TheKiteMag #31 - English by Water Born Media

OUT OF THE COLD: Canada to Cape Verde THE QUEEN OF BIG AIR: Angely Bouillot GETTING HIGH: Lasse Walker + Summer Wetsuit Buyer’s Guide + Tell Me About It: Naish Triad & Cabrinha AV8

£4.85 ISSUE #31

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C OV E R : Ewan Jaspan on the road for Behold & Sea, and in this shot on the hunt for perfect poise… P H OTO : Alexander Lewis-Hughes

H E R E : Kari explained that, “Tom and I were out for a four-day trip and this day was a long day hiking up the mountains in Meråker, Norway. We were planning to kite up, but as there was no wind we had to walk with all the gear to the top. When the camp was set for the night the wind arrived, and also this perfect sunset. To kite in this golden light was crazy; I think I have never seen the sky so powerful.” P H OTO : Tom Magne Jonassen

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T H E F E AT U R E S 82 // The Queen of Big Air Proving that you don’t need to have grown up on the Brazilian lagoons or Cape Verdean reef breaks to make a massive impression on the kite scene, Angely Bouillot has only been kiting seriously for a couple of seasons and is blowing minds with her super-charged Big Air riding. 92 // The Producers Ewan Jaspen and Alexander Lewis-Hughes rail against the world of 40 second Instagram hits with their full-length film, Behold & Sea. Ewan takes us through the philosophy and the practical realities of the project. 102 // Out of the Cold Reece Myerscough has traveled a long way from the shores of Vancouver Island to pumping Ponta Preta – the recent event saw him really turn it on and charge through to the later stages of the event where he proved himself more than capable of mixing it up with the established top tier of wave riders. 114 // Getting High Dutch rider Lasse Walker cut his teeth riding the hardcore storm conditions of the North Sea. Realizing that he was never happier than when he was mid-Megaloop, he decided to head to Cape Town and has never looked back…

THE REGULARS 58 // Gallery… GKA Kite-Surf World Cup, Cape Verde 33 // Tangled Lines… James Carew 38 // On the List… Dakhla 42 // My Beach… Karolina Winkowska 46 // Interview… Laurent Houitte, Kite & Connect 40 // I’m On It… Julien Leleu 122 // Technique… Camille Delannoy + Jesse Richman 126 // Tell Me About It… Naish Triad + Cabrinha AV8 + Slingshot foils 152 // Kite Hacks… Jibbing with Eric Rienstra 158 // Wrapping up… Riding stor ms with Lewis Crathern

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Editorial

STICKING O G E T H E R C

rowds. They’re a part of modern life. On the road. In the supermarket. Getting through customs. As a species, crowds seem to make us bristle a little – there’s something not entirely comfortable about having too many other people in close proximity. Sure, having a few people around is fine, but there is definitely a tipping point where you reach ‘peak people’… And it is not just during our day-to-day lives, crowds often also encroach on our leisure time. If you surf then you probably spend as much time trying to position yourself in the right place in relation to other surfers as you do keeping an eye out for the next set. If you like to ride a bike then you probably get frustrated trying to find a decent gap on a trail on a Sunday morning, and if you snowboard trying to find some untracked powder if you are on the slopes can be a frustrating task.

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But as kiteboarders we are relatively lucky. Generally we don’t have to worry too much about crowds – sure if you head to Tarifa in August, Mauritius in September or Hood River in July then you’ll definitely find some crowds, but for the rest of us, generally there is plenty of space to go round and – a lot of the time – it’s actually nice to get a few more mates on the water. Safety is also a consideration: we can be a long way out to sea… Or in some heavy surf conditions… Or sometimes things just go wrong… When that happens (and it does!) it’s good to know that someone has got your back. Check out Lewis Crathern’s Wrapping Up slot at the end of the magazine to hear about how he prepares for his storm sessions and the things you should think about before heading out in extreme conditions.

And it’s not always the wind that you need to watch out for – sometimes the cold can be your biggest enemy, and the challenge of getting on the water and getting your blood pumping before ‘the chill’ sets in can be the difference between an epic session and a shivering-let-down of a session. Reece Myerscough and Karolina Winkowska take us through some of their chillier Candian and Baltic Sea experiences...

Mitu and James heading in after their semi-final match up. You can have a pretty good guess at who came out on top based on this shot… PHOTO: Gabriele Rumbolo

And if you do sometimes ride at a spot that can be crowded – Ponta Preta for example – then maybe it’s worth taking the time to get your riding up to the level of Mitu Monteiro or James Carew (pictured here) and then, for a 20 minute heat at least, you get to completely forget about the crowds. But you may have one or two other things to think about… Enjoy the issue. Alex

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THEKITEMAG IS… WATER BORN Published by M E D I A in Hayle, Cornwall, United Kingdom. Advertising enquiries: advertising@thekitemag.com. All material in TheKiteMag is subject to copyright. Reproduction without the express permission of the publishers will result in prosecution.

THE TEAM: Editor: Alex Hapgood (editor@thekitemag.com) Sub editor: Cai Waggett Art Director: Jody Smith Assistant Art Director: Sarah Chisholm

SUBMISSIONS: Online: If you have a clip or would like to get something on the website please send it over to us: media@thekitemag.com. In the mag: TheKiteMag welcomes both written and photographic submissions. Photography should be submitted in both RAW and edited format. Please note that the publication of written content is generally dependent on the provision of high quality photography, so in the first instance please send photographic samples and a 150 word synopsis of your writing to: checkmeout@thekitemag.com

YOU CAN FIND THEKITEMAG ON: CONTRIBUTORS: Alex Lewis-Hughes, Ydwer van der Heide, Tom Magne Jonassen, Gabriele Rumbolo, James Boulding, Andre Magarao, James Boulding, Nereida Novellón Lara, Gregor John, Swilly, Terry McTool, Samuel Tome, Svetlana Romantsova, José Denis-Robichaud, Jay Wallace, Craig Kolesky, Raynald Delannoy, frankiebees, Toby Bromwich, Eunice Bergin, Tom Court, Sean Harvey, Simon Bassett.

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RIDER: OMAR ABDEL FATTAH LOCATION: RED SEA Photo: James Boulding

TKM: Cabrinha have a new kite and a new foil hitting the ground this month. We’re stoked to have the scoop on all the details later in the magazine, but here’s a pretty stunning teaser shot for starters…

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CUS F

RIDER: OSWALD SMITH LOCATION: WITSAND, CAPE TOWN Photo: Ydwer van der Heide OS: This photo was taken on a cloudy day at Witsand, we drove through with the Mystic crew in the hope of some wind. The clouds were surrounding us like a white dusty fog, adding fragrance to the day and creating that ominous vibe. As soon as I hit the water a glimmer of sunlight made an appearance and thatâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s when we knew it was gonna be a session of note. The kickers were jacking up and almost every hit was perfect. This particular wave kicked me off axis, helping me to tweak out this nuke grab. What a day, what a beautiful day.

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RIDER: EWAN JASPAN LOCATION: MAUI Photo: Frankiebees TKM: There are a few important jobs as a team rider, and the capacity to get the kite right in front of the camera while you do something badass behind it is one of the most important in the job description. Ewan Jaspan knows the drill and here he is getting everything exactly where it needs to beâ&#x20AC;Ś

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RIDER: ABEL LAGO LOCATION: MALLORCA, SES COVETES Photo: Nereida Novellรณn Lara AL: Sometimes we search for paradises, far, far away, spending a lot of money on crazy and dangerous trips, but we forget that good old Europe can offer amazing conditions if you are a neoprene lover as I am. Here is a magical new spot I discovered in my search around Europe for strapless freestyle spots.

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RIDER: OLLY BRIDGE LOCATION: CAPE TOWN, SOUTH AFRICA Photo: Gregor John TKM: Olly Bridge has been making it his mission to redefine our perception of foil kites. His insane 650ft jump over a sand spit at his home spot of Exmouth, UK hit the headlines of the kite and non-kite media the world over, and he then continued his mission this winter in South Africa, mixing it up on those 30+ knot days and laying down some hefty Megaloops with his Flysurfer Soul.

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RIDER: KEAHI DE ABOITIZ LOCATION: GOLD COAST Photo: Swilly KDA: Cyclones on the east coast of Australia are always a little hit and miss. There’s always a huge amount of hype but, being cyclones, they’re pretty unpredictable and can change a lot leading into the swell. The east coast has a lot of options, but it’s always a gamble trying to work out where to go and knowing whether the sand banks will hold based on the size. Thankfully Cylcone Oma didn’t disappoint. Although it downgraded a lot more than models predicted initially, that turned out to be a blessing as rather than maxing out, it sent us four days of very solid pumping waves all along

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the coast. This particular spot on the Gold Coast is somewhere I’ve had on my radar for a while, and to have it all come together was amazing. It turned out to be a pretty chaotic session with 25 jet skis out towing in and doing step-offs but luckily I was still able to find a few gems. The wind was a little tricky but it was hands down the best waves I’ve ever been out in kitesurfing, with double overhead inside out drainers reeling down the point for over a kilometer. Cyclone Oma definitely won’t be forgotten and I hope I get to see it do something similar again in the future! (Editor’s note: Yes, Keahi did make it out of this one!)

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RIDER: MARIO RODWALD LOCATION: CAPE TOWN Photo: Samuel Tome MR: If you have been to Cape Town in summer you know those north-westerly days when everybody is going to the local markets or doing the wine tasting. You are rarely able to kite at the kite beach when it’s blowing northerly – but there are a couple of secret spots! Scarborough is usually a safe bet when the Windy app calls a north-westerly. You can even score some good waves and some freestyle kickers! What’s even better is that talented water photographer Samuel Tome is usually at the beach. He is never scared to swim in the big bombs dropping on the line-up and doesn´t seem to think about sharks or anything else out there…

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RIDER: BILLY HAMPTON LOCATION: GOLD COAST, AUSTRALIA Photo: Terry McTool TKM: If you try to head out anywhere along the Gold Coast with a surfboard you’re unlikely to find yourself with a whole lot of space between you and the next guy. Grab a kite though and the Gold Coast is your private playground… Here’s Billy making the most of the space.

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RIDER: RICARDO CAMPELLO LOCATION: ADICORA, VENEZUELA Photo: Diana Wood RC: This was my second time kiting on these salines (salt lakes). The first time it wasn’t as full. Kiting there is not as easy as you think. It is super shallow water, basically just enough space for your fins, so there’s no room for mistakes. Then the bottom is basically crystalized salt and it feels like glass, super sharp and if you cut yourself it’s going to stain quite a lot. Plus if you get even a drip of this water in your eyes you’re not going to have a good time as it stings like hell. But it’s all worth it for the session and the shot.

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RIDER: PEDRO MATOS LOCATION: INDONESIA Photo: @jacklakeyphotographer PM: That was my first time in Indonesia. Ever since I was a kid I used to watch videos from Keahi and other guys getting barreled at this spot. So for me it was unbelievable when I arrived there and saw that dreamy wave – the swell direction was perfect and the size too! The wind was side-off which meant perfect conditions to get barreled kiting. The conditions at my home break aren’t as perfect and the waves aren’t as round, so I kind of struggled to get barreled in the beginning, but now I can say that I got one of the best kite barrels of my life at this spot…

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James Carew T

James Carew came from pretty much nowhere on last season’s GKA tour and – when the waves were on – was charging with his aggressive in-the-pocket surf style. As the year progressed he also worked on his strapless game and became more of a ‘complete’ rider. This year we saw in Cape Verde that he has what it takes to be challenging for the top spot… Photos: Ydwer van der Heide

MATCHU Q | If you had the opportunity to choose one more destination for the GKA tour stop, where would you go? I think there is some really good potential around New Zealand, I’ve only been there once but the time I did go I saw some of the most consistent and all-time conditions... The place can go from zero to hero in hours and I think if a tour stop could work there it would go down as a stop to be remembered. FRANCESCO CAPUZZO Q | Last year your improvement in freestyle strapless really impressed me: how did you learn so fast? During last year I saw a huge gap in my freestyle and my wave skills, I knew I had always been stronger in the waves and the skills that I had would (the majority of them) stay with me if I had a break from the discipline. So I focused purely on freestyle and did everything I could to progress my standard, got footage, tips, and checked all the riders to see where everyone was at to see how I could improve myself every week. It was a slow process but I kept at it and it paid off.

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TKM Q | When did you start kiting in waves and where are your favorite spots back home? I started kiting around 10-11 years old back home in Melbourne, Victoria. I had been on the trainer kite for a few months and was on a mission to get on the water. After about a year I wanted to get into the waves and got my first custom SMOOK board and never looked back. There’s a couple of secrets around home that are really special to me and I’m always looking to score, but Bells Beach and almost anywhere in Western Australia is definitely on the list of places to check. RODERICK PIJLS Q | If you could pick one wave from all around the world to have in your backyard, which one would it be? Snapper Rocks in Queensland. But skip the crowds.

ROB KIDNIE Q | What is the most challenging freestyle trick you have learnt so far and which is the toughest trick you’re working on now? I think the toughest trick for me was the front roll. That thing took me over a year to learn and I gave up for a solid six months. I could never get my head around it and it really, really p**sed me off! Then as soon as I got it, it made it worse because it feels so effortless now. REECE MYERSCOUGH Q | You’ve got some pretty exceptional skills. 1) Is it possible to crank the bar in harder than you do for kiteloops?! 2) How do you change your fins in half the time of everyone else? 1) I mean I hope so because maybe then I can land more than 20% of them! 2) I tend to break double the fins to everyone else so there’s got to be a compensation somewhere! SEBASTIAN RIBEIRO Q | We know that you like big waves – any plans to go and surf Jaws? I’ve been trying to get some more skills for bigger waves and be better trained to handle them rather than just throwing myself at them. But yes, I’m hoping Jaws happens one day.

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TKM Q | Are you seeing many more surfers crossover into kiting back home – do you think there is a steady growth or is the kite still a bit of a turn off? There’s definitely a group of surfers who are progressing onto kiting and getting hooked but there is also a bunch who are fully against it and won’t touch it. I think some surfers are stuck in their ways and no matter how many rings we run around them they’ll never really accept that there are some ways to just have more fun. I think there’s still a bit of a ways to go before most surfers move on to kiting. EWAN JASPAN Q | Do you feel like the industry is pushing strapless freestyle upon riders who grew up surfing? I think the strapless freestyle aspect is being pushed by everybody. A lot of people with the surfing background don’t really know how to get into the freestyle side but they all see it happening and gladly the majority get out there and give it a go. Not everyone is pushing it but it’s a start and if everyone gets just a little bit under their belt then the opportunities are endless. RALPH BOELEN Q | Do you ever find landing a strapless freestyle move as satisfying as surfing a wave? When it’s blowing rooves off houses, I love landing almost any freestyle trick. Kite loops are definitely the most satisfying, and when you land a good one it’s definitely the same as a good wave.

TA N G L E D L I N E S

James PHILIPP BECKER Q | Were you surprised to win the ‘best freestyle trick’ in Fuerte last year? To say surprised would be the understatement of the year. Winning the best freestyle trick was definitely the best part of kiteboarding until that day. I was buzzing off that event for months, nothing got me down. TKM Q | Do you think the Aussies can start to rival the Cape Verde crew for wave riding domination any time soon?! There’s a lot of Aussies around who absolutely shred, there’s a lot of quality in some parts of Australia. The Cape Verdeans have something special though, growing up with the spots they have and the conditions on offer. They are like a different breed and it’s gonna be hard for us to take them down but nothing’s impossible so of course we can! MITU Q | Having seen the evolution of your riding in the last year, do you think you might become the next GKA World Champion? It might be a little far-fetched for me right now but I want it with a passion. I train as much as I can and I push as hard as I can at every contest so that it can happen one day, hopefully one day soon... 

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PHOTOS: Carl Bowen-Price

Technically, the Moroccan Sahara (the preferred term in situ, although more commonly referred to as the Western Sahara outside of Morocco) is a disputed area that still has sensitive geo-politics at play. You can read up about all that, and as with anywhere we would always recommend you check government travel advice before you fly anywhere, but rest assured Dakhla is generally regarded as a very safe spot, what with a significant domestic military presence in the town, police checkpoints on the road, and a long and deserved reputation as a low-crime, extremely friendly and altogether relaxed location.

For waves, the main two spots nearby are Pointe de L’Or and Foum El Bouir. But if you’re informed the conditions for Arich are ON, we can say from personal experience that you’re in for a treat… a little further away, but worth every extra dusty kilometer through the desert. Most camps can arrange wave trips, and taking the 4x4 on a surf hunt is often the default choice for most instructors when the wind drops.

Around the corner from Dakhla Attitude is the famous ‘Speed Spot’, a low tide sand bank that appears in a lagoon inlet, providing consistent offshore wind and the butteriest of waters, perfect for intermediate and expert freestylers and allround chargers. This is accessible by kite, boat or 4x4, as is the ‘White Dune’ – a legendary Dakhla icon that is a favorite downwinder destination. Speaking of downwinders, be sure to take in the oyster farm on the west side of the lagoon too... Plates of deliciously sweet oysters and seafood tajines are a specialty. It’s a must.

You can find yourself cruising the lagoon here at pretty much any time of the year, but the main kiteboarding season in Dakhla sits cosily between April and October. That said, either side of that are prime times to enjoy world-class conditions without the big crowds that come with peak season. In fact, we’ve visited outside of the main months a few times, and it’s still been just as much fun. The wind tends to get a little temperamental, the camps are distinctly quieter, the days a little shorter… but the accommodation prices also come down, there’s often good winter swells for surf, and the level of personal service (as in, you might literally be the only one staying there) is amplified.

The lagoon itself is perfectly set up for kiteboarding, with the north-western end home to a handful of very reputable kite camps, all of which have easy access to the shore and most come with their own ‘sports centers’, brimful of good quality kite kit, coaching, advice and rescue boats should you find yourself out on the water, sans kiteboard…

With high grade and reliable winds, a very accessible tidal lagoon that’s suitable for both learners and professionals alike, and with a wealth of kite-specific camps lining the edges of said lagoon to choose from, it’s hard to go wrong here. It’s also a GKA stop, home to a famous annual 500km downwinder, and it’s got all manner of other desert activities (some kite related, some not) for you to choose from. AND… should the wind disappear, there’s a high chance that the just-acrossthe-sand Atlantic coastline has some spirited rollers hitting the shores, and most kite camps will give you access to surfboards, a guide and a jalopy that will take you to one of the world-class (and generally still uncrowded) surf spots that line the Dakhla peninsula, or even further north.

UNLESS YOU’VE BEEN UNDER A ROCK FOR PRETTY MUCH EVER, YOU’LL NO DOUBT HAVE AT LEAST HEARD OF THE DESERT KITEBOARDING SHANGRI-LA THAT IS DAKHLA.

ON THE LIST - DAKHLA, MOROCCAN SAHARA

STAYING THERE: We here at TKM have had the pleasure of staying at both Dakhla Spirit and Dakhla Attitude, and can highly recommend both. Dakhla Attitude is more centrally placed in the lagoon, with easy access to the nearby ‘Speed Spot’ (and the distant pink flare of flamingos), whereas Dakhla Spirit is closer to the main road (and therefore the sea), has a more ‘rootsy’ vibe with some of the nicest staff you’ll find… not least chief kite coach Sami, who’ll go out of his way to make sure you’re having a good time.

GETTING THERE: Dakhla Airport (VIL) is easily accessed from Europe by Royal Air Maroc (RAM), with some direct flights available, but with most making a stop off in Morocco itself, generally in Casablanca. Total flight time will be somewhere between 4-6 hours. The airport in Dakhla is a simple affair, so if you have any kind of wait there for your return flight, be sure to bring some water and food, as the café isn’t often staffed. Most kite centers offer airport transfers, with the car park right outside the terminal, and the drive to the lagoon kite camps from Dakhla in the region of 30-40 minutes.

LEAST LIKELY TO HEAR: “I need more sugar in my mint tea…”

MOST LIKELY TO HEAR: “Pass the Piz Buin...”

BEER: €2

RUBBER: Boardies, wetty top in the summer, 3/2 in the winter, and use that for your clothing cue too. And, as this is the desert, keep a warm hoody handy for the evening, and a whole lot of sunscreen year round…

NOT IN THE BAG: Alcohol. Although an Islamic country, it’s accepted that tourists will be drinking, and most kite camps are allowed to sell alcohol from their beach bars, and ask you not to bring in your own booze. And as this is also an integral part of their revenue, it’s the nice thing to do too.

IN THE BAG: Bring it all. Outside of the main season the wind can fluctuate from day to day, so a range is advisable. Foiling is also super popular on the lagoon so bring that too.

Now an established member of the RRD team with his hand in media, R&D and â&#x20AC;&#x201C; of course â&#x20AC;&#x201C; riding for the brand, Julien takes us through the board he has helped to evolve which has seen plenty of podium success with the freestyle crew: the Juice V5.

board: RRD Juice V5 | Dimensions: 140 x 42 | Weight: 82kg | Height: 183cm TheKiteMag.com

The Juice is our wakestyle and freestyle weapon, although I personally use it for everything. I screw my bindings on once and I never take them off, because I basically use it as my freestyle board, Big Air board and also cable park board. I also keep my bindings on in the board bag! I like to do both Big Air and technical freestyle. Big Air really gives me adrenaline and excites me, but only when it’s the proper conditions and I would never do Big Air in under 30 knots. I was supposed to ride at the KOTA but had a knee injury the day before and that kept me out the water for two weeks. Luckily nothing serious, but enough to prevent me from competing. I have been riding the Juice for four years now. In a board I am looking for performance but also for a fun and smooth ride which is not too hard on my knees. I have already suffered a few knee injuries so the right board is essential for me. We use a CNC shaped Paulownia wood core and laminate it with two layers of unidirectional carbon stringer on the deck and on the bottom of the board. I like to have a bit of flex but only on the positive angle, and have the least possible amount of negative flex. We also added a special ‘X’ shaped carbon torsion box on the deck, to prevent any twists when the board is subjected to stress. This way we made a rigid, stiff and smooth board. With the Juice V5 you get an aggressive pop while having a smooth landing, which is the goal of any freestyler or Big Air rider. The outline has remained identical as we were really happy with it and we added in a narrow stance option. We decided to apply carbon biaxial insert reinforcements to prevent damage due to using boots and to make sure the board has a long lasting

life. I have broken loads of boards in my career, but I have tried and tried to break one but I didn’t manage to break a Juice V5 yet! In terms of rocker, this board has an increased progressive scoop line compared with previous versions. It’s always a big challenge to find the right balance between having a board that is fast enough, but also has enough rocker to handle the heaviest landings. The Juice really offers the perfect balance for controlled landings and glide speed. We upgraded the grind base for sliding and grinding obstacles, in fact the Juice V5 is a great cross-over board for cable park riding. I’m a fan of getting into my bindings and always slide in the water right from the beach (rocks or not!) so having a solid base prevents damages, and avoids having your rail completely eaten. The Juice performs super well on obstacles such as sliders and kickers at the cable park, and this is so important for travelers, as you only need to bring one board along for the journey. You can ride it finless at the park and very flat spots as it has so much grip thanks to the channels on the bottom, otherwise set it up with the small wakestyle fins that come with the board. These fins will be a bit more forgiving in the landings and in your curves compared to the longer Flow 5 fins, while the channels propel water across the board giving it speed and grip. The symmetrical inserts are great if – like me – you slide a lot on the beach, in this case the ABS heel side rail might get a bit more worn down, but with the symmetrical inserts system you can just turn your boots the other way around and immediately have a brand new heel side ABS rail.

have been getting better and better and – especially since the V5 – I’m proud of what we have achieved. It’s amazing to feel any small details of the evolution of the board. Working with Werther Castelletti, our designer, is great as you can feel he’s really passionate, and his biggest goal is to see you coming out the water with the biggest smile. Abel and Werther are a great team to work with, as they have known each other for years and things get done fast and efficiently. Cape Town this season was pretty intense for me. I handle all the videos for the marketing side of the kiting, plus some windsurfing, SUP and clothing. So I’ve been full time, full power, working as a producer and filmmaker as well as some R&D and then if I am lucky some riding… My daily routine would be waking up at 6am, shooting all day and then going to ride myself to have the megaloop action or freestyle sections of the videos. It was kind of challenging, as after a full day of work, I would have to set up my own cameras and get Carl Ferreira or Francesco (our team manager) to shoot me while I ride. This year RRD celebrates its 25th year birthday, and the Y25 party was insane! It was a well-deserved way to get together and have some fun after all the work done during the photoshoot and meeting. I had the pleasure to show the premiere of the Y25 and the feedback was great. I had a very short amount of time to produce the edit, so I literally had to lock myself down in my studio the previous days. I’ve got lots of plans for 2019, then my main focus and personal goal at the moment is to get myself ready for the King of the Air 2020…

I have been involved in the R&D and the Juice has evolved a lot with clear upgrades each year. All details

I’M ON IT - JULIEN LELEU

Hel Peninsula By Karolina Winkowska

WHAT ARE YOUR FIRST RECOLLECTIONS OF THE PENINSULA? I’ve been coming here with my parents for summer for years. My parents were windsurfing, so I was playing with other kids – I wasn’t interested in water sports at all. Polish weather is rather harsh and I could never understand why my parents were so excited to go windsurfing when it was raining and freezing. Later I understood that when you are passionate about the sport, the weather isn’t an issue and if you wear neoprene and keep moving, you’re actually warmer than people who stay on the beach.

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WHEN IT COMES TO ‘CLASSIC’ KITESURFING LOCATIONS, PLACES LIKE BRAZIL, MAUI AND TARIFA SPRING TO MIND. BUT THERE IS ONE COUNTRY WHERE YOU’RE NOT LIKELY TO SPOT MANY PALM TREES AND WHERE YOU’RE NOT LIKELY TO HAVE MANY SESSIONS IN BOARDIES, BUT WHICH HAS A DISPROPORTIONATE NUMBER OF SUPER-KEEN KITERS. POLAND. IT HASN’T GOT A WHOLE LOT OF COASTLINE, BUT WHAT IT DOES HAVE IT MAKES THE MOST OF. KAROLINA WINKOWSKA TOOK HER FIRST FORAYS INTO KITESURFING ON THE HEL PENINSULA IN THE NOT-VERY-WARMSOUNDING BALTIC SEA…

CAN YOU REMEMBER ANY OF YOUR FIRST SESSIONS? Yes, before I started kiteboarding I used to come here for sailing camps. We used to sail all over the bay with barely any wind and do all sorts of fun activities around the area. When I started kiteboarding, it was so different as you stay close to the beach all the time. I did my first kiteboarding lessons here, which was actually a great introduction because the wind changes every day. Even if you feel confident about riding one day, the next you have to learn it all over again as the wind direction, waves and strength can be completely different. On top of that, very often you have to change the spot, as the wind can sometimes turn offshore and unrideable. WHO ELSE DID YOU RIDE THERE WITH? We used to drive to the seaside for the weekends with my dad, every time the wind was good for my father to windsurf. Back then there weren’t highways in Poland, so the drive was around six hours. During summer traffic, it could have taken up to nine hours sometimes! Today, with a highway, it’s a pretty chill drive and only four or five hours. I used to ride with my brother and his friends. There was another girl, she was really good back then, but she gave up competitive riding when she finished high school. I come from the city so my friends were never active like me back then, and there weren’t many kids around kiteboarding. This is why my father took me to local competitions, to meet other kids who were kiteboarding. There are so many amazing friendships from back then, and even though I am the only one who is still a competitive rider, we always have the best time bringing back the memories from those days!

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CAN YOU TALK US THROUGH THE TYPICAL CONDITIONS? Gusty, cold, choppy, and one hell of a lot of fun! Learning freestyle tricks is really difficult in Poland compared to other locations I go to around the world. But it’s fun to ride in Poland, as now I have a lot of friends who are kiteboarders, and it’s always fun to ride with them. These days, the best locations are full of people and kite schools as kiteboarding is becoming a pretty popular summer sport in Poland. I like riding before the season, or at the more hidden spots, as the conditions are pretty similar everywhere you go. I also like to ride on the sea side of the peninsula with the waves, as not many people ride there so that’s really nice too. Sometimes I ride in front of my friend’s windsurfing school. Normally windsurfers don’t like kiteboarders, but I make a show for the kids on the camps there, so I have a special pass! We have this sand bar that goes across the bay, so it forms a little island in the middle of the bay with the perfect flat water spot. It’s fun but in the summertime it can get really packed. I keep saying that it’s crowded, cold and gusty because I am really spoiled with dream locations around the world! For people in Poland, this is the prime kiteboarding location and it’s actually pretty good. HAS THE SET UP OR SCENE AT THE BEACH CHANGED OVER THE YEARS? Yes, now it’s crazy busy, way too many kite schools. We have like 70 kite schools within the 40 kilometers of Hel peninsula! The main spots are really packed but there is still plenty of space for having an awesome time just around the corner from the kite schools. And busy spots means more fun people to meet. I have been running The Queen of HEL femalespecific kiteboarding events for three years now. I am so inspired by all the women we meetwho shred on the water! We met around 150 women kiteboarders during that time, and they always give such a great energy to this sport.

WHAT WOULD BE YOUR PERFECT DAY THERE? Hard one, but I really love shredding with my friends these days. The older I get the more my friends are busy, so when they all find time to join me, it’s the cherry on the top. TALK US THROUGH ONE SESSION THAT STANDS OUT FOR YOU THERE? Okay, I’ve been kiteboarding for the past 15 years so there have been many good ones out there. But last year, with my dear friend Kasia Lange, we wanted to go to the big music festival to see the Gorillaz concert. There’s usually massive traffic to go there from Hel Peninsula, as there are tiny roads and millions of people trying to drive on them. So we did a downwinder with our kites, and it was one of the most fun sessions I’ve had in Poland. The sun was shining, and the wind was amazing. We went to the flat water island first, did some jumps, speed runs, and we just had fun. And then straight to the music festival, skipped the traffic, and saved the two hours that it would have taken us in the car. The best mode of transportation ever! WHERE’S YOUR FAVORITE PLACE TO EAT OR AFTER A SESSION THERE? Polish food is very traditional, and has many meals specific to different regions in Poland. You can get any kind of international food you like, and it’s quite cheap. Many people who visit Poland enjoy the visit because of the food. You can get a big meal in a restaurant for €5 and a beer for €1.50. I love Polish food because it is so different to anything else I eat when I am traveling. My number one dish is a pickled cucumber soup, in Polish it’s called ‘ogórkowa’. When you are visiting the seaside, there are many awesome restaurants, as well as food trucks. DO YOU THINK YOU WOULD HAVE GOT TO WHERE YOU ARE TODAY IF THAT HADN’T BEEN SUCH A FAMILIAR SPOT? The Polish kiteboarding scene gave me a lot for my competitive career. We have had a very successful Polish Kiteboarding Cup going for 13 years now, with three or four

M Y B E AC H: H E L P E N I N S U L A

stops every year. These events in tough conditions were very important for my progression. From borderline light winds to nasty storms with big waves! Polish weather is very diverse so competing on the World Tour in different types of conditions was never an issue for me because I was prepared for any kind of weather. WHEN DID YOU LAST RIDE THERE – HOW WAS IT?! I was there last September and the weather was horrible, rainy, with gusty wind, but I had a hell of a lot of fun with my friends. They say “kiteboarding gives you adrenaline”, I say “kiteboarding in cold weather doubles that adrenaline”. Kiteboarding sessions in cold weather are different, but can still be fun if you make them fun. For me kiteboarding is mainly about progressing my riding and getting better. Kiteboarding in Poland is more of a lifestyle, and this is something important because there are many places in the world where people don’t even talk to each other at the beach. In Poland everybody knows each other, and even though the scene is growing, everyone tries to know everyone else and to be friendly. HAVE YOU RIDDEN THERE WITH OTHER PRO RIDERS AND WHAT DO THEY THINK OF IT? The spots in Poland are quite average and you have to be lucky to score good conditions. It’s more like a fun destination to see if you like traveling and seeing different places. I have had many pro riders visit, like Alexander Lewis-Hughes from Australia, Eric Rienstra from the USA, Christophe Tack from Belgium, Annelous Lammerts from the Netherlands, and others. It seems to me that everybody loves Poland, there are a lot of fun things happening, cheap food, cheap alcohol and a really good vibe! IF YOU HAD TO CHOOSE ANOTHER SPOT THAT YOU LOVE BUT FOR COMPLETELY DIFFERENT REASONS, WHERE WOULD IT BE? East coast of Australia, my winter home! It is actually very similar to Poland: rarely windy but when it’s on, it’s on FIRE!

Beach Business Reloaded KITE & CONNECT BRING

BUSINESS AND

KITING TOGETHER WITH THE AIM OF SPREADING THE KITEBOARDING LOVE, WHILST ALSO DEVELOPING BUSINESS CONNECTIONS AND RELATIONSHIPS. WE ATTENDED THEIR FLAGSHIP B2B KITE SUMMIT IN DAKHLA LAST YEAR AND WERE REALLY IMPRESSED WITH THE ORGANIZATION AND THE VIBE AT THE EVENT. FOUNDER LAURENT HOUITTE HASN’T BEEN KICKING BACK AND REFLECTING ON THAT SUCCESS THOUGH… HE’S ALWAYS THINKING AND ALWAYS EAGER TO IMPLEMENT NEW PROJECTS, AND HE HAS A FEW MORE EVENTS ALREADY PLANNED OUT – SO A GOOD TIME TO CATCH UP WITH HIM TO TAKE A CLOSER LOOK AT WHAT’S NEXT FOR KITE & CONNECT.

Words: Anja Fuchs TheKiteMag.com

Hi Laurent, nice to meet you again! For those not familiar with your project, can you give us a quick rundown of the philosophy of Kite & Connect? Yes of course: Kite & Connect is a club for kitesurfers and entrepreneurs, which was founded in France. I have been on trips to many different countries, and everywhere you meet new people, and often business people who kite. So there was a point when I thought: so why not combine kitesurfing and business? Beach business would be a great thing, because you don’t have to be serious to do things seriously. Long story short – after a phone call with Bill Tai who organizes the famous Mai Tai events, I decided to give it a go and to try something similar in Europe. And here we are now… for four years we have organized three camps a year (mainly attended by French participants) and we also added the B2B Kite Summit which started last year, mainly with French entrepreneurs but will be more ‘mixed’ this year with business people from Europe and the US also. The camp in March this year in Cuba was the 14th one we have held, and each camp takes place at a unique spot, so we never choose the same spot twice. For example, we’ve already had camps in Icarai de Amontada, Prea, Barra Grande, Mauritius, Rodrigues, Madagascar, Cabo Verde, Norway, Venezuela, San Francisco… Of course it’s more work to prepare new trip packages each time but it’s worth the effort!

And how are the camps organized? Each camp consists of 40 participants and the program is quite intense. Next to kitesurfing and other activities there are business meetings every evening for one to two hours, where we go really deep into business issues, we do brainstorming, work in teams to solve problems, have mastermind sessions with groups of five to six people who work on each issue for 15 to 20 minutes to find different approaches and ways of thinking, and we do business presentations. This year there will be two more camps, one in Sri Lanka and one in Madagascar. The camp in Sri Lanka will take place at a new spot named Mannar. It’s a former military place that is now a kitesurfing paradise, with a lot of islands, flat lagoons, waves, and heaps of space – it offers about 20 or 30 kilometers of kitesurf playground! It’s also quite a spiritual place where we’ll incorporate a lot of yoga and meditation in the camp, supported by Pascal (a world boxing champion) who is specialized in these fields. But of course it will also be about pushing each others limits in kitesurfing, as Big Air pro Aurélien Pétreau will also accompany us. We plan to organize a special “King/Queen of Mannar” contest with him. Then, in November, we will have one more camp in Anakao, a famous wave spot located in the south of Madagascar. Some might know it from a movie made there by the F-ONE team a few years ago. For kitesurfing, it offers the perfect combination of lagoon and waves. u 47

And are there any other projects you’re working on?

What about the B2B Kite Summit in Dakhla – were you satisfied with last year’s event? Definitely – it was simply awesome! And this September, it will be even bigger. We will have 50% more participants, which means 300 people all in all. So not only Dakhla Attitude but also Dakhla Club hotel and PK25 will be full. We have a lot of registrations already and there are a lot of new people who want to join. The format stays mainly the same but there are a few modifications: we will have a ‘warm-up’ (a three-day event before the summit for 50 people) with a focus on kite coaching, business coaching and networking. Then there will be a ‘close-up’ session after the summit, so some people will stay longer (which of course is worth it as Dakhla is simply an awesome place to be!). All the event parties and business presentations will be held at Dakhla Attitude like last year. Concerning the kitesurf program, we will have a village consisting of a few kite brands who stay in Dakhla during the summit and offer their equipment for testing. Additionally, we want to organize a huge downwinder, 20 kilometers from Dakhla Attitude to the White Dune – we will try to beat the world record for the amount of participants in a downwinder with 300 people!

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Yes, there are a few! I launched golfandconnect.com, skiandconnect. com (together with former Olympic Freestyle Ski champion Edgar Grospiron, who also took part in the B2B Kite Summit) and cycleandconnect.com within my company Connect Club. Kitesurfing was the first activity to start the club, but now the communities are growing and growing… Within these communities people are already connected by their values. We already had a party in Paris with entrepreneurs from different sports and it was great to mix it up! My plan with Connect Club is to act as an innovative leader, combining sports and business in clubs in France but also all over Europe.

You are pretty busy then – and did we hear something about a bigger kiting project? Yes there is another huge and interesting project: a 600 kilometer downwind race! I think everybody has heard about the world famous Paris-Dakar race. What we want to do is to recreate the spirit of this race in kitesurfing. It will take place in 2020 on the Brazilian coast, and the idea is to make it a race mixing pro riders and amateurs, 100 people altogether. The 600 kilometers will have to be done within one week and there will be different spots with the whole caravan moving during the race. So for example there will be one big event in Prea for two days, then the trip continues until it finishes in Atins. The plan is to motivate 100 women and men, with participants from five continents, including 20 pro riders. Concerning the gear, there will be a mix of foil, twintip and surf. Additionally we want to mix disciplines – so next to the race there will be different competitions, like high jump contests, parkour, and so on. And one thing is for sure… there will be a lot of partying too! You can find more info at www.xtrem600.com.

The Creators. ISN’T KITESURFING AN EASY SPORT? YOU HEAD TO THE BEACH, PUMP UP YOUR KITE, JUMP ON YOUR BOARD AND OFF YOU GO. YOU EXPECT EVERYTHING TO WORK PERFECTLY, AND GENERALLY IT DOES. WHAT YOU PROBABLY DON’T REFLECT ON AS YOU’RE HEADING TO THE BEACH IS THE THOUSANDS OF HOURS OF WORK THAT HAVE BEEN PUT IN BY MANY HUNDREDS OF DEDICATED INDIVIDUALS TO ENSURE THAT YOU HAVE EQUIPMENT THAT ‘WORKS’. THE HOURS SPENT BEHIND THE COMPUTER TWEAKING DESIGN VARIABLES BY MILLIMETERS, AND THE HOURS SPENT ON THE BEACH MAKING MICRO ADJUSTMENTS TO BRIDLES FOR DAYS ON END. IN THIS NEW SLOT WE CATCH UP WITH SOME OF THE KEY PLAYERS WHO HAVE DRIVEN THE SPORT FORWARD AND HAVE TAKEN US TO WHERE WE ARE NOW: THE CREATORS. FIRST UP IS ONE OF THE MOST INSANELY BUSY GUYS YOU ARE EVER LIKELY TO MEET: RALF GROESEL.

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Hi Ralf, before we look at your more current projects, can you tell us a bit about how you became a kite designer? Sure. I remember sitting on the beach watching paragliders launch from a little dune, trying to use the small upwind area to stay in the air as long as possible. This was 1993, I was 14 and paragliders had just started to look like proper wings instead of an advanced version of a parachute. I was instantly hooked on the idea of flying a self-inflating, stitched, light weight material wing. Ever since I was a young kid, I have been deeply interested in building and designing model airplanes. Even back then the general rules of physics in terms of aerodynamics were already well known to me. But it was the combination of flexible material, lightness in weight and the obvious fun the pilots were having that motivated me to look into this matter way deeper. I soon found myself behind a sewing machine and building the first scaled paraglider. Once the manufacturing side had been understood, I took it to the next level and scraped together all of the money I had and then borrowed some from my mother to buy my first computer. At the age of 15, I was pretty allergic to books, but I read the entire 600 pages of AUTOCAD for beginners in four days. In 1994 the internet didn’t have any of the useful information that it has today, so there was no such thing as downloading a profile or a 3D model-wing so I had to figure it all out by myself. Reading and studying every book about aerodynamic profiles, I quickly advanced from 2-dimensional CAD designs to 3D models. The result was the B-Wing (birds-wing) which I developed in 1997. This model kickstarted my career, as I got in touch with a paragliding brand and then started to work as paragliding test pilot.

So I guess that was before kiteboarding was really around – when did you first see kiteboarding kites? Well I was very into paragliding, then one day I saw the video HIGH from Chris Tronolone and was totally hooked. Together with Armin Harich, a paragliding pilot, we decided that kitesurfing was so much cooler than flying and founded the company Flysurfer in 2001. I had just finished civilian service, in lieu of military service, and started to develop all products whilst simultaneously searching for a production facility which I ultimately found in China.

How did your relationship with North Kiteboarding start? After two years with Flysurfer, I felt that at that time soft kites wouldn’t be the future of the sport and and I went to Naish for a couple of months and worked on some crazy hybrid kite approaches. Back in Germany I continued to work on the realization of a special spinnaker sail for sailboats, called Parasailor. Based on the patent of Hartmut Schädlich, I developed the entire product portfolio for the newly founded company ISTEC, which purchased the rights for this sail. Within this company I met Christian Wenger, who established a production facility in Sri Lanka for North Windsurfing. He was basically the link who introduced me to Till Eberle, Boards and More and North Kiteboarding! u 51

What do you think about the change from North Kiteboarding to Duotone? Well, that’s a very interesting and controversial question. I think in general it was a tough move to leave the brand name behind. However, I do understand the reasons why the shareholders have decided to go this way. The brand switch has been a huge achievement and the team effort which enabled this change was outstanding. I am super stoked and proud of my colleagues, who made all this happen. I personally see the brand switch as just another challenge in my life, and I am happy to go for it. Within the Duotone portfolio we have not changed the line up of the models and the name and general focus of each kite will remain the same.

You´re based in the south of Germany now and doing a lot of testing there. Why are you based there and not in somewhere like Hawaii?! Well, my colleague Ken Winner is located in Maui, so there is no need to be there as well. I am designing different models which are targeting different consumers. Additionally, every year I am in South Africa for two months, as conditions there are the most extreme and it is an ideal place to work on small sizes. Due to the super strong and cold wind, the kites can be tested to their structural limits. On the other hand, we have the perfect light and ultra-light wind conditions on the mountain lakes near my home base, which is perfect for foil

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and for ultra-light wind concepts. I also often travel to the Baltic Sea, as I have not found any other place with such perfect wind and water conditions as there.

Where is kite design heading over the next few years do you think? There is quite a clear tendency: like in many other sports, the products will get lighter and/or more durable. I design paragliders for the brand ICARO, and the paragliding industry is all about going light. It does not always only generate big benefits, but in general it widens the product and user spectrum. Saying this, we do have some very interesting ultra-light weight projects going on currently. To be honest, we have been developing those ideas for years already. This goes from bladder-less kite technologies to seamless ultra-sonic welding. A very complex topic and not easy to handle on a production level, but we will make it work one day! On the other hand, we are constantly developing new materials with our suppliers to also increase durability. As a market leader we have the benefit of having access to the most modern and sophisticated materials.

And looking further forward – what would be your more futuristic predictions?! It’s tricky to predict future innovations, but one thing is for sure, kitesurfing will progress towards a wider range of special interest markets. Foiling is such a great innovation and addition to the sport, which will automatically lead to new inventions. As mentioned before,

an ultra-light wind kite will also surely play a big part in this game. Just to give you an example, we already have protos which are fully operational in five knots of wind. These already have a reliable water relaunch which is a major difficulty in this aspect of kite design. Foiling is also opening a door for other wind powered applications. Just take an iRIG and mount it to a SUP foil board and you will be able to go in 3-4 knots – a huge mass market which will automatically reflect back to kitesurfing. Also, the whole Olympic development will affect the kitesurfing world in one way or another and will focus us to go more and more into development. One of the best examples is the TU-Berlin project called TETA (Test and Evaluation of Tethered Airfoils), which I have attended the last three years. Together with the Technical University Berlin, we realized an automated test-bench which is able to validate kite related flight parameters. The captured parameters allow me to study every single aspect of kite design to a degree which has never been achieved before. It is the next level of development and I am proud to be a part of this project. The test set up is a measuring system mounted on a trailer which is pulled behind a car, automatically flying a kite. All flight relevant data such as depower ability, steering pressure and so on can be captured precisely. That means testing and developing kites will not be limited to subjective feelings. A great improvement for future developments.

You have your own company, Ralf Grösel Design (RGD). What does RGD get up to aside from kiting? RGD is the 100% owner of the Adventure Design GmbH which operates three brands, OXLEY-Sails, GYBE-Design and ICAROParagliders. In 2011 I founded GYBE-Design, a company dedicated to inflatable structures such as event tents, event equipment and rescue tents. I have also been developing inflatable camping tents for the Volkswagen T5/T6 and Mercedes V-Class. OXLEY-sails has two main products which were invented by Hartmut Schädlich 20 years ago and I helped tweak them to a commercial state 15 years ago. It’s a

very special fusion between a spinnaker and a gennaker, with a lifting wing combined. These wings, also known as parasailor and parasail, are very successful products and the foundation for a surrounding portfolio. ICARO Paragliding has been in the industry for 17 years and was added to the Adventure Design GmbH recently with a complete rebranding.

And do you still take part in paragliding, where it all began for you? Yes, my career started with paragliding and therefore I still feel well connected to the sport. Designing gilders is like playing threedimensional chess as you have to be able to reach the intended flight characteristics, but also passing the certification criteria. This can only be achieved if you find the right test pilot, who speaks the same design-language as you. It’s a process where you really have to trust each other and this intense teamwork is very satisfying for me. I do fly and test all my gliders by myself, to give it my personal touch. However, I feel a bit too old to fly all test maneuvers by myself !

And your newest project stays more on the ground than in the air, what can you tell us about that? Yes, we do operate the GYBE-RACING Team, which is a platform for my business partner and I and to fulfil our petrol-head dream! I am a very competitive person and racing cars is just an ideal playground to have teamwork and single skills combined. Also modifying and designing or engineering new or different parts for our cars is a great hobby. Renovating or rebuilding “old-timers” is also a passion. I believe that it is essential to maintain things from the past for the next generations. Cars from the early 60s have so much charm and simplicity in smart sense combined, that they will always stand out for their genius way of reduced complexity. u

T H E C R E AT O R S

How do you manage all of these different companies and projects?! In Germany we have a saying “Viele Wege führen nach Rom”, which means there are a lot of different ways to approach one goal. I didn’t like it, as mathematically there is only one fastest/best way! My goal is therefore not to find a way, but to find the best and fastest way to solve a problem. This philosophy is not only reflected in my way of designing, it is also adapted to the way I operate my companies. Several years ago, I realized that the grade of complexity within the businesses was too high to have it be operated by humans only. This was the starting point for my biggest project called PicaSix. This is a browser-based ERP software application which handles the entire product chain and every sale related matter. Highly complex and customized products can be easily managed from the sales entities and data is created in a way that the risk of potential mistakes are literally eliminated on its way to the production floor. Due to the generic architecture, various sales strategies can be applied and new modules and functionalities are added to the system twice per month. This software is the essence of 25 years involvement in several business and

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captures the input from pretty much every possible angle alongside the development and supply chain. It’s the heart of all my brands and I could just not do so many projects simultaneously without it, as every potential step is automized and optimized.

And what do you do for fun? Sitting on a quiet beach doing nothing would make me crazy. My head never stops to compute, which is a great advantage to constantly solve problems or just to run the required operations, allowing me to operate projects in parallel. However, the downside is that relaxation in the known way is not possible for me. Driving in circles as fast as possible is a fantastic way to get fully concentrated on a single allencompassing event which is, in the end, very relaxing for me!

And when do you sleep?! Every night, but it doesn’t stop me from thinking…

~ GALLERY ~

GKA KITE-SURF WORLD CUP, CAPE VERDE WORDS: THEKITEMAG PHOTOS: YDWER VAN DER HEIDE

f the wind and wave Gods were looking at last year’s GKA KiteSurf t our, then they would hopefully agree that 2019 is due a little more juice… Last year’s tour had it all in terms of riders and events but lacked the quality conditions to allow the riders to really showcase what they had in the wave department… So, if you like to believe in good omens, then waking up to the first day of competition in Cape Verde was indisputably a very, very good one. The conditions were off the scale (even by Cape Verdean standards) with double overhead waves pounding iconic Ponta Preta with incredible regularity. No real waiting for sets, just ride an impossibly perfect wave, kick off, ride out, and then see another one sat there waiting for you… The first two days of the event saw some of the biggest waves ever ridden in competition (certainly rivalling the epic KSP wave event in Mauritius at the start of the decade), and the riders all stepped up. For the local guys this was their chance to shine in front of friends and family, and for the rest of the riders it was time to pinch yourself to make sure what you were seeing was actually happening…

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Day one and it was clear from the outset that Mitu knew this was his time. This was Ponta Preta as good as it gets, and Mitu has ridden it like this more times than anyone else on the planetâ&#x20AC;Ś

Another perfect canvas presents itself… We’re not sure whether the guy in the headphones is waiting for his heat or just enjoying the show – but hopefully he’s playing some tunes befitting of the occasion.

Local rider Titik Lopes epitomized the attitude of the local riders, riding every wave as if his life depended on it. He slotted into as many barrels on this day as any other rider and was charging. In a super-tight heat, he eventually lost out to Reece Myerscough but if he had made it through he would have been right in the mix.

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OCEAN RODEO AD

You probably don’t get many days like this in Nicola Abadjiev’s native Bulgaria, so it was no surprise that he was riding super hard and making the most of it…

Ever wondered how much a 6ft leash will stretch? Ralph Boelen on the case with some hands-on experimentation.

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Mitu was so in the zone for the event that he didn’t even seem to worry too much about insignificant things like line tension… Here he is maximizing his downwind flow before reconnecting and moving onto his next clinical top-to-bottom maneuver.

Last man on the water and last man on the beach… The end of one of the most incredible day’s kitesurfing ever witnessed.

G A L L E RY : G K A K I T E - S U R F WO R L D C U P, C A P E V E R D E

Reece Myerscough had clocked up a couple of months here in the r un up to the event, and had scored one of the best r uns of swells in recent timesâ&#x20AC;Ś The practice showed. His riding was precise and aggressive, and was nearly enough to get him into the later stages of the event.

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Local favorite Matchu laid down some insane moves – and every wave he caught was met with a roar from the beach. It just wasn’t to be his event this year but knowing Matchu he was probably equally stoked for the rest of the waveriding guys…

G A L L E RY : G K A K I T E - S U R F WO R L D C U P, C A P E V E R D E

If you had to pick a shot to show perfect poise and textbook technique then this would be it. Sebastian Ribeiro reflecting on a job well done on that last turn, and eyeing up the next sectionâ&#x20AC;Ś

Moona back in the game and enjoying some conditions more like those she is used to at home in Hawaiiâ&#x20AC;Ś She was loving the wave and was always going to be the one to beat. But she proved unbeatable.

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The man and his machine. This photo kind of says it all: Mitu is Cape Verde. And he is now crowned the king of the island. For this year at leastâ&#x20AC;Ś

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This was the kind of event where you could immediately make a name for yourself. If you stepped up and rode hard in these kind of conditions then the kitesurfing world would take notice. Enter Charlotte Carpentier who – as you can see – wasn’t too phased by what was on offer.

G A L L E RY : G K A K I T E - S U R F WO R L D C U P, C A P E V E R D E

Nobody in the event rode more waves than Airton. He was on every thing that came through and he often rode t wice as many waves as the other rider in his heat. Maybe if he had been a little more selective he would have taken the win. But thatâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s not in Airtonâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s nature: he just wants to hit as many waves as he canâ&#x20AC;Ś Here he is showcasing his riding both over and under the lip.

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Cape Verdean riders have dominated the competitive wave riding scene for a few years now. Theyâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;re fierce competitors but, when the horn goes for the end of the heat, theyâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;re back to being brothers. Here are Mitu and Airton sharing a wave home.

G A L L E RY : G K A K I T E - S U R F WO R L D C U P, C A P E V E R D E

What an event. I’m sure everyone was just stoked to be part of it – but these six riders were more stoked than most…

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MEN 1: Mitu Monteiro 2: Airton Cozzolino 3: James Carew

WOMEN 1: Moona Why te 2: Inês Correia 3: Johanna Catharina Edin

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STUFF We like the look of... 2.

1. RRD Shield Harness

2. ION Golf Bag

3. Naish Triad

RRD’s new harness collection has just hit the ground. The Shield has a 3D-molded carbon plate, with a naturally curved back and pre-formed profile which spreads the load for maximum back support. The harness doesn’t absorb any water to keep things light, and the slightly slimmer profile ensures maximum freedom of movement. A reworked bar pad with stabilizer wings then keeps things rock solid where it matters, and ensures that you can just focus on your riding, and not your ribs…

Nobody likes starting their trip away trying to cram two kites into one kite bag, wearing their harness on the plane, or begging their ‘significant other’ to put your wetsuit in their carry-on… Bags matter. And if you want to kick off your trip in the right way then the ION Golf Bag will see you comfortably cruising through the airport with three kites, two boards and with a smile on your face!

It’s shaping up to be a big year for kites with a whole lot of entirely new designs hitting the ground from the main brands. Naish have got very high hopes and a lot of stoke about the Triad. It is their nodoubt-about-it All Rounder kite with accessibility at its core, but with enough performance to keep 99% of the kiteboarding population smiling…

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4. Mystic LEN10 Zip Free Wetsuit A whole new LEN10 collection has just landed. There’s a massive range of new LEN10 kit including a harness, an impact vest, a neoprene jacket and this: the LEN10 Majestic Zip Free wetsuit. It’s built from 100% M-Flex 2.0, with stretchtape on the inside and with polar lining on the chest and back panels. So no excuse for not getting on the water and working on those Megaloops.

STUFF We like the look of... 5.

5. KOLD Polar

6. F-ONE HALO

7. Flysurfer BOOST3

8. ODO Compact Pro

The new POLAR is a performance freeride board that will meet the needs of the vast majority of twintip riders. It has an accessible and forgiving outline, then the double concave and channels provide plenty of additional grip for loading up, and for trucking upwind. It’s not all about performance though; Mario Rodwald has worked incredibly hard to minimize the environmental impact of producing the POLAR, including ground-breaking new techniques such as using flax fiber over traditional glass fiber...

It’s new kite time! F-ONE will soon be introducing the HALO to their foil kite line up. Designed as an ‘everyman (or woman) kite’ for accessible light wind action, or for general foiling, freeride or slope-side fun, the HALO is built from 38g canopy material with insignia half circle reinforcement attachment points to increase the durability and will be available in sizes 8, 10, 12, 15 and 19m.

Flysurfer’s freeride and Big Air beast really impressed our test team with its accessible performance. Its higher Aspect Ratio makes it look pretty hardcore but we found that it was actually an easy, fun and unthreatening kite to fly with lovely, smooth power delivery. But if you DO want to really send it then you’d better hold on tight…

The Compact Pro is designed for small or sloppy wave slashing and for working on your above-the-lip game. Its relatively low volume, single concave and longitudinal strip of carbon tape provide plenty of pop and performance for strapless freestyle, and the wide tail and thruster fin set up will ensure that you can keep flowing into turns and kicking up spray regardless of the conditions.

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STUFF We like the look of... 9.

10.

11.

12.

9. Duotone Mono

10. Ocean Rodeo Flite

11. Levitaz Cruizer + Match

12. Quobba Fins

The Mono has caused a lot of excitement with its latest release. It has been completely reworked for 2019 with designer Ken Winner starting afresh with the design to reflect the explosion in the popularity of foiling and the increasing versatility of one strut kites. First impressions are that the Mono has stepped up a weight division with its lower aspect giving it a much boxier profile. Ken says that you can expect less flutter, more progressive power development and that it is pretty much ‘backstall proof’. We’re looking forward to putting it to the test…

The Flite is designed to perform well on lighter days but not to offer any compromises when it comes to performance. Its rigid platform makes the most of every knot of wind, so whether you’re foiling with a small Flite or sending it with a larger one on a lighter day, you can expect the kind of tuned in responsive performance that you don’t get with every lightwind kite on the market…

A category winner in our Ultimate Test, we actually had trouble getting a few of the test team off the water when they got going on the Cruizer… It’s an easy foil to ride, but its stand out feature was the amount of control through turns and the cruisey transitions. It really was the king of flow…

You may have spotted a few differences in the fin choice of a few of the top riders in Cape Verde… Airton, Matchu, and James Carew were all riding Quobba fins. Take a closer look and you’ll see that these aren’t like your ‘standard’ fins – they have an extra ‘side fin’ and a wider base. The result: a fin that holds much better at speed. The surf community have been going crazy for them, and for kiters – traveling faster than your average surfer – the benefits are clear…

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By Steven Akkersdijk PHOTOS: Steven Akkersdijk and JosĂŠ Denis-Robichaud

hen I’m looking at female kiteboarding, there are a few women who stand out for their incredible riding abilities. These are the girls that go on the water and blow your mind with their tricks and powerful riding. For a long time this list has included riders like Bruna Kajiya, Jalou Langeree, Mikaili Sol, Pippa van Iersel and Hannah Whiteley. Then a couple of years ago another girl just came out of nowhere and blasted her way to the top of that list. Angely Bouillot made such a big impression on me that I think my jaw actually dropped (and I ate sand for the rest of the day because it was so windy). This moment was at the product shoot for the CORE GTS5. We drove over to a super windy beach and decided to bring Angely so she could see how we shoot, and we were also super curious as to how she was riding and if she could perform in front of the camera. There were a few line length options to choose from, ranging from 10m to 18m lines. At shoots and in general I can say that most CORE riders really enjoy the shorter lines as it gives you a big yank and it will catch you when it’s way below you! Angely took the shortest option possible (10m lines) which she rigged on a 9m GTS5 in 35 knots… When she pulled her first loop I thought we’d be taking her away on a stretcher. The kite got right in front of her and the loop pulled her straight in to a rotation. Miraculously she managed to get the kite back up and come down unharmed (even though she lost her board mid jump). Where most people would call it a day, she went straight back out there to stick the landing on her next loop. After a few more crashes and landings she came back to the beach: “I don’t understand, every time I land the chickenloop unhooks.” At that moment we noticed her chickenloop didn’t have a donkeydick. So a quick tip on her downloops later, she went back out there and got the most amazing megaloop shot I’ve ever seen from a female kiteboarder. From this moment on I was so impressed with this girl that I wanted to know what’s going on in her head when she’s out there. It was time to sit down and put a few questions to her… u

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THE QUEEN OF BIG AIR

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W hen did you pull your first loop? A few years ago I entered a competition in Leucate. There was a prize for the best crash, so this was the perfect timing to try something new. A friend of mine explained to me how to do a kiteloop and I went straight out there to try it. Of course this ended up in a big crash as I had only been kiting one month a year at that time. But the crash won me the competition!

W hat is your favorite location for kiteloops and why? There are so many good places to kite. But if the location combines flat water with strong winds and an occasional kicker wave, I’m in my dream spot. This winter I’ve spent most of my time in Cape Town which I absolutely love! There are good vibes all around and you can find some really strong wind. After Cape Town I went to the Kitefest in Argentina and I also really enjoyed this place. I even landed a kiteloop one footer for the first time there.

Do you have any particular ways of getting yourself in the zone for those super windy days? When I see good wind in the forecast I just want to get out there. I already get excited the day before and when I finally reach the beach I get straight on the water. In the beginning I’ll take it a little bit slow as I want to get used to the conditions. But after that it’s full power!

W hich kite and board are you happiest riding for those super heavy days? When the wind is ON I really enjoy riding the CORE GTS5 8m on 20m lines and the XR5 on 22m lines. These kites both have their own specialties that I really love. The GTS5 will pull kiteloops that you won’t easily forget. It’s like pressing the “launch” button on a rocket! When I go out on the XR5 it just takes me up and I never come down. When you think that you’ve reached the highest point, it takes you even higher! In combination with these kites I ride the Carved Imperator. This board is so light that it actually feels like you only have flip flops on your feet… u

THE QUEEN OF BIG AIR

W hat do you think about the B ig A ir competitive scene for women at the moment? I believe we’re only at the beginning of a competitive Big Air scene. There are so many girls that can go big, but I think we can go way bigger. At the moment we just need more girls to compete and train for the Big Air competition. When we have more girls competing I also think the level will shoot up.

W hat was your biggest “oh shit” moment? I was kiting in Morocco with side offshore conditions. The waves were huge and after an unsuccessful attempt to evade one of these big rollers, I got washed in the biggest washing machine you can imagine. I crashed my kite and was unable to relaunch it. The wind took me further and further away from the beach where the water turned pitch black. When I looked back at the beach and just saw it getting smaller and smaller I knew that I was in trouble. Luckily for me there were three Moroccan windsurfers who called a boat that came and picked me up. In the end I spent three-and-a-half-hours in the water and when I came back to the beach one of my friends thought I had died for sure. In the end all turned out well, but it scared me a lot.

W hat is your highest recorded jump? Did you know it was your highest after the jump? The highest jump I made that was recorded by WOO clocked in at 23.8m. It was a session that I shared with Joshua Emanuel. This is already a while back and I’m sure I’ve jumped way higher recently, I just haven’t been riding a lot with the WOO.

I heard you have also been speed riding with the kite. C an you tell me when and why you started? W hat is your top speed? I started kitesurfing because a friend of mine said I should enter the speed competition at Mondial du Vent in Leucate. He taught me how to ride a speed board in two weeks so I could compete, and I got a third place. Six months after this competition I competed again in a different event where I managed to get first place! There are quite a lot of riders in the area where I’m from that try to go as fast as possible, this made it very interesting for me to try it as well. My top speed is 49.27 knots, which is 91kmh.

Do you have a male and female idol in kiteboarding? W ho and why? When I started kitesurfing I was not really checking the internet. I just wanted to get better than my brother who was also kitesurfing. In the end this didn’t turn out to be that hard! After passing my brother I was always looking at the people I’ve been riding with and trying to learn from them and I have continued riding like that with lots of great riders to learn from in Cape Town.

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B est moment in kiteboarding? In Cape Town a couple of girls and I organized the “Queen of the Air” competition. This was a huge success for the first edition as we had some really cool girls joining the comp and the vibes around it were just awesome. We had an entire crowd watching us from the Mystic house whilst the girls were sending it. Not only was it an awesome day where I met a lot of amazing and supportive people, but I also won the competition.

Do you have any goals for 2019? I would love to involve more girls in extreme kiteboarding and help organize some female Big Air events. Next to that I would really like to compete with the guys in the Red Bull King of the Air and the Red Bull Megaloop. u

'There are so many girls that can go big, but I think we can go way bigger'

THE QUEEN OF BIG AIR

'I would love to involve more girls in extreme kiteboarding'

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THE QUEEN OF BIG AIR

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THE P RO DUC ERS

Ewan Jaspan and Alex Lewis-Hughes went back to their roots with their full length video part, Behold & Sea. Charting their travels and explorations over a year, it was very well received and even the most hardened thumb-twitching-social-mediascrollers stopped and took notice. Which was the planâ&#x20AC;Ś WORDS // EWAN JASPAN PHOTOS // ALEX LEWIS-HUGHES

Where has the backbone of boardsports gone? What killed it and why do we need to bring it back? I can’t exactly say I grew up watching boardsport videos throughout my childhood, as before I took up kiteboarding at the age of 13 my main sports were football and tennis. Following the Premier League and the Grand Slams is a pretty different vibe to following the content that is produced by the various boardsports that now exist. After moving close to the beach in Melbourne, Australia, and taking up my new sport, what followed next was an obsession with watching every single video online and on DVD/VHS that I could find and reading every magazine back-to-front time and time again. It’s not an obsession I have grown out of, but the scene has changed, and I’m not sure it’s for the best. Back then, to find the content you wanted to watch you would have to search. I would go to the local kite shops and borrow videos, go to the newsagents to find the latest magazines and sit there reading them, or watch DVDs at events and competitions. Even during the time when I was getting into the sport, the long kite movie seemed almost dead, with Autofocus being one of the last ones to come out that had a true focus on progression and innovation of the sport, while the industry seemed to shift towards content focused on selling gear and instant fulfilment. My main idols back then were Aaron Hadlow and Andre Phillip, and the videos they used to put out would be of the highest standard in the sport. The effort and dedication to the cause was second to none, especially from Aaron, and is something that has stuck with me to this day and fueled my ambitions to create a full length video of my own, after years of putting out short videos which slowly turned into shorter clips fine-tuned for social media.

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And here lies the issue: Social Media Since Facebook and Instagram have come to dominate the online world and our lives, our attention spans have become shorter and shorter, and the amount of content rammed down our throats has become greater and greater, and it’s (literally) all at our fingertips. Not only is the content all easily accessible, but now everyone has a full HD camera attached to them to add to the clutter. In your pocket lies a constant feed of photos and videos, and to stand out from all the trash, you need that instant wow factor. Whether

A FULL LENGTH PART. A FORGOTTEN ART. A BOARDSPORT STAPLE. it be through Photoshop, a bad crash, a stupid stunt or a funny moment, it’s all aimed at instant gratification and a quick ‘like’. With all this content cluttering up your phone, and the fact that social media has killed forums, harmed print media, made DVDs redundant, and reduced our attention spans to an all-time low, it makes for a difficult time to find content with any kind of meaning. When a 20 second clip of someone throwing cheese on their pet’s face gets 100 million views, it makes you think: ‘is this really worth the effort?’ Another issue social media has brought along is how we quantify a rider’s value to their sponsor, and a shift in where people think their efforts should lie. The board riding industry used to generally focus on the rider’s ability to kitesurf, which is how it should be, right? Obviously you had to be a great brand ambassador as well, but u

THE PRODUCERS

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showing your level through video parts and dedication to progression of the sport was key. Nowadays it seems to be: how many followers do you have on Instagram and how many likes did your last post get? Sure, this is relevant as the larger the audience the more exposure for the brand, but if you ever get the chance to scroll through a large number of ‘pro-kiteboarders” likes and followers, you will see the people who follow them are not exactly the target market of the kite industry, and more importantly are just focused on how the person looks (or looks online), instead of their impact on the sport. The moral of the story here is: don’t get fooled by the Insty model who can fly a kite with 80K followers. The positive here is that the industry is now starting to see through this, and as important as social media is, it is important that your followers are true and involved with your content, which must be genuine and engaging. Rant over. There are many reasons as to why the video part is so vital to boardsports…

Progression. The most important thing in both sports and in life! Filming a video part pushes you harder than you ever would normally, and this forces progression to occur. When someone releases a video with NBDs (Never-Been-Done tricks) these then become the new benchmark, which sits at the peak until the next person comes along and releases their new part with their own NBDs. Progression in riding has helped the sport progress in many ways. Riders pushing the limits has helped develop better equipment for the entire market. Materials get put through their paces, designs become

better to give the top riders an edge, and video filming and editing becomes higher quality, all of these things lead to a better experience for all and help to grow the sport in a positive way. To express yourself. Expression is one of the main reasons why anyone performs a boardsport. When you are riding your board, whatever it may be, you are doing so for fun and expression. You are riding how you want to ride and that is how you portray yourself. The video part is important here as you can express yourself and inspire others.

To create content that will last the test of time. Nowadays your content is lucky to last 24 hours on social media, it’s been and gone quicker than ever before and before you know it, you’re already making your next post to try and garner as many likes as possible to show your sponsors your worth. A proper movie will be timeless and will be around forever. It’s something to be proud of and will hopefully hold a place in your sport. u

THE PRODUCERS

FRAGMENTS OF BEHOLD & SEA...

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THE PRODUCERS

AFTER MANY YEARS OF WORKING ON SHORT CLIPS AND FINDING MYSELF RELEASING ALL MY BEST CONTENT ONTO INSTAGRAM, I DECIDED TO SPEND A YEAR DOING IT ALL DIFFERENT AGAIN AND FILMING FOR A FULL VIDEO. Inspired by our early pioneers and some of the best riders from snowboarding, skateboarding and surfing, I got together with Alex Lewis-Hughes (Rowdy) and filmed throughout the season from Perth in WA, to Squamish in Canada and finishing up in Brazil. We held back all the footage from 2018 (January to November) and I ended up releasing ‘Behold & Sea’ in January this year. We began in Perth with the freestyle section. This one was easier for me but unfortunately cut slightly short as I tore my pec muscle just as I was starting to feel really comfortable in my riding. My main aim for this part was to do all my tricks as clean and perfectly as I could and execute them exactly how I imagined them in my head. I was super stoked how this part came out and I think it was definitely the best executed section, riding wise. My highlight would have been the Melan Front Mobe 7 at Woodies. This part in the movie was also edited very differently to the rest of the video. I think it was the most widely liked section as well from the feedback, which is unsurprising given it’s one of the only sections without park riding, ha! From there we traveled back to my home in Melbourne where we weren’t too lucky with conditions but were able to show the local watering holes. From our inner-city kite Mecca of St Kilda, to the new Melbourne Cable Park to Frankston beach, we got to show the vibes. Moving on to the North American section which took up the majority of the viewing time, we began at the biggest event of the year, the Triple S in Cape Hatteras. Unfortunately, Alex wasn’t able to make it out before the event to film so we didn’t get much riding footage, but the section showed the vibe of the event well, and even through a rough year of wind for the competition, I was stoked to come away with 2nd place to Brandon Scheid and take the tour on to Squamish. I’ve visited Squamish a couple of times now, and it’s safe to say it’s one of the most naturally stunning places in the world, u and somewhere you would never imagine yourself kiteboarding. The spot is located on a man-made rock spit out in the middle of the Howe Sound in British Columbia and surrounded by sheer cliffs and snow-capped mountains. The wind is a perfect thermal that blows in straight offshore to the spit and creates a great flat water kite spot. We traveled there to compete and help run the Kite Clash event, which is one of my favorite events of the year. It’s run by such a great group of people who are just down to have TheKiteMag.com

a good time and share the sport with the community. We also got to spend some time off-grid at Sam Medysky’s new pad up in the mountains where we learnt the ‘far north’ ways of living. Next we headed back to Hood River to work on the hardest section of the movie. The reason the Hood section was so hard to create is due to the conditions you receive in the Gorge. The spot is situated on the Oregon side of the Columbia River, approximately three hours inland drive from the coast. The winds are turbulent and not best suited to the technicalities of park riding. Once you get past the wind though, there is an amazing park set up which is free to the public and on offer 24/7. The crew there is about as helpful and friendly as you can find and people are down to push their riding all day every day, which leads to banger tricks and NBDs being thrown down regularly. Not only that, but the scenery is also so special in Hood, so filming a part of the movie there was a must. We ended up creating my favorite section of the film here, especially through the song and editing. I loved the way it all came together over time, and the addition of a solid ‘friends section’ really brought this section to the top of my list. Last up we hit the lagoons of Brazil, this time in Icapuí at the Kite Mansion. Annelous Lammerts and Alex Maes have been raving about this spot for years, so when they organized an event there we had to make the trip. They made a park that was different to everywhere else in the world and it was all handrails that were rusted up in shallow water. The feeling on these rails is second to none and also to nail your tricks on rusty metal is far more risky and rewarding than on the nice white plastic we have elsewhere. This part of the movie was all filmed in a couple of days, which shows how the steady hairdryer wind in Brazil has an effect on your riding. We had our struggles from injury, conditions, camera problems and even just being in the same place at the same time, but in the end, we held it together and produced something to be proud of and pay homage to the most important part of the boardsport: the video part. We really hope that more people will focus on creating meaningful content dedicated to the progression of the sport and continue on the right path for everyone’s sake! It’s time to bring the sport back from the depths of social media and back into the magazines, video parts and forums!

THE PRODUCERS

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OUT OF THE

Cold

WHEN YOU CAST YOUR EYES DOWN THE LIST OF NATIONALITIES COMPETING AT THE GKA THERE IS ONE FLAG THAT JUMPS OUT AT YOU: CANADA. REECE MYERSCOUGH IS INTO HIS SECOND YEAR ON TOUR AND TURNED A LOT OF HEADS AT THE FIRST EVENT IN CAPE VERDE WHERE HE WAS REALLY RIDING HARD AND MADE IT THROUGH TO THE QUARTER FINALS. WE CAUGHT UP WITH HIM TO FIND OUT HOW HE HAS FOUND THE TRANSITION FROM SUB-ZERO SESSIONS ON VANCOUVER ISLAND TO DOUBLE OVERHEAD PONTA PRETA.

PHOTO: GKA / Ydwer van der Heide

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PHOTO: Jay Wallace

HEY REECE, THANKS FOR TAKING THE TIME TO CATCH UP WITH US. FOR ANY RIDERS NOT FAMILIAR WITH YOU, CAN YOU TELL US A BIT ABOUT YOUR BACKGROUND AND WHEN YOU BEGAN KITING? I am a Canadian kitesurfer and mechanical engineer starting my second year on the GKA World Tour. I was 14 when I first took a kite on the water, although I had been flying kites, surfing, skim boarding, and skateboarding since I was about five. When the conditions are flat, I work for Ocean Rodeo, Innovate 3, and Camosun College designing, prototyping, and testing kiteboarding equipment.

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WHATâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;S A TYPICAL SESSION LIKE BACK HOME? I am lucky enough to live right on the water in Victoria, British Columbia. In the spring, summer, and fall we get thermal winds ranging from 12-30 knots that pick up every evening in front of my house. A typical session for me is simple: I design kite equipment during the day, then come home in the afternoon when the wind picks up. I throw on my drysuit, walk down the stairs in front of my house to the beach, then go kiting and test out any new stuff that I have been working on that day. Then I come back up the stairs and get in the hot tub!

IT WAS SO WINDY IN THE GUSTS THAT YOU COULDN’T GET ANY SPEED UP OTHERWISE YOU JUST KEEP ACCELERATING UNTIL YOU EXPLODE.

CAN YOU TALK US THROUGH WHAT AN EXTREME SESSION IS LIKE BACK HOME? WE’VE RUN SOME SHOTS IN THE MAGAZINE OF YOU RIGGING UP IN THE SNOW?! In the winter, conditions can get a little more extreme. I don’t often go out in the snow because it’s honestly not that enjoyable, but it makes for a good shot and a good story! Often just driving to the spot is sketchy because the cars just slide around on the icecovered roads. The real hardcore storm sessions we get on Vancouver Island come from the southeast so they are a little bit warmer and enjoyable. I have been out in conditions gusting up to 6570 knots one time. It was so windy in the gusts that you couldn’t get any speed up otherwise you just keep accelerating until you explode. That was on a 5m… YOU GENERALLY KITE IN A DRYSUIT, HOW DO YOU FIND THIS? I kite in a drysuit year-round when I am freestyling at home. Riding in a drysuit is much more comfortable to me than in a thick wetsuit. I find that the drysuit is lighter, more flexible, and I get to wear a super warm fleece onesie underneath! I’ll take putting on a warm pair of pyjamas any day over a slightly moist and itchy wetsuit. The only time I ditch the drysuit at home is in the surf when I trade it out for my 5/4mm wetsuit which is a little more streamlined.

PHOTO: Jay Wallace

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I USUALLY LAST ONE HOUR MAX BEFORE I START TO GET NUMB FINGERS AND FACIAL FEATURES.

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PHOTO: Jay Wallace

HOW DO YOU KEEP YOUR HANDS WARM WHEN IT IS SUB-ZERO? When it gets sub-zero, there really isn’t a way to keep your hands warm, just ways to delay the inevitable loss of feeling… I wear five finger 3mm gloves when it starts to get a little chilly. The 3mm gloves are a nice compromise between dexterity and warmth. Any thicker than 3mm and it gets hard to grip the bar, the board, and access the quick releases in my opinion. In the negative temperatures, I usually last one hour max before I start to get numb fingers and facial features. WHAT’S YOUR BEVERAGE AND MEAL OF CHOICE AFTER A CHILL CANADIAN SESSION? My favorite post-sessions meal would have to be Kraft Dinner. It tastes good, it fills you up, and it only takes about 30 seconds to cook. What else do you need? (For all you Euros out there who don’t know what Kraft Dinner is: it’s the best mac and cheese in the entire world.)

PHOTO: Jay Wallace

THERE SEEMS TO BE A SUPER SOLID SCENE AROUND THERE – I GUESS WHEN IT TAKES THAT MUCH COMMITMENT TO GO KITING YOU GET SOME PRETTY COMMITTED RIDERS?! On Vancouver Island there is a hardcore group of about 20-30 kiters that always find a way on the water no matter the conditions throughout the year. Because the conditions are so difficult, the average level of kiting is extremely high compared to most places. Each year it seems like that group is growing more and more. People are showing up at the beach that I don’t recognize, it’s good to see!

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PHOTO: Gabriele Rumbolo

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HOW DID YOU BEGIN RIDING OCEAN RODEO KIT AND WHEN DID YOU BEGIN AS ONE OF THEIR TEAM RIDERS? Ocean Rodeo is our family business, so I have been riding the gear since I started about seven years ago. I began testing gear about four years ago and competing locally three years ago which is when I really started to work closer with the team. MOVING ON TO THE WAVERIDING SCENE, WHEN DID YOU BEGIN RIDING IN WAVES? I wasted no time and was kiting in waves about six months after I started. As soon as I was going upwind I was riding strapless. I have always been more interested in surfing and skateboarding aspects of kiting so I’m always looking for the surf ! CAN YOU TAKE US THROUGH YOUR MAIN HOME SPOTS FOR RIDING WAVES AND THE KIND OF CONDITIONS YOU GET THERE? Wave kiting Vancouver Island is a little bit challenging to get the conditions to line up properly. You have to do a little bit of driving and we mainly get side-shore or side-onshore conditions, with shoulder to head high waves. Even though it’s small most of the time, the quality of the breaks are very high, so the size doesn’t matter too much. However, several times a year when the conditions line up, there are a few spots where you can find a little bit of cross-offshore wind and larger swell. YOU BUILD YOUR OWN BOARDS AS WELL – DID YOU TEACH YOURSELF THIS? Over the past few years I have been designing and testing directional and TT boards for Ocean Rodeo. I learned how to shape boards from the design team at Ocean Rodeo and some of the experienced hand shapers based in Victoria. Through my schooling in mechanical engineering I learned how to use CNC machines. I now have access to the machines at my school which includes an extremely large $800,000 CNC machine and a composites room filled with all sorts of techy equipment that helps me laminate the boards. CAN YOU TAKE US THROUGH SOME OF THE BOARDS YOU HAVE MADE AND WHAT YOU HAVE BEEN RIDING IN COMPETITIONS? Since I started competing on the GKA World Tour I

have been designing and testing strapless boards that I can use to compete on tour. My favorite shape right now is a board that I’m calling “The Creep”. The Creep is composed of a skateboarding-influenced freestyle outline and a heavy surfing rocker. The “egg” shaped outline of the board is derived from street skateboards where the rounded nose and tail of the boards are almost identical. This helps with the inertia of the board while doing aerial spins, flips, shove-its, and landing backwards. By putting lots of rocker in The Creep, the board has a tighter turning radius and makes it more difficult to stuff the nose underwater in the surf and landing fast in choppy conditions. I designed The Creep specifically for competitions like Dakhla which are a combination of strapless freestyle and wave riding, but I ended up competing with it in the solid surf we had in Cape Verde. WHEN DID YOU DECIDE TO BEGIN COMPETING ON THE GKA – WAS IT A BIT DAUNTING KNOWING THAT YOU WOULD BE COMPETING AGAINST GUYS LIKE AIRTON, MATCHU AND KEAHI? I decided to give the World Tour a shot after finishing school. It took a little bit of guts to throw myself into the first event of the year at pumping Ponta Preta against the likes of Mitu, Airton, Matchu, Keahi etc… Coming from North America, we never get to see the top European riders so all I had to gauge the level on tour was the highlight videos the GKA was producing at each event. But I figured I had nothing to lose, so why not go for it and see what happens! THIS YEAR BEGAN WITH WHAT WAS QUITE PROBABLY THE MOST EPIC WAVERIDING EVENT WE HAVE EVER SEEN – WHEN DID YOU HEAD TO CAPE VERDE AND HOW MUCH DID YOU TRAIN? The conditions don’t really get much better than it did at Ponta Preta this February. The waves were perfectly groomed double overhead peelers for two-and-a-half weeks straight. I went to Cabo Verde about a month before the event to get tuned up to the extremely offshore waveriding conditions at Ponta Preta. On average I was doing three sessions a day but there were so many epic days in a row of kiting and surfing that I was having to take days off. Even when the waves were still pumping so I wouldn’t hurt myself by getting overtired.

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SOME OF THESE SHOTS ARE FROM BEFORE THE EVENT – THE CONDITIONS LOOK PRETTY INSANE! Yeah! I had some of the most epic sessions before the event both kiting and surfing. I would often go out for a surf early in the morning before it got crowded and then go for one or two more kite sessions in the afternoon when the wind was at its peak. It seemed like everyone that lived in Santa Maria was at Ponta Preta during some point of the day, either kiting, surfing, windsurfing, or taking pictures and videos! HOW IS THE VIBE IN THE WATER? The vibe is always good in Cabo Verde but when the waves are pumping anywhere, there can always be a little bit of tension. For the most part everyone knew the rules and stoke levels were high but a couple times I had some sessions where there were 30 kites out, 10 windsurfers, 15 surfers, and a couple of boogies! At that point it’s just chaos because the waves are double overhead and there are 20 people all going for the same wave… So yeah, sometimes people can get a little aggro when they see someone taking more than their fair share. CAN YOU TAKE US THROUGH ANY STANDOUT SESSIONS IN THE RUN UP TO THE EVENT? I think the best session I had leading up to the event was one of the sunset sessions during the peak of the swell. I got very lucky because the wind was very side-shore compared to normal which opened so much more canvas to carve up without the kite trying to pull you off the back of the wave. It was late in the evening so the wind was lighter, but the sets were rolling in one after the other. The sunset colors were shining, and only a few other kites were on the water, so I basically had my pick of waves. The next day I remember Matchu telling me how unusual it is for the conditions to line up that perfectly, even at Ponta Preta… DO YOU THINK YOUR RIDING IMPROVED RIDING IN THOSE KIND OF CONDITIONS? AND IS IT EASIER OR HARDER TO RIDE WHEN THE CONDITIONS ARE THAT PERFECT BUT ALSO SO SOLID? Ponta Preta is one of the most difficult waves I have ever kited. The wave is perfect but it’s extremely fast and the wind is sometimes dead offshore. The kite is always trying to pull off the back of the wave and that makes it hard to stay in the pocket. Getting time on the water at Ponta Preta was key for me leading up to the event, you’re not going to show up at a spot like that and be able to perform without a couple warm up sessions under your belt. HOW DID THE ACTUAL EVENT SHAKE OUT FOR YOU? I was super happy to have finished in the quarter finals at Ponta Ponta. It’s one of the best stops on tour this year in my opinion so doing well there was one of my goals this season. I’m happy with how I rode in my heats as well, I was able to pull out a couple of new moves, and I got to ride perfect Ponta Preta with one other person on the water!

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PHOTO: Gabriele Rumbolo

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CARLA HERRERA IS YOUR TEAMMATE AND DID SUPER WELL LAST YEAR, DO YOU GUYS HANG OUT TOGETHER AND SHARE SOME TIPS? Carla Herrera joined the OR team last year and has been on a tear ever since. She has done extremely well pushing the boundaries of women’s strapless freestyle and ended up finishing second in the world last year. It’s helpful to have teammates on the beach during your heats that can help you out if something breaks during a heat or you need a kite change. Having Carla and other team members around is great for bouncing ideas and heat strategies off each other and analyzing each heat afterwards. DO YOU RIDE THE ROAM FOR BOTH SURFING AND FREESTYLE? AND HOW DO YOU FIND THE KITE? I ride and compete on prototype kites 100% of the time to test and refine them for the next generation of kites. I have really been enjoying riding a quiver of Roam prototypes specifically designed for competing on the kitesurf world tour. I’m testing out this kite because I want a kite that can perform in both waves, and strapless freestyle.

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PHOTO: Gabriele Rumbolo

SO WHAT’S NEXT FOR THE REST OF THE TOUR? ARE THERE ANY STOPS THAT YOU ARE PARTICULARLY LOOKING FORWARD TO? Next up on the tour will be Europe. There are two events back to back at Sylt in Germany, and Tarifa in Spain. Sylt should be a combo strapless freestyle and wave event while Tarifa will be 100% freestyle again this year. Sylt looks like it will be a little bit of a chilly, choppy beach break, which is right up my alley! FINALLY, WAS IT HARD TO PULL THAT DRYSUIT BACK ON FOR SOME SESSIONS BACK HOME AFTER SESSIONS LIKE YOU HAD IN CAPE VERDE? It was a little difficult pulling on my drysuit again after spending a month in the desert. I totally kooked it for the first 15 minutes of my first session back home, I couldn’t do anything! It’s a little uncomfortable at first but you get used to it again after a couple sessions, and it’s not all that bad once you get used to the gloves and brain freezes again. Spring is right around the corner anyways!

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PHOTO:TheKiteMag.com Ydwer van der Heide

Dutch Big Air aficionado Lasse Walker has been setting the pace and populating the WOO leaderboard for a few years now. He is one of a whole crop of riders who have learnt their craft in frontal Atlantic storms in the North Sea and have then honed their skills over the course of winters in Cape Town.

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PHOTO: Ydwer van der Heide

Over the last few years, Big Air kiteboarding has seen massive growth in terms of pretty much every aspect. It is not just the pros who have stepped up their game. Also the development of the gear has taken off, offering more lift, depower and ease of use to every rider. So the pros are going bigger but so is the regular rider who just bought their first WOO! It has always been an interesting story to me, how big the difference is between a paradise like Cape Town, with steady winds, clean waves and nice temperatures, compared to a true European storm coming after a hurricane in the US. And how it is that so many riders who head to Cape Town to ‘go big’ have learned to ride in the contrasting conditions of northern Europe. I started kiteboarding in Noordwijk in the Netherlands in 2007. Growing up on the same beach as Ruben Lenten and Kevin Langeree, I wanted to do the same of course! Seeing how Kevin was always competing in freestyle was cool, but I was always really inspired by Ruben Lenten and his ‘Stormsjees’ videos. Riding the strongest and roughest conditions I’d ever seen and flying high and far... Now that caught my attention!

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A true autumn storm on the North Sea feels like such a chaotic mess, where it’s all about survival and staying in control. The waves are created by the wind and not an arriving swell so they are coming in at different angles and breaking pretty much everywhere. So it’s not only important to stay alert and look ahead, but also makes it very difficult to find a good kicker to take off for a massive jump. It’s more about heading out at full speed, and hoping there will be a steep kicker to take off. Growing up here, and also setting my standard in the harsh conditions of the North Sea, I was always happy and thought this was good. Until I went to Cape Town for the first time. The only thing I could say was: this is too perfect! The wind here is always really steady, the waves come in very clean with a good swell. But also, somehow, in Cape Town you just seem to go higher! In Cape Town, the famous South Easter is a very steady and strong side shore wind from the left, that increases during the day towards the sunset. Combining that wind with the beautiful kickers makes it the perfect spot for Big Air; a true paradise for the best sessions and for pushing your riding. u

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In Cape Town, I’m always training for the Red Bull King of the Air. For this event, it’s important to go big, but also technical. That makes Cape Town the perfect place to push your Megaloops bigger, with board-offs and double rotations now almost a standard in my sessions, and essential moves if you want to progress through the competition. But despite the insane conditions in Cape Town, the wind never gets as crazy as it can get during a storm in the Netherlands. Here the conditions are so extreme and raw. It makes it much harder to predict what’s going to happen in a session – or even during one jump! For me the most memorable jump back home was during the Red Bull Megaloop Challenge 2017 in Zandvoort, the Netherlands. During the semi-finals I took off pretty far out on a good kicker. The whole Megaloop was massive, and right at the point where I wanted to break with my kite, I caught another big gust. This resulted in me landing on the beach where I released my kite just in time. Luckily nobody on the beach got hurt, and I only broke my nail, ha! Straight after this crash I ran back upwind to get a bigger kite and scored the highest score of the day with a 9.5. Such a cool memory! It’s not just the wind, but also the difference of weather which is insane. In Cape Town you’re riding in 40 knots with a thin wetsuit, no boots, and don’t forget to put on your sunscreen. Whereas for a 40 knot day in the Netherlands, you better bring all of your neoprene – I even wear a neoprene coat while I am rigging up to keep warm... u

PHOTO: Craig Kolesky

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PHOTO: Manie Lubbe

On this photo I remember the jump exactly. The wind wasn’t super strong so it was hard to get high. On that first jump I remember getting higher, looping the kite and seeing the photographer, Manie Lubbe, aiming my way. After the session, of course my first question was: “Hey Manie! Did you get that big one in the back there?!”.

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PHOTO: Manie Lubbe

The winters in the Netherlands are pretty ‘down’, as I call them. There’s not much daylight, it’s cold, rainy and not windy that often. I always like to head to Cape Town from around mid-November until the end of February. That’s the best season there, and the worst back home. And I’m definitely not the only one to travel to Cape Town for the amazing summer there. It’s fully packed with a lot of Dutchies, Germans and other Europeans. It’s always cool to meet new people that are likeminded, and want to kite as much as possible! Overall, although both places are known for their strong winds and record-breaking kiteboarding conditions, the two spots are very different, but both with beauty in their own way. I’m pretty lucky to call both places home…

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Kiteloop Board Off

Rider: Jesse Richman Photo: Svetlana Romantsova

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The Move Jesse Richman: A split moment in time determines survival or destruction, richness or misery, prosperity or breaking. The key to a maneuver like a Kiteloop Board Off is being extremely present in the moment. If you let your focus stray from the moment, your results are inevitably going to turn. To nail a Kiteloop Board Off you will need to harness your fears, embrace the moment, seize your focus and execute your vision. Safety Notes Only do this in deep water! (If you drop your board mid-air, a pencil dive is the best choice). Keep a safe distance from other kiters and any hard objects. Impact vests are a good idea as ribs can easily be injured. Make sure you can do both a Kiteloop and a Board Off individually before attempting combining them together.

The STEps Approach this like you would a big kiteloop. Wait for a solid gust, line it all up with a nice take off (I like to use a small kicker). It’s imperative to get your kite to send you up, not forward but straight up. When you’re riding towards a kicker and line it up, pull the bar in. Turn the kite hard so that the kite pivots and is pointed straight up. Sheet the bar out so that the kite shoots forward and above your head. Pull the bar in right as the kite gets above you and right as you’re launching off the kicker. If you do that right you will take the elevator to the top floor. As you’re traveling on your upwards journey, you will want to bring your board forward and up close to your hands so that it becomes easy to grab. On the bar, you’re now starting to crank a loop, remember with loops the harder you pull, the smaller the loop, the softer you pull the bigger the loop. I recommend pulling hard, over time you can make the loops bigger once you are tuned in to the move.

Now, grab the board with your front hand, get a good grip and take the board off… At this point, your loop should be almost completed, and the kiteloop “yank” will hit. Give yourself to the loop and this yank, embrace it, let your feet fly free, feel the G-force on your face. Eat it all up. You are Superman! To get here, you’ve already made it farther than almost any kiter on the planet, but it’s not over yet. Using the front hand on the bar to keep you stable and maintain your power, pull your legs back underneath you and reach your feet for the board at the same time as your hand brings the board down. I like to put my front foot in first but really just get the board on your feet. Wiggle your toes in as far as you can. If you’re coming in hot and you don’t feel good about it, you can still ditch your board and pencil dive into the water. If you feel great, then get that board on tight and keep power in your kite… You can pull for the second loop above your head at this point just to soften your landing if you need to.

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Double Front Roll Rider: Camille Delannoy Photo: Raynald Delannoy

The Move The Double Front Roll is one of the toughest strapless tricks. If youâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;re good on a surfboard, then you need to work on this trick. But let me tell you it feels good when you land the first one, and you wonâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t want to do anything else for a while. You need some solid wind to learn it. I would say 30 knots minimum with side onshore wind and a small kicker is the best.

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The STEPS You need to go fast before you send it. Put your kite around 11 or 1 and do a massive pop (you need to go high enough to have time to do the two rotations).

Remember to turn fast or to go high: it takes a long time to do two full rotations (especially with a surfboard).

Send the rotations with your upper body (using your head and shoulders) while pushing the bar.

Try to always keep the kite at the same place so it doesnâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t pull you to one side or the other as it will be way easier to keep the board under your feet.

At the end of the first front roll (picture number 6) take the time to realize where you are in the rotation. You want to do two distinct front rolls, and not just keep spinning otherwise you will get lost on the middle of the second rotation.

Look for a smooth piece of water to touch down so you have the best chance of riding away cleanly.

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CABRINHA AV8

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Are you bored of trucking around doing the same old tricks and wondering where the fun has gone? Then maybe it’s time to spice things up with some racy carbon and high-aspect turbo charged fun. Maybe it’s time for the AV8. James Boulding takes us through the all-new top spec Cabrinha set up. Can you take us through the AV8 kite and board? The AV8 collection is a precision crafted kite and hydrofoil board made from the highest quality materials. Each component is designed to maximize the AV8 package’s efficiency. The great thing with the AV8 kite is that these characteristics also make it an insane boosting kite, so we’re really excited to get the kite into the hands of riders wanting a boost and hangtime machine. Why did you think the time was right to introduce a top-end foil and kite combo to the Cabrinha range? Foiling has really been blowing up the past few years and diversifying itself as a genre. There are so many avenues sprouting off. We’ve catered for waves, freeride and everything that’s fun with foiling and now we’ve added a high performance foil that can mix it up with the best. Elegance and design have been at the core of this package. Its main focus is speed but the look and ergonomics are also at the core of this product. Every component from the titanium screws to the integrated wings and fuselage have been carefully thought out. F

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Is the AV8 designed to be competitive around the race course? The AV8 will certainly be competitive around the race course. We’re excited to see some of our team riders put it through its paces this summer. What we’re really interested in is to see what customers who aren’t just race competitors can do with it. Some of the highest end race foils are incredibly difficult to ride and we think this foil goes as fast but is a touch easier to ride. With the ability to ride so fast and with such an acute angle of attack into wind, we’ve also seen users loving boosting with the setup. The AV8 is a hangtime machine so the combination is a vertigo inducing mix when sent. You have a solid entry level foil offering with the Double Agent, a ‘full power’ foil with the AV8 and then the Lift and Speed wings. Are you happy with your line up for now? The Double Agent package has become famous for being the easiest setup to get people up and riding and onwards into intermediate riding. There has been a great deal of work and development going into Cabrinha’s foil program recently and it doesn’t stop with the AV8. New surf and kite wings and a prone board are releasing soon. There is a hive of activity and discussion around different wing setups and Cabrinha’s pushing full steam ahead with different

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mast, wing and board options. Maui, it seems, is the perfect place for foil development. There is a wide range of conditions and then there’s so much experimentation with setups it’s impossible not to get immersed in it. Pro surfers have added foil setups to their quivers and new waves previously branded ‘rubbish’ adopted as heavenly foiling locations. It’s now never too windy to kite foil and the minimum wind speed you can get out in seems to be pushing lower and lower. If you can fly a kite, you can foil. The Lift wings are the go to choice for freeride kite foiling, while the Speed wings offer a taste in the direction of the AV8, but easier to ride. Which bar does the AV8 kite fly on and can you take us through the line length and depower options? The AV8 will fly on any of Cabrinha’s bar offerings but we decided to launch a new AV8 Trimlite control system which comes with a 4:1 race pulley that allows the rider to micro adjust and effortlessly trim the power without compromising speed, trajectory or body position. When it comes to high performance racing every little bit matters so it was important to also release a control system to help maximize efficiency and performance of the AV8 kite. Line lengths are easily adjustable to 16m, 19m, 22m for customizability in all conditions.

T E L L M E A B O U T I T - C A B R I N H A AV 8

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NAISH TRIAD

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Damien Girardin has been laid up with a pretty horrific injury. In true commitment to the cause though, he has taken some time out to talk us through his latest creation. Billed as the ultimate all-rounder, the Triad has just blasted into this competitive sector of the kite market… Photos: frankiebees Hey Damien. You’ve had a tough run, what’s happened? Yeah… I broke my ACL, MCL, and other parts of my knee early January, luckily I had surgery a few weeks ago with one of the very best surgeons in the country, and I’m now working hard on my recovery. So I look forward to being back on the water in about a year. The silver lining is that I have more time to design a lot of stuff this season and a good team of testers at Naish, so we have some great new products in the works! Since the ‘three strut’ revolution there have been a lot of ‘performance’ freeride kites… is it the case that this is now dripping down to the more ‘accessible’ freeride side of the sport and is this the next big phase in kite development? The whole ‘number of struts’ evolution has been kind of a back and forth for years. Some of the kites from the early 2000s were three struts, then in order to fix stability problems most designers increased the amount of struts up to five or seven. Personally I always wanted to reduce the weight of our kites in order to make them fly better, but it took some work to stabilize the kites before that was possible, around 2008. As often happens, the kites that are designed to be ‘easy’ end up being favorites among the pros, so naturally Kevin Langeree gravitated towards the Pivot after trying it a few times and realizing how good it was! The actual story actually happened because Kevin got invited to a demo in Tarifa in November of 2016, he looked at the forecast that said 25-35 knots for the weekend so he packed his Torch 10 and 12m. Of course he gets into Tarifa and the wind is cranking at 35-45 knots! So he runs to our distributor’s office to get a Torch 8m, they don’t have any in stock, but they offer him a Pivot 7… He reluctantly takes it, and the rest is history... He goes out gets his first jump and is like “hold on, that was big”, so he goes for another one, and that goes bigger. That night he calls me up… he’s like, “Man you were right, that thing jumps and is so easy! I think I’ll use it at King of the Air next month!”. After that phone call, I came to the office the next day and I told everyone that we need to get our marketing ready because Kevin is going to win the King of the Air on the Pivot! So I would say it’s not new that the more accessible kites are three struts, what’s new is the level that these accessible kites are also performing at. The Triad has your ‘center luff strut’ – which other kites in your line up have this and can you take us through how it works? The luff strut really came from when I made our strutless kite (the Trip) that had some amazing light wind characteristics, but the no strut had some drawbacks that needed to be addressed. The luff strut is the best of both worlds, you get the looseness of F

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a no strut and add the support of a strut by having the actual shape of the profile of the kite being supported only by a loose piece of material, and then having the inflatable solid part of the strut seated a few centimeters away from the canopy. This allows for the canopy to be a little more elastic and loose, like a strutless, so you get the extra light wind and great start power of a strutless while keeping the longitudinal support on the canopy of a strutted kite. What does the Quad-Tex enable you to do with a kite like this that you could not have done previously? Quad-Tex, thanks to its amazing strength, has actually allowed me to greatly reduce the overall weight of our kites by removing a lot of extra layers of reinforcements that are no longer needed. A lighter kite is always a better kite, all that weight you’re not flying is extra power, reduced inertia that allows for faster response to bar input, for you – as a rider – to benefit from. It also helps me design kites because I now have a kite in the air that is closer than ever to the actual 3D design that I meant to design, and, for example, it translates into better tension throughout the entire canopy of the kite without having to have any extra seams or layers of material. It’s especially interesting when you look at the tension in the trailing edge of a kite. The Quad-Tex allows for a kite that will have better tension in the trailing edge, especially in the wing tip area, naturally reducing a tendency to have flutter in that area. There will be obvious comparisons to the Pivot in terms of its target market – how is it different? The Pivot has been designed with versatility in mind. Having said that, I have to admit that it was originally a kind of selfish design for me because I wanted to get better at strapless riding and wanted a kite that pivoted better in the turns in order to let me ride the waves with the most constant pull possible through my bottom turns and top turns. At the same time I was looking for a new level of control while jumping in order to micro adjust the amount of pull I was getting in the harness when jumping. Strapless riding is less forgiving than twintip riding, so focusing on it actually helped me feel and adjust things that I would have probably not even felt or thought were necessary when riding a twintip. This translated into amazing benefits for twintip riding and jumping, making the Pivot our most successful freeride and jumping kite ever! With the Triad, the approach was very different. The idea right away was to make it super easy, while making it perform well at the same time. So a big focus was on stability, forgiveness, and an ability to stay balanced when laying on its wing tip on the water when you let go of the bar, as well as having super linear pull when you do your water start, and having depower that allows you to kill the kite when needed. So you’ll notice the Aspect Ratios are quite close, but the profile is a bit deeper in order to provide that extra juice when starting and being a bit more forgiving. The wing tip shape is also quite different in order to create that stability when the kite is resting on it. The bridles are also designed so that the tow point is a bit further forward, giving that option to reduce the power more instantly. So if a ‘competent’ rider wants to go out and huck a few jumps, try a few basic unhooked tricks or have a thrash around in some onshore swell, which would be the better kite for them? Or are we now into the realms of personal preference? A competent rider will certainly have a blast jumping, throwing some tricks or riding some waves on the Triad, the overlap of the Triad and Pivot is quite big. Bottom line is that it’s going to come down to what this rider prefers in terms of feeling and type of riding, if the primary focus is big jumps I’d still suggest getting on a Pivot,

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Do you watch the event 100% confident in the kite or do you have moments when you’re hiding behind your hands muttering ‘please don’t drop out, please don’t drop out’?! Honestly I am very confident in our kites when it comes to extreme competition, I have seen other kites collapse or acting weirdly and dropping riders, but I know that our designs go through so much testing, refining, work on balancing them as well as possible, and amazing quality from our manufacturer that I know they will finish turns, hold the tension and perform! I personally (until I hurt my knee) would send kiteloops during every single one of my kite sessions on a twintip for years, so if any of my designs did not act well during a kiteloop it simply won’t go into production!

Mr Langeree is here to confirm if needed! However if this rider is looking for a kite that offers quick depower, the option to shut down the power faster and a more forgiving kite, then the Triad will be perfect.

What else are you working on at the moment and when can we expect to see your next offerings? Right now the big project I have been working on is the wing surfing wings. It’s super fun as a designer to be at day one of a sport again. Ideas are going all directions and we’re inventing everything as we go. The technology is inspired from kites at the moment, and balancing them perfectly is a similar approach, but I look forward to seeing where we’ll be in a few months or years! The excitement from people coming from all kinds of horizons on these is also exciting, even my kid who is mainly into surfing but not really overly excited by windsports is showing interest already…

Which bar and what line lengths would you recommend riding the Triad on? All of our design and testing was made around a 4-line 24m platform, however the kite works great on shorter lines too if you’re looking for more engaged riding. The Triad will perform excellent on 20’s or even shorter. If the wind is really light, the bigger sizes are also responding very well to 30m lines, providing a wider flying window and a longer/stronger pull when the wind requires you to work the kite more to get going. Has it been given Robby’s seal of approval? Does he like it? Robby did try the kite with us a few times and was liking it, yes. However, Robby is not our primary approval tester as he has his very own style of riding that is quite different from the average kiter! So the excitement from some average kiter friend is really a better ‘approval seal’ than Robby’s… Just moving away from the Triad if you don’t mind. How satisfying is it for you as a designer to have one of your kites on the top of the podium at the most prestigious event in the kiteboarding calendar, with Kevin Langeree winning the KOTA? This year I watched Kevin’s final from the hospital after having just woken up from my knee surgery. Kevin had been very supportive right away when I broke my ACL and MCL having himself gone through a similar injury a few years ago. I was on heavy painkiller drugs and in the rehab room, and watching him killing it and eventually win was such a highlight. For a few minutes there I almost forgot the crazy pain that I was in! Having him win on that kite twice now is an amazing feeling.

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SLINGSHOT FOILS There were a couple of brands who put themselves 100% out there when foiling started to become ‘a thing’. One of them was Slingshot, and their initial belief has paid dividends as they now have a truly ‘complete’ kite foil line up as well as foil options in five other sports. Jeff Logosz is (understandably!) pretty stoked on the situation and talks us through their current foil line up…

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Slingshot was one of the first brands to go truly ‘all in’ for the foil game. Can you take us through why you thought (correctly!) that foiling was going to get a lot of traction in the kiting community? Tony Logosz kind of works in a future time machine. He started foiling and then was completely consumed with it. That’s when my radar went off. Knowing he is typically a couple years ahead of normal market developments, I started allocating resources to start the Slingshot foil program. I think that was 2014? We launched the first foils and had a ton of feedback from the market. For two years we were immersed in foiling. Most other developing foil products were focused on racing and it was very niche. The products were expensive carbon and pretty scary. We realized that we had more data and feedback than most other brands. When we really listened to our users, they were saying they wanted more “fun and freeriding” not “speed”, so that is the production path we embarked upon. We compiled our data and built the Hover Glide modular platform. The first iteration had a short mast learning system and was combined with Foil-Academy.com to get customers engaged and educated. Internally we developed an attitude that supported our belief to push foil across five water sports. We encourage people to follow their own path and build or customize their foil set up to maximize their best water experience. It’s not a competition to be won, it’s more like an on-going art project. So have fun with it, try new stuff. Versatility has been at the core of your foil range and you have taken this up a level with your 2019 line up which sees a whole lot of options. Can you take us through what is on offer? One of the things we learned from the Foil-Academy.com students is that over 60% of the people wanted to foil in more than one sport. The reason: once you learn to foil, you’re a foiler. You can cross over to other sports very easily. This data really supported our belief that people were wanting to customize their original purchase and not to buy a new foil for every discipline. That is where the Hover Glide platform delivers. 5 Sports, 1 Foil, All Abilities, Any Style, Every Condition. You start with a complete package, and then add state of the art, à la carte wings. The platform is completely interchangeable and can go back in time or into the future. Consumers don’t need to fear getting burned by new innovations. All they have to do is know what wing will support their riding style. In terms of construction, which materials are you using for which component and why? This is a great question and the most under asked question in the sport – especially at a shop level. Everyone assumes that aluminum is built for a beginner or a price point solution. It’s true the price is better than carbon, but there is a lot going on that benefits the customer that they don’t see. Here are the straight up details of the construction.

All materials were chosen with careful consideration based on performance, durability, and cost. The Hover Glide is the perfect combination. Our platform was built, tested and delivered worldwide to stand up to the demands of future foil boarders, not beginners, and not where the level of riding was in 2015, but for the future. We get a lot of questions about not having a sexy, light fuselage. Slingshot Foils are durable, and a little weight is an asset, not a liability. Most foils made today use inferior aluminum or lighter weight components which will only lead to product failure. Our R&D department anticipated this issue and eliminated a lot of pain that is playing out right now on the market. There are a lot of foils breaking out there. Experience, time and testing, matters. We have been designing and testing foils longer than anyone and have painstakingly learned all the hard lessons before we went to market. Here’s the big take away: the durability issue is going to get worse for those who don’t do it right. Big wings are trending and getting more popular. Riders are pushing into new areas that stress and put big loads on fuses, bolts and the masts. At Slingshot we have the luxury of getting feedback from the best athletes and the harshest conditions in five sports! No brand in the world can make a stronger testimony. With regard to assembly – how does everything slot together and do you think you have one of the easier systems on the market? The assembly and durability of our Hover Glide platform revolves around the Flat-Loc fuse-to-wing connector. The connection is designed like a wrench on a nut allowing the load to be distributed to the fuse and wing, and not on the bolts. The wing simply slips on the hexagonal shaped fuse and titanium hardware further locks it in place. We see a lot of other bolt-on wings that wobble loose and then the holes ‘oval’. Once that happens it’s game over, as the wing will never set on the fuselage correctly. F

Ghost Whisper

Wings: Core, CNC V-Lam Wood. (Like our wakeboards.) Laminate, Pre-Preg Carbon with some fiberglass reinforcement where it comes into contact with the Aluminum Fuse. (This eliminates electrolysis which enables corrosion at an accelerated rate.) Fuselage: Forged 7075 Anodized Aluminum. Mast: Extruded 7075 Anodized Aluminum. Hover Glide

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So let’s say I’m a complete foiling beginner – can you chart how I would progress through the Slingshot modular lineup? There is an easy path. If you’re totally new, start by going to FoilAcademy.com. Even though it’s a couple of years old now, it still gets you thinking in the right way. You will learn what to expect and some good fundamentals. When you’re ready to buy, start with our packages. They are specifically chosen pieces in the kit to optimize this phase of learning. The 2019 Hoverglide FKite comes with our Space Skate wing and a shorter mast. This combo is easy to ride, super comfortable and will deliver as much performance as you want. The next step in your journey depends on what you want to do. Once you decide (that’s the “let the foil speak to you” part, don’t worry about what other people think) we have a solution. Do you want to go fast? We have a wing for that. Do you want jumping, carving, wave riding, or swell surfing? We have wings for that. Do you want to take your kite foil and convert it to SUP foiling on your vacation? We can do that. To make it easy we built an online tool that lets you pick your sport, your riding style and then make the recommendation for you. I think there are about 35 different configurations in total! So you can really optimize your set up without reinvesting in a new foil. How transferable have the skills you have learned through kite foiling been as you have expanded into the realms of Surf, SUP and Wake foiling? That’s the thing, once you’re a foiler and you’re living friction-free, you start wanting that experience in other sports. Even in life! It is really easy to transfer over. We see it every day. It drives our Hover Glide platform to success and continues to put us in a leadership role as the world’s largest foil company. And that is cool because we’re not sitting back, we’re more committed now than EVER to the future. We have more resources dedicated to it which is pretty fun. The Ghost Whisper won a coveted ‘Winners’ award in our Ultimate Test in the last issue – the test team were super impressed by the quiet, responsive and stealthy performance! Do you imagine this evolving much further or are you happy to stick with the winning formula? Tony owns the original DNA or intellectual property for a lot of foil wings and component designs in the market, you see them on Slingshot and other brands we partner with. We are a company that invests more into product innovation and research than marketing. Tony has a full-time Research and Innovation laboratory staffed with engineers, CNC’s, presses, epoxy, carbon and any other materials he needs to design the future. He frequents his lab almost daily and still works feverishly to make custom foils for some of the world’s best foil boarders. They test and take his ideas to places nobody could imagine. So, yes, the future will evolve, but don’t get hung up on it. The foil you buy today is better than you are. So, we encourage customers to focus on the riding. If you were on the beach BSing with Tony, he would put it to you this way, “When you get better than Fred Hope on a kite and foil, call us, and bug us.” Fred does everything on stock Slingshot foils.

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How much growth are you seeing in the foil scene at the moment? Do you sense that things are set to really explode? Kiting should be really proud. Without kiting and the R&D it provided to the world, we would have never seen the designs advance into other sports! Kiteboarding was way ahead of its time. Kiters have lead the charge for sure. As for Wind foiling, Wakesurf foiling, Stand Up foiling, or Surf foiling? Each sport demonstrates the same kind of spook stages. First, it’s awareness, and then you have the early adopters jump in. Everyone else kind of sits on the sidelines watching, judging and tire kicking. They can tell you all the reasons why they don’t want to do it. And then they say “Oh, I just want to do it in light wind”. When they finally get around to foiling they discover that foiling opens up a whole new world. That you can still go twintipping, surfing or boosting as usual but you can do all those things with your foil too. But there is more. Each sport shares one common denominator. And that is the new generation of riders coming up with no legacy sports bias. They believe if it feels good and if it’s working, it is good. So live life, be happy, and shred…

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MEN’S HYBRID It’s frustrating to be cold when riding in a warm place. Even spots like Cabo Verde or Mauritius can get chilly if you don’t have the right equipment. That is why Manera designed their Hybrid shorty to be warm, it is packed with the same technologies as the 3/2mm X10D steamer: they basically just cut off the legs. It is 100% SD² taped for maximum waterproofness and built with their exclusive Triplex neoprene to keep you comfortable wherever you’re riding…

€229 | $279 | £210

MEN’S SHORTY The Shorty 2/2 is made with the same technical specifications as the Hybrid 3/2 but Manera wanted to produce a high quality summer suit which would be efficient in even chillier conditions. Like its older brother, the Shorty 2/2 is 100% SD² taped for maximum waterproofness and built with Triplex neoprene, so it has the comfort and lightness you are looking for in a summer suit, but with that added warmth for not-so-hot days.

€199 | $239 | £180

WOMEN’S HYBRID Here’s a beautiful shorty to hit the beach with style – but it’s not just about fashion. Just like the men’s version, the women’s Hybrid 3/2 is designed to be warm and is packing Manera’s Triplex neoprene and is 100% SD² taped for maximum waterproofness. The perfect combination of technicality and style…

€199 | $219 | £180

CELSIUS PRO ZIPLESS SHORT LEGS The Celsius Pro Zipless has been redesigned to maximize unrestricted movement, stretch and comfort. The opening has been modified to make getting in and out of your suit even easier without letting more water in. The removal of the only stiff part in a wetsuit, the zip, and adding a 360 extreme stretch back panel make you feel like you are wearing a second skin. Quickdry inside lining on the main body panels make this suit one of the warmest in the range without sacrificing performance, and Powerseam main seams combined with the most high-end materials and minimal seam design make this the RRD team’s favorite.

€239 | $221 | £203

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SEVENTYSIX SUPERSHORTY The Seventysix range is designed for girls who want to be protected but look cool. Made to enhance your body lines and create a sexy and stylish fit, the Seventysix wetsuits are based on a timeless “retro style” look, with the use of modern materials and assembling technology. Flexible, warm and good-looking, exactly what any serious beach addict is looking for…

€99 | $92 | £84

CELSIUS PRO CHEST ZIP The Celsius Pro Chest Zip is made with 100% super stretch limestone neoprene which, when combined with its signature minimal seam design, creates the ultimate flexible wetsuit. Powerseam liquid taped main seams combined with reinforced neotaped inside seam joints make the Celsius and Celsius Pro wetsuits durable and comfortable by keeping the water out and your body’s heat in.

€329 | $305 | £280

APOC SHORTY If you’ve ever had a high-speed buttcheck in nothing but boardshorts, you know the value of an extra layer of cushion between you and the water. Ride Engine view a wetsuit as a necessity, even on the warmest of summer days. It provides sun protection, slap protection, impact protection and an extra layer of insulation to keep you happy as a clam on those magical sunset sessions when the temperature drops but you’re nowhere near ready to call it quits. Made from soft and stretchy limestone neoprene, the 2/1 thickness is warmest at the core and tapered in the arms to maintain a light, barely-there feel. The front-zip design reduces flushing and seepage through the zipper, eliminates accidental unzipping and creates a seamless surface between you and your harness.

€200 | $221 | £170

ALMAR LONG SLEEVE SHORTY Even in the hottest summer months, if you’re playing hard in the sun, wind and water, a summer shorty is essential for staying comfortable, warm and protected from the elements. The Almar 2/1 long sleeve shorty is designed and built to the female physique to ensure full function and range of motion without the unflattering seam lines or panel layouts that many female suits are guilty of. Soft, stretchy limestone neoprene is tapered in thickness to be warmest at the core and more flexible in the arms and shoulders, while a back-zip entry gives the suit a seamless chest panel and provides easy entry and exit.

€200 | $221 | £170

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SUMMER WETSUIT BUYER’S GUIDE 2019

SILO If you’re in part of the world where the wind and water never really warm up enough to work on your sun tan and kiteboard at the same time, this is the summer suit for you. The tapered 3/2 thickness is perfect for days when it’s too cool for a shorty but a full winter suit is overkill, or if you run on the cooler side and always like a full suit no matter how warm the water is. A back zip design provides the easiest entry and exit possible and a seamless check panel, while an interior back gasket and an overlapping seam prevent flushing through the neck or zipper seepage. As with all Ride Engine suits, the Silo is made from soft, stretchy limestone neoprene.

€300 | $332 | £250

ONYX AMP STEAMER The zipper free version of the Onyx Amp is as good as it gets in terms of stretch and comfort! Besides that, ION’s brand-new and incredibly flexible inside thermo-lining Hotstuff 2.0 in combination with the new neoprene foam I-Foam ensures an optimal level of heat retention and flex. Then the Ninja-Knee construction supported by ION’s Maki-Tape offers even more flexibility while bending your knees so you can continue to work your board as if you’re wearing boardies…

€230 | $299 | £230

STRIKE AMP OVERKNEE LS 4/3 FZ DL The Strike Amp is made of the same materials as the Onyx Amp. The main difference between the two is their fit. A slightly wider cut makes it easier to put on and take off the suit and offers a little more comfort for the more muscular athlete! Thanks to the use of Hotstuff 2.0 Inside Lining in combination with Plasma-Plush on the back, the suit offers the best heat retention and flexibility in ION’s range. The Ninja-Spine construction provides ultimate freedom of movement, especially during rotations…

€200 | $221 | £170

MUSE HOT SHORTY LS 1.5 FZ DL Temperatures are rising but you don’t want to miss out on the comfort and safety of a wetsuit? The Muse Hot Shorty gives you the protection against sun and chilly winds on warmer days. The suit is part of ION´s Capsule collection, which was designed together with the American artist Michael Cina. High-tech wetsuits with a unique look…

€130 | $140 | £110

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MAJESTIC LEN10 The LEN10 collection features a brand new LEN10 zip-free wetsuit. The outer lining uses Knitflex, Mystic’s brand new high-end stretch outer lining which is more durable, fast drying and looks and feels amazing. Introduced in the LEN10 collection, the Mystic design team created Flaremesh, a revolutionary new inner lining with extraordinary stretch, warmth, and comfort. For increased warmth, Flaremesh lining has a heat reflective carbon backing and a high pile for extra insulation and a soft, quick dry feel.

€350 | $350

MYSTIC MAJESTIC Mystic’s new high performance zip-free wetsuit sets a new standard for comfort. It’s 100% M-Flex 2.0, has waterproof stretch taping on the inside, polar lining on the chest and back (fullsuit only) and it’s super easy to get in and out of it. Due to the zip-free construction, it’s a super flexible suit and nothing holds you back from working through your entire trick repertoire….

€299 | $299

DIVA The Diva wetsuit, the most fashionable suit in the range, truly makes the ladies shine. The front-zip construction provides more flex in the upper body, giving you that extra freedom of movement. A classy wetsuit for female riders everywhere.

€310 | $310

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CORTEX Next level warmth meets innovative comfort in this new addition to the Neilpryde offering. The Cortex design line solves all your problems: it’s exceptionally warm and protective while retaining flexibility through anatomical seam tracing. The Cortex offers the same brand aesthetic and feel as the top Neilpryde wetsuit models but is aimed at the beginner to Intermediate Waterman.

€250 | $230

RISE Batten down the hatches with the rise performance wetsuit design. The Rise design line offers the same brand aesthetic and feel as Neilpryde top-of-the-range models but is aimed at the beginner to intermediate waterman. Still packed with Neilpryde tech, the Rise comes in relaxed fit design that has a relaxing effect on your wallet.

€150 | £130

VAMP Designed for specific demands of female athletes, the Vamp wetsuit is built for unrestricted freedom of movement and superior warmth. It’s a wetsuit that puts the beast into beauty—high performance concealed within a drop-jaw rig!

€120 | £99

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IN A SENTENCE: If you’re after a very well-constructed board that rewards the effort that you put in, in a range of disciplines and conditions, then the Poison is the board for you.

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CRAZYFLY HYPER 17M The Hyper is an allnew kite from CrazyFly for 2019 and has made a pretty instant impression. First we have had Posito Martinez choosing it as his go-to kite and securing some solid results as well as an eye catching performance at this year’s King of the Air, then it secured the Boosting Kites Category Winner prize in our Ultimate Test where it really impressed the test team with its accessible performance and stratospheric boosting potential. For this issue we’re casting our eye over the largest size in the range, the 17m, and its performance in lighter wind conditions. The Hyper is built in Europe at CrazyFly’s kite factory, which is just across town from their board factory. Having production on their doorstep has allowed them to implement some unique features on their kites, such as a Leading Edge seam which sits underneath the canopy (rather than across the top on other kites) to improve the aerodynamics of the kite. The Hyper is built around a Dacron Air Frame which provides a rigid structure for the tips, struts and leading edge around which the rest of the kite is built. It is not the lightest kite on the market (particularly in this larger size) but it is incredibly robust and very well built. It also has a three year warranty which illustrates the confidence that CrazyFly have in their workmanship. For testing this larger version of the Hyper we rode it in conditions varying from around 12 to 23 knots. Riding with a twintip, and you really need to fly the Hyper to get going in lighter wind – this is not a ‘sheet in and go’ kite. So working the kite a couple of times is required to get up to speed. Then once you are riding the Hyper and have developed some apparent wind, it then locks in beautifully and delivers plenty of power. It’s impossible to overstate how solid the Hyper feels in the air – it is one of the stiffest and most responsive kites we have ever flown and you can really fine tune it with small bar inputs immediately responded to. For boosting in lighter wind, the Hyper will give you back as much as you put in. For lofty jumps you can sheet in and it will send you up, but if you really commit and generate as much speed as possible before sending the kite with full commitment then you still get ripped off the water and sent upwards almost as quickly as with the smaller sizes. For foiling in super light wind, the weight of the Hyper (especially compared to a foil kite) means that you would not want to set off in anything under 12 knots but as long as you are confident that it will stay in the air, it is a very efficient kite for foiling in very light wind. The higher aspect means that it really trucks upwind and the responsiveness gives you the confidence to really push your riding. If you want to push it and really generate some speed then, when the wind gets closer to the 20 knot mark, the Hyper can inject as much power as you can handle into ST things and we were making some very TE TE I impressive racecourse-worthy upwind K angles. BI

RRD POISON LTD V6 Version 6 of RRD’s Poison LTD has stayed true to its roots and developed and improved on the features which have ensured it has a solid fan base and varied range of uses. The CNC’d wood core with unidirectional carbon stringers and biaxial carbon laminate has a stiff flex which is paired with a medium rocker to maintain plenty of speed as you ride. V6 has kept its delayed curve rail outline. The broad parallel outline of the board holds its width throughout the majority of the rail, tapering quite heavily towards the tips. This focus upon maximizing rail contact gives the LTD its great upwind performance while the dramatic taper reduces tip width and ensures minimal spray. The Poison LTD slices through chop with rail grip which is unparalleled by many of its competitors. The combination of a slim, continuous 5mm ST TE rail and a generous single concave ensure you feel P TI N comfortably locked into your edge and confident as you dial into its impressive development of speed with no vibration or unwanted feedback. With so much speed on tap, rail grip, and responsive flex, you have the recipe for a boosting board. Focusing on the importance of a strong release off the water, RRD have utilized a swallow cut tip shape which allows you to leverage the board more and stomp harder into the pop for a solid boost as you set your eyes on Big Air. What is particularly enjoyable about the Poison LTD is that it is spritely but not untamable in rough water conditions. Overall, the board feels light and playful underfoot but doesn’t buck at the first sign of chop. In ‘real world conditions’ far from the turquoise, butter flat waters of product shoots, the Poison is a strong and reliable performer. This is a very encouraging board for the progressing freestyle rider as it loads smoothly and progressively without much effort and rewards you with an impressive pop. In a lineup of freestyle boards, the LTD wouldn’t have the largest rocker, and in the landings you can feel this. Your landings will be stable and easy with the ample width of the board supporting you, but due to the rocker it does not offer a super-soft landing. The Rad Pad footstraps which come with the LTD are favorites of the test team. They are very durable and arrive preassembled so all you have to do is choose your preferred density of the two heel insert options and adjust your strap size and you’ll be out on the water long before your mates can say ‘cross-threaded screw’. The connection to the board is again simple and efficient, as the micro adjustment on the pads combined with the carbon reinforced track system on the board allow for maximum stance options.

IN A SENTENCE: This 17m is not a ‘making the most of things’ light wind kite, but if you want to fly the kite well and to continue riding to the best of your abilities when the wind drops down, the Hyper is a power machine.

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IN A SENTENCE: The standout highlight of the Messenger is its low weight and its impressive construction, but beyond that: it shreds on the water as well.

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kites. The K1 slots itself into the performance freeride sector. It’s aimed at freeride, freestyle and wave disciplines, promising genre spanning versatility. We found the K1 to have an even and linear pull throughout the power range. It has excellent low-end attributes and gets you up and riding confidently. Whatever your level, the K1 gives you the confidence to get up and riding, and its smooth and intuitive performance will meet your freestyle and freeride needs. Upwind performance is also excellent, so for kiters in the early stages the K1 would be a good option for staying upwind and building your confidence. For more experienced riders, unhooking on the K1 provides excellent pop and plenty of downwind travel, and for boosting the K1 can hold down a lot of power so if you ride it fully powered you can expect some serious hang time and Big Air potential. The top end is good and in lighter conditions you can really work the kite to get going and stay on the water when other riders are heading in to change up a size. The K1 is direct and responsive on the bar making for a very involved flying experience overall. You can be quite assertive on the bar to initiate quick movements in the kite and once you have tuned into this it is a nice predictable kite to fly. Both kite models in the Odo range feature a low diameter efficient bridle material to minimize drag on the front of the kite. This is thinner and more minimal than anything we’ve seen for a while, but in terms of the breaking strain of the material, should not be a problem and reduces weight and windage. The K1 flies on Odo’s Quick Vario bar which enables adjustments between a 46 and 53cm width and incorporates titanium fittings to keep the weight low. Overall a well-designed, comfortable and functional bar – the bar ships with 22m lines and 3m extensions enabling you to adapt your set up depending on conditions or personal preference. IN A SENTENCE: The K1 is a fun kite to fly, it ticks the ‘all-round freeride’ box competently and offers some different m at e r i a l s a n d approaches to kite design which is great to see – an impressive start from Odo.

ODO K1 Odo have recently released two new

LIQUID FORCE MESSENGER The all-new Messenger has just landed from Liquid Force and they are – understandably – pretty stoked about it. In these type of reviews first impressions do count… And as soon as we unwrapped the Messenger we were very impressed. Sure, it looks nice, but the really striking thing was the construction of the board. It is light, and it looks and feels like a surfboard – and if you really like riding waves then this is what you are looking for in your kite surfboard. The Messenger is built around an EPS core and is then laid up with top-end super tough S-glass with carbon weave netting on the deck and a carbon strip on the base to add strength. It’s a 100% strapless board with no inserts so weight is very low and the construction and feel of the board is very impressive. The Messenger has a now-familiar blunt nosed outline which has proved itself to be a versatile and effective shape for a range of conditions. The Liquid Force take on the outline sees the wide point a little further back meaning that if you are riding off your back foot with speed in solid conditions, then the part of the board you are riding is more like a conventional board. The base features a deep double concave which runs from the nose and develops into a quad concave coming out of the tail. The Messenger has five fin boxes so can be ridden as a quad or a thruster. Most of the test team prefer riding this shape board with a quad set up so this was how we generally rode it. On the water and the Messenger is very light and responsive under your feet. For general riding, the straighter rails, bottom T TES contours and quad fin set up ensure that you can really power upwind, grind through chop and hold down a whole lot of speed – it really sticks to the water. This also translated into excellent performance for strapless maneuvers, where you can lock it in and it has a very clean and rewarding release. For riding waves, the Messenger is a very fun board in onshore conditions – it holds plenty of speed and does not bog down in slower or weaker sections of the wave and you can really drive it off the tail and generate plenty of mate-impressing spray carnage. For riding down the line, the Messenger likes to be ridden quickly – it really turns on if you are fully committed and you can confidently throw it into turns. With the wider nose it is happier being ‘snapped’ rather than carved into turns, so don’t be afraid to really drive it and to use the power of the kite to keep that speed up.

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NAISH TRIAD Naish have pitched the Triad as ‘the right kite for 99% of the population’ and, before we read into this too much, this has some historical context with Naish, as they released their original product range in 1999 with the slogan ‘The wrong sport for 99.9% of the population’. Twenty years later they’ve flipped the marketing on its head, an indicator of how far equipment has come in that time. In context with the rest of the range, the Triad sits as a freeride all-rounder, and probably has most crossover and provokes most comparison with the Pivot. It’s a three strut open arced kite with a mid-size bridle, which sports a lower aspect ratio and deeper canopy profile than its Big-Air-proven cousin. Naish have quite a few unique build features this year. First of all, the leading edge has been engineered to take a comfortable 11PSI, nearly doubling what some brands recommend. This makes a tangible difference in the rigidity of the air frame, resulting in improved stability, gust handling and relaunch. You notice barely any twist or distortion in the kite when you initiate a turn. Naish have their Quad-Tex ripstop, the four core canopy cloth from Teijin which T S improves overall rigidity and allows for less Dacron to be used in the wingtips, TE lightening the overall build. The Shark Tooth canopy layup on the trailing edge reduces flutter and the need for heavy Dacron framing. Then the central luff strut isn’t directly stitched to the canopy as in most designs. It instead has a piece of profiled ripstop between the back of the strut and the leading edge canopy. This allows the canopy profile to compress and expand, and adds instant grunt to the design, and improves leeward tendencies combining some of the positive aspects of a strutless kite within a three strut design. On a twintip, it’s a wonderfully simplistic sheet and go experience. Bar feedback is very positive and the kite meets its design brief well, and tows you around the ocean immaculately with very few surprises even when at the top of its wind range. Upwind ability was good with minimal edging required, and serious credit must go to the overall stability of the Triad at all angles of attack. Turning on the Triad required a little more input when compared to the Pivot so you need to tune into this and be more assertive with bar movement, then the top end is excellent and you’d need a cataclysmic gust to make it even slightly flustered. Sheet and go characteristics normally translate well to sheet and jump, and sure enough boosting is exceptionally easy to initiate and the tuned down turning speed means you have to work hard to make any bar input errors (and unwanted results). It’s a smooth experience on the way up and the way down, and very controllable. Trimmed back a little and unhooked, its mid aspect and deep canopy combine for quite a punchy response and decent pop factor, but lacks the slack of a more dedicated freestyle kite. Again, the mellow steering speed helps here. A true all-rounder can’t be rated as such in 2019 unless it has some credibility in the hydrofoil department. In lighter wind, the Triad flies fairly early, and that deep profile has the grunt to get you up and foiling earlier than most three strut kites. The central luff strut really comes into play when running downwind, and with the enormous bar stroke, the ability to dump power without the kite tipping out makes for a reassuring foil experience. On a surf board, most of these characteristics transfer across well, the innate stability lends itself well to side shore down the line riding with minimal kite inputs. Overall the Triad offers a very accessible riding experience with performance attributes for more experienced riders to enjoy. More advanced riders may want something a little more responsive to get the adrenaline running, which is where the Pivot fits, but the Triad is impressive particularly when boosting and in its top end when things deserve to go wonky… IN A SENTENCE: Naish have really nailed down what’s required in the beginner to intermediate sector with the Triad – it’s highly accessible, with a linear power development and predictable handling – and will take you from your first few runs through to as far as you want to go with it…

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JIBBING DICTIONARY PHOTOS: TOBY BROMWICH UNLESS STATED

This issue we move from flat water into the Park and get park riding 101 with the man who’s probably nailed more hits than anyone else in the business: Eric Rienstra

stay hooked in with the kite high, and crash in water. Hitting features adds variety to a session that is challenging while not actually being as physically demanding as learning other types of tricks.

Parks can be found in almost every boardsport and – although hitting park features is a bit sketchier than just mowing the lawn – it is easier for kiters than in any other boardsport. Kiters can go much slower,

The easiest feature to start on is a kicker. They are wide and short enough that riders slip off – instead of on to – it most of the time. After that, an incline box is the easiest feature to practice slides or ‘jibs’.

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WHAT’S IN A NAME? There are so many different ways to do a jib hit that the names of the tricks are generally just direct descriptions of everything a rider does, so they can get pretty long. A basic hit has two parts, the approach and the slide. Then, to add difficulty, riders can add things like upwind approaches, transfers, spins on and spins out. Difficulty is also added through execution and form. It is harder for a rider to ‘lock in’ to a slide, meaning that while sliding the rider is perfectly balanced with a ‘clam body’ and the board stays in the same position on the rail the whole time. Passed down from the original sideways riders (surfers), there are two directions to approach our ‘wave’: Frontside or Backside. Frontside is when the surfer rides the wave on the Toeside rail of the board with the lip of the wave in front of them. Backside would then be surfing the wave on the Heelside rail of the board with the lip of the wave behind. To translate this to a jib hit, just replace the lip of the wave with a feature.

FRONTSIDE

BACKSIDE

As surfboards grew wheels, the waves turned to concrete with metal lips. What was once a jumbled mess of exploding water became a precise rail with technical differences in how a rider could slide along it. For skateboarders, going straight meant grinding on the rail with the middle of the trucks and was dubbed ‘50-50’.

FRONTSIDE 50-50

BACKSIDE 50-50

Slides where the rider turns to face forward or backward are not determined by which way the rider is facing, but rather is linked to the approach and the direction of the spin relative to the rail. If the nose crosses the rail it is a ‘Boardslide’. That means that during a ‘Frontside Boardslide’ the rider faces backward, and during a ‘Backside Boardslide’ the rider faces forward.

FRONTSIDE BOARDSLIDE

BACKSIDE BOARDSLIDE

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LIPSLIDE Confusing, right? Well the counter intuitiveness of ‘Boardslides’ makes total sense in surfing since the inverse, which is spinning so the tail crosses the rail, is the same motion as smacking the lip and sliding the fins. So it was appropriately titled ‘Lipslide.’

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BACKSIDE LIPSLIDE // PHOTO: JAMES ROPNER

BASIC JIB HITS Trick

Facing

Cool kid name

Backside Boardslide

forward

Back Board

Backside Lipslide

backward

Back Lip

Backside 5050

toward origin

Back 50

Frontside Boardslide

backward

Front Board

Frontside Lipslide

forward

Front Lip

Frontside 5050

away from origin

Front 50

As winter covered the concrete jungle, boards lost traction devices on the bottom, but gained bindings on top, allowing snowboarders to maintain control at higher speeds. Being attached to the board brought the difficulty of catching air down and helped progress the addition of spins on and out of a jib hit. The first 90 degrees of a spin into a jib hit are covered in the slide name, but anything 180 degrees or more is stated at the beginning. The approach definition is toggled after each 180 degree increment, since the rider is now at a different orientation before landing on the rail. Continuing to spin while in contact with the rail is considered bad form. If a rider does a 180 or 360 into a hit, the rider will land straight, or 50-50. Since 50-50 doesn’t have a board/lip distinction, the direction of the spin is added in front of the spin amount.

SPIN ON 50-50S Trick

Cool kid name

Frontside 180/360 - Frontside 5050

Front 1/3 - Front 50

Frontside 180/360 - Backside 5050

Front 1/3 - Back 50

Backside 180/360 - Frontside 5050

Back 1/3 - Front 50

Backside 180/360 - Backside 5050

Back 1/3 - Back 50

Since we have the board/lip distinction for the rest of the slides we don’t need the direction of 270s and 450s in the nicknames, but the approach definition is still toggled every 180. Naming spins out is as simple as adding the amount of spin at the end. 180/360s get the direction of spin included or the term ‘Pretzel’ added before it if the spin is in the opposite direction of the spin on. 90/270s out must have had at least 90 degrees of spin on so a direction of spin is established and all that is needed is to say if it is a Pretzel or not. A rider basically does a ‘Pretzel 90 out’ during a basic jib hit, so Pretzels start at 180.

SPIN ON BOARDSLIDES AND LIPSLIDES Trick

Cool kid name

Frontside 270 - Frontside Boardslide

270 Front Board

Frontside 270 - Backside Lipslide

270 Back Lip

Backside 270 - Backside Boardslide

270 Back Board

Backside 270 - Frontside Lipslide

270 Front Lip

Frontside 450 - Backside Boardslide

450 Back Board

Frontside 450 - Frontside Lipslide

450 Front Lip

Backside 450 - Frontside Boardslide

450 Front Board

Backside 450 - Backside Lipslide

450 Back Lip

K I T E H AC K S - J I B B I N G D I C T I O N A RY

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Boardsport’s return to the water came with the help of a power source. Wakeboarders and kiteboarders are being pulled, requiring a final prefix to describe the orientation to the pull. If the rider approaches from the upwind side of the feature, then the term ‘Upwind’ is said before the trick name (wakeboarders call it ‘Outside’). For example, you could do an Upwind Back 1 Front 50.

SPINOUT Trick

Cool kid name

Frontside 5050 - Backside 180 out

Front 50 Back 1

Frontside 180 - Frontside 5050 - Backside 180 out

Front 1 Front 50 180

Frontside 180 - Frontside 5050 - Frontside 180 out

Front 1 Front 50 Pretzel 180

Backside Boardslide - 90 out

Back Board 90

Backside Boardslide - Pretzel 270 out

Back Board Pretzel 270

OTHER TERMS Nollie: Popping off the nose of the board. For example: Front 1 - Front 50 - Nollie 180 out. Gap: Jumping over part of a feature. Is defined before the amount of spin and slide landed in. For example: Back Board - Gap 360 Back Board. Transfer: Jumping from a feature or ramp to another feature. Is defined before the amount of spin and slide landed in. For example: Transfer 270 Back Lip. Gap Transfer: Jumping from a ramp or feature, over a section of feature, onto a feature. For example: Gap Transfer Back 3 Back 50.

Full Pull: A slide where the rider doesn’t fall off the feature unintentionally. T’d Up: A slide with good form (no zeech). Clipped: When a rider catches the board on the side, tripping over the feature. Racked/Folded: When a rider is hung from the feature, folded like a towel on the rack. Noseslide: A boardslide pressing on the nose of the board. Tailslide: Lipslide pressing on the tail of the board.

Layback: When a rider lays back on the feature, dragging a hand.

Bluntslide: A Boardslide pressing on the tail of the board.

Zeech: When a rider slides on a feature at 45 degrees (not good form).

Noseblunt: A Lipslide pressing on the nose of the board.

Greased: Sliding the entire feature so smooth the feature seems to be covered in grease. TheKiteMag.com

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STO R M RIDING B Y

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L E W I S

C R AT H E R N

Defined as a Force 10 on the Beaufort scale (48-55 knots or 88-102 km/h), to ride a storm is to challenge the very physics of kitesurfing equipment and the human body itself. For the sake of this article I am also including winds of 35 knots and beyond. These conditions are also incredibly challenging and are present during storm periods, most notably prior to arrival and

think it must be the subconscious reminder that there is a force much greater than us. It puts life into perspective. For some of us that perspective is best seen from out there, on the ocean.

after the storm passes.

the limits of their sport. These people get excited at the thought of ‘the biggest day ever’ or ‘the best day of the year’ because they recognize that those moments are precious and will never be recreated in the exact same way again.

But why do we do it? Why do we go out there, when it’s like that? Is it to test ourselves? Or perhaps to try and tame it? Maybe it’s to take a beating, de-stress, or simply to be able to say: I was out there! To fully appreciate what a storm is you only have to look at how we refer to them in modern day language. Metaphors and sayings such as ‘a storm in a teacup’, ‘it went down a storm’ or ‘he stormed off in anger’ show just how we relate to them on a frequent basis. In the UK we have even started naming them. It’s something I really like, they take on characteristics and become like people. Storm Brian was mental, he blew solid 40knts for days, but Storm Freya was a joke, she never delivered and basically frustrated me. Violent, harsh, fierce, wild, intemperate, ruthless. These are just some of the words often associated with storms and deep down we are fascinated by them. It never ceases to amaze me how many families walk along the seafront to experience them in full. I

From surfing to skiing, and snowboarding to mountain biking, there will always be individuals who are motivated to explore

The sport of kitesurfing teaches one the true meaning of patience and it must be present in abundance if your true passion is to ride the storm. We must seek out those special conditions because man cannot recreate them. I have grown up on the south coast of England in a seaside town called Worthing and throughout my whole life I have been exposed to gale and storm force winds. Through my love of kitesurfing I have learnt how these extreme weather patterns work but long before I first picked up a kite, I felt drawn to the sea on those ‘big’ days. This initially involved some unsuccessful attempts to ‘get out there’ on a body board at 10-years-old, but it leads me to believe that this desire can be within you from an early age. 

PHOTO: Simon Bassett

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For quite some time now my favorite passion in life is to kitesurf during these conditions, and there are many reasons why I love doing it. Here are a few of them: + I have always been a keen sportsman playing many sports at a high level. I have found no other sport to present such a challenge. To kitesurf during a storm is to participate in the ultimate test of hand, eye, and body co-ordination that I know. To leave the ocean without incident after one of these sessions is a form of winning to me! + I enjoy seeing the ocean transform from flat and boring into such an epic environment during a storm. + I love the anticipation of the storm and find beauty in every aspect of its journey. From the frustrating days, weeks or months that I have waited, to the exciting moment I first spot it on a long range forecast. Then there is the night before, the drive to the beach, the text messages, and then the excitement. The journey part of the experience counts for at least 50% of the enjoyment. + It’s me against the storm and I like the isolation away from the busy world. It’s like nothing else matters when you are out there, as the focus required to stay on your board allows no space for other thoughts. It is a form of therapy. + I am excited about the idea that the next jump may take me up into the clouds. There is no better feeling in life than that moment you realize the perfect wave has formed and you are on a perfect course with it with unlimited power in your kite. + I love being part of a discipline that I have no idea what direction it could go in – it changes so quickly as the equipment improves and styles change. My passion for riding in strong wind has without doubt shaped my life and also my career. From jumping over Worthing Pier in 2009, Brighton Pier in 2010 and to my accident in 2016 at the Red Bull King of

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the Air. It doesn’t matter how you look at it, kitesurfing in strong wind has its dangers, but so does driving a vehicle over the speed limit, crossing a road without looking properly and attending a fireworks party. It’s about managing those dangers, accepting they exist and making good, informed decisions. The purpose of this article is to talk about a very real and happening element of kiteboarding, not to encourage kiters to go out there in conditions far beyond their ability. Unfortunately, as we are human there are other factors that can interfere with sensible decisions, such as ego, kudos from your mates, or the idea of a new WOO P.B. I know firsthand that it does not matter how confident you are, you can still find yourself in some tough situations out there in big winds and big seas, so when talking about riding in strong wind it makes complete sense to address some safety topics at the same time. Let’s look at a few of the main considerations.

PHOTO: Eunice Bergin

+ Should you be going out? Look carefully at the conditions. Ask yourself if you can really handle it out there and question your motivation to be on the water. + Who else is out there? One thing my accident really taught me is to question whether it’s a good idea going out completely on my own. Of course it’s part of kiteboarding to have that freedom feeling out on the water, but in super strong wind will there be a Reno Romeu or Andries Fourie to ride past and assist you should things go pear shaped? If you decide that it is the right day to go: + Check your gear the day before. Nothing is worse than making quick fixes to kites when it’s absolutely nuking. Make sure your screws are tight in your footstraps/ bindings and have a good look over your bar, lines and kite for anything that could present trouble. Doing this is also great for your mindset, there is nothing better than knowing you are truly ready. PHOTO: Simon Bassett

M Y PAS S I O N FO R R I D I N G I N ST R O N G W I N D H A S W I T H O U T DOUBT SHAPED MY LIFE AND ALSO MY CAREER.

PHOTO: Tom Court

+ Let people know you are going out. It sounds simple I know but it really is essential. Stating to somebody where you are going and how long you expect to be there is good practice. + Do not be afraid to get rid of the lot. When it goes bad in strong wind, sometimes staying leashed into one line can cause more problems, especially if there is still a great deal of force being passed onto you. As long as you feel comfortable that you are close to the shore and there is no safe option to pack down, be prepared to ditch the lot. Of course if the wind is offshore I would not recommend doing this in offshore conditions as your kite is a great form of flotation should you need it. + Keep an eye on each other. If you decide itâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s too much for you but there are others out, make sure that they are being accounted for. Looking out for each other is an essential part of being a kitesurfer and if it means you need to hang around on the beach 30 minutes later than everyone else then do so. You might really appreciate it yourself one day. ď&#x201A;&#x201E;

WRAPPING UP

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PHOTO: Sean Harvey

S O M E W H E R E I N T H E WO R L D T H E R E I S A STO R M A N D S O M E B O DY I S P R O BA B LY R I D I N G I T. And in a bid to provide more than just health and safety tips, I also want to share with you some of my tips for riding in strong wind and maximizing your performance. + Keep the kite low at all times. Probably my top coaching tip when the wind gets up. Try to keep the kite as close to the surface of the water as possible whilst riding around. By practicing this technique the windâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s energy can be directed into the ocean through your board, especially through the gusts. Picture your board as the brakes. You pretty much ride around the whole time with the brakes on during these types of sessions. Raising the kite up through the window is only asking for trouble as this promotes lift through your body. + Rethink your line length. The longer your lines the more power you have. There is more than enough power available during storm conditions so I think 22m is as long as you need to go. Remember also that shorter lines are more direct. This can be very useful when applying many quick inputs to the kite in strong wind. Do not be afraid to try out sub 20m lines on small kites, itâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s amazing how much more accessible strong winds can be with these set ups.

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+ Consider a smaller bar. Small kites do not fly well on medium or large bars. They can be a major hindrance to you as you do not need so much leverage to turn the kite efficiently. A smaller bar will also promote better posture with elbows and hands moving closer to the center of gravity. + Launch as close to the water as possible. This will reduce the amount of time spent on land. It is general etiquette in strong wind to assist a fellow rider by holding the handle on the back of their harness both when they are launching and maneuvering to and from the water. + Wear an impact vest. I strongly believe an impact vest can prevent injuries. So often in kiteboarding ribs take the impact and after a few sessions wearing it you hardly notice itâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s on. It also adds some flotation and extra warmth. + Make sure your harness is tight as the movement of a rising harness during even a small crash can cause rib injuries. So stay safe out there and embrace the wait until the next storm. Take comfort in knowing that somewhere in the world there is a storm and somebody is probably riding it.

PHOTO: Simon Bassett

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