The Kiteboarder Magazine Vol. 12, No. 4

VOL. 12 NO. 4 PRINCE CABO VERDE THE BEST OF BARRELS

NAMOTU REVISITED THE ART OF SATORI

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PRO PERFORMANCE FREESTYLE SIZES

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WOMEN’S FREERIDE/WAVE SIZES

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NAISH 2016 KITE COLLECTION Meet the heavy-hitters for the 2016 season. With shapes customized to amp up the riding of weekend warriors, seasoned pros and everyone in between, the new line-up is ready to take you to the next level. Find the kite that compliments your style, visit NaishKites.com.

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THIS IS YOUR MOMENT.

BROADEN YOUR HORIZONS. Pacific Boardsports LLC NaishKiteboarding

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info@pacificboardsports.com

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(509) 493-0043

Photo: Q. Dein, Rider: Jesse Richman

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400 feet from the best launch in the bay

LETTER FROM THE EDITOR Go ahead, just say it. Call me out. Yeah, this is a surf issue with a couple of token twin tip photos sprinkled here and there. Guilty, but it wasn’t a conscious move. For those that kitesurf, this issue ought to be your favorite magazine of the year, but if you don’t surf, give it a read and it might entice you to get out in the waves.

This fall, I changed my priorities and spent the first couple of months kiting my brains out, literally. Santa Cruz was going off, and when it wasn’t, I was scoring in Mauritius at the F-One and North dealer meetings. Ok, now I’m bragging, but the point is that the surfing side of our sport is so addictive and fulfilling that it explains the weighted surf stories packed into this issue.

•Full Kitchens •Internet •BBQs •Secure Gear Storage

•Satellite TV •Outdoor Showers •Rooftop Patio •Off-street Parking

The same thing happens when I spend time in Hood River. First I start flirting with boots, then rails, and the next thing you know, I’m all starry-eyed with the unhooked antics of riders like Brandon Scheid, Colleen Carroll and Craig Cunningham; and the following mag typically ends up plastered with freestyle.

What’s the take away? I’m easily influenced by the equally captivating sides of the sport, because, when you expand your mind, the attraction to them is not so different. Take for instance Bas Kool’s crail grab tutorial (P72). He shows you how to do it unhooked on a twin tip, but I love that grab on my surfboard when boosting over waves on the way out. It’s an easy grab that keeps your board on your feet on the bigger airs, and stylewise, it’s crisp, stretches out the lower back and kills time in between sets.

Want another similarity between the surf-ying and freestyle-yang of kiteboarding? Read Alex Lewis-Hughes’ Viewpoint (P104) on the pisspoor state of our professional tour. Sounds pretty dodgy, but when I think about the nonexistent competitive surf side of our sport, there’s another connection between the two modalities. Kiters are some of the most passionate people I know; go to a party and they can’t stop talking kite, yet with all that hot air, we can’t seem to fund a super successful pro tour.

360-600-7216

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LVbungalows@gmail.com

I have a friend that reminds me that kiteboarding today is like surfing in the ‘60s; barely getting started with tons of kinks to work out. I don’t know if that’s true, but if it is then I can’t wait for the next chapter.

Happy New Year!

Brendan Richards

Introducing the NEW 2016 AXIS Kapua.

Born from the desire for a feather weight surfboard that can stand up to the punishment of kiting.

In an industry first we built this board using a high performance polypropylene fibre called Innegra which has outstanding impact and compressive strength properties. This results in a surfboard that is strong but light, so light that we named it ‘Kapua’, a Maori word meaning cloud.

Each board is hand laminated with pigmented epoxy resin, so no two boards will ever look exactly the same. The Kapua also features a carbon fibre patch to further reduce compression under your front foot, which we’ve covered with a trippy white pattern to stop the black carbon melting your wax on a sunny day. Our global surf team have been testing, tuning, breaking and refining this family of shapes until we can’t think of anything left to improve.

If strapless kite surfing is your thing, we designed the AXIS Kapua range to be the best thing you can put between your feet and the water.

SIZES 6’0” x 18½” x 2¼” 25.3 ltrs Thruster 5’11” x 19¼” x 23/8” 28.1 ltrs Quad 5’9” x 18½” x 21/8” 23.6 ltrs Quad 5’7” x 18¼” x 21/8” 22.6 ltrs Quad 5’4” x 17½” x 2” 19.7 ltrs Quad

www.axiskiteboarding.com

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CONTENTS 18 CHILEAN CHANGE

Hood River’s Ken Lucas discovers the limitless possibilities of Santiago’s big mountain snowkiting terrain and endless left-hand breaks on the Pacific Coast, all in the same day.

26 REVOLUTIONS

Ben Wilson returning to his roots in Namotu isn’t fate, just natural evolution, but when Ben’s kite heroes, Robby Naish and Pete Cabrinha, drop in and share a Cloudbreak reunion session it makes you wonder.

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36 ICELAND WIDE OPEN

The Exotikite cowboys leave the arid Baja landscape for a trip of a lifetime through Iceland’s endless pastoral backcountry, discovering a raw world of mist and color in Iceland’s untapped kitesurfing frontier.

62 THE PRINCE OF CABO VERDE

The study of Mitu Monteiro’s transformation from a quiet island boy to a world traveling kitesurfing icon. Born in a small village on Cabo Verde 350 miles off the west coast of Africa, Mitu follows his heart deep into the world of professional kitesurfing.

78 DA GUZI

Santa Barbara’s Chris Gutzeit has a secret art career and it’s on the verge of exploding. Each Art Of Satori piece is a play of aesthetic materials, light and infinite perspective. Maybe it’s prime time to collect a Gutzeit.

90 THE BEST OF THE BARRELS

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Sometimes the images of perfection coming out of Indo are mind numbing, but when the hottest kitesurfers cross tacks in Indonesia and talk about it, we just can’t look the other way.

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8 FROM THE EDITOR

86 THIS & THAT

24 SCENE

88 WISHLIST

50 PROFILE : Olivia Withington

102 15 MINUTES

Life is better when the wind is blowing.

104 VIEWPOINT

52 PROFILE : Hal Turner

Alex Hughes-Lewis has got something to say; it may hurt some feelings in the competitive freestyle world, but let’s swallow the pill and move forward.

Have paint brush, will travel for surf.

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54 EXPOSED

108 ROOTS

Steve Gunn embarks on retirement version 2.0.

110 PARTING SHOT

Conventional Wood Stringer: > Foam compresses around stringer forming a hard ridge that leads to breakage

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Optimized rail wrapping lamination for better torsional flex.

Enhancing the boards ability to: > Absorb bumps > Project out of turns

Heavier, high density polyurethane foam core limits the amount of reinforcements possible without significant weight gain.

Polyester is prone to microfracturing, leading to loss of strength and performance over time.

Lightweight carbon stringer: > Stiff linear flex > Positive, very lively feel

On the Cover

Glass reinforcements only

Natural cork reinforcements: > Help prevent heel dents > Provide dampening for maximum comfort

Matt Elsasser captured mid-float on a fierce frontside air above the lip in the waning sun of a balmy summer Indo evening.

Photo Jason Wolcott

Chilean Surf and Snow, Circling back to Namotu, Chris Gutzeit, Iceland, Mitu Monteiro,

Lightweight EPS foam core permits the use of stronger epoxy resin and added reinforcements: > Much stronger > Same weight > Long lasting performance

Easy heel dents

The Kiteboarder Vol. 12 No. 4

stripped down A TRADITIONAL SURFBOARD VS. LIGHT TEAM CONSTRUCTION

A DVA N TAG E S O F L I G H T T E A M CO N ST RU C T I O N

2 . ST R E N G T H -TO -W E I G H T R AT I O THROUGH OPTIOMIZED RESIN FLOW AND THE USE O F E P O X Y, T H E B O A R D I S L I G H T E R , B U T S T R O N G E R THAN CUSTOM PU BOARDS.

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3. FEELING MORE RESPONSIVE FEELING AND LONGER LASTING PERFORMANCE.

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Winter 2015

1. PRECISION CNC MILLED CORE AND MOLD ENSURE 100% ACCURACY OF AN EXACT REPLICA OF OUR TEAM’S SHAPE OF CHOICE.

VOL. 12 NO. 4 PRINCE CABO VERDE THE BEST OF BARRELS

NAMOTU REVISITED THE ART OF SATORI

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Marina Chang, Publisher marina@thekiteboarder.com Brendan Richards, Editor brendan@thekiteboarder.com Jennifer Jones, Art Director jen.jones@moxyinternational.com India Stephenson, Line Editor india@thekiteboarder.com Shana Gorondy, Graphic Designer sgorondy@gmail.com Alexis Rovira, Editor At Large alexis@thekiteboarder.com Gary Martin, Technical Editor gary@thekiteboarder.com Seth Warren, Senior Contributor elementsmixedmedia@gmail.com EDITORIAL CONSULTANTS Neil Hutchinson, Stefan Ruether, Rick Iossi, Toby Brauer, Matt Sexton, Kevin “Irie Dog” Murray, Kinsley ThomasWong, James Brown, Ginette Buffone, Maui Mike, Members of the Central Coast/Santa Barbara CKA, Evan Mavridoglou CONTRIBUTORS Ken Lucas, Ben Wilson, Joe Winowski, India Stephenson, Reo Stevens, Matt Elsasser, Jalou Langeree, Bas Coole, Alex Lewis-Hughes PHOTOGRAPHERS Rudy Dellinger, Ben Ginsberg, Joaquim Oliveira, Ken Lucas, Pablo Garcia, Michael Neumann, Jim Stringfellow, Karla Barrera-Morstad, Vincent Bergeron, Toby Bromwich, Michael Chavannes, Islay Petrie, Glenn Duffus, Seth Warren, Mark Hall, David Grahn, Rou Chater, Gabriele Rumbolo, Gilles Calvet, Jen Jones, Christy Schuler, Jason Wolcott, kornilov.com.ua, Fernando Cerchiara, Lisa Jefferson, Marion Rohe Kaufer, Brian Nitto/55 Productions, Monica Bassett, Josh Pietras Visit us on: thekiteboarder.com • thekiteboarderschool.com twitter.com/the_kiteboarder • facebook.com/thekiteboardermagazine ADMINISTRATIVE/ADVERTISING OFFICE 1356 16th Street, Los Osos, CA 93402 805.459.2373 SUBSCRIPTIONS orders@thekiteboarder.com • store.thekiteboarder.com | 805.459.2373 Have you got an idea for an article you would like to see in The Kiteboarder Magazine? Send your submission to: editor@thekiteboarder.com © 2015 Boardsports Media LLC. All rights reserved.

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PROUDLY PRINTED IN THE USA

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FRONTSIDE

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Jan Schiegnitz at an improptu rail session on some benches in Obertauern, Austria. The snowkite spot is located just outside a huge ski area where the locals hold a snowkite jam each year called “Chill the Hill.� Jan and friends set up a barbecue and sessioned the valley for a good time together. // Photo Rudy Dellinger

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FRONTSIDE

Photographer Ben Ginsberg traveled from California to Maui chasing the big wave season. The plan was to meet up with some conventional surfers, but with strong winds forecasted for the first half of the trip it was looking like a total wash until he met some kitesurfers on the cliffs above Jaws. Ben spent the entire day shooting Kai Lenny, Patri McLaughlin and pictured here, Jesse Richman, getting barreled on one of the biggest waves of the swell.

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By Ken Lucas

s kiters, we’ve learned to adapt well to change.

When the wind picks up, we grab our small kite and when it warms up, we peel off our wetsuits. We find excitement in this variance rather than comfort in the monotony of the same old, same old. We thrive on the changes in atmospheric pressure that, to our pleasure, often produce the wind, waves and snow that we constantly seek. Traveling to new locations and seeking out unique cultural experiences often takes us out of our comfort zone and feeds our hunger for the unfamiliar and unknown. We’re hardwired to feed some basic human need, the never-ending search for the steadiest wind, steepest chutes and biggest waves.

This natural drive is what led us deep into the sliver of a country along South America’s west coast: Chile, a kiteboarder’s promised land.

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Chilean big wave and tow-in surfer Rafael Tapia is the best tour guide you’ll ever find in Chile. // Photo Joaquim Oliveira

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he true gem of South America, Chile sets the bar high as a country of extremes and varying climates. From the 22,000-foot peaks of the Andes, the longest mountain range in the world, to the countless number of left-handed surf breaks, to the driest desert in the Patagonia region, Chile is the penultimate playground of variety.

Traveling with enough gear to handle a variety of ever-changing conditions on both the water and snow can be tough but with no set plans or reservations we limp out of the Santiago Airport terminal with two roller bags apiece. Pretty much sitting ducks for local entrepreneurs looking to make an easy dollar, we dodge target practice and negotiate a black market rental car in the parking lot. We pull off for a quick stop in the city of six million people and 10,000 stray dogs to recharge with mate, the country’s national drink, before heading towards the mountains.

Short in distance but cumbersome in time, we drive the 25 miles and 40 switchbacks up a mountain road while climbing 9,000 feet in elevation to Tres Valles Resorts. Rumors in the parking lot tipped us off to windy conditions which had caused the mountain staff to close the top lift at La Parva. We grab our kites and head for the summit via a surface Poma lift.

Here we were, just hours after stepping off the plane at 12,000 feet above sea level, about to kite a giant backcountry bowl for some epic snowkiting powder. Dropping in for an abundance of face shots, freshies and high fives, we kite until the sun sets beyond the mountain backdrop wrapping our lines up just in time for a typical 9pm Chilean dinner and a restful night in a quaint mountain town, high above Santiago’s city limits.

As we settle in, adjusting and finding comfort in our new mountain utopia, the clouds of an approaching storm brings a dreaded whiteout to the treeless landscape and stops us in our tracks. Storms in the mountains of Chile mean there will be fresh powder in a day or so. Playing everything by ear gives us the chance to hit the coast for some liquid kiting.

With a quick check of the wind and wave forecast, anticipation causes us to drive a little faster on the two-hour journey to Matanzas, the closest kite beach to Santiago. The fading swell causes the locals to remark, “should have been here yesterday.” Trading yesterday’s epic powder for today’s smaller wave conditions, we launch in Las Brisas and make the easy one-mile upwind tack to La Roca Quadrada in 9m wind conditions and waist-high surf.

The day turns brighter as we connect with professional waterman, Rafael Tapia. His chill yet confident surfer attitude combined with a burly physique make him stand out on the beach like a South American Laird Hamilton. Confined to the city but hooked on surfing since he was a child, Rafael grew up surfing whenever he got the chance, whether it was big or small, but in Chile, the conditions are often quite

big. Paddling out in these waves gave Rafael the confidence of surfing decent sized waves. This taste fueled his hunger for chasing larger waves and sparked a passion for tow-in surfing. You can find Rafael SUPing a glassy Teahupo’o on tour, paddling into Chile’s Punta de Lobos, towing into Portugal’s world-record sized Nazare, or kiting towering swell on the outer reefs of Kawaii.

Rafael mentions a remote “secret spot” and we are instantly sold. The next morning breaks clear and we escape the crowds of Pichilemu’s Infiernillo Beach, driving a private dirt road to an exposed headland drawing swell onto a rugged host of cragged rocks. The stakes are as high as the waves.

With strong winds blowing, Rafael hits the water first, throwing huge spray on some double overhead waves. It is on. We rig up and charge the pristine, secluded waves all day long. Over a few beers on the beach, we contemplate the uniqueness of our situation: It is wintertime in Chile.

We just rode an incredible left point break in our boardshorts, and just yesterday, we were snowkiting amongst 15,000 foot peaks. Where do we buy the bumper sticker: I heart Chile?

We attempt to reciprocate Rafael’s generosity in sharing locations by inviting him to snowkite in the mountains with us the next day.

Unfortunately, our chance to ride together on snow quickly melted away as a massive swell arose and he said goodbye before heading off to represent Chile on the Big Wave World Tour.

At Rafael’s recommendation, we left the coast and headed north of Santiago to Ski Arpa for some of Chile’s best cat skiing and snowkiting.

Unlike many South American countries, Chile paves most of its roads, and pays for it with a legion of toll booths. As chance would have it, we run out of pesos at the last toll booth with no ATM in sight. International negotiations fail as the agent denies forward progress. In stereotypical South American tradition, waving an extra $20 Americana opens the final gate and allows us to proceed.

Ski Arpa’s winding hour-long dirt access road cuts a path of steep switchbacks and tests both the car and the driver. Clearing the 20-foot tall cactus trees and reaching the snow line, we pull into a small parking lot where we are welcomed with warm arms by the resort’s owner, an 80-year-old Austrian named Toni Sponar. With strong hands that literally built the entire Ski Arpa resort from the ground up, his deeply tanned and lined face reflects a well-lived life high in the mountains.

As part of the first wave of Austrian ski instructors to come to America to teach skiing and fulfill their dreams, Toni first moved to Aspen, where he lives for the northern hemisphere’s winter. He spends his southern winters in Chile surrounding himself with year-round skiing environments. Toni gets on snow almost every day to guide fresh tracks. He knows these mountains well and has built one of the best ski experiences on the planet.

TOP: Ken Lucas kiting to the top and dropping back down for endless loops. Photo Monica Bassett // MIDDLE LEFT: World-renowned tow surfer Rafael Tapia happily turns tour guide and helps Ken and company find the kitesurfing goods. Photo Pablo Garcia // MIDDLE RIGHT: Legend Toni Sponar in his backcountry chalet presiding

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over the Chilean ski resort he built with his son. Photo Michael Neumann // BOTTOM: From mountains to surf, Chile is full of opportunity. Photo Ken Lucas

"From the 22,000-foot peaks of the Andes, the longest mountain range in the world, to the countless number of lefthanded surf breaks, to the driest desert in the Patagonia region, Chile is the penultimate playground of variety."

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"Chile’s geological diversity had provided us with non-stop and continuous, back to back sessions, placing us in a dreamlike state. Is this place real ?"

A pair of K2s and a Cabrinha Switchblade will take you anywhere you want to go in the Chilean backcountry. // Photo Ken Lucas

Late in the afternoon, as the sunset lights up the mountain peaks in alpenglow, Toni dishes out Austrian hospitality, providing tips and stories from a lifetime of mountain living. With a body as strong as the mountains and a personality as soft as the powder he rides on a day-to-day basis, he’s built a successful life by sharing his passion, by no means an easy feat.

Three full days of riding the wide open bowls and steep chutes that surround Ski Arpa and we are due for a change. A quick call to Rafael for some in-depth local knowledge gets us on the road again for epic conditions further south in Curanipe. The longish five-hour drive gives us time to take in Central Chile’s rolling hills and farm valleys while reflecting on our past few days. Crisscrossing Chile’s slender ridges between the mountains and coastline, we’d followed the weather and chased the wind for both world class kitesurfing and snowkiting sessions. Chile’s geological diversity had provided us with non-stop and continuous, back to back sessions, placing us in a dreamlike state. Is this place real?

The landscape becomes spectacular as we journey along the coast, defined by cliffs, secluded sandy beaches and waves breaking on rock formations.

Upon arriving in Curanipe, infamous for its magical left, Sirena, we are

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jolted back to reality when noticing the memorial to lives lost in the 2010 earthquake/tsunami. We learn Chile’s 1960 earthquake is the world’s largest in recorded history. We ponder the fortune of good health and the luxury of spending our days in the pursuit of kiteboarding.

While change can be as traumatic as the shifting of tectonic plates, it can also provide the thrill and excitement we need to recharge, progress and satisfy. If the taming of the modern world has created a monotony and tediousness of the familiar, we’ve turned to boardsports to expand our horizons and feel alive. Constantly challenging nature’s more powerful forces, be it big waves, strong winds or severe cold, we voluntarily place ourselves at the mercy of the greater elements.

Rafael thrives on a life of constant travel and the versatility between riding big waves via tow-in, kite or standup paddle. Toni has built a life dedicated to skiing the northern and southern hemispheres in pursuit of the endless winter. In the same vein, continuing our quest for the ultimate ride, we head back into the mountains, prepared for the next day’s frosty cheeks and frozen fingertips. Meditating on the mantra, “change is good,” we add another layer of Merino and zip up our GoreTex, ready to adapt to the fickle mountain weather’s violent snowstorms and whiplashing winds.

The weather’s bleak, but at least the locals are friendly. Jake Kinney shares a cold one with his new pal after an epic day of kiting in Iceland’s western fjords. SETH WARREN © 2015 Patagonia, Inc.

Wearever, whenever.

Some of Iceland’s hazards, like seared whale steaks and sad indie rock, are easy enough to avoid. But cold and stormy weather is a sure part of any North Atlantic kite trip, and that’s where our go-anywhere Nano Puff ® Jacket comes in. Lightweight, windproof and water-resistant, it has a 100% recycled polyester shell and lining, and its low-bulk PrimaLoft® Gold insulation stays warm even in wet conditions. A DWR (durable water repellent) fi nish sheds fog or showers, and the whole jacket packs down into its own internal pocket for travel. Better yet, it’s built to last and backed by our unparalleled Ironclad Guarantee.

PATAG O N I A .C O M / S U R F

Men’s Nano Puff ® Jacket packs small into its own internal pocket.

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1. This issue’s stoke award goes to Celeste Rhoads; scoring a fall session in the Hood never looked so good. Photo Jim Stringfellow // 2. Little Stella had an idea: ”Daddy, you should take me and Ryder kitesurfing together!” Phil from KitesurfPR, aka Daddy, balances Stella between his legs with Ryder on top for one of the better family portraits we’ve seen. Photo Karla Barrera-Morstad // 3. This little piggy (Brandon Scheid) went to Brazil. Photo Vincent Bergeron // 4. Good or bad?

Kiteboarding, hot tub, hot girls and beer — Craig Cunningham pushing the limits in Hatteras.

Photo Toby Bromwich // 5. Damien Leroy and Evan Netsch off to the races with their blowup whales. Photo Selfie // 6. A “semi-retired” Steve Gunn steals the stage at Mai Tai. Photo Courtesy Cabrinha // 7. Brett Zachar, owner at 321 Kiteboarding, takes to the slack line at Kiteoberfest in Cocoa Beach, Florida. Photo Michael Chavannes // 8. Straight up — that’s where these two are taking women’s kiteboarding. Photo Selfie // 9. Five bills to the first person that can spot the kite bums at the 2016 Dream Extreme fundraising event. Photo Brian Nitto/55 Productions

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Welcome to Sabo Smack, a column where we address awkward and bodily-driven phenomena that exists in kiteboarding.

Problem: I’m going to venture into an area of kiteboarding fashion that is often thought

to have no gray area. Possibly the most divisive topic in kiteboarding, one in which people stand their ground more defiantly than ever. The topic for this edition of Sabo Smack is peeing in your wetsuit.

Before we start, you probably already have an opinion on the matter. Either you

believe that this is totally normal or you think this is the most horrid and rank

thing you can do while encased in a layer of neoprene. Odds are, you might not have even known this black and white issue actually has a yellow area.

Analysis: Is peeing in your wetsuit bad for your wetsuit or for your health? Technically, the micro bacteria in your pee could eat away at the seals in your wetsuit and rocking

a pee’d up wetsuit can offer mild skin irritations (think diaper rash). Will going “numero uno” make your wetsuit stink? Yes, no argument, unless your pee is

magically formulated to work like Febreze. That being said, I think most people

need to relax a little bit and come over to the yellow side of the subject. I may

be a little more open minded about this than others, but here are my thoughts: I usually wear a wetsuit when it’s cold out, how about you? Nothing feels better than a quick shot of warmth to take that chill out of your bones. It’s a scientific

fact — holding your pee in makes you colder ­— all my snow shredding friends, you know this is true. The main reason I wear a wetsuit is because I know I’m going to get wet and as it turns out, our magic suits don’t work without the

water part. The heating mechanics of a wetsuit requires a thin layer of water between you and your neoprene. If you are surfing, one quick duck dive pretty

much flushes your whole suit out. If you’re not paddling, just dunk your head and tug on your collar to purge that unwanted mellow yellow. Is it really worth it to hold it in and ruin a perfectly good session? NO.

Conclusion: What’s the big deal about peeing in your wetsuit? In my humble opinion, it’s a relief; a session saver. It’s not like you are just marinating in your own wiz; big crashes are bound to stir things up (well maybe not always). Yeah, stale micturition might rank up your suit a bit, but sweat from extensive riding does just the same

thing. I guess it comes down to whether or not you think urine is filtered water

infused with life sustaining minerals, or toxic waste. If you’ve kiteboarded in some of the spots I have, such as Choco Lake, The Shit Ponds, Stinkies, or The Poo Lagoon — peeing in your wetsuit is the least of your problems.

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Words by Ben Wilson | Photos by Glenn Duffus

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It must have been fate that brought us all together in Fiji earlier this year. I was wrapping up my July Namotu kite camp, Pete Cabrinha and Keahi de Aboitz were chasing swell aboard the Cabrinha Quest and Robby Naish, Patri McLaughlin and Jesse Richman were shooting a new kitesurfing film called Chapter One. I hadn’t seen these guys in years but we were lucky enough to converge on Cloudbreak with wind and epic waves. It felt like a reunion.

Robby, Pete and I have been going to Namotu since the beginning — I met them on the Island around 1999 where I was working as a chef. They were some of the first people I ever saw ride a kite, and they were coming back to train during the Hawaiian off-season. There was a whole crew that started kiting Namotu; Dave Kalama, Rush Randle, Brett Lickle and Mike Waltz. I became good mates with these guys and they eventually taught Dano See, Scotty O’Connor (Namotu’s owner) and me how to kite. The afternoons in Fiji were always windy — perfect for kiting but horrible for surfing. It made sense to learn and we really got into it.

Dropping in backside at Cloudbreak with Robby Naish and Pete Cabrinha in the lineup, Ben hadn’t seen those guys since they got him into the sport 15 years ago.

Kiting and hanging out with the guys back in the early days was always entertaining. Back then, everyone was just trying to figure it all out.

Namotu has a really small launch area so there were plenty of crazy incidents from wrapping lines on canoes to dodgy near misses with Wanga’s beachside bar. For the surfers, watching this nonsense was quite a spectacle. There was always something going wrong whenever we were around.

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ne night stands out in particular. Robby and I were on Namotu at the end of the millennium and Quicksilver had reserved both Namotu and Tavarua Islands for a huge New Year’s event. The party was supposed to happen on Namotu but at the last minute they switched the venue to Tavarua. With some of the New Year’s supplies left behind, we decided to stay on Namotu and throw our own party with Quicksilver’s champagne, food and fireworks.

By the end of the night we ended up setting off about $10,000 worth of fireworks, and one guy who was with us very nearly blew his arm off ! I guess that’s why everyone called it “No Rules Namotu.”

But aside from all that (or maybe in spite of it), those guys were hugely inspiring. I grew up idolizing them and they were the driving force behind my decision to take up kiting professionally.

By the end of the night we ended up setting off about $10,000 worth of fireworks, and one guy who was with us very nearly blew his arm off!

In those early years Robby, Pete and the other pros started out kiting with their tow surfboards with inserts, not the wakestyle boards you see today. The kites were basic two-liners and super dangerous. Robby cut a deal for Dano and I on our very first kite. We shared it, taking turns on it pretty much every afternoon. So this was how we learned to kite; splitting time on one of the first Naish kites and riding around on our surfboards. Dano and I also did a sketchy job adding footstraps to an old board, but mainly we just went strapless. It wasn’t until later, when kiting had really started to progress, that we saw the introduction of bidirectional twin tip boards. By this time, I was so hooked on the sport and wanted to go professional, so I put my surfboard aside and began using a twin tip like everyone else. Eventually there were times I’d be traveling without packing a single surfboard.

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spent about six years as a professional freestyle kiteboarder, traveling all around the world to flat water spots. It was a great ride, but one day I felt like I wasn’t doing what I loved anymore. I’d become so busy chasing windy freestyle spots that I was no longer surfing. Kiteboarding had lost its shine and I wanted to get back to Namotu; back to the ocean and the waves. I started to think kiteboarding wasn’t really for me.

TOP LEFT: Keahi locking in Cloudbreak on his backhand rail. // BOTTOM LEFT: Shift change: when the wind comes up the surfers thin out and the kiters fill in. // TOP RIGHT: Ben switches it up and tries some tow-ins with Keahi in the driver’s seat.

It was then that I had a breakout moment that took me back to the start — back to the fun and freedom of those first sessions on Namotu.

My friend Mauricio Toscano told me he’d had a few good sessions on his surfboard, so Jeff Tobias and I grabbed ours and headed out. The waves were pretty small and the wind was light but everything clicked.

I started going back to Namotu, which is really like a second home to me, and from then on everything was focused on that surf vision. I knew this had to be the future for me, and I hoped for the sport at large.

In those early days, one of my most defining moments happened at the Zoo, a massive closeout shore break in Western Australia. We had some incredible sessions there charging these heavy waves and the photos received plenty of airtime. It was here that we started to believe there was real potential in surf-style. Another big breakthrough was during one of the ASP comps in Fiji. There was a session Ben Koptke shot at Namotu Lefts that ended up on four magazine covers. Nobody had seen people kiting on surfboards before and that was beginning of modern kitesurfing.

Kiteboarding had lost it’s shine and I Wanted to get back to Namotu; back to the ocean and the waves.I started to think kiteboarding wasn’t really for me.

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LEFT: The early mornings at Cloudbreak were full of surfers, but the prones cleared out by the sunset session and Ben, Robby, Pete, Keahi and Jesse scored into the fading light. // TOP RIGHT: Ben travels the world promoting his brand of equipment and kite camps, but Namotu is clearly his home. // BOTTOM RIGHT: Pete and his Cabrinha Quest is no stranger to Cloudbreak.

ano and I eventually founded a company with the vision to produce kites designed purely for surf-style kiting. We started organizing camps; first in Bali, then later on Namotu.

I’ve always loved helping other kiters out on the beach, so teaching just evolved as I started to help more and more people. Part of this I attribute to the guidance I got from Robby and Pete in the early days; the other part is to give back for everything kiting has given me.

It’s important to me that we build this sport by exposing more people to the kitesurfing experience and making sure everyone gets the most out of it by having the best techniques and products.

Ever since I started kiting on my surfboard, my passion has been to bridge that gap between the two sports. I want to see more surfers embracing kiting and coming to the realization that the kite allows them to surf more waves in more conditions with the bonus of punting crazy tricks.

For me there’s nothing like being in the ocean and waves and I think a lot of people out there are the same. Those few days back on Namotu with Pete, Robby, Keahi, Patri and Jesse made me reflect back on the importance of the people who started it all and the excitement of the next generation of young talent that will propel waveriding into the mainstream. But, as you can see, the old guys aren’t quite done pushing it in the waves either . . .

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Keahi de Aboitiz by Alan van Gysen

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By Joe Winowski | Photos Seth Warren

When photographer Seth Warren first traveled to Iceland it was with a posse of whitewater kayakers in search of uncharted rivers. Unplanned and more of an impromptu layover than intended expedition, the Iceland side trip was marked with rivers of exposed rocks and dangerously low flow levels. Seth’s trip was short lived when he broke both ankles dropping his first waterfall on day one. A year later Seth and his group returned to Iceland to successfully open up a host of new rivers, and having left boats with the friends they met along the way, the seeds of whitewater kayaking were planted in Iceland’s fertile waterways.

Fourteen years later, Seth revisited the idea of exploring Iceland’s waters, this time without a boat, but with the pull of a kite. His old whitewater friends directed him to Ingó Olsen with Arctic Surfers, an outfitter based out of Reykjavík, who has earned a reputation for delivering the secret goods for legendary surfers like Dane Reynolds, Timmy Curran, Dan Malloy and Chris Burkhard. Seth recruited his friends from Baja’s Exotikite kite school to pile into a sprinter van and explore the West Fjords of Iceland.

Mac Skaggs

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Ian Sanders

Jake Kinney

Justin Wagstaff

James Armstrong

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On the first day

of the road trip one of the boys opened the driver’s side door just as a violent gust ripped past the sprinter van and very nearly cleared the door off its hinges.

By brute force they wrestled the mangled door back into place, but for the rest of the trip, that door would not open again. When Ingó heard about the door mishap, he laughingly muttered, “Oh yeah, I didn´t think I had to warn professional wind chasers about that.” This made the boys think losing your door is a fairly common problem in western Iceland and took it as a good omen for the days to come.

On his early whitewater trips, Seth was confined to inland rivers.

This time around, with Ingó at the wheel, they explored every nook and cranny of the West Fjords.

Ingó would share his secret surf spots, some kitable and others inaccessible, although mind blowingly scenic.

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Adventure

travel is a big industry in Iceland and occasionally Ing贸 would cross paths with other guides. Here he stops to compare notes with a friendly horseback guide before heading to a secret surf cabin owned by a friend.

In some places the wind was so fierce that waterfalls would dissipate into the air as soon as they left the confines of a riverbed. For much of the trip, the expansive hills and rugged geography was as captivating as the victory at sea kiteboarding sessions under the relentless wind.

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Keeping it simple with no straps and no fins on a skim, Jake Kinney takes a knee before a deep backdoor attempt.

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Ingó steered the boys to his secret surf spots in the daylight hours and arranged camping in the middle of vast fields of green by night.

Iceland is known for its geothermic resources, so all of the small towns have a public hot spring. After a long day of kitesurfing, the boys would hit the local spring to thaw out from the day’s heavy winds and cold water.

By happenstance, most of the boys on the trip, James, Jake and Justin, operate heavy machinery at their day jobs. The rural nature of Iceland’s outback requires a lot of road maintenance, with heavy excavation equipment like track hoes and loaders around every corner. While most guys would be catcalling the pretty Icelandic girls from the back of the speeding van, the Exotikite rednecks were whistling at all the big “diggers.”

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In one of the most remote areas of the Fjords, Ingó knows a family with a large sheep farm. Seemingly normal purchases like new tires for the family’s tractor can be a challenge, so Ingó is working to build a business bringing surfers to the family’s beaches and build a travel camp on their land. The boys purchased the farmer’s wife homemade bone jewelry and Seth scored a set of hand-sewn seal skin toys to take home to his newborn baby girl.

Landing on the farm with no wind in the forecast, by day they played a lawn game called Viking Bowling.

The grassroots game required players toss a pin across a field to knock out soldier pins before taking out the king pin. They entertained themselves for hours with the bizarre cross between chess and bowling, always splitting the teams by age.

Old took the young in most matches.

By night they circled a fire, drank boxes of Slot beer and traded stories.

Very little of Iceland’s terrain can be found in a guidebook. At one point a British fisherman walked through camp with a reel and poll, admittedly lost in his own Icelandic adventure. He continued down to where a small river meets the ocean and pulled out a beautiful arctic salmon in under five minutes. On his way back, the fisherman joined the boys for dinner and that night they grilled up a communal feast of amazing proportions.

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Because even the best laid plans go awry, the Exotikite crew’s dream of kiting a glacial lake didn’t pan out.

Since the wind wasn’t cooperating they pumped up Ingó’s SUPs and explored the frigid waters by paddle.

As it turns out Ingó is a certified guide of many activities outside of the surf. As a result, Ingó arranged rentals of ice climbing boots, crampons and axes before leading the group on a glacial hike.

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When Seth first explored Iceland 14 years ago he discovered an infinite playground for whitewater kayaking. This time around, the West Fjords delivered the same limitless opportunity for the cold-water surfer. The initial plan was to follow each day’s forecast, bombing around the country chasing storms. The wind hit hard straight out of the gate — it was windy everywhere and the boys scored endless high-wind sessions for the first six days, followed by three days of glassy surf everywhere. The crew explored every nook and cranny of the rural landscape, stopping to engage with the locals they would encounter out in the sticks. The wind kicked back in on day nine and they continued their wind-driven voyage across rugged vistas, remote villages and scenic wonder. Even with the help of Ingó’s vast knowledge and guidance, the boys barely scratched the surface of Iceland’s coastal geography and relentlessly windy beaches. The future of Iceland’s kitesurfing is wide open.

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Jan 28-31, 2016 Dorado, Puerto Rico

Where kitesurfing meets luxury...

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Join our first annual Goodwinds Dorado Kite Experience; where participants will experience the luxury kitesurfing lifestyle that Dorado Beach Resort oers, and network with others through the common passion of kitesurfing.

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Exquisite Meals: Breakfast, Lunch and Dinners World Class Beginner to advance instruction Spouse program

Cocktails and Luxurious Dinner Parties Business Conferences Con on Tax Strategies

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Olivia with her favorite best friends, living life to the fullest on the beaches of La Ventana. // Photo Mark Hall

Life is better when the wind is blowing.

There’s an old saying, “you don’t get a second chance to make a first impression.” After visiting Baja for the first time, the Withington family didn’t need another one — they were duly sold.

When father/son duo, Dan and Adam Withington experienced the La Ventana Classic in 2008, they were beyond impressed. An aspiring pro at the time, Adam, couldn’t believe the conditions were so different than his native Cozumel and quickly convinced his family of the merits of moving to Baja that same year.

The Discovery Channel has rated La Ventana as the top kiteboarding destination in the world and the Withington’s decided that very same thing. With Olivia, the oldest of the four siblings in tow, the Withington clan packed up and moved to Baja with the grand plan of opening a full service kite center in the heart of La Ventana, aptly named Playa Central.

Today, Olivia Withington is the manager and driving force behind Playa Central. Her passion for kiteboarding is infectious but it hasn’t always been that way for the 29-year-old. Although her father, Dan, started kiteboarding back in 2001, it took Olivia another 12 years to get hooked on the sport.

“I tried to learn to kite in 2010 and failed!” Olivia recalls. For whatever reason, her heart just wasn’t into it, but three years later she decided to give it another go and everything just clicked. “Kiteboarding is a happy and healthy way of life. It has enriched my days in so many ways and has made life much more exciting than I ever thought it could be. I am in love with the sport and what it has done to me.”

Olivia’s mantra is “life is better when the wind blows!” She said, “I wake up in the morning and if the leaves are moving and it’s capping on the water with a steady wind line moving in, I just know it’s going to be a good day. Because of kiteboarding, I feel my youthful years will last me longer, that my body will enable me to do more things, that my travels will take me to better places, that my mind will liberate itself from worries and that I am more connected with the elements.”

Olivia’s passion for kiteboarding is on par with her love for animals.

As if running Playa Central doesn’t keep her busy enough, in 2014, Olivia launched Bark for Baja. an organization that provides animal control to a community that was once swamped with strays.

In just one year, because of her awareness campaigns, fundraising efforts and community support, La Ventana now has a permanent veterinarian. Bark for Baja has helped spay over 400 cats and dogs in the community and has found homes for nearly 80 dogs via the organization’s foster program.

By offering free spay and neuter options, as well as guilt-free animal surrender, Olivia encourages local families to deal with unwanted cats and dogs in a humane way. Bark for Baja exists because she believes the local government has neglected to provide to the community effective animal control options.

Although Olivia wouldn’t change a thing in her life, the demands of running both Playa Central and Bark for Baja caught up with her this year. After 500 straight days in La Ventana with a seemingly endless list of things to accomplish, Olivia engineered an escape plan. After last year’s windy season, an overwhelmed and overworked Olivia got in her car and headed north. With no plan, she drove (and stopped to kite of course) until she could allow herself to wake up in an unencumbered state of calm. She made it all the way to Whistler, Canada, and back down to Hood River before her stress finally faded away.

Reflecting on her trip, Olivia says, “While I am enjoying my busy days more than I ever did before, I still remind myself to cherish that feeling of floating. Work is important, as is security, but the most important thing in the world is that you’re happy, healthy and here.” For Olivia, her trip was about recharging, “I wanted to reconnect with myself. There’s always more to love about life.

I just had to stop for a second to let it sink in.”

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“Shallow Hal� at the Turner bungalow in downtown Aptos with golden retriever Lucy and his sixth and final Dodge Dart; the car of choice for Pan-American surf trips. // Photo Brendan Richards

Have brushes, will paint for surf and travel . . .

There’s nothing shallow about Hal, but that’s one of the many nicknames he’s acquired in the Santa Cruz kitesurfing scene. Over the past 15 years, if there’s a wig to be worn, a goofy foot stuffed deep into a barrel, or snacks and cold brews being passed around after a session, there’s a good chance that Shallow Hal and his gleaming grin are the likely culprit.

Hal was born and raised in the shore breaks of Carpenteria in the early ‘70s, but when his parents moved to San Francisco’s land-locked East Bay, Hal spent his pre-teens entrenched in his own punk skate Dogtown scene. As Hal admits freely, “it was bad, we were stealing, breaking stuff, I was going down a bad road with the wrong kids,” a phase that ended when his parents moved back to the coast, this time to Aptos, California. Influenced by an older generation of surfers, Hal spent his teens surfing the beaches south of Santa Cruz. Gary Strachan, retired Waddell State Park Ranger and kitesurfer, recalls first surfing with a 19-year-old Hal in the ‘80s — “I remember him as a hot surfer coming into his own but at the same time one of the nicest kids.”

Hal’s first surf trips were month-long excursions into the largely undeveloped peninsula of Baja. Having wired the Baja surf trip with his Dodge Dart, Hal expanded his explorations to Mexico’s mainland, sniffing out lefts at Rio Nexspa in the state of Michoacán. He laughs as he recalls how two grand in cash and a beat up set of wheels could set you up for six months, but only if you had the right skills; like maxing out the longevity of your ice block and never missing the beer truck that drove by twice a week.

At first glimpse, surf and surf travel appear to be the shaping force in Hal’s life; painting houses for half the year while tucking away enough money to travel and surf the remainder. However, those who know Hal, know that being a father is his greatest talent. When kids appeared on the scene, Hal’s surf voyages were replaced by more expedient snowboard strike missions: hunting down the best powder in the Sierras. It was about that time in the early 2000’s that Hal watched Josh Mulcoy’s first forays into kitesurfing and immediately saw the value of using a

kite to pull himself into a wave. In the years that followed, Hal poured all his energy into kitesurfing, becoming a fixture of the early Waddell scene and quickly becoming one of the most respected kitesurfers in Santa Cruz. Hal’s surf trip baggage now included two kites and his favorite surfboard. Scoring in places far flung like Peru and Indo, he surfed and kited some of the best lefts in the world.

At heart, Hal is a practical joker. Known throughout the surf community for his ruthless April Fools’ p r a n k s , H a l ’s g o o d Samaritan side is lesser known. After driving by some graffiti on a wall near his house, Hal realized he had a similar color of paint in his truck and stopped to paint over the scribble. The color didn’t quite match so he headed home and returned with enough paint to roll over the entire wall. Over time, Hal stocked the right color for all the popular graffiti walls in town, often covering fresh graffiti early in the morning. As if it were a game, Hal points out, “this has to be discouraging to these kids when they put all that work into it but it never sees the light of day.” Hal will often get tip-offs from members in the community and has even hung himself off the town’s railroad trestle to erase graffiti, a selfless feat that earned him a community service award. Looking back on his Dogtown days, “I did stuff in my youth that I’m not proud of, so maybe it’s a way of making up for that,” says Hal. Hal might be a habitual surfer marching to the beat of his own drum but he’s also a dedicated father. Never a dull moment in the Shallow Household, Hal recalls surprising his kids’ preschool class with a sevenfoot tall snowman and a battery of snowballs he brought home from a snowboarding trip, a rare sight on California’s sunny coast. Over the years, he repeated and perfected the snowman stunt by filling up the bed of his truck with snow to preserve his large snowman and dropping him off at a random spot in Santa Cruz. Hal’s favorite was the surf stairs at Pleasure Point. He watched as people posed with the snowman, surfboards in hand and sunny surf in the background. Part prankster, part humanitarian, Hal is known throughout the southern beaches of Santa Cruz as the “mayor;” always a smile on face, humor on ear and snacks for all in hand.

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EXPOSED

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“Inspired by Sam Medysky and Noe Font’s Northern Fresh edit from last year, I booked a ticket to Sam Medysky’s hometown of Sauble Beach straight from Surf Expo. As soon as Noe Font, Colleen Carroll and filmer Steven Borja arrived, the forecast turned ugly for six days. On the seventh day we kited for five hours, shooting six different rail setups and banged out just enough for one sick Sauble Beach edit.” - CRAIG CUNNINGHAM // Photo Josh Pietras

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EXPOSED

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“Providenciales is the main island in the Turks & Caicos, and while everyone kites at Long Bay, I spent 10 days exploring the remote spots that no one kites. One day we kited over to an island off the northeast tip called Little Water Cay. My girlfriend and I ventured inland and discovered the island was only a couple hundred yards wide and opened up to a bay on the lee side. The wind was dead offshore and gusty with open ocean for hundreds of miles downwind, but from the picture it looks like absolute perfection.� - EVAN NETSCH // Photo Islay Petrie

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EXPOSED

“Having dreadlocks was just one easy way I expressed part of my inner self — it was a visual testament to looking beyond the superficial vanities and seeing people for who they are instead of what they look like. While cutting them off does hide that part of me from those who only see my appearance, it does not mean that who I am has changed. It just means I have to express myself in other, more difficult ways. But there will never be a better way to express yourself than through the Kung Fu like mastery of anything you are passionately dedicated to.” - ERIC RIENSTRA // Photo Vincent Bergeron

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EXPOSED

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“Spending a season in Brazil is like a real life ‘Groundhog Day’. Every morning you wake up, it’s windy and the days become one big blur of a shred fest. This year Taiba lagoon was in the biggest and best shape it had been in years and for the second half of the trip the ladies almost outnumbered the guys which meant my fun factor and motivation level was at an all time high. We’d session all day and well into the evening and usually end the day with a massive group dinner to unwind and refuel. Looking back, if I had to live any of my days again and again, these would be the ones.” - COLLEEN CARROLL // Photo David Grahn

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Lory Family

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The Prince of Cabo Verde Words & Interview by Brendan Richards

Sitting across from me as I cruise down Highway 1 is a hulking Mitu Monteiro filling out the bucket seat of my full size truck. My job today is part journalist/ photographer, part tour guide and part unexpected concierge. I had planned on scoring an early session at Waddell, but Mitu had requested we stop off at a tackle shop outside of San Francisco’s city limits. Mitu talks in creoled-out broken English with a laid-back island style. English is just one of Mitu’s six languages, self-taught from years of running a destination kite school on his home island in Cabo Verde.

As we pull into the tackle shop, I glance at my dash clock and we’re already late, but Mitu has a relaxed sense of time, and it reminds me to stop hawkishly checking the iKitesurf numbers on my phone and chill myself out. We duck into the cavernous tackle shop, and Mitu becomes a young boy loose in a candy store. He schools me on shiny lures, vibrantly colored rubber squids, carbon rods and complicated windy reels. There’s pure passion in his words, which makes me think fishing sits somewhere even with kitesurfing in Mitu’s soul. His affinity for fishing feels like a great litmus test of a true waterman — Mitu is not just another shallow surf rat — he is perhaps more a vestige of a childhood surrounded by water and waves in a much simpler place.

Back in the truck and safely pointed down the coast, I probe Mitu for his life story. He tells me of a modest single parent upbringing and the early years of learning to surf, windsurf and kite, challenged not by a lack of talent but the ability to get his hands on equipment. I want to know about his kite school, his wife and his son and how he’s made a life out of kiteboarding. I’m often jaded by the impression that success in kitesurfing is hard to come by, but Mitu is both heavily traveled and speaks with the voice of someone whose found a simple and rewarding balance in the athleticism and commerce of kitesurfing.

Where was your first tube ride (where did your mom drop you off ) and how did you get your start kitesurfing?

I am from Sal Island, Cabo Verde. I grew up in Santa Maria — it used to be just a small fisherman village, but now it’s more touristic. All my sports started from growing up there. When I was a kid in school everybody played soccer, but I just took my own path: go to the sea, play in the water or catch some fish. On the sea no problem, I can do everything, but on the soccer field it just wasn’t for me.

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What was family life like in Santa Maria?

My mom worked as a chef and for her my fascination with the sea was not so easy. When I was young she had to go to work and I would be alone in the house because I had no one to stay with me. I didn’t know how to swim but I liked to play in the sea and once when I was about five years old I had to be rescued by fishermen. They brought me back to my house and my mom was really scared because she almost lost me. Now I have my son and I understand how it feels to worry, but we’ve started teaching our boy how to swim at a young age, and now he plays in the waves with a lot of confidence and it’s less stress for us living on the beach.

It was different when I was a kid. I would tell my mama I go surfing, she would say, “What surfing — you can take some waves, but what’s the wave gonna give you? If you go fish then we can eat dinner.” Back then the mindset was that surfing gets you nothing, but now it’s changed; I have my job and people can see that surfing and kitesurfing can bring money and make you a living.

How did you find your way to kitesurfing?

My passion for the sea comes from making small model boats as a child. I watched fishermen going by sail and how they could move with the pull of the wind rather than by engine. I see these big boats and I make my own model boats with wood and garbage bags. I put them in the water and learned the basics of wind direction. When I first started the problem was getting them to sail upwind; the boat would turn around because it don’t have the weight on the bottom. So one day I swim really close to a real boat, and I say, “ahh it has something underneath.” Then I start to attach some weight to a keel, and then the boats started to work — all my passion it comes from there.

So you got your start as a boat designer?

Yeah, I guess you could say something like that. I liked to put my boats in the water to see how I can sail and control the boat. I started building catamarans and trimarans, but these could go fast and often I would lose them because I couldn’t keep up by swimming alongside. It was around that time that I first started in the waves with bodyboarding. My first bodyboard was a sack filled with old water bottles packed inside for flotation and I learned to ride the waves with my friends.

One day we discovered an old windsurfing board in the garbage outside a windsurfing station at our beach. We were really small, but we’d all try to surf with this huge board, learn to drag our foot in the water for a fin and to turn it in the waves. I began to use a plastic sack as a sail, sit on top of the board to try to windsurf, but I could only go downwind. And then this guy sees me and says, “Ahh Mitu come, I gonna show you how to windsurf.” So this guy, he cut the sail and the mast and make the sail smaller for me. It was not so easy, but in one day I learned how to go, come back, and stay upwind. I would spend all day on the water just playing with my little sail and I learn really fast. I would use the windsurfer to keep up with my sailboat models, retrieve them and send them back. I was 11 at the time, but with time I got a new board and started using the harness and footstraps and learned how to jump.

You were getting started as a pro windsurfer when kiting was invented. How did kiting come to Cabo Verde?

The first kite I saw was a French guy with a two-line traction kite just for the beach. I watched him get dragged downwind and if the kite got in the water he was done, he was swimming. I see this kite, I go “whoa nice,” I want to try but this kite was really expensive so nobody want to let you borrow it.

Then we had a competition on Sal and Rafael Salles and the first pros come to the island. At that time I worked in one of the windsurfing schools and there was a guy who wanted to learn, so he says, “Ok Mitu, we learn together, I help you and you help me.” I was 17, so I learned really quick. We didn’t have the internet to learn, so we had to teach ourselves and there was much swimming because we didn’t know how to relaunch the kite and it was a two line Wipika. Without depower, there were some big crashes.

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TOP LEFT: Building boats from an early age with whatever was around. TOP RIGHT: Drop-kneed with rail in hand, Mitu commits to a clean barrel at One Eye in Mauritius.

Photo Rou Chater // BOTTOM LEFT: Mitu’s windsurfing career was more than just a placeholder before kitesurfing; the crossover fueled his early kite progression. Photo Monteiro Family // BOTTOM RIGHT: Mitu takes his son out on the water.

Photo Gabriele Rumbolo

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TOP LEFT: Mitu and Mama Monteiro celebrating his final day of 4th grade. Photo courtesy Monteiro family. // TOP RIGHT: Mitu is all smiles in the midst of a product presentation at F-One’s importer meeting. Photo Brendan Richards // BOTTOM: Mitu’s early years on the F-ONE team, dropping in on Sal, Cabo Verde. Photo Courtesy F-One

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What was your early progression?

I learned fast, but after one month I stop again because it was too easy, I had learned all the tricks: back loop, front loop and deadman. So, I focused on windsurfing again. But then I see Mark Shinn do some no footers and I want to do the same, so I start again. The biggest influence was from people coming to the island and if you wanted to learn a new trick you had to figure out a lot of it by yourself. I remember the first KPWT Wave Masters event in 2003. It was the first wave kite competition and everyone was still using twin tip boards in the surf but there was this one blond American guy (later on our drive we narrow this guy down to California’s Peter Trow) was using a surfboard, you know with straps in the wave, and riding really good. This guy was good motivation to change the board, for me it was not so easy because I had my twin tip, so I started to use my surfboard to kite waves.

Most the time I was putting a lot of things from windsurfing and surfing into kiting. In kiting we have the shuvit, but in windsurfing we have the willy skipper. I guess I started to focus on strapless early on because I only had my surfboard and it wasn’t until I started with F-One that I used a surfboard with straps for the first time.

So in some sense your progression was influenced by what you had, as much as what you didn’t?

I think I have more motivation for kiting when I start with the surfboard. With the surfboard I tried to do the tricks I do with the windsurf because I did a lot of freestyle windsurf. And these tricks I try to put on the kite. You know, shuvit, try to to jump without the straps. It wasn’t so easy because I was using C-kites. They have no depower so it was really difficult to keep the board on your feet. But then I did one and I say “wow, it’s possible,” and then I try to improve. Every day I discover new things and then I try to put the pieces together on the wave. Now you can watch a lot of surfing moves and you can put them into kiting. With windsurfing it was a little easier. Josh Angulo had moved to Sal from Hawaii and he taught me a lot because we spent a lot of time windsurfing together. There were competitions and the sport was more defined. In kitesurfing I didn’t have someone to watch, I had to make it up myself.

In terms of evolution of the gear, how does the production kitesurfing board compare to custom?

If you have a custom board there are advantages because you can make it lighter, you can get the exact shape ideal for you, but if I’m at a competition and I break my board then it takes time to get a new one. Since I ride F-One production boards I just take another one off the shelf and have no problem adapting. I push myself to ride my 5’8” — I can do everything, kitesurf waves, freestyle strapless and I can even surf without kite. Maybe that size is not the best at Teahupo’o, but it’s possible. You could have five boards for each condition, but I prefer having one and focusing on improving myself to use one board for all conditions.

I’ve seen photos of you at Teahupo’o locked into some serious caverns. Barrel riding has come a long way in the last six years, but do you think at some point we will see someone talented have disastrous consequences in powerful waves?

Yeah, for sure it’s possible. The first time I went to Teahupo’o was in 2013 to make a movie. I was staying with my friend Manutea. He has this house near the water that moves with the vibrations of the wave.

It’s dark at night but you can hear Teahupo’o exploding just offshore. After a couple days the wind lined up with a big swell and I dropped in on my first wave with my 8m — it was crazy, you feel it go really fast but you stay in the same position because of all the water coming up the face. I try to start make the barrel, going more and more deep, but my lines get hung up in the lip and the kite goes down and I take the wave on my head. The wave pushed me towards the lagoon and ripped the kite into two, which was good, but when I finish the washing machine and come up I couldn’t release the kite because of a tangle on the harness and chicken loop. That was really scary. I drank a lot of water, and I thought I was going to die there. Normally the tow-in guys don’t rescue kiters because the lines can get stuck in the jet, but my friend came and rescued me.

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After this wipeout I feel more comfortable — I have more adrenalin, I want to go more deep. It was a dream to be there, so I was really motivated to get back out there but at the same time it makes me think about the risks we take. When you watch tow-in, the guy has lifejacket, impact vest and helmet. I was out there with my shorty and my harness — I took a lot of risk, but I didn’t think about because I was excited to go in the water.

You are the point of origin for the rodeo trick, where you put the board between your legs. Why do you do this?

Everything has purpose, the rodeo is not because I wanted to do like that, but out of function. When you surf, you’re just waiting for the wave at the peak, but with kitesurfing you are moving. In Cabo Verde, at Punta Preta the wind is sideoff and sometimes you have to launch out of the wave because you have a lot of speed.

Controlling the kite with one hand and holding the board with the other is hard, so I start putting the board between my legs and I can control the landing. This is the reason for this trick. All the tricks I do, is because it is going to help me somewhere, for example landing the shuvit with fins in the front. In Mauritius everyone was breaking the fins, but when I see the reef I just slide the board around and I can go in shallow water.

You were competing in the PKRA when kiting’s only legitamate surf tour was born. What was that like?

The idea for the KSP started in 2009 at the last stop of the PKRA in Australia. A lot of the surfers were not so happy because freestyle was the priority and the judges didn’t know much about scoring in the waves.

Kristin Boese called a meeting and we talked about a new tour, a dream tour for kitesurfing. We decided to do something separate, to have wave-specific judges and to focus on locations with the best surf and we all agreed to do the first year without prize money to help the tour grow. All the stops were in paradise spots: Mauritius, Maui, Cabo Verde, Ireland and Portugal —real wave spots. It was good but then it stopped because there wasn’t enough sponsor money. You need people and money to make it happen, but it just wasn’t the right time. Compared to surfing, kitesurf is a new sport and you need wind and waves which makes it more complicated to have a good contest. Now you have more people start to kite on the wave — slowly it will get bigger and bigger.

You have been with F-One for quite a long time, while other pro riders switch it up. How has this worked for you?

I’ve been with F-One for 10 years. When I first start they just give me some kites, but then I start to be more professional. Some brands have this rider this year, then another next year and I’ve had some other offers but it is important that I like the relationship. F-One is like a family but it’s also a job that comes with responsibility and you spend a lot of time together. Rafael, F-One’s owner, and Micka, come to Cabo Verde quite a lot and I see how much time it takes to test a product before it goes into production. Take my pro-model surfboard; we spent four years on prototypes before putting into production. It’s hard work — when Rafael comes to my home to test sometimes he spends six hours on the water. I have a sewing machine at my school, and Rafael might make some changes just to do one kite and then back to the water for more testing. It’s not so easy work because sometimes you improve a kite in one direction but lose in another. It’s more fun when we go on team trips, we’re always discovering — not just about kiting — and making documentaries about new places. It’s a good job and I’m happy to be part of this.

In addition to pushing the performance side of kitesurfing as a professional, you also own your own kite school in your hometown of Santa Maria, Sal, Cabo Verde. Besides money, what do you get out of owning a school?

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I love to share my passion to other people. I teach some beginners when I have time, but more often I do wave clinics, coaching and advanced lessons. I discover a lot from my students because everyone has a different way to learn. Some professional riders are not able to teach, because to be a good instructor you have to think as a beginner, go through every single step and put yourself in their shoes. It is not simple, but worth it. I love to own a place where all the people there are sharing my own passion. I work hard to create a good product because there are plenty of kite schools, but the difference we make is building every part of the company in a professional way. It’s not easy; you must find the right partner, the right staff, the right place and the right gear. Our success is a combination of all these factors.

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ABOVE: Two worlds colliding: Mitu takes the top off the lip at the outer reef in Mauritius. Photo Gilles Calvet // BELOW: Mitu’s main kite center in his hometown of Santa Maria is a full service kite school, apres kite beach bar and all around destination kite center. Photo Gabriele Rumbolo

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Once in the water at Waddell, Mitu is both David and Goliath, launching technical aerials and strapless rotations with precision, yet smashing waves with the grunt force of an unrelenting freight train. As I watch Mitu tear apart the sandbars at Waddell it’s clear he’s a surfer at heart and I’m struck by the transformation from a quiet island boy off the coast of Africa to a kitesurfing icon traveling the world. Mitu has covered a lot of ground, yet he’s done this without ever leaving his roots. Mitu’s story makes me believe through sheer determination we can reshape ourselves and the world around us for the better.

Photos Gilles Calvet

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Rider: Bas Koole // Photographer: Toby Bromwich

The Crail Grab is an easy move you can add to your existing freestyle game with just a little bit of practice. To put it simply, take your back hand off the bar and plant it on the toeside rail of your board’s nose. This unhooked grab looks way better than the hooked-in version because without being attached to the chicken loop your body can totally extend and “tweak” out this grab. Here are a few tips to get you started:

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METHOD

To put it simply, take your back hand off the bar and plant it on the toeside rail of your board’s nose.

1. Having plenty of speed going into the trick helps but kite position is probably the most important factor. If your kite is too high, then your weight will hang from the kite too much and you won’t be able to tweak the grab.

If you’re kite is too low, it’s hard to get the height and time in the air to get your hand to the rail. Play with your speed and kite position and find the right setting for you.

2. To start, the takeoff might feel a bit strange; you need to make sure your board swings backwards in a vertical position. It helps to kick your back leg up and to press your front knee down as much as possible. The pulled in knee gives you access to grab the board. Think about going for the grab before you leave the water.

3. A powered yet clean takeoff combined with an early grab will make you more stable while you’re in the air. As soon as you’ve got the nose in your back hand, stretch your back leg and pull the grab in — essentially “bone it out” to add more style.

4. When you feel that you’re past the apex, let go of the grab and put your back hand back on the bar to keep your kite from steering toward the water.

5. To reduce line slack after the hard pop, bring the bar in to your hip for the landing. Land your trick and be careful to not spray your photographer.

TRICK TIP: With grabs you will want the hand that remains on the bar to be in the center to minimize kite movement.

With back hand grabs you will want to hold the bar with the depower line between your pointer and middle finger; this keeps the kite from moving during the trick.

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LIKE THE TITLE OF THEIR LATEST VIDEO SERIES, THIS COUPLE GOES WHERE THE WIND BLOWS. Based out of Hood River, Oregon, but on the endless search for wind and pumping waves, Jen Jones and her beau Wiley Watson are currently riding some of the longest lefts of their lives near Todos Santos, Mexico, all while perfecting the balance between doing what they love and loving what they do. If Jen Jones and her creative agency, Moxy International, is the mastermind behind the concept of the action-packed female lifestyle series, Wiley is the man behind the camera who captures visceral images and rounds out this creative action sports power couple.

Wiley’s career as a cinematographer started in the dirt bike world. When your dad owns Hood River’s premier dirt bike store, Watson Performance and Suspension, it’s hard not to get sucked into a world of mud and motors.

With the help of Jen, Wiley has begun to branch into other areas of the action sports world and peddles his profession under the growing brand, Red Tide Pictures.

From the testosterone filled world of motocross to the estrogen laden estuary of Hood River’s women’s kiting scene, we caught up with Wiley and Jen to talk about filming and producing their latest creative masterpiece, Where the Wind Blows.

What kind of equipment are the two of you packing?

I use a “run and gun” video setup. Since we are constantly on the go and always changing shooting locations/ angles, we need to be able to move efficiently. Right now I’m shooting on a Sony FS7. I shot most of the series in 4K because of the crop factor ability. You can get two angles with one shot when you downscale to 1080P. Its’ an effective way to make the production look bigger then it actually is!

I’m shooting with a Nikon 750 right now. If I’m shooting kiting from the beach, then it’s with my 70-200. If I’m going for a swim with my camera, it’s in a SPL Waterhousing with the 14-24. I picked up a 35 prime this summer and shot with that for most of our lifestyle shoots. It’s my preference to shoot with primes but with action, the versatility of a zoom could make the shot.

Wiley, you come from the dirt bike world. How is shooting kiteboarding different?

Vastly different. With the dirt bike world, I’m usually suiting up with the athletes and riding to the locations to get the shot. My niche is off-road, so we hardly ever film at an enclosed motocross track. With kiteboarding I’m usually confined to a tripod on the beach, in one general location. But I’m not afraid to get my feet wet.

This summer I took my 12k setup chest deep in Hood River tons of times.

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I’ve watched too many people struggle from lack of self awareness and neglect to their bodies, especially in the dirt bike world.

TOP LEFT: It goes beyond the work grind. Jen and Wiley share a moment after a southern Baja surf session. // MIDDLE: Wiley shooting motorcycles — chasing the infamous Baja 1000. // RIGHT: You could spend all day shooting the pages of Ms. Carroll’s passport.

How does working with the WTWB posse of girls compare to shooting pro dirt bikers?

Since I’m not a kiteboarding expert, I let the girls do their thing — occasionally I give my two cents, but for the most part I stand back and hit the red button. With dirt bikes, I am an expert rider, so I have more creative control on what we want to accomplish. I know what can and can’t be done and have better relationships with the top athletes.

You’re trying to tell stories within these short episodes. What’re your biggest successes and fails?

I don’t think we have failed at anything. We’ve evolved the stories into more polished edits and I think we’ve opened the girls’ eyes a little bit on what can be done. I think this year they kind of had some “aha” moments when our visions came to life on the screen.

What’s it like standing on top of a windmill with your eye glued to your viewfinder 300 feet above terrafirma?

It was a rush! We were super secure up there, tethered to the turbine by two different attachments coming from our harnesses and assisted by a couple of pros, so it felt perfectly safe. I was mostly getting a giggle over how our daredevil kiteboarders were actually a little nervous.

The whole experience was off the charts amazing and is definitely something that strengthened our team.

Wiley, since you work with your lovely partner (and Tkb Art Director) Jen Jones, is the joint creative process a pleasure or a pain?

Good question! We were actually just talking about that today and realized that sharing so much time/space/work has put some stress of our “personal” relationship. That aside, Jen is a go-getter and a great producer. She’s a photographer and designer at heart, but the WTWB vision of hers is a full on producer’s role — not for the faint of heart! I know this because I have produced a handful of films. She has done a fantastic job with actually making the project a success, a huge accomplishment for a producer’s first go around.

Have you shot guy’s kiteboarding? How does it compare to shooting women?

I shot a few of the guys this summer just because I was out at the spit and a lot of people were wanting footage. Since I’m a novice kiteboarder, the girls’ tricks feel more tangible and relatable to me, which I can appreciate more. Not that I don’t appreciate the guys’ higher intensity of riding, it’s just that I have no effing idea how you approach a “900” off a kicker, let alone a “180”!

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TOP LEFT: Climbing the wind turbine for Where the Winds Blows was the peak moment of the two season series. // TOP RIGHT: A calm moment on set. The girls get educated about wind energy from Iberdrola plant supervisor Tod Lantz. // BOTTOM RIGHT: For season two the ladies stepped up their level of riding and so did the production crew.

Working with women: the good, the bad, the ugly?

Hmmm . . . because there are very few top tier production teams covering their sport in the way we are, the girls are more appreciative of the efforts we put in. As for the bad? You never know who is going to be moody! But I’ve learned to bring chocolate and wine, so we deal. Haha.

Which is more difficult, shooting the lifestyle or the action?

There are challenges in both but action takes the cake for being most difficult. There are so many variables that play into it — wind, lighting, positioning, if the athlete is having an “on” day or not — when everything lines up AND we get a good shot, it’s thrilling. I love the athletic component of shooting action but I think lifestyle is more of my niche. I enjoy the interaction with my subjects and making them feel comfortable in front of the lens. Sometimes I feel silly, but it challenges me to turn on my inner fashion photographer which is often essential in keeping things light and fun.

You probably have so much footage. What’s the editing process like?

A pain in the a**! This summer, I shot 1.5 terabytes of footage. It’s all about project management and keeping everything organized. With the sheer size of 4K high resolution quality it’s even more of a headache because you need more computing power, more harddrive space and more time for rendering the final edits.

I have a knack for assembling edits and good stories, but my trigger finger went numb this summer from too much screen time. In addition to WTWB, I was finishing a 45 minute feature motorcycle film, Get Lost, so I was really putting in double time on all post production activities.

The goal of the project is to promote women’s kiting and an active and healthy lifestyle. Why is this important to you?

I’ve watched too many people struggle from lack of self awareness and neglect to their bodies, especially in the dirt bike world. Kiting is a sustainable sport that provides an outlet for community, health and longevity.

It’s like surfing, but the sensation you get with kiting is quite unique and powerful in its own right. I see no reason why you couldn’t kite until you’re 80!

For the latest Where the Wind Blows episodes, check out www.thekiteboarder.com 76

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I wanted to call this style of art “The Art of Satori.” Satori is a Japanese word that represents the spiritual goal of Zen Buddhism: to obtain sudden enlightenment and a state of consciousness by intuitive illumination. The goal with these portals is to create an evocative, luminescent composition of light and color. I try to draw the viewer into a spiraling progression of jewel-like depth and a deep, sea-like stillness. I’m frequently evoking themes of the ocean, patterns in nature, mandalas, and the play of space and time. // Photo Christy Schuler

By Brendan Richards

A study of dimensional deception and delayed success.

Chris Gutzeit has been enamored with art from as early as he can remember.

A waterman by paternal influence, Gutzeit grew up on Oahu under the soulful magnetism of an environmentally aware mother. Gutzeit talks with traces of island pidgin in a soft, laid back surfer’s drawl, his disposition generally warm while lacing much of what he says with an entertaining patina of sarcasm.

Gutzeit’s art career may have gotten an early start, but his relationship with commercial success has been a story of ebb and flow. For the last 10 years Gutzeit has narrowed his creative efforts to exquisite glass portals he calls “The Art of Satori.” Through the use of an infinite mirror aesthetic, strategic placement of ocean inspired objects and lighting, the Satori collection creates a gravitational pull into a dazzling inner world of reflective tranquility.

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The goal with each of these works is to stimulate a world of meaning and emotions, stirring parallels and conjuring interpretations that belong to the eye of each viewer. There’s a duality to these portals; I’ve designed each piece as an exquisite sculpture to be viewed by daylight, but by night, the internal lighting then transforms the art into a stunning jewel of light.

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Vintage Chris Gutzeit on California’s Central Coast circa 2004, rocking a stock surfboard, fixed bar and all the while unhooked. // Photo Jason Wolcott

utzeit’s obsession with art grew from a fascination with his uncle on his mother’s side, a combat artist in Vietnam who specialized in watercolor and architecture. He remembers visiting his uncle in Santa Barbara, painting fire trucks and thinking how he dreamed of making art for a living. Of his high school years, Gutzeit reflects, “you tend to gravitate towards the classes that you are good at and so I immersed myself in art.” During this timeframe he sold his first piece, colored pencil on construction paper, to a local college art professor. Pocketing the $150, his eyes opened with revelation; “hey, you can make money at this — that’s cool.”

Nabbing himself an art scholarship to Brigham Young University on Oahu’s North Shore only to drop out during his second year, for Guzeit, learning about his chosen profession was getting in the way of actually making art. School seemed more a quest for the credentials best suited for teaching art rather than creating it. Gutzeit took a step sideways and joined a friend who had recently opened a gallery.

Gutzeit’s early path is a great example of how our professional and creative lives are shaped by the people we meet, our preconception of the world, and life events that exert directional force upon us. Free from college, Gutzeit followed a girlfriend to Europe to experience the world beyond Hawaii. Months later, he landed in Santa Barbara with the charge of caring for his aging grandparents. When they passed, he stayed and became entrenched in the beginning of the Santa Barbara kitesurfing scene alongside pioneers like Peter Trow and Corky Cullen.

It was around then that Gutzeit’s art shifted from bronze sculpture and drawing to a new threedimensional medium. A friend introduced the idea of making art with reflection and Gutzeit quickly started experimenting with his own version of the infinite mirror. This uncharted medium required an entirely new set of tools and knowledge base, like working through the kinks of heat and condensation that accompany installations of light and electricity in a closed environment.

Gutzeit recalls the first art show where he released his first Satori works to the world. It was the early aughts in a restaurant gallery in Santa Barbara. Most of the other artists listed their work under $500, but Gutzeit’s giant 4-foot by 5-foot light sculpture was listed for $5000. When it didn’t sell, the gallery owner scoffed at Gutzeit’s price tag. With the lights and materials costing more than $500, Gutzeit laughed and told the guy he was obviously in the wrong show, and walked off knowing his work was worth more than the sum of its nuts and bolts.

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Eventually, an art agent in Hawaii set up a meeting with Bill Wyland, an influential member of the Hawaii art world. Bill Wyland made his fortune building galleries for the renowned marine mammal murals painted by his brother Robert Wyland. Bill Wyland hadn’t seen anything like Gutzeit’s infinite mirrors and promptly purchased one to adorn his house. Gutzeit recalls how Bill would laugh as his guests passed up million-dollar artwork to stare into Gutzeit’s captivating visual abstractions.

With the threat of success always lurking around the corner, Gutzeit continued to evolve his designs.

Jack Johnson had one of Gutzeit’s portals in his personal music studio and a famous sitcom producer had one on the mantle of his million-dollar Malibu beach house, yet Gutzeit wasn’t making a living from this notoriety. If Gutzeit’s following seemed to be building towards tangible results, by 2008 his momentum was all but dead. When the recession hit no one was buying anything and Gutzeit was forced to quit art altogether. Using his standup surfing contacts he got a job managing Blueline Surf Shop. From behind the counter, Gutzeit met his current business partner with whom, in the height of the standup surfing craze, he’d eventually start a carbon paddle company.

Working in the SUP accessory market, Gutzeit came up with the concept of training wheels to make smaller SUP boards steady for beginners. By dissecting kite struts and duck taping them to the sides of a smaller SUP board, he turned a 28 inch wide board into a 34 inch wide platform for a one size fits all solution. The final product was called Training Rails and sold with some success but according to Gutzeit, “Most surf shops would rather sell two boards instead of a single board with a one size fits all accessory.”

Yet, with a steady trade in carbon paddles, the company Gutzeit named Carbonerro, hummed along.

With Gutzeit’s art ambitions all but dead, in 2014 he received a Facebook message from his old friend Bill Wyland. Having recently sold his Hawaii house to one of the pioneers of Google who required Gutzeit’s art piece remain with the house, Bill was opening a gallery in Hawaii and insisted on having infinite mirrors to show.

From a bungalow above Santa Barbara’s cliffs in a guest house he takes care of for a kitesurfing friend whose long since taken up residence in Capetown, Gutzeit laughs at the ironic fluctuation in value of his art. “Some of this stuff I made years ago — take my Buddha piece — it was sitting in my garage for eight years covered in rat shit and termite droppings. Now it’s all cleaned up and hanging in someone’s house as an expensive work of art.”

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UPPER LEFT: It seems strange trying to explain to the new guy why twin tips were once the desired tool for kitesurfing waves. This gouging floater with boots and a straight rail suggests an era when equipment’s main function was to resist the pull of the kite. // Photo Jason Wolcott

The typical installation is the size of your average car tire: 24” in diameter by 7” in depth. I try to use recycled materials in most of my work: broken tabletop glass, beach glass, scraps of copper, aluminum or even old barn wood. I like to use things that are aged, things that have character, things with a bit of history. Often, the granite frames in many of the designs are made from scrap pieces of stone that would eventually end up in a landfill somewhere.

Jack Johnson had one of Gutzeit’s portals in his personal music studio and a famous sitcom producer had one on the mantle of his million-dollar Malibu beach house, yet Gutzeit wasn’t making a living from this notoriety.

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The biggest challenge I face when creating these portals is coming up with something new.

I’m never satisfied with my work. I always try to redefine my thoughts, my approach and my technique. This can be incredibly tedious and time consuming at times. Often assembling and reassembling each piece over and over again, I find myself staring off into the inner space within my work, looking for direction of what it wants to be. Sometimes this goes on for days. It’s like I’m waiting for the piece to talk to me, to tell me where it needs to go. // Photo Christy Schuler

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Once I have direction on a piece, I can’t stop. It’s like foiling; it’s incredibly addictive.

In some ways, the dormant period has helped mature the aesthetics of Gutzeit’s work. His early art pieces started with iconic subjects like the Bull’s Head and Buddha Mask, where the composition was conceived around a theme or idea and the central subject was prominently centered in the piece. With time, the works have become circular and more abstract. Influenced by materials he finds on the beach, these items create an engaging visual and emotional aesthetic that can enhance any living situation. Gutzeit talks about developing new lighting techniques as well as shifting the way he places objects within the figurative canvas of the portal.

When asked how kitesurfing has played a role in his art, Gutzeit reflects on how the time he spends in the ocean environment has yielded both inspiration as well as recycled materials that work themselves into his work. In some ways, the infinite pipe is analogous to the tapering energy of the waves Gutzeit’s has spent his life chasing. He admits, “I’ve been playing my whole life, I’m not going to stop now. Kiting is a good balance along with standup surfing, except since I started foilboarding, it’s been hard to find enough time for my art.” Gutzeit isn’t apologetic for the privilege of waking up, walking a couple feet to his studio and disappearing into a creative abyss. “Once I have direction on a piece, I can’t stop. It’s like foiling; it’s incredibly addictive.” He remarks how foiling takes him back to his kitesurfing origins; “15 years later I can run into Peter Trow on the weekend at Ledbetter and it’s flat, it’s blowing 10 knots or something, but we’re drag racing Ian and Earl Alldrege, trying to figure out the future of this foil technology.”

Looking around Gutzeit’s house, his art is conspicuously absent except for his latest masterpiece floating on the screensaver of an oversized iMac. Gutzeit claims he enjoys the process, but when he’s done, his wife photographs them and they “fly away.” Part of this is because the immense time required to create each Satori portal makes it difficult to keep up with gallery orders, yet by the time one is finished, Gutzeit is already inspired by where he wants to go with the next piece.

In the studio besides his house, Gutzeit tells the story of an ill-fated experiment with propane gas and a ring of fire when his phone rings. Rob Schrader, an old kitesurfing friend who’s infiltrated the east coast art scene is on the other end. There’s talk of Gutzeit slipping into some high-end galleries in New York’s meatpacking district, but like always, mainstream success for his Satori project is lingering just around the next corner, lurking within each portal’s ephemeral sanctuary of infinite time and space.

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Seeing is Achieving

By Bruce Eliashof, M.D. - Kitesurfer/Psychiatrist specializing in Performance Psychology

Brandon Sheid on local fare...

One of my favorite recipes is Braised Coconut Thai Chicken Curry. I think it is a great dish to have down pat because you can make it anywhere in the world. If you can’t find what you need, it’s also very adaptable to what local ingredients you have on hand, making it a travel go to. I like to use as many local and organic ingredients as possible. Remember, good nutrients deliver dense fuel to your body and this kind of energy is essential for top performance.

Braised Coconut Thai Chicken Curry 6-8 boneless skinless chicken thighs 1 tbsp. coconut oil 1/2 onion small diced 4-6 cloves of mashed garlic 1 inch piece if fresh ginger, minced (can sub powder) 1/2 bunch of fresh cilantro for garnish 1 lime halved to juice on dish (can use lemon) 1 pint chicken stock 1 can coconut milk 2-3 Tbsp. Mae Ploy Curry Paste (the best! any color) 1-2 Thai chiles minced (if you like it hot) 2 sweet potatoes peeled and chopped 1 can of chickpeas rinsed and ready 2-4 carrots sliced •

From legendary tales of cold war era Russian weightlifters to modern day freestyle motocross superstars of the X-games, the practice of visualization has been used successfully by a wide range of athletes to boost athletic performance.

Break it down into its basic parts using a video or a photo.

See it — imagine the body positions required for each step of the move.

Reps — Practice deliberate and focused imaginary reps of the move.

Frame grab — If a particular part of the move is giving you more trouble, work it out in slow motion.

Lock in the successes and steer your mind away from the fails.

MRI scans of athlete’s brains show that visualizing a physical skill triggers the same neural circuits that fire when you actually perform that skill. Put simply, mental reps can help you stomp that new trick.

1-2 cups of your rice of choice cooked on the side to be served with the curry mixture You can add any vegetables on hand to curry!

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In a large heavy bottomed pot with an oven safe lid, heat coconut oil on med-high. Place chicken thighs in pan and brown both sides. Add onions and brown slightly, then add garlic and ginger and cook until garlic begins to brown. Now add sweet potato, carrots, and finally chiles if your are using them.

Continue to cook until chicken is brown and veggies become very slightly browned.

Add the chicken stock. Stir and scrape the bottom of pan to release all the caramelized bits, yummy! Add chickpeas and any other green veggies at this time.

Mix the cocnut milk with the curry paste little by little, until they are one.

Add the curry coconut milk mixture to the chicken, stock, and veggies and bring up to boil on the stove top. Once at a healthy boil, cover and place pot in a 350° F oven for about 40 minutes, or until veggies are soft.

Remove from oven, salt and pepper to taste. Plate over rice and garnish with fresh cilantro and lime juice.

Chef Brandon’s ingredient list & recipe is also on TheKiteboarder.com/brandonskitchen

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by Patrick Rebstock

Kitesurfing can be really hard on your hips because of the constant pounding and one directionality of riding waves. I frequently start my stretching routine with these Supine foot Circles and Point/Flexes I learned from Motion Unlimited. These stretches help the proper function of the lower leg muscles and encourages stabilization of the hip and joint stability.

1. Lie on your back with one leg extended and the other leg bent and pulled up to your chest.

2. Clasp your hands behind the bent knee and keep your other foot on the floor pointed straight up toward the ceiling with your thigh muscle tight.

3. Circle the lifted foot while making sure the knee stays absolutely still.

Start with low rotation reps, then reverse direction and over time build your reps.

4. Bring the toes of your extended foot back towards your shin to flex, then point the foot forward for the indicated number of reps.

5. Switch legs and repeat.

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MYSTIC Warrior Harness The all-time favorite in Mystic’s line, the Warrior will support you in comfort for your most radical moves or big air jumps, won’t ride up and is available in seven colors for 2016. $274.95 // mysticboarding.com // Distributed by deepbluesports.us FUGOO Sport A durable waterproof Bluetooth speaker will help you enjoy audio technology at your fingertips with Siri/Google capabilities and 40 hours of battery life. $199 // fugoo.com

PATAGONIA Water Heater Hooded Vest Getting chilly? Instead of reaching for a thicker suit, this 2mm hooded vest lined with a lightweight recycled polyester jersey might just do the job instead. Offering excellent freedom of movement, its outer neck baffle prevents water entry while a locking cinch cord effectively blocks unwanted flushing. $99 // patagonia.com

DAKINE Cyclone Dry Pack Backpack Ideal for island trips or anytime you need to keep things dry, this pack features waterproof welded construction and a roll top closure, a zippered front pocket, an adjustable sternum strap, breathable ergonomic shoulder straps and a foam back panel. $125 // dakine.com

WMFG Pump 1.0R + 1.0 TALL Pumping air into your kite just got faster and easier. WMFG is offering two new pumps, the stock 20” and the monster 24” pump, featuring improved ergonomics and an assortment of nozzles to be compatible with every kite on the market. $48/$60 // wmfg.co KITEBOARDING.COM Bravo BTP 12 Electric Kite/Sup Pump Modified by longtime industry veteran Jeff Howard to be kitespecific, this rechargeable 12V battery kite pump comes with a carrying case and features a kite leash, auto-shutoff, power cable and more. $249.95 // kiteboarding.com

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NP USA Mission FZ The FZ means Front Zip. Built for unrestricted movement and designed for multi-sport usage, this 3/2 spring suit is constructed of a very stretchy material called “Apex-Plus” neoprene and comes loaded with features such as the ultrawarm Fireline insulation and P-Skin taped seams. $204.99 // usa.npsurf.com

For accessory reviews from this issue, see: thekiteboarder.com/category/gear/accessory-reviews/

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When it comes to kiting a barrel, you can’t slow down and pull in as easily as when you’re surfing.

You have to backdoor the tube by coming in with a lot of speed from as deep as possible. Once you’re in the barrel, you experience a calming chaos; everything is exploding around you and your kite is 25 meters above you, yet somehow everything slows down in this tranquil pocket of Indonesian perfection.

Jason Wolcott

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Intro by Reo Stevens

Indonesia has always been a vector point, much like surfing, for some of the world’s best kitesurfers. In the early years of kitesurfing, only the pioneering wave riding pros were the ones to make the journey. Names like Ben Wilson, Martin Vari, Felix Pivec and Jaime Herraiz were among some of the first to open Indo’s door and, in the following years, quickly inspired a second wave of exploration with guys like Davey Blair, Moehau Goold, Jason Slezak, traveling photographer John Bilderback and myself.

There are other guys that were on that initial trip: Will James, Jeff Tobias, Bertrand Fleury Marc Ramsier — history has inevitably forgotten a few others — but the greater significance of those pioneers’ travel is that they ignited a new chapter in performance kitesurfing.

Indonesia was the birthplace of getting legitimately barreled with a kite, kickstarted the search for similar setups, and opened the door to other name brand barrels around the world. Yet 10 years later, Indo remains one of the most consistent places in the world for kitesurfing hollow tubes. These days, if you travel in the swell window, it’s hard not to cross paths with many of kitesurfing’s professional wave riders with top name photographers in tow, looking for their own Indonesian tunnel vision.

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Jason Wolcott

This particular wave in Indonesia was the first place I ever got a legitimate barrel on a kite. At the time, it was thought to be the “holy grail” of the wave-kiting world because most waves tend to stop barreling when the wind picks up. The added force of the wind along the lip line is the culprit, negating all chances of obtaining a barrel with a kite in your hands. However, this wave was the first to be found with the characteristics to keep the wave barreling in 20 knots. The side offshore winds combined with the extreme Indonesian low tides cause the reef to become visible and block the wind’s fetch, maintaining a smooth wave face. Ten years have passed since I first kited this wave and although it’s difficult to score it when it’s on, this wave is still one of the most consistent barrels I have ever been in with a kite.

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Jason Wolcott

Before the bridled kite revolution I was a devotee of unhooked riding. At the time, I felt it was the only way to free up your upper body enough to get the proper body position with a kite in your hands.

With perfect kite positioning, you could handle the extra power and finesse the kite into pulling you where you wanted to go. The same concept still applies to wave kiting today, but over the past few years the bridled wave kites have advanced leaps and bounds in the way they fly. Today, I rarely find myself unhooking because I want to take full advantage of the modern kite’s depower and drift capabilities. In this shot, I’ve got the bar pushed all the way out, depowering my kite as much as possible while still having it right where I need it to be.

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When I travel all the way to Indo all I want to do when I’m there is get pitted in massive cover-ups.

Unfortunately, some days it’s just not in the cards, but on those days there is a perfect onshore air spot. When the wind and waves move in the same direction, you can boost airs off the lip of the wave and land back into the same wave as you would without a kite. It’s like surfing on steroids.

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Jason Wolcott

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Before you can think about getting barreled you have to set your sights on solid bottom and top turns. Once you lay into the bottom of the wave with good drive and a crisp exit on the rail, you will know directly if your top turn will be a winner. It’s in the middle of the bottom turn that you eye the open face and choose your line to the lip. If you nailed the trajectory back to the top then you transition all your weight into the tail and smash the lip into pieces. That’s the moment I love the most. You create so much speed after a top turn that it’s sometimes hard to keep your rail engaged on your second bottom turn, but when the wave is smooth like this one in Indo, it’s a dream.

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Jason Wolcott

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THIS ISSUE’S WINNING PHOTO (ABOVE) TAKES HOME A PATAGONIA TRUCKER HAT. SEND YOUR PHOTO TO EDITOR@THEKITEBOARDER.COM TO GET YOUR 15 MINUTES OF FAME.

TOP: (WINNER) This shot of Gonzalo Romano was taken in a lagoon in Ilha do Guajiru, Brazil. Packed into 4x4 trucks, Gonzalo and 11 of his closest kiteboarding friends did a loop up the spectacular Lençóis Maranhenses National Park, down to Jericoacoara and back up to Cumbuco. Photo Fernando Cerchiara //ABOVE: Brother of Damine Leroy, Ray dropping into a barrel. Never would expect a Leroy on Airush. Photo Lisa Jefferson // RIGHT: In between trips to Croatia and Lebanon, world traveler Jessica Winkler at home in Turks & Caicos. Photo Marion Rohe Kaufer

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TJ airing it out in Ventana

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Cabrinha • Naish • North • Firewire • Lift • North Pacific • Dakine • Ion • Ride Engine • O’Neill • Patagonia top photos: Gorge-Us Photography

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VIEWPOINT

State of Kiteboarding Words by Alex Lewis-Hughes | Photo by Toby Bromwich

To be honest, this last year’s tour was a shambles. Dodgy decisions, unclear rules on judging and format, false promises and cancelled stops — it was embarrassing and sad to watch. Right now, freestyle competitive kiteboarding is in a strange place with two different organizations vying for supremacy: The Virgin Kiteboarding World Championship (VKWC) and the International Kiteboarding Association (IKA).

Ultimately, all this controversy is making most of us care less. Brands are becoming less interested and those spectators who were once interested in the competition are becoming apathetic; what they are hearing is confusing and what they are seeing is basically nothing.

In my opinion, the bottom line is this: you can’t have people owning or running a world championship tour like the VKWC who hold majority stakeholder shares in a kiteboarding brand. Even if the owner of a tour isn’t biased, the people who work for the tour will want to please the owner and will do what they believe (whether consciously or not) the owner would be impressed with. That’s how organizations generally work, and how the world works and as such it’s fairly obvious that to run a fair world tour you have to eliminate conflicts of interest.

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Because my partner was competing in the Women’s Freestyle discipline, I had to stop being a judge. Although I didn’t judge that discipline, the tour organizers said I may have been able to influence the other judges’ opinions. “Fair enough,” I thought. But as an organization, if you want to hold yourself to that type of standard then surely the potential conflict I mentioned above is also of valid concern.

For a rider whose main objective is to compete and be paid for it, it’s a dark time. My advice to any rider in that mode of thinking is to look further afield, understand what your sponsors want from you and what you can do for them. Unfortunately, if things remain the same and you remain the way you are, soon, your brand might not need you at all.

What’s the solution to this whole problem? To be honest I don’t really know. IKA has claimed that next year they will be running the World Championships; whether this is the solution or not still remains to be seen. One thing I am sure of is that at the very least, a World Tour competition should be run by an operation with the least level of bias towards particular riders or brands. If the tour that emerges actually listens to the riders and allows its competitors to shape their discipline and the sport as a whole, then I’m sure everything will probably turn out all right.

After four years of judging the PKRA tour, Alex Lewis-Hughes is now rebuilding the competitive scene in Australia with the all-new National Kite League, a tour dedicated to pushing the competitive level in Australia and New Zealand while helping to grow the sport.

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DOWNWINDER INN Enjoy a peaceful setting away from the crowds up near the Hot Springs from the comfort of your private room/bath or rooftop terrace. Amenities include community kitchen, complimentary cars for around town, downwind shuttle service and large rooftop terrace. $60/room incl. tax. // downwinderinn.com LA VENTANA BAY PROPERITES Established in 2006 by Dave and Lana Nixon, LVBP offers full service custom home building project management as well as vacation rentals and property management. All rentals have stunning views and are beachfront or near beach access. Additionally, bookings with LVBP have access to an exclusive pool and fitness facility, at special member prices. // laventanabayproperties.com LA VENTANA BUNGALOWS Brand new for the season, LV Bungalows offers luxury 1-bedroom accommodations with upscale furnishings and private patios, centrally located in town. Just 400 feet from the beach and the best launch area in LV, each upscale unit offers a full kitchen, satellite TV, WiFi, AC and secure parking along with a private storage locker and an outdoor shower. $1225/week. // lvbungalows@gmail.com PALAPAS VENTANA Upwind of the main riding area and one of the few areas where waves break during El Norte conditions, lodging includes breakfast and lunch served at the restaurant/bar located just above launch. Enjoy secure gear storage, compressors and dedicated kite helpers. Kite shop and lessons also available. // palapasventana.com

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VENTANA BAY RESORT Located halfway between the main town and the hot springs, Ventana Bay Resort offers beachfront rooms and private bungalows nestled in a beautiful desert landscape. Their on-site restaurant and bar serves delicious, healthy meals and cocktails at the clubhouse overlooking the bay. The Resort has a private beach for launching/landing and a kite school for all levels lessons, equipped with the latest gear. // ventanabay.com VENTANA WINDSPORTS With a large launch/land area directly in front of the property and a 2,000 gallon hot tub for soaking after your session, Ventana Windsports offers a casual laid back atmosphere in an upscale setting. You’ll also enjoy healthy gourmet meals in their ocean view restaurant overlooking the entire bay, thick futons with feather bed toppers, and upscale furnishings. Lodging includes WiFi and use of SUP boards, kayaks and bikes. // ventanawindsports.com

HOTEL BUENA VISTA BEACH RESORT Sitting atop an underground river with natural hot springs which provides water for its guests and pool/Jacuzzi, the family-run hotel combines modern comforts with the richness and romance of old Mexico. Other amenities include a full restaurant/bar and semiprivate beach with kiting just steps from your door. // hotelbuenavista.com VELA KITESURF Creating and perfecting the windsports resort experience for over 30 years, Vela offers standalone lessons or packages with gear, instruction, and lodging options at 13 wind-driven destinations around the world. // velakitesurf.com EXOTIKITE An IKO certified/insured school with experienced instructors offering Jet Ski lessons and rescue with radio helmet instruction since 1998, they operate year round, right on the beach. A favorite hangout for riders, a restaurant is also on premise. // losbarrileskiteboarding.com CAPTAIN NEMO’S LANDING A unique, unknown gem that opened this past winter in Los Barriles, Captain Nemo’s Landing offers affordable teepee lodging at $30/ night along with a 2-bedroom casita (upstairs and downstairs units) with ocean views for just $48/night. Captain Nemo’s spacious grounds also offers guests a community dining area with refrigerator, oven, stove, hot showers and wifi just steps from the beach. A favorite of LOW competitors and attendees. // captainnemoslanding.com

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The Reluctant Rep Photo Courtesy of Cabrinha

California’s Steve Gunn wasn’t looking for a new job when Cabrinha came knocking. In fact, he had recently retired from a 27 year career as VP/CFO of the Technology and Services Group at Pacific Bell.

A Neil Pryde Windsurfing Team member since 1991 and a freshly minted kiter as of 2001, Steve and his wife Maureen were on the verge of their “golden years” when Cabrinha’s Kent Markinkovic offered Steve a rep position.

Steve’s first response was no, “If I wanted to work I would do some consulting and make some real money,” Steve quipped, but after further conversation and negotiation, he eventually said yes. For the next 15 years, Steve maintains he was an ambassador of the sport of kiteboarding first, and a rep for Cabrinha second. He is honored to have been “in” on “something cool” from the beginning and thankful to have been given an open channel to voice his opinions and help shape an industry.

Recalling the early days of kiteboarding, Steve said, “In the beginning many of the early adopters had wind/water backgrounds and were totally stoked to be part of something new.” They rode, worked and just shared their progression and kitemares — most of the talk was about experiences. “It was more like a club where in order to join, everyone had to go through the same initiation,” Steve said. “Now, many people can ‘kite,’ but don’t understand the wind or their equipment. At the same time, there is a lot more tech talk, social media, forums, and other chatter that entitles everyone to share their ‘expert’ opinion.”

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Steve remembers a sign at Real Watersports that read “no tech talk here” and laughs as he recalls them even having a penalty if you did.

When asked about the standout moments in his career with Cabrinha, Steve said that although Mai Tai, the DR KiteFest and a particular Cali Kite’s San Quintin bus trip came to mind, the Cabrinha Race Series was definitely his biggest contribution to the sport. “In 2005, I teamed up with the St. Francis Yacht Club to create the Cabrinha Race Series.

It ran for seven years,” Steve remembers proudly. “The Cabrinha Race Series was ground zero — the foundation for all aspects of kite racing; from equipment to rules, to the controversial ISAF sanctioning, and all the way to the USA National and World Championships.”

His least favorite memory is from the Pismo KiteXpo when a 260-pound guy (aka Secret Agent) had a bad launch, immediately became airborne and was headed toward him when his back was turned. A nearby kiter decided to “save his ass” by tackling him to the sand. Steve is grateful to that kiter (although he wishes the good Samaritan hadn’t been wearing his harness), and still has his favorite Pryde vest with cuts from those kite lines and remnants of a sore back.

Now that he is fully retired, Steve has been working on his strapless freestyle and is just fine not schlepping gear for demo events or passing up water time to manage accounts. “I’ve made some great friends in this sport over the years, and hopefully Cabrinha will allow me to continue to participate in their being the best they can be.”

"I had a kite torn into three pieces and it was finished the same day!”

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A seasoned Hood rat, kite pro and intrepid swimsuit entrepreneur, Sensi Graves lays down some bucket spray for her neighbors to the north. Look for Sensi’s story in the next issue.

Photo Vincent Bergeron

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