1 K i t e s , F o i l s , W i n g s , Tw i n T i p s , D i r e c t i o n a l s , B r a n d Ta l k s & M o r e !

APPLY AT: WWW.THEKITEBOARDER.COM/2021-FREERIDE-TEST 122