TheKiteMag #37

#37

282 PAGES

FR E E I S SUE BLOOD ON THE BOAT WITH HANNAH WHITELEY

THE CREATORS WITH CLINTON FILEN

THE UNFORGETTABLE TRIP WITH ANNABEL VAN WESTEROP

IN DEPTH TECH

Naish S25 launch

ALUULA Overview

Eleveight Twintips

F-ONE Bullet

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4.0 5.0 6.0 7.0 8.0 9.0 10.0 11.0 12.0 13.5 15.0 17.0

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Wave+ Freestyle Freeride

PREPARED FOR THE UNEXPECTED Rush hour. Tick. Unreliable wind forecast. Tick. And unsure what you'll find at your new spot? No problem. Your Nexus 2 has your back with incredible versatility on your favorite surfboard, twintip, or foil. With new ExoTex Light struts, wider tips, and fully customizable handling, the Nexus 2 will light up your session. So, find the time, set the Nexus 2's CIT Modes to match your beach conditions, and #gokiting!

Nexus 2. Always prepared. 

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

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FEATURING OUR NEW

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BOXER SIZES 2.8, 3.4, 4–12, 14, 16 | ALL-AROUND FREERIDE/FOILING Winner of The Kite Mag’s Ultimate Test One-Strut Category, the Boxer delivers both incredible low-end power while it’s Quad-Tex canopy and Luff Strut contribute to controlled top-end handling. Originally designed for foiling, the Boxer has a wide range of power, quick turns and great downwind drift. These characteristics also make the Boxer amazing for light wind freeriding, down-the-line wave riding as well as great all-around performance. The Boxer also has the widest range of sizes available of any Naish kite, from the all new 2.8 m2 all the way up to 16 m2.

FIND THE BOXER & THE AWARD-WINNING NAISH LINEUP INCLUDING THE TRIAD, DASH, PIVOT, SLASH & TORCH AT YOUR NAISH DEALER TODAY OR NAISH.COM.

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Alex Kibble

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Ewan Jaspan: Boxer Kite, Hover 144, Kite Foil 7

N O R T H K B . C O M 8

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Phot o by

: Mih

THE LIGHTEST, STRONGEST KITES IN THE WORLD With previously unseen levels of responsiveness, an expanded wind range allowing for insane light wind performance, and incredible precision at the top end, words cannot capture the improvement in performance you’ll discover with an ALUULA air-frame kite.

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50% lighter and over 2x stronger than industry standard materials, the ALUULA air-frame offers the expansive usable wind range of a three-strut kite, while enjoying the light wind benefits you’d get from a one-strut or no-strut kite.

With ALUULA, there is no longer a need to compromise‌

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CONTENTS THE FEATURES 132 // On the Road Pippa van Iersel picks up a hitchhiker, who turns out to be her teammate. It’s the beginning of some exciting travels, freestyle training trips, and of exactly the right kind of friendship you need for a life on the road.

146 // Home from Home Olly Bridge and Meg Barnett take on some Antipodean travels to a town named after their hometown. Oh, and they take in a few other spots along the way. Pink lagoons, sketchy wildlife, and plenty of stoke: it’s a noholds-barred WA road-trip.

160 // Blood on the Boat Sometimes you just can’t plan for every eventuality when you’re on a boat trip. But if you’re really smart, maybe you’ve pocketed a shower cap in transit in case you smack your head and have to keep it dry for three days… true story. It was Hannah Whiteley’s head: Colleen Carrolll found out more…

172 // Let’s Fly Away Kari Schibevaag loves to kite, and SUP, and now – somewhat reluctantly – she also loves to wingsurf. We hear about her journey and also check some stunning Scandinavian kite shots from the last few months.

184 // An Unforgettable Trip “And where were you when the global pandemic kicked in? Oh, on a boat in the Caribbean. Nice. I guess you headed straight home? Oh, no, you stayed for as long as possible, riding insane conditions and then just about squeaked out as they shut the border…” Annabel van Westerop takes us through it.

THE REGULARS 53 // Tangled Lines Legends… Tony Logosz 60 // On The List… Essaouira, Morocco 68 // I’m On It… Alby 72 // My Beach… Annelous Lammerts 82 // The Mission… Netherlands and Switzerland 106 // Gallery… Cape Verde Session 200 // The Creators… Clinton Filen 228 // Technique… Strapless Front Roll + KGB 7 232 // The BIG Picture… CORE and Naish 250 // Tell Me About It… ALUULA | Eleveight Twintips | F-ONE Magnet | RRD Harnesses

278 // Reflections… Steven Akkersdijk COVER

Willow River-Tonkins, the new Nexus, and One Eye. As close as you get to a ‘dead cert’ for a cover…

HERE

Vovan Voranov ‘enjoying’ some classic Russian conditions. Think about this next time you’re grumbling about having to put wetsuit boots on.

Photo: @lefffu 14

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Vincent Bergeron

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Photo: Alex Schwarz

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Welcome If you had to show someone who had never seen kitesurfing before one picture to perfectly capture what it is all about then surely this would be a great contender… It’s got it all. The location has that ‘not my home spot’ vibe which perfectly encapsulates the freedom we have when we look at the map and choose a place to visit on the planet just because of its wind stats. The rider, Christoph Hesina, perfectly illustrates the freedom that kitesurfing gives us. Can you jump this high in ANY other sport? No. Can you get in a cheeky nose grab while you’re taking in the view? Hell yeah. Can you pull on the bar to eek out another couple of seconds of airborne ecstasy? Sure, why not. So yes, kiteboarding is all about freedom.

Or so it was.

We have tried to keep this issue a relatively ‘global pandemic’ free zone. You know all about it. You don’t want to hear any more from me or to hear yet another opinion on what it all means. You just want to go kiting and – hopefully – you are now back in the water. I was actually in Cape Town as things were kicking off and just about made it home before the world ground to halt. The contrast between a life of ultimate freedom – with four straight days of surfing at sunrise and 10km downwinders in the afternoon – and ‘lockdown’ was pretty crazy. In that context it’s hard not to get a bit reflective.

And it is an indisputable fact that you come to appreciate even more what kiting brings to your life, and what you lose when it’s gone.

As with all elements of our lives, I hope that this ‘pause’ has some positives. I hope that the ‘post lockdown’ feeling that you want to shake everyone’s hand (okay, fist bumps are safer, I know) at the beach, and you want to wave or woop at everyone you see on the water stays with us. I hope that we continue to appreciate how lucky we are to be able to do what we do. And I hope that Christoph here gets himself back to La Ventana soon and gets to show the world what the sport of kitesurfing is all about.

Enjoy the issue,

Alex

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EDITOR Alex Hapgood

ART DIRECTOR Nikki Hall

TECHNICAL EDITOR Richard Boughton ONLINE MEDIA MANAGER Gemma Hamaini E D I T O R I A L A S S I S TA N T Sarah Sylvester D I G I TA L M A R K E T I N G To m W e y e r s

CONTRIBUTORS Andre Magarao, frankiebees, Laci Ko b u l s k y, J a m e s B o u l d i n g, L u k a s Pitsch, Svetlana Romantsova , Jay W a l l a c e , D a v i d Tr o e g e r, K a r i S c h i b e v a a g , To z a t p h o t o g r a p h y , S t e p h a n K l e i n l e i n , S a m u e l To m é , S t e v e n Akkersdijk, Vincent Bergeron, Linda Schuppan, Jaco Kleijwegt, Sam Carden a s , Yd w e r v a n d e r H e i d e , R e i n R i j k e .

ADVERTISING Advertising enquiries can be sent to advertising@thekitemag.com

COPYRIGHT All material in TheKiteMag is subject to copyright.

Reproduction without the express permission of the publishers will result in prosecution.

PUBLISHER TheKiteMag is published by Water Born Media Limited, Cornwall / United Kingdom

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HERE

Rodrigo Rios channelling his inner super hero. Photo: Sam Cardenas

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SPOT Nouméa RIDER Titouan GALEA PHOTOS Valerie MOUREN 24

Freedom will have never felt this good.

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R ID E R R O DE R IC K P IJLS PHOTO R E IN R IJK E LOC AT IO N B R O UW E R SDAM, THE NETHERLANDS

TKM: Together with Rein, we wanted to create the ultimate sunset shot with a humongous big sunset. In order to accomplish this, we had to create a distance of more than two kilometers between each other, with Rein at the beach with a 1200mm lens. The most difficult part was to get the right spot. A slight difference of me just 20 meters off would put me completely out of frame. We had two walkie-talkies in order to communicate with each other but unfortunately, just before sunset (when I was two kilometers from the coast), the walkie-talkies got out of reach. So we had to do it completely based on intuition and with no communication but, luckily, we pulled it off. In my opinion, it brings a combination of two different vibes together in one photo: the African Savannah and the beautiful ocean vibes.

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RI DE R PAT RI MC L AU GH L IN P H OTO F RANK IE B E E S LOC AT I ON MAU I

PM: After getting a report that this particular wave on the North Shore of Maui was good we loaded up the kites, boards, jet ski and headed to the ocean. This wave only breaks a couple times a year so we wanted to take full advantage of this swell. With a close group of friends and a cameraman the day was well spent‌ About halfway through my session this wave came to me. The perfect barreling wave: a rare sight on Maui. My friend Jesse Richman was on the shoulder cheering me on. The perfect swell to end the winter season over here.

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R I DER GI ANMARI A COCCOLUTO PH OTO ANDRE MAGARAO LOCATION BRAZ I L

GC: This was a dream shoot for me, because for years I have been seeing Andre Magarao’s pics in the magazines, and finally I had the honor to do a shoot with him in Brazil.

Andre’s style is crazy both because he uses the flash, and also because he gets the perfect shot with one try and without taking a sequence. This is a nose grab in Taiba lagoon.

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R ID E R M ITU PHOTO TOZAT P HOTO G R APHY LOC AT IO N C A P E VE R D E

TKM: Seeing Mitu flying through the air at Kite Beach is a pretty standard occurrence – in fact there should probably be a statue of him doing it as you come through arrivals at Sal Airport – it perfectly captures what a lot of kiters come to the islands to see… Here he is with the all new MAGNET Carbon under his feet. Is it really that thin?! Yup. Get the full lowdown from F-ONE in our Tell Me About It section…

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ENGINEERED IN NEW ZEALAND BUILT STRONG FOR EVERY FOIL CONDITION AND STYLE

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RI DE R ANNAB E L VAN WE ST E ROP P H OTO DAV ID T ROE GE LOC AT I ON C ARIB B E AN

TKM: Annabel enjoyed a dream trip earlier in the year. A dream trip both because she was ripping around the Caribbean scoring perfect session after perfect session, and also because it felt like a dream against the backdrop of the rest of the world screeching to a halt. You can find out much more about it in her feature later on in the mag…

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FLY OVER WATER

INNOVATION EFFICIENCY DESIGN LEVITAZ.COM Made in Austria

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RI DE R AB E L L AGO P H OTO KARI S C H IB E VAAG LOC AT I ON C AP E TOWN

AL: In the beginning when I tried the Wind Wing I was skeptical until I realized the possibilities of the sport and how much fun I could have, especially with light wind.

Now, every day I go to the water I learn something new, and I think we are just starting to find where this sport will take us. For this photo, Kari Schibevaag made me jump at the same time more than 15 times, just to get the right angle and the best moment of the sunset! The truth is that most of the time, the magic photos don’t come from luck, they come from hard work.

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R ID E R OSWA L D SMITH PHOTO YDW E R VA N D E R HEI DE LOC AT IO N M AUR ITIUS

TKM: Sometime half the job of getting those A1+ shots is having all the right ingredients‌ So when you have One Eye firing, Ydwer sat in the channel and a spanking new Airush Wave in your hands, the hard work is done. Ozzie does a good job of pulling everything together in style though.

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R ID E R E R IC P L A N CO N PHOTO STE VE N A K K E R SDI J K LOC AT IO N C A P E TOW N

EP: It was one of those days where the wind wasn’t promising on the regular spots, so Steven and I decided to go for an adventure. Brandvlei Dam was hot and surrounded by magical scenery. The wind was very gusty but enough to play around with the Nexus 10m and short lines. We were looking for different perspectives and when the wind was there, I sent this low kiteloop late backroll, and Steven got the best shot out of it.

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RI DE R GAB I ST E INDL P H OTO ST E P H AN K L E INL E IN LOC AT I ON VANUAT U

GS: One mission during my time exploring this South Pacific island nation for empty line-ups and epic kiting, was the little island Pélé, about a thirty-minute boat-ride from Éfaté, Vanuatu’s main island. Only 220 people live on this small, dreamy, volcanic isle, split among four villages. I stayed in Launamoa village in the east. The boat dropped me on the beach right outside my accommodation, where my host family, Cynthia and her dad Tarisu warmly welcomed me. There are several surf breaks around Pélé, yet the swell gods weren’t with me during my days on the island. It didn’t matter in the slightest though; spending my time kiting in the most turquoise of waters, playing with the village kids and living true island vibes with some of the happiest people I’ve ever met was at least as good as scoring good waves.

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R ID E R R E E C E MY E R SCO UGH PHOTO JAY WA L LAC E LOC AT IO N DA L LAS R OA D BEACH, CANADA

TKM: To get to the top takes a lot of commitment and takes a lot of practice. Most of the guys on the GKA KiteSurf tour get to spend their time training in the agreeably warm waters of Cape Verde or perhaps Maui… Not Reece Myerscough – here he is cruising about the snow-capped mountains of British Columbia as he works on his air game.

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R ID E R F R A N C E SCO C A P PUZZO PHOTO SA MUE L TO M É LOC AT IO N C A P E TOW N

TKM: Ah, the joys of Cape Town. Endless wind, endless beaches, endless waves. Somehow Francesco persuaded Sam to hop into the chilly and probably-not-sharky-but-mightbe water to capture him in full ‘unleashed’ mode.

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FREE

MOTO

VERSATILE FREERIDE / CROSSOVER 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 12, 14

FEATURING OUR NEW

NANO RIPSTOP CANOPY P. Sobolev

CABRINHAKITES.COM 45

R I DE R LAC I KO BULSY P HOTO GIOVA N NA LO C ATI O N HIGH TATRAS, SLOVAKI A

LK: I was initially really upset about the whole virus situation, since I had amazing plans for this year and I was left ‘stuck’ back home without any plans or work. But soon the situation changed and I started experiencing my home country Slovakia in a way I never had before, as I was always abroad for the summer time. My local friend showed me some pics from a small lake under High Tatras that he found on Google Maps, and apparently the conditions were great. I was quite suspicious, since kiting on gusty inland lakes was never my cup of coffee but I could not have been more surprised. Apart from the stunning scenery, the wind was really good and the water nice and flat, with some interesting parts to cruise and jump over. I did not plan any shooting here, but the conditions were so good that I asked my girlfriend Giovanna to grab a camera and take a quick shot, which turned out pretty nice.

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R ID E R K IKO TO R R E S PHOTO SA M C A R DE N AS LOC AT IO N TA R IFA

KT: It’s 8am on a Tuesday morning and we are alone at our unique spot of Balneario. A small wave approaches the shore and I see Samu preparing his camera. I start smiling and I ride straight towards it. I launch off and I try imitating the sea gulls around me. I score a one foot as If I was Bruce Lee and right before I land I imagine the boat as my home and my breakfast would be ready after the session.

Who wouldn’t like to have a sailing boat waiting for you after three hours of intense kitesurfing? The summer is here!

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R ID E R JE SSE R IC HMA N PHOTO Y DWE R VA N D E R HEI DE LOC AT IO N P HIL IP P IN E S

JR: There’s no better note to end the day on than to watch the sun set into the dusk while you’re on the water. To be fully immersed in the elements during this transition when the day wraps all of its events up like a present. Somehow the wind always gets better, and the water becomes smoother. It’s my favorite time of day to ride.

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RI DE R ART H U R GU I LLE B E R T P H OTO SAMU E L C A R D E N AS LOC AT I ON TARIFA / B AL N E A R I O N

TKM: Sometimes it’s the simple things that can put a smile on your face. Golden Tarifan sand, perfectly powered on a big kite and then just getting your send on.

Arthur Guillebert making the most out of life...

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Tony (left) and brother Jeff Logosz

This issue Tony Logosz steps up as our Tangled Lines Legend.

When it comes to the world of watersports, Tony is a leader and not a follower and can stake a claim to having had a hand in many epoch-defining kiteboarding creations‌

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Logosz ALEX MAES I have always loved that Slingshot stayed true to its identity. What was the biggest challenge when creating your own brand compared to the challenges the brand is facing today?

The challenges are not a lot different today than when Slingshot was being created back in 1999. Never enough financial resources, and everybody wearing a lot of hats! I’m happy we have stayed true to our identity and hopefully we can continue to do that as I think it is so important to the brand.

REED BRADY How was it going from brothers, to brothers in business?

Like a lot of brothers, we have our share of moments. Families working together can be a struggle because of the history that sometimes follows. Being the big brother might make the younger one want to retaliate or show up the older one.

I’m pretty chill and that might be what makes Jeff want to strangle me!

SKY SOLBACH Tony, you actually gave me one of my first kiteboards back in 2002, a crazy looking Slingshot pickle fork, which I loved and rode until it died, so thank you for that! You’ve always made really progressive looking, out-of-the-box board designs, even back in the windsurfing days, and I’ve always wondered where you draw your inspiration from to make these designs because they are almost always unique?

My process is pretty simple. I have ‘The Good Pile’ where you make small, subtle adjustments to try to get the most performance out of the existing gear that is working great. As you know, it hits a point that it becomes personal preference at some point. Then I also have ‘The Weird Pile’, where you make something only based on function and concepts for a result that has no restraints to beat the product in The Good Pile, and if achieved it’s put into The Good Pile. I have a lot of piles...

TKM How much ‘cross-pollination’ is there between the different departments at Slingshot? Do ideas for one sport tend to filter into others and can you think of any prime examples?

Yes, things cross pollinate all the time. Take foiling, for example. It started in kite, then went to wake, surf, SUP, and then windsurf. And now wing. Take flex boards... They started in kite then we started in them on wakeboarding.

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TANGLED LINES

KEVIN LANGEREE Would you rather catch the biggest wave ever or do the biggest jump ever?

Biggest wave! Takes a lot of guts though.

KAROLINA WINKOWSKA What is the future of kiteboarding? We’ve seen many new kiteboarding inventions in recent years, where do you see kiteboarding innovation going next?

I think we will move into a movement to just ride it all and it won’t be just kiteboarding, it will be windsports generally.

If you’re riding a hand kite (like the SlingWing) is it not still kiteboarding? It has its advantages. Adding lines also adds its own advantages. You can ride with what suits you.

COLIN JACOBS Foiling has already changed our sports dramatically in a short period of time. What will it look like 10 years from now?

Foiling has opened the door into the future for efficiency. This has led us into hand kites and in ten years, my prediction is that it will be the most popular of the windsports group.

TonyLogosz

CHRIS BOBRYK How do you think of all these new products year after year? I’m really excited to test out what’s next!

Yeah Chris. It’s great to have you on the team. As you know, we are always working on building that better mouse trap! I continually look for ways to innovate. I watch how people use their gear and the tweaks they make. I love kiteboarding, so my eyes are looking out for ways to improve. A great team helps make this process better and your feedback is more important than you might realize.

DAMIEN LEROY What has been the most rewarding product you have designed/created and why?

I would say the SlingWing. Not that hand wings were not in the market already for a long time but making it inflatable was the key. We learned from the V1 and have really taken the time to listen to users and dial in all the functionality of the V2 version. And it still took ten years to take off, so I guess I’m proud to be part of the new sport of wingfoiling.

MAIN

A happy team rider RIGH T TOP

The RPM, perhaps the kite that has done most for the brand.

RIGH T MIDDL E

Happy team = happy brand RIGH T B OT TOM

The SlingWing V2

TONY LOGOSZ

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Logosz TKM How important has Hood River been to the evolution of Slingshot? Can you think of anywhere you would rather be as a brand?

Hood River is home and has been for decades going back to my windsurfing roots. Hood River has a lot to offer. Having lots of different wind conditions really helps for testing kites and the ocean is close enough to get a wave fix! We have built a loyal following here since the beginning. Plus these conditions are among the toughest anywhere in the world, so you can always expect durability to be on the top of our features.

ABEL LAGO I know that you guys were the first riding the wing foil on the water. How did you come up with this crazy idea and did you ever imagine that it would become as popular as it has now?

Thanks Abel, I appreciate the recognition. It seems crazy that it’s taken ten years but the sport is finally starting to take off which is very satisfying. I’ve been pushing for it inside Slingshot for a long time and I’m thinking it’s here to stay!

RICH SABO Those of us with brothers know that family dynamics can be complicated. Do you find that the bond of brotherhood has hurt or helped your working relationship over the past 20 years?

I can’t say it has done either. We are different in many ways.

Jeff’s role is so different than mine. I do think I have been more understanding of Jeff because he is my brother. But we still think differently, and we are built differently.

PAUL SERIN I live in France and the market is pretty tricky. How is the approach and attitude of US brands different to European ones?

Wow that’s a tough question. We are still growing in Europe.

We have some amazing importers that are very close to us as partners. We recognize the differences in US brands from European brands. Products may be similar, but marketing and brand image is different. Slingshot is more about having fun and high-performance freeriding with your friends. Europe seems to take competition way more seriously than we do here. Not that Slingshot doesn’t have plenty of world champions under our belt, but winning titles is not our top priority. We do support our riders’ dreams so if they want to be a world champion, we provide them with gear to win. As history shows, often times they do.

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JAMES JENKINS What has been your favorite setup to ride recently and how often do you mix it up?

That’s a tough question… it changes with what I’m working on day by day. I guess I’m just trying to start a just-ride-it-all club.

Here’s my kit right now: two foil setups with wing and fuselage options; two kites, the SST 6m and 10m; three windsurfing sails – 2.8, 4.0, 4.8; two SlingWings, the 4.0 and 5.4; my favorite surfboard for prone surfing and kiting waves; a 90L board for wingfoil and windfoiling; the Dwarfcraft foilboard for kite and prone foiling and for SlingWing, wake and tow. But if I had to just pick one, it would be my kite and foil setup at the moment…

FRED HOPE Slingshot was one of the first major kite brands to enter the foil realm. What put that pursuit in your guys’ mind, and of providing such a modular system?

Back at that point the plan was to bring foiling to the market at a price that the riders would want to give it a try. The nice part is that the wings keep getting upgraded and you can get lots of fun out of the setup at a great price. We went modular so that you could continue to add to your existing platform and grow it with your skill level and our set up is still like that to this day. ■

Logosz

ony

TONY LOGOSZ

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The Master V2 C+ is crammed with innovative features and superior materials like the full layer of Spread Tow Carbon, making it our lightest and most performant freeride to freestyle crossover twintip.

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Rider: Arthur Guillebert Picture: Charles Tiger Location: Los Roques, Venezuela

Sizes: ● Super lightweight high-performance freeride to freestyle twin tip ● Spread Tow Carbon lamination for a precise and responsive ride ● Innovative parabolic rails for better rail grip and upwind ability ● Varying beveled rails optimize flex, speed, and pop ● Multi-stage rocker for better pop and smooth landings

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WORDS GE MMA H AMAINI PHOTOS SVETLANA ROMANTS OVA (U NL E SS STAT E D)

Salty breeze still blowing, my feet in the sand, and watching the sun go down over the bay of Essaouira, this place always feels special, different somehow. The sound of the mosque calling people to prayer echoes across the city reaching everyone, including us down on the beach as we finish up our kite session, pack up our gear, and enjoy a nice Moroccan tea to warm ourselves up at one of the many beach bars that are located in the bay.

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Photo: Adam Hughes

Although Essaouira may not be known for easy kiting conditions – though it did host the Kiteboarding World Cup for over 10 successful years – there is so much to do here, that each day is another adventure. The wind can be gusty and strong, but each session offers so much incredible scenery, so many different spots to adventure to, and alongside that the enchanting “medina”, the heart of Essaouira, where you can get lost for hours on end browsing the shops and market stalls, tasting the delicious food, and taking in the most historical part of this magical city.

Essaouira is known as the windy city, and it is often windy all through the year, but the north-easterly trade winds are strongest from April to September, where you will find an average of 15 to 25 knots each day, but sometimes peaking to up to 40 knots. The temperature in Essaouira is generally pleasant all through the year, with minimums of 15°C in the winter months, and up to 30°C in the summer months. However, as there is generally always wind, it

cools things down a lot. The water temperature is between 18 to 22 degrees, and you will generally always need a wetsuit.

Most people choose to stay in Essaouira town, either in the medina in one of the traditional riads, or in one of the many beachfront hotels, which can be the easiest option if you are traveling with all of your gear. For those who don’t want to travel with kite equipment, there are many beach clubs that offer top quality equipment rental. For those who are looking for beginner lessons, there are also a host of options to choose from, with most instructors speaking fluent English, and holding IKO certification.

The long sandy bay of Essaouira will suit most people for kiting. Although the wind is often gustier than in some of the other spots out of town, the bay offers nice flat water with waves forming a little further out, making it an ideal way to ease yourself into wave riding, or also perfect if you want some space between ESSAOUIRA

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Tom Court’s siganture Camel boost!

Photo: ExploraWatersports

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ESSAOUIRA

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Photo: Adam Hughes

waves to perform your freestyle tricks. The beach is always busy with camels, tourists exploring the beaches, and people enjoying the views and atmosphere up at the beach bars. It’s a bustling spot which you can easily visit with your whole family and all find something to do and enjoy.

for those who prefer not to drive in Morocco.

Once you have dominated the bay, you can start exploring the beaches surrounding Essaouira. Sidi Kaouki is a wonderful place to start and is a very relaxed beach where you will never find crowds. It is about a 30-minute drive from Essaouira, heading in the direction of Agadir, and if you are not happy to drive around the area yourself, it is always easy to hire a car with driver to take you there for the day. Sidi Kaouki is a small, secluded village with a long, sandy beach which is easy for launching and landing. The waves can be powerful, and shore break can be tough at times, therefore this spot is really recommended for intermediate to advanced riders only. There are some cute little restaurants perched at the beach entrance where you can enjoy a traditional tagine or some delicious local fish after your session. If you enjoy this area, there are plenty of guest houses where you can stay close by and enjoy being located a little further away from the hustle and bustle of the city of Essaouira.

V IS IT T H E ME DINA

If you are looking for a challenge, head up to Moulay Bouzerktoun. Moulay is best known as a world class windsurfing spot. It is a small village perched on the cliffs overlooking the rocky beach below, but with the right wind and swell conditions, it is a world-class, legendary spot. This is for advanced riders only, and always be respectful of the windsurfers, as it is primarily a windsurf spot.

There are so many wonderful things to do in Essaouira, and the main benefit is that it is never just a kitesurfing holiday… it is a trip that offers a million other experiences, making it ideal if you are looking for a family trip, or with a partner who doesn’t kitesurf. Arriving into Essaouira is easy with lots of low cost airlines landing in both Marrakesh or Agadir. From either of these, it is just a 1.5-hour drive. Car rentals are available, but it is also easy to arrange a transfer 64

ON THE LIST

And if your arms or legs give up on you, then there is plenty more to do. Here are some of our suggestions…

This is an absolute must, and you can enjoy this at any time of day. In the mornings, enjoy a coffee in the main square and watch the world go by, or come in the evenings and try out one of the many exceptional rooftop restaurants for dinner, drinks and music.

C H E C K OU T T H E F IS H MARK E T

Head down early to watch the fishermen bring in their catch and enjoy the whole experience. This is a great place to really see the heart of Essaouira, and to enjoy an authentic moment. There is also a wonderful fish restaurant located right in the port that is most certainly worth a visit to.

H E AD INTO T H E DU NE S

If you want a bit of adventure, take a quad bike tour into the dunes, where you can have an absolute blast and discover some amazing scenery. If motorized vehicles are not really your thing, then why not opt for a camel ride along the beach during sunset instead?

C H E C K OU T T H E MU S IC F E ST IVAL S

Essaouira may be well known for the wind, but it is also famous for its cultural events and festivals. If you come during June, be sure to check out the Gnaoua music festival, where you can enjoy four days of live music in outdoor locations all across Essaouira, or the Festival des Alizes, which takes place in the spring and offers free classical musical concerts all across town. ■ Thanks to ExploraWatersports for the additional shots.

Photo: Adam Hughes

Getting There Fly directly to Essaouira airport, which is just 10 minutes out of town and has a variety of international flights, or fly to Marrakech or Agadir and transfer from there.

Staying There Check out one of the many traditional riad guesthouses in town, or try one of the beach front hotels if you are looking for something a little more luxury.

In the Bag If you are coming in the summer months, you will only need your smallest kites. If you come during the winter, best to bring all sizes to have it covered!

Rubber You will need a wetsuit all year round to kite in Essaouira. A 4/3mm for the winter and a long 3/2 for the summer is recommended.

Beer Although Morocco is a Muslim country, tourists are allowed to consume alcohol at the restaurants, bars and hotels.

Most Likely to Hear That stall looks just like the one 50 meters along the road‌

Least Likely To Hear Can I get a pitcher of Vodka Red Bull?

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PROGRAM: FRE ER IDE / FREESTYLE

• Gritty yet smooth power delivery • Reliable and predictable flying behavior • Performance freeride leader trough a huge wind range

T'SALLRID

PASSION Y25

5.7.9.10,5.12.13,5.15.17

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CABRINHA ACE HYBRID

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BOARD DIMENSIONS: 138cm // RIDER WEIGHT: 71kg // RIDER HEIGHT: 177cm 68

I’M ON IT

Four times Italian national champion, and former world tour regular, Alby Rondina will generally be found basking in his natural habitat on the perfect flat water of Lo Stagnone lagoon. This picturesque spot in the wild west of Sicily is home to historic salt mining and associated windmills. There’s no denying Alby loves a bit of technical freestyle, but certainly isn’t averse to busting out some Big Air when he feels the need, so the Ace Hybrid is the stick for him…

I ride the Ace Hybrid as my strap board whereas I ride the XCalibur with boots, as it’s better suited for that and has a bit more rocker.

The Ace is the high performance freeride model in the range and has slightly less rocker than the XCalibur. It’s a faster board and will get you going earlier in light wind. It helps you build enough speed to do some big boosting. It’s got solid grip, and the channels are deeper and sharper than the XCalibur, so you can hold the edge until the last second before taking off.

I’ve been riding the Ace and XCalibur alternately depending

on what I plan to do in my session. So if I’m going to do kicker tricks or proper freestyle I’ll be on the XCalibur and I will use boots, but if the wind is pumping and I’m out on the 7m and I wanna go big, or if it’s very light wind then I’ll jump on the Ace Hybrid with H2O straps.

The Ace has changed over the years, to begin with the channels were a lot smoother like most of the boards on the market.

It wasn’t as performant as now; it was looser and the rails were thicker. Now the rails are thin and give you heaps of grip and hold, and it’s a single concave board, so has this very locked in feel.

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For years the Ace was a wood construction, but Cabrinha wanted to add a different version of the board for people seeking a bit more performance or less weight. So, a few years ago we added the carbon board, but since the XCalibur is already in carbon we’ve given the Ace Hybrid a different feel for freeride and freestyle crossover.

What we achieved with the Hybrid is very cool – firstly, wood gives it strength and durability as it absorbs impact and can flex a lot without breaking. Secondly, we’ve incorporated a new honeycomb foam. There were a few foam boards in the beginning of the kite industry, but for me it’s a very good material for performance – it’s very flexible, reactive and lively, but it’s also fragile. So being able to mix this material with the wood we managed to get a more lively, responsive and lighter board.

To give extra stability and pop to the feel of the board, there are two strips of carbon on the top and bottom of the board that are visible through the deck because of the transparent graphics.

Lars, our designer, is a cool guy, a super techy engineer guy who is involved in the whole production process. He has years of experience in manufacturing so when I give him feedback, he’ll figure out how to make positive changes to the board. He sends me boards throughout the year to test various shapes and outlines.

Every year I go to Maui to test a whole set of prototypes with different versions and materials on each board, and help decide on the layup. That’s a cool part of testing!

When I ride in Lo Stagnone lagoon, the spot in front of my kite center, the conditions are pretty perfect. It’s a great place for testing. I also enjoy riding waves and kickers, so I run upwind using

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the channel to get out of the lagoon, and ride in the open sea.

If you’re testing a full-on freestyle board like the XCalibur, you want to test it on flat water, but for the Ace Hybrid you want to test it in as many conditions as possible. The Maui test is always a good one for those boards because conditions there are really intense: gusty and strong wind, normally really choppy and only a few flat-water ponds.

For me Maui is my dream kicker spot: the way the kickers shoot you up is so unique over there. They have so much power and they always break in the same spot so you can time your take-off easily.

I’m lucky that I get to ride different kites and feel what a kite does for your riding, and how they behave depending on the shape and construction. I spend most of my time on the FX. If it’s really light wind I might end up on a Contra (it’s always the session saver) or a Moto 12; that together with the Ace Hybrid is my go-to if I want to do something like freeride freestyling or if I want to do some boosting. I’ll also ride the Ace Hybrid when it’s mega windy, with a 7 FX or 7 Switchblade, for some proper boosting.

2020 is Cabrinha’s 20th year and there’s been a big change in ownership and organization of the brand. Now it’s fully owned by Pete and former pro-kiter Jon Modica’s company. There will be a few items coming out in the summer but the main collection of kites and twintips will be postponed to spring 2021, so that gives us and the designer extra time to develop the line.

2021 will see a lot of changes in the shapes and the whole collection in general so I’m really excited. It’s going to be the first line of this newly refreshed company and its cool team of kitesurfers! ■

ACE HYBRID

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Annelous Lammerts Park riding legend and 2019 Triple S Champion Annelous Lammerts is grateful for friends and colleagues who enabled her to maximize her time on the water and push her level of riding in ever-changing kiting conditions at her beach‌ P H O T O S M A R C E L B E R R E V O E T S U N L E S S S TAT E D

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Photo: Jaco Kleijwegt

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W H AT A R E YO UR F IR ST RECOLLECTI ONS OF THE BEACH?

H AS T H E S E T U P AT T H E B E AC H C H ANGE D OV E R T H E Y E AR S?

My first recollections of my home spot at Brouwersdam was heading there with my friend Louk who was an instructor at a kite school there, and he taught me to fly a trainer kite. I had so much fun flying the trainer kite and from that moment I went to my beach as much as possible.

Brouwersdam has definitely become more crowded in the last few years. Instead of two big beach clubs there are now three, and there are just so many kiteboarders. The spot is perfect for learning since there is a big sandbar five kilometers out that keeps the waves and current away. It used to be that it was only busy on the perfect sunny days but now it is busy all the time, even when it’s still really cold.

C A N YO U R E M E M B E R A N Y O F YO U R F I R ST S E SS I O N S?

I was 16 when I learned how to kite so I remember everything really well. I was just frothing on every session and being out on the water was the best feeling ever. One of my favorite parts was that every session I would make progress and that feeling was really addictive.

W H O ELSE DID YO U R IDE THERE WI TH?

I was mostly riding with Louk who taught me how to kitesurf, and later also with two sisters, Nena and Amée, who were almost always here with their camper van. Later I started working in the beach club Natural High, and from that moment I rode a lot with all the guys working there and they always pushed me a lot to progress.

W H AT W O U L D B E Y O U R P E R F E C T D AY T H E R E ?

A perfect day here for me would start with a chilled foil session with 10 knots on my 12m Moto. Then when the wind picks up, I would grab my twintip and boost some big jumps at high tide. Then when the tide goes back down and the wind picks up even more, I’d go for a sunset wave session out on the sandbar on my 5m Drifter with the whole crew! And of course finish with a beer and some good food.

C A N YO U TA L K U S T H R O U G H T H E T Y P I C A L C O N D I T I O N S ?

The weather here changes a lot and depends on high and low pressure systems, so we have all strengths of wind from all different directions. We do have quite a lot of days with strong south westerly wind and if we’re lucky some sunshine!

A typical day at Brouwersdam starts with around 12/15 knots SSW slightly offshore, and usually around 10am it switches to SW and picks up to a steady 18 knots. If you’re lucky, it’s low tide in the morning so you can enjoy the flat water behind the sandbars. Then during the day it picks up to 20/25 knots, perfect for some big jumps and kite loops!

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AB OV E

Things got busier...

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Not a bad spot for your post session beer.

ANNELOUS LAMMERTS

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P HOTOS: JACO K LE IJWEGT

“A PERFECT DAY HERE FOR ME WOULD START WITH A CHILLED FOIL SESSION WITH 10 KNOTS ON MY 12M MOTO” 76

MY BEACH

ANNELOUS LAMMERTS

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TA L K U S T H R O U G H O N E S E S S I O N T H AT S TA N D S O U T F O R YO U T H E R E . . .

DO YOU T H INK YOU WOU L D H AV E GOT TO WH E RE YOU A R E TO DAY IF T H AT H ADN’T B E E N S U C H A FAMIL IAR S P OT ?

A session I will never forget is a downwinder at the sand bar at low tide. We have done quite a lot with the guys that I was working at the beach club with, and there was one session I will never forget. The waves were rolling so good and it was just one and a half hours of pure joy, massive waves, seals popping up everywhere and the sun going down. Perfect.

I don’t think I would have got where I am today without my home spot and the support of the people at my beach. The spot is really good for freestyle and we get all kind of conditions which I think made me a way better kiteboarder. It all started when I was kiteboarding at my home spot while there was snow on the beach. Jörgen, the owner of the Natural High came up to me and offered me a job in the kite shop. He was so impressed that I was kiteboarding in 3 degrees Celsius, and usually I came by bike – it was an hour’s cycle with a cart loaded with my gear behind my bike.

W H E R E ’ S YO UR FAVORI TE PLACE TO EAT AFTER A SESSION T H E RE ?

I love to grab a Poke Bowl after a session at the Natural High beach club...

AND H OW DID T H INGS DE V E LOP AF T E R T H AT ?

“I WAS FROTHING ON EVERY SESSION; BEING OUT ON THE WATER WAS THE BEST FEELING EVER.”

Well Jörgen got me my first sponsorship even though I could barely do any tricks, but he recognized my passion and motivation. From that moment I was pretty much living at the beach and thanks to that job I could progress so much.

If I was working and it was windy, I could usually take a two hour break to kite.

So in the time working there I think I barely missed a windy day. And if there were waves, I would work so the guys could go surfing.

WH E N DID YOU L AST RIDE T H E RE – H OW WAS IT ?!

I last rode yesterday! It was super fun. I was cruising on my Cabrinha Hi:Rise foil and the vibe on the water was all time. There is such an awesome group of locals here and it is super fun to ride with them, the conditions don’t really matter, they are just always stoked and it is so fun to ride and share the good times on the water.

I F YO U H A D T O C H O O S E A N O T H E R S P O T T H AT YO U L O V E B U T T H A T I S C O M P L E T E LY D I F F E R E N T, W H E R E W O U L D I T BE?

If I could choose another spot it would be one with clean waves, wind from the right, with fun kickers on small days and long rights for wave riding or surfing on bigger days! ■ ANNELOUS LAMMERTS

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Status defined

1.7 kg

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Elite II FREERIDE/FREESTYLE

CRAZYFLYKITES.COM

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Part 1 in Tanzania

s a professional kitesurfer, you are constantly traveling from the most beautiful locations to the next.

Training as much as possible to improve yourself and to create as much content in the process. Normally I would be in Morocco during this time of the year for coaching and a competition. Afterwards I would fly to Mauritius and Indonesia. Unfortunately, this season is a bit different. At the beginning of 2020 we were all still planning our trips for the season, but around March it became pretty clear that we could throw our entire schedule in the bin and focus on having some quality time at home...

I was planning to be in Iceland to shoot another documentary and photo series with Rein Rijke for The Last Line. The Last Line is a photo project that Rein and I started last year when we traveled to the toxic and 65 degree ‘Lake Natron’ in Tanzania to capture me kiting there and to show nature at its finest and her fragility. But also, that if we continue to live this way, that this might be The Last (kitesurfing) Line drawn on that particular spot.

“WE DECIDED TO VISIT THE MOST BEAUTIFUL AND DISTINCT LOCATIONS THAT ARE REPRESENTATIVE OF THE COUNTRY, AND THOSE WHICH MIGHT ALSO BE THE LAST LINE IF WE DON’T TAKE CARE OF MOTHER NATURE AND THE RISING WATER LEVELS…”

The Netherlands As we were not able to get to Iceland, we decided to continue our project here in The Netherlands, where we decided to visit the most beautiful and distinct locations that are representative of the country, and those which might also be The Last Line if we don’t take care of Mother Nature and the rising water levels…

With that in mind, Rein and I had been developing an idea for several years to kite over an aqueduct. An aqueduct – in my opinion – represents Dutch engineering and the creativity of how The Netherlands cope with the fact that the greater part of it is submerged.

For the session the wind was pretty light and I was riding my Apple Tree foil board and 10m Synergy from PLKB. After we succeeded in this location, Rein told me that he had an idea to shoot somewhere with the sunset. It was another two hours’ drive (and The Netherlands is relatively small, so it was literally on the other side of the country!) and when we arrived the sun was just about to set so we had to hurry to make it in time.

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Part 2 in Holland. Kind of a mind bending shot even without Roderick cruising over the top.

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The wind died off even more, but Rein suggested a twintip session so that I’d be able to draw a line in the water. After launching my kite we only had seven minutes to make it happen, as all the batteries of the drones were about to die (due to the cold temperatures and the previous shoot). Chasing those last sun rays we managed to make it happen and I heard Rein screaming with enthusiasm that he made the shot and I could just feel his excitement. I couldn’t wait to see the photos.

Our goal with this project is to make people aware that we all need to work on nature conservation, but on a different perspective. Normally we always hear about the negative side of the greenhouse effect and rising sea levels. But we are convinced that if we spread the positive news and show nature at its finest, the message is much stronger!

As we are nature lovers ourselves and get to kitesurf in some extraordinary locations, we always make sure that we don’t damage nature and respect all the rules laid out by the local government for the protection of the flora and fauna.

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“OUR GOAL WITH THIS PROJECT IS TO MAKE PEOPLE AWARE THAT WE ALL NEED TO WORK ON NATURE CONSERVATION, BUT ON A DIFFERENT PERSPECTIVE.”

H E RE

Tanzania seen in a whole new light...

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What is The Last Line?

The Last Line started in 2018 when professional photographer Rein Rijke asked me to kite on a toxic and 70ÂşC lake to capture me from above in a surreal landscape.

It started off for a campaign called In Search Of Incredible by ASUS. We traveled to the capital in Tanzania and from there it was another three days’ drive through the bush and African savanna to arrive at our location, Lake Natron.

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Once we arrived we could already smell the acid and hotness that was coming off the lake, and for the next few days we immersed ourselves as much as possible with the local resources and tribes. Afterwards we renamed our project The Last Line to capture and showcase the most beautiful parts of the world, but also the fragility of nature from above with a kite and a line‌ â–

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LAKE URI

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or the first time in history, the snowkite season was terminated by the government, and not by the warming spring sun. After this unexpected and abrupt end, it took a never-ending amount of time until the thermal winds were finally kicking in again. Definitely time to start the kitesurf season with a trip to the lake of Uri in Switzerland and get feet onto boards again…

The spot at Lake Uri is in the middle of breathtaking scenery, but getting on the water is tricky. The lake is surrounded by cliff walls that don’t offer many options to enter, but, even worse than that, there are almost no exits. Last but not least, the winds can be strong close to the cliff walls, but then it cannot reach the launching spots.

But despite these negatives and the challenges that you can face, this scenery makes my photography heart pump much faster. We decided to go out on a boat, which offers nice options for also getting some camera gear on the water, and also for safety reason as the lake was still freezing cold!

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“THE SPOT AT LAKE URI IS IN THE MIDDLE OF BREATHTAKING SCENERY, BUT GETTING ON THE WATER IS TRICKY. THE LAKE IS SURROUNDED

BY CLIFF WALLS THAT DON’T OFFER MANY OPTIONS TO ENTER, BUT, EVEN WORSE THAN THAT, THERE ARE ALMOST NO EXITS. ”

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Picture perfect Switzerland? Check.

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“STEADY WINDS FOR SEVERAL HOURS ALSO ALLOWED US TO GET THE CAMERA GEAR READY AND HOP INTO THE WATER IN A DRYSUIT FOR SOME FUN SHOOTING WITH JULIAN MEISTER ON THE FOIL”

The lake often offers crystal clear and super flat water during the mornings and you can set your clock by the dependability of the wind kicking in. We left the harbor early to capture the scenery and reflections on the flat water. Then, shortly after lunchtime, it was time to launch kites from the boat, and enjoy a second session.

We were lucky. Steady winds for several hours also allowed us to get the camera gear ready and hop into the water in a drysuit for some fun shooting with Julian Meister on the foil and gave me a chance to test some new water camera gear – I was pretty stoked with the results. ■

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Cold water cruising

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... GET STOKED!

JAME S CAR E W 01

~ Gallery ~

Cape Verde JAM ES CAREW

P H OTO S A N D WO R D S G A B R I E L E R U M B O LO

James went on to win the GKA, where his high level of riding and ability to execute powerfully on both lefts and rights was confirmed. Before the event he was also making a splash at Ponta Preta‌ 106

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Without the pressure of the actual competition, each rider appeared in their element and were determined to try out and practice new skills, techniques and tricks in daring and ballsy ways, and they were all motivated to not only reach their own highest potential, but also spurred on by the high quality and level of each other. It was clear to me right away that in terms of the standard of riding, the playing field had truly levelled out and the standard was insane.

01

Before this year’s GKA competition I was able to take photos of almost all the riders. Although conditions were not good for the actual GKA event (which was moved to Kite Beach), Ponta Preta was on fire for the two weeks before the event, and many of the competitors arrived early to familiarize themselves with the wave and enjoy some perfect conditions for practice time on the water. It was during this time that these photos were taken and I was stoked to see the improvement and skill demonstrated by all the riders on what is one of the best waves in the world for kitesurfing.

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MI TU MONTE I R O 02 CAP E VERD E

Mitu is highly motivated and trains all the time, and is always out when the conditions are ‘on’ at Ponta Preta. He consistently demonstrated superb skill, riding with power and elegance and always paying great attention to detail and working to improve his performance. This year unfortunately Mitu did not take part in the main event as he was injured just before. He was pretty devastated that he could not defend the title that he won last year, especially because, as these shots show, there are few better riders on this island.

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CAP E VE R D E 02 MITU M ON TE IRO

Over the years the landscape has visibly changed by human hands at Ponta Preta, with fewer rocks and more of a ‘desert’ outlook. This has created the need to think creatively with regards to capturing interesting and different photos. I have begun to enjoy the challenge of using what is available in the foreground (such as bikes or people) to make the shots a little bit different…

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MI TU MONTE I R O 02 CAPE VERD E 02

I love to take photos from this side of Ponta Preta because normally not many riders go kiting here (this is the right side of Ponta Preta, closer to the Melia hotels). It is not the best wave for tricks but very photogenic, sometimes with rocks at low tide, and sometimes the peak of Monte Leon in the distance.

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03 CAPE VERD E

A stylish rider, Pedro was to be seen preparing in advance of the competition at Ponta Preta, both surfing and kitesurfing. Enthusiastic, motivated and hardworking, he always seemed in touch with the ocean and his surroundings.

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GRAVITY

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RADIANCE

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AI R TON COZZOLI NO 04 CAPE VERD E 04

Airton is always exciting to photograph and he was in usual form: confident, powerful, aggressive and full of surprises in his riding style. He never fails to catch your eye and is inspiring to all of the other riders with his incredible control and bold, vigorous maneuvers.

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AIRTON COZZOLINO

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Inês is almost Cape Verdean, as this place is her home ground – she lives and works with her own kite and water sports business here. In training sessions at Ponta Preta and at Kite Beach it was clear to see she has improved a lot this past year, and she deservedly went on to win the first stop of the GKA season at Kite Beach.

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I S YO U R H A R N E S S S C I E N T I F I C A L LY B AC K E D? The Lumbar Lock hard-shell shape was developed by Ride Engine from more than a thousand back molds of women and men, providing foundational scientific data points

Rider: Angely Bouillot | Photo: Thomas Burblies

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or sliding-rope spreader bars + Removable D-ring/HP-leash attachment

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CA PE VE RDE

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CAM I LLE D ELANNOY CAPE VERD E

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CAMI LLE D E LANNOY

Camille is now riding for North and has clearly improved a lot. A well-balanced rider who is also excellent in freestyle, it is always inspiring to see his dedication and passion to improving his technique and upgrading his already impressive skill set.

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R E E CE MY E R S COUGH 07 CAPE VERD E 07 RE ECE MYE RS COUG H

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Every year Reece spends a good amount of time in Cabo Verde before the competition starts. This year he was seen to be testing the new ALUULA kites and when the conditions were good he was often first in and last out. There has been lots of improvement in his skills since last year and it is always a pleasure to watch him, especially in freestyle.

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MATCH U LO PES

08 CAPE VERD E

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MATCH U LOP E S

08 08 08

In the last year Matchu seems to have spent more time in Boa Vista, which just means it’s always a pleasure to see him back in Sal. Amazingly gifted in his ability for backside riding, Matchu demonstrates time and time again a perfect balance between power and elegance in his riding style

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1

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1 // CORE Nexus 2

2 // Mystic Gem Bruna

3 // North Pulse

4 // F-ONE Breeze V3

The Nexus was the kite that filled a space in CORE’s kite line up, promising respectable performance in all elements of the kite world… It’s a tricky balancing act but we’ve ridden the Nexus 2 and can confirm that they really have nailed it.

Fun in the waves, fun in the air: fun fun fun.

If you’re one of the most hardcore envelope-pushing female freestylers of all time, then you’re going to dig the Gem Bruna with its composite Bionic Core frame and design tailored specifically for women. If you’re not, then you’re still going to find that this is one of the most hi-tech and confidence-inspiring harnesses that you’re ever likely to wrap around your waist. Win win.

The sector for Performance Three Strut kites is one of the most competitive in the market and it is a genuine design skill to keep the weight lower whilst still maintaining the structural rigidity you need for maximum pop and performance. The Pulse nailed it first time and achieved the challenging task of giving you the tools to get that second handle-pass in, while still putting a smile on your face.

The Breeze is a kite that has moved from the niche to the mainstream. Whereas onestrut kites used to be for occasional use on those super-light days where you wanted to still get out and stay upwind while you busted out some freestyle moves, with the advent of foiling it is now the kite that a lot of riders use most of the time…

The one strutter is a tricky design to get right but F-ONE nailed it with V1, V2 and – we expect – V3. We’re looking forward to finding out…

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5 // Eleveight Mast C+

6 // Duotone Mono

7 // Flysurfer VMG

8 // Levitaz Aspect 2

If you’re planning on starting a kite brand then Eleveight would be a sound example – they have evolved and grown their line up year-on-year without over-committing themselves.

A fine example of this is the Master C+, which has taken the super-popular Master freeride board and sent it on a little trip to the carbon factory…

When we first tested the Mono a few years ago (it was Mauritius so it kind of sticks in your mind!) we knew that this was something ‘new’. Yes, it had one strut, but it really did fly more like a 3-strut kite, more like the Neo in fact. They’ve refined the design further since then but the fact is that the Mono is much more than just a foiling or lightwind option. It’s a performance one-strutter!

Whether you’re a lover of foil racing or not, you just can’t help but be pretty floored by the level of tech that the discipline has brought to the sport both in the world of hydrofoils and foil kites… The VMG is a prime example, registered for the Olympics it is certain to be one of the kites to beat around the Mediterranean in 2024.

If you’ve got Olympic aspirations but aren’t quite ready for the world of ‘tiny’ wings that come with it, then the Aspect 2 is the perfect option – bringing speed and performance with a little more freeride fun built in. The Aspect 2 has a lower aspect ratio and more rounded tips ensuring an insane speed range and maximum maneuverability.

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9 // ION Muse Hot Shorty The Hot Shorty is part of ION’s Muse Capsule Collection which brings some extra design finesse to a selection of ION’s wetsuit line. Here we have the Hot Shorty which offers plenty of protection from the wind, and keeps your torso toasty, while giving your legs the freedom to unleash your summer freestyle demons.

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10 // Airush Mini Monster

11 // AXIS Foil HA Wings

12 // SlingWing V2

13 // Eleveight Escape

We love a well-conceived surfboard here at TKM. The Mini Monster from Airush is the kind of board you might find yourself reaching for more often than you would think…

With its generous outline and low-rocker it’ll get you up and riding super early and in marginal conditions, but get it on a wave and it’s still going to rip like a shortboard.

All new wings from AXIS who are at the very forefront of the foil world right now. Their full next-gen high aspect flat wing collection includes the 1150, the widest in the AXIS range which is built for the lightest winging day, then you have the 1010 which is built for efficiency and speed and finally the 910 – the smallest in the collection – which offers tons of speed and fast, easy turning. As with allthings-foil from AXIS, you can mix and match to find your perfect set up for any foiling day…

Slingshot were one of the first out of the blocks with the SlingWing (and also first out of the blocks when it comes to ‘wings’ in general, but that’s another story…). V2 has had one primary focus: weight reduction, and it comes in at almost half the weight. There are some other tweaks too but this is essentially a refinement designed to keep pace with the exploding world of the wing…

Based close to one of Europe’s prime wave-riding spots, Guincho in Portugal, it is no surprise that Eleveight have stayed close to home to get their surfboard line-up shaped… The Escape works both in the waves, and on the flat for strapless freestyle, and utilizes Eleveight’s Carbon Flex Technology for ‘surfboard’ flex with ‘kiteboard’ strength and durability. And their new eco-resin keeps the boards oh-so white!

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JOIN THE GOOD WAY

A founder and family-run business that is not ruled by investors. We provide European handicraft and not the Asian or American mass production. We develop jointly with our dealers, team riders and end users, not just product managers. We guarantee durable premium products instead of simple and cheap disposable goods. Our motto is more fun through strong performance, instead of more sales through low prices. We prefer timeless wood designs that have already won 5 design awards, rather than short-lived trends. When we started 10 years ago, we only had long and hard boards. Now we offer boards for kids, teenagers, women and men. We focus on sustainable and healthy growth rather than on overproduction with profit optimization. We do big tours for testing with competent consultancy on 180 days per annum, instead of expensive advertising with lots of marketing promises. Sold only through selected, ownermanaged stores and not with stock-listed chains or also through our own online shop. True ecological and social commitment, not just glossy numbers for investors.

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KITEBOARD SNAKE Nature is the best role model in terms of construction and aerodynamics. The humpback whale can glide through the water faster and better than any other whale due to its tubercles on its fins and tail. This is the basis for our GOODkiteboard SNAKE with its anti-chop technology.

In fluid mechanics, fluid dynamics tests have shown that the humpback whale’s tubercles reduce water resistance but at the same time increase lift. For our SNAKE with its wavy outline, this means that the flow between these waves is channeled and does not stop.

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Less stress on the knee load Longer kite sessions Easier turning and upwind Less splashing water Lightweight 137 cm 2,5 kg, 141 cm 2,6 kg Unique look 131

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Does the team that plays together, stay together? Pippa van Iersel investigates‌

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A Colombian, an Italian and a Dutchie traveling the world separately as a team and competing on the World Tour 134

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THE CREW TOP LEFT

Pippa van Iersel, keen to learn.

LEFT

Gianmaria Coccoluto, the oracle ABOVE

Valentin Rodriguez, world champ.

Colombian, an Italian and a Dutchie traveling the world separately as a team and competing on the World Tour.

Coming from three completely different cultures, chasing the same dream with different visions in life. Gianma, the oldest at only 26 years old and the most experienced rider of the three saw Val and I as groms coming into the tour. He took us under his wings during training and competitions and taught us some useful life lessons. I sat down with him to talk about how things have played out between the three of us…

It all started in Greece when I saw Val on the side of the road. Val smiles and continues: “Yeah, when I was in Greece without a car. Walking next to the road by myself from the house all the way to the spot. Which is like three kilometers. My legs were getting sore and my body started sweating. At that moment I saw in the corner of my eye a car starting to slow down. I heard a familiar voice calling my name. I looked back and saw Pippa opening the window asking what I was up to. I asked her where the spot was and she answered straight away, ‘Are you crazy? It’s at least an hour to walk!’ I jump in the car

and we go together. From there she asked every day if I wanted a ride to the beach and we started to train together.”

It was really cool to meet Val during that season in Greece, although I was with a group, I didn’t really have a person who I could get inspired from. His determination and talent was something I really admired. We started filming each other’s tricks, analyzing, and finalizing it on the water. Even though I’ve known Val for a long time since we competed in the youth events together, that was probably the beginning of our closer friendship. And it was super cool when we became teammates in 2018.

Gianma remembers, “It was really cool for me as well to have them as teammates. They bring that fresh grom energy and always have the stoke to be on the water. It reminds me of when I first started traveling around. I felt responsible for leading them in the right direction and trying to give them a bit of style in their riding, haha!”, he says, with a big smile on his face.

Yeah, he definitely does that, I watch Gianma a lot for his insane blind and wrapped technique.

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I was finally able to see more than those tricks we focus on for the contests.

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He’s always stoked to help me out with tricks I’m struggling with or helping me with eating my pasta in the right way! Gianma laughs, “I did?! Haha, of course.

Man, they choose spaghetti and then they cut it! You have an option between penne and spaghetti. Why would you choose spaghetti if you cut it anyways?

Oh, and also pineapple on the pizza... They don’t understand anything about food. Don’t ever choose that in front of me! I’m happy they listen to me with kiting tricks, but the food change will come more slowly!”

I have to agree with him. I’m more careful with my food choices in front of Gianma! The three of us became friends really quickly. Sharing fun moments together during comps and training keeps the vibe really good. What’s cool about Gianma is that he also sees when you are in a bad mood and wants to cheer you up. I remember the competition in France, where I was about to start the semi-finals. He saw that I was super nervous and he came to me, gave me a hug and said: “Just do your thing, you know how to do it.” That gave me a lot of confidence, especially because a rider like him said this to me.

Later in the year, I had the honor to get to shoot with Gianma and Val in Mauritius. It was then that we got to know each other super well. Even though we travel to all these different events together, it’s always intense and we are in competition mode. In Mauritius we had our first time together being more relaxed. I was finally able to see more than those tricks we focus on for the contests. We got to shoot together, and I was so impressed about what Gianma had got in his bag of tricks. For me, he is one of the most stylish riders and with probably the best variation of tricks. It was really cool to see Val looking at Gianma’s tricks and trying them out as well. It gave me a lot of motivation to kite with them.

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LEFT

Valentin making sure that his brand commitments are covered with logo front and center...

HERE

You only have a few minutes with this kind of light so you’ve got to get it right...

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I was so impressed about what Gianma had got in his bag of tricks

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HERE

Stunning shots and crazy angles.

Great riding, but not possible without Andre Magarao’s insane vision and creativity.

ON THE ROAD

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Andre even shows me by stepping into my boots to show where to grab.

LEFT AND ABOVE

There are so many variables at play here, this is art...

ON THE ROAD

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HERE

The guys look on, Pippa grabs...

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Downtime in Brazil This season in Brazil we had the opportunity to hang out for more than a month. It was super sick to be able to share a house and a lot of sessions. Brazil is that time of the year where we can ride every day in perfect wind. So there is always that good summer vibe. I had the opportunity to learn some of Gianma’s stylish tricks and Valentine’s effortless style. Starting the day having breakfast together, making fun of each other’s old videos and getting inspired from the movie The Bubble. As we prepared the buggy, Gianma always comes a bit later so he doesn’t have to help too much, ha! Once we are ready to go, Gianma and I are arguing who deserves to drive. He would always come up with something he did for me already, like a year ago, so he gets to drive! As soon as we are all set, ready to leave, you will always hear Val at the very last moment saying we need to turn around because he forgot something. Turn on the gangster music, let’s hit the session.

Playing around until sunset. As soon as the sun goes down, it’s time for a shoot with Andre Magarao, a super experienced and chilled photographer. Riding in shoots is different from riding and succeeding in comps, so we all had to adapt.

I learned a new set of tricks which works for photos. Andre explains this by showing it in pictures and even stepping into my boots to show where to grab.

The shoots are fun, professional and exciting.

Coming back from the shoot we would all sit behind one laptop checking the footage straight away. Roasting on photos where we grab wrong and having a good laugh! I asked Andre how he enjoys his sessions in Brazil. “I really love shooting kiteboarding, but the main reason I do it is because the crew is amazing. And the new generation is no different. I’m a huge fan of them all. The last couple of years have been special for me, because I was able to see them in competition mode, but also we have had some nice, chilled, no-pressure photo sessions. I like to shoot in a very particular way. It’s like a team sport. The rid-

ers need to work with me and understand what I’m looking for. Because of the flashes, the riders have a pretty narrow window where they can do the tricks. I had shot with Gianma before, so he was well aware of how it works. But I had to teach Pippa and Val how I like to work. They learned super fast, it was very productive and they didn’t land on my flashes which is always a plus! I’m looking forward to seeing what this epic group achieves in the future and where they take their riding to next. They all have unique styles and unique characters.

Pippa is always pushing to go bigger and faster. Val is so smooth and easy. He makes kiting look like it needs no body strength at all. Gianma has a huge bag of tricks that just keeps on growing. He is super stylish and always brings this happy Italian vibe wherever he goes.”

So, it might sound cheesy, but I’m happy to say that my idols are my friends...

While I am writing all this down, it makes me realize what an amazing life I am living. I’m very grateful that my parents gave me the opportunity to figure out the path I wanted to follow. I decided to liberate myself from the path that society may have chosen for me and I have created my own. The sport already brought me such a beautiful part of my life and I have learned so much about the reality of where we are living. Mostly, I don’t spend longer than a month anywhere which is pretty insane to think about. I got to see many places, meet many people and learn about different cultures. It gives me a good understanding on people, the world and on how we are supposed to act, which is a pretty valuable life lesson. Along the way, I met these special personalities and I am proud to say that having them as my teammates is awesome. We all aim for our best individual result in competitions but even during the events we fully support each other. Having a reliable caddy on the beach is not easy to find! And that’s where we teammates always have each other’s back. I don’t want to be too cliché about the “journey being as important as the destination and who you are with”, but it really is…■ ON THE ROAD

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Olly Bridge and Meg Barnett hit Western Australia, and hit it in style. With their 4x4 – the Frothed Mobile – the full road trip was on, with plenty of sketchy tales, epic sessions and best-not-to-thinkabout-that-too-much sealife…

WORDS MEG BARNETT

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Seeking to escape the cold and grey British winter, Olly and I headed out to Perth on a 16-hour direct flight from London. We chose to visit Western Australia for a number of reasons: consistent wind, unchartered spots, the Red Bull Lighthouse to Leighton race, but most importantly, we both really wanted to visit the one other place on the planet also named Exmouth (the same as our hometown in the UK).

Arriving in Perth, our first challenge was to find a vehicle we could call home for two months to take us on the 9000 km round-trip, all the way up to Exmouth and back down to Esperance. Rental companies proved way too expensive and had low daily distance limits, not ideal when traveling a country almost as big as Europe. So, after almost purchasing a Toyota Prado from a time waster on Gumtree, we decided to rent a badboy Toyota Land Cruiser from our mate Mani in Perth, later to be named the Frothed Mobile. Eager to start exploring, we packed up our tent and fixed the life-saving air-con last minute before making the day-and-a-half drive up to Exmouth.

Thousands of tourists visit Exmouth each year between March and August to swim with the biggest fish in the sea, the whale shark. For us, since it was out of season, it was a quick photo with the huge Exmouth sign and straight on to the Cape Range National Park. Our first kite spot was Sandy Bay, a breathtaking bay of white sand just meters from our tent. Due to its location downwind from a small sand spit, the turquoise water was flat as far as the eye could see, making for ideal freestyle conditions. The first day we arrived, the wind was light and, despite other kiters waiting for wind on the beach, the light wind ability of Flysurfer’s 10m Soul meant I had the entire spot to myself. The next day we snorkeled all morning at Turquoise Bay and, when the wind picked up in the afternoon, we both had an insane freestyle session all the way through until the golden sunset.

TOP RIGHT

Mission accomplished early on: we found Exmouth.

ABOVE AND RIGHT

Assorted shades of dreamy blue.

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HOME FROM HOME

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The drone: what an amazing creation.

INSET

Can’t spend all day just cruising, Olly earning his keep...

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HOME FROM HOME

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HERE

Yup, it’s a WA road trip, no denying it...

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Random Camping Next stop on the trip was Winderabandi Point. Until this moment, the hot and sweaty tent accommodation had both Olly and I wishing we had taken a campervan for the trip. But, as the Frothed Mobile beasted its way out of the Cape Range National Park, over Yardi Creek, and along miles of red sand road, we were reassured that the adventure could not have been possible without a 4x4. Situated on a ginormous sandspit, the camping at Winderabandi had no amenities, just sand... A key and a chemical toilet must be picked up from a very random iron-roofed shack-like homestead with a sign outside saying ‘do not get out of the car, honk horn for assistance’. A minimum of four nights’ stay must be paid to the old lady in the caravan office, whether you stay that long or not! When we finally arrived at the beach, I couldn’t believe that a better freestyle spot than where we had just been could exist. It’s no wonder the only other two occupied campspots were older kite-

surfers set up for months of kiting, fishing, and apparently flying a microlite plane some old guy had lorried up from Albany. The 6am baking sun on our tiny tent greenhouse was relieved by the offshore wind kicking in at 9am.

These conditions stayed for the next two days and, with the entire bay to ourselves, we practiced freestyle all day and searched for rays and tiny sharks in the crystal clear water below.

The plan was to travel to Gnarlaoo next, a famous surf and wave-riding spot a few hours south. However, after following Google Maps (rookie error) on the wrong road for an hour and then realizing we couldn’t make the trip with even the spare fuel tank we had, we decided to change our plans and head straight to Shark Bay. The wave forecast at Gnaraloo had looked rubbish anyways (we hoped at least).

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Sharks. And snakes…

Everyone had told us Shark Bay had some epic kitesurfing so we booked six nights’ stay in a campsite along Denham seafront. We kited at two salty inland lagoons, the very gusty Little Lagoon and then Big Lagoon and, as he does best, Olly found an opportunity to jump up a huge red cliff at Big Lagoon. We also found a decent kitespot along Denham seafront and Olly got a few megaloops in while I shot some video. Although at first we regretted moving on from the north to Shark Bay, there is still some really good exploring to be done along the peninsulas. Damien from Shark Bay Kitesurfing knows all there is to know about secret spots in the area, and reassured us that there is actually no shark danger despite the name of the place, just sea snakes… This was enough to bring one of my sessions to a halt.

Next stop on the trip was Hutt Lagoon, also known as the pink lake. The salt lake is located near the town of Gregory and gets its amazing hue from algae in the water. The wind wasn’t looking too promising for the next few days, so we rushed down to the lagoon to catch the last breath of wind. While the videos of this place look heavenly, the behind the scenes reality of kiting here was very different. When we arrived around midday, we were genuinely so stoked that the lake was actually bright pink just like the photos (you never know). However, it was nearing 40 degrees with the lightest wind, and the only way to get to

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the lake was by scrambling over some thick bushes for 20 minutes. Launching the foil kite in the spikey shrubs was then the next challenge, but once the Soul kite was up, Olly managed three runs in basically no-wind conditions, doing a crunchy and painful salt-crystal walk-of-shame back upwind while dodging flies between each run. On the upside, the drone shots turned out pretty cool as the lake really was a dead-flat pink soup. Definitely a once in a lifetime ‘get the shot and get out’ kind of kitespot!

On our final drive south before getting back to Perth, we had a one-night stop in Lancellin to muck about with kites on the dunes. We put the Frothed Mobile through its paces, ripping about the sand and almost driving off a cliff before getting some amazing sunset shots sandboarding on the golden sand with the kite.

ABOVE

The pink lake. Looks dreamy, actually not quite so appealing in reality...

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Business Time In between editing the video for the first part of the trip and getting prepped for the journey down south, we spent a week in Perth and both competed in the Red Bull Lighthouse to Leighton. The 19 kilometer open ocean kite surfing race from Rottnest Island to Leighton Beach in Freemantle was a definite highlight of the trip for me. Along with 138 other riders, Olly managed to dodge the crazy amounts of weed in the water on his foil to take first place in 21 minutes and 8 seconds. It was the first contest I had ever entered, so I was really stoked to get third in the women’s twintip category.

On the second part of the trip, the landscape changed from desert red to forest green as we headed down for the waves and vineyards of Margaret River. We spent 10 days exploring the beaches along the entire coast and found something for everyone. Big Air in and around Yallingup, wave riding pretty much at every beach down the coast, and flat-water freestyle down at Augusta in the south. This was the first time the conditions weren’t 100% epic, so most of the time we seemed to have a bit too much wind to surf but not really enough to kite. Still, no complaints because when the conditions were good, they were really good, so we’d take that…

TOP LEFT

A sand spit not dis-similar to the one in Olly’s hometown.

LEFT

Sandy hand-plant.

ABOVE

A sandier hand plant.

RIGHT

A little bit of work to be done en route.

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Tree Hugging Taking a rare break onto dry land, one of our biggest adrenaline rushes of the trip actually came from scaling a 58-meter Karri Tree named the Gloucester Tree, located in the Gloucester National Park. The tree was originally made relatively easy to climb as a fire lookout spot but is now climbable by tourists.

Climbing 58m up the metal pegs, with no real safety net, and navigating a load of other people coming the other way, was definitely one of the sketchiest things I’ve ever done, and I’ve actually never seen Olly so terrified!

Seeking to get back on the adventure, and find kite spots all to ourselves again, we stopped at William Bay National Park, near Denmark, and spent two days kiting between a series of enormous boulders appropriately named Elephant Rocks. I’m pretty sure this isn’t really an official ‘kitespot’, but the novelty of kiting on the flat ocean between giant rocks was another highlight for me, and I’d definitely recommend visiting here if you’re more of an advanced rider/ unlikely to ride into a huge granite slab!

The final stop of the two month trip was Esperance. Once you get away from the hundreds of ‘bogan’ kids ripping around the caravan parks on quads, you will find the whitest and squeakiest sand on the planet. Cape Le Grand National Park is just outside of town, and it features miles of sandy beaches where you can stop wherever you like, head out the car door and ride straight onto the water. As we did throughout the trip, we searched maps for spots downwind of low-lying land and found a number of really unique offshore flat-water loca-

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tions to play around in. When we finally headed back to the town of Esperance, I was squeezing in one final wave riding session when Olly ran up the beach and yelled at me to get off the water. A man had just put up a ‘recent shark sighting at this beach’ sign. Terrifyingly, a shark attack had occurred just a few hours earlier at the same beach. I rushed out of the water, counted my blessings, and thought to myself: it’s definitely time to go home.

The highlight of the trip was definitely the feeling of constant adventure: being able to look on a map for areas that looked potentially good for kitesurfing and having the freedom to rock up, kite all day, and be the only two people there. In fact, I doubt some of the places we visited have actually ever been ridden before.

The scenery and adventure can also be yours for the taking; you just have to be willing to brave the heat, flies, sharks, and scarcity of fuel stations and water supply. I guess that’s the price of an empty kite spot these days – but definitely a price worth paying… ■

ABOVE

And some wave sessions to finish.

I think that is WA DONE.

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Hannah Whitely has had a hugely successful kiting career and has succeeded in being in the top tier of ‘hard charging’ female kiters as well as making kiting look effortlessly cool. We’ve got a lot to thank her for! Team mate Colleen Carroll sat down with her mid boat trip to talk all things kite.

P H OTOS V INC E NT B E RGE RON

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I didn’t duck my head enough and banged it hard on a point where there was a bolt sticking out!

HANNAH, TELL US ABOUT THIS TRIP?

It was really cool! We traveled all over the Caribbean by boat to Martinique, St Lucia, St Vincent and The Grenadines. I was with the best company, my team mates Francesca Bagnoli, Pippa Van Iersel, Paula Novotná, and of course you Colleen!

W H AT WA S I T L I K E L I V I N G O N T H E B O AT ?

To be totally honest with you, I was excited to come to the Caribbean but I was not really looking forward to living on a boat for two weeks. I can get really seasick so I knew if the weather was rough, it could be a challenging trip. It turned out quite differently, we spent a long time sailing (18 hours one way to Union Island), it was a very calm sail and thankfully nobody was seasick. During this time onboard I feel it really helped us bond as a group, it was definitely special. The boat gave us the freedom to move wherever the forecast looked the best without the hassle of packing and unpacking. One of my favorite things was falling asleep every night under the stars; in our cabins there is a sky light above our beds that we always kept open. It gave us a dreamy view of the stars and the gentle rocking of the boat lulled us to sleep each night so it was actually really nice.

A LT H O U G H B L O O D WA S S P I L L E D AT O N E P O I N T R I G H T ? !

It was literally the first day on the boat! Everyone was getting ready for a light wind foiling session. I was coming up from the back of the boat to the deck, unfortunately I didn’t duck my head enough and banged it hard on the top of the roof of the boat, directly on a point where there was a bolt sticking out. I didn’t know that I was bleeding, then our captain Richard kept shouting me and I realized I was leaving a trail of blood. I’ve never seen so much blood before. I definitely went into a bit of shock, laughing and crying at once. The girls were just amazing, so supportive, I could not have had better help. Francesca took me to the hospital, where I had my head glued. Then I had to keep my head dry for five days. I knew this was going to be the hardest part but the wind was so light the first five days that I didn’t end up missing anything anyways. My timing was on point!

TOP RIGH T

The Duotone crew ready to be unleashed for the day.

B OT TOM RIGH T

Paula doing things you are generally not advised to do on a foil. Hannah with the shower cap in situ.

TOP L E F T

Yup, BLOOD ON THE BOAT. B OT TOM L E F T

Sundown in the Caribbean. A good reason to look pretty happy with life...

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I T S T I L L M U S T H AV E B E E N D I F F I C U LT L I V I N G O N A B O AT I N T H E C A R I B B E A N W I T H O U T B E I N G A B L E TO G E T YO U R H E A D WET?

This might sound a bit crazy but sometimes I believe I have a sixth sense. The day before we got on the boat, we spent one night in a hotel in Martinque. I had this really random urge to take the shower cap that the hotel provides you with.

It was as if I knew. So for the next five days I swam everyday in the sea with the shower cap on. It worked out great!

W H AT WA S Y O U R M O S T M E M O R A B L E S E S S I O N O F T H E T R I P ?

My most memorable session was definitely the first session. Prior to this trip, I had spent some time in the UK where the sessions had been few and far apart, and very cold. So I could not have appreciated my first session in the Caribbean any more than I did! I felt so calm and present on the water; riding through the turquoise water with the sun shinning on my face, my tricks felt effortless and just flowed. The wind was light but the 13m Duotone Juice was prefect. I’m so impressed with the kite’s light wind performance. I had a great dreamy first session and we stacked a lot of clips.

YO U E N J OY M A N Y D I F F E R E N T D I S C I P L I N E S I N K I T E B OA R D I N G , W H AT A R E Y O U M O S T E X C I T E D A B O U T T H E S E D AY S A N D WHY?

I love to mix it up on the water and adapt to the conditions. When the wind is strong, I’m super motivated for Big Air and pushing the extreme side of kiteboarding. This definitely excites me a lot. In lighter wind, I love a freestyle session. Then in super light wind, foiling is fun too.

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I had this really random urge to take the shower cap that the hotel provides you with. It was as if I knew.

AB OV E

Getting psyched.

RIGH T

Getting on it...

BLOOD ON THE BOAT

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ABOVE

Hannah working on some grabs in the abscence of Big-Air-worthy wind.

OTHERS

The rest of the crew had some fun as well...

BLOOD ON THE BOAT

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W H AT A R E Y O U R T H O U G H T S A B O U T W O M E N N O T H AV I N G A S E P A R AT E C AT E G O R Y I N K I N G O F T H E A I R ?

This is definitely a subject that frustrates me. I really feel that we have proved we deserve a women’s category in the King of the Air. There are quite a few girls absolutely sending it in the strong wind; Angely Bouillot, Pippa Van Iersel, Vera Klabbers, Mika Sol and myself to mention a few. Coming from a competitive background, I know through competing has pushed my level the most.

I feel if KOTA had a women’s category, we would definitely see a big rise in women’s Big Air riding and more women wanting to push this side of riding.

Last year Angely and I did a Big Air women’s expression session in KOTA. It went really great and it seemed promising that there was going to be an official women’s division in KOTA this 2020 but when it came to it there wasn’t. It was really frustrating.

YO U S E E M TO B E P R E T T Y F I R E D U P A B O U T K I T E B OA R D I N G I N G E N E R A L , W H AT I S I T T H AT K E E P S Y O U R S T O K E L E V E L S SO HIGH?

I guess when you have such a big passion about something, it doesn’t matter how much you do it, you still love it and get the same excitement for a session.

I think it helps that I mix my sessions up a lot too.

D O YO U E V E R N E E D A B R E A K?

Yes, traveling a lot on back to back trips can get quite exhausting, I do feel tired sometimes. It’s nice to come home and re-set sometimes. But it doesn’t take long before I’m craving to travel again and do projects!

H O W D O Y O U S TAY WA R M I N T H E W I N T E R I N T H E U K A N D H OW M A N Y T I M E S D O YO U P E E I N YO U R W E T S U I T I N O N E SESSION?

Haha! My Prolimit wetsuits do a really great job keeping me warm in the winter time and definitely the occasional pee will help warm you up too. I try to avoid peeing in my wetsuit though as my winter suit is 6mm thick and it usually doesn’t really get wet inside so it kind of sucks to pee in it!

W H AT A R E Y O U R C O M P E T I T I V E P L A N S F O R T H E F U T U R E ?

At the moment I’m driven to compete in Big Air rather than freestyle and this year the competitions are more freestyle oriented, so I don’t plan to compete in freestyle this year. I am more motivated to create content and do projects with my sponsors and I’m planning some coaching camps too.

W H AT I S I T A B O U T C O A C H I N G T H AT I N S P I R E S Y O U ?

I think if you can help someone to progress and have a great time on the water it feels very rewarding. We all know how good it feels when you learn something new or have one of those magic sessions, if I can help bring these moments it’s something special. ■

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HERE

Colleen fitting in one last run before it’s time for that first G&T.

BLOOD ON THE BOAT

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fly away From her secret Scandinavian hideaway, Kari Schibevaag spends more days on the water (or snow) with a kite in a year than most of us manage in 10… So when the Wind Wing appeared on the scene she had her doubts, would this young pretender get in the way of her one true love? Well, she tried not to like it but – as many are finding – it’s hard not to…

And of course - this being Kari - she has been up to much more than just ‘winging it’, so we thought would take the chance to load up some more quality Scandinavian photo content while we’re at it...

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Photo: Tor Olav Schibevaag

Since I was young, I have always dreamt of flying like a bird. And kiting has made my dream of flying come true. I know you don’t exactly fly when you kite, but there can’t be a lot else that brings you much closer to it… you feel free as a bird. And it is my passion! When I kite it feels like everything else goes away in an instant. I am free from everything. My problems and the world’s expectations just disappear. It is a place to hide from everything, and just be me in the power of nature.

Whether I am out on the ocean with salt water and the power of nature, or up in the mountains with powder, riding around, it is like a dream. I never imagined that it could be my job when I was young. I must have done something right, since I have been able to spend all these years with my best friend: the kite. It has been amazing.

I hope I will enjoy kiting like I do now until I am 99 years old, but it is always fun finding new toys to get hooked on. And a new toy has recently appeared on the scene. We humans never stop exploring new activities on the water. New games and toys are always popping up, and I have to say, this time I think this has some potential... The ‘wing’ looked crazy stupid when I saw it for the first time, but after having a closer look, I have to say that it also looks like a lot of fun. I remember first seeing it on Instagram. I was smiling and thinking: what is going on there? That thing must be a joke. Holding on to a Batman wing and sailing around just looked too stupid for it to be real. Someone out there must be really bored. But I was wrong. Because after a while I started to get intrigued by it. I watched more pictures and videos on Instagram and thought: “Shit, I need to test this! This wing thing looks like a lot of fun and like it is super versatile. It can be used for so many things.”

ABOVE

What. A. View OTHERS

The joy of wing...

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Photos: Oda Schibevaag and Lars Tunby

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Not a bad spot to have as your local...

Photo: Tommy Simonsen

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Another solo session. Another insane sunset.

Photo: Gunnar Magne Berg ABOVE

Sun jumping. It’s a Scandi thing.

Photo: Janett Alfheim LET’S FLY AWAY

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Photo: Tommy Simonsen

ABOVE

Could you motivate yourself to get out here?

Be honest.

LEFT

Different shades of the Scandinavian kiting experience. They all look pretty cold...

Photos (unless stated): Schibevaag Adventure and Altaturer.no 180

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Photo: Tommy Simonsen

Photo: Tine Skjoldmo

Foiling with kite and SUP is one of my largest passions these days, and the wing has made it look even more fun. However, it was not easy to get hold of a wing, but finally I got the chance to test it for the first time in Cape Town.

The first time I tried one was only for 10 minutes on the lake. It was super windy, and I was just drifting downwind. I managed to get on the board and keep the wing in my hands, but it was a completely new game to play. However, I instantly knew it was a game I would be hooked on…

After the initial try, I got some information about how to hold the wing and how to start. I usually prefer to try new things myself and feel it in my body, but this time it was good to get some instructions. Thanks Abel Lago!

I saw a lot of opportunities for the wing in Norway and was super excited to get back to my home to learn more. It was a new game together with kiting and SUP and I was happy to be a part of it.

So now, kiting is without doubt my number one passion. It is what I have been doing the last 15 years and it is like my second hand, but the Wind Wing has given me a new drive and motivation to keep on jumping in the water and practicing...

It feels amazing to have a new water sport to be hooked on which sits together with surfing, SUP and kiting. And it is great to see that I can still learn new things and that feels fantastic… I cannot wait to see where this sport goes. ■ LEFT

Finding trash in even the remotest of spots...

OTHERS

Water in a fluid or a frozen state, Kari doesn’t care...

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Photos: Janett Alfheim

LET’S FLY AWAY

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An unfor While we’ve made an effort not to dwell too much on the recent goings on in the world, when we read this it gave us goosebumps. Annabel van Westerop has managed to perfectly capture the crazy global vibe of a few months (which feels more like a year or two) ago.

PHOTOS @THEACTIONCRUISE

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rgettable trip

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ou can have a trip pre-planned and all figured out. And then the unexpected happens. The one thing you wouldn’t see coming in a million years. A global pandemic. So you adapt. And in the midst of crisis, the magic happens.

We stepped aboard the Action Cruise in Grenada, an island situated in the Eastern Caribbean. Nine days of sailing on a catamaran, with only one goal: kiting in some of the most picturesque spots imaginable. Hosted by the positively spirited Italian captain Federico and amusing French Masterchef Jordane, the trip was already set up for success. All in all, we were six people aboard the catamaran, ready to go and explore.

From the port of Grenada we set sail towards the Grenadines, a group of islands that are a true kiter’s paradise. The Action Cruise has been meticulously planned to make sure all the best spots are visited during the trip, but as we were a small crew, change from the original planning seemed to be seeping in from day one. About halfway to the Grenadines we spotted a sandspit on a tiny deserted island. We were supposed to have a full day of sailing but the wind lured us to the spot and we geared up for our first Caribbean session. I grew up on Aruba, an island not far from where we were, and I only moved back to the Netherlands about a year ago. Needless to say, it felt like coming home when I launched my kite and dove into the warm, blue water.

Nights on the Action Cruise were the best. Tired and content from a long day on the water, with the warm breeze brushing past your skin, and chef Jordane making an incredible meal. From dancing on the boat to lobster dinners with your feet in the sand under the stars, this trip had it all. Chatting and laughing the nights away, and finally having the gentle rocking of the boat put you to sleep, in preparation for the next day. And repeat…

RIGHT

Would Annabel still be smiling if she knew what was to come? Probably...

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AN UNFORGETTABLE TRIP

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AN UNFORGETTABLE TRIP

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“In this time of uncertainty, we made the best of it. We made sure to stay up to date with the news and at the same time we continued to enjoy the Caribbean sessions.”

The following few days we chased the wind from spot-to-spot. The original plan was long gone, as we made spontaneous new plans that we wrote out with a marker on the kitchen window. We had all the North goodies aboard, so whatever the conditions brought, we had a blast. Foiling in the endless light blue water among turtles and stingrays through the Tobago Cays, freestyling in the flat-water paradise of Frigate Island, and finding the most dreamy potential lockdown spot on Umbrella Island. A tiny spit of sand, one cabana, and my kites, what else do you need in life?

Yes, the global crisis was on its way, and the first countries had already gone into lockdown. We checked the news on the daily and it was completely surreal how we were roaming freely around paradise while the world seemed to be falling apart. We felt distant from it all, but could no longer ignore that very soon we would be directly affected as well. We were six people from six different nationalities, who all needed to find their way home.

In this time of uncertainty, we made the best of it. We made sure to stay up to date with the news and at the same time we continued to enjoy the Caribbean sessions. I started to view my surroundings from a different perspective. Being a pro kiteboarder, I consider myself extremely lucky that I get to travel all over the world and see the most beautiful places, but also, it almost becomes a bit ‘normal’ sometimes. It is when something is no longer a given that you start to appreciate it even more. So that sense of freedom to kite and cruise around on a catamaran on the other side of the world felt magical.

If there was even a tiny bit of our plan left, it completely washed away when we heard the islands were going to close their borders. One by one, the Caribbean islands were shutting down and all of a sudden that freedom of sailing around on a boat was restricted as well. Just a few hours before the borders of Grenada closed, we sailed into the harbor of Carriacou, one of the islands that are part of the country. Passing customs was a mission, with a medical examination and having to provide a detailed outline of your travel history. Surprisingly, at the tiniest minimarket on the smallest island, we found some facemasks. Probably at that time the only place in the entire world that had them.

RIGHT

This looks like the perfect place to self-isolate.

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“This trip I’ll definitely never forget.”

So, having entered Grenada safely, although earlier than we originally planned to, we did the most logical thing: we scouted another great spot to kite! And so we finished the trip, the full nine days, with a perfect sunset and sunrise session, after which we sailed back to Grenada and stepped into the ‘real world’ again, just in time.

Due to the circumstances, my flight back to the Netherlands through the US was cancelled so I had to figure out a way home. My first thought was to go to Aruba to be with my parents, yet by then the island had already closed its borders to non-residents, and as it happened, I was no longer a resident since only three months ago… The thought crossed my mind to stay in the Grenadines, because staying in the Caribbean didn’t sound like a bad plan. However, how long would it take until I could leave? Looking back I’m glad I decided not to, as we now all know how serious the situation became.

Finally, I found a way back to the Netherlands. Three flights, completely packed with people heading home, a virus so contagious yet invisible, airports so empty they felt like ghost towns, and a constant doubt if the next flight would take off or be canceled like so many others. It was a wild and emotional ride, but I finally landed safely in Holland, where my aunt and uncle were waiting and threw me my car keys from a distance, and I found my way home to join the rest of the world in isolation.

You can plan a trip, making sure all the details line up to create absolute perfection, and you’ll probably have a wonderful time. However, it is the unexpected and spontaneous twists and turns that really complete an experience.

During this special trip, my already strong love for kiteboarding got a boost, my perception of the luxury of traveling changed for the better, and close connections were made by going through an unpredictable situation, together. Massive thanks to the Action Cruise for having me, this trip I’ll definitely never forget.■

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Perfect poise in Caribbean perfection.

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Profile Pro

The Olympic preparations In the world of Olympic preparations, you count in years, not months. Whatever your discipline, when something only occurs once every four years, you plan and prepare and train just for that one month of that one year. With kitesurfing, the preparations do not just take place amongst the competitors, but also amongst the brands. With any brand able to register kites and foils for the competition and to have a chance of being at the top of the pile on the biggest stage of all, it’s a uniquely exciting time to be involved with kitesurfing. And for brands who specialize in developing gear designed to go FAST, you can turn the excitement dial up a notch. Levitaz make foils. Fast foils.

They have now had their R5 foil approved by the IKA and by World Sailing, so the hard work is done. Now they just have to hope it’s got what it takes to be the first across the finish line. Levitaz Product Manager Michael Ochs takes us through the process.

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HE Y MIC HA E L, THA NKS FOR TAKI NG THE TI ME TO TAL K TO U S .

F I R STLY, F O R A N YO NE WHO I S OUT OF THE LOOP, CA N YOU E XP L AIN WHE N WE WILL FI RST SEE KI TI NG I N THE OLYMPI C S?

WIT H T H E R5 YOU H AV E B E E N QU IT E B RAV E IN T E RM S O F I N T R ODU C ING NE W F E AT U RE S – WAS T H IS A CONS C IOU S C H O I C E TO G O ‘AL L OU T ’?

Kitesurfing will be in the Olympics for Paris in 2024. To be precise, the sailing events will be carried out in the Mediterranean Sea in Marseille.

The foils design is frozen for the next four years. We wanted to offer the riders the best possible product. Additionally, our competitors throughout the globe are not sleeping!

A N D C A N YO U E X P LAI N WHAT THE FORMAT WI LL BE FOR T H E K IT E S U RF IN G E VE N TS?

The format will be quite similar to the current Formula Kite class, it is kite foil racing on a racing course with registered equipment only. The difference is that at the Olympics we will see a relay format, where a male and female kiteboarder compete for medals in a mixed team.

I N T E R M S O F E Q UIP MENT, WHAT I S ALLOWED AND WH O IS ALLOWE D TO M A K E IT?

Basically, every piece of equipment is allowed if it was registered by May 1st, 2020. Around 15 brands were involved and registered their kites and hydrofoils. The coming year we will have an evaluation period when the registered equipment must prove its eligibility, regarding availability, repeatability and quality. After the evaluation, we will see which equipment will be eligible for the coming three years (2021-2024) and the highlight with the Olympic Games in Paris. The day after the Games, this four-year-cycle again starts from the beginning, with possible new submissions for updated equipment.

HOW D ID YO U R E AC T TO THE OLYMPI C NEWS AT LEVI TAZ H Q?!

At Levitaz we love hydrofoiling, especially racing. Of course, we were very excited when we heard about the decision by World Sailing and the IOC. Becoming an Olympic discipline will catapult this amazing sport to a whole new level.

Kitesurfing deserves to be in the spotlight. The reason that hydrofoil racing has become the Olympic discipline is rooted in the fact that the format easily transfers from the existing Olympic sailing classes.

A N D W HAT HAVE YO U BEEN DOI NG SI NCE THE ANNOUNC E ME NT – D I D YO U B E G IN DE VELOPI NG STRAI GHT AWAY?

Actually, the hydrofoil development for racing is embedded in our brands DNA. We are continually developing our existing foils so we were already working on creating the fastest foil that we could.

HAV E YO U DE VE LO P ED THE R5 WI TH THE FORMAT OF TH E OLY MP IC E V E N TS IN MIN D O R H AVE YOU J UST TRI ED TO BUI LD TH E FAST E ST F O I L THAT YO U CO ULD? OR ARE THESE THE SAME THI NG?!

The development goal of the R5 was to build the fastest hydrofoil on the racing course, which means combining maximum performance upwind, downwind and during maneuvers. The foil needs to be performant in a wide range of conditions, from flat water with six knots windspeed, up to high chop with nearly 30 knots.

The reason that the Olympic format is close to the existing Formula class didn’t oblige us to change the development goals.

S O T H E RE IS A ‘STAINL E SS - ST E E L B OX ’ AT T H E H E ART O F T H E SYS T E M – C AN YOU TAL K U S T H ROU GH T H IS AS IT IS NOT S O M E TH I N G WE H AV E S E E N B E F ORE .

The interfaces between the single components, in this case the mast which connects to the rest of the foil, always represents a weak spot. The optimal design would be a one-piece construction, which is, in terms of usability, not realizable.

This unique stainless-steel box offers the best possible power transmission. It sets a new benchmark for stiffness, accuracy of fit and durability. Our mother company, the Geislinger GmbH, offers us a state-of-the-art machinery with a fantastic knowhow of steel processing which allows us to produce this unique design.

AND YOU H AV E A T RIMMAB L E RE AR WING – TAK E U S T H R O U G H TH I S .

The R5 model enables the adjustment of the angle of incident (AOI) to personal preferences and particular conditions. Due to our innovative mechanism, the rider can set the AOI without disassembling any part. Thereby the foil can be adopted to every detail like rider’s weight, board model with its scoop-rocker-line, foot strap and box position as well as different riding conditions. The main attraction is that the adjustment is that easy that this is possible even on the water between the races.

WH AT K IND OF S P E E DS DO YOU NE E D TO GE T U P ON T H E FO I L W I T H T H E R5 AND COU L D A ‘COMP E T E NT ’ RE C RE AT IONAL FO I LE R B E AB L E TO RIDE IT ?

Due to the high aspect ratio design, the foil lifts really early. Races are held in light winds of six to seven knots, consequently the low end is very important.

I can easily ride the R5 and I usually like foils with huge wings like our Shaka series! So, yes, every ‘competent’ recreational foiler is able to ride it!

T H E F OIL H AS NOW B E E N ACC RE DIT E D BY T H E IOC . H OW D I D TH I S P ROC E SS WORK ?

The IKA and World Sailing as “sub-associations” of the IOC played the instrumental role in this context. The accreditation was processed in three stages. At the beginning of this process we had submitted the intention to build equipment and submitted our design with a heap of supporting information. Secondly, we have proved its repeatability and quality by submitting measurements of every series production part. The final accreditation was granted after the successful factory inspection in our production facilities in Austria.

NOW T H E OBV IOU S QU E ST ION – DO YOU T H INK T H AT A LL O LYM PI C RIDE RS WIL L C H OOS E T H E FAST E ST ACC RE DIT E D F OIL W H E N TH E T IME COME S? AND IF S O, WIL L IT B E T H E R5 ?!

If the fastest foil has emerged, then we will see a concentration of the world’s best riders on that. Maybe there will be some hydrofoils playing a similar role at this highest level. The future will tell. But our intention is clear: The R5 is built to win! ■

THE OLYMPIC PREPARATIONS

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CREATORS.

CLINTON FILEN We caught up with Clinton Filen – the man behind Airush and AK Durable Supply Co – in Muizenberg earlier this year. He’s a fascinating guy with a lot of great insights about kitesurfing, so we followed up with some questions and the insights kept on coming…

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Photos: Craig Kolesky

CAN YOU TAKE US THROUGH YOUR JOURNEY IN THE INDUSTRY? YOUR BACKGROUND WAS MORE IN MEDIA RIGHT, AND YOU ‘FELL INTO’ PRODUCT DESIGN AND THEN INTO OWNING A BRAND?!

Ultimately, I think it started when I was in my early teens. I had two close friends, the one became a photographer and the other a product designer, and with liberal parents, we just did so much cool shit. We would play music, race BMX, windsurf, surf, and skate together. But we were already makers, I mean it was Africa, so if you saw something cool in an international magazine, you often needed to start from scratch or modify something. It was great fun building tracks, bikes, boards, sails, vert ramps, and taking photographs to document our antics.

Getting into the industry, I was studying advertising management and copywriting a few years after I finished school, and competing in windsurfing. I started building my own boards as I had a few ideas and didn’t have enough money to buy them straight up.

I knew of a pretty legendary South African waterman, Jonathan Paarman, who was shaping at the time. I had made a few boards as a kid with friends, but they were not great, so I hassled him to shape a few blanks for me. Then I hassled him to let me use his factory to build them and proceeded to ask him a million questions! I remember that he didn’t give me much advice at the time, but he did give me a lot of shit when I screwed things up. I must have been pretty annoying, but it was the perfect place for me to learn. Anyway, I slowly started making some pretty nice lightweight boards that I’d sell to my friends when I was done with them.

There was a European windsurfing company working in his space, and they asked if I would like to help with product testing and they started supporting me when competing. I was completely obsessed with windsurfing and would spend

every day sailing for hours, so product testing for money was almost laughable.

They then asked me to help in Hawaii for the winter where I got to work with a brilliant team of athletes that were dominating the world tour, along with the most talented design and marketing team, which was another platform for incredible learning.

I soon realized, however, that I had a mental restlessness while spending so much time riding. I was more interested in making products and working out how to improve them, than I was spending six hours a day on the water.

The first fins I ever designed were in CAD modeling software, plotted out, and sent to the factory. I would say that I was part of the first wave of digital product designers around 30 years ago. A few years later I ended up in Hawaii again, and got to work with a few influential people such as Nils Rosenblad (now with Naish), and designers in windsurfing who were all working with custom design or engineering software. Boards came later, as the big CNC machines were too expensive at the time, and the non-parametric modeling software that you see today meant that it was basically just easier to shape something up by hand.

Following that, I decided to focus on my advertising studies, and while helping a friend with some computer design work, we ended up forming our first design company together. After a few years doing that, I was offered a contract for soft goods and accessories, and set up my own design company, which I still have today.

The challenge I found working for clients as a design company, was that I would often put a bit of my soul into a project and then had to let it go. I wanted to be more involved in ensuring that the energy that goes into every product makes it to the customer. Ultimately, I wanted to build a collaborative launchpad for innovation that we could build on and create great products and experiences with a group of people who are deeply passionate about what they do.

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L EF T

Some of the early crew discussing the first wide body boards. From right: group CEO - Svein Rasmussen, Airush Founder – Keith Baxter, March Schmid, Pracha Aung Naing Win and Clinton Filen R I G HT

Art Director Graham Wiles, has the challenging task of distilling all of the graphic feedback through riders and customers and developing the future art.

Photo: Ydwer van der Heide

YOU WERE INVITED TO GO OUT TO AUSTRALIA IN THE EARLY YEARS TO HELP MANAGE AIRUSH, AND HAD QUITE A TUMULTUOUS EXPERIENCE?

Yeah, it was definitely one of the more challenging times in my life! I had never really worked for a company in the traditional sense, so a larger organization such as the Starboard group had its challenges for me. I had been for an interview and met with the CEO, Svein Rasmussen, and we got along immediately.

He is honestly one of the most inspiring people I have met in my life, in terms of me looking for an outlet for ideas, and the way he contributes massively in terms of supporting them. He is way more than a “yes” man; I would say he is a “Yes, now hurry up, and what took you so long?” person. There’s also a healthy level of vigorous debate that you really need to get used to. This drive created a pace for the organization early on, which has defined what has made it so successful today.

The challenge with any organization as it grows, is maintaining the culture that made it successful, and building creative processes that can be scaled. You also need to understand that different people have different creative processes and find ways to collaborate with them. For example, one of the other key people in the organization is Ben Severne, who is a very methodical designer and believes that you need to have a relatively good hypothesis, and then set out to prove it or disprove it. And then there were people like Jim Drake (the original Windsurf co-inventor), and the late Colin McCulloch, all driving ideas into the organization.

To sum things up, yeah, I joined a company of extremely talented people, growing like crazy every year, and I was the new guy who was maybe not as agreeable as was expected. There were teething pains. I really had to learn how to make my point and sell my ideas, and the experience was a very valuable lesson for me.

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IN THE EARLY YEARS OF THE SPORT AIRUSH PRODUCED SOME OF THE MOST INNOVATIVE AND ICONIC KITES – IT MUST HAVE BEEN AN EXCITING TIME TO BE AROUND!

Yes, everything was moving so fast. The first Lift kites designed by Ben Severne were a huge breakthrough for us, and really put us on the map. A few years after that, Mark Pattison and Ben Menetrier developed the first Lithium, which went on to become our best-selling model for many years.

AND SINCE THOSE EARLY YEARS YOU’VE HELPED TO DRIVE THE BRAND TO WHERE IT IS NOW WITH A WELL-RESPECTED LINE OF CORE PRODUCTS – ARE YOU HAPPY WITH HOW THE LINE-UP HAS EVOLVED AND WHAT YOU HAVE NOW?

I feel that we have a rational product line that serves key rider groups and what they are really looking for. We’ve focused on continuous refinement over the years, only implementing changes where we’ve found a significant area of improvement. At the same time, we also have a constant desire to create more conceptual products in long term development, looking at how we think people might want to ride in the future. Products like the Ultra, Mini Monster, and AK Foils came from this. Finally, we set out to create a few benchmark products that are absolutely performance based, without a massive focus on the price, and these products generally fall into our Team Series.

Around three years ago we started moving out of the model year system, which has really come to fruition over the last year, where we are far more focused on long term development and making bigger steps, rather than just servicing updates to the complete range every 12 months.

RIGH T

Clinton taking a concept range such as the Ultra, Mini monster and AK crossover Surf Foil through their paces. This is a great example of the three key product designers combining forces to develop a new category.

Photos: Kyle Cabano

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Photo: Kyle Cabano

The evolution of the wave and strapless category are driven by riders such as wave purist Oswald Smith, all-rounder Reider Decker and the new generation strapless f o c u s e d r i d e r, K i k o R o i g To r r e s .

Photo: Ydwer van der Heide

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Photo: Samuel Cardenas

Photo: Ydwer van der Heide

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If you take a product like the IQR, for example. This took one designer at least six months to develop, with very expensive molds, where our company was also quite involved in establishing the industry wide standard. This takes an inordinate amount of focus and commitment to do really well, and I try to build a framework for that level of work to exist.

I am also really obsessed with the concept of “great design above fashion”, which extends from working to develop timeless products that really work, to creating great branding and graphics with mass market appeal, and beautifully resolved details.

There’s a fair amount of vigorous debate between our Art Director, Graham Wiles, and myself, who both want to create great products that feature the perfect blend of performance and aesthetics. Combine this with DK (Product Engineering), and Mark Pattison (Kite Design), who are both “we will make it work, you guys make it look good” people! That’s the nucleus of our product design team, with a lot of critical staff and rider contribution to tie it all together.

TOP LE F T

Dave Kay builds a twintip prototype from scratch in the Airush “lab”.

Photo: Craig Kolesky B OT TO M LE F T

Mark Pattison making some quick modifications before heading back to the beach. Photo: Kyle Cabano A B OVE

Clinton caught between a foil concept and a more classic surf shape.

Photo: Craig Kolesky

YOU PUT YOUR NAME TO ALL OF THE SURFBOARDS IN YOUR LINE UP – WHEN DID YOU BEGIN SHAPING AND IS THIS THE ELEMENT OF DESIGN THAT YOU ENJOY THE MOST?

As I mentioned, I made my first windsurf board with some friends when I was 16 or so, but I generally worked with a shaper when I was younger. Fast forward to the first job I had, and I was then working with a shaper to develop a digital process for making boards. Although 3D shaping machines didn’t exist at the time, it was obvious that it was the future. Once everything started being cut on CNC, I then started finishing boards myself, but I’ve always considered myself to be a product designer, not a shaper. The element of design that I am most drawn to would be concept development, then working with the design team to build something innovative, that really changes the way people ride.

I am actually quite opposed to the idea of designers putting their name on things. I didn’t do it for the first ten years of my career, but I finally accepted that it’s an aspect of marketing that people can buy into quite heavily, where it helps to promote the designs.

However, I believe that products are becoming more complex, and the key to great design is in having a group of specialists that can work together to create something great. Honestly, when I see the story about the single creative or technical genius, I believe that they did not give credit to the broader group that supported them, or – if they didn’t – that the product could have been taken so much further.

If you take a company like Apple for example, sure there was Steve Jobs, but there was also Jonathan Ive behind him, along with a number of brilliant engineers. Or with Nike, where there was Phil Knight along with Bill Bowerman, and a host of great designers and engineers along the way.

For us, we’ve always talked about the collective, because that’s what I truly believe in. If you left a product up to me, it might be aesthetically pleasing, but it

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could be missing a critical mechanical optimization. I might have great product ideas from time to time, but then somebody like Mark or DK will spend a year, or even five, tinkering to improve the concept or a component. Then there’s the graphic, marketing, and sales team who contribute equally towards creating a successful product. Great vision is useless without effective execution.

MOST OF YOUR R&D HAPPENS IN THE STUDIO WITH TWO 3D PRINTERS AND A FULL CNC WORKSHOP FOR PROTOTYPING HARD GOODS, THEN YOU HAVE DK PRODUCING BOARDS IN THE ONE SECTION OF WORKSHOP, YOUR SHAPING ROOM, AND THEN YOU HAVE THE ABILITY TO TEST PRODUCTS AT THE BEACH A COUPLE OF HUNDRED METERS AWAY! HOW IMPORTANT IS THAT INNOVATIVE FLUIDITY TO THE IDENTITY OF THE BRAND AND IS THERE ANYTHING YOU COULD DO TO IMPROVE THE SET UP?!

The studio has been designed to build pretty much anything, and we’ve maintained close proximity to the beach for seamless testing and development.

In the loft above – where the graphic and product design team sit – is a “clean” shared workspace, where we have the sewing machines, form models, cutting tables, and 3D printers. This will get used to build or modify anything from footstraps, harnesses, kites, and waterwear, to sampling hard components such as 3D printed plastic parts for quick releases, bar ends, and bindings.

The workshop is more of the dirty space, where we work on boards (kite, surf, and foil), twintips, and foil wings. It’s also a very versatile space, and besides designing and specifying most of the machinery in there, DK also developed the IQR test jig in this space. When we’re going full speed, there will be about five projects happening at once, people running in and out testing, trimming, fixing, and debating. That energy is the essence of what we do.

I wouldn’t even want to start answering the question of how we could improve the setup, it’s a long list with big ideas, but we’re still in a small industry with a limited budget!

TOP L E F T

A full production mold is prepared after the development process.

TOP RIGH T

The attention to detail starts from how the workshop is put together into the smallest label.

Photos: Graham Wiles

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The attention to detail in developing a product such as a boot binding, even with the philosophy of “Make it as simple as possible, but no simpler�

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YOU’VE BEEN AN ACTIVE MEMBER OF THE GKA SINCE ITS INCEPTION AND YOU’RE CLEARLY HAPPY TO PUT BRAND ‘COMPETITIVENESS’ TO ONE SIDE IN THE BEST INTERESTS OF THE SPORT. WHY DO YOU THINK IT HAS PROVED TO BE SUCH A SUCCESSFUL ORGANISATION AND WHAT DO YOU THINK ARE ITS BEST ACHIEVEMENTS TO DATE?

The success of the industry organization was in having a few massive challenges and some very common goals. The sport was at a tipping point, where World Sailing was taking a very active interest in controlling all aspects of the sport, and there were some ambitious external interests in the Freestyle World Tour.

We initially stepped in to help mediate between the parties and regulate the equipment. Ultimately, we had everything at stake, and it made sense to stay involved collectively to drive the sport forward.

The key issues around beach access, safety, promoting growth, and having a healthy competition platform are all critical to the industry as a whole. The outcomes have been astounding, the early negotiations with World Sailing were central to the current success of the GKA tour and being able to manage competition formats and athlete development. Being able to lobby the German government to maintain beach access has also been pivotal in maintaining the total North Sea access, along with setting a legal precedent for worldwide access. The recent ISO industry standard for safety systems has taken years and a huge level of commitment to prioritize rider safety. It might even be one of the most defining moments in the sport, which many people will never be aware of.

C AN YO U TA K E US THR OUGH THE BI RTH OF AK – WHY DID YOU D E C I D E TO SE GME N T THE PRODUCTS AND I NTRODUCE THE ‘NE W’ B R A N D?

AK W H AT

I have always been passionate about a broad range of sports, and much of my early background in design was in backpacks, wetsuits, footwear, and harnesses. But mostly, what AK stems from, is my desire to create a connection between the diverse riding and surf influences of all our friends in our day to day life in Cape Town.

Things can be very different here, and this has bred a different ideology, where people expect things to last and they rely on their equipment doing so. So, we’re not trying to accessorize, it’s far more of a hard goods or technical components approach. For example, within our surf culture, people are almost suspicious of new things, and once they are convinced, you can’t let them down.

STEMS FROM MY D E S I R E T O C R E AT E A CONNECTION BETWEEN THE DIVERSE RIDING AND SURF INFLUENCES OF ALL OUR FRIENDS, IN OUR D AY T O D AY L I F E I N CAPE TOWN.

I’m also a minimalist at heart and feel that the whole rationale really inspired me to do something different, and not just build a bunch of random crap that nobody needs in six months. That sounds a bit harsh, considering that I also love having fun with design and doing something novel that surprises and gives a real sense of wonder; but that should never be at the expense of the customer with products that are gimmicky or disposable.

A N D A L L O F THE F O IL S YOU PRODUCE FOR BOTH KI TE AN D S U RF U S E W I LL N OW B E UN D E R THE AK UMBRELLA, RI GHT?

Yes, foiling is evolving so quickly that surfers are using smaller foils, kiters bigger foils, and people are now riding wings with our foils too. This is a great example of why we introduced AK as a brand, for the multisport rider.

YO U ’ R E N OW O N E O F A FEW REMAI NI NG TRULY ‘RI DER MANAGE D’ B R A N DS – W HAT DIF F E R ENCE DOES THI S MAKE TO THE BUSI N E SS IN G E NE R AL A N D YO UR D E CI SI ON-MAKI NG PROCESSES?

Most importantly, we take a long-term view in what we do. There are no plans to ever sell the organization or the brands. The brands serve as a platform for expression and sharing our stoke, that is why we do it. Yes, there is pressure to make a profit, but the purpose of profit is so that we can keep doing what we do, not to give some external shareholders an optimum return. That is everything that defines traditional corporations, and exactly what I would prefer to avoid.

I believe that there is a level of intuitiveness that comes with being rider managed at most levels, from retailers and distributors, to brands. I feel that we sell experiences, and the products are a tool to deliver them. It’s just so much more fun if you can live within those moments, making it much easier to try and improve the experience and tell their stories. Of course, this idealism must exist in conjunction with solid business practices.

H E RE

Testing early surf foils in their Muizenberg back yard.

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W H IC H IN N OVATIO N S AND PRODUCTS HAVE YOU BEEN P ROU DE ST O F OVE R THE Y E A R S AND ARE YOU HAPPY WI TH YOUR C U RRE NT P R O D UC T LIN E UP ?

Not to get too philosophical here, but the key product I believe that I’ve nurtured over the years is the enduring collective culture of the team behind the brand. This is what creates great product and marketing year after year.

Personally, I have been involved in quite a few projects, many within the action sports industry, and others which were pure industrial design. I developed and patented a harness quick release mechanism early in my career that’s still in use 20 years later. I have been involved in developing the most ground-breaking windsurfing sail brand on the market today with Severne designs, as well as the first sub 2kg surfboards on the market with a full breakage warranty with Starboard. I love kiteboarding and have this diverse interest in design as a whole, so I am never bored.

Within Airush and AK, we have done so many cool things; technology such as the load frame, active/reflex carbon construction surfboards, and early full biaxial carbon twintips. These were some of the products I was the proudest of.

I took over designing the twintips after Colin McCulloch (R.I.P), which were big shoes to fill. With Alex Pastor and Bruna Kajiya both winning world titles on my boards and our kites, I was very stoked with the team effort.

Around that time, we developed a range of lightweight directional boards (the Sector and Monaro), that had a great impact on light wind riding and won the Slalom World Titles, and while focusing on the light wind space Mark Pattison developed the first zero strut and one strut kites. These would ultimately lead to the Ultra which is a huge commercial success for us.

More recently, bringing Dave Kay (DK) into the fold has been pivotal in products such as the IQR and in our foil program. DK is a rare combination of a very pragmatic engineer and an idealist, where he was able to wrestle with the whole new certification system and develop an extremely functional part that is just a great example of engineering. He prototyped around 100 different variations before we ended up with the final part. We also had a lot of fun developing the new foil range. It’s pretty intense having to learn how to do a sport at the same time as you’re designing for it! But I think we have come up with a great range of products.

A collaborative product we’ve just released is the Freewing with Starboard, which is something we’ve worked on periodically for around seven years. I believe the seed of the idea started in a meeting around eight years ago with Jim Drake, Svein, Ben, and Mark Pattison. Jim had some crazy idea about a horizontal wing that you powered with your feet, and I was convinced that there had to be something in between a kite and a windsurfer. Between Mark and Moorrees van Rensburg (another designer friend), they engineered the early wings, but this was prior to foils and we weren’t too excited about it, as you needed too much wind and they would just fold. But that has all changed now! It’s a great example of how other aspects of design or new developments, like foiling, can have a major impact on another product’s outcome.

YO U HA D SO M E R E A LLY I CONI C MARKETI NG CAMPAI GNS OV E R T H E Y E AR S, A N D THE A ESTHETI C OF THE SPORT AND OF T H E B RAND HAS A LWAYS STO O D OUT. HOW I MPORTANT I S THI S TO YOU ?

The visual aspects of the brand are also something I am incredibly proud of, considering we do all industrial design, graphic design, and marketing campaigns in house. So, on top of making something work incredibly well, we want products to be beautiful, and we want to tell their story through our marketing.

I would say that we took a massive leap with our marketing around the time Marc Schmid joined the brand. Marc was open minded and enthusiastic about taking some of my crazier marketing ideas and running with them, so we ended up being able to collectively define the brand persona into what you see today.

L EF T

Bruna Kajiya in a few fun early campaign shoots.

Photos: Ydwer van der Heide

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He was also responsible for bringing Alex Pastor and Bruna Kajiya into the brand. Alex was not really high profile at the time and didn’t speak much English but had an energy and humor that really worked with us. Bruna was also such a perfect fit in terms of being an authentic hardcore rider, super professional, while still being easy going and fun to work with.

For our marketing, we were also lucky to have a really good connection with Toby Bromwich early on, then a bit later Ydwer van der Heide and Bas Koole, who were most involved during our biggest growth years, contributing hugely, and they still do today.

I have always believed that a brand is ultimately the sum of all the people you have working with you. So, hire and collaborate with people who embody what you’re trying to do, and just be authentic.

TOP L E F T

Alex Pastor forever stylish.

AB OV E

New signing, Canadian Champion Jack Rieder blending his passion for Freestyle and Park. Photo: Miriam Joanna RIGH T

The Razor is the epitome of the Airush Team Series, developed specifically with the freestyle team.

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CAMPAIGNS T H E

Photos: Clinton Filen

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2 01 4

INTRODUCING AGGRESSIVE FREERIDE Airush introduces the Apex in a new configuration, combining higher rocker, increased width and the new Venturi Concave.

132 | 135 | 138

The construction features a key innovation in the form of the Asymmetrical 3D Shape. This precision CNC shape enhances the performance of the independent flex tips and Carbon Torsion Control. The result is a groundbreaking new board that suits the most aggressive rider, while remaining incredibly easy to use.

A P E X

Trident Performance Sports Inc | info@tridentsports.com | USA KTWO Distribution | sales@ktwodistribution.com | UK Assault Kiteboarding Center | info@assault.co.nz | NZ Auswind | sales@auswind.com.au | AU Airush Africa | airushafrica@airush.com | RSA

V 1

The original Apex Ad featured a young Oswald Smith framed by a 16 x 12 canvas, an evolution of the geometric board graphic hand painted by artist Tim Goodman. The background was prepared in the workshop and reassembled on the waters edge.

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2 01 5 A P E X

V 2

Extending the theme of geometric line art, the next generation Apex was shot with Bas Koole. Two massive mirrors were installed in the water and shot through the day until the reflections and light were perfect. Seven years of massive bad luck awaited if we got this wrong during setup!

Photos: Ydwer van der Heide

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2 01 6 A P E X

V 3

So how do you evolve that idea? Combining the original geometric theme of the wall with the mirrors created a whole new set of engineering challenges but the outcome created another unique evolution of the Apex. The benefits of having an in-house workshop are evident.

Photos: Ydwer van der Heide

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PRI NT L I V E W I R E The Livewire Campaign image shot from 2013, was a combination of a nighttime shoot, fisheye lense and fire. We attached a flare to the Livewire, set it alight and let Alex Pastor have fun.

2016 AI R US H A P E X

132x40 | 135x41 | 138x42 | 140x43

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F R E E S T Y L E C A M P A I G N The original Freestyle campaign featuring a freshly signed Alex Pastor and New Caledonian rider, Tom Hebert, involved custom suits with the FS Graphic and a room wallpapered in a repeat print of the board graphic. As Clinton would highlight, this ties in strongly to his skate-inspired influences.

Photo: Toby Bromwich

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N I G H T

S H O O T

Behind the scenes on a night shoot with Alex Pastor, often conditions are quite challenging with cold water, darkness, saltwater and expensive electronic equipment all contributing to the outcome.

Photo: Ydwer van der Heide

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U L T R A

C A M P A I G N

The Ultra campaign was a composite image, created with the mountains from Kenya, star-filled sky from the Cederberg, and a few different shots of Gijs in Langebaan.

We reached out to Craig Kolesky with the brief of “Light Years Ahead�. Combining the technical challenges of shooting in near darkness for the correct mood along with the consideration of the final composition.

The outcome was the blend of Gijs on the Ultra, blasting through the night in another world.

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H E RE

In a few key locations, you get to experience the whole range together in a unique way.

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T HE N YO U HAVE YO U R “DESTI NATI ON STORES”, WHAT I S T H E P H I LOSO P HY HE R E ?

AND WH AT C AN WE E X P E C T TO S E E NE X T F ROM T H E A I R U S H /A K C RE AT IV IT Y MAC H INE ?!

That has been another really fun project where we worked with key partners in Hood River, Cape Town, and Tarifa to offer a complete brand experience, showcasing our full range. Customers can talk to staff who have a deep knowledge of the brand and are also able to test the gear extensively. We pay great attention to the finer details on products, and that is still really only something you can experience in store with a physical product at this stage.

As products become more complex, we have been working on longer development and product life cycles. Essentially, we have moved away from what we call “planned obsolescence”, where products no longer have the traditional model years anymore.

As much as there is a trend towards e-commerce, I really believe that great physical stores form the nucleus of regional communities as an essential part of the social makeup of the sport.

I R EME MB E R YO U SAYI NG THAT, FOR YOU, CHOOSI NG RIDE RS IS L I KE C HO OSIN G A MEMBER OF THE WI DER TEAM – LI KE A DE S IGN E R – SO YO U A R E LO OKI NG FOR RI DERS WI TH THE RI GHT S K IL L S E T T HAT WO R KS O F F TH E WATER AS WELL AS ON I T?

Our long-term approach with studio staff extends to our riders too. We have a set number of riders per category, as we prefer to have a smaller team, which allows us to work more closely together. We try to bring riders through our national programs and into the international team wherever possible. We aim to invest in developing the rider’s media profile, riding level, and equipment.

If we do this well in conjunction with their own motivation, the rider can really keep growing exponentially with the brand. It’s a lot of fun to help people grow.

We have also been working a lot on the Big Air, and surf/strapless categories for Airush, and in the foil, harness, and binding space for AK. We have a lot of cool new stuff in the pipeline for the next 24 months, but we’re also very happy with the range we currently have out there. We want to combine our love for development and bringing something new to the customer in parallel with the fact that we have been focused on making high performance durable gear for a long time. I honestly feel people should be more selective about what they buy, and rather spend time using their existing gear, instead of spending all that time working to buy more… ■

AB OV E

Our riders get to experience first hand what goes into making the gear they ride. It gives them a better understnding of the products and allows them to have creative input into the final ranges.

Photo credits: Top Left: Craig Kolesky Top Right: Graham WIles Bottom Left: Craig Kolesky Bottom Right: Craig Kolesky CLINTON FILEN

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KGB 7

RIDER ADEURI CORNIEL P H O T O S V E T L A N A R O M A N T S O VA

T H E MOV E :

The KGB 7 is one of my favorite tricks. It is one of those tricks that can get you a full score in a competition which is important to me! I love this trick so much because it brings me so much adrenalin and it makes me feel like a superhero – it is a very technical trick and it requires a lot of effort in order to land it. But once you get it, you truly feel amazing!Â

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TECHNIQUE

THE STE PS:

Ride fast and at a constant speed with the kite at 1pm.

Lead with your hips and keep the momentum to carry you through the rotations.

Fully commit and you will need to make a great pop.

Remember you need to be high enough to then pass the bar twice around your back.

Keep your front knee tucked in throughout.

Keep your kite low as you go into the move for maximum power and maximum points.

As you come out of the KGB 7, keep your eyes down and focused on the landing. You will be carrying a lot of speed so keep your knees super soft so you can absorb the landing.

Before learning this trick you need to make sure you can land a great KGB and start practicing it blind, so have this in mind when you go into the trick.

Wait for the score to show up (or your mates to start shouting!) and relax – you just pulled a KGB 7!

Use the energy from the pop to get the board up and buy yourself maximum time to complete the passes.

KGB 7

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ONE FOOT FRONT ROLL R I D E R K I KO R O I G TO R R E S PHOTO SAM CARDENAS

T H E MOV E :

The One Foot Front Roll is a move that I really like, as it is not very difficult to do and you can add a lot of style to it. It was one of the first moves I learned after the Front Roll and it is a great one to have for those light wind sessions.

Grabbing the board is challenging, but once you have it dialed it is easy to keep rolling it out!

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THE STE PS:

To do the trick you have to have good speed, so the board sticks to your feet. Then make sure you make a good pop by pressing down hard on the back foot before taking off.

Pop hard and bring the front knee towards you, allowing the board to catch the wind and stay on your feet. In this first stage you must have the kite between 12 and 1 o’clock, don’t let it go past 12.

After the pop, bring your knees towards your chest while you drag your back foot to do the first half of the rotation.

While you drag the board, press down on your heels and try to get it facing the wind with your back turned away.

Keep the kite between 1 and 2 o’clock.

Once in this position, raise your knee a little towards your hand and grab the tail of the board. This is the key moment to do the one foot and where you can add your unique style to the move.

When you have the one foot engaged, all the control of the board is done by your front foot. Keep the board angled into the wind, allowing you to stretch out both legs as much as possible. Remember to extend the front foot, making the grab a bit easier.

Time for the final stage and getting that foot back on the board. If there is a lot of wind this will be easier, but if the wind is light everything will depend on the speed you carry. Bring your front knee towards your body and get that back foot on the board again. With both feet on the board, remember to have your front leg bent and your back leg extended to be in control and spot your landing.

Keep pointing your board into the wind and send your kite down to 2 o’clock to increase speed and control and to stick that landing.

Stomp it and smile as you know you have earned that cold beer at the end of the session!

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THE

BIG PICTURE

Busy as ever, CORE have some exciting new releases for 2020. TheKiteMag were lucky enough to get an invite to Cape Town to check them over, so we can confirm that we have also had the opportunity to put the Nexus 2 and the Sensor 3 through their paces.

Tests will be published next time round but (spoiler alert) they are both very impressive…

Time to find out more about them and about other news from CORE HQ.

I T S E EM S LIK E A N E XC ITI NG TI ME FOR CORE AT THE MOMENT WIT H A F EW B IG R E L E ASE S ALI GNI NG THI S YEAR – CAN YOU TAL K U S T H R O U GH WHAT’ S JUST MADE I TS WAY I NTO THE LI NE UP?

C AN YOU TAK E U S T H ROU GH YOU R RE L E AS E P ROC E SS – YO U D O N ’ T GO IN F OR T H E ‘B IG Y E ARLY RE L E AS E ’ B U T YOU DO H AV E A S C H E D U L E F OR RE L E AS ING NE W P RODU C TS – H OW DOE S T H IS WO R K ?

After several COVID-19 related setbacks, the Sensor 3 bar has finally been shipped and is the latest product to join the lineup. For the last four years, the Sensor 2S has been our go-to control system which are the foundations for the Sensor 3. We took a decent amount of time adding, testing and tuning significant improvements and it’s definitely payed off.

We follow a simple rule: new colors don’t make a new product. Our longstanding line is purpose-built and specific for ultimate performance. We are dedicated to development and every new product must deliver technical innovations and design features that are a step up from the last version. Therefore, we develop and test our prototypes over the course of two years. From kites to twintips, our goal is to ensure that our customers feel our dedication for progression. If we don’t find the desired result within our timeline, we have the freedom to be flexible according to the product’s needs.

Ultimately, we take the time we need for all of our design updates.

Just a few weeks ago, we released the second edition of the Nexus, which we added to our line of Universal kites in 2018. With its superpowers in waves, version 2 has noticeably lighter struts without compromising stiffness in the profile, and a wider tip area for responsive turning and control. If you want to see it in action, check out Steven Akkersdijk and Willow-River Tonkin hit Ireland and push the Nexus 2 to its limits.

Also new to the range is the Ripper surfboard. Complementing the classic fiberglass construction with its distinct surfboard feel, it has a completely redesigned shape. A shorter, wider, fish-inspired outline and mini swallow tail delivers a stable yet responsive ride, rail to rail control, early planing and forward volume distribution.

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YOU R K IT E L INE U P H AS GROWN AND E VOLV E D AND IT IS FA I R TO SAY T H AT MOST OF YOU R K IT E S S IT AROU ND T H E ‘TOP OF C LASS ’ I N T H E IR RE S P E C T IV E DIS C IP L INE S . YOU R K IT E DE S IGNE R, F R A N K I LF RIC H , H AS B E E N DOING A GRE AT JOB : WH AT IS H IS S E C RE T ? ! A N D WH O E L S E CONT RIB U T E S TO T H E DE S IGN P ROC E SS H E RE ?

Frank’s secret is simple: experience! He’s been working with us since the beginning and has been responsible for the development of every single CORE kite. From the oldest models such as the wake/freestyle-specific GTS and delta-shaped high performance

freeride XR, to the more recent Nexus, Frank’s consistently delivered the ultimate experience to our customers.

The design process is a team effort that relies on longstanding partnerships. Since day one, our kites have been manufactured in Sri Lanka where real friendships have formed a communicative, well-mannered and ethical workflow. This relationship allows for multi-dimensional prototyping and, of course, precise production of the final product.

The design process is driven by Frank and each concept will have a desired outcome. But it’s the testing and rounds of prototypes that get the final result. Our brand has a great R&D team with very experienced riders such as former Triple-S invitational rider, Rick Jensen, real foil-pioneers and the next generation. We rely on their opinions and genuine feedback. The closer it gets to the final product, the more Frank works with our team riders.

These riders demand a lot from their gear and a designer can get the information needed by just watching. Then it’s a case of quick and small changes to refine, and define the final product. As a brand we are proud of our longstanding position in the industry and the dedication given to every product from the entire CORE family.

T H E X R S E RIE S OF K IT E S H AS P E RH AP S DONE MORE T H A N A N Y OT H E R TO C E ME NT CORE ’S RE P U TAT ION AS A B IG P L AYE R I N T H E K IT E MARK E T. MANY OF T H E S P OTS ON T H E GLOB AL WO O B OA R D ARE C U RRE NT LY OCC U P IE D BY GU YS RIDING AN X R. C A N YO U TA K E U S T H ROU GH WH E N AND WH Y YOU INT RODU C E D T H E X R A N D H OW IT H AS E VOLV E D INTO T H E B IG AIR MAC H INE IT IS TODAY?

The XR is the kite of choice for Big Air with the men who, as of today, rank 1-5 on the WOO leaderboard. More impressively, this model has secured Gabby Pioraitė and Angely Bouillot the top two places on the female rankings. Since no rider is the same, it just goes to show that its key qualities are effective and its nature adaptable.

When we introduced the first Riot (the XRs predecessor), kite shapes had moved from the classic C-shape to more delta-bow profiles with the bridal anchoring for great sheet-and-go. The additional top and bottom end performance, responsive turning and depower not only improved the ease of riding significantly, but the Intelligent Arc led to higher jumps, increased hang time and softer ladings.

From the start, it was obvious that this design was something we needed to pursue. It’s interesting that 13 years ago and over many XR generations, Big Air was never a primary target. Our goal was

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to build and continue to deliver the most intuitive, progressive and responsive kite that had ultimate control and precision; a combination that requires experience-driven design and technical engineering to accommodate the physical performance of our riders and achieve those mind-blowing heights.

Also, our R&D team can’t get enough of kites that boost with Linus Erdmann 1st place on Germany’s WOO leaderboard with 29.4m.

YO U HAVE A F E W TE A M RI DERS WHO ARE RI GHT AT THE H E ART O F T HE B R A N D – GUYS LI KE STEVEN AKKERSDI J K, WI LLOW- RIV E R TON K I N A N D A N G E LY B O UI LLOT – HOW DO YOU DECI DE WH O B E ST F I TS T HE MO L D F O R A CORE TEAM RI DER AND WHAT DO YOU E XP E C T OF THE M ?

I would probably say that this is much more of a process then a decision. Steven and Willow really developed their whole kitesurfing career together with CORE. They’re an integral part of the team and really fit with the brand. We have never looked for world champions or competitive riders to represent our team – although we’d be stoked if that happened! – but more individuals who can collaborate together, create outstanding content and represent our community in an authentic way. We look for the same quality and performance in our brand faces as we do in our products. When those factors are fulfilled, time spent as part of the team becomes far less important that the actual contribution every team member is able to offer. If only you had the chance to experience the spirit of the team on the road, it’s something else.

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T H IS Y E AR S E E S T H E ARRIVAL OF V 2 OF T H E NE XU S – CA N YO U TAK E U S T H ROU GH T H E P H ILOS OP H Y B E H IND T H E K IT E AN D W H AT YOU ’V E WORK E D ON F OR T H IS L AT E ST IT E RAT ION?

We always aim to build a straightforward kite line which is super easy to navigate for our customers. There are six models split into two lines: Universal + and Specialized.

The Specialized kites are built for a specific purpose with zero compromise. The Section 3 is for wave, the Impact for wakestyle and the XLITE dedicated to all the foilers. The Universal+ kites are great allrounders and accessible to everybody. However, each kite has its superpower, indicated by the plus. The GTS is freestyle focused, the XR our high performance freeride and boosting kite, and in 2018 the NEXUS was created for the wave riders. Designed to fill the wave gap, the NEXUS has evolved over the last two years and is now the most versatile all-rounder we have to offer. Looking at our team riders, most of them pack a range of NEXUS’ if they’re limited in luggage as it performs as well in waves as it does in freestyle. It was one of Steven and Josh’s weapons of choice in the 2020 KOTA and everyone’s light wind foil option if the wind doesn’t show up.

The latest model has the new ExoTex light Dacron material, which we introduced with the XLITE last year. It is used for all the three struts, providing significant weight reduction and better drifting abilities. In addition, we increased the tip area for enhanced response and agility. The wider tips also come in handy if you have

to reverse launch your kite in light winds, a must-have for foiling.

You can check out our Facebook event calendar for our international demo tour dates and give it a try yourself.

W E G OT TO C HE C K OUT THE NEW KI T I N CAPE TOWN EARL IE R T H IS Y E AR – WE E N JOY E D RI DI NG EVERYTHI NG BUT FOR US (AND F OR M OST O F THE OTHE R PEOPLE THERE! ) THE REAL TALK ING P OINT WAS THE N E W B A R WHI CH HAS HAD A REAL SHAKE UP – C AN YOU TALK US THR O UG H IT?

Our major goal throughout the development process was to keep the distinct characteristics of the Sensor 2S, one of the cleanest bars on the market, and make improvements for the Sensor 3.

The revolutionary bar ends include our Stealth Winders which switch between a storage mode, where folded out winders keep your lines rolled up around the bar, and flight mode, where those winders fold into the bar end to achieve a maximum grip and ergonomics over the whole bar. The redesigned grip layer makes cruising even more comfortable and ensures effective control of the bar when needed.

Our bars are unique and eliminate the unnecessary in favor of simplicity. Avoiding the floating EVA-molded bar ends, seen by many of our competitors, we’ve created a simple connection between the steering lines and the bar. Durability is covered by a short piece of PU tube and direct kite steering and feedback maintained. The steering line attachment points come with another feature: with the Stealth Winders folded out, you can sim-

ply push on that attachment point and twist it around, making it possible to reduce your bar width by 3.5cm in seconds. What we did not change is the Auto Untwist feature, where our two PU covered depower lines are still double-guided through the center of the bar. They’re still connected to the QR with a ceramic swivel that untwists your front lines after every loop or rotation without ease.

Talking about the QR, you’ll also find another significant change: yes, we moved from the twist to a push release. As a GKA member, our engineers have been part of the team who recently developed and published the new ISO norm, which should increase the safety for every single kitesurfer out there. Despite the fact that the release direction is not defined in that norm, it was our goal to unify that direction amongst all brands. Since it became quite a hard job to convince other brands to move to a twist release, we went for the push. The current rotor release also fulfils all of the demands of the current norm, besides the fact that it is not red in colour.

Our new CIC release is something we’re really proud of. We developed it from scratch and after testing hundreds of prototypes, we came to a final product that not only meets the same demands of simplicity and cleanness in the product, but also comes with super low release force and effortless reassembling similar to a seatbelt.

You can also mount a bigger wakestyle loop or a dedicated slider loop.

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There have been a lot of changes this year including Philip (pictured left) and Jochen moving up as the new management team of the company.

The Sensor 3 (yellow) and Sensor 3 Pro (black).

Also available are the Wake Pro and Foil Pro bars. CORE have all bases covered...

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Nexus_2 LW LW

XR6

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The Sensor 3 model comes with standard 24m lines. Besides that, we offer the Sensor 3+, which has the same components as the Sensor 3, but with our Vario Lines that can be split into 18, 20, 22 or 24 meters.

Our masterpiece is the Sensor 3 Pro. In terms of functionally, it is identical to the Sensor 3+, but the specific components make quite a difference. The bar itself is an incredibly light and rigid fiber composite for better, more direct control and response, with exclusive Tectanium lines developed by Liros in Germany. Not only are they 10% thinner when compared to standard lines, but have minimal stretch, are 400% more resistant to elongation and feature a 50% higher breaking strength. This combination of the carbon bar and the Tectanium lines definitely offer the most direct Sensor feeling you can get.

For the more specialized riders, we also offer a shorter (45/41.5cm) Sensor 3 Pro Foil bar, which also come with thinner lines for reduced drag and better relaunch in light wind. The Sensor 3 Pro Wake is the last and shortest model in our lineup. With 40/36.cm width, it provides the least amount of steering input during your rotations. With a large loop and the long pro leash, you’re perfectly set up for all your wakestyle sessions.

YO U ’ V E A LSO HA D SO M E DEVELOPMENTS I N TERMS OF YO U R S E T U P ON FE HMA R N – W HAT HAS CHANGED HERE?

Indeed. We have been in the same place where we started shaping the first Carved boards almost twenty years ago. Since the company has grown bigger and bigger, we also grew into our space, adding more and more neighboring warehouses to the original office space and CARVED workshop. In September 2019, we moved to two new locations; a way more modern office just five minutes from the beach and the other, a way bigger warehouse with high

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rack storage and much more space for our shipping and service teams. This readjustment has allowed us to improve our workflows significantly and get our products shipped across the world even faster. Alongside this, we stocked up almost all of our teams with new employees, enabling us to really exploit the potential of the new facilities. Last but not least, after Bernie decided to take more time for his family and his personal projects, Philip and Jochen moved up as the new management team of the company. A lot of change in just one year, but we’re really happy with the new setup being in place now!

CORE H AV E B E E N ONE OF T H E FAST E ST GROWING K IT E B R A N DS OV E R T H E L AST F IV E Y E ARS – H OW H AV E YOU MANAGE D TO E XPAND IN S U C H A COMP E T IT IV E MARK E T ?

From our internal point of view, we have not grown over the last five years, but significantly grown over a much longer time.

Our clear focus on the core components of kiteboarding gear was probably quite helpful to that, as well as our ambition to deliver premium products that fulfil the highest demands in performance and quality. What probably makes us really unique is that our whole team, from the accountant to the warehouse manager consists of kitesurfers. Not only can we call ourselves kitesurfers, but our location on the island of Fehmarn, one of Europe’s absolute kitesurfing hotspots, means we’re able to pursue our passion every single day. This leads to a real dedication in everything we do and of course, an identification with all of our products.

AND, F INAL LY, WH AT E L S E C AN WE LOOK F ORWARD TO T H I S YE A R – ANY MORE RE L E AS E S P L ANNE D?!

I would really love to tell you but I think you know, like everybody else, we like to keep the tension around our release strategy. What I can promise is that we still have a few exciting things ready to roll out... Stay tuned! ■

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S25 Naish have a really solid kite lineup right now and have been scoring plenty of top spots in our Ultimate Tests. Their mid-season launch saw the arrival of the new Triad, Boxer and Dash. We took a closer look with Des Walsh, new designer Brian Dennis, and the man himself, Robby Naish.

PHOTOS ALEX KIBBLE

B E F OR E W E GE T O N TO THE MAI N EVENT, CAN YOU J UST TAK E U S T HR O U GH YO UR R E LE ASE SCHEDULE – SO YOU HAVE J UST H AD A P R E T T Y IMP R E SSIVE K IT E DROP, THEN WHEN WI LL OTHE R NE W G E AR BE R E LE ASE D?

RN - On the kite side of our business we launch the majority of our products to the public during our annual season launch, followed by what we call our “mid-season” launch of select products and kite ranges which included the Triad, Boxer and Dash for this year. Our main product launch (which include the Pivot, Torch and Slash kites this year) is normally mid to late summer, though for this season there have been requests by some markets to delay the launch until early fall due to the Covid-19 issues that have clearly had a major impact on just about everything. Our mid-season kites normally hit the stores in early/mid spring. Unlike many other players in the industry, we finalized our full product line pretty early this season and are ready to go and will likely launch to markets at slightly different times based on the market realities in each territory. In the US for example, we will likely have new product on the market in advance of Europe… but this season it is 242

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a bit of a moving target based on people being able to get back to work and get back to having fun around the globe.

YOU NOW H AV E B RIAN DE NNIS H E ADING U P T H E DE S IGN TE A M – WH AT C AN YOU T E L L U S AB OU T B RIAN AND H IS B AC KGROU N D A N D WH AT H E B RINGS TO T H E T E AM?

RN - Brian has a very analytical approach to design. And as well as being a talented and very passionate kiter, he always has his eye on things from a customer standpoint. He is as concerned about making the average kiter out on your average beach stoked as he is about making our team guys happy (if not more so…) which is a really good thing. R+D has a tendency to veer off into the niche, high-end fun stuff and park themselves there. If you do not steer them constantly back in the right direction, many designers will want to spend all of their time fine tuning an eight meter whatever over-and-over again and spend only the minimum amount of time that is left over on the rest of the stuff. With Brian there is a clear understanding that every product is important and every customer needs to be happy.

DW - I really appreciate his passion and love of kiteboarding.

He has the kiter in mind when he designs products and wants to make lighter and easier gear for people to ride. Plus he has a wide range of knowledge from working with a variety of outdoor products.

BD - Hi, Brian here! Basically I am a water addict, and I spent the past 20 years in the Gorge before moving to Maui to work for Naish. I’m a professional mechanical engineer who loves to design, tinker, and test. I started my career designing and developing snowboard boots, then moved into designing drone airplanes and composite parts, as well as consulting on sporting goods design projects. For Naish, I help the team with brainstorming, basic analysis, prototyping, materials research, design, manufacturing development, and quality control. My aerospace design experience helps me understand how kites and foils work, so I’m getting to contribute some of that knowledge too. I get out on the water nearly every day and I love being able to help share that stoke through designing killer products.

B E F ORE WE LOOK AT T H E INDIV IDUAL RE L E AS E S , WH AT A R E YO U R FAVORIT E F E AT U RE S WIT H IN T H E NE W K IT E L INE U P ?

RN - Along with technical and design changes, we have evolved our overall graphic look for this year as a progression of what we have been doing the past couple of seasons. There are some great new colors and a familiar yet refreshingly new and clean look to the new kites and boards.

DW - We have added adjustments to the bridles of the Dash and Pivot so riders can fine tune their kite for the conditions and their style.

BD - We’ve made the kites a bit lighter through more efficient design and continue to do so. The bridles are also slightly improved by testing and tuning. The diagonal load seam, which is now on all our kites, makes a surprising difference in kite feel. The leading edge is now getting reinforcement patches on every seam and the new Sure-Lock inflation valve is pretty slick.

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The Dash ‘Badass’ edition...

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Brian has a very analytical approach to design. And as well as being a talented and very passionate kiter, he always has his eye on things from a customer standpoint.

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R+D has a tendency to veer off into the niche, high-end fun stuff and park themselves there.

If you do not steer them constantly back in the right direction, many designers will want to spend all of their time fine tuning an eight meter whatever over-and-over again and spend only the minimum amount of time that is left over on the rest of the stuff. With Brian there is a clear understanding that every product is important and every customer needs to be happy.

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The Dash is all about exciting riding - full speed, fast flying, responsive and pulling in the loop.

The adjustments in the bridle allow the rider to fine tune for Big Air or unhooked riding.

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R U NN I N G THR O UGH THE KI TE RELEASES AND FI RST UP THE B OX E R W H I C H HAS B E E N A R E A L FAVORI TE OF OUR TEST TEAM, AND H AS TAK EN THE WIN N E R ’ S MEDAL FOR ONE-STRUT KI TES I N OU R U LT I M AT E T EST – W HAT’ S C HANGED HERE?

DW – We have managed to reduce the weight even further while still keeping it strong in the right places.

RN - The Boxer is a kite that has really gained amazing momentum over the past two seasons and is selling extremely well. From a flying characteristic standpoint, we needed to be careful not to change too much because as the saying goes “if it ain’t broke, don’t fix it.” The result is subtle improvements in design, material usage and construction, but keeping the kite true to its great heritage as a fricking amazing single strut kite!

BD - I wouldn’t say it’s the focus, but it happens to be great for foiling because it’s our lightest kite, and that makes it easier to keep it up in light “foiling” conditions. But it also works great for foiling because it’s so easy to depower and float. It’s a great all-around kite, I use it in the waves a lot because it drifts so well, and also it goes upwind great with a relatively small leading edge, and I can handle a bigger kite with the Boxer which is sometimes a good thing when outrunning large waves. Can you tell I love this kite?! Then for boosting, yes, you can boost with the Boxer, but if I am focusing on jumping, I get better boosts and landings with the Pivot.

B - Basically we’ve simplified the patterns, added the diagonal load seam, and added some smaller sizes, but the basic shape is the same. The single luff strut is amazing. I rode a 12 for six hours once in overpowered/gusty conditions with other guys out on 8s and 9s and I was just fine.

ABOVE

S O, I S THE F O C US WITH THE BOXER MAI NLY ON FOI LI NG? H OW E F F E C T I V E IS IT AS A N A LLROUNDER FOR USI NG I N THE SURF OR F OR B O OST IN G?

Stig in the Stig zone.

DW - The small sizes, 2.8m-6m, are mostly focused on foiling, and the bigger sizes, 14m-16m, are focused more on light wind twintip or surf riding. Then the mid sizes, 7m-12m, are great in the surf. The strength of the Boxer is its versatility and light weight, which makes it easy to blur these lines.

It’s not all megaloops...

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RIGHT

T HE N THE TR IA D IS ONTO I TS SECOND I TERATI ON – TH E T H RE E ST R UT A LL- R O UN D E R HAS BECOME A BI G PART OF TH E MARK E T A N D THE F IR ST TR IA D TI CKED ALL THE RI GHT BOXES. H OW DID IT D O IN TE R MS O F SA L ES I N RELATI ON TO THE REST OF TH E L INE U P, A N D WHAT WAS YO U R FOCUS WHEN YOU TOOK A FRES H LOOK AT IT?

DW - The Triad has done great in sales and has a strong following.

What was a bit unexpected was how much the team guys like the kite for big jumps and kiteloops. The predictability and ease of the kite gives confidence and lets riders push their riding, and that is where we want to keep it.

BD - The Triad was born just before I came to Naish, and I got the impression that it was a Boxer with three struts for people who really want the stability of three struts. I think we were all surprised when some of our pros started using it for Big Air and really liking it. It behaves like a Boxer, where the luff strut lets you depower the canopy, but it’s a little more high aspect with a more rigid frame like a Pivot. In terms of handling, it’s really friendly – in other words, very easy and predictable. We designed it thinking of beginner kiters, but it actually jumps really well…

T HE N WE HAVE THE DASH AND THE DASH LE – SOME EXC IT ING DEV ELO P ME N TS HE R E , TAKE US THROUGH THEM…

DW - The Dash is all about exciting riding - full speed, fast flying, responsive and pulling in the loop. The adjustments in the bridle allow the rider to fine tune for Big Air or unhooked riding.

BD - The Dash continues to be our freestyle-crossover kite, and the biggest development this year on it is with the bridle, which has two settings – one more for Big Air, and one for more freestyle – these provide a different feel with boost power and stability. With the Dash LE, like the Pivot LE, we’re bringing back the classic skull and crossbones because it’s badass!

YO U’ VE A L SO HA D S OME EXCI TI NG NEW DEVELOPMENTS ON T H E T E AM R IDE R F R O N T WI TH SOME NEW FACES THERE. WH O’S IN AND W H AT D O THE Y B R IN G TO THE TEAM?

DW - Yes, big time. There is so much energy and stoke in the new team members and expanded rolls. Ewan Jaspan is stepping it up big time, expanding his riding to become a force in Big Air riding, foiling a ton, and injecting his park riding style into all of his riding. He has become a very important part of the development and testing team. He is a real gear geek! He has a pro model board coming out soon that he developed as well, and that will be a great addition to the line-up. Christophe Tack is also bringing his experience and passion to the team. A real rider’s rider, living the life of a kiter to the fullest. Then we have Louka Pitot, the young, super cool freestyler who is ripping in all the sports in his island-style way, and then also Ross Dillon Player, the Big Air megaloop maniac. Ross is pushing himself and helping push the gear to perform in the most extreme conditions. And then we have our women’s team too, and a heap of young kids moving up and leading the way to the future. ■

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OCEAN RODEO A-SERIES

Photo: Sam Cardenas

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There is a new word in the kiting community and on the mouths of excited kite engineers: ALUULA. This new range of composite materials (produced by ALUULA Composites in partnership with Ocean Rodeo) can now be found on the Canadian brand’s incoming A-Series range of kites, which have been generating some very positive reviews online. Is this really a ‘game changing’ moment in materials? Ocean Rodeo CEO and founder Richard Myerscough takes us through it.

H I RIC H ARD. S O F OR T H E B E NE F IT OF ANYONE WH O ’ S B E E N I N A C AV E /S PAC E F OR T H E L AST Y E AR, AND H AS N’T Y E T H E A R D O F T H E MYST IC AL ALU U L A MAT E RIAL , COU L D YOU P L E AS E G I V E U S A N OV E RV IE W OF T H IS NE W COMP OS IT E AND H OW IT F ITS I N TO YO U R NE W A- S E RIE S K IT E RANGE ?

Yes, so ALUULA’s composite materials have given kite designers a new selection of materials that allow not only very light kites, but very strong kites. Until now, industry standard Dacrons, Ripstops and PU films are the materials used on 100% of all SLE kites. Regardless of whether it’s a discounting brand or the most premium brand, they will be made with these three base materials.

Dacron, Ripstop (polyester) and PU film are very reliable and have proved their worth over many years, but they have reached their limitations with how light they can make kites, due to a loss of strength and increased stretch as they become lighter. For the last 20 years, it’s been difficult for kite brands to differentiate and push the sport ahead when we are all using these same base ingredients. This is where ALUULA comes in... The A-Series kites from Ocean Rodeo have replaced the Dacron used for the airframe with the AGx 82 composite that is about half the weight.

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S O I S THE W E IG HT R EDUCTI ON THE ONLY BENEFI T?

Currently, we are using our 82gsm AGx gold composite on the airframe of the A-Series kites. This replaces the 160gsm material so, yes, this is a huge weight saving. But the ALUULA, aside from being lighter, is also more stable when pressurized compared to Dacron, i.e. it stretches much less when inflated. This new-found stability has allowed Ocean Rodeo to reduce leading edge and strut diameters, again reducing the kite weight, while improving the airframe’s flex response. In comparison, Dacron is soft and spongy compared to ALUULA. Much like a carbon shaft on a golf club, ALUULA gives a crisp, fast, and responsive flex to the airframe.

T HE R E ’ S B E E N A LOT OF HYPE AND BUI LD-UP ABOUT T H E K IT E S – N E AR LY A Y E A R TO T HI S POI NT… WAS THI S I NTENTI ONAL?

This early launch was actually a big mistake made by me in Germany last June, however looking back I’m glad it happened. A German magazine came into our booth at the GKA World Cup in Sylt and said they wanted to interview me about our “new materials”, and that this had been approved by the marketing guys. I thought this was strange as we had planned to hold off a bit longer before announcing it to the world. I asked more questions on who approved this, and indeed it was all the right people to make this decision from our office in Canada. It turns out it was a classic example of ‘lost in translation’. What the magazine had actually meant by new materials was the new 2020 range of boards and kites… However, in my mind – and especially at that time – ‘new materials’ only meant one thing: ALUULA! I had a few test kites featuring ALUULA with me at the event being tested incognito by our team riders, so I just went for it ‘off the cuff’, pumped up an ALUULA-frame kite in the booth, and explained to camera exactly what we had come up with. I understand that everyone’s phones back at HQ in Canada started pinging pretty quickly after it happened! That video really caused a stir and was the start of a massive boost for Ocean Rodeo, so I guess it was meant to be!

N O D O UBT YO U’ VE BEEN USI NG THESE KI TES A LOT YOU RS E L F – F R O M A K ITE B OA R DER’S PERSPECTI VE, ARE THERE OTH E R B E NEF I TS?

Of course, I am riding them all the time... So in light winds for example, I still have a hard time in the really light winds as I think if I drop the kite I’m done. But we are learning that we can now relaunch in very light wind. This is taking some getting used to! You can also pump the kites out of the water in light wind… You think you’re done, the kite is really in the drink, and then you just start pumping one back line and slowly the airframe’s stiffer flex starts to work the kite out onto one wing tip, and then you can just get it airborne easily.

The reverse launch in light wind is also really amazing with the A-Series kites.

W E HE A R D A B O UT A SESSI ON WHEN YOU WERE ON A 5 M AND R E EC E WAS O N A 1 7M. CAN YOU TALK US THROUGH THAT ?

Yes, this was really weird and unexpected! I really believe that the range of sizes in kite quivers are going to need to be re-written based on our experiences with these kites. I was on a foil with a 5m A-Series Roam having a perfect session.

Meanwhile, Reece was throwing down the latest strapless freestyle moves on the 17m A-Series Flite. The wind was about 12 knots, and both of us were perfectly powered. No joke.

W E’ VE A LSO SE E N SOME I NSANE LI GHT WI ND FOOTAGE OF T H E S E K I T ES (IN THE F ILM WE NOTI CED A COUPLE OF KAYAK E RS JU ST A M BLIN G BY L IK E THERE WASN’T A BREATH OF WI ND! ) . ARE T H E S E K I T ES B E IN G P ITC HE D MORE TO THE LI GHT WI ND SI DE O F T H E MARK ET?

Due to the extreme low weight of these kites, we had expected light wind performance would go through the roof for the SLE kites (which it has!). The biggest surprise though is that the new highly responsive and stable airframe has increased the top end too. The ALUULA airframe resists distortion longer than a Dacron airframe in high winds, so the kite remains much more controllable as the wind increases. Because we can make ultra-light three strut kites, we still have all the control of the heavier traditional three strut kites, plus less airframe distortion as the wind increases.

We are foiling the 10m A-Series Roam in sub 10 knot winds, and then using the same 10m on our surfboards and twintips in 30 knots of wind. This means

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the potential wind range depending on the board style used is much, much larger than traditional kites. As we have made all the sizes from 4m to 17m fly extremely well, with the ability to water relaunch in very light wind, you can pick kite sizes more on how you like to ride. Do you want to ride in light wind with a more responsive 8m kite? Or perhaps you prefer a 14.5m to just park the kite and go for a blast? With ALUULA, kite size selection may become more influenced by handling preference instead of wind strength.

A N D F O R YO UR E VERYDAY, REAL-WORLD KI TEBOARD E R WH O’S LO O K IN G TO B UY A NEW KI TE, I N YOUR OPI NI ON WH Y S H OU L D T HE Y SP E N D THE E X TRA DOLLAR FOR AN A-SERI ES KI TE ?

By using the ALUULA material, the A-Series deliver performance increases in all aspects of using a kite. These kites are almost back-stall and luff-over resistant, and as I already mentioned, the light wind relaunch is just insanely easy. There’s more power on hand at all times, and the power delivery on the upstroke seems to be the same as on the downstroke. Drift and control are improved when you have slack lines, and you can kite through turbulent sections without dropping the kite, which opens up new spots to go ride. They’re also more durable and easier to travel with… The airframe is also far stronger than traditional kites, so less likely to get punctured, and tearing this stuff is near impossible. They also pack much smaller than normal kites.

I think, most importantly, it’s about getting out on the water and having the most fun. With the huge increase in usable wind range that these kites enjoy in any given kite size, the A-Series kites allow you to do this more often and have more fun. When other kites are falling out of the sky as the wind drops, or things become turbulent as you pass a wind-blocking building, an ALUULA kite will keep you going. Not to mention they offer extra jump and boosting potential, with precision handling in all maneuvers. There are simply no performance compromises such as airframe instability or water relaunch issues by having to drop struts, as these three-strut kites are as light (if not lighter) than almost all no-strut and one-strut kites out there.

YO U C UR R E N TLY HAVE ALUULA WI TH THE A-SERI ES F L IT E AND R OAM . WHY D ID YO U CHOOSE THESE KI TES I NI TI ALLY?

The Flite has always been our light wind performer, so we wanted to see exactly how far we could go in reducing its weight while at the same time increasing its performance. The Roam was converted into an A-Series kite due to the growing interest in freeride foil boarding. At Ocean Rodeo, we didn’t have a dedicated freeride foil boarding kite, as we did not like the idea of a no-strut or one-strut kite made with Dacron, due to the unstable airframe and loss of control in stronger wind conditions, not to mention the difficulty of water relaunch with some of these no-strut kites. There was also the fact that many who freeride foil board also still ride a twintip or a surfboard when the conditions are right. We felt that with an A-Series Roam, having three-struts, but yet as light as a no-strut or one-strut kite, this was the perfect model kite for this customer. Many of the staff at Ocean Rodeo and ALUULA Composites fall into this category of rider, we all like to mix it up depending on the conditions at hand so with the Roam and the Flite we have most bases covered.

W E SAW SO M E VID EOS FROM THE REAL WATERSPORTS C RE W… T HE Y C L E A R LY LOVE THE KI TES!

We’ve been quietly working away on the ALUULA project for just over five years now, and it’s very, very rewarding to see that all levels of kiteboarder are being blown away when they use these kites. It’s really all smiles and disbelief.

Whether it’s the 20-year veteran kite pro or a new student whose entire learning experience just became a whole lot easier... It’s been rewarding and lot of fun to launch the A-Series kites and, as this continues, I think we’ll be seeing a lot more happy faces.

W H E N THE GKA TO U R KI CKS I N AGAI N, CAN WE EXPEC T TO S E E C AR LA HE R R E R A A N D REECE OUT ON A-SERI ES KI TES?

I’m very excited to see Carla and Reece compete on the tour with ALUULA, so yes, they will have ALUULA-airframe kites when the tour resumes.

S O T H IS WAS YOU R B IG NE WS T H ROU GH 2 01 9/2 02 0, AN D W E K N OW YOU GU YS DON’T RE ST ON YOU R L AU RE L S . ANY U P COM I N G S E C R E T P ROJE C TS YOU C AN L E T U S IN ON?!

For Ocean Rodeo, it’s further airframe refinement... The secret is already out of the bag that ALUULA’s composite materials and the new array of ALUULA seam technologies allow higher pressure airframes. Thanks to ALUULA, we now have both the materials and the processes to try new SLE kite design concepts that were previously unattainable. Perhaps a Big Air kite made from ALUULA would be interesting? Something that lets us ‘Rise’ to new heights maybe? These are fun times indeed! ■

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The man behind Eleveight’s current twintip line up has shaped more boards than you have probably had kite sessions… It’s fair to say that Franz Schitzhofer knows his stuff. Here he takes us through what has been keeping him busy with with the new line up.

F RANZ , YOU ’V E B E E N IN T H E INDU ST RY A LONG T IME , A N D YO U ’ V E MADE S OME C L ASS IC B OARDS F OR VARIOU S B RANDS OV E R TH E Y E ARS . T E L L U S AB OU T YOU R B OARD MAK ING H ISTORY A N D H OW YOU R WE ALT H OF E X P E RIE NC E H AS INF LU E NC E D T H E E LE V E I G H T B OARD RANGE ?

Yeah – I’ve been in the kiteboard industry since 2001 and before kiteboarding it was the windsurf industry, and I’ve shaped more than 3,000 boards. On the side I’ve also done some snowboards and skis. So basically, the journey started in 1980 and you can imagine that in nearly 40 years of boardsports you get some experience – and you get older!

But beside the fact of getting older, experience is a benefit and creates opportunities to give something back to the industry and like-minded enthusiastic riders. Enthusiasm for boardsports is my passion and I’m driven! That’s what I want to transport into the shapes I create, to industry, to brands and finally to riders and customers.

T H IS S E AS ON’S NE W T WINT IP S LOOK T H E B U S INE SS , C A N YO U TAK E U S T H ROU GH T H E L INE U P ?

With the new Eleveight twintip range we wanted to offer a performance board for each riding style. The Process is designed as a plug-and-play performance freeride board. We also included a Process C+. The outline and 3D shape are identical to the Process, but unlike its predecessor, it features a highly advanced full carbon construction on the inside which makes it lighter and delivers an ultra-dynamic and playful ride.

Our step-up board is the Master, a high-performance freeride to freestyle board, designed to exceed the expectations of riders with a powerful style. This board is dedicated to boosting megaloops and sending handlepass tricks. We also added a Master C+ version, which is the lightest and most performance freeride to freestyle crossover twintip in our line-up.

The Commander is my passion project and the essence of my experience. This board is made for the high-performance freestyle market with a focus on radical maneuvers and insane technical tricks.

The Ignition will spark anyone’s love for kiteboarding. It is a very beginner friendly progression twintip but incorporates leading technology that comes with a long list of features and advantages.

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H OW A R E THE Y IM P R OVED OVER THE PREVI OUS GENERAT IONS AND W HAT C HA R AC TE R IST I CS CARRY OVER?

When I started with Eleveight in 2017 we only developed one twintip – the Process. Three years later, the line-up has increased, and we now cover all riding styles with six different twintips. Over the years we have made a lot of changes and challenged the status quo of existing products to create a product evolution resulting in higher performance for all riders. For example, the 2021 Master and Process range are completely new designs with new molds and changes in most construction details. For 2021 I have added a new ‘special feature’ to the Process and Master – Eleveight call it the Parabolic Rail Shape (PRS). It’s the realization of a tucked under edge rail on a kiteboard – maybe some of you know this feature from surfboards. The challenge was to integrate a tucked under edge into a thin kiteboard produced in SNB-technology. But the result is amazing and worth every effort as the rail sits slightly deeper in the water, creating more grip and less spray.

But there is one characteristic that has carried over since day one: my passion and strong belief in high performance twintips with the best selection of materials and construction.

TA L K US THR O UG H THE DI FFERENCES BETWEEN THE STANDARD AN D C + CO N STR UC TI ONS. DOES I T COME DOWN TO WE IGH T OR IS T H E R E A D IF F E R E N C E I N FLEX RESPONSE AND RI DI NG F E E L?

People like to discuss product weights and get caught up in these numbers. Yes, the Process C+ and Master C+ are lighter. But the weight was not my main aim in the development process. Carbon has a different performance than normal BIAX or TRIAX fiberglass and the characteristics of flex, torsion and rebound change a board completely. Due to the high strength of TEXTREME© Spread Tow carbon fibers, the rebound of the tips from the Process C+ and Master C+ are much faster than the fiberglass version. That gives the C+ two benefits.

Firstly, a more comfortable ride due to the fact that the board reacts faster on small chop, and secondly, more pop and faster release. These details are essential for a good freeride board. There are situations where you simply don’t have the time for a clean curve to create tension and pop – maybe it’s choppy and gusty or you simply have a “bad day”. In these conditions or mood, you’ll appreciate the fast response of a carbon board – it makes life easier!

H OW D O E S THE DIF FERENCE I N CHANNELI NG AND OU T L INE B ET W E E N THE MASTE R AND COMMANDER CHARACTERI Z E T H E IR P E R F OR M A N C E A N D R ID ING FEELI NG?

If you compare the bottom shape of both boards, you will see the difference straight away. The Commander features a multi-channel bottom shape with a flat torsion box in the center. The focus was to create a board with ultimate grip, even with the use of smaller fins. The tips and outline are a bit wider compared to the Master, which creates better pop, and more stability when landing hard tricks. Especially after hard landed unhooked moves, you’ll appreciate the bottom shape of the Commander: the multi channels break water tension and soften your landings efficiently. You’ll land more tricks and your knees will thank you! When powered you’ll be surprised by the efficiency of the Commander channel system when tacking hard upwind – your legs are the limit!

The Master’s bottom shape is all about control and speed. The channels are not as deep as on the Commander, which creates less drag. The combination of a multi-stage rocker with a double concave center has one target: speed and control. As speed is nothing without control (©Pirelli!) I designed a double concave bottom shape for the Master with a quad concave tip-layout and rail steps. In combination with PRS, the Master and Master C+ are a big step forward to a dynamic “magic board”. Unfortunately, no shaper will ever reach the “magic dream” but the Master and Master C+ are pretty close.

LEFT

Franz now, and then....

RIGHT

Arthur, another satsifed customer.

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T E L L US MO R E A B OUT THE CARBON REI NFORCEMEN TS IN T H E B OAR DS. WHAT’ S THE LOGI C BEHI ND THE PLACEMENTS?

Riders of all levels like to test the flex of boards by simply pushing some force, with hand or foot, in one direction – mostly from the top. As we all know, flex is an important key parameter of the comfort and performance of a twintip – so I put special focus on this detail. But flex is not just the stiffness of a board when you try to bend it from the top. Of much higher importance is the reverse flex (when you bend the board from the bottom), response (speed of rebound), and placement of sweet and gravity spots. For example, normally flex is measured by deflection on a certain load – in most factories this is 30kg.g. A certain value is a figure, but this figure says nothing about the location of flex (center or tips), response, sweet spots. With different thickness profiles, 3D-structures and placement of carbon reinforcements, I can create a flex pattern exactly on the areas where experience and FEM (Finite Element Methods) simulation tell me to stiffen a board and where it needs more load for sporty feeling and pop.

W H IC H O F YO UR TE AM RI DERS ARE I NVOLVED I N THE DE V E LOPM EN T P R O C E SS A N D HOW DO YOU I NTERPRET THEI R F E E DB AC K ?

A R THUR G UILLE B E R T SEEMS TO BE ABSOLUTELY SHR E DDING AT T HE M O M E N T.

Arthur is an absolute asset for Eleveight’s development process. His style is powerful, and I like to see him riding. If he approves a board then I know the construction is bulletproof. Arthur’s feedback is particularly valid with regards to our freestyle boards.

But boards are made for different target markets and riding styles. The goal is satisfaction of a certain target group! For example, a freerider who has a job and income but not skills (and legs) like Arthur, has different requirements for equipment and maybe needs a different board to be satisfied and happy.

With CAD, FEM and prototyping you can create a good board for sure, but for a “magic stick” one simple detail is of the highest importance: testing, testing, testing – and after testing, the right conclusions, decisions and improvements, again: testing, testing, testing! It’s not just Mobes or Slims in a butter-flat Brazilian lagoon that count – boring planing, upwind riding, spray and comfort tests in different and also shitty conditions! That’s where the above-mentioned experience is important and how “magic sticks” are born!

F O I L IN G SE E M S TO BE TAKI NG OFF WORLDWI DE. I S T H IS S OME T HI N G YO U A N D THE BRAND ARE GOI NG TO DEVELOP AS A P ROD U C T LIN E ?

Eleveight already has a great foil line and we put a lot of effort into the development. It is still a new sport and offers a lot of opportunities. Foiling and wingsurfing are new and “technical” – maybe wingsurfing will gain a niche popularity or maybe it will become huge – the future will tell us.

But from my perspective foiling will never ever become a ‘boardsport’. That’s my personal opinion which maybe I’m allowed to mention after 50 years on snow and water. It’s maybe a typical development, when young freestyle guns get older and bones weaker…

Windsurfing declined in popularity after becoming “racey” and technical – now the next gen have gone back to its roots and rip in freestyle and waves; snowboarding declined after technical developments like racing and hard boots and today there are only a few racers and guys who compete compete in the X Games or in powder; skiing has similar problems where racing is not popular anymore.

But what will always survive is boardsports like surfing, windsurfing, snowboarding and kitesurfing, as there are two main characteristics that no other sport or discipline can give you: pop and spray! Whether the water is liquid or frozen… That’s the passion, that’s the lifestyle and that’s why we’re boardsports enthusiasts. ■

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F-ONE MAGNET CARBON

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If you thought you had seen all that could be achieved in the world of ‘surf’ boards then think again. While most boards pretend that they would like to head out on a lip-seeking mission, the new Magnet Carbon from F-ONE only has one thing on its mind: airtime. It is the skinniest and stealthiest surfboard we’ve seen, so what is going on?! Raphaël Salles explains himself…

WE ARE S U P E R INT RIGU E D TO S E E S U C H A L IGH T AND TH I N - PR OF IL E D S U RF B OARD. WH Y DID YOU DE C IDE ON T H IS A N D W H AT T E C H NOLOGY H AS GONE INTO DE V E LOP ING AND CON ST R U C TI N G T H E MAGNE T C ARB ON?

We were finding that our pro riders had technical needs which were becoming more and more similar to those of a twintip freestyler – specifically they were looking for more rigidity and comfort. This is why we have decided to choose a slim profile for this specific model.

The idea was to get more flex for more comfort and resistance. We wanted to avoid the regular surf technology and imagine a board like bamboo which bends and is therefore stronger than oak, that resists. We also worked on the weight of the board at the same time.

It is really amazing to see that we have improved this much with the creation of this technology. The SLIMTECH Carbon allows impressive improvements: less weight, more resistance and comfort. This is what makes the Magnet a true strapless freestyle revolution.

S O IT H AS AL L OF T H E B E ST AT T RIB U T E S F OR ST RAP LE SS FR E EST Y L E ?

Yes, it seems freestyle riders all want the same things: more pop, better landings and improved control. Now specific to strapless is the desperate need for a compact and light board that sticks to your feet while making crazy moves in the air.

The Magnet Carbon is so light that it really transforms the way you ride and perform your tricks. The flex increases the pop and makes the landings much smoother. The bottom is heavily channelled with a fairly parallel outline to keep control while riding and building up speed. The thin rails grip perfectly when edging upwind or during the pop.

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I T LO O KS C LOSE IN OUTLI NE TO THE EXI STI NG SLI CE MO DE L ; H OW D O E S THE MAG N E T COMPARE TO YOUR OTHER STRAPL E SS F RE E ST YLE B OA R DS?

The general outline and bottom shape are heavily influenced by the latest Slice Carbon that received a lot of positive feedback. We’ve emphasized the bottom channels and had to adapt the rocker line to match the different flex distribution compared to the Slice Carbon.

There are some little details that add up to make the difference but what most people will feel immediately is the benefits of the weight and flex. We are used to thinking of a lighter board as a more fragile product but this time it’s the opposite! The Magnet Carbon is a lot tougher.

HOW MA N Y R IDE R S OUT THERE DO YOU THI NK REQUIRE S U C H A S P E C IF IC B OA R D? WOULD I T WORK FOR SOMEONE WHO IS AN ACCO M P LISHE D WAVE RI DER BUT I S NEW TO FREESTYLE?

The Magnet Carbon works whatever your level because everybody can enjoy the benefits of a lighter board with more flex. Whether you are an expert or a freestyle beginner, the board attributes will help through all stages. Perhaps the benefits will be even more appreciated by the experts that have trained for years on improving their freestyle game, but it’s quite clear a freestyle beginner will have more fun and their skills will develop more quickly if they are using a board like the Magnet Carbon.

HOW D O E S THE MAG NET CARBON PERFORM I N A MORE T RADIT ION A L WAVE R ID IN G SITUATI ON?

Clearly, the Magnet Carbon is a freestyle board, and we haven’t designed it for wave riding. The board is light, responsive and can do some serious turns, so you can obviously take it for a fun session in small waves. But don’t expect the surfing behavior of a conventional surfboard.

W H IC H O F YO UR TE AM HAVE BEEN I NVOLVED I N THE DE S IGN AND T E STIN G? A N D – M OST I MPORTANTLY – HAS MI TU GI V E N IT T H E T HUM B S UP ? !

Mitu has tested every prototype version and he was sold on the concept since the first one! Rumor has it that he took that first board back with him as hand luggage in case one of his board bags got lost… Since that board, we’ve refined the design to reach the right balance between strength, flex, weight and price.

W H E R E D O YO U E X P ECT THI S DESI GN CONCEPT TO LEAD? COU L D IT B E A P P L IE D TO OTHER BOARDS I N THE RANGE?

While developing this board we’ve been very enthusiastic about trying to do more with less. We’d like to keep working to use better materials and possibly adapt to other kinds of boards as well. The SLIMTECH technology can be adapted to a number of processes for different products. Our kite foil boards are already using the SLIMTECH and SLIMTECH Carbon technology with a molding process, for example.

A N D THE K ITE O F C HOI CE FOR A MAGNET CARBON SESS ION?

Well a strapless board wants to be paired with a strapless kite, so the BANDIT S would be the perfect match! ■

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RRD have dropped their new Y25 harness line up. It’s a little different to other harness collections and is definitely worth getting your head around before you make your selection. Thankfully, RRD’s Product Manager Reinier Korstanje was happy to take the time out to walk us through it…

C AN YOU E X P L AIN YOU R P H ILOS OP H Y TO H ARNE SS E S AT R R D? YO U DON’T B E L IE V E T H AT ‘ANY ’ H ARNE SS WIL L WORK F OR ‘A N Y’ R I D E R – IS T H AT RIGH T ?

We believe that no one is the same. We all have a different back curve, prefer different styles of riding and favor different levels of flexibility and stiffness.

Therefore, the shape, support and materials used for harness design varies between models, and so does the price.

C AN YOU TAL K U S T H ROU GH YOU R Y 2 5 H ARNE SS L I N E U P A N D WH AT IS ON OF F E R?

The collection is a widespread range of products designed with a specific purpose in mind. The main variants in the range are, firstly, the different stiffness and flex in the back of the harness: a stiffer harness will suit people that are looking for comfort and stability during those fully powered or explosive sessions, while a more flexible harness is more suitable for freeride or ‘down the line’ styles of riding. Secondly, the RRD waist harnesses have different back shapes with more or less vertical curve: from a curved back, to a natural back shape to a flat back, we ensure that we make a harness for everybody. All waist harnesses feature our bar stabilizer with wings that prevent the bar from riding up or rotating into your ribs, without the need of additional straps or buckles, therefore enhancing the clean and stylish look of the RRD harness collection.

In terms of the new collection, we have the Shield, our top of the range premium kiteboarding harness; the Shift Pro which has a focus on maximizing comfort; the Thrive which has increased curve for riders with a hollower back, and is also a favorite amongst waveriders; the Stark, which is the most flexible and soft harness in the range, suitable for people with a natural to curved back shape which is most appreciated during less powered freeride or foil sessions.

Then we have the Sense which is our women–specific kiteboarding waist harness; the Stark Grom, which is a smaller version of the Stark harness and gives the right amount of support while remaining flexible, and we also have a full range of seat harnesses. So we have all bases covered!

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T HE SHIE LD HAS A CARBON SHELL. WHY I S THI S AND H OW DOE S T HI S DIF F E R F R O M OTHER HARD-SHELL HARNESSES ON T H E MAR K ET?

The Shield has a carbon shell, made out of 3D-molded carbon. This is the same spread-tow carbon used on some of RRD’s most high-end strong and light boards. It’s not a thermo-formed type of material that looks like carbon.

The Shield is unique compared to any other hard-shell harness due to the fact that the back/center of the harness is very stiff and light carbon, therefore spreading the load from the spreader bar directly to the back of the harness.

This alleviates any pinching pressure on the body. But not the whole harness is made out of stiff carbon: the sides, top and bottom edge are gradually made more flexible towards the edge of the harness. This allows the harness to still flex a bit on the sides and on its edges to increase comfort and avoid stiff carbon edges riding into your ribs, hip or back.

YO U C A N A DA P T THE SHI FT PRO TO MAKE I T STI FFER – C AN YOU TALK US THR O UGH WHY RI DERS WOULD WANT TO DO T H IS AND I F THE R E A R E A N Y RI DI NG STYLES THAT I T WOULD WO RK B E T T E R FOR?

The Shift Pro has a new feature this year: it comes with a removable support batten that can be added or removed from the vertical pocket in the back of the harness. If you prefer a more flexible harness, you can remove the batten – this will make the harness feel similar to the harness last season. If you add the batten, it changes the stiffness of the back of the harness to add support and allow for better force distribution from the spreader bar towards the back of the harness. This works especially well for powered-up or Big Air sessions, where you transfer the power of the kite through your body into your board during take-off. If the next day you want to go for a wave or foil session in lighter wind, you might want to take out the batten to allow your harness to flex more and follow your body movements. The batten also changes the back shape slightly – due to the curved profile of the batten, the harness will have a slightly increased back curve with the batten added, compared to the harness with the batten removed, therefore allowing the rider to adjust the harness stiffness and back curve profile to their preference.

A R E A L L O F YO UR HARNESSES COMPATI BLE WI TH THE ROP E S L IDE R ? A N D A R E THE R E ANY HARNESSES THAT YOU WOUL D SAY ARE B E T TE R SUITE D TO WAVE RI DI NG OR FOI LI NG?

Yes, all kite waist harnesses are compatible with the rope slider bar except the kids’ harness (Stark Grom). The rope bar converts any waist harness into one better suited for wave-riding, or in some cases foiling too. But this all depends on your personal preference too. Some people want the harness to stay in place and add a rope slider bar to increase the rotating motion of the chicken loop around your body; other people prefer the complete harness to slide around your body and use a normal hook for more control, especially when jumping.

This could be achieved with the Shield harness, which has a smoother inside surface, therefore allowing the harness to rotate around your body when wearing it a bit looser.

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S O WOUL D YO U C HO OSE THI S OPTI ON?

This is my personal preference, but I appreciate that not everyone agrees: the advantage of a rotating harness with a normal hook that rotates around your body as a whole, as compared to a rope slider bar, is that the force of the kite is always transferred to the center/back of the harness. If the harness is rotated a bit round your body, and the back/center of the harness is located towards the side/ribs of the body, it will still give you lots of support on the side of the body in that area because the back of the harness is the widest, most supportive part. If you use a rope slider bar and the kite pulls to the side, the force of the kite goes into the opposite side of your harness where it is narrow, which can sometimes make it feel a bit uncomfortable. But as I said, this is personal preference. Therefore, we make both options available for people to try and decide for themselves what they prefer most.

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WH E N YOU ’RE F OIL ING YOU GE NE RAL LY H AV E L E SS F ORCE S AC TING ON T H E H ARNE SS – WH IC H H ARNE SS WOU L D YOU RE CO M M E N D H E RE ?

Any harness can be used for foiling, but if you prefer a lighter, more flexible harness for these light wind freeride foil conditions, I would recommend the Stark. Although, if you are trying to win a race, you might consider a seat harness such as the KR Seat. A seat harness changes the center of gravity to a lower position in your body. This allows you to transfer the force of the kite better into the board and foil which makes you go faster with more control.

WH IC H H ARNE SS DO YOU R T E AM RIDE RS U S E AND H AV E T H E Y H A D S OME INP U T INTO T H E DE S IGN?

Most freestyle and Big Air team riders use the Shift Pro or the Shield, however some riders like Abel Lago prefer the Thrive due to his very curved hollow back.

He was very involved in getting the back curve of the Thrive harness the way he liked it. As the harness designer, I take all feedback seriously (good or bad!) from everyone, from the average guy on the beach through to the pro rider. Any feedback to me is good feedback so we can keep making our products better, not just making them a different color and calling them new! ■

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P H O T O S S P L E E N E ; L I F E T R AV E L L E R Z . C O M

For their latest surfboard lineup, Spleene have commissioned the services of one of the best in the business…

Gero, from Fatum surboards in Portugal, has been shaping top class surfboards for more than 30 years and embraced the challenge of shaping two new boards for the Spleene line up, the Cross and the Zone. We caught up with Linda Schuppan from Spleene’s marketing department to get the lowdown on the new project…

S P L E E NE H AS A WE L L- E STAB L IS H E D RE P U TAT ION IN T H E WO R LD OF T WINT IP S – WH AT MADE YOU T H INK T H E T IME WAS R I G H T TO MOV E INTO T H E WORL D OF S U RF B OARDS?

Our board history actually began with the ‘Door’ which is – to this day – our bestseller, and a term that has shaped an entire sport. We are extremely proud of that. Over time, the kite market has developed further and so has Spleene, so more board shapes were added for newer demands. Today, our portfolio includes premium carbon boards as well as foil boards. Since 2007 we have had directionals in our program, but we decided that we needed to step up our game here, hence the two new boards.

WH Y DID YOU DE C IDE T H AT GE RO WAS T H E B E ST GU Y TO WO R K O N T H E C ROSS AND T H E ZONE ?

We have been working with Gero on PU boards for three years now. His understanding of surfboard shaping fits our ideas perfectly. Here, the boards are still made by hand, which you can see in the quality. And no board leaves the shaping bay without a thorough quality check from Gero!

WH Y H AV E YOU DE C IDE D ON A P U CONST RU C T ION?

For us at Spleene, the PU construction is the best for kiteboards. It is unbeaten in terms of performance and liveliness. A board made of sandwich construction is very light and stable, but has the disadvantage of being very stiff. For other areas, such as windsurfing, the sandwich construction is superior as the boards are much bigger and therefore heavier. The weight advantage with the sandwich construction is more noticeable here and can be as much as two kilograms for a wave board. With the much smaller kiteboards though, the difference is only a few hundred grams which is hardly noticeable.

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S O T HE Y A R E MO R E LI VELY?

Yes. Liveliness is determined by the flex characteristics of a surfboard. The flex should be perfectly balanced. Perhaps this can best be compared to the chassis of a car. If it’s too hard, every bump will land in the back of the rider. If it is too soft, a car will float too much around bends. It’s the same with a wave board.

And of course the thickness of the board determines the flex. The thinner the board, the more it can flex.

A N D THAT’ S WHAT YOU NOTI CE I N THE WAVES?

Exactly. A surfboard has to bend or flex under any kind of force. For example, with a tight cutback, if you have the right flex, the rider gets their energy back smoothly and the board catapults them back down the line with a lot of energy.

You also notice it when landing from strapless tricks or when riding in choppy conditions. PU boards have this natural, active restoring force and also absorb shock and are easy on the knees.

HOW HAS G E R O HE L PED WI TH YOUR PRODUCTI ON?

The secret here lies in the blanks and of course in the construction. The blanks are produced specially for surfboards. Worldwide there are fewer and fewer producers of high-quality blanks, but Gero from Fatum secures the best quality blanks due to his reputation in the shaping scene. Good PU blanks have a lower density in the middle than at the edges. This gives the board flex and liveliness on the water and Gero then creates the shapes that work perfectly for kiting.

YO U HAVE TWO DIR E CTI ONAL BOARDS I N YOUR LI NE-UP: T H E ZONE A N D THE C R OSS. WHAT ARE THE DI FFERENCES?

The Cross is a nose-less board. This board has a flat-ish rocker and a straighter outline to get up and planing early and to give you plenty of speed. The shape is very compact and easy to turn and, with the Cross, you can focus on strapless freestyle or it is also great to ride in smaller waves as well. We have the Cross in 5’0 and 5’3. Then the Zone is our ‘classic’ surfboard and gives you that pure surf feeling for rail-to-rail surfing. The Zone is available in 5’7 and 5’10.

S O YO U SHO UL D C HOOSE DEPENDI NG ON THE CONDI TI O NS?

Yes, for smaller waves the trend is more towards shorter, flatter boards that are easy to plane and turn easily. In bigger waves you need a bigger board with a more distinct rocker line, so it works better with the power and shape of the wave.

W I TH SUR F B OA R DS YOU ALWAYS TALK ABOUT VOLUME. WH AT IS T HE SE C R E T B E HIN D I T?

The discussion about volume is not as relevant for kiting as it is for surfing as you do not need to paddle in to catch waves, so a kitesurf board doesn’t necessarily need as much volume as a surfboard. The rider weight is an important variable when deciding volume (more volume for a heavier rider) and also the type of conditions. For onshore riding you may want more volume to maintain speed through slow sections of the wave, whereas in classic ‘down the line’ conditions you get more power from the wave so need less volume.

D O THE B OA R DS SHIP WI TH PADS AND FI NS?

For pads, this is purely a question of personal choice. Some riders prefer wax and some pads. So we offer the Cross and Zone with wave pads from WMFG as an option. With fins we worked very closely with Gero to get this set up right.

The ideal positioning of the fin boxes and the right angle are extremely important. When choosing the fins, we decided to use FCS II GF Carver Tri fins, and both boards have a thruster set up. ■ LEFT

The legendary Gero - the brains behind the boards...

TOP RIGHT

Fatum HQ BOTTOM RIGHT

The boards in their natural environment.

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YOU BACK!

THE BKSA IS YOUR KITESPORTS GOVERNING BODY. WE’RE FIGHTING AND WORKING FOR YOU - OUR MEMBERS. BEING INSURED IS ESSENTIAL FOR ALL KITESPORTS.

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T E S T E D

EQUIPMENT TESTS TO B E C O N T I N U E D. . .

Well, the fact is the world went and got a bit weird as we were pulling together tests, so we decided to do the right thing and put them on hold this time round.

But rest assured, we’ve got plenty done and a whole lot more in the offing now things are opening up again so issue #38 is going to be test-tastic… Sign up here to subscribe and get it delivered to your door.

SUBSCRIBENOW And if you haven’t checked any of our tests in the magazine then head here to check them out.

TAKEMETOTHETESTS And for the Ultimate Test, you can check that out here...

ULTIMATETEST THEKITEMAG.COM

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Paradise Lost WITH ST E V E N AK K E RS DIJK

P HOTO : LA R S STENVELD

After an awesome season in Cape Town I had to change my plans due to the corona virus. It was hitting hard in Europe and it seemed like they would close down air travel for a while. So after looking at our options: Europe, Cape Town and Mauritius, we decided that we would go to the best location we could imagine for kiting during the virus. Europe was still cold and corona was all over the place, so a tropical island in the Indian Ocean where the season was about to start seemed like the perfect location.

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PH OTO : JA R N O SC HUR GE R S (R E D BULL CONTENT POOL)

Two days later, my girlfriend José and I decided to fly over to Mauritius for a three month stay. Three days after we had arrived they decided that a lockdown of the entire island was the way forward to contain the virus. This meant: no sports outside, no beach, no even being outside for anything else than essential travel. To put the cherry on top of the pie, they even closed the supermarkets for an undefined time (fortunately they opened again eight days later).

We had no clue how long this was going to last, but we stayed optimistic. This seemed like the perfect time to work out, catch up on mails, publications and releases. But after they decided one month later that they would prolong the lockdown for another month, I was out of normal work I could do. So, I decided to pick up the SA Masterclass series again… and this time properly. I grabbed my hard drives and started looking for content I could re-use and edit into something new. The SA Masterclass series gave me a goal for every Thursday, as I wanted to release a video once a week. From all the editing and preparing I just love to dissect a trick and break

it down into bite size chunks. I used to do this a lot when I was still working as a kiteboarding instructor back home. I would then look at the final result and find different ways with small steps to get make it happen.

Of course it was nice to have a goal again, but if you’re used to spending most of your time in the water it can be hard to stay focused in a chair (you don’t even have to be a waterman to have this problem). The pictures from people kiting back home didn’t help for sure. Unlike us in Mauritius and loads of other people around the world, they were allowed to go out on the water. After nearly two months in Mauritius, we decided it was time to fly back to our home countries. As José is Canadian, she wasn’t able to join me in The Netherlands (this was also a big part of the reason why we stayed so long in Mauritius... Who knew when we would see each other again if we departed to our own countries?).

Arriving back home gave me an immense peace of mind. In Mau-

STEVEN AKKERSDIJK

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P H OTO: L A R S STE N V E LD

ritius my head was filled with thoughts about all the things I could do when I was back home and the content I could start creating again (because I was running out of content on my hard drives).

Then obviously the first thing on my mind was getting back out on the water, and rinsing my head with some saltwater. Being 100% honest, the first sessions were not as good as I had expected! Being locked up in a house without much exercise for two months made me slow, my sessions were short and unfortunately the conditions didn’t line up. But as the time passed, I managed to get more energy, this made it easier for me to enjoy the conditions that The Netherlands were offering me. Of course it’s not as good as Mauritius or Cape Town, but I started loving the diversity that “home” has to offer. The wind can come from all different kind of directions, offering side, on and offshore conditions. This makes for awesome strapless freestyle sessions or foil sessions behind the harbor wall. And let’s not forget that The Netherlands can offer some insane conditions for Big Air, with immense weather fronts pushing in!

I realized to a certain extent that all the traveling had spoiled me and made me look past all the great things that my home country has to offer. I was often only spending a couple of days at the place where I grew up to re-pack my bags and prepare for the next trip and, now that I’ve been home for a longer time, I’m actually loving it. Seeing the places where I grew up and going to the lake where I windsurfed for the first time is cool. There are so many memories and nice places around that it more than makes up for the ‘epic’ conditions I’ll miss in Mauritius. So I have decided that one way or another, I’m actually looking forward to spending some more time in Europe for a change and starting to explore new areas closer to home! ■ 280 280

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