TheKiteMag #33 by Water Born Media

£ 5.10

TE AM DYNAMICS IN MAURITIUS

THE PERFECT KITELOOP WITH L ASSE TE AM DYNAMICS IN MAURITIUS THINKING BIG IN HAT TER AS

THE PERFECT KITELOOP WITH L ASSE

THINKING BIG IN HAT TER AS

ISSUE # 3 3

LOWDOWN ON JALOU

THE 2020 LINE UPS GIVING SOMETHING BACK

H I G H

P E R F O R M A N C E

F R E E R I D E

B I G

A I R

R E Feature

Magararo

J O I N

T H E

P O W E R

O F

N E W

B E L

E R A

C C 1

C C 2

C C 3

N A V I G AT O R CONTROL SYSTEM

Think Less, Feel More. In designing the all-new North Control System

Sense where your kite is in the air, move without

we asked ourselves: how can we re-engineer one

thinking, switch gears without losing time. When

of the most important pieces of equipment in

you’re in harmony with your gear, that’s when

our sport? How can we craft and refine it to feel

you’re truly free.

intuitive, while performing at the highest level? Engineered. Refined. Intuitive. The touchpoint to your kite and to the elements, our Navigator Control Bar with Toolless InterLoop and

@NORTHKITEBOARDING

Single Action Reload raises the bar in kite safety.

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R ID E R : JA L O U L AN G E R E E P H O T O G R A P H E R : Y D WE R VA N D ER H E I D E

ANDRE MAGARAO

Learn more today at SLINGSHOTSPORTS.COM

ONE STRUT LIGHT FRAME LW PROFILE FUTUREC SHAPE CIT MODES ULTRASHORT BRIDLE SYSTEM INSTANT RELAUNCH CORETEX® TRIPLE RIPSTOP CANOPY

LIGHT UP YOUR FOILING We went all in developing our new XLITE, a one-strut inflatable with features unique to foiling. New airframe materials, lighter bridles, and other top-secret improvements reduce weight by an honest 20%. And yes, it makes a difference! Be in total control when bearing downwind and carving those delicious air jibes. XLITE. Not your average foil kite. FOLLOW US ON corekites.com / facebook.com/corekites / instagram.com/corekites / twitter.com/corekites

CORE Kiteboarding + 49 (0) 4371 / 88934-0 info@corekites.com Fehmarn, Germany

4.0 5.0 6.0 7.0 8.0 9.0 10.0 11.0 12.0

Rider: Steven AkkersdÄłk / Photo: Thomas Burblies

FOIL BETTER

NEW

CONTENT THE FEATURES

82 Thinking Big COVER The best freestyle rider we have ever seen? If you’re looking at his trick repertoire then it is difficult to dispute… Carlos ‘Bebe’ Mario in action at home with Andre Magarao getting the goods. The coolest thing about this shot (and you don’t often see this angle): Bebe’s house is actually right behind those trees…

THE REGULARS

What happens when a pro park rider is given free rein to design a new slider, and unleashes his wildest fantasies on Google SketchUp? Craig Cunningham takes us through his monster creation.

92 Jalou: Giving Something Back Kiteboarding has been good to Jalou Langeree and has provided her with a great career and a pretty enviable lifestyle… Conscious of the impact that humankind has on the oceans, she’s been connecting with charities with the aim of ensuring her legacy extends beyond her podium finishes.

100 Team Dynamics 031 Tangled Lines Adeuri Corniel 036 On the List New Zealand 038 I ’m On It Sabine Lutz 040 My Beach Brandon Scheid 044 The Mission Gnarly Namibia 048 The Mission Maui Mysto 062 Gallery Triple-S 2019 118 Technique Lasse Walker 130 Tell Me About It F-ONE BANDIT-S, Cabrinha 2020, CrazyFly Raptor E xtreme, RRD 2020 144 The BIG Picture Naish Kiteboarding 160 Under the Hood Lieuwe 174 Wrapping Up Steven Akkersdijk

There have been a few shake ups in the world of Slingshot. Amongst other things, Sam Light has taken over as Team Manager, and there is a new waverider on the team. Here the old master and the rookie take us through their recent antics in Mauritius.

108 Dominican Discoveries If you want maximum efficiency to nail a couple of hard drives worth of banger shots in a couple of weeks, then choosing the right location is key. CrazyFly know this. So they headed on a whistle-stop tour of the Dominican Republic.

LEFT Alby Rondina showcasing a moody Maui morning in all its glory… Photo: James Boulding

EDITORIAL

APOCALYPSE NOW For some reason this shot of Stefan Spiessberger brought to mind the 1979 Vietnam epic, Apocalypse Now. You just need a chopper racing along the horizon and Colonel Kilgore declaring, “Charlie don’t kitesurf!”. Okay, the shot has been edited, and the film is 40 years old, but something about the way the scene is framed makes me think that if he doesn’t complete the rotation and get hold of the bar, then there is a good chance the world will end right there. But we’re all still here, so it looks like he made it… Thankfully, there have been no seriously ‘apocalyptic’ events in the world of kiteboarding since the last issue of the magazine. There have been some pretty big surprises in the competitive world, however. It had looked like it would be a pretty sensible move to bet your house on Carlos Mario and Mikaili Sol taking the crowns in their respective freestyle disciplines for 2019, but the last couple of events have seen some surprise results. Bumps in the road, or the beginning of a new world order? Only time will tell… The industry is also seeing some shake ups too. TheKiteMag team have been on the road checking out what brands have up their sleeves for 2020. We’ve traversed the globe to attend six brand meetings so far this year, all to keep you as well informed as we can. We’re pretty selfless like that. But it is safe to say that everyone has upped their game for what promises to be an exciting year in the sport. In this issue we showcase some of the fresh new 2020 kit that’s going to be hitting the stores over the next few weeks, as well as getting our hands on plenty of feature and photo content where the top riders show us what they can do with the new gear… So, as summer kicks in and hopefully brings you some thermal winds, plenty of shorty/board-short/bikini (delete as applicable) time, and the promise of those special summer sunset sessions that you’ll be reminiscing about for many years to come, be grateful the apocalypse is yet to arrive, and get out there and make the most of the best few weeks of the year…

Enjoy the issue, Alex

Photo: Orestis Zoumpos

TKM: Here is proof that you can travel for days to the other side of the planet seeking out hardcore waves and incredible tropical backdrops – as Liam did here with F-ONE on their recent trip to Madagascar – and then come up with a shot like this one, which oozes style but could have been shot anywhere… Give Liam a sunset, and he’ll perform. RIDER Liam Whaley PHOTO Ydwer van der Heide LOCATION Madagascar

TKM: Yup, it takes a few seconds to get your head around this one… Is he behind a boat? Has he pumped himself to that crazy corner of Austria? And then you spot the kite lines… We’re not quite sure how Alex found this spot, or how they set up to shoot the photo, but it’s definitely not your standard kitesurfing shot… RIDER Alex Schwab PHOTO Benjamin Geislinger LOCATION Lake Traunsee

TKM: When it comes to ‘having a fun one’ with your mates, generally you want a nice mellow spot, some chill conditions, and a cooler of beers on the beach. So maybe not while you’re out at Le Morne. On a foil. Steven and Willow know their way around here better than most though, and here they are taking CORE’s new XLITE out for a test drive in very much ‘not real world’ conditions. RIDERS Steven Akkersdijk, Willow-River Tonkin PHOTO Thomas Burblies LOCATION Mauritius

HW: For anyone that knows me, you’ll know I’m not naturally a morning person. More of a sunset than a sunrise girl. Fun fact: my mum wanted to name me ‘Sunrise’ before I was born. Well it’s a good job that didn’t happen, Hannah is far more suited! This shot was taken at sunrise in Egypt. It will definitely be a moment I will always remember – there is something so special, calming and humbling about watching the sunrise and it really is the most beautiful way possible to start the day, watching this moment whilst out kiting… RIDER Hannah Whiteley PHOTO Toby Bromwich LOCATION Egypt

TKM: Tim has grown up kiting and surfing the beaches of Maui (his dad Des is one of the key players at Naish) and he is definitely going to be one to watch over the coming years. When not punting into the sunset he can also be found smashing obstacles in the park or surf foiling… Someone you’ll be hearing more about for sure. RIDER Tim Walsh PHOTO frankiebees LOCATION Maui

TKM: For those not in the know: Greece is Europe’s answer to Brazil but with a bit less far to travel. There has been a steady stream of pro riders heading over there for the last few years and returning with tales of steady windy, joyous light for filming, and a mellow fun-loving lifestyle… RIDER Victor Hays PHOTO Orestis Zoumpos LOCATION Greece

LP: This was one of these big days in Switzerland. Fresh powpow, sunny weather, and good company. I went freeriding with Sacha all day long as there was no wind on the radar. Sacha still had one kite on his back – always ready. Then, just before sunset, the wind suddenly picked up to around 4-8 knots; enough for Sash to give it a try. And he made his way up to the top using his lightwind weapon, the Aero 15. The sun was super low, nicely highlighting the fresh tracks in the snow. What an atmosphere… Just a perfect way to end an incredible day in the Swiss Alps. RIDER Sacha Oberhänsli PHOTO Lukas Pitsch/proimagehub.ch LOCATION Hochwang, Switzerland

AS: Langebaan is well known for its great kite spots, but it can also offer some of the most stunning sundowns in the world… When the sun starts to set behind the seaside mountains, the air colors orange and creates stunning landscapes, with the water reflecting the glow even more. Here’s Flysurfer’s Florian Gruber getting in a quick sunset session on his SOUL. RIDER Florian Gruber PHOTO Alex Schwarz LOCATION Langebaan, South Africa

JL: This is Balneario to its best. Tarifa is known as the mega-hub of kitesurfing for good reason. When the Levante kicks in it can go WILD, and Balneario is the real deal. When it’s 40+ knots, everyone goes to look for spots further from Tarifa to get lighter wind and that’s when the show goes on! It’s such a radical spot, full offshore with some mega big gusts but that’s the ideal conditions to go full send. To be 100% honest, I’m always scared before each session like this one, but that’s what makes me feel alive. Most of the time I can’t edge properly because the wind is just too strong, so you need to time your take off perfectly… That’s when I love it the most, because you don’t know how things will go, you just have to go for it and these are the sessions where you feel the power of Mother Nature and you just have to trust yourself… RIDER Julien Leleu PHOTO Mercedes Garcia LOCATION Tarifa

TKM: It’s not ‘all work and no play’ for your average GKA rider. Here’s Ocean Rodeo’s Juan Rodriguez finding a puff of wind and letting off some steam just after the frustratingly windless event in Tarifa, just b efore getting on a plane and heading to the next stop in Fuerteventura… RIDER Juan Rodriguez PHOTO Julien Leleu LOCATION Tarifa

Adeuri Corniel T

The Dominican Republic is a true hotbed of kiteboarding talent. With prime conditions on their doorstep and no shortage of motivation to get on the water and develop some world class skills, the islands are a ‘tour rider’ creating machine. The latest – and arguably most talented – rider to blaze onto the scene is Adeuri Corniel who just made his intentions very clear with a very solid event win in Fuerteventura...

Tangled Lines

Adeuri Corniel

— RUBEN LENTEN

You (and all pro kiters) put your body on the line quite f requently, of course it's all driven by passion but how do you plan a living now and for later?

When I am about to compete, all that I do is stay very focused on the event and try to win, because the consequences of a small mistake could be deadly. So, from now on I have kiteboarding as my job and I am really thankful because to me it is the most easy job, it is my passion and I am able to make a living out of it. My plan for the next few years is to go back to school and graduate in college. I want to study a sport career for good opportunities in the future.

— ABEL L AGO

I know your brother Ariel very well, also Kelvin. How many brothers and sisters do you have and are all of them into kiteboarding?

I've come from two different families which has made my road even more challenging and is why I feel so strong. I used to tell my family that it doesn't matter the difficulties in life and how far you want to get because all that matters in life is how happy you feel to have them all together. Kelvin, Ariel and three others are brothers from my dad’s family, then there six more brothers from my mom’s side. Five of us kitesurf. I'm super proud that all my brothers are so happy and all of us share our happiness and time. At

the moment I am the one representing the two families around the world. — L ASSE WALKER

Tell us more about the Black Panther. How did you get this nickname?

The black panther is based on an animal that is super strong, intelligent and smooth and stealthy when they are about to attack, so I consider myself as a black panther because I'm black, intelligent and smooth when it is the time to compete against others!

— HANNAH WHITELEY

Did you ever crash your kite into the palm trees at your home spot, Kite Beach?

Yes, I have had many kites broken because of those palm trees, but in the end it's what makes the sport more challenging, and I love my home spot.

— POSITO MARTINEZ

You have become a youth Olympic champion and I am sure in the near future you will be a world champion too. Do you think you can use these achievements to enrich and benefit your community?

All that I am trying after all these great achievements is to tell my community that nothing is hard when you follow your dreams. I come from a poor

TOP Working hard on tour. Photo: GKA / Svetlana Romantsova RIGHT Kicking back on his down time. Photo: GKA / Svetlana Romantsova

“I'm super proud that all my brothers are so happy and all of us share our happiness and time together.”

family where my mom used to work with cows on the farm, and the only food I had was milk at the time. I will always be thankful to Ariel and Kelvin for bringing me to the beach. Once there, I realized that I had great conditions, with the beach just 20 meters from my father's house. Cabarete is a small community and to get involved in the sport is not hard, as it has basically everything we need there. — FRANCESCO GRASSI (RRD TEAM MANAGER)

You grew up in the Dominican Republic, as you say a unique place but sometimes a tough environment as well. In which part of the world do you see your future and why?

It all depends how far I get on in kiteboarding, because I won't change my country for anything, because we have a different culture which I love! My road might change if it is needed to go back to school, and if I can go to college then I will probably move to Italy, close to my best friend who I also call my ‘mom’, because in Italy the education is better than what we have in DR. ▶

Tangled Lines

Adeuri Corniel

Adeuri doing his ‘photo shoot’ duties. Kite + board + cheesy grin. Job done.

“My goal is to become an Olympic gold medalist in 2024, as well as being freestyle world champion!”

— MIK AILI SOL

How do you focus and stay strong mentally after you don’t achieve your goal in a competition?

— THERESE TA ABBEL

How has it been working and becoming an athlete for Red Bull?

— LEWIS CRATHERN

How much of an influence has Ariel been in your life?

Ariel has offered me everything for life, more than I can explain with words. Six years ago, he said, “Adeuri, one day I will stop competing, because in this sport when you get a little bit older, you lose your level, and the younger generation will take your place. After that you might get bored continuing with the competition career, so we are both going to train hard and I'm going to prepare you to be a real athlete, so I need you to keep putting our name on the top and I know you will because you have it in your blood…” — PAUL SERIN

After your Gold Medal in the young Olympics, are you planning to get into foiling and participate in Paris 2024, or is your main goal to be world champion in freestyle only?

My goal is to become an Olympic gold medalist in 2024, as well as being freestyle world champion! I am already training for foiling and I think I can get far. We still have over four years until the Olympics and many things can happen. ◼

Adeuri Corniel

I have committed 100% to the sport and have had some good achievements, so when I got this piece of news I couldn't sleep for two days! It is great to be a part of Red Bull, with all of the resources and materials that a Red Bull athlete can use.

Tangled Lines

I believe that if you have a dream, you have got to protect it. So I always work hard to correct my mistakes because I believe that there is nothing more beautiful than realizing what your mistake was and then working to avoid it in the future. That is when I feel that you start to improve and become even better.

ON THE LIST

NEW ZEALAND For a goofy-footed kiter (or any wave kiter, really) there are a few places that stand out a little more than the rest as ‘must see’ destinations: The point breaks of Peru, the infamous Namibian coastline, and a certain perfect left point break on the north island of New Zealand. Picturesque landscape, mild summer temperatures, great swells and predictable winds make this spot a great candidate to be on the list. By Jason Hudson

Lately surfing has become more of a foundation for water sports. It’s simple, surf when you can, kite when you can’t surf. Not because kiting is second to surfing, but rather taking advantage of windless, glassy seas and kiting the rest of the time. No better place to put this simple theory into practice than the coastline of New Zealand. This set of islands is known for her dramatic landscape. Long country roads cut through vast mountainous regions and unveil unique microclimates only a few miles apart. Wine region, glaciers, tropical beaches and rocky coastline – there really isn’t a geographic scenario that this place doesn’t have. There is so much to cover in this area, so I’ll concede that I am going to leave some stones unturned here. My primary advice; rather than focus on one specific spot, explore as much as you can of this breathtaking, friendly country. I’ll give you the quick and dirty of how to make the most of your trip.

When you’re planning your trip then, as with any true traveling destination, don’t stay in town. It’s always a zoo. NZ is far much less populated than my California comparisons, but it’s still bonkers in certain towns. The locals are a bit ‘over-it’ as it seems that their sleepy town is more over-run every year with lizard brain tourists. Don’t get me wrong, New Zealanders are some of the friendliest people in the world, but test anyone with crowds of dim-witted travelers and you’ll find a breaking point. The cities are a ton of fun, but in the peak season they can be a bit maddening. So ditch the notion of needing a hotel and camp your way across the country. Just make sure you’re prepared… There is a culture of car-camping in New Zealand – “Freedom Camping”. But make no mistake, there are some serious taboos associated with this approach. Many of the old locals I talked to told me stories about how the camping lifestyle is getting out of control, “tour-

ists taking craps all over the place” he said to me in his kiwi tang. It was true, road side human waste build up from irresponsible ‘freedom camping’ has created country-wide concern. I was astonished to see it myself while looking down at a perfect point break on the South Island only to realize that I had stepped in a fresh pile of human poo complete with a pile of sh*t tickets carelessly littered in a highway turn out. This doesn’t mean you shouldn’t camp; on the contrary, definitely camp – it’s the best way to experience the country. Just make sure you’re approaching it responsibly. It’s less about where to stay, and more about how to stay. Be responsible, you just need to have a self-contained vehicle (meaning a toilet) and respect freedom camping laws. If you play by the rules, you could find yourself waking up next to some of the best surf and scenery in the world for nothing. For kiting, almost anywhere on the east coast can bring daily winds. Christchurch is known for having predictable 10-15kt winds on the daily. The fjords around Picton can have some really interesting oscillating winds that rip and funnel through the canyons. Wellington can also have some pretty strong cold winds that tear across long stretches of coastline. In general the wind varies in intensity depending on where you are, I found 15-30kts to be the standard wind window as I traveled across the pair of islands. I was surprised how windy it actually was there. Some of the best spots would be glassy waves in the morning for paddle surfing, and turn wind-whipped for a mellow kite surf session in the afternoon. When it comes to eating, I’m an American. Say what you will about our diet, it surely has its flaws, so take my advice with a grain of salt here. I found New Zealand food to be interestingly…um… British. By that, I mean, I found myself eating things in the format of a pie more often than anything else – meat pie, pot pie, Mexican pie (which was just another version of a meat pie with cumin). In an effort to try to eat healthy and cheaply, I just found buying fruits and veggies to be more of a sure bet, plus it left more money for beers. ◼

GETTING THERE Depending on where you expect your travels to take you, your most likely entry airports will be Auckland (North Island) or Christchurch (South Island). You should be able to stay on a three month tourist visa, but check the list of eligible countries as otherwise you need to apply in advance.

should do you fine, and a couple of surfable boards are an essential.

STAYING THERE For the ultimate ‘true’ NZ experience, buy or rent a van. It’s the only way to get to the best spots and have time to enjoy them…. Just please go ‘self’contained’.

BEER The best approach to drinking is having a few beers around a fire or in the back of your camper. New Zealand is also known for its wine regions. So if booze is your thing, this is a place for it. The Marlborough and Nelson regions are some of the world’s premiere creators of Sauvignon Blanc. I found it quite surprising that good beer was hard to find… perhaps another thing that is

IN THE BAG You could need anything from a 5m through to a 15m. But for scoring the waves, a 7, 9, 12 combo

RUBBER Generally, yes. You do get some days when you’re fine in boardies, but a 3/2 is pretty standard and you’ll need something thicker in the winter months.

British-like. But If I’m wrong, please write your message on the back of a case of good New Zealand beer and send it to me, I will gladly write a retraction. MOST LIKELY TO HEAR Another day, another completely empty, perfect line up. LEAST LIKELY TO HEAR This traffic is horrific.

SABRINA LUTZ

I’M ON IT

F S

I O N 4

Sabrina Lutz has 10 national titles in Germany and is one of the most experienced freestyle riders around… She has been helping out with the latest evolution in CORE’s twintip line up, the Fusion 4, which is her weapon of choice for boosting and cruising.

“I really enjoy seeing the final product after testing so many different pre-production boards.”

Flex, pop, and weight are the main factors for me as a freestyler. For me the Fusion 4 is super smooth in the chop and when landing those monster jumps, and it also powers upwind. The Fusion’s power comes from its proprietary Cartan Carbon fiber. And the Fusion’s signature smoothness comes from its design and construction. Cartan Carbon has a unique 30° biaxial carbon fiber layup. It's made-to-order and gives the Fusion

more flex where you need it (along its length), and less flex where you don't want it (toe to heel). This carbon holds less resin, which makes the Fusion super light. CORE’s board designer tweaked the board's outline for this latest version to reduce unwanted spray, but he stayed faithful to the Fusion's signature 'on water' feel everyone loves. The Fusion's VEE rocker benefits from a decade of board design at CORE's bespoke brand, Carved Customs. Its rocker shape is inspired by Carved's Imperator 6 in that the curve is more pronounced under your feet and progressively flattens out towards the tips. There are new rails which feature a variable thickness profile, increasing 6mm in depth from the tips to the grab handle. By changing board thickness at the rails, CORE controls flex more precisely over the length of the board. My first CORE freestyle board was the Choice 2

and I'm still in love with this model, so my weapon of choice at freestyle competitions is the latest Choice 3. For cable and park riding I mainly ride the Bolt 3 because of its easy-fix GrindBase. Then for cruising and Big Air days, I prefer the Fusion 4. Testing prototypes and feeding back is a great part of a team rider's life and CORE's designers on Fehmarn are always receptive to feedback. I especially enjoy seeing the final product after testing so many different pre-production boards – and I think they nailed it with the Fusion 4.

The video shoot in Brazil was super fun. In the middle of nowhere, you find these vast, unknown lagoons. And they're ideal for freestyle, jumping crazy high, and trying new stuff. Check out the Fusion 4 product video to see more…. If it’s a Fusion session then I usually pump up my XR6. The smoothness of the Fusion 4 complements the power of the XR6, and going big with this combo boosts my confidence. Then, when I'm preparing for my competitions, I mainly fly my GTS5 or Impact. Recently I have been riding with a few of the other CORE guys. It's always a blast to get the crew to-

gether, and I'm looking forward to more sessions with them during the upcoming German nationals. ◼

BOARD CORE Fusion 4 DIMENSIONS 135cm RIDER HEIGHT 167cm RIDER WEIGHT 53kg

BRANDON SCHEID

Y BEACH

HOOD RIVER OREGON

What are your first recollections of the beach?

The first time I came to Hood River was back in 2010 and I can remember being blown away by the large difference between where I was living at the time, Cape Hatteras, and the PNW. It was like night and day and it left a lasting impression on me as a kiteboarder. I remember it being cold with strong and gusty wind. The sand bar was a lot smaller back then, making getting in and out of the water a bit more of a challenge than we have nowadays. Everything was so different than anywhere else I had kiteboarded up to that point. It had big trees, snowcapped mountains, and a whole town dedicated to the shred culture. Hood River is just so lush, green, and beautiful: it left me feeling like one day I wanted to call it home. Can you remember any of your first sessions?

In the first few years, I was only able to head out to Hood for about a week. I was coaching at REAL at the time and vacation from the island was a luxury the school couldn’t afford. These short trips were a blur, so many new faces, locations, foods, culture, and sessions. I remember being blown away by the kite scene in Hood. There were so many people getting after it out on the river, at the time the Hatteras kite scene was still growing, so to see over one hundred kites out on the water was mind blowing. I also remember the really fun, positive vibes. At the time, the park riders were relegated to the spit, which is just a small dirt parking lot on the sand bar. Launches were tricky, and the kite area was filled with river rocks, driftwood, and plenty of snowmelt flowing out the Hood River. This ‘difficulty’ made the park rider community extremely tight knit and had a brotherhood vibe to it. I felt like I had made it to the Promised Land! I can’t say the sessions were amazing as

the wind can be hit or miss, but I do remember having a ton of fun in the water. It made me want to keep coming back for more, that’s for sure! Who else did you ride there with?

At the time the slider park scene was still growing, and I often found myself riding with the same small group of motivated riders. There were the slider legends, Dre, Sleazy, Joby, Moe, Davey, and Morris, as well as a whole group of local Hood River shredders. With the mountain culture firmly rooted in the town, there was a big group of motivated shredders that had a passion for park riding. It was certainly inspiring as an upcoming “pro” kiteboarder to see so many like-minded people putting in so much effort for something that I was also passionate about. The community of riders were extremely inclusive and welcoming, making Hood feel like a second home. Can you talk us through the typical conditions – what is it like first thing in the morning and how does it change through the day?

Hood River is the windsports capital of the US, and there is a good reason for that. The Gorge is one of the most consistently windy spots in North America. Most summer days you can expect to find 20-30mph winds somewhere on the sixty mile stretch of river. We often go months without a single no-wind day. However, due to its inland location and rugged geography the wind is not the most friendly... Often there is 10-15mph difference in the lulls and gusts, making riding in Hood River challenging. I would say Hood has a quantity of wind but can often not have the quality most kiteboarders find at their local beaches. This just means you need to drop everything and go ride if you see good conditions on the river, especially ▶

for park riding. Typically, we will have wind from sun up to sun down, however the wind can change drastically in speed throughout the day. After living here for seven years, I can say there is no rhyme or reason to what makes a particular day good. It’s best to keep your eyes on the wind sensors and get ready to pull the trigger when it’s on. Has the set up at the beach changed over the years?

Since I first started coming to Hood River a lot has changed, starting with the sandbar itself. Originally Hood River did not have its iconic sand bar, it was formed in a large snowmelt/rainy spring when thousands of tons of sediment was washed off the face of Mt. Hood and transported into the Columbia River. This large sand bar has made it extremely easy for the average kiteboarder to get into the water and enjoy a windy day on the river. It also made the perfect setup to put in a slider park. The sand created a shallow flatwater delta at the mouth of the Hood River, maybe not the best wind, but great for rails. Since those first years in Hood, the sandbar has continued to grow in size, making it a little more difficult for the park to be set in safe water depth. Thanks to the hydroelectric dams both above and below Hood River, the water levels often fluctuate, making it even more unpredictable for park riding. Another big change has been the number of riders in the river. Not only

has the popularity of recreational riding in the river grown over the years, but so has the park riding scene. What used to be a small group of riders has now grown into a large, extended family. A good wind day in the park can often see twenty plus riders trying to get a session on the five features. This growth has been amazing, and I hope we keep seeing growth in our small niche side of the sport. What would be your perfect day there?

The best thing about Hood River is the plethora of amazing things there is to do within an hour’s drive. I think my perfect day would have to be an epic multisport day. It could start with a few early AM speed flights or powder turns on Mt. Hood, depending on the time of year. I would follow that up with a delicious breakfast at the Farm Stand, one of my favorite places to eat in town. Ideally then the wind would be coming up and I would head out into the river to get my shred on. There are a lot of options… hydrofoil exploration session, nuking kitesurf in the river swell, or perfect park sessions are on offer depending on the wind quality and direction. After a good kite session, the best way to end the day is with an evening bike ride. There are several trails within riding distance of town and there is nothing like tacky brown dirt in the quiet woods. Follow that all up with some great locally brewed beer and you have one hell of a day for the memory books.

Talk us through one session that stands out for you there?

It’s hard to pick just one session that stands out from over the years here in Hood. It really offers a ton of variety, whether it’s megaloops at Rufus, giant river swell kitesurfing at Arlington, foil solitude in the winter, perfect summer park days, or amazing flatwater shredding at butters. However, I think the most memorable was last winter’s snowkite session on the Hood River sandbar. It’s not that often that we get enough snow at river level to cover all the rocks and make the sandbar rideable. This particular day we had just gotten over two feet of snow down low, combined with wind drift, and we found chest deep stashes where we normally water kite. It went beyond novelty, and made for one of the best days of snowkiting I’ve ever had. Where’s your favorite place to eat or what is your favorite meal after a session there?

Luckily, by the time I moved to Hood River, I had already made a small name for myself riding the slicks of Cape Hatteras. However, the diversity Hood River had brought to my riding certainly has helped shape my kiteboarding career in a positive direction. Additionally, Hood River is a town situated in the center of the North American kite industry. This certainly has helped me advance my career past being just a sponsored athlete.

Being that we are in the full swing of summer, I rode yesterday. To be honest, I didn’t time the session right with the best wind, so I was pretty underpowered and the session was not all that great. Still better than no time on the water though. It’s not easy to get an amazing session in the park and with the Hood River Slider Jam on the horizon, I’ve been dedicating my riding time to practicing for the event. So that means going out even if it doesn’t look great and hoping for some of that Hood River magic. If you had to choose another spot that you love but that is completely different, where would it be?

I think the slick in Cape Hatteras is my other favorite spot in the world. It may only be 100 meters long, but the sheer amount of good sessions I’ve had there makes it a special place to me. I owe my whole kiteboarding career to that little swampy slick and the kite shop located on its shores. ◼

“You need to keep your eyes on the wind sensors and get ready to pull the trigger when it’s on.”

Hood River

Do you think you would have got to where you are today if that hadn’t been such a familiar spot?

When did you last ride there – how was it?!

My Beach

The great thing about Hood River is there are so many good options for food. From high end fine dining, to local food cart grinds, there is something for everyone. I think right now my favorite place in town is the Hood River Farm Stand. It’s a small organic grocery store that has a little restaurant tucked into it and the food is amazing. Eating healthy, low ecological impact food is important to me, and the food at the Farm Stand is often locally sourced and as fresh as it comes. They have amazing breakfast burritos, huge kale salads, and one hell of a turkey BLT. It’s definitely a little local secret worth checking out.

THE MISSION

Gnarly Namibia At the heart of any true kitesurferâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s life philosophy should be one word: adventure. Kiting lets us go to new places, see new things and to have new and unique experiences. It is the key to seeing the world in an entirely new way and from different perspectives than anyone else will ever witness it. This new slot looks at some of the riders who take this philosophy and roll with it. And what better way to kick it off than with Oswald Smith at Skeleton Bayâ&#x20AC;Ś

PHOTOS Kyle Cabano WORDS Oswald Smith

The Mission

Namibia

“Arriving in Namibia felt like a scene from Mad Max. You fly into the middle of the desert with nothing but sand dunes and gravel surrounding you.”

Some of the craziest missions that we embark on happen on the spur of a moment. No plan, just a positive forecast and a tall tale to spring you into action. This trip to Namibia was definitely one of them… I’ve heard many stories about this wave, I’ve seen it in surf movies before and always wanted to go there, so when Kyle and I saw some potential in the forecast, we immediately booked tickets and flew out early the following day on a mission to ride at the infamous Skeleton bay. Arriving in Namibia felt like a scene from Mad Max. You fly in a mini plane to a miniature airport in the middle of the desert with nothing but sand dunes and gravel surrounding you. Immediately you can feel the disconnection from society and interaction with something raw. There were almost no cars on the road, the pedestrians consisted of flamingos, pelicans, the odd jackal and schools of seals soaking up

the sun. The drive to the surf spot was an adventure of its own. You drive off-road through thick sand bumps, dips and hills, hoping not to get stuck. When Kyle and I arrived at the spot it was breath-taking, to see a wave break that smooth, that long, that perfectly. I couldn’t believe it. It’s wave perfection in the middle of nowhere. Literally like finding a diamond in a desert and the best part is it’s on South Africa’s doorstep. Putting this wave into words is almost impossible, but if I had to use one word to explain it, it would be: flawless. With such perfection comes a lot of power. This wave is HEAVY. It’s a proper super bank, breaking on the beach, and when you get tumbled on the sandbank you can really hurt yourself, so it’s best to kite it with no leash and to be willing to take some hits… which I did. But I also lined up a couple of good ones. ◼

TOP LEFT Ozzie doing his best ‘I'm cool with this’ moves. TOP The seal peanut gallery... ABOVE Grinding sandy barrel, and repeat...

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Maui Mysto

THE MISSION

There are certain waves that we wait for. They only work when the swell is the right direction and the perfect size. The tide needs to be just right and the wind needs to be blowing. It’s a weather occurrence that’s rare, but when it does, something magic happens: the “mysto” spot finally comes alive. By Patri McLaughlin

ABOVE Patri in action and making it look like it was worth the wait. TOP RIGHT Plenty of time for 'crew' shots while they were waiting for the swell...

“Since 2011 I’ve personally hiked out there more than 20 times. It’s never been as good as that day...” The Mission Maui Mysto

There is one mysto spot on Maui that fits this description. The first time we rode this particular mysto wave was in 2011, we knew nothing about it, but we heard that some of the old windsurfer crew had ridden it long before. There’s no way to check the wave and it’s a long grueling hike to get there. On that day in 2011 we rolled the dice on the best swell of the decade and decided to give it a go. It was massive and absolutely perfect. Ever since that day we've had a relationship with this spot which is best described as love/hate… Since 2011 I’ve personally hiked out there more than 20 times. It’s never been as good as that day, and more often than not, it’s not even breaking. We turn ourselves around and hike a couple of miles back out in the blazing sun, but we always seem to come back for more. Flash forward eight years, and forecasters announce the biggest swell of the year is coming. My friends and I start calling each other and we think this has the potential to be similar to 2011. Next thing we know, photographers are hired and plans are made. Flashes of 2011 start running through our minds. The anticipation kills us days before the swell hits. We start questioning whether it will be big enough, if the swell is the right direction, and if it will be similar conditions to 2011. ▶

The Mission

Maui Mysto

Will the mysto spot finally awaken? The day arrived and the buoys showed potential for a big swell and there was plenty of wind on the wind meters. We had a busy morning gathering snacks, water, and kite gear. Jesse, Sky, Olivia, and I arrived to the spot in the afternoon, as this was high tide. We had three photographers cued up: Erik Aeder, Dayanidhi Das, and Ryan Toaspern. One for land shots, one for water shots, and one for drone shots. It is fair to say that we were pretty excited. But unfortunately… once we made it over the last hill so we could finally see the wave… it was not what we had hoped for. There was plenty of wind, but for some reason there was not much swell. We watched for about an hour, hoping that the wave would become more consistent. There were solid sets, but only

about one every 30 minutes, which is difficult for four kiters in a lineup. We almost decided to turn around and not even go out. But instead, after about an hour and a half of waiting and watching, we decided to give it a go. And the waves did start pulsing more when we got out. It was still pretty slow, but the sets were a bit bigger for about an hour and we were there for the best part of the day… Overall, it wasn't as good as 2011. That being said, it is always an adventure to go to this spot, and we all had fun and caught some good waves. And we still have faith that one day we will walk over the last hill to see bombing sets, hollow barrels, and cranking wind. That’s what you buy into when you have a mysto spot on your radar… ◼

TOP Olivia lining one up while she keeps an eye out for the rocks on the inside and the photographer on the outside... ABOVE Partner in crime Sky Solbach getting stuck in above (left) and beneath (right) the lip!

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CORE Kiteboarding + 49 (0) 4371 / 88934-0 info@corekites.com Fehmarn, Germany

SUPER TALENTED ALLROUNDER. Meet our Cartan carbon powered Fusion 4. For those who have ridden our Fusion 3, the Swiss Army® knife of kiteboards, you’ll love the Fusion 4. For the rest of you, give it a try because our latest twintip carries over all the good stuff from the Fusion 3 and then squeezes even more Cartan carbon into an improved outline. Fusion 4. It's on point.

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PHOTO RIDER Thomas Burblies Linus Erdmann

PHOTO Thomas Burblies

FREERIDE+ / FREESTYLE

WORDS Jake Sacks PHOTOS (unless stated) Toby Bromwich

The 2019 Wind Voyager Triple-S Invitational rocked! This year saw a historic prize purse of over $70,000 and equal prize money for men and women. The world’s best wakestyle kiteboarders went huge on the Wind Voyager Super Kicker, CORE Kiteboarding Reverse Rainbow, KOA Resorts Kicker, Liquid Force Kites Rooftop, and Phocus Mega Slider. The competition was tight and, in the end, technical slider riding and mega kicker hits took top scores. Kiteboarding at its finest…

TRIPLE-S 2019

GALLERY

Huge congratulations to Annelous L ammerts who was killing it for the whole event and ended up scoring the top slot with her technical slider riding.

On day two the wind went north and the world class water-patrol at REAL Watersports moved the sliders into the perfect position for the changing conditions. Eric Rienstra, mid-launch off the KOA Kicker. Photo: Ryan Osmond

The competition started off with perfect south west wind in the REAL slick. Colleen Carroll taking advantage of the epic conditions.

All the riders in the final truly threw down the very best they had on offer. Hereâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s Ewan Jaspan showing style under pressure.

Finals day showed up with another round of classic conditions in the REAL slick. The crowds came out to cheer their favorite riders to victory. Ramiro Gallartâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s riding was top notch all week and it earned him a 4th place finish.

Gallery

Wind Voyager Triple-S 2019

A new name to a lot of people, here is Izzy Von Zastro launching off the kicker and storming her way into third place and a check for $5000.

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Gallery

Wind Voyager Triple-S 2019

Phocus caffeinated sparkling water was a new sponsor for the iconic Mega Slider this year. New sponsor but some classic moves here from Christophe Tack, who was fully focused on the Phocus…

Karolina Winkowska came to Cape Hatteras on a mission to back up last year’s win. The final was extremely close and all the riders threw down, but after the numbers were tabulated, checked and rechecked, she ended up taking second to Annelous. Just…

From left to right, 5th place and winner of the Slickstyle Attitude Award, Sensi Graves; defending champion Karolina Winkowska; winner of the 2019 Wind Voyager Triple-S i nvitational Annelous Lammerts; new-to-the-podium Issy Von Zastrow taking 3rd, and 2017 event champion Colleen Carroll.

Gallery Wind Voyager Triple-S 2019

From left to right, 4x winner Sam Light took 5th place; 2017 event champion Ewan Jaspan in 2nd; winner of the 2019 Wind Voyager Triple-S invitational for the fifth time, Brandon Scheid; Christophe Tack in 3rd, and Ramiro Gallart taking home 5th.

The riders weren't the only ones throwing down at the 2019 Wind Voyager Triple-S Invitational. The Roots and The Dubplates rocked the mega stage in front of the Pamlico Sound following the awards ceremony. We also had musical guests Mix Master Mike of the Beastie Boys, DJ QBert, Future Fambo, DJ No Philter, and Mystic Vibrations, as well as the Send It movie premiere party. With seven parties and seven bands, the 2019 Wind Voyager Triple-S Invitational was one for the history books.

Gallery

Wind Voyager Triple-S 2019

Congratulations to Sensi Graves for winning the Slickstyle Attitude Award! When her teammate got his kite tangled with another rider, Sensi sprang into action. She kited out to him with a fresh kite and bar just in time for him to get his final hit on the CORE Kiteboarding Reverse Rainbow. That is true slickstyle attitude.

Event Co-Founder Jason Slezak sampling an ice cold Carolina Brewery Triple-S Lager â&#x20AC;&#x201C; the perfect post session beer after a long day on the water leading the REAL water patrol.

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Galleryâ&#x20AC;&#x201A;

â&#x20AC;&#x201A; Wind Voyager Triple-S 2019

Sam Light was a clear event favorite due to his amazing, effortless style. Here the judges look on attentively to see what Sam will do off the Wind Voyager Super Kicker.

Galleryâ&#x20AC;&#x201A;

â&#x20AC;&#x201A; Wind Voyager Triple-S 2019

Style and amplitude earned Brandon Scheid the 1st place win. Here you can see why he is a five-time event champion, as he boosts to the moon off the Wind Voyager Super Kicker.

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CUSTOM BOARDS THE LIMITED EDITION COLLECTION 10 years ago, LIEUWE crafted his own kiteboard because he couldn’t find the right one for him. Today we look back on 10 years doing things the LIEUWE way. To create the best performing boards for everyone, without compromises. To raise the bar and never give up. To say no to cutting corners, especially when everyone else goes around them. Today we cheers on you guys. Without your support we would never have become the most respected custom kiteboard brand in the world.

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STUFF

WE LIKE THE LOOK OF

AIRUSH LITHIUM One of those kites that has been in a brand’s line up for so long that you know it’s a keeper, the Lithium is on to V11 and continues to deliver impeccable all-round freeride performance. Renowned for its astounding wind range and accessible performance, the Lithium just gets it right year-after-year.

DUOTONE PRO FISH

F LY S U R F E R INFINITY BAR

It’s a pretty well known fact that there are a few members of TheKiteMag’s team who enjoy spending some of their time in the waves… So the arrival of an all new surfb oard is cause for celebration. Duotone’s Pro Fish is Sky Solbach’s latest creation and promises plenty of volume and performance in sub-prime surf, but is rumored to more than hold its own in prime surf as well. We’re looking forward to having a blast on one, and we can’t promise that it’ll make its way back to Duotone HQ…

If you’re riding the highest performance kites then you need a bar to match up. Hence the Infinity has had a serious upgrade. Now in evidence is a new EVA grip, a PU sheath over the depower lines and new floaters – if you’re cruising around the racecourse at 45 knots then you want to be confident in your bar, and the new Infinity looks like the business…

NORTH ORBIT So it has arrived – the North 2020 line up. Kite wise, we have the Carve, Pulse and Orbit to kick things off… Pictured here is the Orbit which is their Big Air number promising big jumps, big hang time and with a big wind range. It’s the kite that Jesse Richman and Nick Jacobsen have been working on for their KOTA antics so you’d expect it to do the job…

WE GOT MORE THAN HOT STUFF!

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STUFF

WE LIKE THE LOOK OF

GIN ANGEL The Angel is a single-strut kite promising exceptional stability and responsiveness. Not just targeted at the foil and light wind market, you can still really move it around and maximize your performance with the quicker and lighter one strut frame. The single strut revolution is in full flow and GIN seem on top of their game…

CORE XLITE The latest addition to CORE’s Specialized Series, the XLITE has its focus on one thing: foiling. CORE have worked hard to reduce the weight of the XLITE by 20% through the use of ExoTex Light Dacron, lighter bridles and of course the single strut. Then, in true CORE attention to detail, they have also introduced a dedicated Sensor 2S Pro Foil bar with a shorter all-carbon bar and with thinner and lighter Tectanium lines…

F - O N E B A N D I T- S Yes, the rumors are true… F-ONE are producing a dedicated surf kite for 2020. And for a brand well known to enjoy the odd session at One Eye, this can only be a good thing. When it came to naming it, they decided not to take too many risks, so the Bandit-S it is… You can find out a whole lot more from the boss himself, Raphaël Salles, later in the magazine.

SLINGSHOT RAPTOR 6

NAISH PIVOT The Pivot is now a two-time KOTA winner as well as being a kite that is mellow enough that you wouldn’t mind giving your super-keen best mate a go on to show him what kitesurfing is all about… 2020 sees a new canopy seam to improve the balance and power of the kite, and Naish’s new Surelock inflation system. KOTA trophy is not included.

It’s NEW KITE time over at Slingshot – the Raptor promises high performance with plenty of power, plenty of hang time and plenty of slack if you want to work on your freestyle game. Built on a 5-strut platform, it’s tuned to really turn on when it needs to and – if any kind of twintip riding is your game – then the Raptor is for you to ride…

STUFF

WE LIKE THE LOOK OF

ION NEO TOP It may not be your ‘most worn’ piece of wetsuit apparel, but when it’s time to dig out the wetsuit top you know it’s going to be one of the those sessions…Whether you’re away on a trip or its one of ‘those’ summer days at home, you can’t beat those boardies and wetsuit top days… Here’s ION’s offering, complete with their Hot Stuff lining in case the sun disappears behind a cloud for a second or two.

OCEAN RODEO ROAM BL ACK

O D O C O M PAC T S E R I E S For smaller days or for working on your strapless freestyle game, the Compact series has all the right credentials. A generous concave to generate maximum speed, parallel rails to power upwind and to prevent the board from ‘bogging down’ in weaker surf and just the right amount of rocker to load and pop and get a handlepass in...

Offering extreme weight-reductions through the use of the Aluula air frame, the Roam BLACK promises light weight and super-responsive performance. So whether you are cueing up your next top turn in the surf, or enjoying maximum efficiency on your foil you won’t have to worry about your Roam BLACK ending up in the water…

14 12

RRD Y25 GLOBAL Roberto Ricci is celebrating 25 years in the watersports industry – aside from giving himself a pat on the back and throwing a huge party in Cape Town, he’s also found the time to put together some solid new kit for 2020. Here we have the new Global bar which is lighter, has an entirely new QR system and now comes in two different sizes, 48 and 52cm. No let up from RR.

AXIS KINK MV It’s not just foils that AXIS are all over at the moment… They’re also putting out some very impressive boards. The MV stands for Minimal Volume which equates to maximum responsiveness under your feet. The bottom of the board features foiling specific beveled rails, a wide carbon reinforcement in the middle of the board, and a super stiff construction to channel even the smallest of movements down to your AXIS foil…

FLY OVER WATER

INNOVATION EFFICIENCY DESIGN levitaz.com

SUP

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BIG THINKING

PHOTOS Toby Bromwich

Hitting obstacles with a kite has come a long, long way in the last fifteen years. And the great thing about park features is that there is no limit: you can design and ride pretty much anything you want, and wakeboarding provides plenty of inspiration, with most of the park guys spending a lot of time on the cable. So when Craig Cunningham decided he wanted to create the mother of all features, there wasnâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t anything stopping him. Well, not too muchâ&#x20AC;Ś

So, where did you come up with the plan to get involved in building/commissioning the slider?

The idea came about over three years ago. Park riding in kiteboarding was just getting to the point where all the top, top riders could do super technical tricks on these very basic box-style features. It was time for something more legit to come into the equation. It almost happened three years ago but the deal kind of fell through with REAL Watersports, and then the following year we had some funny stuff that was going on with the brand so it just wasn’t an option. Then finally, with the rebranding of the Boards & More kite brand into Duotone it fully made sense to try to set the tone in the park scene by doing something like this.

I played around with Google Sketchup quite a lot and when I thought I was onto something I shared it around a few close friends.

Thinking Big

Hatteras

How does the design process work out? Did you work out what you wanted from it and then design it that way?

Believe it or not this is a very scaled-back version of my original plan. That being said, it’s still a dream come true to be able to see a project like this through to reality. I basically just played around with Google Sketchup quite a lot and when I thought I was onto something I shared it around a few close friends. Eventually, once we finally got the budgets approved, I pitched the idea to a few different HDPE welders. How do you get the dimensions right without getting too over-excited and going crazy big/ dangerous?

Maybe I’m dating myself now but I’ve been around the park scene for a little bit now and I’ve hit a lot of features over the years. We knew this was going to be for sure on the bigger side of things but in the end it turned out perfect and it’s giving us the ability to do new tricks and take new lines that would have never been possible before.

Did you take inspiration from wakeparks and that side of thing?

Hundred percent. This feature takes inspiration from three of my favorite features I’ve hit wakeboarding, and I have kind of morphed them into a hybrid with a few outside-the-box ideas from some of my friends and myself.

Where was it made and how does the process of getting a slider commissioned and built work?

Originally it was meant to be built in Germany but in the end due to logistics we moved the operation to Thailand. It’s built out of HDPE, which is a high density polyethylene. The process seems simple at the start: design the dream feature, contract the build, sort out the shipping, pull it out of the tin and shred the shit out of it. Let’s just say it turned into a lot more of a mission than I ever thought possible and I could have never foreseen with all the moving parts required to try to get this thing to Hatteras in time. That plus all the other projects I had going on culminated into me being fully stressed in the last weeks leading up the shoot!

LEFT Craig ready to give a round of applause if it makes it into the water. ABOVE “Welcome to your new home. Prepare to be sessioned!”

How did it arrive at REAL and how did you go about getting it in the water?

TOP New feature, classic style... RIGHT Not taking any chances: all hands on deck for the big lift.

It actually arrived at REAL in the back of the shipping container that had driven across the country in what is now known as a hot truck. Instead of one driver who can only drive 12 hours and then has to have a minimum of a 12 hour break, we hired two drivers to drive back to back across the country in less than three days. When it arrived at REAL we had a crane and a construction crew ready to get down to business, as well as the usual suspects from the KPL who are always down to lend a hand for the cause. It was scary, no one really knew what we were doing to be honest and we had a few pretty close calls, but by the end of the day the feature was bolted together wrapped and, most importantly, floating! Was it pretty much as you expected it to be?

The feature, yes. The logistics, definitely no…

Then what have been the most memorable moments so far?

When Noè and Xander were finishing up the ▶

Craig negotiating the business end of the beast.

If you get this far you're doing good... Here's NoĂ¨ hoping he makes it all the way.

Thinking Big

Hatteras 92

I just wanted to shred with everyone and see what everyone could do on the new feature.

Thinking Big Hatteras

last bolts and clamps and it was all floating perfectly! A few minutes later we had Toby snap a photo of the whole team who were around to help out… It was at this moment that we all knew it was smooth sailing from there on out and that even though the project turned out to be a bigger mission than we had thought, it was all worth all the time and headaches!

And who has had the heaviest slam?

Probably Noè, who cracked his shin open on impact, or possibly Erin who smashed his face and gave himself a pretty sore nose and two black eyes. I took a beating as well and have lots of bumps and bruises, but nowhere near the heavy hits those two took. I guess it will feature in next year’s Triple-S?

TOP The iconic Hatteras setup now has a new landmark. FAR LEFT “Yes, it floats!” LEFT The slider even has standing room for a photographer, Toby B.

So, the first session… A load of pros had hung around after the Triple-S and there was a lot of stoke. Take us through that first day…

Ya, we had the whole film crew for Duotone and my boss in town. We were trying to get after it, shooting for the 2020 Duotone campaign but I knew keeping all the friends and other pros off the brand new feature was going to be impossible. To be honest I just wanted to shred with everyone and see what everyone could do on the new feature, so we just embraced the ‘more the merrier’ attitude and had a marathon session with everyone who stuck around!

Definitely going to be in next year’s Triple-S, and will definitely be the future to set apart the level of riding. And what are you up to for the rest of this year – keeping busy?!

Always busy. No days off! It’s easy when you’re passionate and motivated about the projects and the brand you’re working on… I’m super fortunate for that! Just keep an eye on the Duotone content channels and you’ll see what we are getting up to! ◼

GIVING SOMETHING BACK E

WORDS Victoria Stuart PHOTO Scott Sinton

Ocean Ambassador Jalou Langeree is taking a stand for marine conservation. Life in the sea is under threat and human actions are endangering the creatures in our planet’s largest habitat. Over 50% (and potentially as much as 80%) of the planet’s species live in our ocean, and every one of them is in danger, be it from entanglement in fishing gear, collisions with high-speed ships, commercial whaling, ocean noise pollution, marine plastics or – most catastrophically – the effects of climate change.

Three-time World Kitesurfing Champion Jalou Langeree recently put her hand up to play her part in protecting these animals and the place they call home. She teamed up with the International Fund for Animal Welfare (IFAW) to help make the ocean safer and healthier. IFAW is a global non-profit organization which helps animals and people thrive together. Both experts and everyday water lovers work across seas and oceans in more than 40 countries around the world to rescue, rehabilitate and release animals, and to restore and protect their natural habitats. Juli Riegler, IFAW’s Communications Director for Europe who got to know Jalou through their shared love of CrossFit back home in The Netherlands explains that, “Jalou comes into contact with the same themes that we tirelessly work for: whales, dolphins, seals that get caught in fishing nets, marine life suffering from plastic pollution, the stranding of whales and dolphins caused by ocean noise and climate change, as well as whale hunting and ship strikes. “She has been dominating the worldwide kitesurfing scene for years. Thanks to her success in the sport, she has a strong voice and global reach to mobilize others for this important cause.” With her life and career focused on the ocean, Jalou has come across plenty of marine animal suffering and pollution on the water. So after meeting Juli and learning about IFAW, she decided to take action: using her presence and voice for the oceans and its animals. We caught up with Jalou while she was in Dakhla, Morocco at the 2020 Dealer meeting for Mystic and her new sponsor, North Kiteboarding. “I once did a kitesurfing trip near Den Helder, in the north of Holland,” recalls Jalou. “If you tack upwind for about an hour there’s a massive sand plate in the middle of the ocean – usually there are sick waves that wrap around the bar, but that day there were no waves. You’re not allowed to stand on the sand bar, but we wanted to check out the seal colony. As we came closer they started to move off, but I noticed one seal was a bit slower than the rest. It had a fishing net tangled around its neck. We tried to help, but it was a big, aggressive seal, it was scared and we

only had a small knife, so it was really hard to do any good. We did manage to cut some of the lines, but it still had a massive rope around its neck, digging into the skin. It was so sad for us to see the seal go back into the ocean like that. “Afterwards we spent hours on the phone trying to get help for the seal. We finally contacted Eco-Mara, who arranged a search, and eventually found and rescued it. It’s hard to see an animal suffering like that and not want to help,” she explained. “The problems they face grow larger and more complex every day.” Patrick Ramage, Director of Marine Conservation at IFAW, says whales and many other marine species face more threats today than at any other time in history. “This is why now more than ever, we must do all we can to protect them, as they are vital to the survival of the entire marine ecosystem. We’ve been around for fifty years, but we know our solutions can’t stay the same – we have to think, and act, differently. We have developed new technology to safely release animals back into the ocean, and when we wanted to stop whale hunting in Japan, we called ▶

LEFT The ocean is, very much, Jalou’s playground... Photo: Scott Sinton ABOVE At risk if we don't genuinely start acting now. Photo: Valorie Darling

Giving Something Back

Jalou Langeree

up the very last entity you would imagine: the Icelandic Tourism Board. Generally, together with local communities, governments, non-governmental organizations, and businesses, we work to pioneer new and innovative ways to preserve marine landscapes, and to rescue wildlife and help all species flourish.” Jalou, along with her brother Kevin, recently spent a week visiting the International Operations and Marine Mammal Rescue Centers at Cape Cod in the US, where she had the chance to deep dive into the IFAW programs. She studied seal surveys, went whale spotting and took part in an autopsy with the marine team, all of which allowed her to gain insights into the biggest threats our oceans and its marine life are currently facing. She also learned of the campaign to save and forever protect the highly endangered North Atlantic right whale. “They have such great volunteers, all on standby to help – and they’re so passionate about these beautiful creatures,” enthuses Jalou, “It’s like when there is a fire – the people are there in time.” You can hear the passion in her own voice as she talks about seal observations, whale strandings, the marine mammal ambulance and the way IFAW have successfully lobbied to change the routes of commercial shipping channels, navigating boats away from whale feeding grounds, and educating them to slow down so noise doesn’t affect the sonar of the whales. Jalou advises kiteboarders to keep the number of your local rescue organization in your phone to alert them if there’s an animal in need, rather than try to

do it yourself, and also notes that, “Nature is the inspiration for so much of what we do… When we kite we feel so in tune with nature, so connected. We must work harder to protect it. “There is so much more we can all do. I’m not sure exactly how I will combine my work as an IFAW ambassador with kiteboarding just yet, but watch this space! And in the meantime, check out the IFAW marine conservation programs online to see how you can help: ifaw.org.” Back in Dakhla, Jalou is enjoying another pivotal moment in her kiteboarding journey. In 17 years of kiteboarding she has only changed sponsors twice, from O’Neill to Mystic, and Naish to North. Now the new equipment is out in the open, she is excited to be so closely involved. “I can’t wait to see everyone’s reaction to the new gear – we’ve all been on a mission to make it the best possible. Testing the products and giving team-rider feedback to the North design team has been very motivating, and we have a kick-ass team, all super-passionate and a little crazy in their own way. We've been friends for years, and now we get to work together on a mutual dream. “As soon as I get my own gear I’ll go to Mauritius to compete in the GKA, which is pure wave-riding, and it’s a super proper wave! I’m confident there. It’s been a while since I competed last, because I had a back hernia for a long time. I did compete and win the tour last year, but at one point it got a lot worse, so I had to step back and get healthy again. “For myself this year, I decided to just do the tour stops I really ▶

Jalou Langeree Giving Something Back

want to go to. I don’t have any pain now, but I do try to rest a lot and listen better to my body. I do some stretching exercise that I get from my physio, and I’m really committed to being healthy. You know, nut butter, overnight oats, stretch… we exercise so much, so if we live like rockstars we’re not going to last too long!” “I’m a really active person. I love moving. I start my day waking up and doing something – if there is no wind or waves, I’ll do a spin class, then if the wind picks up I’ll go out for a kite, foil, SUP… I just want to be able to have fun on the water. Whatever the conditions are. I don’t mind what the discipline is, I just want to be able to enjoy whatever it brings. “Foiling opens up a whole new world. You get so much more water-time, fly in like zero winds, and have the longest ride of your life. It’s insane. Even here in Dakhla where the wind is good, because it’s so flat and I’ve been dying for waves, I’ve been surfing the wind swell on the foil. I tow upwind holding on to someone’s leash, then let go of the harness and just flow with the wind. You keep going until your upper legs burn so much you can’t stand anymore.” Jalou started foiling right at the beginning. “The foil is very relaxing, it’s so silent. And so different to riding a wave board. You need proper concentration and to spend some time getting it. You feel like a complete kook when you start, like you’re never going to get it. But when it comes together it’s just magic.” With a comprehensive list of accomplishments under her belt already, it’s hard to pinpoint the biggest highlight of Jalou’s kiting journey so far. But becoming world champion in 2012 for the very first time was up there… “It wasn’t just the feeling of being the best at that moment, but a combination of a whole year of personal growth and independence, not traveling with my brother and following a new passion in wave-riding on a different world tour,” explains Jalou.

“Nature is the inspiration for so much of what we do… When we kite we feel so in tune with nature, so connected. We must work harder to protect it.”

“I was being crowned in Hawaii and you can just imagine: palm trees, white sandy beaches, crystal clear waters, sick waves. I was 22, and it was the first year I traveled by myself, so winning the tour was a huge personal achievement for me. A couple of days in advance, I would go to every spot so I could get to know the location and the conditions, and I was so independent with the traveling, competing and dealing with stress, it wasn’t easy as I was really used to having my brother around to hype me up, tell me I’m going to smoke it. He talks to me in a way that gives me confidence, and when you travel by yourself you really miss that.” But for now Jalou is fully focused on working with her new sponsor, focusing on a couple of stops on the GKA tour and, of course, working closely with IFAW to improve the condition of our oceans and the creatures which call it home… ◼

TOP LEFT Learning more at the Marine Mammal Rescue Centers, Cape Cod. Photos: Valorie Darling RIGHT Jalou doing some investigation in the field. Photo: Ydwer van der Heide

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Alex Fox dragging his hand to the pot of gold on the new Misfit.

TEAM DYNAMICS PHOTOS Andre Magarao

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The Slingshot crew head to Mauritius to get the photographic goods of their latest products. The full top-tier crew are cued up as well as team rookie Pablo Amores, and Sam Light is in charge of logistics in his first big job as team manager. So, how did things shake down?

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“The feeling of riding a wave and looking down and seeing all the reef below your feet is indescribable…”

THE ROOKIE

Team Dynamics

Slingshot

Pablo Amores

This wasn´t the first time or the last time that I will visit Mauritius, I am in love with the island. The vibes and the conditions make this beautiful country one of the best strapless kitesurf spots in the world. It is not only about the riding conditions, this country is full of peace and good vibes from the locals, and I always feel somehow that I’m where I should be: a pure place. Mauritius is the home of the extinct dodo, full of coconut trees, tropical animals, incredible landscapes, and amazing sea life. The locals are really friendly and they will help you in everything you need, which is not so true with other inhabited tropical islands, such as Hawaii, where the vibe can be very different. One Eye is not an easy spot for a regular stance kitesurfer, as the wind can be very offshore, which makes riding backside very technical. However, that offshore wind is what makes One Eye one of the most glassy kitesurfing waves in the world. Mauritius has a huge tropical reef surrounding the entire island that creates endless perfect waves as well as amazing lagoons inside the reef, which are perfect for everything from learning to kite, to Big Air. And that’s the reason why it is one of the best kitesurfing spots in the world. My home spot is Tarifa, famous for consistent strong wind, not waves. This is why I love to go to Mauritius; the conditions are totally different from home. Perfect waves with side shore wind are not the same as the onshore wind I get at home, and the feeling of riding a wave and looking down and seeing all the reef below your feet is indescribable. Truth be told, we were a bit unlucky with the conditions and we only had three days with light wind, and riding a powerful wave like ‘One Eye’ with a 14m kite isn´t an easy job. I had one day riding with a 12m SST and the new Tyrant, with around one-meter-high waves, which was really nice and it was all worth it for that one special session…

I’d only just signed my contract with Slingshot and this was my first team trip, and I felt such amazing vibes from the Slingshot crew. They gave me a good welcome into the team, and we even went to a music festival whilst we were there for my birthday. We spent every moment we could on the water shooting. It was crazy to see Carlos Mario in action, regardless of what he is riding – even on the more ‘beginner’ focused kit. It was also really nice to see the different styles of riding and how we all brought something unique to the team. Sam Light and Alex Fox’s stylish freestyle, and Reed Brady shreds everything, in the waves or on a twintip.It was Sam Light’s first trip as

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Team Dynamics Slingshot

ABOVE The kind of day that dreams are made of....

team manager and he organized for us to stay at Dinarobin Beachcomber Hotel, which was super nice. An eco-friendly hotel in the perfect location in Le Morne, full of restaurants, swimming pools and the best spa I have ever seen, perfect for relaxing after an epic kite session. I was using Slingshot products in 2015 when I learnt to kitesurf, so I knew the equipment was good, but I have to say I didn’t expect that the new SST had such amazing drift riding down waves… I’ve never had such a good feeling from a kite. It was fast, and really easy to turn even when depowered. Then I was most excited about the new surfboard constructions.

They have a completely new surf range this year, all the boards are much lighter than previous years and I was loving the Tyrant for waves and the Sci-Fly for strapless freestyle. Following the trip, I have been back in Tarifa, training for the strapless freestyle competitions and learning new tricks. I want to push my strapless freestyle skills as well as the wave riding skills to be a complete, well-rounded kitesurfer. I am excited about traveling around the world, catching waves with the new Slingshot gear, knowing in the back of my mind I will be back in Mauritius in September for the GKA Wave competition… ▶

Team Dynamics

Slingshot

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A Day in the Life of a Slingshot Team Rider...

Team Dynamics Slingshot

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THE BOSS

Team Dynamics

Slingshot

Sam Light

I have organized plenty of photoshoots in my time but this one was different, it was the first one that I was officially team manager, so the pressure was on and we had more new products being released at one time than I have ever seen before, including a completely new range of surfboards, a new improved Misfit, the 147 Refraction, two new kites, the Rally GT, the ultimate all-rounder, and the Raptor, an easy to use Big Air machine. Having planned many shoots before, I was confident I would use my experience to make the right call, but it makes it a little more stressful when there is so much riding on a successful shoot; there are many factors that affect how productive a photoshoot can be, everything from personalities to feeding eight hungry people three times a day! Firstly Fox (now the Brand Manager at Slingshot) and myself hashed it out and decided what exactly we wanted to accomplish on the trip; we created a shot list, a rough itinerary and a long list of product videos. Fox allocated me a budget and gave me the dates of when the new products would be ready and when the media assets need to be ready. This photoshoot fell in an awkward time of year in the spring, when most destinations are changing seasons… the Northern hemisphere is at the end of their season and the Southern hemisphere is just starting theirs. Our requirements were strong wind, waves, sunshine, warm water, palm trees. Is that too much to ask?! Those requirements narrow it down quickly but then you have other variables such as getting rider visas sorted, and lots of places are hard for Brazilians to get a visa. Maui was on the cards, for example, but it would be hard for Carlos Mario to get an extension to his US visa in time. Then you have the toss up - cost vs. risk, or beauty vs. cost… We could go somewhere in Europe cheaply, but there would be less chance of wind and it wouldn’t look as stunning as an island in the middle of the Pacific/Indian ocean. After reaching out to all my contacts, checking many forecasts, and creating endless different options, I decided on Mauritius. We had been there before and got skunked, but it ticks all the boxes on paper and I heard nothing but good things from my contacts. I had been following the forecast for a few weeks while I was planning the shoot and it appeared to be blowing every day, the season had kicked off

early, and it all sounded too good to be true… For accommodation, Mauritius is known for its stunning all-inclusive hotels in prime location on the ‘Le Morne’ peninsula, but they can be pretty extortionate. After researching Airbnb, contacting hotels, and reaching out to all my contacts, I managed to broker a deal with our Mauritian distributor and the ‘Beachcomber Le Morne’ with an awesome deal in exchange for a wealth of media, a great deal for all of us, but it’s harder than you think to convince a hotel of your worth. After finalizing everybody’s travel plans, I had done everything in my power to ensure we would have a productive shoot. Then the rest is up to the wind gods, and I swear you have never checked a forecast so much as I did before this trip. It had been glorious for weeks and it wasn’t looking good for us. We arrive in Mauritius to the classic “You should have been here last week!” and “Next week looks insane!”… Yeah, well, we are here this week… Thankfully things turned out okay, and we had two days of good wind and waves, and two days of light wind foil conditions out of eight days. I am the biggest preacher of saying “there is no point worrying about things you can’t control”, but you can’t help but think, what if? What if we got those epic conditions we had all dreamed about on the long journey here? Pablo’s stand up barrels or Bebe’s 1080’s? The truth is we got skunked, four days out of eight was the minimum we needed, however because Mauritius is so beautiful, every shot we worked so hard to get looked amazing. The convenience of our hotel enabled us to make the most out of every last second

“Our requirements were strong wind, waves, sunshine, warm water, palm trees. Is that too much to ask?!”

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Team Dynamics Slingshot

ABOVE Sam knocking out the 'stock bangers'.

of wind. In hindsight, it actually gave us more time to shoot the product videos that were high up on the priority list anyway, because there is so many new products to talk about. In my new role, I would have to say that the biggest pain in the ass on the shoot is feeding ten people three times a day! It can be very time consuming and the last thing you want to do is miss epic conditions because you’re messing around trying to organize food for grumpy media guys! It is also really important for team moral to keep everyone fueled up. Espe-

cially for the media guys burning the least amount of calories – for some reason they are more concerned about food than the athlete that has been on the water for five hours! All things considered it was a successful and productive photoshoot, we got everything we needed and my logistical planning went smoothly. We would have liked a little more wind but the island’s natural beauty saved the day, everybody pulled their weight and got along and I would still completely recommend Mauritius… We will be back! ◼

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The CrazyFly crew decide to make the most of team rider Posito Martinez’s local knowledge and headed to the legendary Dominican Republic for a photoshoot. Posito shows them the way and they scored an insane variety of epic conditions across the island. Laci Kobulsky got the shots, and here he shares some of his standout spots from the trip.

Dominican Discoveries San Fernando de Monte Cristi

4 BUEN HOMBRE

Puerto Plata ENCUENTRO

Sosúa

CABARETE KITE BEACH

2 LA BOCA

Cabrera

Santiago de los Caballeros

Moca

La Vega

D O M I N I C A N

R E P U B L I C

Constanza Las Matas de Farfán

San Juan de la Maguana

Nagua

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WORDS & PHOTOS Laci Kobulsky, CrazyFly Kiteboarding Early in the season every year, like many other brands, CrazyFly sends their team to some attractive summer location to shoot their next year’s gear. This year was no different for CrazyFly, except we accepted the invite from our newest rider, Posito Martinez, to come and ride at his home spot in the Dominican Republic. But instead of just staying in the well-known waters

of Cabarete, we used his local knowledge to travel around the island and discover the best spots under different conditions. We quickly fell in love with this amazing and diverse place so – as well as showcasing it through the photos we got on the shoot – here’s the rundown of some of our favorite places and why we enjoyed riding there. ▶

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(1) Cabarete Kite Beach Cabarete is home for Posito and many other local riders who have become worldwide stars. And no wonder… the beach is windy almost every day and provides real variety. Here you’ll find most of the kite schools, hotels and the DR’s legendary nightlife, so if you want to get the most out of your trip then Cabarete is the place to be. You can chill on the beach or go kite in the day, then in the evening you can enjoy the many restaurants and nightclubs the town has to offer. Even though we stayed in Cabarete, surprisingly we spent the least time kiting here. The beach is pretty busy and the conditions were not ideal for the photoshoot where you want to be able to get close to the rider and shoot from all possible angles without other kites in the shot. We only did a few foil sessions here and the rest of the time we traveled around.

CONDITIONS Waves close to the beach, onshore wind.

PERFECT FOR Freeride, Big Air, strapless and foil.

(2) La Boca If you saw shots from La Boca without any context, you would probably think that we went to one of Brazil’s perfect flat-water lagoons. This river lagoon is in fact located just a few minutes north of Cabarete beach and – during the season – you will find the world’s freestyle riders working on their new moves here. The lagoon is connected to the sea, and – thanks to the onshore wind – it creates perfect flat water for tricks. However, the lagoon is fairly small so if you are not an advanced rider you had better sit it out, since your kite can end up in the trees on the downwind side of the river. But for advanced riders, I would recommend visiting La Boca… Even if you’re not into freestyle, you can freeride for a bit and then do a nice downwinder back to Cabarete. Also, you can get a small ferry boat and visit a local restaurant with a really unique setup… an epic end to a kite session! As you might have guessed, we focused on freestyle at this spot. Liloo and Posito took the new kites and boards and put them to the test. It was great to see Posito going huge on his home turf. For sure one of the chillest and easiest places we hit during our photoshoot.

CONDITIONS Flat, offshore wind with trees to watch out for…

PERFECT FOR Freestyle.

(3) Encuentro

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This lesser known beach is just a little bit south from Cabarete. The little cape creates nice waves, and you can find a few surf schools here, so visit it during non-windy days to score some waves. The beach is also spectacular, with big trees just above the sand that create shadows on the grass. On the good days, waves can get up to two meters high, and thanks to the cape shape of this beach, you can approach or ride them from different directions. We came here to boost and hit some kickers with the new ÂHyper kite. We were a little bit unlucky with the wind, but the kickers were nice and really easy to ride.

CONDITIONS Waves, side-onshore wind.

PERFECT FOR Freeride, kickers, strapless and Big Air.

(4) Buen Hombre

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Posito told us about this paradise spot with turquoise water that was ‘just’ four hours’ drive away. We went there on a good forecast, but decided it would be nice to spend a few days there as we were traveling so far. So, we got in touch with a local kite school, Kite Buen Hombre, and they were kind enough to host us in their camp. This spot can be easily mistaken for the end of the world – the road and electricity lines end here (and you only get six hours of electricity per day!) but it makes it for a spectacular escape from civilization. Just in front of the kite center you will find a huge spot with flat and shallow water and the wind here is usually 5-7 knots stronger than in Cabarete. The spot is not only great for advanced riders, but out of all the spots we visited, this one is by far the best choice for beginners with a massive shallow area for learning in. From here we also rented a boat and went to explore the surrounding spots. We were told to visit nearby ‘Paradise Island’, a small patch of sand that appears out of the water, but unfortunately the place was too busy with tourists, so no kiting. We ended up a little downwind, next to the mangrove area, and pushed all the new products to the max! Easily the best day of the shoot.

PERFECT FOR Freeride and freestyle. Beginner to advanced.

Looking back and it was the discovery of new spots and having the chance to try out different conditions and experiences that made this trip extraordinary. So do yourself a favor, and the next time you visit Cabarete (or really any other known spot), don’t be lazy and take some time to discover other spots nearby. Yes, there might be some challenges along the way but overcoming these are what makes for a memorable journey! ◼

Dominican Discoveries

CONDITIONS Flat and shallow water.

Ticket to the Moon

Raptor Extreme BIG AIR

CRAZYFLYKITES.COM

Photo: Ydwer van der Heide

ANATOMY OF A KITELOOP RIDER Lasse Walker PHOTOS Steven Akkersdijk (unless stated)

This issue we have an extended technique section with one of the best loopers in the game, Lasse Walker, taking us through his top tips for the perfect kiteloop...

#1 Holding the bar right

#2 Body position

You can explain ‘how to do a kiteloop’ pretty easily: “Do a high jump and then pull hard on your back hand so that the kite turns a whole circle, then let the kite climb back up again so it catches you and slows you down before landing.” Easy right? Well, the truth is it’s a bit easier said than done… So here I am going to explain to you as well as I can exactly how to pull a successful megaloop. I’ll not only explain the step-by-step plan, but also add in handy and useful tips and tricks that I use to get my megaloops as perfect as I can.

If you have difficulty staying straight, or if you start rotating by accident, then look at your kite. This allows you to see where the power comes from and makes it easier to stay in balance!

The Basics A good take-off leads to a good trick. It is important to edge hard towards your take-off. This way you build up more tension in your lines which results in a faster and more reactive kite. In combination with a good sharp take-off, your kite will also turn faster and also fly up faster to catch you. A good tip with your take off is to tighten your abs extra hard and make your body small. A hard pull comes through the loop of the kite. By tightening your body as much as you can, you can absorb that power in a much more controlled manner.

The Essentials In the photo (# 1) you can clearly see how I always hold the bar. In my opinion this is the best way. For my back hand, which you have to steer hard for the take-off and the loop, I hold the bar nice and wide. This way you have a good full grip and you can pull hard on the bar for the loop. Then my front hand is consciously a lot more towards the center of the bar. This allows me to properly determine how much you pull the bar or to push it. The body position (photo #2) is of course very important, and that is why we should discuss it a little extra. This photo shows how you can stay nicely controlled. Legs slightly pulled in and abs tensioned to absorb the pull of the loop. In addition, the position of the arms is different for many people, but here on the photo it is clear that I use my rear arm to steer the kite, and the left arm to keep the bar at the right distance. I keep my arms close to my body to stay compact and controlled. ▶

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STEP 4 Coming Down

The run-up is extremely important for the kite loop. These are the last few seconds that you can prepare for the trick. Here you can pay attention to how the kite flies, whether the wind is constant, how far you have the bar away from you and – above all – you can get your focus together! So at the start it is important to have a good hard and controlled edge and, just as with every jump, to have your speed under control. With a kiteloop it is of course important that your kite rises above you and catches you. If your kite is fast this makes it easier, and to make your kite fly faster, you have to edge hard. Because of this you build up tension in your lines, so that the kite flies a little more towards the corner of the wind window, and will therefore react more directly and quickly.

After the loop it is time to start thinking about the landing. This is because it is slightly different than the landing of a normal jump. We are going downwind fast and we want to get the speed out and slow down. Therefore we ‘brake’ in two ways. What I ALWAYS do is land my body towards the kite. So if you prefer to land with your right foot, you have to do a down-loop that turns left. If you prefer to land with your left foot, then turn right again. This way your kite stays in front of your body and you can control everything nicely. This is important because after the loop, you can steer your kite slightly upwards to your preferred side, to come out a little better with the landing and the downloop. At that time, you’ve actually already decided which way you should land, and you can decide that in advance yourself, depending on how far forward your kite is.

STEP 2 The Take Off

STEP 3 The Loop The loop itself is actually the most exciting but also the easiest part of the whole trick. It is very simple: pull on the rear side of the bar, in this case on the right, until the kite has turned a circle and then flies up again. When the kite flies up again, it is important to push your bar out. This puts all the tension on the power lines and your kite flies faster out of the loop. In addition to the kiteloop itself, it is important to maintain your body position as shown in the photo. This allows you to catch the pull and stay in control. Also, it looks a lot nicer in my opinion.

STEP 5 The Landing The landing can be the most dangerous part, but if you have performed all the previous steps correctly, it will all be much easier than anticipated. As I have said, the kite must rise above you to catch you, then, as soon as your kite is above you again, you have to pull on the bar to get lift and power back into the kite. In this way you fall down after the loop, the kite climbs up with the bar away from you, and when the kite is almost above you, pull on your bar again for that extra lift for a soft landing and to slow you down if needs be. Because you will go downwind when landing, your body has to face towards the kite, so you can take the speed out nicely by making a heelside turn, and continue riding.

TIP FOR THE FAST LEARNER

The moment after the loop is the right time to add extra style to your jump. For example, a bar spin to get the twist out of your lines, or a stylish board grab…

IF THE WORST HAPPENS…

Try and avoid it, but you are going to fall a few times – it happens! If in the air you think you're going to fall, don't try to land the trick clean. When I think I'm going to fall in the air, I kind of fall down. First with the board on the water, and then with your body. In this way you can absorb the worst blow on your legs, and then fall into the water, or still ride through with a butt check. Use your kite if necessary. Sometimes you can fall but your kite is on the way up. Then pull on your bar for a little lift to keep your fall softer. If your board edges into water with a lot of speed then you have a kind of leverage effect towards the water and, yes, that hurts a lot! That is why it is sometimes good to just go with the crash and accept it, lose the board and call it a crash. Of course, if you are in boots this is where the pain can really happen! ◼

Anatomy Of A Kiteloop

A good take-off leads to a good trick. This is even more true with a kiteloop. Here the take-off doesn’t only determine whether you are in control, but also whether your kite will steer and fly well. Try to jump straight up (or even almost upwind), and less forward. This keeps more tension in your kite. If you go too far forward, you lose that tension and your kite will be much slower, and you will go less high. This way of taking off also makes it easier for you to keep your body under control because of the calm and controlled take-off. If your take-off is not good or does not feel completely comfortable, stop the entire kiteloop and make it a normal jump! If your take off is good then it is time to head towards the loop. Before you pull the loop, it is important to know exactly where your kite will go. Of course the kite is going to loop in a circle, but try to visualize where that ‘arc’ is going to take place. By thinking about this you know where the pull will come from and you can adjust to that. It is also important at the take-off how you send the kite. From end-to-end, it must be one smooth movement. I steer the kite a little past 12, whereas with a normal jump you would steer a little further. I do this to keep extra tension on the lines, and to jump more up and less forward.

Technique

STEP 1 The Run-Up

ADVERTORIAL: NORTH KITEBOARDING

RECALIBRATION North has brought together some of the industry’s most experienced and respected designers, engineers and brand managers to write the next chapter in the brand’s history. Everyone has been energised by the opportunity to step back, look at the industry and ask: “Where should we go from here? How can we improve?”

P H O T O G R A P H Y: Y D WE R VA N D E R H E I D E

The launch of the North 2020 range in August represents the culmination of a fresh, reinvigorated, recalibrated North and we canâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t wait for kiters around the world to feel the difference. Our ambition of launching a new era in kiteboarding began in the middle of last year with the end of a long-standing third-party licensing agreement, and our decision to join forces with MBrands, under a new umbrella called North Actionsports Group. Together with Mystic and Magic Marine, we form a powerful alliance of passionate, world-class kiters determined to make kiteboarding more visible, more accessible and to take our sport to the next level on the global stage.

P H OT O G R A PH Y: T O P SC O T T S I N T O N / B OT T O M Y DW ER VA N D E R H E I DE

ADVERTORIAL: NORTH KITEBOARDING

There were so many things on our wishlist, things we’ve always dreamed of evolving or solving. We listened. We heard what the schools had been saying for years - what people struggle with when they’re developing their skills in the sport. We set about to solve some problems. How could this or that be different? How can it be easier? How can it be safer for everyone?

We analysed everything, looking at it all from a new

North has attracted a world-class team of riders

perspective and in totality. We compiled the best

standing strongly behind this shared vision. Most

of the best - attributes, components, elements and

recently triple world title winners Jalou Langeree

materials. We partnered with experienced, reliable

and Bruna Kajiya have joined the ranks. They stand

suppliers and manufacturers.

alongside ‘Jack of all trades’ Jesse Richman, the first kiter to get barrelled at Jaws, King of the

Mike Raper, industry veteran, waterman and

Air 2017 winner, Nick Jacobsen, Graham Howes,

Brand Director, comments that “in some ways, this

Annabel Van Westerop and the megaloop maniac

collection we’ve designed for 2020 feels like it’s

Marc Jacobs, all led by Director of Sales and Team,

been twenty years in the making. We’ve paid more

Klaus Warkentin.

personal attention to detail to all the pieces than we ever have before. We’ve made some big changes from the way it used to be done. We’ve come a long way, for us and for the sport, this year.” World-renowned Kite Designer Pat Goodman has poured decades of hands-on experience into improving and refining our 2020 kite range - the ORBIT, the PULSE and the CARVE, and the difference in intuitive responsiveness has to be felt to be believed. Director of Design and Engineering Hugh Pinfold has refined two pivotal pieces of tech innovation in our range - the NAVIGATOR Control System and FLEX Bindings - to the Nth degree, so that as a rider you feel everything, and nothing, all at once. Always looking for more, for better, for what’s next,

“Everything’s super simple. I love that. North’s simplicity is on point.” Nick Jacobsen Our team of designers and engineers have sweated the detail on combinations and ratios for power, stability, control and balance so that everything feels harmonious and every component works as one. The modularity within the range is the plug-and-play functionality we’ve always dreamed of as kiters. We’ve achieved real accuracy and consistency. It’s easier, safer, more intuitive to ride, giving you more time to feel free, feel the ride. Every North product is designed to be:

Engineered. Refined. Intuitive.

ADVERTORIAL: NORTH KITEBOARDING

ENG INE ER E D We use technology to resolve design conundrums like: how can we create the strongest and the most flexible? The simplest and the most technical? The greatest performance that remains understated? We all know that surf kiteboards need to be stronger than regular surfboards to absorb harder impacts and higher loads. But for the ultimate surf kiting experience you need the lightness and feel of a high-performance surfboard. With our revolutionary Futurelite system and lighter laminate construction, Board Designer Jaimie Scott in collaboration with Naval Architect and Engineer Uli Sommerlatt has engineered the solution - a lightweight kitesurf board with the responsive flex characteristics of a high-performance surfboard.

“The Futurelite carbon fibre and innegra wireframe forms a structural skeleton to support the laminates,” explains Jaimie. “This maximises strength without losing flex and allows the board to load and release power on demand for more drive and responsiveness.”

We want a lighter footprint for ourselves and the planet and we believe that when your engineering is sharp and every detail is recalibrated and fine-tuned then less is very much more. We’ve looked at what can be stripped back for pure performance, striking the perfect balance between clean lines and aerodynamics.

P H OT O G R A P H Y: T O P S C O T T S IN T O N / B O T T O M Y D WE R VA N D E R H E ID E

REFINE D

There’s a lot of handcrafting and understanding about building wings from flexible materials that can only be obtained from years of experience.

Chief Kite Designer, Pat Goodman explains the

The stability of these materials also makes a great

kite refinement process: “Using modern profile

difference in the accuracy of your prototyping. Better

analysis software data has enabled us to go deeper

quality materials, combined with more automation in

into aerodynamic performance and optimise the

the manufacturing process, allows kites and bridles

shape of the kites for greater efficiency. By testing

to now be refined within millimetres. Since we don’t

different profile attack angles as well as different

use any pulleys in our bridles, the need for stable

profile alignment to the airflow, we’ve been able

bridle lines is even more important. The more bells

to take a new direction for optimum performance

and whistles you have, the more there is to go wrong,

with these kites. It’s not purely aerodynamics.

especially on the water.”

ADVERTORIAL: NORTH KITEBOARDING

I NTU IT IV E We’re looking for the most effortless, natural, instinctive ride. We want you to sense where your kite is in the air, to move without thinking, to switch gears without losing time – because when you’re in harmony with your gear, that’s when you’re free. Hugh Pinfold, Director of Design and Engineering

your board, your kite and to the unpredictable

believes in refining to get back to exactly what is

elements. Our new NAVIGATOR Control System

needed and crafting every detail with fine precision.

raises the industry standard in kite safety,

Creating high performance gear that is both simple

connecting you intuitively to your kite so you can

and powerful has become his life’s work.

think less and feel more. The CONNECT Quick Release is as easy to load and release as a car

Hugh explains: “Two pieces you want to feel

seatbelt - it resets easily and can be released

intuitive are your control system and your

while under high load.”

bindings because these are the touchpoints to

P H O T OG R A P HY: T OP Y DW E R VA N DE R HE ID E / B O T T O M S C OT T S I NT O N

“I was stoked to have these kites in my hands and boards under my feet. They felt like home straight away.” Graham Howes Every product has been recalibrated so they work together harmoniously, for more direct response, more command and performance, for a more effortless experience. You’ll sense everything working together instinctively, so you can switch your mind off and feel everything - and nothing - all at once.

Tell Me About It

Cabrinha

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TOP Keahi and his new Nano-powered Drifter. LEFT The Modular options.

TELL ME ABOUT IT

CA B RI N H A

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As 2020 collections start to be unwrapped, it’s time to begin getting excited about the tweaks and changes that have been occupying the R&D hours of all kitesurfing brand bods over the last few months. James Boulding gives us a flavor of what Cabrinha have been up to…

So a couple of new developments from Cabrinha for 2020 that are relevant across the range. First up, you have a new canopy material – what can you tell us about this?

Two years we ago we introduced our High Tenacity Dacron, which dramatically boosted the stiff ness and strength of our kites massively and we wanted the same boost for the canopy as it’s here where there is so much performance to gain to stop kites tearing and to make them last longer. We’ve been back to back testing the durability of the material out in Maui by having our North Shore lifeguard friends leave kites out on buoys in the water each day for weeks in the sun, wind and salt water. It really is the harshest of conditions and a good way to look at canopy wear and tear. We also do lots of washing machine testing in our kite factory, as well as tear strength testing the different types of canopy. The durability results have been very impressive, with the Nano Ripstop staying crispy and new against older materials which go softer and lose their coating. Will it be used across the kite line up?

Yes, it is on every kite we are producing, as well as on our eagerly anticipated Crosswing. You also have a new Modular bar to go alongside the Quickloop bar, what are the options here?

Cabrinha has always strived to design equipment that directly affects our customers’ kitesurfing experience. With new styles of riding emerging we’ve tried to cater to all of these with different connection

Cabrinha

How have you tested it and why did you decide to make the transition?

Tell Me About It

This completely new material and process has been in development for two years and it’s now being used across our whole kite range, giving a performance, strength and durability boost to each kite. We’re using a much smaller ripstop pattern (Nano Ripstop) which doubles the amount of cells. Instead of just dipping the cloth into the coating like other brands, the new canopy gets treated in a process called plasma treatment which enables our new exclusive coating to bond much better. This three step process has helped us increase tear strength and give the canopy a noticeably more rigid feeling in the sky.

options, an area that is crucial and very different to windsurfing for example. Two years ago we released the Fireball and now we’ve expanded on that to bring more connection options. Our 100% wave guys still love the Fireball and continue to use it, but we’ve acknowledged certain riders love the feel of a rope slider. The two loop connection options allow riders to choose between freeride and freestyle sized loops. The flexibility of the Modular system is enhanced by the versatility of the Overdrive bar adjustment. With a full 8cm of bar length adjustment, you can choose the sensitivity level of your bar input, and allow for your control system to work on multiple sized kites. ▶

Tell Me About It

Cabrinha

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TELL ME ABOUT IT

CA B RI N H A

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In durability tests, the Nano Ripstop stays crispy and new compared to older materials which go softer and lose their coating.

Yes, no tool is needed when changing connection options.

Amongst the kite line-up, we’ve also made a couple performance tweaks to the Contra, accepted as the best lightwind kite in the market (according to TheKiteMag’s Ultimate Test). It’s such an important kite for riders of all levels and styles of riding. We’ve noticed how riders from all genres use this as their go-to kite when the wind is light. We have refined its turning slightly to enable it to turn a bit faster without losing any of the grunt and low-end power people love the Contra for. There is also a new introduction to the board line. A new Ace Hybrid board combines carbon, Paulownia and foam in a new, unique construction. Years ago, foam boards had this amazing response and feel to them, but they’d constantly break. We’ve tried to bring back some of that feeling in a board from the foam but combined it with some new materials and construction methods to make it incredibly lightweight and strong. It’s an exciting construction that shows some interesting innovation in the board design world. ◼

LEFT Team-photo time....

Cabrinha

And in terms of the 2020 line up, what can we expect here and can you give us any teasers?!

Tell Me About It

And you can make the modular changes without a tool?

Tell Me About It

F-ONE BANDIT-S

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Not just a wave kite â&#x20AC;&#x201C; here's Camille Delannoy testing out the airborne credentials of the BANDIT-S. Photos: Ydwer van der Heide

TELL ME ABOUT IT

F- O N E BA N D IT- S

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Exciting developments from the south of France with F-ONE (who spend significant parts of their lives chasing waves in the Indian Ocean) switching things up and adding a new surf focused kite to their line up: The BANDIT-S. So, what’s the deal?

For years you have been refining the BANDIT to be a great surf kite and it has always been well- respected as a surf kite, why did you feel the time was right to move in this direction?

In previous years the smaller sizes of the BANDIT were always more surf oriented kites. From the 7m down, the design brief was to make them incredible in the waves, but also great for jumping and strapless. Sizes 8-9m were more freeride and jumping focused and less aimed at the wave rider. Sizes 11, 12, 14, and 17m were more light wind oriented. Essentially, there have always been three kite programs in the BANDIT line, just under one name. By splitting the design, we can now offer kites with even more focused goals. I guess you had a tough time testing the BANDIT-S?! Where did you head and what kind of conditions did you test prototypes in?

It added a lot of work to our usual testing process. In the past we always had to push away the wave oriented prototypes as we were following our regular BANDIT testing brief. This year, when we decided to have a dedicated surf kite, we had two separate testing briefs with different objectives to achieve for

So it is an all-round ‘surfboard’ kite?

Yes, our goal with the BANDIT-S was to create a kite that allowed the rider to focus on riding the wave and not worry about the kite. On the other hand, the new BANDIT-S can jump really high, the loop it delivers won’t pull too much horizontally thanks to its small radius turn, so you can stay in control of your board. The instant depower also allows you to stay connected at all times. Can you give us three main design differences between this kite and the ‘regular’ BANDIT?

About 95% of the two new BANDIT designs are different… the only features that they share is the C shape arc of the kites. Outline, tips, profile, aspect ratio, diameter of the leading edge, bridle system, cloth distribution are all different. So all the ways they fly and react are different. So what does this mean for the BANDIT 2020, what have you been able to do here that you previously could not?

We have definitely spent more time on the 7 and 10m and we focused on kiteloops and Big Air. It can boost huge, is incredibly stable and comfortable when overpowered and throws powerful loops. We also worked on the wide wind range, reduced the lateral pull, as well as the overall comfortable riding experience. ◼

F-ONE BANDIT-S

After twelve years of development Raphaël, Robert and Micka felt the need to expand the BANDIT line. The all new BANDIT-S line is available in all sizes from 4m to 9m, where S stands for surf and strapless. With a new design brief, the BANDIT-S is the ultimate wave kite on the market that can also boost jumps and is great for strapless freestyle.

each kite. We tested it as we usually do, with the same level of requirements, with all the different conditions that the Mediterranean Sea offers, then in Cabo Verde. We also spent some time in Cape Town.

Tell Me About It

So, an all ‘new’ kite but with a familiar name. The BANDIT ‘S’. Can you tell us what the S stands for and then why you decided to introduce it to the line up?

ABOVE The boss giving the new kit a thorough final test. LEFT The new foils. Looking pimp.

TELL ME ABOUT IT

RRD Y2 5

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It’s a big birthday year for RRD, with Roberto Ricci celebrating 25 years at the core of the watersports industry. There is plenty of fresh kit to get excited over, but we asked the man himself to pick the releases that have got him most fired up…

Tell Me About It

Yes the time has come! 25 years in the water and still thrilled about what is yet to come. Y25 marks a big change in our production process, from this collection onwards we will entirely refresh our complete line every year. It is a big change, but it’s something we are really excited about as it means we will have more toys to play with every 12 months! This collection is a statement of what we really believe in. A very defined twintip and kitesurf board collection, and a super complete kite line. You name it, we’ve got it…

And we hear that the Poison has had a serious rework?

Oh yes, the Poison LTD this year is absolutely one of my favorite boards! We know that the Juice is covering well enough all the shades of the freestyle/wakestyle disciplines, that’s why we thought there was more need for the Poison to get back to its roots and be our weapon for Big Air. So here we are… This year we offer it in our LTD technology version, which consists of a full carbon lamination, with a 3D-shaped Paulownia wood core. Deep, mid outline channels on the bottom, and rigid enough to give that extra boost to your jumps, but still flexy below the straps to ride in choppy or stormy conditions. ▶

What can you tell us about the new Global Bar?

The first thing that comes to my mind is that we still totally and strongly believe in the approach that took us to where we are today: simplicity… ‘You can’t break what isn’t there’. It sounds simple but is more complicated in reality! It took a lot of effort from our designer to create a clean yet absolutely phenomenal product that is functional for different riding styles and needs. Technically, we have some new and retuned parts like the stainless steel custom cleat, our quick release system and our floaters. Now we have a lighter, easy to use and super safe bar that comes in two different sizes, 48 and 52cm, and we are super stoked about the outcome!

We have a very defined twintip and kitesurf board collection, and a super complete kite line. You name it, we’ve got it…

RRD Y25

Hey Roberto, so an exciting milestone and I guess you‘ve made sure that there are some exciting products to go along with it – what are the headlines?

Tell Me About It

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You guys were pretty quick out the blocks with the Dolphin Foil – now you have some more options, what can you tell us here?

Definitely, the Dolphin1, it’s been a great board so far, and this year we focused on rethinking about it as a multifunctional board, perfect for kite foil and surf foil. We think that whatever you do, any time spent in the water is much better than any time spent out of the water. That’s why more and more of our products are born with the waterman concept in mind, and the Dolphin is one of these. This year we offer it in two sizes: 160cm to start or for heavier riders, and 140cm for smaller or more experienced riders. Whether it’s used with the Universal KSH ALU foil, for pure surf and the easiest kitesurf progression, or with the KH ALU, a faster and more versatile option, the new Dolphin is really on the spot! And both the foils can be used with the same Universal ALU Mast 75 Then, moving onto kites, what are the main developments across the kite range?

Last year, For the Y24 collection, we reintroduced one legend of the RRD range, the Addiction, and we came out with a newer version of the Vision, the MK6. The first as a Big Air kite, the second as an all-terrain platform. These two bad boys, together with the rest of the collection, assured a well assorted line up of ready to rock’n’roll machines. When we started to work on Y25, we already had a complete and well-defined collection, a perfect year to find out where we could work on each existing kite and refine the crucial details. I’d say the biggest overall retune has been on the Addiction, which now has a five strut structure and is completely lift and hangtime oriented. The new Poison LTD needed a good friend to fly with, so this is it! ◼

ABOVE The all new Passion and Addiction. RIGHT Shawn Richman showing his appreciation.

TELL ME ABOUT IT

RRD Y2 5

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Tell Me About It RRD Y25

Tell Me About It

CrazyFly Raptor Extreme

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ABOVE Pushing the extremeties on the Raptor Extreme.

TELL ME ABOUT IT

C R A Z Y FLY R A P TO R E X T RE M E

Choosing the right kind of riders for your team can be a difficult business, but if you choose the right rider they are worth their weight in gold (or maybe in carbon). CrazyFly signed Posito Martinez a couple of years ago and he has been a great ambassador for the brand as well as getting those all-important results. So definitely worth rewarding with a new board to meet his more ‘extreme’ needs… CrazyFly’s Juraj Bukovcak takes us through it.

So 2020 sees a new addition to the line-up. Why did you think the time was right for a new board?

There have been a few different indicators that, in the end, convinced us to add the Raptor Extreme to our board range. First of all, we have experienced an increased demand for Big Air products in the last few years. Even on the competition level, Big Air is getting more attention and for sure it is getting more popular among regular kiters too. The second big pointer was the great success of our Hyper kite that we released one year ago. It is designed for Big Air, hangtime and lift, and we couldn’t be happier with the results. And last but not least, Posito Martinez is hooked on the Big Air discipline, so we put our heads together and came up with the Raptor Extreme as his perfect board. What are the main design characteristics of the Raptor Extreme?

The design goal was to create a board with maximum pop and strength, to handle harsh landings with wake bindings from Big Air jumps. To achieve this, we selected a brand new high modulus Quadraxial carbon fiber which is used exclusively on the Raptor Extreme, and we played with different thicknesses of the 3D wood core. This full carbon fiber layup gives the Raptor Extreme superior strength and ultimate pop at a very reasonable weight of 2.8kgs in the biggest 142cm size. The shape features a moderate rocker to generate speed for higher boosts, and V tips for ultimate pop. On the bottom, we added the edge control track for more grip, and a subtle center vee for more speed under control. What has Posito’s involvement been in developing the board?

Posito was involved from the start by giving us the first ideas of what this board should be. He specified various aspects of the design, including the rocker, flex, outline and what he would like the board to do for him. Then we created some prototypes and Posito was the main test rider to give us feedback for further tuning. His feedback was crucial to narrowing it down to the final version. While the prototyp-

ing, testing and feedback may seem simple, it took us almost two years to get the final version of the Raptor Extreme. But we are very stoked with the outcome. Can we expect to see him on the top of the podium on the Extreme?!

We certainly hope so! Posito is a humble guy, but has the mind-set of a champion. He gives it his all and from what we have seen, it looks like Big Air is his strongest discipline. Posito is working hard to qualify for the 2020 Red Bull King of the Air in Cape Town. We have high hopes and it would be great to see him on the podiums of Big Air events. Where does the Extreme fit into the 2020 line up, and also amongst the other Raptor boards?

As the name suggests, this is a pretty serious board for intermediate to advanced riders. The design goal was to create a board with maximum pop and strength to handle harsh landings with wake bindings from Big Air jumps. Twenty five, thirty meters, ▶

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Tell Me About It

CrazyFly Raptor Extreme

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TELL ME ABOUT IT

C R A Z Y FLY R A P TO R E X T RE M E

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The board has brand new high modulus Quadraxial carbon fiber which is used exclusively on the Raptor Extreme.

For 2020, all CrazyFly boards got brand new Fusion sidewalls. They are the result of our developments on the Raptor Extreme and on the new CrazyFly wakeboards. The Fusion sidewalls are a special mix of the latest high end polymers, creating unbelievable strength and bonding. Another unique feature is a bottom sheet grind base from CrazyFly wakeboards, which are coming out in September 2019. These are extremely tough and durable, a perfect match for the Raptor Extreme. Then the grind base still features the Nano Glide Skin micro channels that can be found on the rest of the Raptor boards. The Nano Glide Skin is a CrazyFly exclusive feature that helps the board track and go upwind better thanks to its micro channels. All CrazyFly boards have a 3D shaped wood core, which enables us to give the board pretty much any shape, and to influence flex patterns in different areas of the board. Then there are some new fins as well for 2020, what can you tell us about these?

ABOVE Posito just loves to boost...

We call them Carbon Fins. These are the strongest fins ever made. Stronger than G10 fins, and even stronger than steel. The Carbon Fins are injection molded, extremely durable and very light. They are designed with a very thin profile to cut easily through water, prevent drag and make the boards faster. ◼

CrazyFly Raptor Extreme

What features can we see on the Raptor Extreme that we can find across the rest of the 2020 line up?

Tell Me About It

you name it: the Extreme will handle it. But, even if your jump records are in the lower numbers, the Extreme can help increase your personal best with the best pop we have ever made. To compare it with the other Raptor boards, the regular Raptor sits between freeride and freestyle. It doesn’t have as much pop as the Extreme, and is tuned for unhooked tricks. So, if you are a rider mixing freeriding and some unhooked tricks in wake bindings, go for the regular Raptor. The Raptor LTD is a high end freeride board. It is super light and we don’t suggest riding it with wake bindings. So, if you like to ride in straps, the Raptor LTD is the board to go for. It is super smooth, ultra-light and very comfortable. Nice for hooked-in and unhooked tricks in straps.

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Gustavo gettting his shred on with the new Slash...

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As 2020 lineups start to hit the stores and then the shores around you, it’s time to dive in and check out what’s new. First up this issue and Naish have had a busy few months, with some standout kite and board developments and with some eye-catching evolutions in their foil line up as well… PHOTOS frankiebees

THE

BIG

PICTURE N A I S H

The Big Picture

Naish

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Hey guys, so 2020 time with Naish. We understand you have some exciting news in pretty much all departments! Let’s begin in the world of foils… You have an all-new foil and some other news here right?

There’s a lot new with our foils, from wings and other components to new production processes, to having our foils tuned straight from the factory. The Freemove is a new option built from our medium surf foil (now the Jet 1050) and a 75cm mast. We were spending a lot of time on the medium surf foil, kiting in light winds and found it to be a really easy to use foil but also a lot of fun. The 75cm mast makes it really easy to learn on but still has enough height that more advanced riders can still use it. The other benefit is we’re still using a modular platform. So if you wanted to get a taller mast or larger wing for foil surfing like the Jet 1250 or 1650 you can easily just swap wings and go foil surfing. All of our foils come standard with a carry case and wing covers which makes it easy and safe to store multiple wing sets in an organized fashion. Our Kite Performance Freeride is for guys who want more top end speed. The front wing is similar to our 2018 but is now in lighter construction and has a better finish. The fuselage is new with a new stabilizer in the back too. It now comes complete with a 95cm mast and all the hardware is now Torx head and a tool comes with all complete foils. The Abracadabra system is still the fastest on/off connection system and has received some upgrades this year, reengineered to be more robust and we’ve added a tool-less tightening screw that you can hand tighten, although for kiting we do recommend just giving a quick torque with the provided driver to ensure a secure connection. And taking a look at boards and you have a new twintip, the Switch, what can you tell us about this, and what other news is there in the twintip department?

The Switch is definitely a head turner. Essentially it’s two boards in one with a 138 length on one edge

The Switch is a head turner – it is basically two boards in one with a 138 length on one edge and a 142 on the other.

and 142 on the other. It’s a great board for people who might share a board and need two different sizes or ride in a variety of conditions, so the 138 might be the size they use for when the wind is strong and use the 142 edge for lightwinds. It has our medium rocker and flex which is perfect for a dynamic all around ride. To celebrate Kevin Langeree’s unprecedented third King of the Air title, we teamed up to create the ultimate Big Air board with the KL Pro Model. We started with the Monarch, which is a boosting machine to begin with, and then refined the sizes and paired it with a 5cm fin for greater grip. No matter how powered up you are, this board still holds an edge and goes fast which is key when boosting. We added V-Flex Tip cut outs in the Motion and Stomp to give them a smoother ride overall and they look pretty amazing backlit against the sun. Also all of our boards now have centered inserts, which allow riders to set up their board for goofy or regular stance and this helps extend your board’s life if one of your heelside edges wears out from sliders or hitting rocks, tree branches or other obstacles. Finally, we are excited to introduce the Apex binding in a new XL size for 9-15 footsizes. It still has all the adjustment that has made the Apex so popular ▶

LEFT The Switch. MIDDLE The KL Pro Model. RIGHT The Skater.

ABOVE The Torch and Stomp combo getting a serious workout. RIGHT Naish's ever-more-refined foil line up...

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PIVOT

SLASH

to begin with. So if you have big feet or wear booties and can’t find a binding big enough, check out the new larger Apex binding.

In terms of the kites, the Pivot has been given a workover by Damien, can you take us through this and the other main headlines in the 2020 line up?

Every year we go back to the drawing board to see how we can improve our kites without taking away from the performance characteristics that people love. The Pivot is one of those kites that we are very careful to make sure we don’t change for the sake of changing. Not only has Kevin won King of the Air twice with it but it also has a very loyal following

Any other news from Naish HQ in terms of team riders, or general brand news?

It’s been a big year of changes for us and we’re excited at the opportunity to focus on the next generation of kiteboarders. We have some really cool projects coming up with our Naish team Europe and some additional exciting announcements coming up in the near future so be sure to follow us on Facebook and Instagram to have all the latest news from Naish. ◼

Naish

With the growing GKA strapless tour we wanted to put together a top end strapless freestyle board. We really worked with our team rider Gustavo Arrojo on this one and took a lot of input on what he is looking for. We also wanted to make sure that it could still perform in the waves and thoroughly tested it this winter in Maui. The final result is a board that is just as fun in flat water as it is in the waves. It is really easy to control and progress through strapless tricks on, but can still rip in the waves. The Global has also been given a bit of a wider outline with the volume shifted around to perform in less than ideal surf, but we had a lot of fun testing this one throughout the swells this past fall in anything from 2 to 12 feet. Our Go-To continues to be a staple in the line. It’s really designed to be your everyday directional in a more traditional surfboard shape. It has a slightly wider outline than the Global and a bit of a flatter rocker too, which makes it a bit better for flat or choppy water and in mushy, less than ideal surf. Because it has a flatter rocker it’s also really good in onshore waves.

and we want to make sure that any changes on it are ones in the right direction. The new Pivot, Slash and Torch all feature a new canopy seam that spreads the back line tension further towards the center of the kite for an even more powerful and balanced kite. The inflation system has been updated as well with the SureLock Inflation Valve and One Point inflation system. With the new valve, each kite will come with an extra nozzle attachment in the bag too. We’ve improved the turning speed and relaunch on the Slash and it still drifts incredibly well. For kiters who want a little less bar pressure than the Pivot, the Slash is a great option and for guys who want a kite that they can get pure surf performance with, there is no better kite. We can also dispel any rumors that the Torch is not returning for 2020. It remains as one of the best kites out there for freestyle kiters. Without altering its performance characteristics that people love we continued to improve the construction with the new developments seen on all our kites for this year. It’s a great time to be a kiteboarder with a lot of good kites out there but what really separates a good kite from a great one is the construction. Since introducing Quad-Tex in collaboration with Teijin to our kites a couple years ago, we’ve steadily been stripping away at heavy panels to make our kites lighter and lighter. HT Plus allows us to have a higher recommended inflation PSI, which gives our kites a more rigid frame and really equates to better flying performance.

The Big Picture

The Skater has had a complete redesign, what’s the thinking behind this and what else is going on with the 2020 surfb oards?

TORCH

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Slingshot Raptor The out and out boosting model seems to be an essential addition to most major brands this season and we could certainly be seeing a King of the Air and WOO effect strongly influencing design from established brands. Slingshot join the party with the all new Raptor, an Open C fi ve strut platform with a very swept and open canopy design, meaning nearly all of it is ‘projected’ in the wind. A pulley-less bridle keeps the feedback fairly sharp on the bar and mean that the Raptor is relatively calm to turn and certainly does not fall in to the ‘twitchy’ category. Slingshot have incorporated some new four core (4x4) ripstop from Teijin to stiffen up the canopy with a diamond layout in the leech. This should increase the kite’s lifespan as will the usual generous amount of Kevlar bump stops you expect from a Slingshot product. There are plenty of trim settings available to customize the kite to your riding style. On the water and the low end is solid as a freeride kite, maybe lagging a little with the extra weight of the two struts. Where the genius kicks in, and where the intended design focus clearly lies, is when you go out maxed and really put the pedal down and send it. It is here that the gradual turning speed lends itself really well to hucking some huge airs with bundles of glide and hang time – where oversteering can be extremely hazardous. It’s genuinely difficult to over send the Raptor, which leads to some pleasant consistency and predictability to your hangtime.

Naish Pivot The Pivot has been around for a few seasons now and, as with many designs, its most notable moment occurred as a happy accident. Naish’s lead kite designer Damien Girardin originally sculpted the Pivot as a pure wave kite to help him improve his strapless surfb oard riding on Maui, aiming for a fast turning light kite with enormous angle of attack change and power dump ability, whilst maintaining stability and handling. What he unintentionally created was also a formidable boosting machine with reliability in its top end, which has now taken Kevin Langeree to two Red Bull King of the Air wins. The main changes this year from an aerodynamic perspective are a slightly fuller wingtip which helps the kite feel a little more balanced, and its drift ability has also improved considerably. Then some new canopy seaming has been added to even up the line tension towards the center of the kite. Bar feedback on the 2020 edition has been increased but is still fairly light and extremely sprightly with two slider pulleys helping it whip left and right with extreme ease. The turning speed is still as rapid as ever, and extremely rewarding to fl y once you tune in. Pivot by name, Pivot by nature. Build wise, the long-standing internal Octopus inflation system has finally departed and been replaced with a more simple to maintain high fl ow external system with 9mm pipes. The leading edge valve has also been swapped out to the inflatable SUP style, which allows for super easy inflation to achieve the 11.5 PSI requirement, which is still unique in the industry and makes for a rock solid airframe with a relatively small leading edge diameter. The use of Teijin Quadtex ripstop has allowed the Pivot to be refined in its build,

We were clocking a consistent 12m+ on the WOO without reaching anywhere near the top end of the 10m, and those fi ve struts equate to some reassuring stability in punchy, gusty conditions as we rode out a couple of summer thunderstorms in the UK. Looping the kite was quite interesting; the initial lift is easy to access and smooth, so it’s easy to time your loop just before the peak of the jump, then you can vary the amount of forward pull quite accurately, making it easy to gauge the kite’s response. You can choose how deep the loop is which is great at that critical moment. Crossing over to surfb oard use, there’s all that easy lift on sheeting accessible for strapless freestyle with a surfb oard as it lets you down so gently. It’s got that magic ability to let you control your descent really accurately simply using the bar sheet. On a hydrofoil it was easy to tack and do your foot swaps with the lift on sheeting making you nice and weightless when you need to be. The Raptor is the most accessible ‘lift on demand’ kite in the Slingshot range, ideal for busting out some old school foot outs, nicely controlled loops and clocking up some heft y (and from our testing, very consistent) WOO scores. It’s all about being hooked in, the massive top end and boosting ability, but there’s a casual consistency about the kite which helps you trust it and progress your air skills.

IN A SENTENCE: The new Raptor takes the old-school boosting fun side of kiting and injects some 2020 innovation and tech for a high performing but accessible ride.

ALL-ROUNDER TEST Boosting Range Turning speed Accessibility Freestyle Wave

shedding those all-important grams using less Dacron whilst maintaining stiffness in the airframe. Considering the kite is on a three strut platform, and many of its equivalent models from other brands are on fi ve struts, the top end stability of the kite is extremely impressive, which is in no small part down to the high inflation pressures achieved with the new valve and high tensile leading edge thread. Riding the Pivot is as fun and engaging as ever. That enormous amount of power you can develop with the bar sheet hasn’t changed, and neither has the infamous top end. It’s ridiculously easy to access very big air, and the silken handling has been tuned to give you a little more feedback than before and helicopter loop your way down to a precise landing. As ever, looping the Pivot is very progressive and easy to control and it climbs exceptionally reliably. Another party trick of the Pivot is the wave crossover ability, providing constant drive in the turns when you want it and an impressive power dump on the bar. Being such a fast turning lightweight kite, it’s no slouch with a hydrofoil either. The Pivot is a rare and highly versatile beast and, with a kite that works so well in so many disciplines, it almost makes you question why you would need any other kite. There’s a definite increase in the Pivot’s usability this year, letting a less skilled rider find it more accessible and stable but there’s no discernible compromise in the out and out performance as a booster.

IN A SENTENCE: The Pivot is a work of pure design genius packed with some tangible innovations and is a beautifully refined example of a performance crossover kite.

ALL-ROUNDER TEST Boosting Range Turning speed Accessibility Freestyle Wave

Oliver Meer

Bishoy Bushra (Bibo)

Kitehouse 7Bft Somabay

The anti-chop technology makes the SNAKE a particularly comfort-oriented kiteboard. The wavy sidecut easily cuts through troubled water, making it noticeably gentle on the knee and the joints. This unusual shape extends the effective edge, the smoothness is increased, while the SNAKE turns easier and generates less water. With the highest quality materials and a sophisticated construction, all kiteboards from our collection are very durable and powerful. Less stress on the knee load Longer kite sessions Easier turning and upwind Less splashing water Lightweight 137 cm 2,5 kg, 141 cm 2,6 kg Unique look 699 â&#x201A;Ź

SNAKE freeride 137/41.4 cm 141/42.6 cm

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CORE XR6 The CORE XR series now reaches its 6th iteration, with the XR5 breaking various jump height records over the last couple of years. It’s on the same fusion of a delta and bow platform with fi ve struts and a pronounced concave in the trailing edge. So how does the XR6 differ from the XR5? In our opinion mainly in the kite’s handling and overall bar feel. The XR6 is still unashamedly genre specific so you really know where you stand with it which is a good thing. The first thing we noticed when we got the XR6 in the air is that the turning speed is swifter. The XR5 was a big rigid fi ve strut aff air and required a little persuasion to initiate the turns. Some revised bridle positioning and a more rigid strut design seem to have made that initial crank on the bar give a much more noticeable reaction without being over twitchy. The bridling has definitely been made shorter, and it runs the same double pulley system as previously. Bar pressure also seems marginally higher than before, giving a less remote bar response. The XR6 is smoother throughout the entire depower range and seems to retain decent rear line tension, even when fully cranked in on the sheeting system. When you power up the kite with vigour, you immediately notice it actively spanning out, presenting more kite to the wind and increasing power. This is quite a design feat and clearly helps it achieve the trademark loft y performance. From a materials perspective, a lot of the XR5s well tested elements carry over. The Exotech Dacron is noticeably stiff and rigid, the CoreTex three core ripstop has a heavy, silky coating and is built to last with no scrimping in

UV protection. CIT modes on the leading edge allow you to tune to different riding scenarios and various rear attachments are present to adjust the bar pressure and turning speed. For hooked-in freeriding – which let’s face it is the vast majority of riders out there – the XR6 is right up there with the best in the marketplace, but it quietly has the potential to unleash some serious boosting power. Think of it like the ‘Ludicrous’ mode on a Tesla, it’s there to unleash hell if you want it to. You can potter around as gently as you like with no surprises, or get high enough to give yourself a nose bleed. With a hydrofoil, we were pleasantly surprised. CORE have definitely been on board with the light kite revolution and the XR6 flies early and predictably considering it has fi ve struts. All that sheeting ability and the more rapid turning speed make for some great freeride foiling, with a preposterously amplified upwind performance. Overpowered boosting is where it’s at with the XR6 and compared to the previous incarnation there seems to be more vertical boost and less downwind travel. Looping is more refined on CORE’s GTS series, but the XR6 does a pretty good job and is very precise and smooth in the air. The catch ability is also predictable and reassuring. The XR6 continues to be a precision tool for straight vertical boosting and definitely fi ts the performance freeride brief with Superman flight ability and precise power control. It’s a testament to how far the delta concept can be pushed and refined.

IN A SENTENCE: The XR6 is unashamedly geared for straight vertical boosting and hooked in freestyle, and in this it excels, feeling smoother and friendlier than ever before.

ALL-ROUNDER TEST Boosting Range Turning speed Accessibility Freestyle Wave

little effort. Get your timing and speed dialed and you’re in for an absolute treat. That turning circle aids a loft y and predictable aerial experience with little chance of overcorrection, adding to the creamy smoothness. Unhooked, those fi ve struts hold things together very well when you load up the canopy, and the steering can be toned down further on the hang points to provide a solid, cable like feel with no surprises, and a minimum of back stalling when trimmed a touch. Over the entire 2020 range, Cabrinha have used a brand new material they have coined Nano Ripstop. This has a considerably smaller cell size than their previous cloth, doubling the number of ripstop cells, increasing strength and rigidity. A new UV coating has been implemented along with a new bonding process to give the material a longer lifespan. The canopy has plenty of segmentation running from the leading edge to the leech, and the kite appears well-tailored and crinkle free. A modular chicken loop design caters for a really nice sliding set as well as a standard chicken loop which clicks on and off with extreme simplicity and is very well engineered. It’s a refined product, with a long heritage, and they’ve not messed with the established formula too much for 2020. The new canopy material seems to have sharpened up the whole experience and should increase its long term performance and lifespan.

Cabrinha Switchblade The Switchblade has always been a performance benchmark for freeride with big boosting potential, incorporating smoothness and predictability over its decade plus lifespan. As with most heavier fi ve strut kites which exist in the modern marketplace, the Switchblade has a definite leaning towards high wind range performance, with those extra struts keeping the air frame rock solid when things get loaded up and bouncy. It has an exceptionally large wind range, and we were able to comfortably hold on to the 9m where other 9 meters would have had you limping in to the beach. Uniform across the Cabrinha range is the hyper-smooth power delivery feeling through the bar, physically aided by a large frictionless bar aperture and PU coating, which gives the user a reassuring predictability to the handling with nothing snagging. From a handling perspective, the Switchblade still has a purposefully wider steering arc and less pivoty turn than its counterparts and wants to be fl own fairly assertively through the bar to get the most out of it. That legendary easy access boost potential is still there, and it gets you high with very

IN A SENTENCE: The Switchblade continues to be a classic, and for 2020 it seems genuinely more reactive, silky smooth and comfortable to ride than ever.

ALL-ROUNDER TEST Boosting Range Turning speed Accessibility Freestyle Wave

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‘entry level’ or school kite in the line-up, the likelihood is that this would also be the kite of choice in this department. In terms of build, there are no big surprises but some nice touches – the pulleyless bridles are thinner to reduce drag, and an extra panel (the profile transition panel) connects the leading edge to the canopy and smooths out the connection between the stiff and the more fluid elements of the kite to improve airfl ow over this critical segment. For testing we had a couple of sessions on the 7m which fully pushed the top-end of the kite: the kind of sessions where you stand on the beach and wish you had a 5. The remarkable thing was that the Carve took this in its stride – there was no flapping or overfl ying and the Carve continued to sit relatively deeply in the window and to suck up the 40+ knot gusts. The depower is very impressive and, although this isn’t its preferred range, the fact it handled these conditions really was remarkable. In conditions better suited to its design, the Carve continued to handle very well. It sits deep and provides immediate power through its relatively short bar stroke. Turning is pivotal and controlled and you can really whip the Carve around for onshore riding without it overfl ying. For drifting, the Carve’s lightweight construction and well-balanced tuning result in a kite that will lead the way down the line with minimal bar input to keep it where you need it. Upwind performance is good – with a kite that sits deep it’s never going to be mind-blowing – and plenty enough to efficiently get you back to the line up to hook in to your next wave.

North Carve It is fair to say that there has been a little bit of intrigue and excitement over the last few months to see exactly what North’s new kite line up would look like. With only a few months to build the range from the ground up there was no doubt that it had been a pretty tough challenge, but North were quick to get an experienced team on board, and with Pat Goodman as chief kite designer it was a fair bet that it would be a kite line up that was wise beyond its years (or its ‘year’). The philosophy behind the brand has been a focus on simplicity and stripping out anything unnecessary. Getting our hands on things and picking up the Navigator Control System and this simplicity is immediately evident – the QR can be loaded and unloaded with one hand. It really is like clicking in a seatbelt and is for sure the easiest to use QR system we have come across. There is also a tool-less loop change system which works satisfyingly well. So before you get to the water the signs are promising and everything feels and looks very well thought out. The Carve is the wave option of the relatively small three kite line up that North have for 2020. It pitches itself as a wave kite with accessible characteristics – and with no obvious

IN A SENTENCE: Busy times for North, but they have managed to both create an impressive wave kite in the Carve, and also to squeeze in the kind of innovative features that will have you nodding approvingly on the beach.

WAVE KITE Depower Low End Drift Turning speed Accessibility Relaunch

and few people would argue that where the Rebel went, much of the rest of the market followed. Nowadays the kite landscape is pretty well populated with kites which have elements of the Rebel’s DNA so it has to work harder to stand out. In the air and you can see that the Rebel continues to set the bar for pure silky handling. The relatively short bar stroke takes you from zero to full power without ever missing a beat and the canopy refinements have delivered improvements here. Paired with the Click Bar and the clean bar-end experience this provides and there are few other kites that provide such a reassuringly responsive ride. For cruising (on a twintip, surfb oard or foil) the Rebel drives you around without excessive lateral pull and provides a light and efficient connection between kite, rider and board. Upwind performance – particularly on a foil – is excellent, and certainly solid enough for a credible performance around the racecourse. Overall in the smaller sizes the Rebel is a great kite for foiling in moderate wind with the immediate power on/off making the take off easy to manage and the lift you get when you sheet helping to manage foiling transitions. For boosting the Rebel is reassuring and provides a smooth and stable take off followed by some fl oaty airtime – this is where the Rebel has always excelled and it continues to do so.

Duotone Rebel The Rebel saw a big change a couple of years back when it made the transition to a 4-line kite (with the option to run on fi ve lines with the upgrade kit if that’s still your preferred safety option, or you haven’t upgraded your bar for a few seasons!), the results were pretty much overwhelmingly positive, with last year’s Rebel providing refinements to give it more of that ‘Rebel’ vibe. So it seems that the naysayers have been silenced and the Rebel has kept its core audience happy. For 2020 there are some changes with construction, most noticeably with the new trailing edge which you can find across the Duotone line up with the ‘up and down’ reinforcements replaced with a narrow ‘wave’ shaving a vital few ounces of weight from the rear of the canopy. The implementation of this also enabled Ken Winner and Sky Solbach to improve the leech tension and thus the overall torsion of the kite and its overall stability and responsiveness. We fl ew the Rebel in a range of sizes from 8 through to 12m. The first thing to say about the Rebel is that when it first arrived on the scene it was nothing short of revolutionary in terms of its design and performance,

IN A SENTENCE: The Rebel has found its spot in the marketplace and continues to perform here: if you want one of the smoothest kite fl ying experiences on the market coupled with the ability to sheet in and head for the stars, then look no further.

ALL-ROUNDER TEST Boosting Range Turning speed Accessibility Freestyle Wave

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note is that – even in relatively generously sized stuff-bags – both kites pack down very, very small. You could get four or fi ve 9m Marabou’s into a standard 9m bag. The second thing is how stable the Marabou is in the air. The 4m in particular will fl y in very little wind (sub 10 knots) and will then sit at the zenith rocking slightly forward and backward as the wind fluctuates. For an 8-year-old getting used to fl ying a bigger kite it’s perfect. On the water, and with the 9m, the Marabou offers a completely different experience if you are used to tube kites – the power delivery is immediate, but without feeling like you have to ‘commit’, if you ease the bar out then the power stops immediately – it is a uniquely connected experience. Turning is also quicker and more pivotal then you can expect from a double skinned foil kite so you do get the best of both worlds. We rode both kites at the upper end of the wind range and the trailing edge does begin to flutter when you reach the top end, but the performance is still there and you can continue to fl y the kite. We mainly rode the Marabou for foiling where it was exceptionally fun, but we can definitely see that it would be an enjoyable kite for freeriding on a twintip or potentially in the surf. So, the million dollar question: did it end up in the water and did it relaunch? The answer, yes, and yes.

GIN Marabou

IN A SENTENCE: It’s great to see such an innovative product on the market and hard to begin to understand the amount of R&D that must go into it, and it’s even better to report that it really does work very well!

FOIL KITE Depower Range Relaunch Turning speed Upwind ability Stability

Tested

It’s been an exciting few weeks here for our test team with various entirely new kites coming our way, however it has been some time since we have tested a kite that is conceptually completely new. Enter the GIN Marabou. One thing is for sure – this is not a tube kite. But nor is it a foil kite or a single skin kite, it is very much a hybrid, it is a “single-surface kite with a closed-cell leading edge construction”. Why you may ask? Well the merits of single skin kites are obvious, they are very light, very efficient and they pack down pretty much into your pocket. The disadvantage for kitesurfing? They sink… Which is problematic. So GIN’s solution is to have a double skinned ‘leading edge’. It is an ambitious concept but the benefi ts are clear. Without going in to too much detail about the engineering, the Marabou has chambers on the front of the kite and a water release system on the wingtips. We tested the 4m and the 9m Marabou and used the 4m to help to teach some of the much younger (8-year-old) members of TheKiteMag team, so we had the opportunity to test it across a range of conditions and abilities. The first thing to

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UNDER THE HOOD

Lieuwe are celebrating their tenth anniversary – their ‘customizable’ philosophy has earned them a dedicated following and the fact is: their boards are really very good (as we found in The Ultimate Test). We caught up with Director of Lieuwe, Roel de Weers, to find out some more about the Dutch custom board specialists…

What can you tell us about Lieuwe – where are you based, who are the key players behind the brand and how did it all begin?

ABOVE Roderick Pijls unleashing his Lieuwe in Cape Town.

Lieuwe is the first name of the founder, Lieuwe Florian van Rije, but he was called Florian since he was six-years-old and told his parents that he liked the name Florian more than the name Lieuwe, so he has been called Florian ever since then! Florian always had a great passion for two things in his life: building machines and kitesurfing. When he couldn’t find the right board he decided to start building his own. In 2009 he started to make his first board in a small shed in his mother’s garden. One year later he built his first CNC machine which gave him the opportunity to make more complex 3D shaped channels and contours. After that, the developments rapidly grew, people started to hear about this brand building custom kiteboards in a little shed and the first orders were made. By that time Florian did not have a name for his brand and had to come up with something. It didn’t take him long to decide to use

the name he never liked before, and so Lieuwe was officially born! In 2013 the company was officially established and the first big steps were made, I joined the company and together we set new goals. In the beginning we still had side jobs, Florian as a sound engineer and I was working in a bar in Amsterdam. In 2016 we decided that we had to give it our all and quit our jobs. And so we did! Which sector of the market were you aiming for with the brand and why did you see an opening here?

When Lieuwe started building his own boards he was already a different player in the market, building all the boards himself with the help of machines that were built by the same hands. The boards had a distinctive basic wooden Lieuwe look, and were fully customizable. They were something different, with an obsessive attention to detail. Over the years we have listened to our riders, we tried everything and improved the boards where needed. After five years the market asked us not to change anything in

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“Lieuwe is a brand for people who want something different, to do things their own way.”

Under The Hood Lieuwe

ABOVE The hand-crafted magic in action...

the boards as they liked it the way they were, so we listened and didn’t change anything… why change something which is already good? This, in combination with the customization and the wooden look, has been one of the most important openings for us. Lieuwe is a brand for people who want something different, to do things their own way. Over the years we have learned a lot from the riders who are looking for something different. They might want their own color combination, maybe add their name, a quote, or even tell a story. Lieuwe makes this possible. I can say that almost every board has its own story. I think the story of Mark Rustemeijer is a great example – Mark contacted us with a remarkable story and a great way to tell it. So as you might know we partnered up multiple times with the awesome artist, Willem Cattersel from WAXED Designs. Mark saw what Willem had made for us in the past and wanted him to tell his story through his art. So Willem did what he does best, and made Mark a design worthy of his story which went like this… ▶

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CARBONARA

OCEANA

ROGUE

SHOTGUN

SAY NO MORE

Under The Hood

Lieuwe

AWESOME

THE FLYING DUTCHMAN

JUNIOR

“From when I was only six years old, I was always on the water sailing and windsurfing, alongside all my other sports such as swimming, water-scouting and athletics. When I turned 12 I found a new passion for which my other sports had to make room. Rugby was my new way of life. Crawling through the mud three times a week was not unusual for me.

How easy is it to make your boards customizable and what percentage of the boards you sell are customized with their graphics?

ABOVE Mark Rustemeijer, a very satisfied customer...

Building custom boards starts with giving the right advice to the riders. You would be surprised by the amount of people who would pick the wrong board and size for the conditions they are riding in. So we first listen to their story and give them the right advice. Once we have made the right decision together we will look at their custom preferences, do they want to pick their own color rail or deck, add a name or a company logo, or do we go full custom like we did with Mark? This whole process will take between 1-3 weeks until we have the final design. It’s always a very time-consuming process, as it should be when you make something unique. Currently about 20% of the boards we make are full custom.

What materials and processes do you use that make Lieuwe boards special?

Most brands are using the same materials as snowboards, wakeboards, skis etc. So it is more the attention and dedication we put into our boards. Ours usually isn’t the easiest way, or the fastest way. But it’s always the right way, and that’s what it takes to build products that might be the best products out there. We use only the best materials and the most innovative ways to create and assemble them. And we never cut corners – especially when we can go around them!

You have recently moved into bigger premises, how much bigger is your capacity compared to previously?

At the beginning of the year we expanded our production facility to 700m2, giving us more room ▶

Lieuwe

I thought about getting a tattoo that would tell this story. However I am not a tattoo type of guy. But then I came across Lieuwe. A board brand showing their own passion for building boards and the designs made by Willem Cattersel. I was impressed and I knew this was the right way to tell my story!”

Under The Hood

Years later, now 24 years of age, I was in my best shape ever. Weighing 94kg and had amazing stamina, I’d felt like I really started to make steps as a rugby player. However in that same year I did not land well after a line out, and fractured my ankle. From that day on I could never run again. A few years later I moved to Qatar, working in aviation as an aircraft engineer. In Qatar I had my first kite lesson and the rest is history. As many beginner kiters experience, I got washed by the salt water and managed to get a couple of meters of kiting. And I loved it. From that moment on, I knew I had found my new sport and passion.

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Under The Hood

Lieuwe

“We have had many riders in the GKA, Megaloop Challenge and the KOTA, all of them with their own customized Lieuwe boards.”

to work in making our production more efficient and ready to grow. When it comes to testing do you have some good spots on your doorstep, and where else do you head to test?

All our boards are tested in the North Sea. As many know, we have pretty rough and choppy conditions out here, making it the perfect grounds for testing. For the rest, we have our dealers and shops that provide us with feedback from their customers in what they like or don’t like in the boards, but it does not look like we are going to change a lot soon! What are the advantages and disadvantages to being a ‘specialized’ brand when it comes to competing with the big players in the market?

Competing with the big brands is always difficult, that’s why you should not start a fight you can’t win. We are very proud of the fact that we have had so many talented riders within our company when they were not under contract with some of the big players, they had the time to develop their skills, make adjustments to their boards and improve their riding. Just like we did in the year and a half that we worked together with Ruben Lenten, building his own board, the Oceana. We had them riding in the GKA, WKL,

Megaloop Challenge and the KOTA, all of them with their own customized boards. Once they gain attention from the big players, they go under contract and we lose them as a rider, which is great for them because these steps make it possible for them to grow within the sport. So, will you stick to twintips or any plans to move in to the world of kites or foils?

Focus is the most important thing and we will keep focusing on building boards! Kites will not be something we are going to do, we had some kites made with our logo but that’s about it. Foils on the other hand… Yes, stay tuned!

Can you sum up the Lieuwe philosophy in one sentence?

Everybody deserves a unique kiteboard, and we make that possible.

You mentioned that you have something to celebrate, could you tell us something about that?

To celebrate our 10 years in business, we have designed 10 unique limited edition designs which will be available through our dealers and online. Make sure you get them quickly, because these ones will be true collector’s items! ◼

ABOVE The finishing touches.

RAMSGATE ROCKS August 24/25th 2019 [FREESTYLE BKC FINALS] Including FREE TASTER SESSIONS Taking place on Ramsgate Main Sands www.ramsgatetown.org/activeramsgate www.britishkitesports.org

For more information contact events@britishkitesports.org

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KITE HACKS

RALF GRÖSEL TALKS TETA WORDS Ralf Grösel

One of the biggest challenges about kite design is that you are dealing with a ‘moving structure’. You can spend all day long sat at the computer crunching the numbers and running simulations, but as soon as a kite is actually in the air it will twist and the shape will deform from the ‘ solid structure’ you were looking at on your computer. So, the fact is that designers do actually need to go to the beach (tough one that) to see how their designs perform when they are in the air, and then the feedback is very much related to the conditions and subjective judgments. Until now perhaps… Jan Hummel and Christoph Elfert of the Technical University of Berlin have teamed up with kite designer Ralf Grösel on a project to collate data on a kite, when it is actually flying. Here's part one of two...

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Kites are constantly tested. From us, the designers, team riders, magazines, customers at the beach... And a main factor is always the subjective ‘gut feeling’, but 100% assurance can only be achieved by scientific measurements. This requires extensive work and is very complicated, especially when talking about ‘flexible constructions’ such as kites. Just imagine if testers could compare kite models from several different brands completely analytically, just like they do in the automobile industry for example, where there´s a measuring method for nearly all parameters. We would have access to raw data, which would make a comparison way more objective than the most subjective opinions of actual kiters or magazine tests. In my personal view (as a kite designer for Duotone Kiteboarding), this dream has now come true. In 2013 I received a request from the TETA project managers, Jan Hummel and Sebastian Wedel of the Technical University of Berlin, to see if I wanted to participate in the project. At our first meeting I was quite skeptical, as the level of complexity was immensely high. From the view of a designer, I mentioned my concerns and objec-

tions followed by my assessment of which parameters are most important in my development of kites. Because what is data useful for if the numbers are not transferable to the development of kites? After that first meeting, most of the ideas and approaches didn´t look practical to me, and I thought that we would probably not be meeting up again any time soon. The necessary experimental setup to produce valuable data is so incredibly complex, I didn´t believe it was possible to achieve. But they proved me wrong big time, and two months later I received a phone call from Jan, who assured me that they had thought through all necessary changes and were ready for the second round. The next step in the preparation of relevant parameters for the kite development, as well as the comparison of kite models, followed. Six years, 20,000 labor hours, eight Master and ten Bachelor thesis´, as well as one dissertation by Dr. Jan Hummel later… and we were reaping the first rewards of the project! Jan, meanwhile, had passed the project over to Christoph Elfert, who achieved the next step of development... ▶

Ralf Grösel

Part 1: The basics

Kite Hacks

TETA stands for “Test and Evaluation of Tethered Airfoils”. What sounds a bit cryptic at first, is actually the most complex experiment setup to measure flexible wings correctly. A team of scientists at the Technical University of Berlin are able to measure various kite specific attributes and flying characteristics objectively for the very first time.

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How is the measuring done?

Kite Hacks

Ralf Grösel

For the measurements, a disused airport is used. As the necessary wind is produced by driving the test stand, it’s possible to run the tests in an infinite loop. Measurements are always taken whilst on a straight line in-between the turning points, so a test track of 1.5 kilometers (which is done in approximately 132 seconds) is used. During that period, the kite is kept in the zenith/ at 12 o’clock by the Steer-by-Wire system. To achieve a result as precise as possible, each measurement is done 100 times, and then statistically averaged.

The test set up For the actual measuring, the kite has to be streamed with air of course, so a moving test stand has been developed, which effectively produces its own wind. Wind speed is a primary factor, which is measured above the roof of the car and equals (provided there is no wind) the actual speed of the vehicle. As test drives are always done outside, then the ‘actual’ wind component also has to be taken into consideration, so wind speed and wind direction are recorded separately and added to the data recorded. On a trailer behind the car, the actual test stand follows. Here the key components are placed: the computer, the controller for the servo engines, batteries, the 360° camera to record the positioning, then load cells and sensors for the front and steering line’s angles are located. The setup of the experiment allows us to realize movements of power, as well as depower and steering impulses, identical to movements you get during a kite session. The operator of the test stand initially sits in front of a big screen which broadcasts live pictures of the wide-angle camera on the roof of the vehicle. The steering impulses from inside the car are transmitted from the kite bar to servo engines, and digitized by microprocessors. This digital steering impulse is trans-

mitted to the vehicle. Sounds complicated? It is. Nevertheless, it is necessary, because in the second phase of the test procedure, the data to steer the kite autonomously runs directly through an internal software, so manual steering impulses are not necessary anymore!

What is measured? The following parameters are measured: • A ngle of elevation. This angle shows the positioning in the wind window and can be taken in consideration to evaluate the upwind abilities of a kite. • O verall lift when powered (bar is pulled right in). • O verall lift when depowered (bar sheeted out 50cm). • Forces in front lines. • Forces in steering lines. Already with these measurements, a very interesting sum of data can be used to compare different kite models. ▶

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THE RESULTS IN DETAIL To give an example of the type of data gathered, here is the data for four Duotone kites. Each one of them was a 10m, 2018 kite, and all measurements have been taken at a speed of 22 knots (equaling approx. 40.7 km/h).

FORCES AT THE KITE, IN ADDITION:

LOW-END GRUNT OF THE DEPOWER LINE POWERED:

REDUCTION OF HOLDING FORCES DEPOWERED:

The forces of the depower line are felt directly on the harness hook, which are transmitted through the harness to our body as pull. Another important aspect we should be aware of. This percentage allows us to evaluate the remaining holding forces when the bar is pushed away 50 centimeters. HOLDING LOAD/HOLDING FORCES POWERED:

The holding force, describes the forces we can directly feel in our arms, when we keep the bar pulled down.

Ralf Grösel

The depower ability for a lot of kitesurfers is an important argument for a kite. At a depower stroke of 50 centimeters, the percentage describes the amount of the ability of a kite to reduce the pull by pushing away the bar. It describes how much pull is left after depowering. The higher the percentage, the better the kite can be depowered. At the same time this explains that a high percentage is an indication for a bigger wind range.

Kite Hacks

Low-end grunt describes the sum of the forces of front and steering lines. This force is an important parameter, to describe the ability of the kite to pull the kiter over the water’s surface. It’s additionally interesting to consider the forces of front and steering lines separately.

DEPOWER ABILITY:

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FORCES IN STEERING LINE

Kite Hacks

Ralf Grösel

FORCES IN POWERLINE

Conclusion? Easy to identify, the Vegas, a C-shaped kite made for wakestyle and freestyle, is significantly different compared to kite stablemates, the Neo, Dice and the Rebel. This means we can read from the data that the Vegas differs a lot in low-end grunt and steering forces, as it’s developing way less forces. You might ask now, is this really wanted for a kite like the Vegas? Yes it is! With about 2500 units per year the Vegas is a niche product mainly developed for competition team riders and very good wakestylers/ freestylers. During the unhooked tricks the kite should mainly react neutrally and always similar, independently of how much the adjuster was pulled before unhooking. This explains the mainly linear progression of force in the steering line on the first 25 centimeters of depower stroke. This ensures that the bar feeling during steering impulses and pop stays more or less the same. In comparison to this, it’s easy to see that the Dice, with its more moderate C-shape, is designed way less extreme compared to the Vegas. The linear force progression and force development is similar to the Vegas, but the range of use is by far less limited. The range of use is nearly at the same level as a Neo or a Rebel, what makes the Dice way more commercial. Is this

data enough to differentiate the kites from one another? Clear answer: no! Additionally, necessary for an objective evaluation of flying abilities are dynamic maneuvers like steering behavior and turning radius. The data explained in this column is not sufficient to derive a purchase decision or to really differentiate the kites. But it clearly shows that the measured data can play an important role during the development of kites. Not only the obvious differences between kite models like the Vegas and the Dice are demonstrated, but more importantly an overall understanding of the flight physics of kites (and therefore flexible wings) is developed.

What’s to come in the second part? In the second part we’ll have a close look at the dynamic maneuvers like steering behavior and try to answer what influence TETA will have on kite development in the future. Furthermore, we'll try to answer how the existing data can influence the decision on which kite model to buy... ◼

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R A PP

Finding your drive By Steven Akkersdijk

A big part of my life circulates around kiteboarding. But after 11 years of kiting I must say it’s sometimes hard to motivate myself to go out there. Maybe the conditions are just not right or I just don’t feel like getting wet. At those moments I ask myself why I’m still going out there. What is it that I’m searching for? I jumped a good 24 meters high in that storm about a year ago, why should I go out there with 21 knots and settle for 10 meter jumps? My conclusion is often the same. I strive to learn new tricks and keep

that learning curve at a steep angle. This is one of the biggest reasons that I love to ride so many different disciplines – when I’m stuck in one I can always improve in the other. This also has the benefit that you can use a lot of the newly learned skills from one discipline in the other ones. When riding on the foil for a while I notice huge improvements in my strapless wave riding. No more thinking about how hard I can lean in to the turn, a super direct feeling and the stability of the board makes it all so much easier. ▶

ABOVE New toys and new challenges... Photo: José Denis-Robichaud LEFT Steven looking pretty driven... Photo: José Denis-Robichaud

“One thing that gives me more energy during a session than landing new tricks is riding with friends.”

Recently I couldn’t wait to hit the water as I found a new discipline in kitesurfing. The foil is a fairly new board that got added to my quiver and I just couldn’t get enough of it. The possibilities are endless and there is still so much to learn. From linking turns to each other and having a dance with the kite, to air tricks. I watched various videos from other riders and their moves gave me inspiration to try new tricks. This is what happened with the kite 360. I saw it from another rider a couple years back and then just couldn’t wait to give it a try myself! There is one thing that gives me more energy during a session than landing new tricks and that’s riding with friends. When I was younger, I used to work at a kitesurf school in the Netherlands and after a long day of teaching, the other instructors and I would go out for a session and just have a blast. Even though we had done six hours of teaching on the water, there was so much energy out there. We were just fooling around and having fun. No matter the conditions, there was always something we could try. Currently I’m doing exactly the same with some of the same friends from back then. In the end it always comes down to the same things for me. The more friends I have out there, the more fun it is! And no matter the level of their riding, I just love seeing progression. ◼

ABOVE Riding with mates = more fun. That's a promise. Photo: Thomas Burblies LEFT The ‘kite 360’ with a foil. A lot of practice and drive to get that nailed... Photo: Willow-River Tonkin

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MORE DURABILITY

MORE SESSION

R i d e E n g i n e i s t h e h a r d s h e l l h a r n e s s . We i n ve n t e d i t , we s t a n d by i t a n d t h i s ye a r we r e v i s i t e d i t a n d t h e n w e r e i n v e n t e d i t . A l l o w u s t o i n t r o d u c e S h e l l S k i n Te c h n o l o g y . Shell Skin technology is a new proprietary hardshell construction from Ride Engine. Ye a r s o f d e v e l o p m e n t a n d t e s t i n g v a r i o u s n e w s h e l l t e c h n o l o g i e s l e d u s t o t h i s innovative construction. This process yields adds UV Resistance, Impact Strength, A b r a s i o n R e s i s t a n c e , a n d W a t e r a n d Te a r R e s i s t a n c e . A l o n g w i t h t h e a d d e d d u r a b i l i t y Shell Skin also improves the overall fit and function of your harness. Enhanced ergonomics ensure that you get the maximum support where you need it from the m o s t c o m f o r t a b l e R i d e E n g i n e h a r n e s s e v e r.

PRIME SHELL “ISLAND TIME”

PRIME SHELL “PACIFIC MIST”

PRIME SHELL “DEEP SEA”

BLOG.RIDEENGINE.COM

PRIME SHELL “SUNSET”

PRIME SHELL “COAST”

Magararo

MORE COMFORT

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YEARS OF INNOVATION,

AND WEâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;RE JUST GETTING STARTED. Keahi de Aboitiz J. Boulding

VISIT CABRINHAKITES.COM TO SEE THE 2020 RANGE