TheKiteMag #6

£4.50 | issue #6

PANAMA GROOVES WITH CHRIS BOBRYK

SANDY PITS IN NAMIBIA

DROP EVERYTHING TO SCORE THE SHOT

WAVE RIDING ROYALTY

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SIZES

SIZES

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TORCH

PARK HD

PRO PERFORMANCE FREESTYLE

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FREERIDE/FREESTYLE SIZES

ALANA

WOMEN’S FREERIDE/WAVE

SIZES

PIVOT

FREERIDE/WAVE

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

Get inspired! Download the background to your smart device at: NaishKites.com/ThisIsYourMoment.

NaishKiteBoarding

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NaishKites

Photo: Q. Dein, Rider: Jesse Richman

THIS IS YOUR MOMENT.

BROADEN YOUR HORIZONS. TheKiteMag | 3

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TheKiteMag | 5

RAPTOR

Experience future now.

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HEXA

Unlimited adjustability.

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TheKiteMag | 7

FREE YOUR RIDE T H E N E W R E B E L

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Quality commitment in every detail.

WWW.NORTHKITEBOARDING.COM TheKiteMag | 9

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TheKiteMag | 11

TOUGH

CALL. BLACK OR WHITE. THE ALL NEW CORE XR4.

OUT NOW.

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FOLLOW CORE KITEBOARDING: corekites.com 12 | TheKiteMag

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CORE Kiteboarding – a Hiss-Tec brand // Fehmarn, Germany T. +49 (0)4371-88934-0 // info@corekites.com // 54.445874 N : 11.191058 O

THOMAS „BEANY“ BURBLIES, CORE PRO TEAM

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C O N T E N T S T H E F

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THE PANAMA GROOVE Chris Bobryk is known for his nomadic ways – Jason Keller Hudson went on the hunt and found him tucked away doing his thing in Panama…

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W AV E R I D I N G R O YA LT Y There may be an absence of ‘prove your mettle’ tour dates right now, but if you tot up the number of wave event wins over the last few years then two riders come out on top: Jalou Langeree and Keahi de Aboitiz…

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DROP EVERYTHING In this modern age, the remarkable accuracy of wind and wave forecast models are generally a blessing, but can also be a curse…

When the forecast is 50/50 and you desperately need to get some shots of your new kit what do you do? Pull the trigger and hope for the best of course…

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THE NAMIBIAN DREAM Bit of an ironic title to this one… One man’s dream is another man’s nightmare after all. But for Patri McLaughlin, fighting it out amongst the sharks and the surfers in the hope of squeeking out of a sandy barrel without getting annihilated, is actually is the stuff of dreams.

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…

C O V E R : Proving that you don’t grow old, you just go bigger, we are truly stoked to get this shot of Ben Wilson on the front. We asked Ben how this aerial extravagance came about… “This spot is literally the closest break to Namotu Island in Fiji, but it’s the first time I’ve ever kited it because it needs a massive swell to break, and usually when there’s a huge swell we are out at Cloudbreak. But on this day Cloudy wasn’t really doing its thing because the wind was 30 knots+. Stu had shot this wave in the past surfing and we knew it got good so we thought we’d give it a go on the kite. It turned out to be one of the funnest sessions I’ve had in Fiji… And it was right at our door step all this time.”

Photo: Stu Gibson H E R E : Some general Nobile japery with Zuza Rusiecka and Maciek “Magic” Lewandowski making some shapes while they wait for the wind.

Photo: Gregory / Nobile Sports

T H E

R E G U L A R S …

In 75 words… Foiling

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I’m On It… Christophe Tack and the Element

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On the List… Greece

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Under the Hood with CrazyFly

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Technique with Dimitri Maramenides

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In the Pipeline with CORE

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Tell me about it… Airush Union & BWS AEneema

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Behind the Clip… Grom Sitting with 1 3 0 Jesse Richman Meteorology with Tony Butt

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The Dark Room with Stephan Kleinlein

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5 things you wouldn’t know about this shot with Bianca Asher

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ALL ROUND PERFORMANCE

RELEASE DATE: 01/09/2015 P H OTO S : TO R R I N B R I G H T

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TEAM RIDERS:

DOMINIK ZIMMERMAN

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R O B W H I T TA L L

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EDITORIAL

HERE’S ANDREA ‘NDFLY’ GRANDOLFO SOMEWHERE IN DEEPEST DARKEST PERU EXPLORING ONE OF THE MANY, MANY LEFTHANDERS ON OFFER… DOES HE KNOW WHAT YEAR IT IS? DOES HE CARE?!

G R A N D M A ’ S F O O T S T E P S …

I’ve been in this game for a few years now and I wish I had kept a log of when ‘next year’ begins in the kite world… It used to be next year’s kites in September, then they started sneaking in to August. In fact every year – as if playing a vast game of Grandma’s Footsteps – ‘next year’ seems to sneak itself a little bit further back… Indeed this year, I think we might have had the first 2016 kite in June… And it does impact on my life – I confuse friends and family members by thinking that it is actually 2016 this year, and begin discussing plans for 2017 as if it is just a few months off; I book flights for the wrong year. I am effectively wishing my life away…

So this issue sees the first few tests and shots from a lot of the 2016 kit. I know that kite mags have been saying it for the last couple of years and that many a forum is packed full of comments along the lines of, “the mags just say that all the kites are great…” but, in 2016, I think it might just be the truth. We have checked out some exceptional quality kit and the fact is that – marketing aside – brands have learnt from each other and have arrived at a formula for a ‘good kite’, and most kites are now a nuance of this: there really aren’t many bad kites any more.

But there are different grades of ‘good’ and different subtleties that different riders are looking for, and we will continue to tirelessly investigate these for you.

But the fact is that kite production generally runs in cycles, and cycles have ‘seasons’, and generally the first out the blocks for the ‘new season’ is the one to generate the headlines… QED: GET THE KIT OUT FIRST!

So this issue we continue to keep you up to speed with the new releases, and also talk to brands about what they have in store for us this year. Here at TheKiteMag we try to keep the balance of ‘decadent features’ and ‘informative tech’ right, and we appreciate some of you probably couldn’t care less what’s fresh for this year and just want to go kite, and some of you will be into your local kite shop at the earliest possibility, salivating over the tiniest of tweaks on the 2016 incarnation of your kite of choice.

But, whichever camp you are in, go and get stuck in to the mag, and I’m 99% sure that you’ll find something of interest within the 146 pages of TheKiteMag #6…

I must say though that part of me does embrace this annual game, and in seeing how each brand performs at it each season. Often last year’s ‘last’ are this year’s ‘first’. But there is no formula, no clear winner every year. So it’s pretty good sport from a bystander’s perspective, presuming you’re not the person on the phone to China every day, or you’re not tracking containers somewhere in the middle of the Pacific Ocean, or taking a call to say that there’s been an unforeseen delay with the 2016 pigtails…

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Enjoy the issue.

Alex

AND HERE’S FLYSURFER’S DYLAN VAN DER MEIJ EXPLORING ANOTHER LITTLE NOOK OF THE AMERICAS… .

30% LESS STRETCH WITH THE AIRUSH DYNEEMA LOAD FRAME

4 0 KG T E S T

30%

PHOTO: ANDY TROY

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The Team: Editor: Alex Hapgood (editor@thekitemag.com) Sub editor: Cai Waggett Senior Correspondents: Toby Bromwich, Jason Keller Hudson US Correspondent: Brian Wheeler Cape Town Correspondent: Graham Howes Art Director: Jody Ward Assistant Art Director: Dave Clifford Contributors: Stu Gibson, Manuela Jungo, Ydwer van der Heide, Toby Bromwich, Thomas Burblies, Andre Magarao, Uri Richter, Christophe Tack, Roberto Ricci, Linn Svendson, Jason Keller Hudson, Quincy Dein, John Bilderback Jason Wolcott, Hannes Burner, Grant Scholtz, Patri McLaughlin, Cameron Maramenides, Damien Girardin, Axel Reese, Kite Sista, Marc Schmid, Ben Wilson, Bianca Asher, Justin Bufton TheKiteMag is…

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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

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IN 75 WORDS

IN WOR DS As the kiteboarding masses begin to forget that there was ever actually a time before foiling, we asked a few foil-racing pros and a few regular foiling Joes for some reflections on their magic carpet experiences.

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IN 75 WORDS

Mitu The first time I saw a foil I fell in love, and soon after I called my sponsor to ask for one! I am not a pro at it, but as soon as I have free time I jump on the foil. What I love most is the feeling of freedom and silence that it gives to me.

The fact that you can do long distances in light wind and go wherever you want – far away from land and other kites…

It makes me feel even more part of the ocean.

Chip Wasson I love the critical nature of foiling. Any change to the geometry: the wing angle, mast rake, foot strap position, wing placement on the fuselage, spread of the wings, the mast connection position on the fuselage… EVERYTHING makes a noticeable difference so it becomes a real puzzle to get your setup working perfectly, and there is always room to improve.

Patrick Rebstock Foiling takes advantage of marginal conditions so when the surf is flat and the wind is light you can break out the foil and have a blast. Plus the feeling of foiling is unique: it’s easy on the knees because you don’t feel the chop, and it’s totally silent and smooth…

Alex Caizergues I love the ability to kite in 8-10 knots at full speed – and I mean over 25 knots – it’s an incredible feeling to reach such speed in really low wind! I remember the slams too… Like a classic speed boarder, once I was able to ride and to push a little bit I wanted to know how fast this new thing could go, and I had the biggest crashes I have ever had as a kiteboarder…

NICOLAS PARL I ER: THI S WAS AT T HE MO NDI AL DU VENT. WE DIDN’ T GET A LOT O F WI ND, BUT I SA ILED MY 17M R1 WI TH M Y SPOTZ F OIL IN 5 KNOTS O F WI N D! I WAS VERY IMP R ES SED BY THE POWER OF T HE KIT E IN THAT AM O UNT O F WIND. KIT E FO I L I NG I N 5 K N OTS IS A MA Z ING BECAUSE THE WATER IS SO CALM – THERE’S NO SWEL L , NO C HOP , N O BUB BL ES FRO M T HE WHIT E CAPS… I REACHED A SP EED OF 2 6. 3 K N OTS OV ER 250 M WHIC H MEA NT THAT I WAS GO I NG MOR E T HA N 5 TI M ES THE WI N D SP EED ON THE WATER – THI S IS A BET T ER RATI O THAN THE AMERI CA’S CUP BOATS…

Marvin Baumeister The future for foiling is insane speeds, VMG higher than any other wind driven craft, top speeds on super cavitating foils, huge long distance ocean crossings, incredibly high jumps with huge hang time and a lot of happy foil faces!

Peter Mueller Foiling is an absolutely different feeling – if you say kitesurfing is 3D, you have

to try a hydrofoil! The possibilities in riding upwind, going as fast as you can downwind, jumping or being the first on the water increase with every day you ride. Although one time I crashed into a piece of wood when I was going downwind at around 33 knots… I stopped immediately, hit the water like I had been catapulted, and had a very stiff neck and couldn’t move for three days.

James Boulding I love how quiet it is on the water, the gliding sensation is so tranquil and smooth. It’s a great sensation to be floating above the water and to have the freedom to go wherever you want without having to worry about getting back to where you started from…

Brandon Scheid When I was first learning to foil, as with most people, the crashes were horrendous. There was one particular slam in Maui that really got me thinking twice about the foil. I had my kite low as I was overpowered (a common mistake in the beginning), and I started bucking.

As I fell off the board I kicked it away from my body, however it went into my lines. I ended up doing three kiteloops while hugging my newly acquired carbon friend. Once my kite crashed and I was able to get away from the death machine, I had time to reflect on how close a call it really was. Glad I still have all my bits…

Jon Modica I started kiteboarding because I love the idea of flying (or coming close to it), and foiling is the closest thing to flying I’ve ever experienced; hovering over the water, in total silence, and at incredibly high speeds. Perfection.

Steph Bridge What is great for me is the speed you have all round the course. Then it keeps you interested as there is a lot to learn, and being on the learning curve is when a sport is best… Plus it’s easier on the body than the Formula racing, especially in choppy water.

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This issue we catch up with a couple of riders who have a hatful of world titles between them and – having claimed top spots on the podium at Dakhla – are currently leading the charge for the 2015 wave title. Both are incredibly versatile riders who began their careers on a twintip, both are fantastic ambassadors for the world of waveriding, and both are Wave Riding Royalty…

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SCAN ME! Photo: James Boulding

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W W W.T H E K I T E M A G . CO M / D I G I TA L

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FOCUS

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PHOTO: MANUELA JUNGO

B O U L D I N G TA R I FA

This shot was taken at the offshore spot of Balneario in Tarifa. The spot is quite small so often gets busy when the Levante winds aren’t too strong. I’d spent the majority of the afternoon filming Liam Whaley for a new film I’ve been making for Cabrinha, and as the afternoon turned to evening most people were burnt out and the beach cleared leaving an empty spot. With some swell rolling in I headed out to find some kicker gems before the light died. Due to the slightly cross off shore angle of the wind these kickers can be incredibly punchy as you hit them dead straight on. This roller offered up the perfect boot and with the kite-low spinning frontside I spent most of the rotation praying my knees would suck up what is always a heavy landing after tricks like this.

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FOCUS

D E C K E R SCARBOROUGH, SOUTH AFRICA

This was my first session in South Africa. I am always stoked to go kite, but coming off the winter in Hatteras NC I hadn’t kited in almost a month so I was pretty desperate to get back on the water. South Africa is beautiful and looks like another world compared to back home. I was excited to get good side off conditions favoring goofy footers as they are hard to find in Hatteras. Then the first few days of my trip there was no wind. On the third day the conditions looked to line up with good swell and decent wind. The forecast wasn’t looking good for the rest of the week so I put a lot of pressure on myself to ride well and get good shots on 2016 gear. When we first got out the wind was super gusty, waves were tough to line up, and I was having trouble figuring the place out. Then a few good sets came through, I got some nice waves, and forgot about everything else. It turned into the best session of the trip.

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PHOTO: YDWER VAN DER HEIDE

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FOCUS

COZ ZO L I N O TA R I FA S T R A P L E S S S P R O 2 0 1 5

Event organizer, Jaime Herraiz: We first thought about doing this contest in Tarifa because we believed that there is a lot more to offer kiters now than just freestyle, and we saw that there was a bunch of really interesting riders out on water on strapless boards. Guys like Airton and Keahi. We could see how excited people were getting about it and how much potential it had for our sport. For me, having been an industry member for so long, I always feel the pressure of keeping the stoke of existing and of future kiters and I felt that strapless freestyle was completely out of the mainstream, and if you look out here in Tarifa you see so many people going left and right and actually not many people jumping, and I thought, “how long before some of these other people decide to go out and do a different sport next weekend?” I always think we need to keep it interesting, we need to keep it exciting… So I decided to do the event.

I managed to sell the idea of an invitational contest to the events company and also to the sponsors, then I got in touch with Airton and Matchu who had always been asking me about having a strapless event, and those guys were really supportive. Airton had his experience with the Red Bull Unfastened event he organized in Italy and he knew the best riders to invite. So we invited the riders and the response from them was insane – they were so stoked and keen to have an event. Then when they were here we were really keen to look after them – that was important. So we put them in a nice hotel, and we put on parties and really tried to turn it in to a ‘celebration of the stoke’. We wanted the whole event to have a festival atmosphere and to really showcase the sport as well as having a contest.

Looking back on the actual event and my personal impression was that it went off the hook! I have never been to a kitesurfing contest in Tarifa with so many people on the beach. There was so much excitement with people cheering all of the riders. I think it brought back some of the spirit and empathy of kiteboarding before, when the riders were more ‘mortals’ and were professional on the water and then partying every night. It captured the vibe and the values that got us all heading to the beach for the first time. We’re looking forward to next year!

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PHOTO: TOBY BROMWICH

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FOCUS

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BY: THOMAS BURBLIES

Z A C H MAUI

I am fortunate to be both a rider and the guy who gets to take shots and make riders look awesome in mags. Many times I have kited right under the helicopter and it can be pretty scary to get air next to a chopper but very exciting too. Don Shearer is the pilot, he is a great kitesurfer and an outstanding role model to me. In a time where we don’t have many heroes we need these kind of guys like Don. He serves as a firefighter and, in between shifts and on his days off, he spends time getting the most exciting photos for you... I always feel safe flying with him or kiting, knowing that he is in the air and taking care of us. When the shit hits the fan he goes down to sea level to save lives.

Don has supported the kitesurfing and windsurfing industry since the beginning and has made photos like this (with Philipp ripping big waves at the outer reef of Maui) possible‌

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FOCUS

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PHOTO: ANDRE MAGARAO

GAU N T UNION ISLAND, CARIBBEAN

This was a place that I had wanted to visit for many years, having seen the Happy Island beach bar and kiteboarders jumping it. Union is a true Caribbean island, by that I mean it is very laid back. Locals live a simple but great life with no stress or worries. The kiteboarding here is excellent, with plenty of wind and flat water, and for me it’s paradise.

There is also a really cool local crew, with teenagers kiting from sunrise to sundown so it is great seeing the sport producing so much stoke.

We sailed around the Grenadines and this was our first stop – it was one of my favorites as well for sure. For shooting pictures and video it is perfect because of its shallow, flat water. Here Andre Magarao got his flash gun out just as the sun was going down, capturing me busting some tricks in crystal clear water and with a stunning mountainous backdrop…

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FOCUS

K L A P F ER DIAMOND BEACH, SEA OF GALILEE

The Israeli summer can get really hot, especially near the Sea of Galilee. At close to 40°C, the heat can get pretty unbearable but as soon as the afternoon winds kick in it is all but forgotten. The combination of hot weather, 20+ knot winds and an explosive freestyle kite makes for some interesting photo opportunities. When you pair it with the feeling of freedom that comes with escaping ultra-urban Tel-Aviv and connecting with nature two hours later, you get one unforgettable shot. The secret ingredient in this particular photo is Tom Klapfer, one of the future stars of Israeli kitesurfing, who maxed out the new Blade High Score kite’s advantages to complete an impressive Blind Judge. Yaron Barlev.

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PHOTO: URI RICHTER

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BOARD: ELEMENT

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DIMENSIONS: 139 X 42

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C H RISTOPHE The 2014 World Champion talks us through the board that took him all the way...

We were developing the new Nova board back in the end of 2011 and I felt like we were going the wrong way and the proto boards were terrible (yep, sometimes things just don’t work!). I gave detailed feedback, explained what I liked in other boards and how I visualized a freestyle board. Jimmy Redmon then remembered the Element board from back in the days (which was Moe Goolds pro model back then). The board disappeared from the line up, but even back then the outline and bottom shape looked great. So we started working with this board in mind – even the quad channels were similarly placed – so Liquid Force decided to bring back the Element.

I like the name. ‘Element’ has a different meaning for everyone. Are you in your element? Did the elements come together and did you have that great session?

We began developing the first ‘new’ Element at the end of 2011. I was really stoked on the prototype and it was such an improvement compared to my previous boards. Since the first Element board in 2013 we only made small modifications to make the board just that tiny bit better. Different construction, a slightly different rocker and stronger inserts mainly.

We have a huge line up in twintip boards but needed a high-end freestyle board. It’s actually not just a ‘freestyle’ board but a high-end twintip so it filled a gap there. We then filled another gap last year adding the Carbon Element board. Same outline, ultralight construction, slightly more flexible, but still rigid for a carbon board.

The board has linear inserts so you can switch your board and get a new heelside edge if you ever crash on some gnarly rocks. It is a very stiff board and also has a thumb rail to eliminate negative flex even further.

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Gary Siskar, our LF Brand Manager, asked me for some feedback about graphics. I just gave some ideas of what I like. I’m a guy that likes wood, I like the look of wood, the little natural ‘mistakes’ in wood, the feel of it. We have high quality wood in our boards, I feel it’s a must to show the core of the board, so we made sure you could see through the graphics slightly. And for 2016 we have even more wood. I saw a few designs on the computer, then in real life it came out even better so I’m stoked with how the graphics came out.

I’d prefer to have a better board and a worse kite than having a better kite and a worse board. The board is the base of every trick, how you load and pop, how you land (you can throw the sickest 319s, but if you don’t land it because your board dives on the landing it’s pretty pointless doing a 319). The Element and the Hifi X kite is, for me, the ultimate combination.

The Element board comes with standard 2” fins. I used to ride 2” fins in straps, now I use 1.5” in boots. My brother, Axel, uses 1” fins on the Element. So if you think it’s too grippy, ride some smaller fins…

I need a board that works in every condition, so the board has to be forgiving but still high performance. I need a fast board, with tons of pop and control that doesn’t dive on landings, while still being able to go upwind without any effort. I would hate to ride different boards depending on the conditions and to always have to get used to a slightly different setup.

That’s not my thing. Besides this, it was crucial to have a fast board that shoots upwind. I think we got the best

TAC K

AGE: 22

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W E I G H T: 74 K G

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H E I G H T: 1 8 0 C M

THE BOARD IS THE BASE OF EVERY TRICK, HOW YOU LOAD AND POP, HOW YOU LAND - YOU CAN THROW THE SICKEST 319S, BUT IF YOU DON’T LAND IT BECAUSE YOUR BOARD DIVES ON THE LANDING IT’S PRETTY POINTLESS...

out of the Element. Making a board that is 10/10 for speed is easy, add easy landings and it gets harder. But we kept performance at #1 and worked towards making it more and more forgiving so we wouldn’t compromise on this.

I ride the standard production Element boards nearly all the time. I do ride prototypes sometimes, but in all competitions, vids and shoots I ride the standard 139 Element. Many other rides have boards with slightly different construction, or reinforced, and I see them getting bummed out because it takes a while before they get a new board, but I just get boards within a few days since they are production boards.

An intermediate rider would love the board too, especially if they want to progress. If you just

want to cruise around and chill out then there are better boards in the LF line up, but if progression is your goal, I’d definitely recommend the Element.

Last year it all worked out gear wise and mentally and physically. It’s a good year to look back on. The Element played a very crucial role on the world tour. I do genuinely look around at what other riders ride, I try loads of different gear myself just to know how the other gear in the industry is, and so far I haven’t tried any other board where I think to myself: shit, I want that, I need that. So that’s a good sign!

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PURE FABRIC TAPED ONLY ON STRESS POINTS ON THE INSIDE FOR INCREASED FLEXIBILITY AND MOVEMENT COMFORT.

THE PERFECT BLEND OF WARMTH AND PERFORMANCE LEVEL. MADE WITH OUR SUPERSTRETCH LIMESTONE NEOPRENE AND MESH NEOPRENE PANELS ON THE TOP PART AND DURASTRETCH NEOPRENE ON THE LOWER PART AND LEGS.

GRADO C H E S T Z I P

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Using highly skilled workmanship we’re confident with our fair wages and meeting of European working standards.

Environmentally responsible, we strive to deliver the product to market fast and efficiently and reach our goal of being a truly sustainable brand.

T

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WWW.NORTHKITEBOARDING.COM

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STUFF

S T U F F W E L I K E T H E L O O K O F

Cabrinha Switchblade 2016 So the word on the street is that the Switchblade has had a pretty serious visit from the design crew… It looks like it has been on a bit of a diet too with a thinner LE and a generally less chunky demeanor. The upshot is a apparently a nimbler and more ‘performance’ driven Switchblade BUT with 2 distinct settings, with setting ‘B’ providing the same vibe as the ‘classic’ Switchblade, and setting ‘A’ pressing the Turbo button…

46 | TheKiteMag

Manera Magma Not sure if anything needs to be written here: just look at it!

Neoprene perfection… Manera have exclusive 3D software which enables them to engineer perfectly fitted suits, which they then kit out with their Magma fleece, which covers the entire inside of the wetsuit insulating you from the elements. Then there is a Honey Comb mesh panel on the warmer wetsuits for additional warmth too. You will be the warmest but coolest kiter on the water. Fact.

Slingshot Wave SST Much hype and many impressive clips for the entry of Slingshot into the ‘pure wave’ market. Profile wise and it is pretty Rally– esque, setting it apart from other waveriding kites. It is packing the IRS bridle that arrived on the RPM and promises top-of-class performance in both onshore and in cross/crossoff conditions… Patrick Rebstock seems pretty happy about it.

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STUFF

Mystic Warrior Mystic have been at the top of the harness game for many moons, and right at the core of their collection is the Warrior. It is harness perfection, with the Clickerbar 3.0; Battle Belt Waist Closure and super-comfy neoprene lining, and it also manages to get all of the little things right – the things that make a harness so much more than just the thing that attaches you to your kite…

Blade High Score The High Score adds some serious attitude to Blade’s comprehensive range. Elbowing its way in above the more wakestyle focused Mist, this is a no-holdsbarred C–style designed for riders who want to FEEL the power. With 5 struts and a supertough construction it promises to handle whatever you can throw at it… Game on.

Peter Lynn Fury Putting the performancefun into kiteboarding, the latest version of Peter Lynn’s Fury offers high octane performance freeriding. With five struts and a relatively high aspect ratio you can expect to be tearing it around the race course, tearing skyward or…. Just cruising… Great looking kite – we’ll have one tested soon…

CrazyFly Hexa Binding Aside from all of the other exciting goings on at CrazyFly, 2016 also sees the arrival of a brand new binding with which to strap yourself to one of their spanking new boards. Offering unlimited adjustability to accommodate all foot shapes and sizes, the pad can be moved in six directions, the footstrap can be adjusted on four points for the best possible fit AND the footstrap position can also be adjusted via the Quattro Stix, which allow it to be moved towards the heel or towards the toes. Yes, it’s pretty bloody amazing.

5G EPIC Screamer 10 LTD If the sight of EPIC kiteboarding’s Dimitri Maramenides kiting in his speedos doesn’t have you screaming, then this will… The Screamer 10 LTD. Based on the original Screamer platform, the 10 LTD has a modified profile to give it a more C shape, snappier response and generally a more hardcore vibe. Mowing-thelawn-kiters need not apply…

CORE Section As you can find out in more detail at ‘In The Pipeline’ in a few pages’ time, CORE have gone hard out for 2016.

There are 2 new kites and a new board. All. Brand. New. Pictured here is the Section: their new dedicated wave kite… First black kites, and now this…

BWS TDZ Ian Alldredge Signature First up: is this not a thing of beauty? Shaped by legendary surfboard shaper Pat Rawson, the TDZ has been built around the requirements of Ian Alldredge. Which means that it needed to cut it in messed up onshore waves as well as cross-shore and airborne environments… And you need to be able to paddle surf it as well. Not too much to ask then – but it looks like they’ve nailed it.

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STUFF

RRD Obsession MK8 A ‘been there done that’ kind of a kite, the Obsession has the luxury of knowing that it has been ahead of the game for a few years now… Constantly evolving and content to park itself in the ‘fun freestyle/ freeride’ category, it’s not going to rip the bar out of your hands, but it is going to deliver everything that your new or your more seasoned kiteboarder requires, and MK8 looks set to continue the theme.

Best Cabo A favorite of waveriders the world over, the Cabo delivers pure three strut surf simplicity and has quickly established itself as one of the most refined offerings within the increasingly competitive surf-specific market. Whether it’s pulling Pedro Henrique into barrels, or pulling Nuno ‘Stru’ into bombs: the Cabo delivers.

North Rebel The kite that has been at the very core of North’s range for many many years has continued to evolve and move with the times for 2016, and to ensure that Rebel devotees (of which there are many) benefit from developments in material and kite design. 2016 sees the smaller sizes tweaked to increase stability and the larger sizes tweaked to improve responsiveness. And the mid sizes? Well who would want to do too much to a 9m Rebel?!

ION Hybrid The Hybrid brings the best of both wetsuit worlds, warmth and stability, and combines them in one suit. So you have smoothskin neoprene to keep the heat in and the wind out where you need it most (chest, back and legs), then you have double lined, super flexible neoprene where you need the movement to bust out your moves to maximum effect…

Bandit V9 F–ONE have turned things up to 11 this year, and have got the latest version of the Bandit out earlier than ever... As ever with the Bandit, a phenomenal amount of time goes in to refining an already-very-refined kite so you can expect incremental improvements across the board.

As ever we very much look forward to unwrapping the latest edition and putting it through its paces…

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Flysurfer SONIC–FR What a story: the foil kite kind of got cool! With the popularity of foilboarding, the kite world has gone crazy for superefficient means of getting around, and the race world is now a foil-only domain. So suddenly foil kites are where it’s at. If you are looking for the sleekest, most badass looking foil kite that also has top-end race pedigree, then you are looking for the SONIC–FR. And so is everyone else...

UNLEASH ITS POWER!

AIRSTYLE, BIG AIR, RACE Defy gravity and register for your test flight at boost.flysurfer.com

7.0

9.0

11.0

13.0

15.0 LW

18.0 LW

TheKiteMag | 51

ON THE LIST P H OTO: E P IC K ITE B OA R DING KIT ES W IT H A W HITEA ND - BLUE- BUILDING BAC KDR OP : IT MUST BE GR EEC E.

O N

T H E

L I ST

Greece

Never let it be said we’ve not got our finger on the political pulse here at TheKiteMag. Although the truth is that, even if you spend 14 hours a day in the water, the economic troubles of our Greek compatriots simply can’t have escaped you… Whatever your take on the situation, it’s pretty grim for your average Greek and – aside from standing as a Member of the European Parliament or finding €75bn down the back of the sofa – the best thing we can do for our Greek pals is: get out there and support their tourism and kite scene. So book yourself a holiday and help out with some positive wealth distribution…

Greece, the birthplace of democracy, the home of the Acropolis, and you tell me there’s a bit of kiting to be had as well?

Indeed. Wind actually played a big part within the Ancient Greek Empire, enabling them to trade effectively and to move stuff around more quickly and efficiently than anyone had previously. In fact, around 2500 years ago they would probably also have been sat around waiting for the breeze to kick in to get their day started …

Wow, there’s a thought. I guess a lot has changed since then, but the wind still kicks in?

Yes for sure, the Meltemi – the result of high-pressure to the west 52 | TheKiteMag

and low-pressure to the east of the region – STONKS in throughout summer time… In basic terms the further south you go the windier it is, and the closer to the height of summer you are – you’ve guessed it – the windier it is. There are also local effects which can add a few knots. But you probably won’t need them.

Nice. So, let’s get down to business: where should I head?

Well, more than perhaps any other kite region in the world, you really are spoilt for choice. You could probably spend your 2 weeks here every year for 30 years and still manage to turn up some new spots each summer (there are over 1400 islands)… You can be in the water within half an hour of the center of Athens and mix it up with the great and good of the Greek kitesurfing scene, or you could take yourself off to one of the lesser known islands and ride at your own private beach for days on end without seeing another kiteboarding soul…

Nice idea, but not very helpful to be honest.

No, fair enough. Okay, so the most popular places to head would be the Cyclades (which incorporate Mykonos, Paros and Naxos), Kos or Rhodes. But by not naming another 30 islands we have probably offended 95% of the Greek kiting population.

PH OTO : L I N

GREECE P HOTO : LINN SVEN DSON

YOU MIG H T E V E N G E T TO H A NG OU T WITH DIMITR I MA R A ME NIDE S .

PHOTO: L IN N SV ENDSON

Okay, and what is the best way to get there?

P H OTO: EP IC KIT EBOA R DIN G

NN SV E N D S O N

You can fly into Athens or you can fly direct to some of the bigger islands… From there the best bet for getting around is via the extensive and efficient ferry network. All of the islands are linked up and relatively easy to navigate by ferry. And the ferries are pretty chilled and a nice way to pass a morning, plus there are no issues with bringing on as much kit as you need.

And what’s on the menu?

You’ll be glad to hear that they’re a pretty healthy bunch and that Mediterranean diet does them no harm at all… So a lot of tomatoes, a lot of good quality olive oil. Oh, and a lot of feta. And Ouzo. True, a bit less healthy, but if you are going to embrace Greek culture then it would be rude not to indulge…

M O S T L I K E LY T O H E A R : “YES, IT COMES WITH F E TA . ”

P H OTO: E P IC K ITE B OA R DING

And I guess that with the absence of any kind of significant swellgenerating ocean we’re just talking freestyle?

Actually, not entirely the case…

A few days of 35+ knot breeze can actually kick up some pretty respectable surf.

Although your average Greek’s ‘2 meters’ is probably a little more like ‘shoulder high’, you can get some very slappable surf at a lot of spots… Odds on you’ll be sharing the waves with a few windsurfers though so you’ll need to keep your wits and your ‘generic swear words of Europe’ about you.

Sounds like a winner. Anything else I need to know?

Not really – Greece is a classic place to head. And odds on you will end up as one of the many kiters who return every year for the winning combo of kiting and laidback culuture that Greece delivers again and again…

L E A S T L I K E LY T O H E A R : “I’VE BEEN ON BETTER TRIPS…”

VITALS GETTING THERE: IT DEPENDS WHERE YOU’RE HEADING. YOU C A N F LY T O AT H E N S , OR RHODES OR CRETE OR MYKONOS OR… YOU GET THE PICTURE… THERE ARE 16 AIRPORTS WITH I N T E R N AT I O N A L OPTIONS. BEST BET IS T O C H E C K T H E M A P. BEST SEASON: J U LY A N D A U G U S T PROVIDE PRETTY MUCH GUARANTEED WIND… SPRING AND AUTUMN AND YOU’VE STILL GOT A GOOD CHANCE OF GETTING I N M O S T D AYS .

IN THE BAG: SUMMERTIME YOU’LL NEED A 7 FOR SURE, M AY B E A 5 . W I N T E R AND A ‘BIG KITE’ IS WORTH HAVING. THEN A COUPLE OF TWINNIES AND A SURFBOARD. AND A ROOFRACK. NOT IN THE BAG: A N Y PA R T I C U L A R LY STRONG OPINIONS ABOUT THE EU. RUBBER: M AY B E A S H O RT I E O R A RASHIE. NOTHING MORE. BEER: €4. OR MORE IF YOU WANT A VIEW OF THE S U N S E T.

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Chris Bobryk has a reputation for approaching this great sport of ours from slightly different perspectives.

Never one to tread the well-worn pro rider paths, he can often be found in offbeat spots riding solo, developing his own style and simply enjoying his kiting.

Jason Keller Hudson grabbed his camera and tracked him down in Panama

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THE PANAMA GROOVE

Perched high on the rocks, toes on the ledge overlooking the valley below. These golden rolling hills of Panama produce the reliable evening thermals that come in over the bay.

58 | TheKiteMag

anama City is relatively large; a population of over 3.5 million people, each with their own agenda as they fill up the roads with routine afternoon traffic.

Many of the sites you see from the highway are strangely familiar – evidence of the vast American footprint of the last century. Fast food signs tower over the concrete valley and road crews work intermittently to repair broken asphalt.

Skyscrapers, on-ramps and off-ramps compose a healthy façade of wealth over the poverty that surfaces upon a more thorough inspection. The heavy air doesn’t seem to move, a thick layer of tropical moisture looms overhead. The heat swelters and sticks as the sounds of chaos grows around us. We’ve hit our limit, we can’t get out of town fast enough: we’re off to find a quiet paradise promising some of the best kiteboarding conditions in the world.

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THE PANAMA GROOVE

60 | TheKiteMag

reaking free from the gridlock’s grip we

an action sports athlete’s paradise. It sits on the

venture

La

banks of Punta Chame, a thin peninsula sticking

Chorrera along the southern coastline in search

just

down

from

Cascada

out into the Bahía de Chame. The surrounding

of Punta Chame, Panamanian Kite Beach and the

mountain ranges draw in rich thermal winds filling

famed action sports playground of Nitro City. Once

the mornings and evenings with predictably steady

there, the goal is to link up with Best Kiteboarding’s

wind conditions. There is a beach just out front

global team rider, Chris Bobryk. Last spotted in

with predominantly side-on conditions creating

the Dominican Republic hiking through the jungle

tiny wind swell, textured but relatively smooth, then

east of La Boca, Bobryk has a healthy appetite for

around the point in the peninsula is a sand bar

uncommon adventure. He has a great tendency

that draws some more wave punch on the correct

to drop off the grid and a corresponding relaxed

swell direction. Then just southwest is La Gito, a

mantra very much reflected in his approach to

rivermouth complete with windward sandbars to

his riding. Having arrived a few days before me,

create that perfect slick for wakestyle kiting; this is

Chris already has the scene dialed in. Nitro City is

where Chris spends most of his time.

“Silhouetted against the rainforest laden islands in the background, Bobryk makes the most of the choppy wind swells”

“The front lawn at Nitro City as the winds continue to pick up into the night.”

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THE PANAMA GROOVE

hris has been coming to Nitro for a few

down in time for an afternoon nap; however,

years now. A great environment and

truth be told there isn’t much time for lying

a friendly atmosphere for any athlete, there’s

around in the afternoon. Between mountain

no shortage of activities. Every day, first thing

moto rides, hikes and island-hop-exploring

in the morning you’re met with a solid 20

there isn’t much downtime waiting on the wind

knots as the morning thermals develop. Like

to pick back up in the evening. Around five

clockwork, it’s a perfect way to start a day, just

o’clock every day the thermal winds pull back

enough wind for a pre-coffee kite session right

in to the inland mountains and there is wind

out front. Around noon the wind begins to lie

into the evening and well past sunset.

From mini bikes to pumping kites; maximum fuel is needed to get through a full day at Nitro City.

Chris Bobryk is a young and promising athlete

boards and started making trips to Hatteras,

with an obvious passion for kiteboarding.

NC. Spending months during the peak windy

Growing up in Michigan he caught the kite bug

season he was able to dial in his riding style.

when he was just into his young teens. Riding in

Heavily influenced by wakeboarding he aims to

the icy fresh water of Lake Michigan, Chris and

make distinct connections between the sports

his buddies taught themselves everything –

in some of his favorite tricks and, rather than

from how to progress tricks to how to build their

going big, his pursuit seems to be aimed at the

own equipment. When Chris was old enough

technical style.

to travel on his own, he packed up his kite and 62 | TheKiteMag

Incorporating style born in wakeboarding, Bobryk has adopted one of the most stylish tuck knees in the business

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THE PANAMA GROOVE

As fishing boats wait on the rising tide, Bobryk decides to make best use of the sturdy construction

Few are aware that Chris Bobryk also has supreme skills in creating after-markettank-tops; pictured here illuminated by the waining light at La Gito.

hris seems to be in a good groove

For me it was refreshing to work with a rider so

right now. Having landed a spot as

in tune to what works best image wise. Each

a wakestyle rider on Best Kiteboarding’s

session would start with a quick discussion of

team, he is afforded great opportunities and

what would translate best in video and photos,

encouragement to push his riding style and

usually a less than two minute conversation

produce fresh video content of his travels.

as we were mostly already on the same page.

Chris has always had a passion for film and

And of course from a creative perspective, it

photography, and he often produces his own

didn’t hurt that we had the beautiful scenery of

short video edits from his travels.

Panama to shroud our endeavors.

64 | TheKiteMag

As people begin to search out new and unique adventure – looking for that untapped environment, a little off the beaten path – they are beginning to find that an eco-sport adventure is closer and more accessible than you’d think. Being able to self-document adventures with growing access to technology has given many riders, like Chris, the ability to put together technically sound and interesting video and photo content. Now, young athletes are finding quiet solitude in new destinations, traveling in smaller groups, rather than with an entourage of photographers, videographers and brand reps. With this new revolution more and more kiters are becoming in greater tune with producing their own content and scouring the globe for interesting spots to ride. Chris is at the forefront of this newer generation of young riders; a fresh group of faces who will continue to push the sport of kiteboarding in alternative directions, riding new spots and trying new things.

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THE PANAMA GROOVE

66 | TheKiteMag PH OTO : TO BY B R OM W IC H

atching up at Nitro City, a fairly popular

As time at Nitro City goes on you easily slip into

riding destination, it was obvious that

this new life routine: Morning coffees, omelets and

Chris’s motivation was to reach out past the walls

casual conversation followed by hydration and

of the camp to find somewhere unique to shoot.

hitting the road for our full day of shooting. As you

Making a point to discuss his passion and pursuit

leave the cafeteria each table seems to be on their

with many of the riders vacationing at the resort,

own version of the similar page. “Where you guys

Chris is a true ambassador to kiteboarding. As

headed?” someone will say, politely rhetorical,

he spent yet another breakfast talking kites with

as they have their own version of a day’s great

some of the local rippers, I realized that Nitro City

adventure. After swapping plans, each group would

is also just one of those places: a uniquely friendly

head in their respective directions – only to meet

place, full of likeminded individuals seeking out an

back in the same spot in the evening over beers

alternative vacation while being active and enjoying

and tequila, only this time with a new set of stories

the environment.

based on accomplished plans…

TheKiteMag | 67

Wave Riding Royalty 68 | TheKiteMag

This issue we catch up with a couple of riders who have a hatful of world titles between them and – having claimed top spots on the podium at Dakhla – are currently leading the charge for the 2015 wave title. Both are incredibly versatile riders who began their careers on a twintip, both are fantastic ambassadors for the world of waveriding, and both are Wave Riding Royalty…

Photo: Mystic

Photo: James Boulding

TheKiteMag | 69

W AV E R I D I N G R O YA LT Y

Hey Jalou, thanks for taking the time out to talk to us. So can you take us back to when you first began riding in the surf?

Freestyle was my big passion when I started kiteboarding and I still love doing it, but not as much as I love waveriding.

After being on the PKRA for many years my motivation was gone for competing so I stopped for a little while. In that period of time I started picking up waveriding, which was an easy call as, since 2004, I have spent all of my winters training in Cape Town. By riding the waves it gave me back my motivation for kiting and also the drive to compete on a new tour, which was then the KSP. I decided to train for one year, kite as many different waves as possible and then compete. I did not want to end up next to the podium anymore – I had experienced that too many times in freestyle! So I had set a goal to be top 3 in the 2012 KSP tour. And all the hard work paid off and I managed to take the world title – what an incredible feeling!

So did you realize quite early on that you had the skills to be right at the top of the waveriding game?

After a year of intense training I felt ready, but wasn’t sure if it was enough. Entering the KSP in 2012 was a whole new scene for me, a lot of new names, people I had never seen or even heard about before. So I didn’t know what to expect. Soon enough I found out that my backside riding was weak and my frontside pretty strong for that time. I had a hard time in Portugal with the side-on winds from the right, so I knew what I had to work on. On the other hand Mauritius felt like a dream and very natural and I ended up 2nd. By that time I knew it was possible to be in the top 3 by the end of 2012 so I committed 100%. I always gave myself enough time before the contest to get used to the conditions and that always pays off.

70 | TheKiteMag

Where have been the best places for you to train and to develop your skills?

Cape Town is still the place for me. There are so many different breaks and you can always find a wave that suits your riding.

When I’m working on something new I love riding at Kamers at the right side of the rocks at Big Bay. Kamers has long smooth lefts, great to work on the perfect turn. And if I’m looking for a heavy hollow one hit wonder I ride Derde Steen. I love it when the wave pushes you back in after your top turn. And my top favorite is Haakgat, a long and powerful left.

The shitty thing is, it gets very busy with windsurfers and kiters and there is a lot of swearing and screaming on the water. But you get used to it!

You seem to have worked on your ‘in the pocket’ riding over the last couple of years, has this been a conscious decision?

I want my riding to look impressive, powerful and aggressive. I have been watching a lot of surfing lately, which helps a lot. I think wave riding only looks good when you hit the wave at the most critical section.

In some of these shots you are riding the new Naish kit – what’s going to be your preference for this year and have you had any input into the design process?

I’ll be riding the Alana kites and boards.

The boards feel great this year, they feel smooth under my feet and very snappy in the turns which suits my riding perfectly and the Alana series is looking killer this year!

You don’t mind getting out in the bigger surf hey – do you get scared when it’s massive?

Yeah big surf is fun! But up to a certain level. When it starts to get super big and bumpy, and you’re only trying to survive, that’s when it gets scary. I had a few sessions on Haakgat this year where it was crazy big and the white water was about 2m, which made it so hard to get through and the wind was super shifty. That’s when you start thinking, “should I be out here?”

Most of the time I will still go, because I don’t want to look back and regret it.

Any horror stories?!

It’s more the stories or the accidents I see by other people that scares me. Like on that big day at Haakgat where less experienced people were trying to get out without a leash and losing their board on the first bit of white water, then taking a 4m wave on the head and almost drowning. I just hate seeing that. Not many horror stories luckily. Just a few little accidents where you get washed and your leash wraps through your bar and your kite starts looping and there is not much you can do. That’s pretty annoying and gets scary when the surf is big!

The 2016 product shoot. Yes, this counts as 'work'.

Photos: Quincy Dein

jalou

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W AV E R I D I N G R O YA LT Y

You’ve been on the top of the podium for the last few waveriding events and you and Moona Whyte have generally been wrestling for the top spot. What do you think of her riding and how would you compare your two riding styles?

Moona has a beautiful style, you can see that she is a surfer, really natural.

It’s great watching her riding. I would say that my style is more aggressive and powerful compared to hers but maybe less smooth!

I’d love to compete against Moona with her riding on her backside. We have never competed against each other with wind from the left so I can’t wait until that time comes, hopefully Cape Town in December for the VKWC! 72 | TheKiteMag

It’s obviously difficult for waveriders at the moment without there being a specific wave tour for them to showcase their skills and keep sponsors happy.

What are your thoughts on this?

Yeah it’s absolutely terrible. We all work so hard and train like crazy for competition season and then you end up having only one stop. You can’t be World Champion after one tour stop, there should be at least 2, and for it to be perfect there should be 4 or 5 stops. I keep myself busy with clinics, videos and photoshoots which keeps my sponsors happy too. But I really want to compete and get another world title.

Do you spend much time riding back home nowadays and how do you find the Dutch scene when you are back there?

I just had two amazing days back at home for paddle surfing, I have not seen it this good for a long time! Normally I’m not very stoked on the kiting back at home. But I’ve been riding some other spots lately – one of them is called the Maasvlakte where there is a beautiful wave that just runs! Ok, no Pacasmayo, but for Holland definitely a spot that makes me stoked. As we have so much coastline I just love doing downwinders with friends and catching wave after wave.

You travel and spend a lot of time with your bro – who also spends a lot of time in the surf nowadays – do you guys always get on well?! And do you learn from and push each other?

I would be lying if I said that we never get into fights! Normal brother/sister behavior, we argue every now and then but not a lot. During the summer we don’t spend that much time together, only in the winter. It’s always fun riding with Kevin and he gives advice and tips which are very helpful. Sometimes such little adjustment can make a huge difference in my riding. Watching him ride pushes me to get more radical too, plus I want to show off and show him what his little sis can do! I hope I’m also motivating and pushing him in some kind of way too...

Who’s normally last off the water?!

ME!

How are you with the ‘strapless freestyle’ side of things, do you go in for this at all, and if so, which moves have you got dialed in at the moment?

Yeah I try but I have to be honest I don’t enjoy doing it at all. There is a reason why I stopped riding a twintip and doing freestyle! I won’t ignore it though, I’ll keep working on tricks. At the moment a Grabbed Backroll off a wave is probably my best trick…

You’ve obviously got a few more years in you as a pro rider, but do you have any plans for when your pro years are over?

I get that question quite a lot! But I’m far from done with my kiting, I still love it and I want to see where wave riding is going. I’m not sure what I will be doing in a few years, but I would love to stay involved within the sport.

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W AV E R I D I N G R O YA LT Y

Keahi Photo: James Boulding

Hey Keahi, thanks for finding the time out to talk to us. Life’s been pretty full on recently right?

Yeah, a busy time for sure and I’ve been all over the place at the moment.

Right now I’m actually in Fiji on board the Cabrinha Quest with the Eyeforce guys, shooting for the new Chapter One movie. It was a real mission getting here from the Tarifa Strapless event, but it was well worth it in the end. We’ve been scoring some epic conditions and hopefully more to come for the rest of the trip!

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And how was the season in Hawaii?

To be honest it was kind of a weird season with a lot of weird winds but that actually opened up a few spots that we normally don’t get to kite too much, which was nice. We had a lot of onshore winds and kona winds and ended up scoring some really fun kona days which made us look elsewhere, and we found some really cool setups that I didn’t know about. The konas also allowed us to kite the Pipeline area and the surrounding spots too which is always a lot of fun!

Keahi kicking back at Mokes Photos: Chuck Harlan

Any particularly gnarly sessions?

There wasn’t anything particularly sketchy but we did score an epic session at Backdoor which can be really rare as it’s pretty hard to get everything to align.

You need a solid swell, fairly north winds and fairly good waves – but not too good that surfers paddle out! Somehow all that came together and we ended up scoring 6-8ft Backdoor with no one out. It was really slow with not many good ones, but every now and then there were a couple gems. There was a lot of waiting but in the end I got a couple barrels that will stay in my memory for a long time to come!

So you’re a pretty busy guy nowadays – do you spend most of your time SUPing, surfing or kiting?!

It definitely gets hard sometimes trying to balance everything. In terms of competitions, I’m much busier with SUP, but in terms of just riding it’s all pretty even, I really like to mix it up and try to do everything so I usually take kite and surf gear to do it all when I travel. It works out well because sometimes SUP takes me places that I wouldn’t normally be and you end up scoring amazing conditions for kiting. It can be hard trying to carry it all but I’m usually pretty thankful that I do.

How many events are you hitting up on the SUP tour and where do they take you?

This year I’m pretty busy and I want to try to do them all which is a total of 6.

So far I’ve done 2, Tahiti and Sunset, and then I have Brazil, California, France and Morocco coming up for the end of the year. It can get hard trying to do it all with both sports, but I’m still enjoying myself a lot. Sometimes it takes me to places that I wouldn’t normally go and it’s a great way to see what different places have to offer.

And what’s the vibe like at the SUP events?

Yeah it’s getting pretty crazy these days.

Everyone is getting better, the boards are getting smaller, and it’s getting hard to keep up sometimes. There are a lot of guys at a really high level and it’s cool to see how far the sport has come.

I guess with kiting the airs and maneuvers transfer into your surfing, are there any kiting skills that help with your SUP? I don’t know if it necessarily transfers over but the way I see it, the more time spent in the water, the better you become at everything. Every session you learn how to read waves better and sometimes having all those different sports helps you approach waves differently than someone else would.

It’s obviously difficult for wave-riders at the moment without there being a specific wave tour for them to showcase their skills and keep sponsors happy.

What are your thoughts on this?

Yeah it’s a little sad that we don’t have more of a tour and hopefully that’s something that will change more in the future now that the tour changed owners.

The VKWC event in Morocco is an epic event so hopefully they can find some more sponsors and try and get more of a tour going for waves. Although having only one event in the past couple years has worked out for me, I would love to see more events so we have a proper tour in different types of conditions.

It sounded like you were pretty stoked on the conditions in Dakhla this year, can you talk us through it?

Morocco is pretty cool. This year was my third year in Dakhla and I’ve always had a great time. Although there’s not too much to do besides kiting, when it’s on Dakhla is home to one of the funnest waves I’ve ever kited and – this year in particular – was the best I’ve seen it. It doesn’t necessarily handle big swell but we ended up scoring it the perfect size for the competition.

Head high sets with long clean walls where you can do 10-15 turns to the beach.

It’s hard to beat conditions like that for a competition so I really enjoyed myself.

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W AV E R I D I N G R O YA LT Y

And then you came second at the Tarifa Strapless Pro event. How was that?

The Tarifa event was really cool actually. Being one of the first events of its kind, I wasn’t quite sure what to expect. I ended up having a lot of fun, and seeing the level of all the guys now was pretty amazing. It’s hard to believe how far this side of the sport has come in such a short time and it will be really cool to see what the future brings. We also had a really good crowd of spectators and it was cool to see how into it they all were.

It really pushes you to ride hard and try things.

So are you sold on the ‘strapless air’ side of the sport?

I think it’s a pretty cool addition to the sport actually. Although I still prefer waves, it can make no waves or small waves a lot of fun and it’s a great way to make it easier to have more competitions. I think what the VKWC is trying to do is pretty cool where they want to combine the two together. Depending on the quality of the waves, you are scored partly for waves and partly for jumping. If the waves are good, there is more focus on surfing, and if the waves aren’t great there is more focus on freestyle.

I think this format can work really well and allow for a lot more event locations that wouldn’t normally be possible. And seeing how hard it is for wave events now I think this would be a great way to boost event options.

Have you had much involvement in the development of the 2016 Cabrinha kit? If so can you tell us what you’ve been working on and what we have got to look forward to?

To be honest not too much really. The Drifter is still based off the same great kite but now we have another bridle option which can totally change the way the kite flies and allows it to sit further forward in the window. This is a great option for more offshore winds and can make the Drifter feel like a different kite which is cool.

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Barrel Hound #1: Capitalizing on a 'surfer free' day at Pipeline Photo: John Bilderback

Photo: James Boulding

Photo: James Boulding

W AV E R I D I N G R O YA LT Y

Barrel Hound #2: Keahi and Indo, the ultimate combo?

Photo: Jason Wolcott

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When he's not in a barrel, he's generally up to this kind of stuff...

Photo: Cabrinha

What would be your perfect wave and where is the closest you have come to waveriding nirvana?

For me the ultimate is still getting barreled, and being in Fiji has reminded me how perfect Cloudbreak is as a kiting wave... Ideally my perfect wave would be a right version, but I’ll happily settle for something like Cloudbreak: when it’s on as it really is an amazing wave. It has everything. Long, clean, stretched out walls as well as heavy slabbing barrel sections. It doesn’t really get much better than that so it’s right up there on my list.

You’ve obviously got a few more years in you as a pro rider, but do you have any plans for when your pro career is over?

On the podium in 2012 Photo: Courtesy KSP

I’m still working it out but maybe something to do with the kite industry would be pretty nice.

Either that, or try to get more into the drone filming scene. When I broke my ankle I realized just how fun this could be and I’d love to do it more professionally in the future.

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FOR A KITE BRAND, GETTING THE PRODUCT SHOOTS SORTED IN TIME FOR THE RELEASE OF A NEW KITE IS ONE OF THE TENSEST PERIODS OF THE YEAR. THE KITES HAVE TO GET THERE IN TIME, THE CREW HAVE TO BE IN PLACE, AND CONDITIONS HAVE TO BE ON. THANKFULLY – DESPITE THIS BEING A COMMERCIAL NECESSITY – IT CAN ALSO BE A WHOLE LOT OF FUN… Words and photos: Hannes Burner We had been planning the product video shoot for the new Reo for many months. The printed prototypes of the new kite would be ready beginning of May and the deadline for the video was the end of June.

Torrin, Ozone’s product and media manager, gave us some basic requirements for the video: proper wave conditions, blue water, board shorts, empty lineup and low budget. Not too much to ask for! And where the hell would we find these conditions this time of year? Off-season Cape Verde seemed to be an option but we would need to be lucky to get a good swell there… We kept one eye hopefully on the forecast.

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E V E R

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DROP EVERYTHING

Go o d

Our Portuguese wave rider, Paulino Pereira, was the first to get excited about a possible swell. It looked like it could be on for the following weekend so we got on to our Irish big wave rider, Ryan Coote, who wasn’t convinced: “That is a ‘week’ forecast which makes it a WEAK forecast!”

Then we had the kites – these were still somewhere between our Vietnam factory and Barcelona office, and seemed unlikely to arrive in time. Then we would have to send them to Paulino in Lisbon which would take another 2 or 3 days.

IT SOUNDED LIKE MISSION IMPOSSIBLE…

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Three days later, on the Tuesday, and Paulino was getting more confident: “On Friday and Saturday Cape Verde will be firing! This might be our chance to film the Reo in the last swell of the season in Cape Verde.” Plus the island would be empty as, according to the locals, all the riders that had spent the season there had already gone home. And for the shoot we really needed an empty wave line-up.

Then some good news came – the proto kites arrived in Barcelona. Suddenly it was Mission On. And we all dropped everything to get there… We couldn’t risk a courier to ship the kites on time so someone would have to take them on the plane to Lisbon to make sure they got there for a Thursday evening flight.

Ryan and Lou Merkert, our cameramen, considered their options and shuffling around their agendas they found a way to join in. On Tuesday evening everybody had booked flights to Lisbon for Thursday, including myself as courier, caddie and camera assistant.

TH E R IDE R S

We all arrived at midnight in Sal and the Cape Verdean custom agents couldn’t resist checking our mountain of baggage, but thankfully they let us pass without making us pay import duties on the tons of brand new kites we brought along.

Paulino had sorted us a Chinese-built pick-up truck and a local apartment, and excitement for what the next day might bring kept the team awake until late…

LOU G E TTING TH E C LIP...

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DROP EVERYTHING

PAT R O

L Lou woke us up at 6am on Friday morning and we went to Ponta Preta at first light to check the stage.

There was nobody there and the water was worryingly flat. We grabbed some breakfast in the village, and at 9am we went back to the spot. The wind had picked up, and the swell was starting to show. Every time a knee-high set rolled in the team cheered.

Ryan was out first and Paulino followed and got a fairly good sized wave straight away. It broke so close to the rocks that he risked his fins and feet, but he gave it his all for the camera. By midday the swell was head-high and Lou got his first good footage. Still none of the locals were in the line-up, and before long set-afterset of crystal clear pumping waves were rolling in for the boys to ride. We couldn’t believe that we nailed the conditions for this shoot!

After a few hours shooting, the African elements were starting to take their toll on us and the equipment so we decided to take a quick lunch to recharge our batteries and back-up the full to bursting SD cards.

WHEN WE CAME BACK TO PONTA PRETA THE SWELL WAS WAY BIGGER AND THE WIND DIRECTION PERFECT CROSS-OFF. The guys rode until sunset and, although the light got worse, Lou kept on shooting and filling up his cards. By the end of the day we could have gone back home as we had scored enough footage for the entire product clip. Friday happened to be Ryan’s birthday too, and he couldn’t imagine a better present than the day’s session. Airton Cozzolino’s sister even sang him a birthday song over our seafood dinner.

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DROP EVERYTHING

The next day we were on the water by 9, the wind was blowing 15 knots side-off and the swell was building up nicely.

Heavyweight Ryan took the 12m and Paulino took the 10. Again we were alone in the line-up and Lou opted for the down-theline angle as the light for that was only good in the morning.

The conditions were hard for the guys, and when heading out through the heavy shore-dump Ryan snapped his board.

Thankfully he had three more with him…

Ryan and Paulino tried to make the best out of the lightwind session, even as the locals quit as the wind dropped further.

Ryan decided to bodydrag into the break to shoot Paulino with the GoPro, but with the light wind the inevitable happened: a tangle. Ryan managed to relaunch his kite, but Paulino had to self-rescue as the lines were all messed up. Timing the sets, Paulino tried to use the current to get back to the shore but, with only around 30 meters to go, the kite got caught and he had to let everything go… Thankfully I was waiting for him on the beach – and the caddie saved the proto kite!

Lou was pretty ruthless and sent Paulino out again to get more footage which was going to be hard work on the 12… Every bottom turn was a gamble as the lines went slack. In one of the top turns Paulino passed across a steering line – his kite hit the water and the board leash also got tangled. Luckily the set passed quickly and Paulino had got time to release and undo everything. Then, chicken loop in one hand and board leash in the other, he prepared himself to let go if another huge set rolled in. Thankfully the 12m Reo pulled him out of the danger zone and once again everything was sorted and he relaunched the kite without any effort. But by lunchtime the wind had died down and Ponta Preta had stopped working. After Lunch, Lou was still hungry for more shots so we went to check out different spots on the island. At Shark Beach we saw some tourists watching baby sharks in the lagoon and, although the scenery was stunning and a few medium sized left-handers were rolling in, Lou couldn’t persuade the boys to ride with the prospect of Mummy and Daddy shark checking on their kids!

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DROP EVERYTHING

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Paulino told us of the rough west coast and that we might find something there. It was getting late and our chances to score were slim but we thought we would try our luck. The dirt track to the spot was pretty extreme and our Chinese truck did a superb job. Finally we got to the secret spot where strong offshore wind and shoulder-high waves awaited us. We found a small cove where entering the water seemed possible and pumping up the kite was a challenge as we didn’t want to put the protos on the razor sharp rocks. The launch was tricky as there were rocks and sea urchins everywhere. Paulino cut his toe badly, but he didn’t want to miss this session on the 7m.

Ryan was out first with the 9m and he scored some nice sets just as Lou put his camera in position. The scenery was amazing and he ran around trying different angles to capture the beauty of the moment. It was a short lived session as the wind started getting funny, so they made a heading to a landing spot downwind…

With no more swell over the following days we spent time filming fly-bys and close-ups of the Reo. Lou was stoked with the exotic scenery of the island, he was so into filming the offroad sequences and lifestyle stuff for a second video project – maybe we can give the footage to the Chinese car company!

SO FOR US THIS WAS A GREAT TRIP FOR FILMING THE KITE, BUT ALSO A REMINDER AS A KITER TO ALWAYS FOLLOW YOUR INSTINCTS WHEN THE ELEMENTS ARE CALLING: A REMINDER TO BE INSPIRED, AND TO DROP EVERYTHING FOR THE SESSION…

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The water’s cold, seal carcasses patrol the high tide mark, it’s sharky, and solid Southern Ocean swells plant themselves relentlessly onto a few feet of sand day after day.

But it is a place that, for surfers, has risen from ‘unknown’ to ‘top of the list’ in the space of a few years.

The Skeleton Coast. With many waves which reel endlessly down empty, sandy beaches, and can offer countless barrels and hypnotic perfection. But for kiters: can they be ridden on a solid swell? Patri McLaughlin scratched an itch and investigated…

WORDS: PATRI MCLAUGHLIN PHOTOS: GRANT SCHOLTZ

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THE NAMIBIAN DREAM

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PAT R I PAYS HIS DUES WITH A L IP THAT LOO KS ABOUT 6 0% WATER, 4 0% SAN D.

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THE NAMIBIAN DREAM

Ever since I saw a surfing clip of a perfect wave in Namibia it has been a dream of mine to go there.

Then a couple of years ago Jeremy Eloy made a video kiting the wave. The video is called “Make My Day Namibia”. I recommend you take a look. It really showcases the harsh beauty of the country. Unfortunately, unless you live in Africa, the only way to score this wave is to fly in on a swell forecast. And I live in Hawaii so it would be nearly impossible to fly half way around the world in time for a swell. I therefore put the trip deep in my mind and said to myself: maybe one day.

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This year my girlfriend was planning on doing a semester at the University of Cape Town, and I really wanted to visit her while she was there.

I put some money aside to spend the Hawaiian summer in Cape Town, and then enjoy their winter. Cape Town has a huge variety of surfing and kiting this time of year, and Hawaii is typically flat, so I got the thickest wetsuit that ION makes and set out to the freezing waters. I didn’t know what I was in for as far as the water temperature, as it’s colder than anything that I’m used to, and I did feel like a kook in the lineup wearing a thick suit, gloves, boots, and a hood and still shivering! Thankfully the waves are unreal and the locals are extremely friendly, which makes up for the cold water…

When I was making my plans to go to South Africa, I also realized that the dream of kiting one of the most perfect waves might actually become a reality and that this was the best chance I would ever have‌ I decided that if there was a proper forecast I would go. However, after spending a month-and-a-half in Cape Town things never really lined up and it was looking like we wouldn’t get the conditions for the trip to Namibia. Thankfully there was a massive swell headed for Mauritius though, so my girlfriend and I set out for the beautiful island to get some kiting in over there. We scored some insane swell the first couple of days that we were there and I was pretty satisfied after scoring some warm water barrels with two other kiters. But while in Mauritius, I was still continually watching the forecast for Namibia‌

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THE NAMIBIAN DREAM

Then one day it happened: there was a massive storm swinging under Patagonia and setting up the perfect swell. I was frothing, and got on the spotty Wi-Fi connection to arrange everything. Logistics ended up turning into a nightmare. There were no rental cars available, and the place is so remote that it’s impossible to get there without a 4x4. I found a flight nearby but even accommodation is sparse. So I messaged a friend of mine, a big wave surfer from Cape Town that had been to the spot once before, he gave me the information I needed to pull the trigger and I bought my ticket.

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I phoned a buddy of mine, Clinton Bolton, who was in Cape Town at the time. He was keen to come along so it seemed the trip was going to happen for sure. I was flying from Mauritius to Cape Town Thursday night and my flight to Namibia was on Friday morning so everything had to go without a hitch. If the airline lost a bag I’d be screwed and my dream would go down the drain. But luckily everything went smoothly and Clinton and I were off.

When we arrived in Namibia we met a few other surfers at the airport who had been to the wave a few times before. We all ended up staying in the same place, and – even though we were kiters – they showed us the ropes.

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THE NAMIBIAN DREAM

The next day we arrived at the spot in the middle of the desert. There were no waves yet, so we explored the lineup. It was two kilometers long and littered with dead seal carcasses. This place is notorious for having a bunch of sharks as there’s a massive seal colony nearby and the ocean is full of wildlife. We sat on the beach for a while and saw a pod of dolphins cruise by. Then the wind began to pick up. Clinton and I pumped up our kites and went out for a quick session to get a feel for the wave. The forerunners of the swell began to trickle in so you could see how the wave would peel down the point.

To our surprise the surfers that we met knew how to kite.

We all took turns trading off riding the knee high waves and it ended up being a great afternoon in the middle of the desert.

The next day the swell arrived in full force. So did the people.

There were probably 50 people that came in including professional surfer Aritz Aranburu. You know when people come from around the world it’s going to be a special event. There was no wind in the morning so Clinton and I surfed for 5 hours straight.

After surfing about 10 waves it began getting windy. I wanted to get one more wave surfing then it was time to kite, so I paddled out with Clinton at the top of the point and a bomb set came through. I scratched my way into a solid wave and luckily it let me in pretty easy. I bottom turned into a cave and weaved through a long, heavy barrel. It spat me out so hard I thought I was going to get blown off my board. I got three more barrels on that wave. It was the best wave of my life.

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THE NAMIBIAN DREAM

Sufficiently satisfied with the surfing, Clinton and I decided to give kiting a go. The wave is extremely fast and heavy so I was honestly a little nervous to kite it. I’ve kited big waves, and I’ve kited big barrels, but never fast waves like this. A local guy told me he drove along the wave at 60 kilometers an hour – and the wave was still faster than his truck. I pumped up my 7 meter Neo and waxed up my 5’8” WAM and set out for the frigid Atlantic once again. The swell was getting even bigger as the tide was pushing in. There were still surfers in the water so I was just trying to

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pick off scraps in the beginning so I wouldn’t make the surfers mad. I got a couple of mediocre waves to start off the session, and then a pretty solid set came through. I picked off the biggest swell I could see and chased into the sand bank. It hit the top of the point and began reeling fast. The wave looked like a sandy version of Teahupoo in Tahiti, but it kept running down the point like a Peruvian point break. It’s difficult to line up a proper barrel because it doesn’t break in the same spot like reef breaks generally do, but I still managed to snag a few insane waves.

It was difficult to get a really long barrel with a kite because the wind is a bit too sideshore. You end up pulling in and the only exit is straight towards your kite. If you travel too far at it you run the risk of tangling yourself in slack lines. Kite lines are insanely strong. I know of numerous injuries from “gift wrapping”, including the tip of my precious pinky, and the last thing you want to do is get yourself in a situation like that in the middle of the Namibian desert. A few times during the session I pulled into a barrel, but would straighten out right into the lip just to keep tension on my lines. If the wind was slightly more offshore it would be possible to travel a really long distance through a barrel and keep tension on the kite lines. I would love to get another crack at

the spot when the wind blows more offshore. But in general – especially with the surfing – the whole trip was a dream come true.

Namibia is such a rugged place. There are countless point and beach breaks up and down the coast.

If you’re determined and you want to explore the unknown, Namibia is the place to go. The Namib Desert constantly pumps out wind, and there is a ton of unexplored coast. I would love to return during the wave season and explore more of the region. It’s funny how a dream can lead to another dream. But I guess I’ll put that one in the back of my mind, and once again say “maybe one day”…

A S MA LLE R ONE ON TH E ‘ WA R M U P ’ DAY.

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UNDER THE HOOD

U N D E R

T H E

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EN P P HA

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THE D O O H

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We recently hit up Slovakia to catch up with the CrazyFly team and take a look around their factory. It’s fair to say that they are a very friendly bunch with a truly impressive set up.

While we were over we took the chance to get Under the Hood of the CrazyFly brand with head honcho (and father of most of the team), Jozef Bukovčák.

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A: Hey Jozef, thanks for taking the time to talk to us. Can you begin by talking us through how you began working in the watersports industry, and how you’ve reached the point you’re at today?

J: I started work on the production side of a windsurf board company in the 1980s and I was the head of the shaping department. The company pretty much went bankrupt after 4 or 5 years and then some of my colleagues and I started our own windsurfing company. Then after a few years I started my own production of windsurf boards where we produced for a few different brands, and then we also started making CrazyFly windsurf boards. So that was the beginning of the CrazyFly brand.

A: So did you learn board building skills as you went along?

J: During communism it was difficult you know, we had no information, no magazines, and we couldn’t travel, and so they taught us. So I was working in production for a windsurf company and the manager came from the US, and we worked together for a while and he showed me everything. It was quite a big factory with 150 people, and we produced 25 boards every day – in windsurfing that’s a lot of boards!

A: So it was here that you first started making kiteboards?

J: Yeah, it was actually the beginning of everything regarding kiteboarding.

We produced for four different windsurf brands, and suddenly almost every brand at the time started asking for kitesurf boards. In the beginning it was like building surfboards, so very similar to windsurf with an EPS core and sandwich construction, but the

construction was not strong enough, so we decided that now was the time to make them our own way. The sport was just growing and everyone was asking for kiteboards and we were making boards for North and some other brands. At that time there were 60 people in the factory with two shifts running constantly.

A: So how did you begin producing kiteboards with a wood core?

J: When I was young I was a ski competitor, so I knew a lot about skis.

Good skis have a wood core so we just started to explore the different options. We went to some trade shows for skiing and snowboarding to see the materials, and then we started to put it all together with the first prototypes.

The first problem we encountered with the wood core was that the wood is so strong, so the board would pop

I T ’S A FAMILY A F FAI R...

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back to being flat. So then we have to think about cooling, and how to make a mold with cooling and the correct pressure and a lot of stuff like this! And the machines didn’t come readily made – we had to figure out everything by ourselves and had to build the presses ourselves. Also now you can find everything on YouTube: you can see how they make snowboards, how they make mountain bikes and all of that. But at that time we just had some ideas, and sometimes some suppliers would help, like, ‘we have this material, use it like this, at this temperature.’

But we had to work out how to do it ourselves.

A: Then when did you introduce your first board using carbon fiber?

J: 2003. I know it exactly, because at that time I was 40 and I was on holiday in Italy. I took some carbon boards with me, and in the area I was spending my holiday I visited some dealers and I showed them the boards and they were all like, “wow, that’s nice!” That was a really good time for our company because there was not many brands producing wood core and carbon fiber boards, and they were selling a lot and we got a load of our success, so we were building on that over the next few years. Then Slovakia joined the EU and it was just a boom for us. It was much easier and no more problems with exchange rates or the customers, and it just got simpler… It really helped our sales. At that time I bought a new car – a bigger one – and I put a hundred boards in the back and drove around Italy and France and the UK and the Netherlands, so for two years I just traveled! Everyone loved the boards.

A: So carbon was a big thing – were you always interested in the production process?

J: Yeah I was really interested. When I was younger I was always making my own models, and building my own stuff for music like speakers. I studied electrical engineering and other technical things so I have always been into this side of things.

A: And now you get to make lots of toys everyday!

J: Yes, this is really what I like about my job. I can build something new for sport and make people happy. It’s nice, it’s good. There is the freedom to take an idea, put it on paper, and then to make it real.

A: And now you have your own very impressive purpose built factory just a few miles from where you live! What are the advantages of making boards here?

J: There are a lot of them. I mean, here you just go downstairs and you can do whatever you want. It’s really simple. You can develop ideas really quickly and you can change really quickly.

And also you can really manage the quality everyday. You can manage the whole process and you can actually see the whole process… When you produce in Asia, they don’t let you see some parts of the process. Like when we visit the kite factory they only let us see the finished kites. We’re always sitting in a meeting room, and they just show us the kites. You cannot go 104 | TheKiteMag

inside because they’re also producing for other brands, so you cannot go inside the factory to check the process.

It’s impossible!

A: And the cost compared to producing in Asia?

J: By being in Slovakia, it’s still comparable. It’s a little more expensive of course, but we were surprised that it was not as much as we expected when we changed the production of the Sick Bar from Asia to here. Plus good skis are still produced in Austria and Germany, so if they can do it, we can do it. Also compared to Asia the product and the process is completely different. I’m always thinking about how to make it faster and more efficient. So 15 years ago we had 60 people and two shifts, and now it’s just a total of 12 people in the whole production process. And we produce the same number of boards as we used to.

A: And what have been the big developments in materials that have helped make boards stronger and lighter, and better?

J: So after the wood core, the next change was the carbon fiber, and now the next change is the composite materials. We are lucky that the composite industry got into the production of airplanes and cars because the developments in these areas really drive the industry, so materials are getting better almost every year. Every year you get a new weave and a different composition of the fibers themselves, so that’s why we also go to the Composite Expo to check out new stuff, and if we like something we test it immediately, make prototypes, and make better boards…

A: And I guess for a sport that’s kind of powered by the wind it’s sort of frustrating that the equipment we use to kitesurf is so environmentally damaging. But you’ve tried to minimize the environmental impact?

J: Yeah especially with the board

production. I mean, a few years back we just had regular fiberglass but you go to the trade shows and there are a lot more environmentally friendly materials now – you have eco-friendly materials from recycled fiberglass which is brown, not white – and even the production of the material is much more eco-friendly. Plus we’ve tried to manage our processes to save as much waste as we can which is environmentally good, but of course we’re looking at the costs as well – waste also costs you money. So for example the process with the rails.

Before, just cutting the ABS panels, there was a lot of waste. But now we have a liquid which we pour into the mold, so there’s almost no waste at all. You just pour it where the sidewall is and it’s done. Most of the composite materials we use are now also recyclable, and then we reuse the wood that is wasted from the cores. So we do as much as we can, and because we manage the process here in our factory, we can always work on it.

A: Do you have any thoughts on introducing a foil board? I guess you have the skills to do that here?

J: Ideas, yes... Plans, in the beginning stages maybe... we’re still deciding.

I mean we have everything we need to do it, the only thing we don’t have is time! If you see the number of products we’ve extended in the range – five years back we didn’t even have the kites so now the board range has extended, the surfboard range has extended, three kites... And now we’ve been developing the new binding. So there is always something!

A: And you get to work with your family, with all four of your sons involved with the business.

J: First of all I’m very happy they work with me. Sometimes it’s difficult! But I think it’s better... I like the family business, it’s something more like ‘your own’, more personal. Like a father teaches the son and then son teaches son – it’s like that. So I’m very happy. It was never planned – it just happened.

A: And what are the main highlights for 2016? What can we look forward to?

J: There are a lot of changes and improvements in the 2016 product range. We have re-designed the construction of the kites, which are now made with double ripstop. The shape of the Sculp kite was upgraded while the Tango kite got a completely new shape. We are also introducing a brand new pad/strap system called the Hexa Binding, and a lot of our twin tips have completely new shapes and constructions. We are also bringing out PU constructed surfboards and have added one new surfboard. Plus we are launching an extended clothing line which will be followed by a brand new line of travel bags.

So, plenty to look forward to!

TheKiteMag | 105

TECHNIQUE

TECHNIQUE WITH

DIMITRI M

FRONT ROLL NOSE GRAB KITELOOP TRANSITION

This is a great way to transition and uses a lot of different kite and board skills. The best way to learn this trick is in lightish wind between 13 and 18 knots with a kite that moves and turns fast.

On this particular day I was using the SCREAMER 14 kite and a DROID 135 x 42cm. In order to start this trick you want to make sure you go toeside, but with your stronger foot in front. Since I am ‘regular’ I put my left foot forward so that when I land I can land going regular the other way.

106 | TheKiteMag

PHOTO: CAM E RON M A R A M E N I DE S

ARAMENIDES T H E “ H OW T O ”

Put your kite at 2 o’clock or 10 o’clock. In this move we are going “regular” so the kite is at 2 o’clock.

Release your back hand then immediately edge hard upwind and look for a small bit of chop.

Pull your front hand in order to get the kite to pull you out of the water like a normal jump. At the same time – as soon as you leave the water – bend your body to grab the nose of the board with your free hand.

Throw your body forward – by grabbing the nose of the board and pulling it towards you it will make your body perfectly straight and nice and stylish…

From here continue pulling on the bar so the kite goes through a kite loop. Don’t hesitate pulling the bar to ensure that the kite does a complete loop.

Land on your right leg and head off in a regular stance, with your stylish transition complete…

TheKiteMag | 107

TECH

A L L

A B O U T W I T H

Way back in a bygone age – let’s call it ‘Issue 1’ – Damien Girardin answered the question: What’s in a Wingtip? It was very coherently explained and one of the most popular slots in our first issue. So we are stoked to have him to clarify another mind-boggling element of kite design, and tell us All About Aspect Ratio…

Can you explain in layman’s terms what a kite’s aspect ratio is?

The Aspect Ratio (AR) of a ‘wing’ is the ratio of the kite’s wingspan divided by its chord. In other terms the length of the Leading Edge divided by the length of the strut. Since all struts are not the same size, a more accurate way to calculate the Aspect Ratio of a kite is to divide the square of its wingspan by its surface area. Think about your kite lying deflated on the ground, the wingspan is the distance from one wing tip to the other. Although in kiting we tend to look at the “projected” Aspect Ratio, this is what you see when looking up at your kite. So the wingspan becomes the distance between the two wingtips when the kite is inflated.

So a high aspect ratio means a long, narrow kite, while a low Aspect ratio is short and stubby.

How does Aspect Ratio effect a kite’s flying characteristics?

Two main characters dictate the performance of a wing: its lift and its drag. The lift of a kite is proportionate to the volume of air it’s flying through.

Indeed, the longer the wingspan, the bigger this volume of air so the bigger is the lift. Drag is mainly generated by vortexes created by the pressure difference between extrados (the top of the kite) and intrados (the inside of the kite); the shorter the struts, the smaller these vertex in theory, so the smaller the drag. (I say “in theory” here because the thickness of the profile also affects the drag, but that would be a whole other discussion!)

So a high AR results in a more efficient “wing”. Think of a glider or an eagle, they glide extremely well. However, a high AR flying object like a glider doesn’t maneuver very quickly, you can see in nature for example that an eagle has to bend its wings (reducing its 108 | TheKiteMag

A S P E C T

D A M I E N

R AT I O …

G I R A R D I N

aspect ratio) in order to perform a sharp turn.

On the other end, a low aspect ratio will make a kite that has less lift and more drag.

So, you’re wondering, why don’t we just make high AR kites?! Well, because low AR kites turn much more quickly and feel more responsive and “twitchy” than high AR kites. And in kiting, we’re not just flying, we are steering a lot, so pure flying performance cannot be the only focus when designing a kite.

What are the pros and cons of a very high aspect kite?

The main advantage of a high AR will be the high efficiency and the capability to fly far forward in the window, translating into great upwind performance and great gliding when jumping. However there are some limitations. With a high AR kite, since we can’t do what eagles do and bend our kite when we need to turn, turning speeds are slow.

Also, a long wingspan requires more rigidity to stay stable. This can be achieved by increasing the Leading Edge’s diameter, but this also increases the drag and then reduces how far forward the kite can fly. So there is a limitation of how high you can go with AR because you reach the point where you’re creating more drag than you’ve saved…

Finally a high AR kite will not fly as fast as a low AR could, because a high AR kite requires a very straight Leading Edge shape which generates more drag than a more swept/delta shape, and you can’t put much sweep on a high AR kite due to the shape limitation. This is why a fighter jet has a swept outline and a low AR, so it can fly and turn fast.

And what are the pros and cons of a very low aspect kite?

The first clear advantage of a low AR kite is the fact that it turnsfast. It will also very likely relaunch better than a high AR kite. Since the distance between the wing tips is shorter it’s easier to rotate the kite while on the water.

Also, don’t think that the glide provided

by a high AR is all you need for big jumps… A low AR kite may jump as high or even higher than a high AR because you’ll be able to turn it and send it back very quickly so it will launch you much more quickly out of the water and “catapult” you higher. Although it is unlikely that you will fly as far with a low AR kite. However, the fact that you can keep moving it fast while jumping may let you fly as far as a much higher AR kite would do. Like I said earlier, we (kiters) are not just gliders, we’re also great steerers!

What other elements of a kite’s design feed in to your decision on the AR of a particular kite?

It’s hard to take only the AR in account when you design a kite, because every piece of the design influences the characteristics. The one most interlinked with the AR is clearly the arc, because it can change the projected AR by a lot. If you think of a typical competition C kite like a Torch it has pretty high AR (5.05) but its projected AR is much lower than that of the Draft which has a similar AR (5.1), but with a much more open arc.

How has a kite’s ‘typical’ aspect ratio evolved over the last fifteen years?

The “typical” AR in the last 15 years has been going back and forth between the low 3s up to 10. Remember the Naish X10 in 2003? That was an interesting experiment from Don Montague when he was working with Flash Austin and they wanted to make the biggest jumps ever… It proved what I was saying earlier that there is a limitation, where a higher AR stops increasing performance and actually starts hurting it Overall most kites over the years have been designed with AR between 3.5 and 5.5. Typically the more beginner oriented are in the low 4s, high 3s – mainly for easy water relaunch – and the more performance kites between 4 and 5.

On my side lately, I have been trending towards slightly higher AR because I have found ways to still make them turn fast through the adjustment of other parameters in the kite, like wingtip shape, bridle design, and profile foil gradient along the kite.

H E R E ’S DA MIE N C H E C K ING O U T T HE VI E W I N HD .

P H OTO : Q U I N CY D E I N

AR3

When you’re developing a new kite, do you generally trial a range of ARs? Or on a well-established kite (like the Torch) are you pretty confident that nothing needs adapting with the AR? For the past few new models I designed like the Pivot last year and the Park HD this year, the AR has actually been one of the biggest focuses for me, so I did try a lot of increments of AR in order to reach the level of performance and feel that I was looking for.

For the Torch or any kite, I try to never approach a new design thinking that K E V I N L A N G ER EE APP R E C I ATI NG T HE NUAN C E S O F A SP EC T R ATI O O N THE PA R K HD. PHOTO : Q UI N C Y D EIN

AR5

something doesn’t need to be looked at. Every time I hear someone saying something like “this is the limit” about any characteristic, it makes we want to test it even more! No limit should ever be set on design, or it’s the end of innovation.

Regarding the Torch I have been refining that kite for the past 10 years and did adjust the AR over the years. For now, I am confident that the Torch has the perfect AR in order to generate the performance it is required to, but this is until I’m proved wrong with a new prototype.

So the latest version of the Park, the Park HD, has a notably higher aspect ratio than its predecessors. Can you talk us through how you ended up with this higher AR, and tell us a bit about this latest version of the kite…

For the new Park, our goal was to get the kite to steer with more precision, be higher performance and get it closer to the perfect “Torch feel”. I had learned a lot from designing the Pivot last year: by starting on low AR prototypes and slowly moving up in AR, the gain in performance was really noticeable and quantifiable. So the inspiration for the new Park HD came from both the Torch and the Pivot.

AR10

As soon as we tested the very first “high AR Park” prototype I was super excited by the gain in performance. We had to adjust the bridles for a while in order to get the turning speed that we wanted, but that was pretty easy because we had already gone through the same process on the Pivot. The Park was not a Park anymore, the steering was so precise, I was like “it’s like high definition steering!” So we decided to call it the Park HD. It has a similar overall feel, but everything is now so much crisper, the bar feel is as direct as on a non-bridled C kite, the unhooked performance went up a few notches thanks to increased pop and slack, plus it is even more forgiving for strapless riding. One key moment to me was when Paul Serin came here on Maui in the early stages of the development, I gave him the kite to see what he thought and I didn’t tell him what it was. Next thing you know he was sending high end PKRA style freestyle tricks on it and he came back from his session super psyched about it…

I am super stoked on how the Park HD came out and I can’t wait for people to get their hands on it and experience kiting in HD!

TheKiteMag | 109

IN THE PIPELINE

Welcome to a fresh tech slot where we give a brand the chance to talk us through what’s new in their world...

CORE’s Bernie Hiss kick things off, and tells us what they’ve got In The Pipeline.

Hey Bernie, thanks for taking the time out to talk to us. So first of all you blow our minds with a new incarnation of the XR kite which is also available in BLACK and now we have some brand new kites. Life must have been pretty busy. So let’s go chronologically. We’ve tested the XR4 and really enjoyed it. Can you talk us through the main developments and innovations here?

First, I really appreciate the thumbs up on our new XR4. A lot of time and effort went into refining our bestseller to make a great kite even better. A kite with more hangtime, reflexivity and turning speed without compromising its signature feel or comfort. And I think we succeeded.

The XR4’s biggest innovation is clearly the new Dacron we used on the leading edge and struts. The Dacron’s increased strength gave us new design freedom.

Freedom to increase air pressure by 14% and reduce tube diameters which resulted in a kite that is even more rigid, more aerodynamic, and faster. Fast as in, “I don’t want to get off the water” fast.

What can you tell us about the new Dacron?

ExoTex is our new “super fabric”. A purpose built fabric made here in 110 | TheKiteMag

Germany for leading edges and struts.

It incorporates an asymmetrical weave that virtually eliminates elongation and stretch. We used this material’s exceptional specifications to reduce the XR4’s frame tube diameters. This design change creates a very slippery and very fast kite. We even released a no strain, no sand, high pressure pump for the new ExoTex equipped kites.

And why did you decide to introduce black?!

Good question. It’s something I was thinking about for some time. CORE’s brand is distinguished by its white and yellow kites – kites that we started building in 2005. Now, exactly ten kite iterations later, CORE is a world leader in kite innovation and so we thought we would mark this milestone with the new TechBlack10 editions. It is a message to the CORE Nation to expect the unexpected!

And now on to the new releases for this year. What are the new kites being released and can you give us an overview of who they are targeted at and what we can expect from them.

The GTS3, XR4 and the blockbuster Fusion 2 are our “core” products and our

biggest sellers. But we have a small and defined contingent of CORE fans that want more, so we will be giving them more. For a select few hardCORE kiters we will be building single-purpose, niche products under our new brand, CORE Specialized. This year CORE Specialized is releasing the Section: a purebred wave kite, the Impact: a hardCORE C-kite. And the Bolt, a bootsonly wakestyle board.

The new Section is a wave warrior’s kite with 3 struts, lightweight surf construction, perfect balance and super quick reflexes. It has a bridled, Future-C kite that stays put while you ride those super-fast waves. The ExoTex equipped Section is a little broader than our GTS3, has a refined camber, and slightly swept tips. It’s a true surf kite for strapped and strapless wave junkies.

The Impact is the ultimate C-kite for adrenaline pumping, slack-lined, unhooked tricks. A kite that gives you the power to master your inner freestyle and wakestyle ninja with its unadulterated, unbridled and deep C-shape. It really is a purist’s C-kite that has had 10 years of in-house development and deserves the CORE name!

Then we have the Bolt!

We have built a super tough, wakestyle twin tip with the right amount of flex, rocker, and with bombproof boot inserts.

It features not one but two layers of Cartan Carbon, V4A stainless steel inserts and six bottom channels and – the main development – our new Pro Fix Grindbase. This revolutionary snowboardlike base will make your next session a little smoother with YouTube worthy slides and grinds and magically disappearing dings leaving only awesome memories. It is the first kiteboard with a repairable Ptex base and the ultimate easy-fix freestyle, wakestyle and slider weapon.

Who’ve been the main players in the development of the new kit?

Our new CORE Specialized kites were tested all over the world including Mauritius, Maui, Venezuela and, of course, right here on Fehmarn. We are blessed with the perfect location to test our gear year round in just about every temperature, wind or water condition, with only ten minutes separating us from the many kite beaches on the island. So, regular “board meetings” are pretty important here at head office.

Frank Ilfrich (our kite designer) and I spent countless days on the water to ensure the new Specialized kites meet CORE’s high performance standards.

Frank’s ingenuity imparts impeccable “drifting” manners to the Section and he achieved this with our super fabric, ExoTex, again. Frank designed a surf kite that is approximately 15% lighter than a similarly sized XR4 and has improved its aerodynamics. The 8m Section leading edge, for example, is the size of the 5m GTS3 with an actual increase in rigidity! Pro team rider and wave addict Rob Kidnie tested the Section in crazy winds on Phu Quy Island, Vietnam, rode strong crossoffshore winds in West Java, Indonesia and tested the Section’s impeccable drifting in Bali.

Frank’s fingerprints are all over the Impact too. He has been prototyping C-kites and testing competitor’s kites for 10 years now, and every year he would build and test at least one new prototype C-kite. And it shows in the details. Like the innovative adaptive 5th line safety that is always perfectly tensioned. Or the 5th line kit we included to make it fully compatible with any Sensor 2/2+ or Pro bar. C-kite fanatics Sebastian

BERNIE A ND ON E OF M AN Y PROTOS. . .

PHOTO: RE E M E DIA

“Buzzy” Witzleben, Steven Akkersdijk and Tom Schiffmann also invested many hours testing, looping and crashing the Impact to find its limits. And the jury is out as to whether any exist...

So where does this leave the XR4 and the GTS3?

It leaves the XR4 and the GTS3 right where they belong. Front and center.

Two high performance all-rounders.

Each with their own unique personality.

And built for kiters of all levels. Our Specialized kites don’t compete with nor will they ever replace our bestsellers.

They serve a very small niche market of hardCORE kiters who know what they want.

You have generally released kites on a bi-annual cycle – will you continue to do this Absolutely. Two years gives us more time to make meaningful improvements to our kites. Improvements that last the test of time. That’s CORE’s philosophy and we are not about to change.

So what’s next? Or as it has been such a busy few months are you giving everyone the summer off…?!

The short answer is, wait and see. We have been working in turbo-boost mode for two years to bring you this. And we are just getting started. Stay tuned for more didn’t-see-that-comin’ news from the little island powerhouse of Fehmarn!

TheKiteMag | 111

NO STRETCH STRUCTURE

HIGHER AIR PRESSURE

THINNER EXOSKELETON FRAME

IMPROVED AERODYNAMICS

IMPROVED RIPSTOP

HIGHER UV PROTECTION

BETTER FLIGHT STABILITY

FOLLOW CORE KITEBOARDING: corekites.com 112 | TheKiteMag

facebook.com/corekites

instagram.com/corekites

twitter.com/corekites

#exotex

CORE Kiteboarding – a Hiss-Tec brand // Fehmarn, Germany T. +49 (0)4371-88934-0 // info@corekites.com // 54.445874 N : 11.191058 O

Made in Germany

HARD CORE ExoTex. CORE’s new hi-tech Dacron. Like a shark cage that protects its diver, the asymmetrical weave protects the kite’s exoskeleton frame. It also allows the design of thinner yet more rigid struts and leading edge.

The kite flies with a crisp, intuitive precision.

It heads better upwind and creates more lift.

ExoTex. Developed in Germany by Dimension Polyant, the world leader in yacht sail design and manufacturing.

And now, fully integrated into the new CORE XR4.

TheKiteMag | 113

S! ISTA’ PAGE THE ‘KITE S O T E M O C AND...WEL

114 | TheKiteMag

What is this you say?! Well, from this issue we are stoked to report that we will be handing over a section of our esteemed publication to our friends at Kite Sista. We have been collaborating with them online for a little while now and we thought to ourselves, why not share a bit of love within the print pages? So from this point forth, at roundabout this part of the magazine, you will find our Kite Sista section.

Although the focus here is on the world of kiting from a sista’s perspective, the aim is to reach out to the whole kiteboarding world, so kite ‘brothas’ might just find something in here for them as well…

Kicking things off, Sofi Chevalier takes a look at what happens when the ‘realities of life’ catch up with the ‘realities of wanting to kite all the time’, and then we take a look at phase 2: when your kids are better than you with 10-year-old Mikaili Sol… Photos: Kite Sista unless stated

THE CYCLE OF LIFE… Kitesurfing brings some great positives to our lives. We first of all have fun, we get to escape and freely travel the world and of course we stay fit and healthy. So it is easy to see why it quickly becomes more than just a sport and more of a way of life. However, eventually most of us reach an age and a stage where we begin to think about starting a family. Then we face the inevitable question of whether we will be able to hang on to our carefree and spontaneous existence at the same time, or will we have to give it up and replace it with new responsibilities.

BEING PREGNANT Of course for any busy kite couple this will come at a time when you perhaps least expect it. You might’ve just planned your holidays for the year, booked a kite camp, decided to compete in an event. Then suddenly the next nine months of your life are not going to be quite as you planned… Before shelving your entire year’s worth of plans though, why not try and find solutions that work

for you? Pregnancy is not an incapacitating illness, and if you listen to your body and know your strengths and weaknesses then you don’t have to immediately draw a line under your kitesurfing life just because you are pregnant. I personally kited until I was 6 months (with caution and in a safe environment) and started kiting again 5 weeks after the birth.

My answer to that question is ‘no’: there is no question that you should have to give up a life that has brought you such liberty and pleasure.

Just because some of those around you may submit to the pressure and eventually say goodbye to the beach and confine their equipment to the back of the garage, I am here to tell you why kitesurfing and being a family is just too good a combination to be missed… So here’s my experience:

TheKiteMag | 115

BABIES ON THE BEACH… There are some things that are going to help you out here – a pop up tent and a good baby carrier for starters.

Basically a baby protected from the wind and flying sand will be perfectly happy on the beach. Next up, a watch that works in the water. If you and your partner agree to a 60 minute session each, then you can be sure that the one waiting on the beach will suddenly become proficient in pumping and rigging a kite, putting on a wetsuit and being 100% ready and they will know absolutely when the 60 minutes is up!

And for you, the advantages of a timed session are huge: you are more focused, you go after your objectives, measure your session and energy levels and leave the water before you are completely exhausted. That – coupled with having your own personal coach and photographer on the beach – is definitely a positive.

TRAVELING Fear and panic might start to set in at this point, but it is not as complicated as you think and you should take the challenge on. First up is a new packing regime – it’s not just counting kites and boards and making sure your harness has gone in: no, welcome to the concept 116 | TheKiteMag

of the third board bag (if like in our family mama and papa already have one each). And be careful as some countries have restrictions on what food items you are allowed to bring in, even if it is baby food. It is also an idea to get a note from your doctor permitting certain items. I know from experience that trying to get 3 months’ worth of powdered milk past South American customs agents can be challenging…

There will of course be dark moments when everyone on a long haul flight is trying to sleep but your angel is vocally objecting to this idea. Then there are the spilled drinks on stowaway tables and the odd bad smell coming from your baby as you smile at the businessman next to you, but seriously, is any of that really that traumatic? Go with the flow and remember where you will be in a few hours’ time…

BROAD HORIZONS If they are lucky then your little ones will have traveled more in the space of a few years than you got to in your entire childhood. You will be opening their eyes up to the world and they will appreciate the outdoors, socialize better with adults and children alike, and generally be more open and tolerant to different environments and situations.

All that whilst getting to marvel as

only a child can in the treasures of the world and the beauty of different cultures. Whether that’s camping in Europe, or heading off to tropical perfection; whether it’s a tent, a hut, a boat or an igloo, they will only grow as a consequence of these great adventures and the time spent together as a family.

THEN… Eventually the day will arrive when they will want to have a go… There are many different philosophies as to when is the right time (and it is not my place to decide for anyone other than my own children), but I would say that a small 2 line kite on the beach will provide a child with all of their steering reflexes long before they are ready to touch anything that might pull them around.

Then when they (and you) are ready, you should introduce them slowly, take them out on your board between your legs maybe and – before you know it – they might even offer to pump up your kite for you…

So my conclusion is that having an active kiting family will of course change your life – it will be full of excitement and joy and present its challenges, but if all goes to plan: life will be good and you will always be their hero.

STARTING KITESURFING AT AGE 8

PH OTO: V KWC

When I started kiting at 8-years-old I felt three things: excited, nervous and happy.

I was so excited that my mother finally let me try out the sport. I had begged her since I was five years old, and every year she would say the same thing, “maybe next year.” She said that for three years and I thought I would never be allowed to kite. It was frustrating, but I did not give up. I kept the hope that one day she would let me try.

When I was 8 years old, she finally gave me permission.

Once I’d learned to kite, my brother got to learn too and he was only 6! I didn’t think it was fair but my parents always say: life is not fair.

Now my brother kites too and we get to kite together almost every day.

The moment I tried kiteboarding, I knew it was my new favorite sport.

I already liked to ride my horse and my motorcycle, but kiting is the best of all.

It was so exciting to be able to go out on the water and

jump into the air! I was so happy, because it felt like all that asking and waiting had finally paid off.

I was also nervous in the beginning because my dad had been in an accident when he was kiting many years ago when the kites were not so safe, so I was scared about what could happen to me. I didn’t know if I would do well or not, but that was all going to be answered once I hit the water. I was able to progress quickly and learn many tricks and have so much fun at the same time that I decided to take kiting more seriously and compete.

Now my mother coaches me and helps me with my training. Before, I had to train by myself. It is much easier with her by my side!

I am very proud and thankful for my sponsorship from F-One, Manera, and of course Kite Sista!

By Mikaili Sol (now 10 years old…)

PHOTO: V KWC

TheKiteMag | 117

M E A B O UT

TE L L

I T

T H E When it rains it pours over at BWS HQ. From one kite to three in the space of a few months… It’s great to see a brand not just producing ‘a wave kite’ but instead looking more closely at the nuances of waveriding and recognizing that it’s not a one-size-fits-all game.

BWS’s Head Designer, Dano See, takes us through the BWS philosophy, and through their new kite: the AEneema.

118 | TheKiteMag PHOTO : S TU GI B SO N

B W S

A E N E E MA Hey Dano, thanks for taking the time to talk to us. Before we get on to talking about the new kite, could you maybe tell us a bit about yourself?

I grew up in Newcastle, Australia and later spent a lot of time on Namotu Island in Fiji when the resort first opened. I was working as one of the Island’s first lifeguards and activities coordinators when I met Ben [Wilson] in 1998.

The same year Pete Cabrinha came to Namotu to try kitesurfing while it was still in its infancy, and a year later both Ben and I were hooked on the sport as well. Soon after, I moved to Maui to begin working for Neil Pryde and later, as Cabrinha emerged, I was lucky enough to be their head tester and part of their original design team with Chief Designer Pat Goodman.

I lived in Hood River, Oregon for a few years as product manager for Slingshot Sports but living in the Gorge was a culture shock so I went back to Namotu Island to work as a fishing, surfing, diving and all-round activities coordinator!

After a break from the industry, Ben and I joined forces to build Ben Wilson Surf where I remain Head Designer.

HERE’S DAN O. YOU CAN SEE WHY H E LIK E S FIJ I...

PHOTO: DANO WIL K ES

And you have been on since the beginning helping to develop the Noise and Noise Pro and then the TDZ. What have you learnt along the way and what have been the main developments in kite design since you have been involved in the business?

In the early days, I was fortunate enough to see the sport evolve from 2-line to 4-line kites and the major breakthrough in development of the Bow kite. In my eyes these remain the most significant progressions in the sport, everything else has been a spin-off from these breakthroughs.

The development of the Bow kite changed what was possible, leading to the first bridled, inflatable kite. We learnt so much from its design – inherent flight characteristics, profile shapes, LE shaping and most of all bridling and the balance. Bridling is even more crucial now than it ever was; a simple 0.5cm adjustment can really change the feel and flight path of the kite.

Our original Noise kite was a hybrid Bow shape and we really focused on getting the balancing right. Previously, when riding a wave fully sheeted out, this type of kite would nose over and fall out of the sky because of the massive sheeting range. The Noise was the first of its kind to really nail the balance and get that ‘down the line drift’ quality our pro wave guys were looking for. Those hybrid shapes started the whole ‘drift’ frenzy of the wave era.

Then we moved on to the Noise Pro which had some major differences to the Noise. I had been working on this new design for some time and during this period there were numerous software updates and the release of a tool that allowed us to balance the bridle per string, not just the basic 50/50 split like before. Essentially it allowed me to design in ‘real time’ and now I could really create a product that performed throughout the entire sheeting range.

Kitesurfing technology is always evolving and we are always learning. The Noise Pro was a little ahead of its time and now we look back and realize it needed a lot of flying skills to get the most out of it. The AEneema is the kite that will fill this void…

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So what were your plans with the AEneema and why did you feel that you needed it in the range?

The Noise Pro was designed specifically for easy handling on the wave so you wouldn’t get pulled off the wave when unhooking and doing hard turns on the face. The kite required consistent turning and flew differently in the window, which was unfamiliar to many riders. We felt we were missing something for riders who like a simple ‘sheet-in and go’ styled kite, more like the original Noise.

The AEneema is a progression and the evolution from the Noise and the Noise Pro. From the Noise we took the direct pull, on/off power, drift and forward profile, and from the Noise Pro it was the super forgiving handling, faster flying and the unmatched drift quality. The AEneema is fast and responsive, and is designed especially for our European riders who tend to ride in onshore wind and sloppy wave conditions.

How does the development process work?

Ben and I usually discuss what’s missing in the market or what we want to ride and build to suit certain criteria. For the AEneema, I originally built three prototype 8m kites, the Lomi, Ecoli and Ebola – named after a bacteria phase I was going through! All had 3-struts, a thinner profile, thinner LE & on/off power yet all with quite different flying characteristics. I flew them for a month in the Philippines late last year and tried loads of different bridle configurations I hand make myself. I needed to make sure they were working sweet! We then tested in Europe and picked the configuration that best suited the conditions over there. Ecoli was the winner.

From Ecoli we created a size range of 6, 8, 10, 12m to test against our current production kites. Having a benchmark is the most important thing – if you have nothing to compare against then you are just pissing into the wind! These kites were tested again by Ben, Ian and some BWS Ambassadors to develop a new sizing range of 5.5, 7, 8, 9, 11, 13m. Again, suited for the European conditions.

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Who would want to ride the AEneema over the Noise Pro or the TDZ? It really comes down to local conditions and style of riding. The Noise Pro is great in side-on to side-off, down-the-line conditions while the TDZ is tweaked to suit Ian’s style and is basically a Noise Pro with a more direct feel and faster response when tightly sheeted. It suits gusty winds and faster, more aggressive riding styles.

The AEneema suits a more all-round approach. It still delivers great handling, response and drift in sideshore conditions, but the AEneema also excels in onshore wave conditions where turning the power off instantly to do a carving turn is essential.

The kite also flies further forward than the Noise Pro, which allows for more aggressive turning with less power in the kite.

Where has it been tested?

I initially tested in the Philippines, made some changes, then again in China where the wind is light and the conditions are poor (a good test for any kite!). Ben tested them on Australia’s Sunshine Coast and in Fiji while I went to Europe and added the finishing touches before release.

Who are the main players with testing protos?

Protos are only ridden by the main team guys to get an understanding of the direction we need to take.

I like to watch Ian and Ben use the kites to see how they behave in the sky while these guys are doing their thing. We then offer pre-production kites to our Ambassadors, a group of riders from all around the world who are part of our final testing cycle. This gives us a huge range of input from many different levels of riding in a huge range of conditions.

Does the AEneema ride on the Undertow bar?

YES! All the BWS bars are interchangeable with BWS kites. We’re always trying to make the sport simpler for the consumer.

Where did the name come from?

This is a funny question we get asked a lot. There are a few versions to it, but basically AEneema means a mystical presence of an unknown energy. We thought this was very fitting. But really it all stemmed from our main theme, music. An AEneema is a fluid rhythm.

So 3 kites in the range now, what’s next: a hardcore freestyle C kite?!

If there’s a market for a wave-style C kite then sure, I would design one!

But I’d rather concentrate on the wave aspect of the sport; it’s our passion and where we have the most experience…

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Hey Marc, thanks for taking some time out to catch up with us. Headline news at Airush HQ is the arrival of a new kite: the Union.

Can you explain why you’ve introduced this and where it sits in the range?

I ON This issue we welcome Airush into the fold, and marketing head-honcho Marc Schmid walks us through this spanking new offering in their 2016 range…

The Union is a completely redesigned kite in our Airush range. We focused on a high performance freeride kite that takes its attributes from our top performing kites like the Lithium, Wave and Razor. All excel in specific performance and we wanted one single kite that could feature key qualities from each kite. So it is a ‘Union’ of attributes and design characteristics between these Airush models.

So who is going to want to ride it?

The Union is ideal for the rider who has spent time on the Lithium and is looking for the next thing in their riding. This isn’t a kite that is specific to one genre like the Wave and Razor. It is ideal for a rider who wants to session with boots one hour, jump on their surfboard the next and finish off with a huge kitelooping session. It’s for the avid rider who wants to experience it all!

So how do you go about balancing all of these elements in a kite like this?

We took the feedback from our website, distributors, retailers and riders on our kites – specifically the Lithium, Wave, and Razor – to formulate a kite which does everything well in a high performance package. Each kite has specific traits such as unhooking and pop, range and boosting, or wave riding, so we took elements from each to combine into one solid style of kite.

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What are the characteristics?

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We have updated the aspect ratio which gives it a better vertical boost, ideal looping performance and forward flying through turns rather than the pivotal turning of the Lithium. There are wider wingtips for more direct response during steering and increased unhook capabilities, and enhanced strut positioning that keeps the wingtip flatter for more support during quick steering, kiteloops and unhooked riding. And we’ve optimized the LE Diameter which helps in reaching the top of the window during a loop and maximizes drift stability while riding waves.

Who have been the main players in the development process and where has most of the testing been undertaken?

Mark Pattison is the lead designer, but of course we have outside sources who give their stamp of approval. We have been using Julien Kerneur to help test the new Union as his style is so diverse. He won the Lord of the Wind event which features foil, big air, and freestyle – so having one model that he can take and excel in everything is important.

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We feel that the everyday rider feels the same way, so we tested a lot with local groups who ride waves, twintips, or mainly in light wind for example.

The Union features your new Dyneema Load Frame which will be in all of your 2016 kites except the DNA. Can you tell us what this is and how it came about?

Which of your team riders are the best at giving effective feedback? Are any of them good at kiting but pretty useless at helping to develop kites…?

The Load Frame has been present in our range for over 3 years but in 2016 it has become so much more.

This year we have introduced the Dyneema Load Frame which is strategically placed throughout the canopy to reduce stretching by over 30%! This is an industry first and we are confident with this new Load Frame technology that your kite will last even longer with outstanding performance even after using it month after month…

There are never bad testers, just guys who are inexperienced in how to deliver feedback! In the beginning riders need to learn how to give the right kind of feedback, so Airush works with them on HOW to give feedback and not try to redesign the product themselves. Once they know how product designers work and how they analyze feedback they quickly become an asset to the process.

Will any of your team riders be riding it as their main kite?

Julien Kerneur will be using this kite as his go-to everyday kite when he is off the race course.

Can you describe it in exactly 5 words?

Probably not: it’s just way too fun…

And what else can we look forward to from your 2016 range?

Keep your eye out for the all-new Lithium. We have kept it as the world’s favorite freeride kite while adding some new performance features. In the smaller end of the range we have made the kite a bit more high-end, and it has also increased the smoothness while depowering, keeping the rider more in control and comfortable while riding.

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H E R E ’ S A L I T T L E TA S T E R O F W H AT T H E K I T E M A G ’ S TEST TEAMS HAVE BEEN UP TO. Remember, these are summaries of the tests, and you can find the full results at TheKiteMag.com/tested

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CABRINHA FX Arriving with quite a fanfare and now with multiple “Hello, my name is Nick Jacobsen and I like to jump off stuff” moments of fame under its belt, the FX slots into the ‘super-charged’ freeride category which is rapidly becoming one of the hottest areas in the market. Profile wise and the FX looks pretty serious – leaning more towards the Chaos than the Switchblade – and this clearly isn’t a mowing-the-lawn machine. In the air and it is EESTYLE FR ITY KI immediately clear that the FX packs a serious punch. Boosting is different to UN L HO BI T A the Switchblade, so if you expect to pull the bar the bar down and just O S K S E E go up think again, this kite is aimed at kite flyers who understand the old skool way of boosting, and if you get this then you will get the most out of the FX. We’d say: ride it stacked to make the most of it as you get serious hangtime and bigger megaloops, and with the FX Cabrinha have produced a kite that doesn’t drop you at the apex of the megaloop, instead it climbs super-quickly and gives you the float to land your loops without blowing your knees out. The FX is a great kite and one that will give you hours of consistent fun: if you want to Megaloop like Nick Jacobsen, and throw some freestyle like Alby then this is the kite for you…

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CORE XR4 With the arrival of new kites into the CORE range the XR4 gets to focus on what it wants to do well: be a freeride machine. Aside from the striking new ‘black’ option (we had the 9m in black) there is also the new Dacron, ExoTex ® , and the improved strength of this has enabled CORE to trim down the LE and struts which are notably skinnier and, CORE claim, also stiffer and stronger. The one pump system is quick and effective (especially when paired with the Core V2 pump) and the bridle is intricate but has been shortened to improve feedback and reduce the potential for tangles. On the water and the XR4 delivers a true ‘power on!’ experience. This is a FREERID E kite with some serious grunt, but you CE DE N T PO can ease the power on (and off) A W E incrementally so you feel truly in control… The New ExoTex frame does improve response, and feedback at the bar is crisp and intuitive. The XR4 whips up to the front of the window and will power you upwind, and for boosting: it’s your call. You can go BIG. Or for your first jumps you have the control to take it easy.

So it’s official: this is a freeride machine…

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AIRUSH UNION As you can find out in more detail in a few pages time, the Union is a brand new addition to the Airush range, and – as the name indicates – is a ‘union’ of the best attributes of several kites in the Airush range.

Slotting in to the ‘high performance’ freeride class you could see it as a ‘do it all’ kite or as an ‘advanced intermediate’ option for moving on to from something more forgiving. First impressions for REERID us were, “this E F E C is a stunningly DE T N PO E W A well-tuned kite...”

E The Union flies very assertively – the new Dyneema Load Frame promises improved response and delivers this, and the slim LE gives a very crisp and snappy feel through turns. Boosting and it is ‘quick’ so you need to time your pop just right. Then if you want to loop this can be relatively tight if you yank it, or a bit lazier and gruntier if you don’t. Either way the Union is happy. For waves and for cruising it is easy to place the Union where you want it and it doesn’t miss a beat. Bottom end is good, but not super grunty, and the top end is excellent. So this is an ‘all-round’ kite at heart, but it will also deliver much more in your ‘chosen discipline’ if that is what you require…

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NOBILE T5 The T5 is Nobile’s wave and freeride offering. It has three struts, a mid-aspect ratio and a pulleyless bridle.

There’s an effective one pump and – performance aside – we thought that it looked awesome. A really classy colorway and a nice stealthy feel to it. Weight is light with minimal reinforcements, and the bar is also very impressively engineered with a comfortable grip and effective clam cleat. In the air and the first thing that you notice is the low end: it is grunty. A real “pull on the power and go” machine. When it comes to moving it though, unlike some other more mid-aspect kites, the turning is relatively pivotal. For riding in the waves the low end is a real plus, but the on/off is immediate so you can really VE TEST use the power and then just WA Y T DE LI PO let it go. At no point did TI A W S E R the T5 try to fly too far forward either, it sat deep and delivered plenty of power without overflying or getting out of position. We really were impressed.

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NORTH JUICE Ah, summer cometh in the UK and it’s time to put your 7m in the garage and start using kites that have a ‘teen’ at the end of them. Enter the fifteen meter North Juice. Built around the Neo platform, the Juice was one of the first ‘big kites’ with less than 5 (or 7!) struts. It looks like it shouldn’t physically work but, as with V1: it really does. We were flying it on 24m lines and a quick dive delivers enough grunt to get you up and riding. It does not sit as far forward in the window as its racier cousins, making it an easy kite to keep in the air and a relatively stable option even when the wind is marginal. Turning speed is, again, surprising and you can fly it to the edge of the window then turn it aggressively and you would be forgiven for thinking that you were out on your 9m… Range is good – it does have a top-end and there is not too much flutter when you get there. So if you are looking for a kite that ‘feels’ like your normal quiver but gets you out in less than 12 knots the Juice is a great option.

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OZONE ZEPHYR Ozone’s construction is one of the finest on the market as you would expect from a company that builds high end G KITE BI EED LO paragliders. With the addition SP W G of Teijin TechnoForce D2 IN N canopy material to the Ozone range these really are some of the crispest and most refined kites you can find. The Zephyr is flown on the Megatron bar which provides a fantastic control system: comfortable, safe, and the above the bar depower on a 2:1 purchase system means that when super powered up it’s still as easy to trim as when just cruising. On the water and, at 17m, the Zephyr handles like a big kite: it’s not very fast to turn, but once it’s up and going you really don’t need to move it around. A big plus for us with the Zephyr is the lightness in the bar: if you closed your eyes you genuinely wouldn’t think it was much bigger than a 14m. Normally in kites this size you tend to find that as the wind picks up the bar pressure also increases, but this does not happen with the Zephyr. But the main difference for us when compared to other ‘big kites’ is the wind range… Many light wind kites claim that they are good from 6-18 knots, but very few can pull it off quite like the Zephyr. We would say that an 80kg rider could get going in 10knots and continue to ride the Zephyr comfortably at 20 knots! The wind range really is that good – it’s pretty mind blowing that Ozone have achieved this, and this is the Zephyr’s biggest selling point: it’s not just a light wind kite.

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LIQUID FORCE SOLO G KITE BI EED Last year’s Solo blew some minds with its one strut performance characteristics… And there have LO SP W G been some improvements for the 2016 Solo, with new material in the leech to stiffen it up, and the IN N addition of the new cloth materials. The canopy is also now 2 pieces rather than a single piece, again helping to alleviate canopy flutter. For this year the 17.5 size has been added – and this brings an amazing combination of low end power, turning performance and physics-defying relaunch even in the lowest of winds. This kite combined with a foil board was able to take us into the 5-7 knot wind range – we are now heading into uncharted waters for light wind kiting and the Solo is leading the charge. The next step after this would have to be a foil kite… Once again the stability of the Solo is astounding (for any lightwind kite, let alone a one strut lightwind kite) and the balance of the kite and the lightness of the construction gives you real confidence that it is going to stay in the air – even in the lulls. Aside from the performance, another big plus of the Solo is the price. Less struts equals less $ so you can add a Solo to the quiver without having to splash out some of the serious bucks that these big kites can command.

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SLINGSHOT RALLY One of the centerpieces of the Slingshot range, the Rally has been given some serious attention over the last 12 months and there are several improvements in the 2016 offering. Build quality is solid as ever, and the Rally also flies on the new Sentinel bar. This has an above the bar depower on a sliding cleat which also doubles up as a stopper ball – it’s a fantastic system and if you are a rider with a shorter reach then it gives you the option to fine tune the bar to your needs.. The headline changes though are on the kite and take the Rally back a few years, with the aim of improving responsiveness and the all-round feel. In the air and improvements are immediately apparent. The R I D E T kite is just more responsive and doesn’t EE FR E S leave you riding on the stopper as DE PO the super-powerful Rally of the T W E last couple of years has tended to. You can now confidently jump on a 12m and it feels like it’s working in a normal 12m kite’s range. There is also increased turning speed and silky smooth power delivery – it really is a dream to fly. For freestylers, the Rally has an impressive amount of lift and is accessible to beginner and intermediate riders as there is no special technique needed to maximize your airtime – just don’t be too surprised by the brown trouser moment when the secondary lift kicks in. As for kiteloops, with the shape of the Rally you will find that the kiteloops will be quick and high – just don’t expect to get above your kite... it’s just too fast turning for those kinds of antics. In the surf and – despite the arrival of the Wave SST into the range – the Rally is still a force in this department and offers all of the characteristics that ensure it can maintain its cred as a surf kite’ too.

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You can find him towing up a few hundred feet kite-powered behind a speedboat, or dropping in to a triple overhead bomb at Jaws, and you won’t find many people who better epitomize the label: hardcore kiter. Give him a gaggle of feisty groms and a few hours to kill though, and can he hack it? We found out in Naish Bash: Grom-Sitting with Jesse Richman & Friends…

Hey Jesse, so how did the idea come about?

Des Walsh, the Naish R&D manager and I came up with the concept together as we were seeing the next generation of ripping groms emerge in the Maui kiteboarding scene.

Who are the kids?

Starring in the video are the top riders on the Naish Grom progression team, we work with the rascals on and off the water focusing on fun, team work and more fun. Grom Pilots: Tomas Aguirre, 14; Timmy Walsh, 10; Gabriel Giradin, 11; Dalten Crane, 9; Gavin Gillette, 11; Oskar Friedman, 10.

Were they actually a bit of a handful?!

They are actually extremely well behaved… Until they get all pumped up and excited. Or if you give them sugar.

Then there is absolutely no containing them. I feel proud when I see them go nuts.

Were any kids harmed in the making of the clip?

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Gromsitting Co. doesn’t guarantee safety, but we strive for it and we haven’t lost a grom yet.

Were any kites harmed in the making of the clip?

We came close, but there was no rider to kite contact… Or at least not that much.

Did you drop any kids at any point?

Drop them, no… Throw them off my back in the middle of a jump… Yes. Who is the stricter babysitter?

Kai Lenny worries me. As the CEO of the GromSitting program we have to keep a close watch on Kai as he is deemed to have an “extreme” level of excitement which can pump the kids up so much that we can’t actually catch them… He’s dangerous and ‘anything goes’ on his watch.

There is actually some genuine acting in the clip – did you do many takes?!

We are pretty much one-take wonders… It was fun though to go about a project that was a bit different than others. There was a good bit of planning and a lot went into it.

Directing that group wasn’t easy.

You seem pretty natural in front of the camera – are you professionally trained?

I learned a lot from my time at The Derek Zoolander School for Kids Who Can’t Read Good and Want to Do Other Stuff Good Too….. It’s a great institution.

On a more serious note, Naish seem to be pretty pro–active with helping younger kiters to develop their skills?

These groms, their friends and their generation are the future of kiteboarding.

I remember when I was that age looking up at the pros and how influential they were for me. So, yes, Naish and myself firmly believe in the kids and their future, not only for kiteboarding’s sake but for the kids. Kiting gives them a fun outlet to grow and experience freedom at a young age, and it offers a great community of awesome active people that look after one another. I’m happy to see Naish support the Grom program and I’m happy to help push the kids in whichever direction they want to go.

Any plans for a sequel?

That my friend, was just the beginning!

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METEOROLOGY

METEOROLOGY WITH TONY BUTT

PHOTO: CARLOS TORO W W W.W H I T E WAV E S . E U

F O R M AT I O N O F A LO W P R E S S U R E Last time we looked at low and high pressure systems and how the Coriolis force makes them rotate the way they do. But where do these systems come from in the first place? In this article I’m going to explain in very simple terms how a low pressure system develops.

The pressure in the atmosphere is not uniform all over the planet. It contains areas of higher and lower pressure related to the general large-scale circulation I talked about a couple of articles ago. The powerful low pressures that form over the ocean and bombard places like Ireland or the Pacific Northwest of North America are ultimately driven by these large-scale circulation patterns. But they first need a small, localized perturbation – an initial ‘spark’ – before they can develop into much bigger and stronger vortices of circulating air.

In the early twentieth century a group of meteorologists from Bergen in Norway came up with the concept of the polar front – a band on the Earth’s surface where cold air from the poles meets warm air from the equator. It is on the polar front

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that the initial disturbance takes place that eventually develops into a low pressure system.

The polar front is the boundary between two circulation cells where the surface air is flowing in opposite directions. At the polar front in the northern hemisphere, cold air from the north meets warm air from the south. Because the warm air is less dense it tends to slide over the top of the cold air; so the warm air is constantly being forced upwards.

Now, through a particular combination of circumstances, a perturbation may appear at some point along the front. For example, the north-south air temperature difference may be particularly intense at this point, or there might be some influence from an external factor like the sea surface

temperature. Such a disturbance is known to meteorologists as baroclinic instability, meaning that there is a change in pressure – often closely linked to a change in temperature – over a short distance, which causes the atmosphere to become locally unstable.

Around the area of the perturbation, the warm air sliding over the cold air does so with more intensity than along the rest of the polar front. This results in a sharp drop in pressure at the surface over a small area, which, in turn, leads to surface air being sucked in from outside the area of the perturbation. And, as I explained last time, the air traveling in towards the cell of low pressure is then deflected by the Coriolis force, and begins to circulate around the centre of the disturbance.

Now, for the system to keep growing there has to be something that makes this process persist – some sort of feedback loop that makes the system selfperpetuating. If the initial circulation becomes broad enough and strong enough, it will start drawing in additional cold air from the north, and warm air from the south. The extra air being sucked in then increases the temperature contrast in the area of the disturbance, which makes the warm air rise more vigorously, which, in turn, increases the circulation, and so on and so forth. This feedback loop will continue to make the system grow until it becomes a fully-developed low pressure.

ISOBARS

DISTURBANCE

POLAR FRONT

WARM AIR COLD FRONT

The fully-developed system contains a warm front and a cold front, which are remnants of the original section of polar front around the initial disturbance, and which mark the boundary between warm and cold air.

Tony Butt holds a PhD in physical oceanography and is the author of Surf Science, an Introduction to Waves for Surfing (2014) and The Surfer’s Guide to Waves, Coasts and Climates (2009). Tony is also a big-wave surfer who spends the northern winter in a forgotten corner of Northwest Spain, and migrates to Southwest Africa during the southern winter…

WARM FRONT

COLD AIR

WIND

ISOBARS

COLD AIR

WARM AIR

WARM SECTOR

Top: The birth of a low-pressure system in the northern hemisphere; Bottom: Fully developed low pressure system.

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TH E DA R K ROO M Part 5:

C O M P O S I T I O N PHOTOG RA PHIC WIZARD RY WITH S TEPHAN KLEINLEIN

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COMPOSITION Composition is one of the most important parts of photography. The main element of this is: where do I place the central ‘actor’ in my photo? Whether it’s a person, a tree, an animal or a wave, correct composition makes a huge difference to the outcome of your final image.

There are no hard and fast rules for correct composition but a good starting point is the rule of thirds. This basically means that you divide your image into 3 parts both horizontally and vertically and have the main actor/object in the 1st or 3rd part, or often right on the intersection between these imaginary lines. This gives a good ‘feel’ to the image and makes it look more interesting than having it right in the center.

So if you have a long wave going from the right to the left of your photo, moving the thin wave line to the top or to the bottom third of the image will change the feel. Or if someone is riding a big wave then if you move the rider more to the left of the image (for a lefthander) so you capture a bit of the broken wave’s white water behind him, but the main two-thirds of the image is the stillbuilding wave, then this will give the viewer a feel of the whole action and leaves space for them to think about what will come next by seeing the potential of the wave.

Background. Try to position your subject in front of a nice background. This will help to give a special feel of the environment they are playing in.

Although the rule of thirds is often perfect, you don’t have to live or die by it. Sometimes right spot on in the middle of the photo can look right, or you can place something or someone right in the bottom corner which can be effective as well. There is no 100% formula for it. Which is the great thing about photography!

Of course nowadays you can concentrate on your composition while you’re shooting, or you can do it later on in your computer while you’re editing your images. Often a simple object on your photo in the right position can make the whole photo more appealing, even if the object itself was not really important.

So I’ll show you a few examples of different scenarios and about my idea of composition in each case...

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Close-up action shots. Having a rider performing close to your lens in the water can bring about very interesting images.

Having a diagonal through your photo, with the top half with the action sharp and the bottom half maybe a bit blurry can look nice.

Showing the wave. Sometimes you want to show more size of the waves and the action of the rider is not so important. Then it is good to get two thirds of the water mass into the frame. The rider might be small but it gives more perspective of how big the wave really was. This can be very tricky, especially with shooting kitesurfers. Often you have to compromise and ask yourself: what do I want to capture? The action of the rider, the wave, the kite, or maybe all three?

Use the foreground. Another great way of making an image more interesting and getting a better perspective of size and dimensions is if you put people or things in the foreground. This will give the viewer a much better feel for the size of a wave instead of just taking the wave on its own.

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Focal points. Use your focal points to get things in focus and others out of focus at the same time.

Frame your shots. This makes your shots more interesting. Find things that are a natural fit to the scene...

Center the subject. You don’t have to use the rule of thirds. Filling a photo completely can have its own flare…

Product shots. For product shooting I like to have the riders all close together. Having a clear background will help to put the emphasis more on the products. Too much distraction by the background or other things inside the frame can take the attention away

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from the products. The Rule of Thirds is good to work with in these images. Bringing more of the ocean into the frame and letting the riders be ‘on top’ makes their action (and the products!) more visible.

Flip a photo around. Turning a photo upside down or left to right can bring a completely different feel for the action. Here’s an example with a skydiving shot I took. The first one is more appealing to people who are not skydivers themselves. But for the jumpers who do this kind of flying (flying on their head and on their back) the second picture is more realistic for them.

Here’s an example of a similar image but 3 different compositions. Which one is your favorite? It just shows how things can be changed around just by format and composition…

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Aerial shots. Thanks to the increasing popularity of drone photography you can explore different angles and compositions.

Capturing everything. Getting the whole action with all the spray in the frame as well is not that easy, especially getting the kite in too, but it looks good when it works out.

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Shooting from the bottom up. This can be a very powerful angle. Most photographers don’t lie down or swim to the bottom of the ocean to shoot up and to get the special shot, but it is worth it‌

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THI NGS YO U WO U L DN ’ T K NOW A B O U T T H I S S H OT BI ANCA

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ASHER

I got this shot of Sam Medysky at my favorite place to shoot in the water in Blouberg: Big Bay, where the Red Bull King of the Air is held.

There are amazing views of Table Mountain on the one side and rocky islands on the other, so it provides plenty of great backgrounds and shooting options.

This shot was totally unexpected.

There was a lot of seaweed in the water which was turning a golden color in the sunset light. I asked Sam to kite around me with a vague idea of having the seaweed framing the shot, but the spray with the sun streaming through was a way better result.

The wind died quite quickly during this session. We were really lucky to snag a couple of shots during this epic sunset.

Even though Sam was in a shorty wetsuit, the water was freezing‌

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Liqu Forc

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