The Kiteboarder Magazine Vol. 10, No. 2

VOL. 10 NO. 2 LAND OF THE KUNA NORTH FLORIDA

SEEKING SRI LANKA THE GRENADINES

$9.99US

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

CONTRIBUTORS Amy Robb, Evan Netsch, Tom Court, Brian Wheeler, Helen Trotman

PHOTOGRAPHY Evan Maridoglou/live2kite.com, Toby Bromwich/PKRA, Justin Duncklee Photography, Brian Miller, Jimbo, Michaela Laserer, Damien LeRoy, Agustin Barron, PCBKitesurf.com, Epic Kites, Omar Nazif, Maggie Kaiserman, Toby Bromwich/Triple-S, Richard Hallman, Tony Zion, Ripslix. co.uk, Gustav Shcmiege, Charles Ash, Greg Hinsdale, Helen Trotman, Stephan Kleinlein, Ozone, Ben Harness, Katina Arnott Photography, Brian Caserio/GaastraKitesUSA.com, Aaron Loyd, Jason Lombard Thanks to all editorial and photography contributors for supporting this magazine!

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PROUDLY PRINTED IN THE USA

CONTENTS

FEATURES:

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12 PKRA IN BOOTS

38 SRI LANKA

16 ST. AUGUSTINE

56 THE GRENADINES

24 SAN BLAS ISLANDS

66 ROB WHITTALL

The 2013 North American Course Racing Championship (presented by Live2Kite/ RRD) looked more like a world event with 74 racers from 18 countries competing on windy San Francisco Bay. Racing finished up just before this issue went to print with American siblings Johnny and Erika Heineken finishing on top of the men’s and women’s divisions. Photo Evan Mavridoglou/Live2Kite.com

DEPARTMENTS:

50 EXPOSED

10 FROM THE EDITOR

74 WISH LIST

32 THE SCENE

76 15 MINUTES

34 PROFILED

78 PARTING SHOT

On the Cover: Chris Burke in Maui.

Photo Quincy Dein

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FROM THE EDITOR LOVE-HATE Most kiteboarders have a love-hate relationship with the weather. We love it when conditions are perfect and can sink into a state of semi-depression when they are not. We curse weather patterns that don’t deliver what we are after and we waste hours at the beach pleading for the wind to pick up just a little bit more. The weather is a cruel and fickle creature, sometimes giving us what we want, sometimes withholding what gives us pleasure, and sometimes teasing us just enough to keep us interested.

Only a kiteboarder could look at this and see a fun day on the water. Photo Paul Lang

If you stop and think about it, kiteboarders are an odd group of people with strange habits. We’re obsessed with weather, get anxious every time a nearby tree shakes in the wind, carry pumps, and have trouble setting appointments and meetings because “it might be windy.” Our enjoyment on the water is directly linked to conditions that cause normal people to cancel their picnics and go home. Learning to predict weather that most other people hate is actually an important and difficult part of becoming a kiteboarder.

Ask any seasoned kiteboarder about the wind and you’ll get a long and technical explanation of storm fronts, thermal gradients, and microclimates. You’ll hear a treatise on which local weather patterns are likely to lead to windy days and which patterns are not. Because kiteboarding is a weather-dependent sport most kiteboarders have to become amateur weather forecasters in order to maximize their number of days on the water. We can’t just show up at the beach whenever it’s convenient and expect the conditions to be suitable for kiting.

For a long time I considered this to be a major downside of kiteboarding, and I still feel that way when a lack of wind keeps me off the water for an extended period of time. People who do most other sports can schedule when they are going to do them without much thought about whether the weather will deliver the right conditions. I realize now that this need to understand and chase conditions is a major part of what makes kiteboarding and kiteboarders unique. I think it’s also what makes kiteboarders so passionate about their sport.

I know a world of constant, steady 20-25 knot winds sounds great, but I honestly feel we would lose something without our love-hate relationship with the weather. My favorite days on the water are the ones that come after a long period without wind. These are the days that involve frantic phone calls and text messages, a fast drive to the beach, and a few butterflies in the stomach while I pump up my smallest kite. This is when the hatred of the weather quickly switches to love, and I’m convinced that the more pissed off you get at a lack of wind the more giddy you are when the conditions are right.

The next time you find yourself hating the weather for keeping you off the water, remind yourself that it’s OK. It’s all a part of kiteboarding’s love-hate relationship with the weather and it’s the hate part that makes the good days that much better.

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Alex Pastor was one of the first PKRA riders to switch to boots for competitions.

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By Paul Lang | Photos by Toby Bromwich/PKRA

PKRA in BOOTS THE PKRA TOUR HAS ALWAYS BEEN A SHOWCASE OF KITEBOARDING’S MOST PROGRESSIVE RIDERS AND MOST TECHNICAL STYLE OF RIDING, BUT OVER THE HISTORY OF THE TOUR THE STYLE OF RIDING ON DISPLAY HAS CONTINUALLY EVOLVED. In the early days the tour was about big air, hang time, and board-offs. Then came big air handlepasses and kite loops. In recent years competition riding has moved towards fast, technical riding with kites held low through the move. This year the tour has seen a big and sudden change. Last season most riders competed in straps with boots only occasionally showing up during heats. For the 2013 season there has been a complete reversal with the vast majority of riders suddenly switching to boots for competition.

Youri Zoon

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long with this shift has come more attention from riders in North America who traditionally haven’t followed the tour as closely as riders in other parts of the world. Some riders who have been promoting the use of boots for a long time have seen this shift as a bit of a confirmation that they’ve been on the right path all along. “Since the beginning of kiteboarding, those who have ridden boots have known they are superior to straps for high-level unhooked riding,” said Eric Rienstra. “Despite rejection from the industry, we knew it was the future and never looked back. Now that the PKRA tour is being won by riders in boots the only thing to be said is ‘we told you so.’ My hope is that this will spark a new era in the industry where gear production and events are more focused on this style of riding.”

Marc Jacobs was among the first PKRA riders to switch when he began competing in boots halfway through last season. “The riding was getting more and more powerful with harder landings and I felt straps just weren’t up to the job anymore. Can you

Gisela Pulido

imagine a wakeboarder trying to perform his tricks in straps? Boots give us more control over the board without having to worry about keeping our toes hooked on our pads. Straps are still great for a good freestyle session or learning to kite, but I can’t see myself ever going back. I tried riding straps for a photo shoot and couldn’t do it.

It’s harder to go back to straps than it is to switch to boots.”

Sam Light is a long-time boot rider who has been glad to see the shift. “Boots give you much more control over your board especially in tough conditions,” he said. “They allow you to hold down more power to go bigger and faster. It’s amazing how quickly the standard of riding has improved across the board, but there’s still a mix of different styles on the tour. The stiffness of the boots and how tight you lace them up affect your range of movement, so there is still a lot of variety among the riders and we’re seeing a lot of new tricks that hadn’t been seen on the tour before.”

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Kevin Langeree is one of the few riders on the tour still competing in straps.

Marc Jacobs

Sam Light

Christophe Tack

According to PKRA judge Antoine Jaubert, the new live scoring system is changing the way riders approach their heats. “Two years ago the PKRA was judged on overall impression, so a rider would land 12-15 good tricks and win his heat because he showed a good repertoire with style and power,” said Jaubert. “Now riders are only judged on 5 individual tricks out of a maximum of 12. This means the winner is the one who lands the 5 most technical tricks with power and good execution. With boots you can land with more power and improve your execution which is pushing more riders into boots.” PKRA judge Ian Sleuyter added a few more benefits of boots that he sees. “Riders don’t lose their boards as often, so they can actually save a lot time during a heat compared to someone who has to body drag back to their board after a crash,” he said. “Without being afraid of losing their board, a rider can commit more to their tricks and ride harder.”

However, not all riders are convinced that boots are necessary. Kevin Langeree has decided to continue competing in straps for now. “Guys like Youri Zoon and Marc Jacobs made riding in boots look really good, so a lot of riders wanted to try it,” said Langeree. “I’ve tried riding boots and some tricks are a lot easier because you don’t have to worry about your board staying on your feet. With my feet wedged into the boots I feel like they limit my movements a bit though and that’s what I don’t like. For me kiteboarding is about more than just new school freestyle and I love all the styles the sport has to offer.”

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Christophe Tack feels boots have become almost necessary for competitions but warns that they don’t automatically make someone a better rider. “I’ve been experimenting with boots since 2008, but Alex Pastor was the first to show everyone they could work in competitions,” he said. “The extra support, board control, and precision they offer are pretty much necessary if you want to win now. Boots are really helping us progress as well. The tricks are surely better with more power and smoother landings, but boots are no guarantee that your tricks will be more powered than some strap riders. In the end

it’s about the riding, not the gear you ride, even though boots can help.”

Does the movement of riders on the PKRA tour towards boots have any implications for the rest of us? “It is great to see the PKRA athletes gravitating to riding boots, but it’s more exciting to see the competition format rewarding progression,” said Gary Siskar, brand manager for Liquid Force.

“Technical tricks with more power, more rotations, and stylish grabs are adding energy and excitement to a big group of young energized riders that aspire to this progressive riding style. Will the entire kiteboarding population start to ride boots? No, but more will!”

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St. Augustine, Florida, has a vibrant and historic downtown.

Photo Amy Robb

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e n i h s n Su

STATE OF

By Amy Robb

I BELIEVE THERE ARE THOUSANDS OF CUBICLES ACROSS AMERICA FILLED WITH DREAMERS AND SCHEMERS WHO SPEND THEIR TIME AT WORK LAMENTING THEIR NINE TO FIVES, WATCHING VIDEOS OF KITEBOARDERS IN FAR-OFF PLACES, AND PLOTTING THEIR NEXT GREAT ESCAPE. I call it Living the Dream Syndrome and it’s hard to shake once you’ve caught it. I know this because I have it. I’ve quit jobs, sold houses and belongings, relocated, given away possessions, and lived on beans and rice to chase it not once, but multiple times. The thing I seem to forget through every cycle is this: The beauty of living the dream isn’t about the dream at all. It’s about the living. And living only happens day to day.

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The beaches near St. Augustine are perfect for landboarding on light wind days. Photo Brian Miller

Photo Amy Robb

Photo Justin Duncklee Photography

Photo Amy Robb

Photo Brian Miller

carriages, Spanish Colonial architecture, and a landmark fort that still greets sailors coming in and out of the harbor. Its recent history includes a pivotal role in the civil rights movement of 1964, and, in many ways, it is Northern Florida’s cultural hub and represents Old Florida at its finest. From Flagler University’s stunning downtown presence to streets lined with charming bed and breakfasts, moss-covered oaks, pubs, eateries, and beautiful waterfront views, St. Augustine’s small urban center is vibrant and bustling. Both arts and culture thrive here. While the city itself isn’t a beach town per se, just five miles south in St. Augustine Beach there’s no lack of ocean charm.

Only ten minutes from historic downtown sits mile after mile of kiteable surf.

Eddie Toy navigates the whitewater on a big day at St. Augustine Beach. Photo Brian Miller

Kiteboarding is a tricky sport to integrate into the fabric of one’s life on a daily, weekly, or even monthly basis. It’s not like running or yoga. When the conditions are right, they’re right. Wind and waves can’t be scheduled.

Most of us have job routines and responsibilities that preclude a daily fix.

Perhaps when we were 20 years old we had the luxury of living cheap and waiting for nothing more than the weather that supported our habit, but as the years roll on we get choosier about the kind of wind required to make it worth the effort. Sometimes just getting to the beach can be a chore.

Four years ago my husband and I began a nomadic experiment to see just how long two people could live and work in a 12-foot camper without killing each other while touring windy destinations across North America. Our travels were generally punctuated by long stints of time spent perched in places we knew we could reliably expect strong wind (Hatteras, South Padre Island, La Ventana, and the Gorge) or places that met some other need for quality of life (time with family, work, community, and other activities and interests). For the longest time, I suspected our only option for maintaining our kite lifestyle was a state of nomadness. Keep going. Keep traveling. Keep finding ways to make it work. But as the start of our fourth year of wandering kicked in, so did a surprising urge to hang our hats in a home without wheels.

The question we began to ask ourselves was this: When you grow tired of chasing the proverbial dream, does that mean your endless summer must end? If so, how does one juggle life with an ongoing desire for wind?

I’m originally from the Pacific Northwest and the Florida of my mind was a mythical land of citrus fruit, voting failures, Cuban coffee, and insidious suburban sprawl. It was a place where old men wore Speedos and “cheese nips” on a beach referred to tanned skin. As we trundled from Mexico to Massachusetts and across Florida for the first time in 2010, I learned many of my preconceived notions were true. I also learned that Florida is so much more.

As we made our way to the Northeast corner of the state we discovered parks, inland waterways, beaches, and small towns that caught our attention.

We found ourselves passing through quickly and wanting to experience more. If you’re on the hunt for a kiteable place to call home or a vacation that meets the needs of kiting and non-kiting travelers alike then Northern Florida is a gem to consider. St. Augustine, where we chose to settle down, is a must-visit destination.

ST. AUGUSTINE

Ranked one of the ten best small towns in America by Fodors, St. Augustine is known as the nation’s oldest city. In 2013 it was listed as one of National Geographic’s 20 Best Trips, standing tall against towns in Italy and France and competing with more exotic destinations like Myanmar and Malawi.

St. Augustine boasts narrow, old-world cobblestone streets, horse-drawn

HISTORY St. Augustine was settled by Spanish mariners in 1565. Kiteboarders moved in during 1999. The history of the city is almost as rich as the stories that accompany kiteboarding’s early debut. North Florida’s kite scene emerged the same way kiting in many parts of the country did: On unforgiving terms with two-line kites and lots of cursing, broken bones, and post-session beers toasting survival.

It was an era of trial and error, gear failures, and painful body-dragging across sand dunes.

The early pioneers were a committed group. Daryl Drown, Jeremy Green, Nick Batty, and Jimbo Manning were among St. Augustine’s first kiters followed shortly by Eddie Toy and Todd Mitchell. This group became a rogue team of sorts, forming the nucleus from which St. Augustine’s kite community eventually evolved. At the time kiting was predicated, at least in part, on not knowing just how steep the consequences of failure could be. As a result it attracted a bold (yet cautious) and capable (yet daring) breed.

One of the first kites to land on St. Augustine’s shores arrived by plane from Cabarete. While visiting former windsurfing champion Gary Eversole in the Dominican Republic, Jeremy Green, Nick Batty, and Jimbo Manning were introduced by Gary to the concept of kites. Manning and Batty were not immediately convinced, but Green (who later went on to help nurture a kite scene further south in Jupiter) was sold. He boarded his return flight to Florida with a two-line Mosquito foil kite in hand.

Eventually Green and Manning met Daryl Drown, and together the crew began making the long kite commute to St. Augustine Beach from Gainesville, their college town. They rode modified surfboards and wrestled with the pull of unmanageable kites.

Those early kites made every day feel gusty and learning to control their power was often a dangerous and frustrating feat. The long learning process nearly drove Manning to quit, but Green was there to encourage him to keep pushing.

First, he lured him with the promise that he was pioneering a new sport. Later he insisted, “No matter how gnarly things get, you’ll always wash right in.” As is the case for so many riders today, Manning’s enjoyment of the sport finally superseded the discomfort of learning and he’s still at it.

The crew gathers for a big wave day.

Photo Brian Miller

Lia Feriancek spins fire in front of the Ocean Extreme Sports shop. Photo Brian Miller

COMMUNITY I first met Jimbo Manning in a bar named The Oasis just a few weeks after moving to St. Augustine. There was a classic November Nor’easter generating 30-40 mph winds and our plan was to meet with a crew of local riders who’d gathered at the bar to refuel and coordinate an eight-mile downwinder. I agreed to run shuttle and by the time I returned to the beach my husband had pumped up my kite and run my lines. The ocean was a churning, frothy brown mess that looked intimidating close to shore and downright terrifying 100 yards out. I drove my Subaru onto the beach to find seven neoprene-clad, wind-chilled, and beaming riders huddled near their cars as sand drifts formed ramps to the top of their tires. With ominous dark skies laying low overhead, one kiter after another bobbled up and down, possibly with excitement, but maybe just to stay warm. I suited up in the car while doing my best to keep my nerves at bay. When I emerged I found tall, easy-going Jimbo making his final checks.

“Looks fun out there today,” he mumbled under his breath, nodding toward the ocean’s jagged horizon without one lick of concern. “That’s funny,” I replied, arms crossed and shivering, “because I was thinking it looks downright pissed off.” He chuckled and turned to lock up his truck. “Anything I should know before I launch?” I asked. “Nah,” he said, as if it was just another day on the water. At that moment half of me desperately wanted an excuse to pack up and go home while the other half wanted a swift kick in the keister for being such a chicken. In an awkward state of mixed doubt and anticipation, I leaned toward him, as if confessing a secret, and whispered, “Jimbo, I think I might be in over my head.” To my surprise, Jimbo stopped what he was doing. He looked at the ocean. He looked at me. He grinned and said, “Don’t worry, we’ll all be keeping an eye out for you. Worst case scenario? You’ll always wash right in.”

I suppose this is how communities of kiters are formed throughout the world and how kiting friendships develop. It’s a process of looking out for one another while also pushing each other enough to keep things moving forward.

The riders who founded St. Augustine’s kite community set the stage for over a decade of kiteboarders who’ve followed and perhaps their legacy is reflected in the welcoming nature of local riders today. There aren’t any battles for turf here and attitude, if there’s any on the beach at all, never gains much traction.

Egos don’t get far on St. Augustine’s waters. Kiting communities, the good ones at least, keep you honest with an unspoken code that’s pretty darn simple. If you’re better than someone else, you lend a hand. If you get a hand, you give one back. Always give respect where respect is due.

CONDITIONS It’s tempting to associate Florida solely with surf, but to do so would be turning a blind eye to its obvious geography. Most of North Florida’s Atlantic coast beaches are barrier islands, interrupted only by inlets which open into flat-water slicks. Ryan Mattieson, a kiter who moved to St. Augustine from North Carolina to start a yacht business after college, is arguably one of the strongest wakestyle riders in the area. Over a beer one night he tells me that riding North Florida “conditions riders for any condition,” and I think he might be right.

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Driving the seasonal changes here are cooler, gustier frontal winds from the North throughout the fall and winter followed by rising hot temperatures that pull thermal breezes from the ocean through the spring and summer. May and November tend to be St. Augustine’s most kitable months, but with a bigger kite, a larger board, and the addition of a landboard to one’s quiver, it’s conceivable that dedicated riders could average at least three to four sessions a week, year round.

Jimbo Manning in the early days.

Photo courtesy Jimbo Jimbo Manning at the Matanzas Inlet.

Photo Justin Dunklee Photography

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Photo Amy Robb

Photo Justin Duncklee Photography

While it’s true that my seven meter has collected a little dust in the past few months, it’d be foolish to overlook North Florida’s riding potential because the average wind speed isn’t always a steady 25 knots. Maneuvering kites in light wind amidst rolling waves, strong ocean currents, and sloppy surf requires you to be proficient. This makes you a stronger, more capable kiter. Moreover, when wind speeds aren’t sufficient for sessions on the water, landboarding along the wide, open, flat, sandy beaches of St. Augustine is an option popular with the local kiters.

THE MAGIC OF MATANZAS

Any story on kiting in St. Augustine without mention of Matanzas Inlet wouldn’t be much of a story at all. Matanzas Inlet is a channel through the outer beaches just south of St. Augustine where the Matanzas River meets the Atlantic Ocean.

It is considered by some to be St. Augustine’s kiteboarding jewel as converging forces create a playground of waves and slicks. On the inside the outgoing tide provides an added boost to southeast or northeast winds on butter-smooth water. On the outside are breaking waves 200-300 yards out depending on the swell. The area is teeming with life and, like all barrier islands, it’s constantly in flux. Over the past several years sand deposits have narrowed the width of the inlet by half, but the inlet will widen again as the seasons continue to change.

Strong outgoing tides along with a low bridge make the Inlet a risky proposition for those who lack experience and early riders were slow to pursue exploration here as a result. It was Drown (founder of Ocean Extreme Sports), Green (Jupiter Kiteboarding), and Toy (First Coast Kiteboarding) who began consistently riding the Inlet while seeking to understand its challenges and its opportunities. Today it’s considered one of the best riding locations in North Florida.

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Each morning over coffee I log onto our local kite forum and sift through its daily news. Generally full of kiteboarding banter, information, and a few welldeserved virtual high-fives, my favorite posts are always the simple ones written by local rider Jeff Greene.

Jeff grew up in St. Augustine. He moved away for college and then moved back a few years later with his wife to raise their kids in a place that, for them, felt like home. Jeff lives just up from the Matanzas Inlet and when he’s not traveling for work he spends his time on the water. He rides some of the biggest kites and boards I’ve ever seen and it’s not uncommon to see him riding alone.

It’s never what’s included in Jeff’s reports that make me appreciate them. It’s more about knowing where they’re from. Jeff is not a kiter who has nothing to do all day but sit and wait for wind. Between family, work, and raising two kids, he is busy. Jeff doesn’t have time to kite. He makes time to kite, and he does so because it’s simply part of who he is.

I haven’t met every kiter in St. Augustine yet, but my guess is that Jeff might represent a good number of local riders. They don’t live to kite.

They live to live, and kiting just happens to be an inextricable part of that equation. I have a lot to learn from my new community in this regard, and if Florida is where my endless summer ends, then it’s exactly where I want to be: Living life in a state of sunshine on the beaches of St. Augustine.

Do you live in a unique and interesting place where life and kiting collide? If so, we want to hear about it! Send your story ideas to editor@thekiteboarder.com.

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Photo Michaela Laserer

Land of the

Kuna

BY EVAN NETSCH

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After spending a month in the dry Baja desert followed by three very cold days in New York City, I found myself on yet another plane returning south, this time to Panama.

Whenever I hear about Central America I’m usually being told about the amazing surf, but I wouldn’t be hitting the usual Pacific Coast surf spots on this trip. I was heading to the San Blas Islands, a a 380-island archipelago scattered off the eastern coast of Panama.

The San Blas Islands are the home of the Kuna (also spelled Cuna or Guna) people, the native inhabitants of Panama and Columbia. Landing just outside the lush Panamanian jungle was quite the change in scenery compared to the concrete jungle I had just left behind. I was expecting undeveloped islands surrounded by pristine reefs and crystal clear water, but I soon discovered that I had no idea of the true remoteness of this area, a place seemingly cut off from the rest of the world.

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I knew very few details about this trip other than I was to meet up with Seon Crockford and Michaela Laserer of the Cabrinha Quest. Upon arriving at the Tocumen airport I was supposed to keep my eyes out for a guy named Bobby and an Indian man in a maroon Toyota Hilux pickup. After hanging around for about 30 minutes I saw a maroon Toyota pull up filled to the brim with fresh fruit and provisions with a tall Indian man driving. I figured this had to be it and when a man hopped out of the truck wearing a Cabrinha t-shirt I knew I found my ride.

We strapped my board bags on the roof with some comically light cargo netting and random bits of twine and set off on the three-hour journey across Panama.

We passed farm after farm and an increadibly lush and green landscape on our way to the east coast. With the light drizzle of rain, I felt far from the Caribbean I was familiar with. Finally we came to a fork in the road with a simple sign that said Colombia with an arrow next to it. We went the other way and a few miles later we were in dense jungle on the steepest roads I have ever been on. This stretch of road seemed to last hours and was apparently pretty new, having been finished sometime in the last few years. It seemed like during the construction of these roads they must have been short on asphalt. Most mountain roads wind up and down the slopes while these just followed the shortest path straight up and over! Without this steep road our destination would have only been accessible by boat from the nearest port located in Colombia.

We finally came to a barrier in the road set up by what appeared to be regular Panamanian citizens armed with machine guns. Some were wearing camouflage, but most had no uniform at all. They demanded to see our passports and that we pay money to pass. We paid our entry fee of $10 per person which was apparently double what it had been a week before; perhaps they didn’t like the look of us on our way in. On the last few miles of road to the docks in the town of Carti, we passed a cyclist walking his bike and could only imagine how long he had been hiking for. About two hours later he showed up at the same dock we were loading at. He had been hiking that stretch of road for eight hours straight on a journey all the way from Canada with a goal to finish in Argentina. He said it was the single worst stretch of road he had encountered so far on his journey.

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Virtually every island was covered with palm trees.

Photo Michaela Laserer

“

This was our third or fourth anchorage of the trip and the first spot we were able to kite. It turned out to be some of the best flat water riding of my life.

”

The buildings on some of the islands looked like they were spilling into the ocean.

Photo Evan Netsch

Photo Damien LeRoy

On the dock we were busy loading gear, people, food, and fuel onto Discovery, the 57’ Cabrinha Quest catamaran. Provisioning the boat for ten days out in the islands was quite a process. Bobby, my first contact at the airport, turned out to be an amazing chef and was in charge of all the food supplies. Words cannot describe the meals he was able to create in Discovery’s galley. Michaela was stuck with the task of manually fending off the boat from the crude dock as the fenders were not quite thick enough to guard the hull from bumping against the protruding concrete and PVC. This left Seon and I with the task of manually siphoning 150 gallons of diesel into 5 gallon containers from a truck on shore. This obviously took us awhile. As it was getting late and the driver needed to leave before dark, we gave up somewhere around 50-60 gallons and figured that would be enough to get us through the trip. Fully loaded after an extremely long day of traveling, we set sail that evening.

We woke up the next morning at the islands nearest the mainland, only about three miles offshore. These islands are densely inhabited as they are the closest point of trade to the mainland. The commerce buildings seemed to be spilling over the edges on every corner of these miniature islands. We soon ventured deeper into the maze of islands. The San Blas Islands are controlled and inhabited by the native Kuna people who speak their own dialect known as Dulegaya. Spanish is also spoken in most areas, but the Kuna community as a whole strives to keep their traditional culture and independence from Panama as much as possible. They proudly fly their own flag, a variation of the Spanish flag with a swastika in the center. Not to be confused with the Nazi backwards swastika, it is an ancient symbol that actually stands for luck or well-being.

One of the first things I noticed was how all the small islands seemed completely overgrown with coconut trees. Coconuts are a primary trade good to Columbia, and the Kuna plant the islands and inhabit the

Photo Evan Netsch

majority of them, trading off on guard duty to ensure their crop is not stolen. Many islands on the horizon appeared to be taller than they were wide as even the smallest spits of sand are planted with tall trees, even if it will only hold three or four of them.

The wind was light for the first couple of days and kiting barely crossed my mind while taking in the beauty and culture of the islands and its people, but by the third day we were all ready for a session.

Discovery tucked up behind a long stretch of barrier reef for the night and the next morning we woke up to wind. This was our third or fourth anchorage of the trip and the first spot we were able to kite. It turned out to be some of the best flat water riding of my life. Upwind just a few tacks from the boat was the barrier reef with a mix of sand and grass scattered with starfish and urchins. The water was anywhere from two inches to sixty feet deep and the current was ripping over the shallow areas. In the far distance we could see the cloud-covered rain forest of the Panamanian mainland while surrounded by crystal-clear Caribbean water with the occasional Kuna canoe sailing or paddling by after their day of fishing. It truly was a remote wilderness paradise. We sessioned this unknown, unnamed flat water spot for a couple of days before finally moving on.

Photo Michaela Laserer

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Photo Michaela Laserer

Photo Michaela Laserer

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I was eager to find a place with a little less downwind current, but little did I know that where we just left would be the most mild current we would ride by far. Luckily the catamaran gave us unlimited access and freedom. Seon had been in the San Blas Islands for a couple of months at this point, and he had learned his way around pretty well. He navigated by old maps, but most importantly he also navigated by eye. We were always looking out for new riding spots and the occasional patch of reef that could sneak up at any moment. For this reason we only sailed within the islands during daylight hours, as our maps were not detailed enough to trust entirely. We ended up anchoring between a few little islands the following day to enjoy some spear fishing and exploration of the area. We then moved into another area named Cayos Holandeses on the outermost rim of the archipelago where the sheer beauty and clarity of the water put to shame every other Caribbean destination I have ever visited. The wind was a bit lighter here, and the current was much stronger. We could see the swell picking up in the distance on the outer reef and the water pushing across the reef had created deep channels every few hundred yards in the sand flat that extended for about half a mile before spilling out into the deeper water.

The current was amazingly fast at this spot. It took five minutes of hard work milking every bit of power out of a 12 or 14m kite just to get upwind enough to try one trick. If you crashed your kite off the back of the boat and were not able to get it up in a matter of seconds you were pushed so far downwind that it took ten minutes to fight back upwind to the boat. There was so much water moving that I even tried to statically wakeboard behind the anchored boat, and while it fell just short of being strong enough it nearly worked. While the sessions here were a bit challenging they were still incredibly fun. The stingrays would gather in the channels and scatter as we cruised over them and we even saw the occasional nurse shark. Finally I decided to take a tack all the way out across the reef, hopping over dry spots on a twin tip through the shallow bits. Making it out on a surfboard would have been a recipe for stitches and urchin removal, but once out I realized the swell we had been looking at all day long had some reasonable size to it.

With time running out we moved to a little right hand point break at what was possibly one of only a few surfable spots in the entire archipelago. That evening we set anchor and paddled out for our first and last surf of the entire trip. No one stayed behind to shoot photos as we were all selfishly in the water excited to see a breaking surfable wave. We surfed for the next hour or so until the sun set and planned out the rest of the trip before we would have to set sail back to the mainland.

Evan grabs over the shallow reef during the first session of the trip. Photo Michaela Laserer

“

I was eager to find a place with a little less downwind current, but little did I know that where we just left would be the most mild current we would ride by far.

�

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Cayos Holandeses. Photo Michaela Laserer

A local child has his first SUP experience. Photo Michaela Laserer

myself into a wave I had just enough speed to make my little 5’8” and 11m work. I rode wave after wave for about an hour, partially because I was truly having a great time even though the conditions were far from epic, and partially because I was stranded about 200 yards from the boat unable to get back.

“

What started out as a dreary last day in San Blas ended up delivering the best session of the trip.

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The next morning we woke up and what was a fun slightly overhead wave had backed off to nearly nothing and it was raining with light wind. We were all a bit bummed about the lack of surf but still thankful for such a great trip. After breakfast there seemed to be just enough wind to go kiting one more time. It was up and down anywhere from eight to fifteen knots but I decided what the heck, I’ll pump up an 11m and try to make the most of it. The boat was anchored close to the reef and the swell did seem to be picking back up a little, so I went for it. Once I got out I found a fun waist-high wave, but with the inconsistent offshore wind and current coming off the reef I soon found that getting back to the boat was going to be a nightmare.

I had no problem staying on the reef, the wind direction was just about perfect, and once I pulled

Before I knew it, the clouds broke, the wind started to come up, and Michaela came out to join me.

For the rest of that day it did nothing short of get better by the minute. By the time we had to set sail again I was lit on a 10m, sunburned, and my right side was bleeding from harness rash. What started out as a dreary last day in San Blas ended up delivering the best session of the trip. That night we were anchored back in Carti. Bags were packed and early the next morning I began the journey back to the airport. We had another light drizzle of rain for the rugged drive out, but the gray weather couldn’t wipe the smile off my face from that last session.

Unfortunately we did not manage to get a single shot of this little break, so you’ll have to take my word that it was a magical little wave. How magical?

I’ll just leave that up to your imagination.

Š 2013 Patagonia, Inc.

Reo Stevens midway through a strapless back roll, Oahu. JOHN BILDERBACK

you BUILT FOR _____.

patagonia.com

THE SCENE

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1. Smoothie break! PHOTO BRIAN MILLER 2. Lucky Pismo raffle winner Donna Youghn Eshel was really excited about her new Best kite! PHOTO PAUL LANG 3. I don’t land kites. PHOTO AMY ROBB 4. Poulette Luque in front of her kite on her wedding day. PHOTO AGUSTIN BARRON 5. Wayne Griswold getting ready to ride a random piece of wood that washed up on the beach. PHOTO PCBKITESURF.COM 6. Brandon Scheid almost ran over the cameraman. PHOTO PAUL LANG 7. Race board madness! PHOTO TOBY BROMWICH/PKRA 8. Helen Trotman in the Grenadines.

PHOTO EPIC KITES 9. Lulu Vroman and Colleen Carroll at the 2013 Triple S. PHOTO AMY ROBB 10. That bikini will leave some interesting tan lines. PHOTO OMAR NAZIF 11. Hatteras. PHOTO AMY ROBB 12. Bryan Lake and Kevin Langeree air guitar in front of Santana’s guitar. PHOTO TOBY BROMWICH/PKRA 13. The crowd gettin’ down at the REAL Triple S. PHOTO AMY ROBB 14. The racers at the 2013 North American Championships had to deal with a few container ships passing by. PHOTO EVAN MAVRIDOGLOU/LIVE2KITE 15. Grom! PHOTO PAUL LANG 16. Rich Sabo shows his O-face to the camera. PHOTO PAUL LANG 17. Brandon Scheid signs an autograph for a fan. PHOTO PAUL LANG 18. Maui Mike cooks up his famous BBQ chicken at the Pismo Kite Expo. PHOTO PAUL LANG 19. Kevin Winfield and Taizen ThomasWong at the Pismo Beach Kite Expo. PHOTO PAUL LANG 20. Ella Johnson at the 2013 Pismo Beach Kite Expo. PHOTO MAGGIE KAISERMAN 21. Horse man got a little excited during the Pismo Kite Expo raffle. PHOTO PAUL LANG 22. Rich Sabo hops back to the water after overshooting the landing. PHOTO PAUL LANG 23. Looks like Jeremy Lund has a new fan. PHOTO PAUL LANG If you have a photo you would like to see in The Kiteboarder Magazine, send it to editor@thekiteboarder.com.

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PROFILED

Photo Toby Bromwich/Triple-S

Tips:

JAMES ROPNER

• Fly your kite in light wind in a safe place to learn better kite control.

Kiting has become pretty easy, so people don’t really know how to properly fly kites anymore.

• Respect locals. Don’t just show up and think you own the spot. Watch what others are doing. Most surf spots have a rotation. If you don’t know what I’m talking about you shouldn’t be on a wave.

• Go ride with mates that will push you. It’s always nice to have a mate to shred with.

AGE: 26 YEARS KITING: 6 FAVORITE SPOTS: California, Oregon, Portugal, UK SPONSORS: Azhiaziam Clothing, Best Kiteboarding, Loyd Surfboards, Engine Harnesses

GEAR

When, where, and why did you start kiteboarding? In 2007 I was at Frank’s Hot Dogs in San Luis Obispo. One of my dad’s old windsurfing mates owned the restaurant and had a lot of kiting photos up. I asked him if he had one of those kite things for sale and ended up buying a 2005 12m Caution Spitfire. I didn’t have a harness so I went to the beach with no instruction, hooked the chicken loop to my belt, and flew the kite for a few months like that. I don’t recommend learning that way to anyone – take lessons. I only had a wakeboard, so I struggled with the bindings while flying the kite. One day Kinsley ThomasWong saw me and handed me a real kiteboard and it was all downhill from there.

Central California has been huge in terms of kitesurfing progression.

Why do you think that is? When you look at Patrick Rebstock, Ian Alldredge, and Bear Karry you’ll often see their dads out there shredding with them. I think the surfing mentality was instilled in them by their parents’ love of the ocean. With this surfing mentality it is only natural to see what’s going down. I have a good group of friends who absolutely shred: Sean, Pike, Baxter, Reed, Josh, Pat, Ian, Teddy, Cody, Bear, and Cam. We push each other, film each other, and drink together. The conditions in Cali can be heavy. We get huge surf, huge fish (don’t body drag too long), and fickle wind. I think these gnarly conditions and the endless search for wind and waves will make us all progress more in the future.

You’re originally from the UK – when did you come to California? Was kitesurfing your first ocean sport? I was born and raised in Yorkshire – the land of the hobbits, green rolling hills, tea, and, of course, ale. My family packed up and moved to California in 1995 when my grandmother got ill. I swapped cricket, rugby, football, and horse riding for a skateboard, snowboard, wakeboard, and then a surfboard. Kiting was my first ocean sport. I used to be terrified of sharks, and I didn’t like the cold, windy beaches in our area at all.

You and the rest of the crew are strapless riders. Do you see a place for straps on a surfboard? My friends are all surfers who have never used straps. However, if straps help you hop over waves or if you like them then you should ride what you like. Some advice I can offer everyone is to make sure you get a good surfboard. My sponsor Loyd Surfboards makes insane custom boards.

If you ever watch someone like Gabe Loyd make a board you can see the love and passion that goes into it.

BOARD: Loyd 5’10” Flying Pig KITES: Best Cabos with 18 and 20m lines HARNESS: Engine

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You’re obviously really focused on riding waves with a kite. Is this the direction you’d like to see the sport most focused on? I don’t want to see kiteboarding become one sport. I think it’s branching into five disciplines with gear to match. The wake guys are killing it, race guys are hauling ass, surf guys are slaying lips, snow guys are mental, and freeriding will never die! I ride waves because I think it’s the best feeling in the world. This doesn’t mean I don’t like throwing on my boots and hitting a few rails or kickers though.

Sliding spreader bars have become really popular in California. What’s the advantage? It improves mobility, but the combination of a good harness and a good sliding attachment point really help you feel like the harness isn’t even there. With Engine harnesses we focused on making a better harness for surfing. We tested many prototypes and came up with a carbon fiber shell that molds to your back so your harness perfectly fits your back. Hadlow just ordered one so they can’t be that bad!

What is something you do outside of kiteboarding that most people wouldn’t know? I have started a video production company called LivingTheDream (LTD) with Patrick Rebstock. We are getting a fancy camera and will be doing some new and exciting things with it!

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PROFILED

TIPS:

• Turn your kite before you do your bottom turn so your bottom and top turns will be one fluid motion.

• Practice jibing on flat water before going out in the waves.

• Try different watersports like surfing that compliment kiting.

• Always wear sunscreen!

MOONA WHYTE

Photo Richard Hallman

AGE: 18 FAVORITE SPOT: Mokuleia SPONSORS: Cabrinha, NP, Baby-G, Gatorz Eyewear What riders influence you the most?

BOARD: 5’8” surfboard KITES: Cabrinha Drifters My boyfriend Keahi de HARNESS: NP Raven harness Aboitiz inspires me the most because he’s so passionate about kiting and he makes it look effortless! Outside of When did you start kiteboarding? kiting, I’m inspired by the pro surfer girls like I started kiting when I was about 14 at Carissa Moore.

Mokuleia Beach Park on Oahu where I grew up. I always found myself waiting on the What are you currently working on? beach for my dad while he kited for hours I am actually working on my backside and so I finally decided to learn. switch stance riding on waves. All the spots on the North Shore are right handers and Your father Richard Whyte was credited that’s what I’m used to, so going left is like with inventing the windsurfing duck jibe. doing everything backwards.

Did you start windsurfing first?

My dad pretty much stopped windsurfing You basically came out of nowhere last after learning how to kite. I’ve never year on the KSP tour. What was that first windsurfed. I guess kiting just looked more competition like for you? fun and exciting to me! My dad still kites It was amazing competing on Maui last with me everyday. year because it’s where my dad did his first professional windsurfing competition and I How has surfing helped your kiting? got to meet all the other pro riders and see I did sailing and outrigger canoe paddling how they kite. I was so nervous before my while I was in high school which taught me heats but I had a lot of support and luckily everything about how the wind and swells for me the conditions were a lot like home. I work. But I think surfing has had the most just had to relax and kite like I always do. influence on me because I’ve only ever wanted to kite in the waves. I learned to surf What do you think will be different on a longboard but it wasn’t until I started about competing this year now that you kiting that I got more interested in surfing have some experience under your belt? and learned to ride a shortboard. I love all I think I will be much more comfortable types of surfing now. I mostly shortboard competing this year. The hardest thing but I also get out on the SUP board which is will be kiting new spots and conditions that really fun.

GEAR

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I’m not used to, but I’ve been kiting and surfing a lot and I’m more confident in my riding now.

Do you only ride directionals or do you like freestyle as well?

I actually learned on a regular surfboard and then went straight into the waves, so I never got into freestyle. I have only been on a twin tip a few times. They’re fun but we have perfect conditions for surfing in Hawaii and I don’t want to waste it!

What is something about you that you do outside of kiteboarding that most people wouldn’t know?

I am studying art in college and like painting, making jewelry, and playing the guitar.

Where is your favorite place to kite?

Mokuleia because the wind is consistent and easy and the waves are always fun.

Where’s your dream destination?

Hopefully I’ll get to go to Indo this year to kite which would be really fun. I would also love to go anywhere in Europe!

What is your most memorable kiteboarding experience?

When I kited out to some whales that were just hanging out at Mokuleia. They were breaching so close to us that I was scared to get any closer!

now available www.airtstyle.tv

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Searching

By Tom Court

in

Sri Lanka

PEOPLE TRAVEL FOR ALL SORTS OF REASONS THESE DAYS WHETHER IT’S FOR A HOLIDAY, FOR BUSINESS, OR TO CONNECT WITH PEOPLE AND CULTURES THAT ARE FAR REMOVED FROM THEIR DAY-TO-DAY LIVES. There’s a lot of reasons to hit the road, but traveling for sport has become one of the biggest drivers of the tourism industry over the last twenty years. With the explosion of cheap air travel and niche industries like surf tourism, we now see year-round crowds at even the most remote surf breaks. This has brought money and development to some of the furthest reaches of the most remote countries and helped develop tourism where there was previously nothing.

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Years of civil war have had a huge negative impact on tourism in Sri Lanka, but Tom Court found plenty to like about the country. Photo Tony Zion

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Photo Ripslix.co.uk

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any other sports have been part of this explosion in leisure pursuits, but kiteboarding is one of the newest sports to add to this phenomenon.

Having only been around as a sport for a short fifteen years, kiting has rapidly expanded to touch and change the lives of thousands of people around the globe.

Kiteboarding has grown to a point where you can find kiteboarders on almost any consistently windy beach in the world. Largely a product of the internet and the ability to rapidly share information, it hasn’t taken kiteboarding long to gain purchase in the industries that surround it.

With a mixture of wakeboarding, surfing, skating, and sailing, the audience with which it sparks interest are not to be underestimated.

When you look at sports like surfing, it’s hard to compete with the ‘soul searching’ inspiration that it represents. However, I feel surfing has paved the way for the concept of following the endless summer, of searching for the perfect wave and capturing the imagination with a sense of exploration. It has exposed new places and people to the world and given us a reason to travel. What limits surfing though is the need for waves. It is tethered to the exposed oceans and reliant on seasonal swells that circle the globe and in many ways is stifled by the crowds that already seek to find a slice of the perfection that awaits on the various reefs of the world.

Kiteboarding may not seem like the deep and soulful sport that surfing has become, but I think it brings a lot more to the table than most people give it credit for. It’s just a matter of perspective.

Over the past few years, I have set a personal goal to discover at least one new kiteboarding spot in the world each year. These have included places that I have never been before or places that I haven’t seen many people riding. The more undiscovered the better. I haven’t limited myself to a certain style of kiteboarding either. I have seen these trips as a chance to explore something new and indulge in some proverbial freeriding. Whether it be on the flattest water possible, kickers, or the most gnarly waves in the area, I just want to find spots and ride them. In the past two years alone, this desire to ride new places and travel with kiteboarding as my inspiration has taken me to places like Peru, Mauritius, the Philippines, Chile, and, in this case, Sri Lanka.

As an interesting aspect of kiteboarding, traveling to a country to find the flattest water and wind is something that seems ludicrous to most surfers.

It’s an unimaginable fate – going to a country that has waves and yet choosing to seek out to the flat, lagoon sheltered coast and spend two weeks there in a grass hut with nothing except flat water and wind to keep you company. Well, as crazy as this would seem, and indeed I am a surfer too, this is exactly what I have done for the last two weeks here in Kalpitya, Sri Lanka. I’ve been in search

The Sri Lanka Kite Center is located on the edge of the Kalpitya Lagoon. Photo Ripslix.co.uk

Photo Tony Zion

Photo Tony Zion

of the ultimate freestyle spot, a place to ride uncrowded flat water, try some new tricks, and film my adventures. For me this is excitement of a different kind.

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ctually, I have been to Sri Lanka before, so it’s not a totally new location for me. I came here once last year for the first time to ride the seemingly endless lagoons that exist on the west coast. It was an amazing trip, and we traveled the country end to end, seeing the national parks and tea plantations, flying the island in military helicopters, and experiencing the temples and wildlife. A seemingly endless array of natural spectacles can be found across Sri Lanka, and we saw as much as we could during that previous two-week trip.

With so much to do, I only briefly experienced the perfection of the flat water kiting in the lagoons, so I knew I was going to have to return on a freeride mission. So here I am, almost exactly a year later. This time I’ve got no other places to see. I’m only here to ride.

I stayed there for two weeks spending my time riding the platitudes of flat water spots, doing downwinders, and fitting in as many boat trips as we could.

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Photo Ripslix.co.uk

Fabio Ingrosso, a good friend of mine, has been working hard over the past year to build a kite school and center on the edge of the lagoon at Kalpitya, and I had an invite to stay with him and check out the development. Only a year has passed since my last visit and yet it was amazing to see the changes that have been made with the small lagoonside developments around Kalpitya. From the empty, deserted palmtree-scattered lagoon with not a person in sight, the transformation has brought palm-tree-constructed buildings, lagoon-side huts, and a bustle of boats and kiters crossing the lagoon. Fishermen are providing for the local boat transportation demand and locals are using their beach huts to accommodate the lunch time kiteboarders, selling them cold beers and refreshments. I couldn’t believe my eyes. It really brought home to me the power that kiteboarding now has as a sport, the power to create industry and to bring people from all over the world together. The attraction of this expanse of flat water alone and the prospect of exploration have created a destination that simply didn’t exist before. Kalpitya is a freestyle playground to learn tricks, to practice new moves, and to lace into some of the most consistent wind and flat water that Sri Lanka has to offer.

I stayed there for two weeks spending my time riding the platitudes of flat water spots, doing downwinders, and fitting in as many boat trips as we could. The Sri Lanka Kite Center is right on the edge of the lagoon, and you can launch from the school and ride to the sandbar on the other side.

This sandbar offers an amazing freestyle setup with mirror-flat water and invariably constant wind. There are also a lot of other kite spots available that are not so easy to access, but they are well worth the mission. With the help of a local fishing boat it is possible to drive downwind for about forty minutes. This will take you deep into a military-controlled zone towards the north of the island. Having only just escaped the grip of a long civil war, the army still has a big presence on the island. This serves to enhance the excitement, although if you go there with the kite camp, then there is nothing to worry about as the military presence helps to keep these kite spots pretty empty most of the time. Once you have entered this area, there is an expanse of small sand islands within the lagoon, none

Photo Ripslix.co.uk

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Photo Tony Zion

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of them higher than about fifteen feet and all of them with butter-flat offshore sections. Each one is bigger than the last until you eventually reach one that has a flat offshore kite spot that stretches for about four miles. This is one of the best freestyle spots I have ever seen anywhere in the world!

Photo Ripslix.co.uk

You can either do day trips to these spots or, for those who are more adventurous, it is possible to stick a tent and sleeping bag in the boat and spend the night on these remote islands. For a real sense of Sri Lankan life you can sleep under the stars, cook on an open fire, and wake up to empty flat water perfection in every direction.

It really is pretty cool. It is fair to say that the hardcore night kite sleepovers are not for everyone, but the knowledge that you have a nice sheltered kite camp to go back to the next day makes the whole thing more relaxing. When you see the local Sri Lankan fishermen living on these tiny islands in nothing more than a palm tree hut with their equivalent of a stand up paddleboard for transport and their fishing nets for survival it can put life into perspective a little bit.

Photo Tony Zion

One thing is for certain, if you visit the Kalpitya Lagoon for any period of time, you will get a lot of kiteboarding in, as long as you don’t go too early or too late in the season. Time on the water comprises the biggest part of each day there with little else to distract you except the company of like-minded kiters. The seemingly consistent trade wind that blows from the south can be a little gusty, but it seems to always be on. There is no shortage of action on the water and after just a few days you will be laying in a hammock letting your muscles recover from the relentless riding. As one of the best and mostused services that they offer at Sri Lanka Kite, the resident kite instructor and masseuse Mateo can offer some much-needed massage and

Photo Ripslix.co.uk

Photo Ripslix.co.uk

stretching advice to keep you on the water each day, regardless of how much you hurt. And trust me, you will hurt!

While I was there this time round, we took the opportunity to do a little clinic, some informal coaching, and a bit of advanced training with some of the guests at the Sri Lanka Kite School. The flat water helps to create an amazing spot to refine your skills with a kite, whether you are learning the basics like upwind progression or going for more advanced tricks. The lagoon in front of the kite school is as good as it gets. Working on new tricks, cruising between spots, or just riding with mates for encouragement, the Kalpitya Lagoon pretty much has it all from a freestyle perspective. The windy season spans from mid-May until September, so there is plenty of time in the year to visit without worrying about wind. It can vary from 12m weather all the way down to powered on a 7m, so taking a few kite sizes will pay off and make sure you get the most water time possible.

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Photo Ripslix.co.uk

Photo Tony Zion

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Photo Ripslix.co.uk

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f by some weird twist of fate you get a few days of no wind, the lagoon is close to a small but bustling Sri Lankan village. It doesn’t offer much in terms of modern comforts, but it will give you a glimpse into the real life that is lived in Sri Lanka.

Untouched by any sort of modern tourism, kiteboarders are the only western faces that come here and the locals form rows of inquisitive toothy smiles as you walk through the streets. Sample the local food and the incredible Indian/Sri Lankan cuisine which I can guarantee will blow your head off regardless of how much chili you think you can eat. If the windless days continue, or if you just fancy a break from the relentless kiteboarding action, there is also the Wilpaththu National Park just to the northwest of Kalpitia. You can spend a day out there and see a whole host of wildlife ranging from elephants roaming in the wild to exotic birds, monkeys, and leopards if you are really lucky. This is all within a day’s striking distance from the lagoon-side huts and can make a nice break between kite sessions to give your aching body a rest and get a feeling for exactly how amazing Sri Lanka is as a country.

My trip this time was two weeks long and I would recommend this as a good length of time to take if you plan to visit. It will give you time to get used to the 95° F heat and enough time to polish your kite skills and take them to the next level. If you are a person who prefers to spend a little longer on a trip and spend some time really exploring the country, I would also recommend it. Undoubtedly Sri Lanka has a lot to offer. Although it is a relatively small country compared to India, there is a lot of truth in the name “Jewel of the Indian Ocean.” It has such a rich tapestry of cultural influences and a mixture of religions that has sculpted the island into a holy place with temples representing each religion all over the place. Its wildlife and tropical rain forests cover the interior and, although it has some touristy areas, there is a lot to explore that will really make you feel like you are on an adventure.

Kiteboarding is a new sport in Sri Lanka and the tourism for sports like kiting and surfing is just building up there.

Kiteboarding is a new sport in Sri Lanka and the tourism for sports like kiting and surfing is just building up there. I left the country this time inspired by what I had seen kiteboarding bring to the area around the lagoons on the east coast in such a short time. The positive changes I have seen the sport make and the implications that this has on the surrounding village and local people, business, livelihood, foreign trade, and, most of all, an exposure to a lifestyle are spreading faster than we can imagine. Already there are local Sri Lankan children learning to kite and it won’t be long until we see them in the magazines, an opportunity that only a few sports can offer. If you are into kiteboarding only for your own pleasure, don’t underestimate its power as a sport. Use it as inspiration to change your life, an excuse to get out and see new places, a reason to meet new people, and a way to have fun! Writing this as I sit on the plane on my way back to Europe I find myself wondering, “Where is next?”

To see Tom’s video from his trip to Sri Lanka, visit http://www.thekiteboarder.com/2013/05/freeride or scan the code.

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NEW DESTINATIONS INCLUDING ...

VELA HATTERAS VELA TOBAGO AND MORE COMING SOON!

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EXPOSED SURF, SLICKS, SLIDERS Eric Rienstra shows off for the crowd on his way to placing third overall at the eighth annual Triple-S Invitational at REAL Kiteboarding in Cape Hatteras, North Carolina. While the Triple-S still consists of Surf, Slicks, and Sliders categories, this year saw big changes including a full panel of judges (as opposed to rider judging in the past), an official list of point values associated with tricks, and the introduction of a slopestyle format for sliders. On top of the competitive aspect of Triple-S, it also featured loads of freeriding, a huge turn out of spectators, and a great band and party every night. Words by Brian Wheeler. Photo Toby Bromwich/Triple-S

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CLARITY While on the Donkey Island trip with the F-One team (see TKB Volume 10, Number 1), editor Paul Lang found himself swimming with a camera in the clearest water he had ever experienced. “I wanted to watch and shoot from underwater more than above,” said Paul. “Even without goggles I could clearly see the riders on the wave with the thriving reef below them. The sounds were just as amazing. I could clearly hear each turn of the board and the waves crashing into the reef sounded like rolling explosions.” Photo Paul Lang

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EXPOSED

Jason McCaffrey and a whale tail.

That’s no rail in front of Jason Slezak.

WHALE WATCHING During an exploration trip to a remote part of Baja, Tim Hatler led a group of kiters to a pristine bay full of mother whales and their calves. Kites were rigged and Jason Slezak, Jason McCaffrey, Gregg Gnecco, Tonia Farman, Jessica Salcido, and Susie Sunshine had a session they will never forget.

Photo Paul Lang

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TEAM VIDEO PREMIERE - COMING SOON...

Trident Performance Sports Inc | info@tridentsports.com | NA

Photo Gustav Schmiege

OMELETTES &

By Helen Trotman

KNUCKLE SANDWICHES An Epic Trip to the Grenadines

IT ONLY TOOK ROCKY CHATWELL A FEW HOURS TO EARN HIS GRENADINE ISLANDS NICKNAME WHEN TWO YOUNG BOYS POINTED AT HIS BRIGHT BLONDE HAIR AND SHOUTED, “OMELETTE!” So started our two-week adventure in these beautiful and unique islands where we kited different locations every day, snorkeled with turtles, drank way too much rum punch, and visited the island immortalized by the band Train with the lyric “so remote, only Johnny Depp has ever been to it.”

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“ As we stepped out of the plane our first impression of

Union Island was that it has what must be one of the best smelling air strips on earth as it is surrounded by fields of a local variety of cilantro. ”

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e decided on the Grenadines for a photo shoot because it looked perfect for clear blue water photos with both flat water and waves and because it’s off the beaten track. As we flew from Barbados to Union Island on our hopper flight, it became really obvious that we were in the middle of nowhere. For 45 minutes we flew over the endless ocean without anything else in sight until a string of beautifully lush mountainous islands could be seen in the distance. As we flew closer, we saw turquoise water, protective reefs, and whitecaps. From the air it almost looked like a smaller version of Tahiti. Then the plane made a steep turn and an unscheduled stop at Bequia, a nearby island. This was our first lesson in learning that it’s not really possible to stick to a fixed schedule here and that it’s best to simply go with the flow.

We did our best to appear casually relaxed during the exhilarating landing on Union Island while dodging the odd goat wandering around the runway. As we stepped out of the plane our first impression of Union Island was that it has what must be one of the best smelling air strips on earth as it is surrounded by fields of a local variety of cilantro. As small as the airport was we found the customs official took his job extremely seriously and there certainly weren’t any welcoming smiles from him. Anybody who has met Dimitri Maramenides knows what a goofball he can be, and as he continued to joke around the customs agent sternly asked Dimitri, “Want one of these?” while making the universal sign for a knuckle sandwich fist. That’s the first time we’ve been asked that while clearing customs! For the rest of our trip, almost every other person we met was friendly and welcoming.

Dimitri found that riding on the back of Jeremie’s motorcycle was more frightening than jumping over solid objects while kiting.

Photo Jeremie Tronet

After we cleared the knuckle sandwich situation, we were transported up a steep hillside while clinging onto the back of a beefed-up golf cart.

All of us were tired yet happy and were laughing about how wonderful travel is. It’s amazing that you can change your outlook in just one day and be in a totally different and amazing place. As we arrived at our final destination our jaws dropped at the beautiful surroundings, warm tropical breeze, and views to many of the neighboring islands like Mayreau and Palm Island. As we settled in, Jean Pierre, a well-known local chef who had been arranged to cook us a welcome dinner, manned the kitchen with the largest forearms and hands we’ve seen, a result of kneading his own bread every morning. After Jean Pierre’s delicious home-cooked meal of local chicken, potatoes, and fried dumplings, we were ready to get some rest so we’d be ready to explore the island the next morning.

Photo Gustav Schmiege

Photo Charles Ash

Photo Gustav Schmiege

Photo Gustav Schmiege

Photo Gustav Schmiege

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It’s been said that one day with Dimitri Maramenides is like a week with a normal person, and well, that could be true. He is up at 5:30 am every morning looking at the wind forecast, answering emails from his customers, and playing the odd practical joke on unsuspecting targets. Our photographers, Charles Ash and Gus Schmiege, along with Rocky were often woken up from a deep sleep with a variety of objects including water and bananas (don’t ask) and dragged into a waiting car or boat to race off to the next kite destination.

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he first morning we realized pretty quickly that we needed a vehicle other than a golf cart for all the gear, so the boys set out to inquire about a car rental. This is Union Island, so don’t expect a Hertz or Dollar Car anywhere, but after asking around someone’s brother did rent us their SUV for the week which worked out great. There is one main street in town that has a small number of tropical fresh fruit stands, a few restaurants, some food markets, one pharmacy, and a couple tourist shops. We met very few Americans as Union Island isn’t well-known as a tourist destination. It’s mainly used as a stopover for yachts to pick up provisions. Having secured a vehicle, the boys were anxious to go and kite. The first spot we rode was called Big Sand and it became one of the favorite kite spots of the trip due to its complete solitude, clear shallow water, small kickers you could take off from, and super flat water further upwind. You’ll need a ride to this spot, but it’s a short one, only about five minutes from town.

“Watch out for that dude,” I said to Dimitri as a motorcycle catapulted around a turn straight towards us. It turned out to be Jeremie Tronet, owner of JT Kiteboarding, just the person we had been looking for. Jeremie told us for years that we needed to check out Union. We were on our way to see him and his club when we almost ran him over. Jeremie and Linn Svendsen have worked hard on this place and it’s a great area to kite, stay, and grab lunch or dinner. The club is connected to the Anchorage Yacht Club, which has its own marina, bar, and restaurant. It also has a beachfront and very clean rooms in a great location. If you stay here you can walk everywhere. It’s only a few steps to Kite Beach and the bar or a five-minute walk into town where there are a variety of options. One of the main spots to kite on Union is at Jeremie’s club, where you can get instruction or just kite by yourself. It’s right near the airport, so you can even kite while waiting for your plane. Plus, a bonus is Jeremie is usually there to help you with whatever you need. From here you can kite over to Happy Island to grab a drink and hear some tunes.

Another thing about traveling with Dimitri is you’ll notice he makes friends quickly and easily. In the course of just a few days, we had met many interesting and genuine people who were willing to help us in the search for the perfect photo locations.

One of those people was Nico Bascunana Dulac, a kiteboarder himself and owner of Captain Gourmet. Nico runs the shop with his lovely wife Linda and they have the best food in town. It is a great place for breakfast, lunch, or an iced cappuccino, to catch up on emails, or to pick up the perfect bottle of wine, imported

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Photo Charles Ash

“ In retrospect, getting a crazy French pilot to fly just feet above Dimitri, my crazy Greek husband, was probably not the best idea I’ve ever had.” cheese, and a baguette for dinner later. They even have a delicious breakfast called The Kiteboarder. Make sure you ask for it Jeremie style; it’s even better that way.

Nico is also a pilot and flies his own plane to Martinque every week or so to stock up on goods for his store. He agreed to help us for a photo shoot in the National Marine Park of the Tobago Cays. The Cays are a unique and perfect kite spot because it is a pristine site with beautiful blue water and a sandy bottom. You can kite over the reef with turtles swimming by and around the beautiful sailboats that anchor there for a night or a few days. In retrospect, getting a crazy French pilot to fly just feet above Dimitri, my crazy Greek husband, was probably not the best idea I’ve ever had.

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Dimitri, Rocky, Charles Ash, and I were in the support boat.

Nico was piloting the plane with Greg Hinsdale, another photographer, and they were flying to meet us at the Tobago Cays. Our boat was captained Richard, a charmingly debonair friend of Nico in white sunglasses. We saw the plane in the distance, so off Dimitri and Rocky went, pumping up their kites as quickly as possible. As we pulled away in the boat, a police boat came rushing after us with a blow horn. We ended up with a $50 fine, not for the dangerous stunt of kiteboarding next to a ridiculously low plane, but for launching off of the small island, which was not allowed. The police boat left after saying nothing about the scene happening behind us. Focused on getting some

good photos we followed the boys and watched Rocky kite looping over Dimitri and Nico’s nervously low passes with the plane. Several passes later and after multiple shots and video, Nico circled back to the airport and we picked up the guys as it was definitely time for a rum punch!

Union Island is a small community and if you stay for more than a week you’ll start to feel like a local. One night we went to the first ever Sushi night at Bouganvilla restaurant where we found a packed house with an eclectic and diverse crowd. Jeremie was there, as were Nico and Linda, some of their friends from France, Linn, Jade Sailley, Margot (our new friend from Palm Island), Richard, and Didier. We had only been here for a few days and it already felt like we knew everyone. The restaurant had a great local band, and when they sat down for a rest Rocky grabbed the guitar and whipped the crowd into a country frenzy. He’s really comfortable in front of the microphone, and he proudly introduced himself as “just a boy from Texas” before getting the whole restaurant dancing, clapping their hands, and stomping the floor.

Quite a few of the French locals that live on Union Island are kiteboarders. We met up with Jean Marc and his brother Bertrand who own various businesses on the island. Bertrand captained a boat for us one day to go to Morpion Island and for lunch at PSV, or Petit Saint Vincent. Morpion is literally a perfect round spit of sand in the middle of the ocean with a thatched hut on it. It was perfect for jumping over and cruising by and also great for the non-kiters to hang out with a cooler, swim, and enjoy the view.

It would be a ideal spot for a Corona commercial. We stopped there for about two hours and then continued on to PSV for a ridiculously good lunch – the best food we had in a restaurant in the Grenadines. We had planned to shoot around PSV after lunch, but a freak white wine glass accident caused us to rush back at high speed to Union for stitches to my foot. Once at the clinic on Union, I was asked, “Can you take it?” I assumed they would numb it first, so I said, “Um, what do you mean? The stitches?” It

Photo Greg Hinsdale

Photo Gustav Schmiege

Photo Charles Ash

Photo Helen Trotman

turned out that because there wasn’t a doctor there, they couldn’t give me a shot. After definitively declining the stitches, Dimitri carried me back to the house and did his kiter triage, fixing me up with something he assured me always works – super glue. It did work and stopped the bleeding, and now I have a nice scar to remind me forever of that great grilled lobster lunch at PSV. We didn’t know until later that there is actually a doctor who lives on nearby Palm Island. Everyone simply calls him “The Doctor” and he’s lived there for more than 18 years with his wife and daughter. They are eccentric and unique, perhaps partly due to having lived in the tropics for so long. While on Palm Island we were invited to join them for “the medicine.” It was one of the more ominous drinks invitations I’ve ever received.

They live in the center of the island in a lovely open air house surrounded by a lush green garden and palm trees that also serves as the island’s art gallery. The medicine is some kind of secret recipe rum drink concoction that will knock you on your butt almost instantaneously. Dimitri, who doesn’t drink, politely declined while I sipped and nursed mine over a period of two hours still feeling quite dizzy. A second drink was placed in front of me and I was soon smiling with a glazed expression at the night sky.

Dinner. Photo Charles Ash

We stayed on Palm Island for a few days and found a few nice kite spots, but only for the truly advanced. There were some great waves here, but getting out was a problem,

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as the wind was onshore. Most people access this area by boat. Dimitri was able to launch off a small beach, but it was hard for him to get out. Another beautiful area is nearby Mayreau Island, but a boat is needed to access it. Kiting at Salt Whistle Bay on Mayreau gives you different options. One side is choppy and very windy with kickers you can use for some big air jumps, and the other side is calm and flat where the sailboats are anchored. A word of warning though, some sailboat owners can get downright territorial about the water surrounding their boats. We were told in no uncertain terms to back off. Apparently there had been a few run ins with inexperienced kiters getting their lines caught on masts and causing damage. As you would expect this only goaded Dimitri on more, and soon there was a wanted poster in town (no joke) with Dimitri’s description on it.

Photo Gustav Schmiege

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n another day we had the use of Jean Marc’s catamaran and crew. We sailed to Petit Tabac, the island where Pirates of the Caribbean was filmed. This is the famous spot where Jack Sparrow finds and drinks a crazy amount of rum. It was a perfect cruising spot, so Gus went up the mast of the catamaran to shoot. After the shoot we went to the beach where there was rum punch waiting and a barbeque cooking. As we sat on the beach an army of hermit crabs came marching towards us, eating every bit of food they could find. It was bizarre and a little unsettling. The locals told us they normally live on the other side of the island, but they trek over when they can smell food. There were literally thousands of them climbing over our feet and trying to get at the plates on our laps. One of the best things about kiting at Petite Tabac is that it’s all downwind back to Union Island. It’s a good long distance though, so make sure you don’t eat too much barbeque before kiting back!

Another spot for cruising and a generally good time is Happy Island. It’s a small island literally made of conch shells where two guys play reggae and serve rum punch and beer. Richard loaded us in his dinghy and we puttered over there and enjoyed a few drinks while Dimitri and crew jumped and pirouetted around us. A few rum punches later we got to experience Richard’s shoulder dance which is outrageously funny and random. It consists of keeping your body extremely still and basically break dancing with just your shoulders.

We have tried to replicate with no luck back in the States, so I supposed we’ll have to go back to the island for it.

The Grenadines offered a lush, different, and authentic experience, one that we find ourselves talking about often. For a combination vacation and photo shoot, it’s one of the best locations we’ve found in the Caribbean and we’ll definitely be heading back. The people are great and there’s no shortage of beautiful locations and clear turquoise water, plus wind every day. We know that the next time we’re there we’ll be welcomed back by the friends we made and it will be easy to slip back into the feeling of being a part of the small island community.

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Visit http://thekiteboarder.com/2013/06/grenadinetravel-info for more info about traveling to the Grenadine Islands.

Photo Greg Hinsdale

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Photo courtesy Ozone

Above and Beyond

By Marina Chang

The Rob Whittall Interview

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Photo courtesy Ozone

IT ALL STARTED WITH A BMX BIKE. WHILE MOST OF HIS PEERS WERE OUT PLAYING FOOTBALL (WHAT US AMERICANS CALL SOCCER), ROB WHITTALL WAS SETTING UP CARS AND OTHER OBSTACLES TO JUMP OVER WITH HIS BIKE. So started his early love affair with adrenaline-fueled sports including hang gliding, paragliding, kiting, skydiving, speed riding, base jumping, motocross, and more.

Rob entered his first international hang gliding competition in Switzerland at just 16 years old. According to childhood friend and fellow competitor Dean Crosby, one of the older world class pilots approached them and quipped, “hope you can keep up with us.” Rob finished that event in second.

Four years later he went on to win the world hang gliding championship. Shortly after in 1991 he won the world paragliding championship making him one of only three people in the world who can claim this double-championship win. Rob spent the next 10 years traveling all over Europe and beyond chasing his hang gliding and paragliding dreams.

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Photo Stephan Kleinlein

Some have said that Rob Whittall is to paragliding and hang gliding what Robby Naish is to windsurfing. Both took their respective sports by storm as teenagers with very little experience under their belts, pissing off many veteran competitors in the process. But Rob is more than an ultra-gifted athlete whose talents were leaps and bounds ahead of most of his competitors. He’s definitely a philosopher and a thinker. Get him going on a topic that he is passionate about and chances are you’ll want to bend his ear until he begs forgiveness. In 1998 he founded Ozone Gliders with a few friends.

When Rob realized he could kite on the snow, his mind exploded with the possibilities and he quickly got his design team on what would become Ozone’s first snowkite. Ozone added foil kites to their product line in 2001 followed by inflatable kites in 2006.

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You moved away from the UK when you were 19 and have since lived in many countries. What made you decide to make Raglan your home base? My entire life was mountain-orientated back then. All I wanted to do was fly in the summer and snowboard in the winter. When I started designing inflatable kites I slowly moved from the mountains to the coast and the beach life. Ozone’s Matt Taggart moved here first and was soon blowing the Raglan trumpet. It’s a great place for me because it’s quiet and out of the way, not to mention it has some amazing surf spots and plenty of wind.

Your father is an author of several books on paragliding, hang gliding, and paramotoring. What influence has he had on your career and lifestyle choices? My father is a great guy and always helped me get into the sports I wanted to do. When it came to hang gliding it was natural for both of us to enjoy my progression. We have great memories of flying together on my first hang gliding trip to Germany when I was seventeen. I also want to mention my mother who supported me no matter what I was doing. They just let my brother and me get on with it and always helped if we asked. Otherwise they let simply things happen for better or worse. They influenced my life in a very positive way and I am so grateful. My father is still riding motorcycles and doing all sorts of crazy shit.

Ozone was founded on the principle of pilots designing performance wings for pilots of all levels while never forgetting safety. Today Ozone is one the top companies in paragliding and is working hard to bring their talents to the paramotoring and kitesurfing worlds. Although he still soars recreationally, Rob no longer competes or designs paragliders. He now devotes his time to kite and speed wing design at Ozone’s headquarters in Raglan, New Zealand.

Why and how was Ozone founded? Ozone came out of my need to do something different. My brother Matthew and I were in the process of starting our own paragliding company when we heard that another friend wanted to do the same. We got together and decided to work as a team, but then my brother opted for a high paying job in the real world. I don’t blame him as he is now well set! We started the company on a shoestring budget borrowed from friends and worked so hard that life became a blur. The original vision is what we still have today: Do our best and offer good quality products that really work.

We caught up with Rob as he was putting the finishing touches on Ozone’s 2014 product line to find out more about him, his company, and his vision for our sport.

When did you start kiteboarding? I’m happy to say I was there in the beginning. As soon as I saw the sport I wanted to give it a go. The choice was either a two-line Wipika or a foil so I chose my first experience to be on a Windtech foil kite. It was pretty dangerous back then, but I remember brief moments of success that made the six-hour drive to the beach and the battle scars worth it!

Photo courtesy Ozone

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Rob in Mauritius. Photo Stephan Kleinlein

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Ozone has its own factory. What advantages does this give you compared with outsourcing? Well, the first thing is we are in control of every aspect of manufacturing which is very important when you produce technical products that lives depend on. We have a just-in-time ordering system so we don’t have a massive stock which then gets dumped on the market halfway through the season.

Photo courtesy Ozone

How was the decision made for Ozone to begin making inflatable kites? Matt Taggart wanted to make inflatables so he got Dave Pilkington, our production specialist, to do the original designs as I was still designing paragliders and foil kites. After three years Dave could not take care of the factory and design the kites so Matt asked if I wanted to carry it on. By then I was out of paraglider design so it was perfect for me to move in.

The aerodynamic principles of paragliders and foil kites are the same so it’s just a case of construction and materials.

With inflatables I had to make a few prototypes to get my head around it. One thing that is interesting is how much performance an inflatable has compared to its twin skin cousin the foil. Even though the single surface and relatively basic airfoil section of an inflatable do not have good performance figures they still outperform the foils on the water. I guess this means that they are well matched to the application.

Do you think your history makes Ozone kites different than kites from other brands? I don’t really know because I don’t fly kites from other brands. I don’t want to confuse my own vision, so I believe it’s best to keep my hands to myself. I do know that we pay particular attention to how the kite flies and feels. I guess all those years spent as a test and competition pilot have given me a good background in problem solving. I used to be a mad man when it came to the handling of a paraglider. I knew exactly what I wanted to feel and would not stop until I got something close to that feeling. We are always searching for that Ozone feel. Some people might not like it, but we do, so we will just keep doing what we do.

When we last talked to you in 2006 you were very passionate about the potential growth of the snowkiting market. Our sport is still dominated by water kiters even though more people are exposed to snowkite conditions for a longer period of time. What do you think is inhibiting snowkiting’s ability to reach the masses? I wish I knew! I don’t get it. Snowkiting is totally amazing and blows away any day on the mountain riding lifts but for some reason the masses are not coming. I still love snowkiting. For me it is the best way to enjoy the white stuff and I hope one day people get out there and see for themselves that the potential is endless and the adrenaline factor is high. It is so dynamic: riding uphill, flying down, speed, mega distance covered. It’s got it all. What are you waiting for?

Why did Ozone wait until 2006 to launch an inflatable kite? We were not waiting, we were concentrating on our paragliding and foil kite business. We wanted to make them successful before we moved into a new market. I think we came at just the right time for Ozone. Inflatable kites are very close to foils so it was an easy process to get into both on the design and manufacturing fronts.

Design wise are there concepts you learned from paragliding that you have brought into kiteboarding? How about the other way around? Yes, for sure ideas go back and forth between the two departments. It makes sense to increase the potential brainpower of the group overall. I work mainly with feeling but we have theory guys as well and it makes a great mix. Sometimes a calculation gives the right answer and other times it’s a shorter line here or there that makes the difference.

I like mixing it up with those guys. It opens all our minds as to how a result can be found in many different ways.

Paragliding has a much more rigorous certification process for instructors than kiteboarding. It involves a minimum of 200 flying hours, an apprenticeship, and a written test. Do you think there is anything kiteboarding can learn from the paragliding instructor process? It’s always a good idea to have a high minimum requirement to become an instructor. The passing on of good knowledge is important. When I learn something new that requires instruction I like to have an instructor that is very experienced, not just for the knowledge he will share, but because good instructors know how to teach and have the ability to understand how a particular student needs to be taught.

Do you think kiteboarders should have to go through a certification process similar to paraglider pilots? I have never been a fan of regulations but there are cases where it can be a good idea. I am not sure we need any more rules but perhaps we need to have a better common understanding of safety. Personal safety and third party safety should be a little tighter I think. We all go kiting without really thinking about what we would do if something went wrong. Having said that I think we have a safe sport with relatively few injuries and we don’t want to make it too safe because we’ll lose some of the fun. I reckon we have a pretty happy medium now looking at the accident statistics.

What about standardization or certification for gear?

Do you think kiteboarding equipment should have to pass certain tests? I am not keen on standardization, but certification of safety equipment is a good idea because it guides manufacturers towards diligence and responsibility.

At the same time I think users need to understand their own responsibilities and recognize that the sport itself has some inherent dangers.

Photo courtesy Ozone

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Photo Stephan Kleinlein

Photo courtesy Ozone

Can you talk about your efforts to get paragliders to use safer wings in competitions? The idea was to level the playing field because I wanted to find the best pilot, not the best equipment. Fourteen years ago the top competition pilots were almost always test pilots as well. We were very good at handling our wings because we flew almost every day. The problem was the manufacturers were designing wings for us and the poor weekend pilots were not having fun flying them. There were too many accidents because they were difficult to handle. I wanted all competition wings to be certified to a level that everyone could fly them without putting their life on the line at every competition. It took ten years before the light was seen, but today that idea has been adopted.

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There was a lot of hype around racing when it was briefly voted in as an Olympic sport, but the return of windsurfing seems to have lessened people’s interest in kite racing. What do you think about the future growth potential of racing?

Racing is here to stay and I hope it makes the Olympics in the future. I find it amazing to think that anyone can go out and spend $5,000 and have one of the most efficient sailing crafts on the water today. You would have to drop serious cash to get a sailboat that can perform like a kite. Also, the wind range is amazing with a race board and it opens the opportunity to ride in conditions not possible on other gear. It is also physically difficult, requiring skill as well as strength. I think it’s going to grow in the future just because it is so exciting to watch compared to sailing. The speeds are amazing and with all the live tracking stuff something really cool could be set up for public viewing.

Does Ozone have any plans to offer boards? We have plans but we are in no hurry. We are testing some surfboards with an alternative construction technique. So far we have ridden for one year with the same boards and they are holding up really well, but we still have at least another year to go before we will decide if we are going to do boards or not. Until then we will just keep testing and see what happens.

Why do you think Ozone became so closely associated with racing? Many riders think of the Edge and racers when they think of Ozone. Do you think this helps or hurts the brand? I think we were just at the right place at the right time and had a group of passionate riders who pushed themselves and us into a good position. Having some of the best racers in the world on our kites is a massive motivation for me and the rest of the crew because it makes us want to perform as well as our riders. We have been behind racing because we have been carried along by the stoke of Chip, Adam, Johnny, Andrew, Ricky, and many more. As far as helping or hindering the brand, only in the eyes of the small-minded does it hinder; for everyone else it is a big help.

Why has Ozone stuck with a pull release safety while almost every other brand is now using a push away release? Because it has taken us a long time to design and test our new push away release. There is nothing wrong with our current system. It works well and it’s a clean design. It’s easy to design a push away release, but to make a good one and have it tested properly takes a long time. We have been riding and testing our new system for over a year now and everything is looking and feeling pretty sorted. I hope that next season we will introduce the full package totally refreshed.

Are there any lessons from the paragliding industry that the kitesurfing industry should be careful not to repeat?

I would say the most important thing is to remain open to all possibilities for the sport of kiting. We need to keep an open mind with regards to the directions it can take from racing to waves, freestyle, snow kiting, and land kiting. I think progress and innovation keep sports alive, so as long as we allow this to happen without too many regulations and certifications then we should be looking good for another twenty years. Long live kiteboarding! Over and out…

WISH LIST

1. ION

2. BARZ

3. MYSTIC

5. PKS DISTRIBUTION 4. PATAGONIA 6. PROLIMIT

7. SLINGSHOT SPORTS

8. UNDERWAVE Visit www.thekiteboarder.com/ category/gear/accessory-reviews or scan the code for reviews of the Barz San Juan glasses and Prolimit Kite Waist Pro.

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1. ION VERTEX —This waist harness is known for its firm

5. PKS DISTRIBUTION SELF-LAUNCH SAND ANCHOR —

support and ergonomic fit. Also available as a special Sky Solbach Signature model. $179.95, www.ion-products.com 2. B ARZ SAN JUAN — Protect your eyes with this new design from Barz Optics. Stylish, and yes they do float.

Check www.thekiteboarder.com for the TKB Review. $79.95-$109.95, www.murrays.com/barz 3. MYSTIC 2013 YOUNG STAR — This seat harness is made with all the quality Mystic is known for but specifically designed for future rippers. $109.95, www.mysticboarding.com 4. PATAGONIA BLACK HOLE DUFFEL 60L — A highly water-resistant, super-durable gear bag duffel with removable padded shoulder straps to carry your gear to faraway places. $119, www.patagonia.com

This tough, inexpensive sand anchor can be filled with sand or rocks for self launching/landing. $23.95, www.pksdistribution.com 6. PROLIMIT KITEWAIST PRO — Two key features of this harness are the internal bar pad and the slide in quick release. These features alone make this harness very comfortable and easy to use. Check www.thekiteboarder.com for the TKB Review. $199, www.prolimit.com 7. SLINGSHOT SPORTS JOINT — Can’t decide between straps or boots? Split the difference with this binding. $199, www.slingshotsports.com 8. UNDERWAVE IMPERIAL 3/2 FRONT ZIP — Perfect for windy summer spots with top-of-the-line features like ultrastretch neoprene, liquid-seal seams, automatic drainage, and knee pads. $439, www.underwave.info

BEYOND EXPECTATIONS

A JOY TO FLY

rider: Gosia Kolacz, kite: T5 9 m2 photo: Lukas Nazdraczew

nobilekiteboarding.com

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15 MINUTES

A piece of scrap wood washed up on the beach, so Wayne Griswold took it for a ride. Photo PCBKitesurf.com

This issue’s winning photo (above) takes home a Patagonia Black Hole Duffel Bag. Send your photos to editor@thekiteboarder.com to get your 15 minutes of fame and a chance to win something from Patagonia.

Kevin Barrett gets in a session while California burns in the background. Photo Paul Lang

Teddy Lyons at the 2013 Pismo Kite Expo.

Photo Paul Lang

Inanc Karacaylak and George Overpeck brave the cold for an early season session in Homer, Alaska. Photo Ben Harness

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An unknown rider slides around in Maui.

Photo Omar Nazif

Jeremy Lund finds a dramatic background in California. Photo Paul Lang

Terence Seaman in Ventura, California. Photo Paul Lang

Peter Trow was one of California’s first kitesurfers and he’s still at it more than a decade later. Photo Brian Caserio

Barnaby Arnott goes hands free in Puerto Rico. Photo Katina Arnott Photography

Shaper Gabe Loyd finds a little time to ride one of his own creations in Pismo. Photo Aaron Loyd

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PARTING SHOT

The peanut gallery at the 2013 REAL Triple S talks about the day and cracks open a few beers while one lone rider refuses to come in. It’s summertime. Get out there. Photo Jason Lombard

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