TheKiteMag #40

#40 Maui Moments

with Jesse Richman

Sicilian Lemonade

with Laci Kobulsky

Tahitian perfection

with Keahi de Aboitiz

2021 Tech

Slingshot | Airush | Eleveight | North | Flysurfer | Naish

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IS S U E #40

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COVER

Carl Ferreira enjoying his new found freedom post-lockdown in Cape Town.

Photo: Craig Howes HERE

Elias Ouahmid keeping it classy with a speedy twilight grab.

Photo: Sam CardenasÂ

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CONTENTS THE FEATURES

THE REGULARS

96 // Tucked Away in Tahiti

35 // Tangled Lines… Rita Arnaus 40 // On The List… Turks and Caicos 44 // I’m On It… Willow-River Tonkin 46 // My Beach… Stig Hoefnagel, Den Haag 54 // The Mission… Johanna-Catharina Edin | Reece Myerscough 66 // Profile… Nuno ‘Stru’ Figueiredo 74 // Gallery… GKA Freestyle Super Grand Slam 140 // The Big Picture… Slingshot | Airush Kiteboarding 152 // Tech and Materials… Eleveight 156 // Technique… Big Air and the Doobie Loop with Lewis Crathern 160 // Tell Me About It… North Orbit | Goodboards Amnesia Pro | Naish Kite

This whole global pandemic thing doesn’t seem to have worked out too badly for some riders who elected to get to their favorite spots and keep their heads down… Teahupo’o sounded like a pretty decent hideaway for Keahi and Moona.

106 // Through the Porthole The F-ONE crew stay local-ish for their annual sojourn – Corsica, a couple of catamarans, and a mind blowingly wide range of kit. New team rider Marcela Witt talks us through the experience.

116 // Maui Moments In this feature we have a kitesurfer stranded at home... Tough gig. Unless you’re Jesse Richman, home is Maui, and you get some insane late-season conditions all to yourself.

124 // The Scenic Route Kari Schibevaag sets off to explore yet more hidden gold close to home.

Expect the usual diet of stunning stunning backdrops,, solo sessions and – of course – her water-loving dog Truls for company.

810 foil | Flysurfer TRIP

178 // The Committed… Guillaume Lenclen and Matthieu Verley 182 // Reflections… Noè Font

132 // Sicilian Lemonade Laci Kobulsky heads into the Sicilian sunset with a van full of fresh kit, a couple of pros and a camera. This is the ultimate DIY photoshoot and, this being Laci, he comes up with the goods.

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Where time doesn’t even exist.

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P H O T O G R A P H E R : Y D WE R VA N D E R H E ID E | R ID E R : A N N A B E L VA N WE S T E R O P

This is Freeride.

It Calls.

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NORTHKB.COM

Welcome Life begins at 40 Well, here we are. Issue 40. It’s hard to believe that it’s six years and 40 deadlines since we pressed the button, that first issue hit the printing presses and TheKiteMag arrived, kicking and screaming, into the kitesurfing family… Personally it was an equally exciting and terrifying experience, like nailing your first Boogie Loop with Table Mountain spinning in your peripheral vision (disclaimer: this is pure speculation), but as time has gone on the adrenaline-fueled energy has kept us motivated, we’ve grown up, made a lot of new friends, and eased our way into middle age with a smile on our face and with the eternal buzz that only kitesurfing can give you keeping us young…

“But what about ‘print’?” I hear you say. “I heard that was on its way out?!” Well, the fact that you’re reading this tells its own story and – some insider info – we’ve added significantly more subscribers to our print magazine in the last month than at any point in the last six years! Sure, digital is great and the internet is probably here to stay, but people still love paper and riders want to live forever in a magazine rather than live for a day on your social media feeds. Digital has been a gift to us and has given us the ability to reach so many more people (we’ve just gone through 100k on Instagram).

Sure, we keep them up to speed on what is going on in the kitesurfing world on a daily basis, but we can then also show them what they could be getting in print… And when they see what they could be holding in their actual physical hands in a timeless medium: they sign up. It’s a win win.

When this year began and we knew we would be rolling around to 40 before the year wound up, we of course never imagined that 2020 would work out as it has... In fact, I returned from Cape Town the day before lockdown and, back in those surreal early days, had no idea what the year would hold.

Kitesurfing, though, has weathered the craziness well… The fact that we haven’t been able to do much too far from home, and that there are few safer – or more liberating – places to be than on the water with a smile on our faces has kept the brands, retailers and the sport very much thriving.

This isn’t “The Lancet” so I won’t be making any definitive predications, but it seems to be that we can expect normal-ish vaccine-driven service to resume early next year. And if you want some kitesurf related evidence to support that: there are a whole lot of pro riders, photographers and generally kite-obsessed people who will be spending their Christmas in Cape Town. I’d say – if anything – more than last year. They are primed to move on and to get back into action, and we are too, ready to bring you the very best from Cape Town and beyond over the coming months…

So, thanks for your support and for being with us on the journey to #40, all of us here wish you a happy Christmas, and here’s to a boringly normal 2021…

Enjoy the issue,

Alex

Editor-in-Chief

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HERE

As the sun sets on one of the craziest years in recent history, here’s Felix Louis Njai getting in one last speed-run before his time is up‌ Photo: Richard Hallman

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H E RE

Javier Fernandez lost amongst the sets as he plans his next move...

EDITOR Sarah Sylvester EDITOR-IN- CHIEF Alex Hapgood

ART DIRECTOR Nikki Hall

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

CONTRIBUTORS Alex Schwarz, Ana Sanchez, Cally Crathorne, Craig Howes, Craig Koles k y, D a v i d e B e r t o l i , D a y a n i d h i D a s , Eunice Bergin, Fish Bowl Diaries, Frankiebees, Guillaume Lenclen, Heidi H a n s e n , H e l e n F i s c h e r, J a n n e V o l l e r t , J o ã o P e d r o R o c h a , J o h n C a r t e r, K y l e C a b a n o, L a c i Ko b u l s k y, L a r s Ko r v a l d , L i n u s W i d m e r, L u k a s P i t s c h , M a r c u s Paladino, Matt Georges, Matthieu Ve r l e y, M a x M a t i s s e k , Po l l y C r a t h o r n e , R a m o n a S t u d e r, R i c h a r d H a l l m a n , R y a n Chachi Craig, Sam Cardenas, Samuel To m é , S v e t l a n a R o m a n t s o v a , T h o m a s B u r b l i e s , T h o m a s R o o s , Yd w e r v a n der Heide

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

E N V I R O N M E N TA L This magazine is printed on paper sourced from responsibly managed sources using vegetable based inks. Both the paper used in the production and the manufacturing process are FCS ® certified.

The printers are also accredited to ISO14001, the internationally recognized environmental standard.

FIND US ON

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Photo: Ana Sanchez

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FOCUS

RI DE R LU KAS P ITS C H P H OTO RAMONA ST U DE R LOC AT I ON L AK E S ILVAP L ANA, SWITZ E RL AND

LP: Golden autumn days in the Swiss mountains – the thermal winds have lost their power after the first snow fall, and nighttime temperatures are far below zero. Nevertheless, these magical days offer perfect foiling conditions with nothing to remind you of those crowded summer days.

FOCUS

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R ID E R A D E UR I CO R N IE L PHOTO JO HN C A R TE R LOC AT IO N C A P E TOW N

TKM: It takes enough coordination to line up the right kind of angles between a kiter and photographer when the guy taking the shots is a few meters away on the beach. So to capture a moment like this from the cliffs?! Great work JC.

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FOCUS

R I DE R DAMIE N GIRARDIN P H OTO F RANK IE B E E S LOC AT I ON MAU I

DG: The forecast was for unusual swell so I planned to ride Hookipa. Unfortunately it was overcast, making the wind too light to ride, so I went back to work. A few hours later, the wind had come back but Hookipa was packed with surfers. Clouds mean awesome sunsets here, so I went down to Kanaha to kite. Franky was shooting some wingsurfing, and I squeezed in a few passes in front of him. They were some of my very first kiteloops since my knee surgery 18 months ago; they felt both awesome and frightening!

FOCUS

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R ID E R R O D R IG O R IOS PHOTO DAVID E B E R TO LI LOC AT IO N TA R IFA

RR: This was one of those sessions where everything aligned: no-one in Balneario, perfect 25 knot Levante winds, and Ocean Rodeo’s secret new Big Air weaponry to test. I dialed in so quickly to this new kite that I ticked off my entire list of tricks straight away! After two minutes on the water, I decided that this new ALUULA kite will be the next benchmark for Big Air – rock solid, incredibly fast and responsive, producing the biggest lift I have ever experienced in nearly 20 years of kiting!

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R ID E R JULIA N M E ISTE R PHOTO LUKAS P ITSC H/P ROI MAGEHUB.CH LOC AT IO N B E R GE R A L M, AUSTRI A

LP: The more promising snow conditions in Austria were one of the many reasons to leave our home spots in Switzerland and explore some new terrain in the Austrian Alps close to Innsbruck. It took us a few attempts to get the framing right, but Julian Meister definitely got the right path in front of my lens…

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RI DE R TOM B RIDGE PH OTO Y DWE R VAN DE R H E IDE LOC AT I ON C AP E TOWN

TKM: Tom has just dropped one of the craziest clips we’ve seen in recent times, with an insane number of “What the..?! How the..?!” moments. But getting to the top isn’t just about showing next level imagination and creativity, sometimes you’ve just got to show that you know where the nose of your board is… Here’s Tom pointing it out for Ydwer.

FOCUS

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R ID E R G R A HA M HOWE S AND NI CK JACOBSEN PHOTO YDW E R VA N D E R HEI DE LOC AT IO N C A P E TOW N

NJ: This spot is just outside Cape Town but I can’t say where exactly! It’s a salt lagoon which makes the water that color, not the ideal place if you have any wounds! The surface on the water is so smooth and soft. It makes it very different compared to kiting on the sea – it’s a strange experience…

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FOCUS

RI DE R H ANNAH WH IT E L E Y P H OTO MAX MAT ISS E K LOC AT I ON B RAZ IL

TKM: Hannah has proven her worth in all elements of the world of kitesurfing. Her Big Air game is top-of-class, she’s still got plenty going on the freestyle department and – as we see here – when it comes to getting it all lined up for the photographer, she has that dialed in too…

FOCUS

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RIDER LU KAS VOGE LTANZ PH OTO AL E X S C H WARZ LOCATI ON PAJE , Z ANZ IB AR

LV: We were in Paje for a week for the Flysurfer SONIC3 photoshoot but had poor wind conditions. Luckily we had one good day and managed to get all the shots we needed. Here I am enjoying a foot out on my Levitaz Aspect2.

Spending every free minute on the water gives me a feeling of freedom and as we all know: it’s always worth getting out for a session.

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FOCUS

Rit a Arnaus T A

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Rita Arnaus has been blazing a trail on the competitive scene for the last few years.

She has just competed in one of the few events to take place this year, the GKA Freestyle Super Grand Slam in Brazil, and placed second‌ Time to put her under the Tangled Lines microscope.

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

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Rit a Arnaus Adeuri Corniel

How have you got to the level of riding you are at today?

To be good at freestyle means effort, technique and lots of crashes! It has been a long process for me to be able to do the tricks I do today. Video correction helped a lot in the beginning, plus riding in different conditions to be consistent in my tricks. Also important is a good training program outside the water, to avoid injuries and to be able to go bigger and with more power in the tricks.

TKM

What has it been like missing out on a proper GKA tour this year, and how nervous were you going into the event in Brazil?

I missed it a lot that’s for sure. It has been a different year but it has also been good to finally have some free time to enjoy with family and friends. Luckily for me, the wind conditions at my home spot are really good in summer so I could enjoy what I like the most – kiting in any kind of conditions, and I also took some time to work on my fitness out of the water.

Regarding the event in Brazil, I was so excited and ready to compete, maybe a bit nervous at the beginning but I couldn’t wait for the competition to finally happen.

Youri Zoon

I guess it’s safe to say that as a professional athlete, whenever you sign up for a competition you wanna win or at least be the best version of yourself possible. But what are your other goals in kiting, are you happy where you are now or you are still pursuing something else?

TKM

Which other athletes inspire you?

I want to improve my level in each discipline that kiting offers. This sport is my passion and I want to keep pushing myself to see how far I can go, together with mental and body training outside the water. But most important of all I’m really happy where I’m standing right now, enjoying every single day in the water, sharing it with others, and riding as much as I can. I can’t get enough of it!

The athletes that inspire me the most are my parents. I have learned so much from them over the years; they are real water and outdoor sportspeople, not wanting to waste a single minute of wind or contact with nature. And that’s the key to success – enjoy, love, and appreciate the sport you do. If I had to mention another athlete that I admire it would be Kai Lenny. I enjoy watching him ride and ripping it at any watersport.

Johanna-Catharina Eden

Pippa van Iersel

where do you see yourself in five years?

Which result are you the proudest of, or which achievement in life?

I would like to become World Champion, that would be my biggest goal in kiting and to inspire, encourage, and help young kids to pursue their dreams. In five years I see myself traveling to the best kite destinations with my friends, organizing travel groups and kite camps as well as to keep evolving in the fitness world.

To be where I am right now is already a great achievement.

I can say I am proud of my determination, consistency and strong mindset that has led me to great results such as fourth place overall in the freestyle tour for two years in a row, second place in a few events, and with a large social media following.

What would be your dream project within kiting and

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TANGLED TANGLED LINES LINES LEGENDS LEGENDS

it a Arnaus

Annelous Lammerts

What is your biggest goal for 2021?

To improve my results from 2020 – having had two events this year where in both I got second place, means it’s time for a first place! With hard training and a good mindset, I’m going to work hard for it, but most important is to enjoy the whole process.

Alina Kornelli

MAIN

If you hadn’t become a professional kiter, in which field would you like to work?

Busting out some winning moves at the GKA event.

I can’t imagine myself in any other profession right now! I probably would have continued with windsurfing as that is what I was doing before I started kiting, or I wouldn’t mind becoming a sports journalist or opening a sports center.

TOP

Stoked with her podium place.

RITA ARNAUS

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TKM

Rit a Arna

How important is social media in the life of a professional kiter nowadays?

It really helped me a lot at the beginning of my kite career, to gain visibility and attract a brand’s attention. I think it’s a super important tool to use as an athlete – it’s a great way to promote yourself, the competitions, events, get closer to the audience and advertise your sponsors.

Pippa van Iersel

What is your favorite music before going into a session?

I love music and it’s a very important part of my life. Before going into the water I like to listen to something powerful and uplifting.

Maxime Chabloz

We all know that our freestyle career is coming to an end earlier than some of us would like it to. Do you already know how long you want to keep pushing freestyle for? And what are your plans after?

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TANGLED LINES LEGENDS TANGLED TANGLED LINES LINES LEGENDS LEGENDS

Yes, freestyle in kiting has a short lifespan indeed. As long as my body feels strong and healthy, I will stick to freestyle and competition. After that, I would like to help people to step out of their comfort zone to become a better kiter and the best version of themselves, probably organizing some kite trips and clinics.

TKM

Do you ride Big Air and do you think there should be a KOTA for female riders?

Yes, I also enjoy Big Air a lot; I still have to improve at it but it isn’t a closed door. My main focus is still the freestyle for now but I like strong wind sessions and to fly high. There should for sure be a category for female riders in KOTA.

Svetlana Romantsova

What is your favorite dish to cook?

Haha! After two months of lockdown at home I can say I really like to bake cakes. I discovered a really good low carb and healthy black beans brownie recipe and it’s my favorite of all.

Rit a Arnau

aus

Therese Taabbel

Do you get on well with the other ladies on tour, and who is your best friend on tour, ha?!

Yes! It is so beautiful to see how much support we give to each other on the tour. Over the past years we have built strong friendships, and I can say whole heartedly that I have my best friends from the tour, and you Therese, you know you are one of them!

TKM

What tips would you give younger riders looking to begin a kitesurfing career?

If it really lights a fire inside you, go and enjoy every single day in the water and try to give all you’ve got – every hour in the water counts. Everything you do with passion you will be successful and become good at. Kite with your friends and with people that ride better than you, and don’t feel bad asking for tips. ■

MAIN

The RPM propelling Rita to success.

AB OV E MIDDL E

Reflecting on a great day at Cauipe.

RITA ARNAUS

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Providenciales Island Turks and Caicos

Turks and Caicos in the Caribbean has been on our list for a while now, and after reading this enticing write up from World Class Kiteboarding Academy teacher Polly Crathorne, I think we’ll be booking our tickets as soon as travel restrictions ease‌

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ON THE LIST

“The consistently waist-deep

water made Long Bay a safe haven with endless space for

”

our team sessions.

The Turks and Caicos experience started before the wheels of our aircraft touched down. As we raced across the Caribbean Sea, miles of turquoise water stretched out beneath us, bejeweled with lush green islands edged by little white sand beaches. The excitement was mounting onboard our InterCarribean jet, laden with kiting high schoolers and hundreds of kilos of kite gear. The perfect little white caps being whipped up by the wind in the emerald sea below spoke to us of opportunity and sessions to come. We were bound for Providenciales or ‘Provo’, the tropical water sports paradise that was about to be the base for the World Class Kiteboarding Academy for the next six weeks.

We were met off the plane by Cameron and Kit Griffiths, island res-

idents and alumni of the World Class Academy. The young brothers are prominent members of the kiting industry – they offer lessons, coaching, and guiding, and you’ll find them in the water most days.

We sped along ‘Leeward Highway’ to Long Bay on the southeast side of the island. Providenciales is the most populous island on the archipelago and is well set up with plenty of supermarkets, restaurants and accommodation options. Our school program was based at the H2O Lifestyle Resort on Long Bay, the ideal campus for our traveling athletics High School. As soon as we had finished screwing the fins on our boards and wings on our foil masts we hopped in the water. The first session had us grinning from ear to ear as we navigated the aquamarine water in disbelief at the insane postcard-perfect color.

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“A

summer shorty can come

in handy if stormy weather

blows through, but otherwise you will be comfy in your

”

boardshorts.

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ON THE LIST

East-facing, Long Bay Beach is the main kiting hub for the northeast trade winds which blow in the summer and the frontal winds in the winter. So you normally get onshore or side-onshore wind. The beach stretches for 2.4 miles and the island is hemmed in by the world’s third largest barrier reef which makes Long Bay a huge expanse of shallow, crystal clear water with a clean, sandy bottom. Looking east, the flat horizon is punctuated only by the iconic shipwreck, La Famille Express, two miles offshore. The former Soviet Navy vessel, turned Caribbean cargo ship, drifted here from its mooring in Hurricane Frances in 2004. A fun expedition is foiling around the boat in a north-easterly breeze.

The consistently waist-deep water made Long Bay a safe haven with endless space for our team sessions. We found it was best to freestyle at low tide to avoid the bigger chop at high tide. On the northern end of the bay there is a sheltered point which provides a flatter spot for unhooked freestyle in easterlies. The bay is a foiler’s dream at high tide. One of our senior students, Simon-Nicolas Boucher, knew Long Bay like the back of his hand having spent summers on the island. He would do long tacks, covering kilometers each session. The shallow water meant my 100cm mast was suitable two hours either side of high tide, but you can cruise all day long on a 40cm mast. The bay was the perfect arena for our school race. We set out markers (temporary buoys made from milk cartoons and sand weights) in an Olympic-style course for the students to race around for first place in the WCKA Games, 2020.

Our school day in Turks and Caicos started at 6am with sunrise yoga on the roof or a swim in the calm morning waters. The self-catered apartments meant we could scramble eggs to our hearts’ content for breakfast (much appreciated by the hungry teen athletes). Our day of classes took place on our ‘campus’ at H20 Lifestyle Resort. After class, we piled onto the water and rode until sunset. The apartments are on the water’s edge, so it is a mere 20-meter commute to the launch spot.

The only challenge with this setup was coaxing my students into focusing on the Haitian Revolution in a history lesson, when kites were floating past the window.

On no-wind days, after class was dismissed for the day, we explored the various picturesque nature reserves on the island. A favorite spot for our students was Split Rock at West Harbor Bluff. We spent our afternoon at the limestone rock peninsular, complete with a good 10m cliff jump, stunning views from the point and friendly nesting Osprey.

There are plentiful flat-water freestyle spots on the island that you can reach by boat. We had a memorable kiting trip to Half Moon Bay Lagoon. The kite spot is accessible by boat via channels that run between Little Water Cay and Mangrove Cay. Our trip was courtesy of the Griffiths family, who have been coming to this freestyle spot for years. We dropped anchor at Iguana Island, which has some of the most beautiful beaches on the island. Countless iguanas watched on as the Griffiths busied themselves with the barbecue preparations and showed us their wizardry on foils. The flats made by mangroves were ripe for exploring and making this a freestyle heaven. Indeed, as Turks and Caicos seems to be a heaven itself…

Getting There Flights to PLS from Europe go through bigger Caribbean travel hubs like Antigua and Jamaica. Or from the USA, it’s just a two-hour flight from Florida.

Staying There H2O Lifestyle Resort is situated in the middle of Long Bay. Founded by two passionate water sports families, the villas are a luxury setup on kite beach. There is no public transport on the island, so if you do not want to rent a vehicle, staying on Long Bay means you are on the main kite spot.

In the Bag 12m and 14m for freestyle or 9m for foiling. If you are serious about surf, you’ll want your wave gear for the reef break on the North Shore.

Rubber A summer shorty can come in handy if stormy weather blows through, but otherwise you will be comfy in your boardshorts.

Beer The rumors are true: the wine list comes with a high price tag and so do the groceries which are imported. It is just possible to stick to a budget of $15 a day for food and the avocados are cheap. Top end restaurants line Grace Bay but it is also worth checking out the island delicacy of conch.

Most Likely to Hear Have you kited out to the shipwreck?

Least Likely To Hear That will be 50 cents please.

PROVIDENCIALES ISLAND, TURKS AND CAICOS

43

NK IN

PHOTOS THO MAS B U RB L IE S

O

O WILL

W

CORE RIPPER 4

T -R IVER

BOARD DIMENSIONS: 5’4 // RIDER WEIGHT: 80kg // RIDER HEIGHT: 185cm 44

I’M ON IT

One Eye, Mauritius is high up on the list for aspiring barrel seekers. We talk to Willow-River Tonkin, who is lucky enough to call it his local. Unless the waves are well overhead, he will generally go out on CORE’s ever-popular Ripper board, recently re-invented to make it more user-friendly in less than perfect conditions.

I have been riding the Ripper since the day I teamed up with CORE, which was about six years ago, so I can definitely say that I’ve had my fair share of barrels on it! I’ve been with CORE for almost as long as I have been kiting, and the only boards that I used before were my surfboards. So over the last six years I have developed my kitesurfing skills primarily on the Ripper.

I’ll choose my board for a session depending on the conditions.

If it’s six-to-eight foot and throwing massive barrels out at One Eye, I would generally prefer to take out the Green Room as I would like a faster, narrower and thinner board for racing a section and holding its line on a big bottom turn. But when it’s only around head high or smaller, that’s when I take the Ripper out for a ride.

Unless you are kiting six foot plus gnarly waves, then the Ripper should have you covered for most conditions! With it having slightly more volume and more width towards the nose, it really helps you follow through with your bottom turns as well as your top turns, especially when the waves are slightly mushy or if the wave doesn’t have too much push.

Different size boards play a huge role especially when it gets big. If I take a board that’s small and wide on a big day, then it is most likely going to bounce all over the place, become super unstable and probably slip out when I try to bottom turn. Taking a board that’s long and narrow would be perfect in big waves to hold your line, but generally wouldn’t work out the same on a small day.

You want a fast, snappy, reactive board when it’s small, so a Ripper or even a 720. That’s why it is crucial to make the right decision on what board to take when heading out for a session, because choosing the wrong board can definitely ruin a perfect day in the waves!

I have seen different versions of the Ripper over the years.

We have been experimenting with different shapes, new types of constructions, and also playing a bit more with different sizes. We have even dropped down to a 5’4 for all the ladies out there that have been asking for a smaller board. Thank you ladies – the 5’4 is my go-to size as well these days!

The biggest changes in the new Ripper 4 would have to be changing the tail from a rounded-pin to a swallow tail. This small change of the tail shape has changed the board drastically and made the Ripper way more playful, more user-friendly and also much looser, especially when you ride it a size smaller than you usually would.

I want to inspire others to push themselves on the water as much

as they can, so I love to ride gear that is accessible for both me and the average kiter. If I ride gear that is completely different and that is inaccessible to a fellow kitesurfer, then it may demotivate them.

I am constantly testing new prototypes – it not only helps im-

prove my skills but also benefits others when those prototypes come on to the market. I love being involved in testing and experimenting with all types of gear. And when it comes to boards, CORE definitely knows that I’m the guy to put the boards through the “breaking” test!

Small changes can make a huge difference when it comes to testing kites and boards, which is always interesting to see. My hat goes

off to all the kite and board designers out there that understand what tiny adjustments they need to make in order to change such small details and characteristics in a kite or board.

Since the lockdown ended here in June and we have been al-

lowed back on the water, I have had so many sessions they’ve blurred into one! Having One Eye all to myself and one or two locals for the last few months during peak season has been a dream! But you can all come back now – I want to see some new faces on the beach and on the water again, it’s getting a bit lonely over here… ■ CORE RIPPER 4

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MY BEA

C H

Den Haag NETHERLANDS

PH OTOS THOMAS ROOS

Who would have thought that a coastal maintenance strategy would lead to the happy accident of creating a kiter’s dream flat water lagoon? Stig Hoefnagel was lucky enough to benefit from this, and it probably helped him become one of the most exciting freestyle and Big Air riders on the scene right now, placing third recently in the Cold Hawaii Games.

46

MY BEACH

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48

MY BEACH

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

My first memorable experience of the beach was when I was about five years old. We would go to visit my grandma once in a while and at that time she lived in Den Haag, which is really close to the beach. During the summer months we would always go for a little swim when visiting her. I already knew how to swim but I’ll never forget the first time in the ocean – unlike an indoor pool or lake, all of a sudden there were big waves and the water was very salty!

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 K I T E S E S S I O N S ?

My first time seeing kiting and wanting to try it was on vacation in France. But my parents told me I was way too young and that the sport was way too dangerous. They bought me a little trainer kite but that soon got boring as I quickly got the hang of it. So I made myself a bar out of an old broom – that’s what all the big guys were using on the water, so that’s what I needed! After playing on the beach for hours my arms got really sore. Someone told me that ‘real’ kiters use a harness, so I made one out of string! After this vacation my parents told me that kiting was way too dangerous, that I needed to weigh more and that the gear wasn’t safe enough.

BOTTOM LEFT

Stig doesn’t need a car.

ABOVE

When I turned 13, four years later, they finally bought me a lesson. I was stoked, and knew that it was something I would be doing for a long time. I grew up next to a lake, so every time there was a bit of wind and I had the chance to go out, I would ride in front of my house. Flat water that was hip deep, and wind that wasn’t too strong, meant near perfect conditions to train freestyle. However it was also gusty most of the time and the lake wasn’t that big. Therefore I traveled to Den Haag a lot…

W H O E LS E D I D YO U R I D E T H E R E W I T H ?

After about half a year of kiting I met Rover who became one of my best friends and kiting buddies. We lived close to each other and were always keen for a session together. Most of our sessions would start very seriously, pushing each other to land new tricks and motivating each other to the max, almost like we were in a heat together. After all the serious training we would switch over and have so much fun trying the most stupid things – stealing each other’s boards or trying to crash the other one’s kite. This was a really important part of my kiting career since it really showed me how much fun you can have with a kite.

C A N Y O 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 ?

Den Haag is where I spend most of my time nowadays and it’s absolutely perfect for all the different disciplines. It is known for the Zandmotor, a big man-made lagoon. It creates the ultimate kite spot since the inside of the lagoon is flat and perfect for freestyle, and the sea side is perfect for Big Air and wave riding as the waves break perfectly over the sand banks.

Mini Stig and his Top (homemade) Gear.

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

ABOVE RIGHT

The lagoon changes every year, and some people think that it will disappear over time. But for now, it’s still the perfect playground!

Is it Jeremy Clarkson? No it’s Stig and Rover.

DEN HAAG, NETHERLANDS

49

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 ?

The perfect day for freestyle is probably an 18 to 20 knots northwest wind and high tide – the ideal combo for the best freestyle session of your life. For the ultimate downwinder or Big Air session you want a strong southwest wind with some big waves!

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 Y O U THERE?

I had a session recently that was hands down the best Big Air session of the whole year. Winter is here now and normally that makes it really cold and not enjoyable to ride. But we had one day where there was a good 40 knots predicted and 16 degrees, combined with a spring tide and a perfect southwester. All this together created the perfect recipe for an awesome session – one of the best training sessions I’ve had all year.

W H AT ’ S Y O U R F AV O R I T E M E A L A F T E R A S E S S I O N T H E R E ?

A big plate of pasta would probably be my ideal post kite session meal!

D O Y O U T H I N K Y O U W O U L D H AV E G O T T O W H E R E Y O U A R E T O D AY I F T H AT H A D N ’ T B E E N S U C H A F A M I L I A R S P O T ?

I think it really helps to get to know your own spot well. The conditions here vary so much and I think the reason for being where I am today is that the conditions are always so different. That’s what makes you a really complete rider who is prepared for almost anything.

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MY BEACH

I F Y O 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 Y O U L O V E B U T T H AT 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 B E ?

Apart from both having flat water, probably the opposite of my home spot is Brazil. There is no place I know that is as consistent when it comes to wind. There the wind blows from the same direction every day and you know exactly what you’re going to get, something that you can’t predict at home… ■

Rider: Jan Burgdoerfer Picture: Helen Fischer

Our freestyle flagship kite, the Eleveight FS, has a revolutionary Open-C design fine-tuned for staggering freestyle and big air maneuvers.

Sizes:

www.eleveightkites.com

51

RELI GION WAV E

CONNECTING THE LINES 52

4.5.6.7.8.9.10,5.12 Ph: Samuel Tomè - Rider: Carl Ferreira

#RRD

53

L E VA N T E , AVA N T E !

J OHA N N A- C AT H A R IN A PH OTOS SAMU E L C ARDE NAS

54

EDIN

There’s nothing like Tarifa’s strong Levante wind to blow away the cobwebs, which is just what Johanna-Catharina Edin needed when she headed there recently. Having signed with FLYSURFER earlier this year, she shares the, ahem, ‘stoke’ from her session there on her new STOKE kite, and shows us her strapless freestyle skills.

Before the events of 2020 I had been based in Tarifa for a few years.

But that all changed drastically, 10 days into lockdown in March. I packed my suitcase and left my apartment in a hurry. At that point I had no idea that it was going to be the last time I saw both the apartment and my then boyfriend. From that day on my life changed completely. I went from having a fully booked schedule of travel for the upcoming competition season to no travels at all, moving back in with my parents, ending a five-year relationship, and having a sponsor change.

Interesting times!

55

56

THE MISSION

Going back to Tarifa in July for the first time since lockdown and standing in front of a fully packed garage with my belongings was one hell of an emotional rollercoaster... A couple more months passed and at the beginning of October I was back in Tarifa for a week to host a camp. My life had slowly started to settle again and I felt pretty good having just moved to the Netherlands the week before. Knowing that I was going to have a good time at the camp made it easier to go back to Tarifa.

One morning I managed to take some time off to meet up with my friend and very talented photographer Samu. We were both running a bit late and only had an hour and a half at the spot Balneario before I had to start the lessons at my camp. The wind picked up quickly and I was powered on my 6m FLYSURFER STOKE together with my Malus Domestica 5’1 from Appletree, which always makes the pops and grabs stick easily. Samu snapped a few shots and as always I knew I could trust him to get the shots I was looking for.

Looking back on this recent trip to Tarifa, it was the start of creating new memories – where old doors close, new doors open… ■

LEVANTE, AVANTE!

57

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

CIT MODES / WAVE - ALLROUND - FREESTYLE 3 STRUT LIGHT FRAME FUTURE-C SHAPE RADICAL REACTION TIPS CORETEX® TRIPLE RIPSTOP CANOPY 6 YEAR WORLDWIDE PARTS & SERVICE AVAILABILITY

NEW

FOLLOW US ON

corekites.com | facebook.com/corekites | instagram.com/corekites | twitter.com/corekites

58

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

59

THE CANADIAN SESSIONS RE ECE

MY ER S CO U GH

PH OTOS MARC U S PAL ADINO

60

Sometimes you need to go for quality over quantity, so wave and strapless freestyle competitor Reece Myerscough decided to up sticks to a different part of Vancouver Island, where the wind might not be as consistent, but delivers up way better sessions.

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62

THE MISSION

You’ve heard this multiple times already in 2020, but here it is again: once Covid hit, I found myself living at home feeling like my riding wasn’t progressing like it needed to.

The conditions for kiting are fairly consistent in Victoria where I grew up. I can kite almost every day in the spring, summer and fall. But the wind never properly fills in on the surface of the water, making it difficult to do strapless freestyle, and it’s over an hour’s drive to the nearest breaking wave. Unfortunately, our other world class kiting location Nitinat Lake was closed off for the season due to the pandemic. I needed to get somewhere in Canada that had proper conditions year-round.

Tofino seemed like the solution. I had contemplated moving there before, but with all my traveling and competing it would have been impossible. The wind in Tofino is not as consistent as in Victoria; it’s windy maybe once or twice a week, but the quality of the sessions is much higher. The progression of my riding from one session in Tofino is basically worth 10 sessions in Victoria. There is some form of surf every day of the year and it’s only a five minute drive from the town to most of the beaches. There are a multitude of different beaches that you can kite based on your preferred conditions. You can ride offshore waves in one bay, onshore in another, sideshore at another, or go for flat water behind the spit. When the wind comes from one direction

THE CANADIAN SESSIONS

63

you’re riding frontside, when it comes from the other you’re riding backside. So when everything stopped, there was never a better time in the history of the universe to make the move.

I found myself landing in Tofino at the end of the summer, and between surfing and kiting I’ve been able to get in the water almost every day. The quality of the surf is pretty average most of the time but average is way better than nothing!

And every now and then everything lines up for some world

64

THE MISSION

class sessions. It’s definitely my favorite spot in Canada when it turns on.

The surf was pretty flat on this fall day and we were messing around trying to get some footage for a little video. I was decently powered on the 12m and spent most of the time doing speedburns and freestyle in the flats downwind of the spit. It almost felt tropical with the sun lighting up the green water and the pristine sandy beaches and rainforest in the background… ■

I N A S S O C I AT I O N W I T H

A PODCAST FOR KITESURFERS

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THE LATEST NEWS THE INSIDE LINE...

Jesse Richman Stig Hoefnagal Nick Jacobsen Sensi Graves Sam Light Jason Van Der Spuy

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Willow-River Tonkin Pete Cabrinha

COLIN Tom Seager Max tullettTom Hartmann Carl Ferreira Martin Vari Alex Vliege

Graham Howes Christophe Tack

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Mostafa Abbas Robby James

Gijs Wassenaar

Marc Jacobs Laci Kobulsky Damien Leroy Toby Braeuer

Rob Claisse

Ruben Lenten Annabel Van Westerop Aaron Hadlow Jake Kelsick Joshua Emanuel

Youri Zoon

Daniela Moroz

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Francesca Bagnoli

Mitu Andre Penna

Luke McGillewie

Lou Wainman

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Jack RiederClement Hout

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Kevin Langeree Shaun Bennett Jo Ciastula

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Tom Court Bruna KajiyaMegan Grant Maxime Chabloz Angely Bouillot

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Noè Font Ross Dillon Player Girardin Lasse Walker Damien Carla Herrera Oria

Aaron Hadlow Sam Medysky

Hannah Whiteley Craig Cunningham

Ben Wilson

Noè Font Michael Mac Donald kitesurf365.com

65

Profile

Nuno Figueiredo

In 2016 Nuno ‘Stru’ Figueiredo became the first kitesurfer to ride the formidable waves of Nazaré. The following year, also in Nazaré, he broke the Guinness World Record for the largest wave ever kitesurfed. Three years on we caught up with him when he again dropped into some giants there, as well as some perfect barrels just down the road at Supertubos.

PHOTOS HEI DI HANS E N AND JOÃO P E DRO ROC H A

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PROFILE

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W H AT I N S P I R E D Y O U T O R I D E N A Z A R É ?

H O W WA S I T R I D I N G T H E R E L A S T M O N T H ?

In the winter of 2012/13, I went to Nazaré to watch Garrett McNamara ride an enormous wave, videos of which went viral worldwide. Noticing that the wave was breaking far away from the cliff I could see potential for me to be in that position with a kite. My first session trying it was in January 2014, along with big wave rider and kiter, Rafael Tapia from Chile. After that I did several sessions riding waves with heights of two to five meters to understand the power and positioning, and I spent several weeks in the village. In April 2016, with my spotter and filmmaker Jorge Leal, and Sérgio Cosme on the safety jet ski, I rode a wave of 12 meters and showed the world that Nazaré was kite-able.

From then the feeling grew in me that I could go bigger, and on the 8th of November 2017 I dropped into a 19-meter bomb.

Last year didn’t work well for wave riding at Nazaré as the wind direction was more onshore, although I did have some crazy sessions with a twintip, achieving a jump of 24 meters for a Cutty Sark Whiskey campaign. So after that, quarantine and a summer of giving kite lessons and wave clinics, I was super excited that the beginning of winter brought some storms with good surf – Nazaré started to fire. On the 3rd of November the wind was around 25 knots and increasing, and the surf was still good to make some bombs, so I decided to go for it. I took my P-Unit 5´11 8kg strapped surfboard. It felt great to experience the speed of this insane wave once again and to feel so small and insignificant in another dimension – that is what makes Nazaré so special.

When you see a set coming that is the same size as your kite lines you know that you are in another world.

HOW DID IT FEEL TO BREAK THE GUINNESS WORLD RECORD FOR THIS?

Setting a Guinness World Record was just a bonus – my goal was to do it for myself. I knew I could do it and not trying it would be something I would regret for the rest of my life. I knew that after showing it was possible to ride Nazaré with a kite, others would attempt to do it. Being there on the same day that Rodrigo Koxa broke McNamara’s record for the biggest wave surfed, on the same day that Andrew Cotton broke his back in a wipeout, and on the same day that Rafael Tapia told me he had the worst near-drowning, made this experience even more radical.

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PROFILE

AW E S O M E . A N D D O E S I T E V E R G O W R O N G F O R Y O U T H E R E ?

Well in this particular session I ended up having my worst wipeout there. I misjudged my drop speed and got a huge lip in my head. My first thought was that the kite would collapse because of the combined downward forces but as soon as I felt positive bar pressure I did a kiteloop to get out of this situation. Even so the foam was still sending me towards the beach with a lot of power so I downlooped the kite – that worked and made me reappear and continue my session. My jet ski partner showed up when I was already up and riding and I just gave him a thumbs up! Only when I was back on dry land and watched the video did I realize how I had steered the kite under so much force and under dark water. It was pure survival instinct!

NUNO FIGUEIREDO

69

W H AT S T E P S D O Y O U TA K E T O S TAY S A F E T H E R E ?

First you need to spend a lot of time there to understand the three mutant spots without a channel. You need to train your apnea skills and mind set, have a good jet ski driver and a good spotter, and only go in if you feel really confident. It’s easy to watch the videos, see the 30 seconds of wave riding and think that you could do the same – well, be my guest!

I T H I N K W E ’ L L L E AV E I T T O Y O U … S O , H O W D O Y O U G E T O U T T O T H E WAV E S ?

I usually go one kilometer upwind from the spot, start from the beach and just jump through the waves. Outside the underwater canyon the waves break at the forecasted swell size, for example, last week the forecast was 4.1 meters with a 14 second period – that means four to five meters at my entry spot, but around 15 meters in the canyon! To get back to the beach I point a bit upwind towards the third mutant spot and exit on Praia do Norte Beach. Last year in a super gnarly storm I exited on Praia Sul to the south because the wind was not trustworthy.

Y O U ’ V E B E E N K I T I N G AT N E A R B Y S U P E R T U B O S A S W E L L T H I S W I N T E R – T E L L U S A B O U T T H AT.

This winter season started really well. In two days I managed four impressive sessions. Supertubos is my favorite wave in Portugal. Riding barrels with a kite is just mind-blowing. I started to surf in 1991 and my goal was always to get inside the green room. When I started kiting in 2001 my idea was to score waves even when it was windy. In Supertubos I understood that I could achieve these goals. The best conditions are when you will find me there! I prefer not to advertise it too much because kiters have already died there… It is a super gnarly wave with gusty wind and very strong tide currents. It might look easy and perfect in the pictures but is not. I have ridden at One Eye, Mauritius, in four to five meter waves that I would say are equivalent to one

70

PROFILE

and a half meters at Supertubos. Be ready to destroy boards, kites and hopefully not your head!

I G U E S S Y O U M U S T H AV E I T T O Y O U R S E L F Q U I T E A L O T ?

Not quite! The kiters also have to consider the prone surfers there. I have made good friends with the local surfers over the past few years, and as I show a lot of respect for the people that are paddling, they sometimes allow me to take some waves in the main spot. For outsiders my advice is to stay away from the main peak, and kite in the fast right-hand wave in front of the parking area but you need to have the right skill level. I have seen a lot of guys full of confidence going in and getting pounded and almost hitting surfers. I know that the first accident will mean kitesurfing ends up being banned, so for anyone riding there I would say: first and foremost, please respect the surfers.

S O , A L L T H I S T O P - L E V E L K I T I N G R E Q U I R E S T O P - L E V E L K I T. H OW I S T H E E L E V E I G H T EQ U I P M E N T WO R K I N G FO R YO U ?

Eleveight is a brand owned by surfers that kite and that makes a huge difference. The WS Wave Series is an awesome kite that gives you confidence to ride the gnarliest waves ever. The bar does not have a rubber depower rope so allows you to turn and adjust power at the same time, and the quick release works like a car seatbelt so if you release you can reload really easily. Board-wise the Curl 5’10 is the perfect board for Supertubos because it is very fast and accelerates well inside the barrel.

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

My plans are always a bit secret… But I can say that I want to continue with my project with Cutty Sark, the slogan of which is ‘the spirit of adventure’ – so I am planning an island kite trip to search for barrels as soon travel conditions allow, and I’ll continue with my crazy Nazaré sessions, and maybe do something different at the same beach, but I can’t say anymore... stay tuned and follow my work on social media! ■

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THE A-SERIES

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FLITE A-SERIES

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sizes: 12, 14.5, 17m

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CAR LOS MAR I O

~ Gallery ~

02

G K A F R E EST Y L E SU P E R G R A N D S L AM WORDS JANNE VOLLERT PHOTOS GKA / SVETLANA ROMAN TS OVA

74

GALLERY

01 01

Covid tests were mandatory and safety precautions were adhered to meticulously in order to keep everyone safe and healthy. The results speak for themselves, not a single case among athletes or crew!

G KA FRE EST YLE S UPE R G RAND S LA M

01

COVI D T EST

The GKA have been going to Brazil for many years but this was the first GKA SuperKite event in Ilha do Guajiru, a tidal lagoon with flat water and kickers, a few hours north of famous Cumbuco.

The level of riding at this event was out of this world with some of the highest overall scores ever achieved in a competition, and tricks never landed in a contest before. The focus of the judges was on quality and attention to detail when it came to the execution of the tricks. Congratulations go out to all competitors for displaying the highest athletic standard and outstanding sportsmanship, as well as compliance with the sometimes-difficult rules and regulations in place to keep everyone safe and healthy in the Covid pandemic.

GKA FREEST Y LE SUPER GRAND SLAM

The GKA Freestyle Super Grand Slam took place in mid-November, in Ilha do Guajiru, Brazil. It was great to see the crest of Freestyle talent back in competition action.

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All eyes on the action so no trick is being missed by the GKA judges. Ilha do Guajiru provided the perfect location and infrastructure for an epic freestyle competition, with flat water in the lagoon directly in front of Hura Beach.

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Bebe is back! Everyone was stoked with the return of Carlos Mario, who rode with power and confidence but wasn’t back to old form yet after a long injury.

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M ANO EL SOARES

Her riding is out of this world, but her eyes were firmly on the prize: Freestyle World Champion Mikaili Sol wins the GKA Freestyle Super Grand Slam and takes home another title.

Young Brazilian Manoel Soares is rising through the ranks – from Junior Vice World Champion to third in the world in 2020!

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Pippa van Iersel boosting – the Dutch rider has got an appetite for Big Air and we can’t wait to see where it’s going to take her!

Claudia Leon has shown an impressive competition placing fourth overall, with her playful spirit shining through at all times.

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Maxime’s performance this year has been mind-blowing – he won both the GKA Distance Battle and the GKA Freestyle Super Grand Slam, now ranking first in the world, but he didn’t stop there.

Maxime also took two spots on the podium at the first-ever GKA Hydrofoil Freestyle event in Brazil.

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Fortunately, Juan Rodriguez’s smile was the only thing that proved contagious at the event. The Colombian rider had never before made a final, and he couldn’t stop smiling about his fourth place.

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ERI CK AND ERSO N

Determination, focus and hard work are the ingredients in Rita Arnaus’ recipe for success. She’s currently ranked number two in the world.

It was a joy to see so many Brazilian talents at the SuperKite Brazil this year, pushing freestyle riding to another level entirely. Erick Anderson from Cumbuco delivered style and scored big, earning him a well-deserved second place in the world ranking!

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T HERESE TAAB B EL

Oh, Liam! Scoring the first perfect ten we saw in this competition for a perfect Back Mobe 7, everyone was prepared to see Liam Whaley in the finals. But an injury shattered everyone’s expectations and unfortunately he had to withdraw from the contest before the semi-finals.

What a warrior this woman is! Fighting hard and flying high, Therese Taabbel injured her knee in the semi-finals and had to withdraw from the competition.

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The two unlucky ones. Little did Therese know at this point when helping her friend Liam, that two days later the same fate would befall her. Best wishes and speedy recovery to these two fighters!

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B E ACH VI B E S

Good vibes despite the odds.

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The youngest athlete in the competition at 12 years of age, Davi Ribeiro is sure to make a splash in the years to come. Watch out for this kid!

Nathalie Lambrecht had every reason to be happy with her performance.

Alex Neto made sure the Brazilian flag was well represented, sporting his green and white jersey and yellow boardshorts throughout the competition.

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PAULA NOVOT NÁ

Three times Polish Champion Katarzyna Lange making it look so easy. Her powerful wakeboarding style impressed the judges and the crowd and earned her a place in the final.

Pure wind energy – Paula Novotná, a force of nature on the water, paused her training for the event to make her way to Fortaleza to compete in the GWA Wing Foil Super Grand Slam. A true waterwoman!

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This guy had the biggest surprise in store for us, when he was eliminated before even reaching the semi-finals – Adeuri Corniel was struggling with light wind and tough competition from the Brazilians he was matched up with in his last heat.

FLY OVER WATER

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Congratulations to the winners of the GKA Freestyle Super Grand Slam 2020: Maxime Chabloz (Switzerland), Erick Anderson (Brazil), Manoel Soares (Brazil), Juan Rodríguez (Colombia), Mikaili Sol (Brazil), Rita Arnaus (Spain), Pippa van Iersel (Netherlands), Claudia Leon (Spain)

Cracking open the champagne bottles on the podium is almost mandatory.

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elevating sensation.

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hyper HIGH PERFORMANCE FREERIDE/BIG AIR 7m / 9m / 10m / 12m / 15m

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1 // F-ONE Bandit S2 The second outing of F-ONE’s more surf-focused Bandit has seen the kind of refinements we expect from F-ONE with their countless hours of riding and prototyping. Changes for 2021 include a focus on the profile skin tension and the trailing edge design and construction, with the new profile offering improved stability and responsiveness. The center strut for this year is shorter with fatter wing tips so the handling is more reactive and you can maintain your flow as you follow the S2 down the line of another dreamy right hander…

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2 // CrazyFly 2021 Sculp The new 2021 Sculp has had a solid rework for 2021 and maintains that accessible do-it-all vibe but with more performance ‘on tap’ when you need it. 2021 sees an all new eight point short fixed bridle for the Sculp, which has been fine tuned for kite loops ensuring that it turns quickly with a tight turning radius and maintains that confidence-inspiring tension in the lines as it catches you after a kite loop.

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3 // North Astra North move into something-for-everyone territory with the Astra. Recognizing that lighter riders can struggle with stiffer boards, the Astra has a more responsive flex for lighter or smaller build riders. The Astra’s shorter length, narrower stance and basalt technology coupled with the medium flex brings the refined performance of the rest of the North board line up to riders who may previously have struggled to impose their freestyle ways on a stiffer stick.

4 // Mystic Gem Jalou Developed with Mystic teamrider Jalou Langeree, the Gem Jalou borrows the top-tech of the Roven composite Bionic Core Frame (as found in the Majestic), but with a specialized female shape for women to shred in. With soft neoprene edges, Knitflex and Fix Foam, the Gem Jalou gives you maximum comfort which makes it great for wave riding – be that double-overhead One Eye, or waist high mush at your local…

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QUICKLOCK HOOK

SINGL E H A N D ED EA S Y H O O K -IN NE X T LEV EL S A FETY T h e n e w p a t en t p e n d in g lig h tw e ig h t Alu m in iu m Qu ick lo ck Ho o k is ou r n ew est r e vo lu tio n a r y ta k e o n k ite h o o k s.

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5 // FLYSURFER PEAK4 V4 of the PEAK is leading the charge for progressive backcountry kiters. The insane potential of climbing steep slopes in the lowest wind speeds opens up a realm of otherwise impossible opportunities.

Why hike for six hours, when you can kite in 20 minutes? The PEAK4 focuses on safety-optimized technical features and further improves the strengths of the single-skin foilkite concept with progressive depower, direct steering and insane stability which is exactly what you need when you are at the top of a mountain…

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6 // Eleveight RS The RS is Eleveight’s versatile three-strut delta-hybrid machine. It’s the essential kite in every brand’s line up these days and needs to provide performance without threatening to tear your arms off. The RS is designed to cover a massive wind range and Eleveight have been focused on improving upwind travel and on the precise, fast, and smooth turning characteristics that the kitesurfing public expect from this kind of beast…

7 // Airush Slayer

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The term ‘one board quiver’ is often knocked around… And when you think that nowadays that one board might have to meet the needs of more than one sport then things get really challenging. Enter the Slayer. A surf board, a foil board and a strapless freestyle board all in a travel-friendly bombproof construction. You will get on the water no matter what.

8 // Levitaz Cruizer Pro Compared to the inception of the sport of foiling where you had one foil option from most brands, things have shifted in the opposite direction with a bewildering number of wing options now on the market…

Levitaz aim to offer the best of all worlds with their Cruizer. It offers the versatility of a multitude of wings in one package. Plus with the new Pro configuration – with its shorter fuselage and smaller stabilizer – you have the option of a faster and even more reactive foiling experience.

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FREESTYLE MATCH MADE IN HEAVEN MEET THE HARLEM PRO - AN OPEN-C FREESTYLE KITE - AND HARLEM ROCKER BOARD. ONE OF THEKITEMAG TEST TEAM’S FAVOURITES OUT OF 47 BRANDS. FOR UNHOOKED KITE GODS AND RIDERS THAT LIKE FUN.

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9 // RRD Obsession Y26 RRD are out of the blocks for Y26 and the iconic Obsession is front and center as always, promising precise unhooked freestyle and sublime Big Air performances. The latest iteration provides consistent stability through the power stroke, giving you the confidence to inject a little bit more juice when you feel the need, without worrying that you’ll take things too far…

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10 // Lieuwe Custom Offer On the last Friday of every month you can get a unique piece of Lieuwe ‘custom art’ for the price of a standard board. Lieuwe have a strictly limited number of boards available for this offer, so set yourself a reminder and bag yourself that one-of-a-kind dream board...

11 // Duotone Daytona DOS D/ LAB Despite the delay to this year’s Olympics, the planning for 2024 has not been impacted, and amongst the certified foils, is the Daytona DOS D/LAB. Not one for the feint hearted, the Daytona DOS D/LAB is designed to travel around a racecourse as fast as is physically possible – this is the F1 of kite racing – and is a no compromise foil for elite riders. The good news? You may not be able to ride this one, but all of the tech developed for it will filter down to the foils that you can…

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12 // Slingshot Rally GT The Evolution of the Rally continues, with the GT V2 focused more on accessibility and versatility, with improved turning speed and upwind performance. At the heart of the V2 is a new pulleyed bridle configuration that also ensures better range and improves the relaunch compared to V1.

13 // Ion Apex Curv 13 The Apex Curv 13 features ION’s thermal composite Curv material known for its light weight and great durability. Sitting relatively stiffly at #13 on ION’s ‘flex index’, all loads are distributed evenly through its stiff 3D pre-shaped center part, with the flexible side parts allowing great freedom enabling you to break out your most badass moves on the water…

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Tahiti Four times waveriding World Champion, Keahi de Aboitiz, calls Hawaii home. But even the most highly regarded destinations in the world don’t always deliver waves, and summer in Hawaii generally yields smaller swells. So Keahi missioned it to Tahiti to catch some barrels. Lucky chap‌

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The age of Covid has been a very interesting time for all of us. If you’d told me last year what 2020 was going to be like, there is no way I would have believed you and I’m sure most people would agree. For me it’s the least I’ve traveled in as long as I can remember. Thankfully I had finished filming for my latest film, Tunnel Vision, just in time and got a lot of the travel out of the way before lockdown.

From March until September I spent the whole summer in Hawaii, something I’ve never actually done before, and there was definitely a part of me that enjoyed it. It was nice having a relaxed schedule with nowhere to be, and not stressing about missing swells since I couldn’t get there anyway, and I had a blast doing a lot of winging and foiling.

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ture again. I wanted to do it properly, so rather than a typical strike mission for a quick trip, it seemed like a good opportunity to drop anchor for a while. Tahiti struck me as being the perfect place to do that. It was a good time to hang out at the end of the road and live the simple life, making the most of the last of the summer swells while getting ready for the Hawaiian Winter. I loaded my bags for every water sport I could fit in, and flew over to spend a month and a half out at Teahupoo, making the most of whatever the ocean dished up.

Surfing wise, I’ve always had a problem choosing rights over lefts so this was the perfect opportunity to work on backhand barrel riding and get ready for winter. Although I didn’t get any giant mutant swells, I pretty much had non-stop fun waves and that’s all you can really ask for. There’s something special about having the tools to make the most out of whatever conditions get thrown at you, and I spent pretty much every day on the water one way or another.

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Not sure who gets the ‘most critical position’ award here. Probably the photographer.

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The commute.

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No, this shot has not been squashed, Keahi really has squeezed himself into that barrel!

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You may have to pay your dues to the reef, but when you get one like this it is all worth it...

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“Although I didn’t get any giant mutant swells, I pretty much had non-stop fun waves and that’s all you can really ask for. There’s something special about having the tools to make the most out of whatever conditions get thrown at you, and I spent pretty much every day on the water one way or another.”

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“I was stoked to line up with Chachi on a few epic shots, and it was a bonus having a few good memories to look back on. �

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Now, this really is ‘quality time’ together...

Eyes on the next section - it had better watch out..

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Moona heading for the hills.

Yup, Moona got the best barrel shot of the trip..

Moona came out to join me for a couple of weeks, and although it was pretty limited for wind on this trip, we did score a couple of epic kite sessions to cap the trip off. The area is truly one of the most beautiful places in the world, and getting a proper kite session out there is about as good as it gets. I had some solid beatdowns, a lot of trips through the lagoon, and a few Tahitian reef tattoos to take back home with me, but it’s always worth it in the end. I was stoked to line up with Chachi on a few epic shots, and it was a bonus having a few good memories to look back on.

Now it’s time to focus on the Hawaiian Winter and with a few big swells right around the corner I can’t wait to see what the season dishes up! ■

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F-ONE usually spend their annual product launch photoshoot in exotic places, but the pandemic meant they hit up Corsica instead, and we’re glad they did as it’s one of the most photogenic places we’ve ever seen. Marcela Witt tells us about the trip. She was also the first woman to kite big Nazaré and the first woman to kite Antarctica, so we asked her about that too…

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I grew up in a family of sailors and started kiting when I was 14 years old. Since the beginning I have always pushed my limits, first in competitions, then doing long distance downwinders. I realized that getting a podium place wasn’t the most important thing for me – what I love most is doing new things, discovering new places and having experiences that are out of the ordinary. In 2016 I attempted to kite in Antarctica. While I knew it wouldn’t be easy, that motivated me even more. I left Ushuaia, Argentina, on a small sail boat and spent five days sailing with nine other people who didn’t know anything about kiting. After a few days waiting for the conditions that would allow me to get into the water, I found myself pumping my kite on a boat in the middle of icebergs with a super thick wetsuit, and at this moment I knew that all the work I put in to get there was worth it. Kiting in Antarctica was one of the most incredible, challenging and unforgettable experiences imaginable. I knew this kind of experience is what I love and want to live for.

I was super stoked to sign with F-ONE in February and be invited on a two week boat trip round the south of Corsica. I see the team as a big family; being part of it is very special. This trip was my first time in Corsica and I fell in love with the place – the island is very beautiful with crystal clear water and fantastic landscapes. The wind was not as constant as in the places I usually travel to for training, and one of the biggest challenges for me was to do strapless freestyle in light wind. But being on a boat with friends in such a beautiful place, especially after not kiting much through lockdown, made it all worthwhile.

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Three sheets to the wind.

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Valley parking.

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THROUGH THE PORTHOLE

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I love boat trips – waking up and having a coffee on the deck, sailing from spot to spot in search of good conditions, taking a shower outside, chatting away in the evenings with no screens or phones, not wearing shoes for many days… Plus, if you want to meet someone for real, go on a boat trip – sharing a small space with someone can be very difficult, but it can also be a lot of fun! For me the most special thing was to be able to live it all with friends.

Trying the new F-ONE collection that they had been working on all year and taking part in the photoshoot was awesome. I’m completely

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Living on the edge.

in love with the Bandit S, especially the 9m. I love how it works in the waves and how it helps me during strapless freestyle tricks; I feel it is helping me improve my riding a lot. The Shadow is my favorite board for waves and the Magnet my favorite for strapless freestyle, both with the Bandit S. The photos have turned out amazing. I love how the same thing can be seen and photographed in a thousand different ways – I really like all the different results and how they say a lot about each photographer. I loved adapting myself to each of them and I learnt a lot.

It was also great to get the chance to try winging on the trip. It is my new passion and I can’t believe I didn’t start it before. Plus, it was much easier to rig on a boat than a kite! Since the Corsica trip I have spent 40 days in Ceará, Brazil, and I split my time between kiting (training strapless freestyle) and winging. I think this is the sport of the future and can’t wait to wing on real waves!

I’m now in southern Brazil with some friends training waves. We are in a difficult time to make plans but what I would like next is to focus on Nazaré. I am passionate about kiting and big waves so being able to combine these two passions is something I have been thinking about for a long time. I think big wave riding is still very niche in the kite world but I believe that this will grow a lot. It is incredible to be in a place like Praia do Norte and to be able to surf that kind of wave with a kite.

Living outside my comfort zone has always been a motivation so I want to get used to the conditions there and kite on bigger days… ■

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MAUI Jesse Richman’s permanent base on Maui meant his North photoshoot potential was unscuppered by the pandemic.

He still managed to deliver the eye candy, as well as these mighty fine words reflecting on home, family, life, good vibes, surf gear and the importance of waveriding to him.

PH OTOS DAYANI DHI DAS , F IS H B OWL DIARIE S AND F RANK IE B E E S

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This year tested us all in so many new ways; what a crazy time to be alive. Maybe, in the end, it will be good for the planet or perhaps it will be the end of it. I personally believe that life will go on because, as terrible as humans can be at times, we’re pretty freaking resilient, and we have an impressive capacity to adapt and evolve. Amid the great pandemic, most things on my schedule vanished entirely; one event that held firm was the 2021 North surf shoot. The shoot was scheduled to occur on Maui with the North kitesurfing team, but like everything this year, the original vision got blasted out of the stratosphere and into oblivion. When the world went into a never-before-seen state of lockdown, it became clear that Jalou Langeree and Camille Delannoy were not going to make it to Maui. So, we did what we do best and adapted to the conditions. The North design team sent out all the new 2021 surf equipment to Jalou, Camille, and me to test and shoot it from our respective corners of the globe.

Hawaii is like no other place on earth, it emanates an indescribable feeling. If you’ve been to Maui, you will know what I’m talking about – there’s something special in the air here. I know I have a strong bias being from these islands, but everyone who comes here feels it too; there’s just... something! As soon as you land on Maui, you can smell it, you can feel it, the energy flows throughout your soul, and the chill Hawaiian vibes permeate every fiber of your being. I’m fortunate enough to call Maui home and have had the pleasure of growing up here. I got given a kite at a young age and was immediately hooked.

Learning to kite in the early 2000’s was totally out of control. It was a mess of dangerously rudimentary gear coupled with insane conditions

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and not a safety measure or concern in sight. I got to watch kiting evolve at the core of its origin, seeing as many of its visionaries pioneered the sport, right here at Kitebeach. When you head down to the beach from Haiku, the town where I live, there’s a turn where the ocean comes into clear view – if upon rounding that turn, I see roaring surf and nuking wind, I can’t help but yelp with excitement. Testing wave gear here and on the rest of the island is a dream come true.

The shoot was meant to take place in April, and although it’s around the end of the Hawaiian wave season, it usually has some killer kitesurfing days. Unfortunately, the Covid delays hit the kite factory hard; April came and went and nothing got shipped until mid-May. I was pretty nervous about what we might end up getting, condition-wise, as we are hard-pressed to find incredible kitesurfing waves on Maui between May and October. But as soon as I got my hands on the kites in Hawaii, mother nature looked kindly upon us and sent the island conditions that were as good as it gets. We had a series of swells come in that produced mind-blowing waves, peaking around 18-foot faces, paired with perfect 25-knot winds. I assembled an incredible team, Franck Berthuot (@FrankieBees) on stills and Quincy Dein on video.

With these guys, I had the utmost confidence that we would crush it.

The scene here in May is usually pretty cool; the weather tends to be perfect for mellow kiting with sun, wind, and small waves. Over the years, I’ve met many great people who come to Maui to kite, and tons of them choose May as their month to come here, but this year was different. With our borders closed and tons of people not able to work,

“The scene here in May is usually pretty cool; the weather tends to be perfect for mellow kiting with sun, wind, and small waves.�

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the beach was packed! All the beach car parks here were closed, so to get to Kitebeach, we had to park way down the street and hike in with our gear. It ended up creating the most badass vibe at the beach. All the local kiters that made an effort to come down brought with them an excess of stoke. But, when shooting new gear we try to avoid crowds, so we had to set our eyes elsewhere. We went all over the island, searching for the best conditions that we could find. Anytime you explore Maui, it reminds you how much beauty there is here and how incredible it is to drive through the luscious jungle to find a pumping surf break. This year, it’s been rather magical to have Maui without many tourists.

To show up and see extraordinary conditions with just a few friends, brought back distant memories of growing up on the island when there were way fewer people around. It felt nice to be isolated in the

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middle of the ocean with no one really coming or going. Life simplified and slowed down in a relaxed way. Not to say that I don’t love tourism here; one of the beauties of kiting is that we are pretty good at sharing the ocean, and I find there are usually friendly vibes amongst kiters worldwide. If people are respectful and cordial to their fellow riders, all are welcome in my book.

Overall, the shoot was an incredible experience, mainly because the 2021 North surf gear is the best performing gear I’ve ever tried. It all felt very intuitive and, in that way, gave me more freedom. The kites were always there with support at the exact moment when I needed it, but they also never held me back; they afforded me the liberty and fluidity to focus entirely on the waves with confidence. The gear felt clean, crisp, and refined. My favorite surf sessions tend to be pumping down-the-line surf with the North Charge and the Carve. I have always been into the 5’7 Charge strapless, but this year I got the bug to go bigger, so I went smaller – I put straps on the new 5’5 Charge, and wow, this board felt so fast, precise, and explosive. It inspired me to take my strapped kitesurfing game to the next level. There is a time and place for both strapped and strapless kitesurfing, and I’m so amped to have this new 5’5 pocket-rocket of a board with straps in my quiver, especially after so many years of reserving strapped kitesurfing for only big waves like Jaws.

My vision in the next few years is to evolve strapped kitesurfing by injecting more amplitude. I know that we are nowhere near the limits of

“My vision in the next few years is to evolve strapped kitesurfing by injecting more amplitude”

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the sport and that there is so much more we can do on waves; we have really only just scratched the surface. I joined North Kiteboarding because I wanted to be part of a team that pushes our sport’s limits and creates the equipment of the future, today. Every year we see the limits pushed and the boundaries broken. I don’t define kiting’s equipment progression with specific demarcations or landmarks but more of a consistent evolution at an exponential rate. Every year kiting makes considerable gains in terms of riding level and equipment; I’m just so excited to be a part of the sport at a time like this where there is such exceptional equipment for every type of wave you can find. I’m sure kitesurfing will go in so many different directions, with none being lesser than the rest. Riding waves and all of it is purely for fun and enjoyment, so whatever makes people the happiest is what I want to see.

As they say, the best rider on the water is the one having the most fun.

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Although waveriding provides me with hours of fun, I’m also into other disciplines and what I do each day depends on the conditions and my mood. Some days I feel a freestyle or Big Air monster inside that is chomping at the bit to go huge. But when the surf is on I am driven straight to the ocean swells. I don’t keep track of the specific percentage of time that I spend on a particular style or even a sport, for that matter. I choose to do what I do based on the conditions at hand, whatever is best suited for the day. The sports that I love are all condition-dependent so deciding the day’s activity is up in the air until the last second. If there’s strong wind I’ll go for Big Air, while wind and waves means waveriding, or if there’s no wind I’ll surf. If the waves are only small I might wing or foil surf, and light wind of course means kite foiling. If there is no wind or waves I sometimes do mountain biking or even paragliding or freediving. I wake up each morning and think how lucky I am to be healthy, in a safe environment, and have loved ones around me, and I remember how amazingly fortunate I am to be alive. And while I’ll think about what fun activity I can do for the day, I also think about what I can do to further progress the projects that I’m working on and to help people around me.

It’s not just Covid that has changed my life recently – I now have a daughter. Becoming a father has been a fantastic journey. Never have I felt love like this and cared for anything so much. I find myself extremely motivated to always be the absolute best version of myself. I want my daughter to look to me and see the man that I want to be and know I can be. I have always tried to do that, but now the stakes are higher than ever before. Loving my family and enjoying each day with them is the greatest; I feel so lucky to have my amazing fiancée Juliette and our adorable daughter Lou and taking care of them and enjoying each moment together will always be the most essential aspect of my life. That said, I want to inspire the world to be the best that they can be, and my vessel with which to do that is a kite and a smile. The balance between kiting and family is something that’s going to continue to evolve and, with Juliette and Lou by my side, the world is our oyster. (And if Lou chooses to pick up a kite one day and jump on a surfboard, who am I to stop her…) ■

MAUI MOMENTS

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ScEnic RoUtE

RRD rider and multiple podium placer Kari Schibevaag takes us on a rambling adventure through the stunning Norwegian Fjords. Think camping, bonfires, paddle boarding, cold water swimming, and some kiting of course, but with a bit of a twist‌

P H OTO S : L A R S KO R VA L D U N L E S S S TAT E D

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The Atlantic Road in Norway, with its snake-like shape, is a feat of engineering as it runs over the sea, with eight bridges connecting small islands to each other and to the mainland. This road has been considered one of the most beautiful in the world, and when you see pictures of it, it just looks amazing. I have been fixated on this road for quite a while and every time a picture of it came up it had me thinking how cool it would be to kite there. I knew it wasn’t an ideal kite spot as there are no good launching places, but the idea of being out there in the sea, admiring the massive structure and watching cars cross the bridges, was so enticing and a challenge I just had to pull off.

It was June and I was in Stavanger, my hometown, starting my way north to the Lofoten Islands. I was planning to stop at the Atlantic Road on the way up to see if it was possible to jump in the sea there. I had stopped by it on my previous trip down south, but the weather had been impossible for kiting. The view was amazing though and I knew I had to come back. I am always checking the forecast of the places I want to visit, to see if it’s worth stopping or if it’s better to just keep on going north or south. There are so many places I want to visit in Norway, and although it isn’t a big country, it is good to plan ahead as it is long and fragmented. But it is such a cool country as its geography has created unique landscapes with hidden gems, with so many spots for kiting, winging, paddle boarding and hiking.

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First up was a visit to Loen, a small village situated deep in Nordfjord, close to the Jostedalsbreen National Park. In pictures this place looks amazing for paddle boarding and camping. You can camp close to the blue water that pours down from one of the many glaciers of the Park, and hop onto your paddle board right next to where you camp – just perfect! One of my friends, Tine, also wanted to visit Loen and we met on the road just before it. The road in is narrow and it is always a bit scary to drive the camper van on roads like this, but luckily I’m used to narrow roads. We found a great spot close to the sea to camp and the weather was amazing. With the sun shining, and the water blue and flat, we were both excited to be there and get in the water. It was freezing cold as we expected since it comes from the glacier, but we had a swim then got the paddle boards ready and went for a paddle around the lake. It is so beautiful… Life felt good, with delicious food at the beach, paddle boarding, hikes to the glaciers and to an old farm in the mountains, and just relaxing with no people around as it was the off-season. We had some beautiful days together before I had to head further north and Tine headed home.

I then picked up Marcela Verdugo, a good friend who is from Chile but living in Norway. She’s a kiter, a mountaineer, an adventure girl just like me, and we work really well together – the best kind of friend.

We headed to Ålesund, a pretty city beside the sea on the west coast. It

LEFT

A Norwegian hobbit settlement.

MIDDLE RIGHT

Tine and Truls.

BOTTOM RIGHT

Truls the dog sporting his impact vest.

Photos by Tine and Kari

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TOP LEFT AND BOTTOM RIGHT

Kari has one of the biggest smiles in the industry.

BOTTOM LEFT

Marcela feeding her Obsession.

Photos by Marcela and Kari

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THE SCENIC ROUTE

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“This road has been considered one of the most beautiful in the world, and when you see pictures of it, it just looks amazing. ”

is not a small city, but this time we had no time for city life. There are many things to do in the area and there is almost always wind. Vigra Island, a 15 minute drive from the main town, is the place for kiting.

After a kite we made dinner, had a bonfire at the beach and watched a magical sunset.

The next morning we headed on, happy to be on the road together.

Marcela was in charge of checking the forecast and it was looking good for kiting. She told me to hurry up so we would get the best of the wind. We stopped at Farstadsanden where the wind was side-onshore and perfect for kiting. We jumped into our wetsuits in no time and Truls the dog was running around the beach, being our Baywatch lifeguard. After a few hours in the water having fun we headed back to the camper to get some food and continue our way towards The Atlantic Road.

I have to admit I was a bit excited about the idea of trying to kite there.

I didn’t know if I could do it, but I had dreamt about it for some time already and I just had to try! My friends Lars and Henrikke were there to take pictures and fly the drone. We got there just in time for the perfect light and luckily there was also wind to kite. Marcela helped me get in the sea safely and Lars was filming with the drone. The wind was a bit light, but it was amazing to be out there looking at this famous road from the sea. What a view, I think I will remember this session for the rest of my life.

That evening was special, the sunset was like a dream and the food tasted extra good with the company of good friends around the camper and the smile I had on my face was even bigger than usual. What a day it had been… ■

LEFT

Kari’s red camper van enjoyed the adventure too.

ABOVE

Kari jumps for joy.

Photo: Marcela Verdugo

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Sicilian Lemonade When life gives you lemons, make lemonade.

So says CrazyFly team rider, filmmaker and photographer Laci Kobulsky, who gave us the lowdown on the 2021 CrazyFly product photoshoot. This would normally take place in tropical climes, but this year happened in Sicily instead. Seems an adequate substitute to us.

WORDS AND P H OTOS L AC I KOB U L S KY

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It was late January

and plans were set for the photoshoot in Egypt in May – we booked flights, hotels and a boat – life was sweet. Two months later and the world was in chaos: borders closed, flights canceled, and orders stopped. We had no idea what to do, and given the situation, we not only canceled the 2021 photoshoot, but put the whole 2021 product line on hold. No orders means no business, and we had absolutely no idea what would happen.

ABOVE

Laci didn’t visit Slovakia’s fishing ponds to catch trout.

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A couple of months later things were looking a little brighter. We realized that just maybe we could come out of this alive. People started to crawl out of their homes and do fun stuff again. I did some kiting in my home country Slovakia for the first time ever, and boy was I surprised at the beautiful spots we have. Sure, conditions were not always on par with Brazil’s standard, but safe to say I scored a few solid sessions. One spot in particular took my breath away – it was a small fishing pond my friend Erik found on Google Maps under the High Tatras. I took a few nice shots there and suggested the idea to the CrazyFly team of doing a mini photoshoot in our home country.

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To my surprise they told me they were actually super busy! They had not expected it but suddenly the orders came rolling in. Apparently, instead of going on vacation people were deciding to invest in new gear. CrazyFly reinstated the 2021 line, but like some other brands, divided it into two releases – one summer release and some products for the winter. I looked forward to receiving the new products to shoot.

Producing a new range of products after a pause takes some time and the new gear arrived on my doorstep in mid-July. The problem is that summer tends to have very light wind in Slovakia, so the wait began.

We had one day with possible wind and we went for it, but unfortunately it was not really strong enough. We could just about ride and got some ride-by photos, but this was far from a proper photoshoot.

THE SPOTS WE FOUND WERE REALLY SICK AND I’M NOT SURE WE WOULD HAVE FOUND BETTER CONDITIONS FOR KITING EVEN IN THE CARIBBEAN.

“

At the beginning of August I had to travel to Sicily for a job, so I suggested taking the new gear along. In Sicily things were looking more like the normal world so I called CrazyFly headquarters and requested some riders to shoot with. Given the restrictions, we could not bring the star Posito Martinez from the Dominican Republic, so the job fell on Liloo Fourré and Alex Meindl. I quickly drafted a plan on where to go – I wanted more remote spots with some nice color in the water so we could get some of that tropical vibe! In fact, the spots we found were really sick and I’m not sure we would have found better conditions for kiting – even in the Caribbean.

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For two days we went to a place called Capo Feto in western Sicily, with nice shallow water and steady wind, and one day we had stronger wind at a wave spot called Puzziteddu, although we had no waves on that day.

On a normal photoshoot we have more people to help – a photographer, filmmaker, assistant, driver and so on, but now we were down to three people – Liloo, Alex and myself. Sure, it was quite relaxed not to have our bosses looking over our shoulder, but when it got windy, things got hectic. We took turns behind the camera, holding the flash, flying the drone, kiting, driving and cooking (well, mostly restaurant choosing…).

All in all, we had a great time and to be honest it was a nice change to have a smaller, more relaxed photoshoot. But I am really looking forward to next year, and have my fingers crossed hard that the world is in a better place so we can yet again venture to some paradise location and discover new spots. See you at the 2022 photoshoot! ■

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HERE

Just one day after Liloo and Alex left Sicily, Murphy’s Law saw some strong wind come in. Laci did a shoot with Alby Rondina and Alby captured this shot of Laci’s mini loop.

SICILIAN LEMONADE

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BIG PICTURE

Slingshot have been busy! They have now launched new twintips, a second version of the Rally GT plus they have an all-new construction for their surfboards and, after two years of extensive research and development, all-new carbon hydrofoil packages. Their coffee machine has clearly been doing overtime…

YO U R N E W S U R F B OA R D S B OA ST A N A L L - N E W X R CO N ST RU CT I O N . E X P L A I N T H E N E W L AY - U P .

The new XR construction is an evolution of our popular hybrid EPS construction that yields improved response, snap and lightweight performance. Using bamboo and carbon reinforcements we found a magical combination of weight and strength, providing higher performance with a true surfboard feel that can handle all the rigors of kiting.

G I V E U S A S U M M A R Y O F T H E VA R I O U S S U R F B O A R D M O D E L S AND THEIR INTENDED USES.

The Celero XR is our most versatile all-round surfboard. This ‘quiver-of-one’ board delivers controlled progressive performance in anything from serious waves to river swell and even flat water. The modern curvy outline and winged squash tail make the Celero XR extremely responsive when turning, as well as maintaining speed, along with a tri-fin thruster to keep you tracking down the line with confidence. Due to its stability, this is also a great board for riders who usually ride a twintip and are looking to get into riding a surfboard, or

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riders who are moving to strapless riding.

The Mixer XR delivers maximum performance in smaller marginal surf, and is designed to transform small surf into a dynamic playground for all riders to enjoy. Combining a higher volume with a technical shape and winged rounded pintail, this board provides a surfboard feel in smaller, less powerful surf and lighter winds. The Mixer’s quad concave bottom and five fin configuration creates a versatile board that’s easily customizable, depending on conditions and personal preference.

The Sci-Fly XR is the best board we make for boosting and strapless freestyle, perfect for riders who want a progressive shape to take their surfboard riding to the next level. The short nose reduces swing weight making airs and shuv-its easier, its parallel rails reduce drag and increase speed through the water to create pop, and the progressive winged diamond tail gives control and drive with a clean release off the water when sending a punt!

The Tyrant XR provides drive and control in heavy surf, and is a

contemporary refined surfboard for true wave performance. This hard-charging wave slayer has a rounded squash tail and a tri-fin thruster set up for superior snap and release off the top, whilst being able to manage your turns and speed through the sections. All of our surfboards feature an FCS II system for performance and ease of use.

W H AT ’ S N E W W I T H T H E M I S F I T A N D A S Y L U M T W I N T I P S , A N D W H AT S T Y L E O F R I D I N G I S E A C H D E S I G N E D F O R ?

We are excited about the new hot sheet 10k carbon stringer in the Asylum for even more pop. Then the Asylum is the choice for 2x world champion Carlos Mario for performing freestyle maneuvers.

The tip and tail channels and chined rails offer loads of drive which make it great at going upwind as well as boosting big air – this is the hard-charging freestyle favorite… The Misfit is our best-selling twintip and it is by the far the most versatile, easy to use twintip in our range that can take you from zero to hero, featuring Koroyd cutouts in the tip and tail that not only reduce weight, but look badass too! For 2021 we have refined the outline of the Misfit V10 to reduce spray and cut through chop even better.

YO U ’ V E A LS O I N T RO D U C E D T H E LU N A B OA R D, FO R S M A L L E R R I D E R S . H OW D O E S I T CO M PA R E T O T H E M I S F I T ?

We borrowed some DNA from the Misfit and tweaked the outline to dial it in better for lighter riders. Featuring Naco Tech channels and a single concave, the Luna’s narrow body makes it easier to hold down more power for riders that need a little added leverage.

W E I N T E RV I E W E D YO U L A ST I S S U E A B O U T YO U R N E W S U P E R N AT U R A L M U TA N T B O A R D . F O R T H O S E T H AT M I S S E D I T, G I V E U S A N O V E R V I E W.

The Super Natural is a different breed of twintip – it’s a modern take on the vintage mutant board with a six-fin setup. A directional shape offers a different feeling with more grip in the tail for tearing the face off some shore dump or loading up for a boost, without compromising riding both directions – perfect for someone who fancies carving around and hacking the odd shore dump wave without giving up the twintip. Check out Sam Light’s video to see what it can do…

S L I N G S H OT

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boards

LUNA

ASYLUM

MISFIT

S U P E R N AT U R A L

CELERO

MIXER

S C I - F LY

TYRANT

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KITES

S E N T RY CO N T RO L B A R S L I N G S H OT

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A S P A R T O F T H E R E L E A S E Y O U H AV E T H E S E C O N D V E R S I O N O F T H E R A L LY G T. H O W H A S I T C H A N G E D T H I S Y E A R ?

We are really pleased with the evolution of the Rally GT. For the V2 we have dialed the kite to be even more user friendly with improved turning speed, upwind performance and water relaunch. We tapered the diameter of the leading edge to be smaller and more efficient, which allows the kite to move more quickly through the window, resulting in lighter bar pressure and more performance. It has a new bridle configuration that has better range and even more stellar relaunch than the V1, also by integrating pulleys into the new bridle it steers and responds faster. This is the easiest kite for learning and progressing, and the ultimate all round kite.

YO U R N E W B A R S O U N D S E XC I T I N G ! T E L L U S M O R E .

We are proud to introduce the pinnacle of kiting control systems: the Sentry V1 – click-in chicken loop meets intuitive auto-swivel, line untwisting in the new state of the art control bar. We tried to combine comfort, performance and dependability into one elegant design that gives riders a cleaner, safer bar, featuring new softer EVA grip, as well as PU coated center lines to allow for smooth and effortless bar travel with added durability. The reduced weight of the bar improves the

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kite’s performance. We are stoked with this above-the-bar depower that we think is one of the most comprehensive and intuitive systems on the market.

O U R T E ST T E A M LOV E D T H E U FO. H OW H A S F E E D B AC K B E E N SINCE RELEASE?

We have been really pleased with the feedback from the UFO. The lightest LEI kite we have ever produced is changing the foil game – just ask Fred Hope! Tailored for true foiling performance it has more drift and power control than any other kite in our range whilst packing up incredibly small. It works in harmony when foiling with our new Phantasm foils!

W E ’ V E E N J OY E D T E ST I N G T H E N E W FO I LS ! T H E Y ’ V E H A D A L O N G G E S TAT I O N P E R I O D . T E L L U S A B O U T T H E F I N A L P R O D U C T Y O U ’ V E A R R I V E D AT.

A hydrofoil is one of the most dynamic pieces of equipment that you can use on the water, and the most innovative piece of equipment to emerge in the past few years. Never before have all watersports been connected in this way where one common piece of equipment links them all. The hydrofoil has revolutionized each of the sports that it

has touched and now our Phantasm foil platform will revolutionize the way we think about this incredible tool. Tony Logosz once said, “how you ride defines what you ride”. This mantra is something that the whole Phantasm line was developed around.

This modular plug and play, build your own system is the future of the sport and supports the evolution of your foiling progression. It allows you to build your dream foil setup. The Phantasm line allows you to choose exactly how you want to ride by offering a product based on your foiling needs rather than the other way around. Many brands offer foils built for the masses and how they think you ride.

The Slingshot Phantasm line is built specifically for you, the unique individual, and can be customized to your riding style. It allows you to opt into exactly what you want from your foil. It allows you to do this while offering the most state of the art technology and construction techniques offered in a foil system. The Phantasm Dreamline brings with it the stiffest and strongest mast in the industry, the Double-Shot 12k Carbon Mast. It also features the strongest and most versatile base connection in the industry, the AMP Base. It features the most premium carbon as well as the highest-grade aluminum alloy fuselage and all-titanium, corrosion-free components – this foil will last as long as your foiling addiction. The Phantasm Dreamline also includes three new distinct wing categories that are supported with 17 new state-of-

the-art wings designed by Tony Logosz.

CO N S I D E R I N G T H E E X P LO S I O N I N P O P U L A R I T Y O F W I N G S U R F I N G C A N YO U E X P L A I N W H I C H ( I F A N Y! ) O F YO U R FO I LS Y O U W O U L D C O N S I D E R ‘ K I T E O N LY ’ ?

Tony Logosz is from the future – he knew foils were going to change the game! We are not labelling any Phantasm foils ‘kite only’ as any of the wings can be interchangeable across sports and disciplines, different wings have different applications.

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

The feedback has been amazing; we have meticulously tested with our design and supply team in Hood River as well as working with our top athletes in each discipline and sport, taking input from kiters, windsurfers and wingers alike!

Y O U H AV E C L E A R LY B E E N V E R Y, V E R Y B U S Y ! D A R E W E A S K I F THERE IS ANYTHING ELSE IN THE PIPELINE?!

We have an all-new RPX kite, faster and lighter than its predecessor as well as our lightest high-performance carbon fiber twintip called the Formula! Watch this space… ■ S L I N G S H OT

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With new kites, surfboards, twintips and foil boards in their 20-21 range, it’s exciting times at Cape Town based Airush Kiteboarding. We spoke to Brand Director Clinton Filen to find out more about the products and their team.

P H OTO S C R A I G KO L E S KY, KY L E C A B A N O, S A M C A R D E N A S A N D S A M U E L TO M É

Y O U R 2 0 - 2 1 R A N G E H I T T H E S H O P S R E C E N T LY. C A N Y O U TA K E U S T H RO U G H T H E D E V E LO P M E N T C YC L E FO R YO U R P RO D UCTS?

Our traditional process is to work from a range plan, where we look at key new ideas that we have, along with market trends, and see which products we can offer to service these. We also look at key new products that we could introduce, and the status of long-term projects, as bigger developments can take quite a few years of refinement before being added to the range. Depending on each designer’s specialization, or if there is something they are passionate about and want to champion, the new projects are designated between each designer. From there we review progress often, as a design team, and every three months we will update and review with the whole company.

This year Mark Pattison focused on two key new kites, the Lift and Session. They are both completely new models that have been received incredibly well so far. The range of surf directionals has been transformed, and I developed a full new range of surf shapes, including a completely fresh Cypher and Mini Monster Convert. After joining our design team just over a year ago, Dave Kay has developed three key twintips, and we release the new Apex line, along with a few key foil

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boards, as his first board range with us.

It has been an exciting year with some significant challenges along with many key new products, so we look forward to seeing how the market responds.

S O D K H A S S LOT T E D I N TO T H E T E A M P R E T T Y W E L L?

Dave Kay (DK) is an incredible product designer. With a unique combination of knowledge, enthusiasm and focus, he maintains a very technical approach from his engineering background but is still absolutely hands on. He will take an idea, from programming the software that designs the product iteratively, all the way to the final finishing coat or assembly. His primary design focus at Airush is twintips, control systems and hydrofoils, but we work as collaboratively as possible.

Adding DK’s energy to the collective has been a positive shift, as he really compliments the design team. Our kite designer, Mark Pattison comes from a classic sailmaker’s background where he can design and build kites, wings and sails from the ground up, while my background is from a more industrial design and surfboard design perspective. DK has a unique design insight and a fascination with riding things that

he has designed and built. This plays an important role when testing new product. He is also incredibly supportive of young new designers coming into the company and is always happy to share his knowledge.

Specific to the twintips, DK has completely redesigned the new Apex range for this year. He has championed the introduction of basalt fiber into our twintip range for 2021, with the Apex’s being constructed from basalt and basalt carbon. Basalt fiber technology requires less energy to produce than glass and significantly less than carbon fiber, resulting in a lower carbon footprint, along with increased performance over traditional glass fiber in all aspects, and improved impact resistance than pure carbon. While designing the Apex range, DK also carried over some tremendous improvements on the components under the AK Durable Supply Co. label.

YO U M E N T I O N E D T H E N E W S U R F B OA R D S I N YO U R RA N G E T H I S Y E A R. H OW I S T H E L I N E U P LO O K I N G N OW ?

Within the dedicated surf range, we have three new shapes: the Comp, the AMP and the Cypher.

The Comp is your performance down-the-line shape – this focuses on maneuverability and high-speed control. We developed this board

with Oswald Smith in Cape Town and Charlie Wise in Australia – this gives you an idea of the conditions the board was developed around.

In the final testing phase they went to Indo and Mauritius to really put it through its paces.

The new AMP is possibly my favorite board within the range as it is super versatile. I worked with Reider Decker (US Wave Champion) from Cape Hatteras, to create a board that does everything from strapless flatwater riding, through onshore, to perfect surf conditions. So, it is really the ultimate all-rounder.

Moving in to the onshore and pure strapless riding, we developed the Cypher with Kiko Roig Torres who epitomizes the ‘new school’ of strapless riding. He wanted a board that was super stable at speed, compact for aerial maneuvers and still versatile enough for European wave conditions. He seems pretty happy!

TA K E U S T H R O U G H T H E I R C O N S T R U C T I O N .

We offer two constructions in the pure surf shapes: these are Reflex Wood and Reflex Carbon Innegra.

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FOIL BOARDS

The Reflex Wood combines progressive flex in a durable sandwich construction. Our lightweight fused EPS core utilizes a unique molding process to create an extremely light center with dense outer skin.

This is reinforced with high memory cork in the standing area and a full wood sandwich top and bottom. The Reflex Wood shapes all have footstrap inserts with the option of a straight or angled front center strap.

The Reflex Carbon Innegra is the lightest performance construction on the market, with optimum flex and response. Like the Reflex Wood, it has a light center with dense outer skin. This is then sandwiched with a recycled high-density PET sandwich and durable Carbon Innegra top deck, with a biaxially oriented Carbon on the bottom. This configuration optimizes strength, minimizes weight and maintains maximum flex. The Reflex Carbon Innegra models all ship without footstrap inserts or pads, and we have worked with our partner accessory brand, AK Durable Supply Co., to offer a range of traction from ultra-thin full deck pads to glue-on footstrap inserts.

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T H E R E A R E S O M E E XC I T I N G D E V E LO P M E N T S W I T H YO U R N E W F O I L B O A R D S . TA L K U S T H R O U G H W H AT Y O U H AV E O N OFFER.

We have been exploring the freeride foil discipline (or Freefoil as we like to call it) and have noticed that there are these intersections where riders connect with a category, then diverge into a more personal style as they advance. Of course, this is based on personal riding experiences, local conditions and ultimately, your personal style.

Looking into the range, one of our benchmark products for the season has been the Team Foil board. It is compact, easy to handle and ultra-light due to our premium Carbon Innegra construction. The Foil Skate is a more minimalistic twintip style construction in a foil board shape. It sits closer to the water compared to higher volume boards, making it easier to get going if you’re used to riding twintips. The smaller size includes low drag foil inserts, and optional fin connections, giving you the choice of traditional skate style directional riding, when your foil isn’t connected.

KITES

Then we have crossover models such as the Mini Monster Convert and the Slayer, which blend wave performance with the option of a foil, and we have developed a lightweight low drag foil insert system for this. The Mini Monster Convert is our performance fish for light wind riding, foiling and smaller wave surfing. The compatibility of using either a foil or fins make it perfect for travelling. The Slayer is a completely new addition this year, as ideal for foiling as it is for strapless freestyle and it even rides well in waves.

Within the freeride and Big Air space we introduced the new Lift – this is a higher aspect five strut design focused on freeride boosting and Big Air.

TA K E U S T H R O U G H Y O U R K I T E R A N G E A N D W H AT S T Y L E O F RIDING EACH KITE IS FOR.

For pure freestyle we have the Razor – this multiple World Championship winning kite is developed by Alex Pastor, working closely with our new crop of freestyle riders.

We have launched five new kites for the 20-21 season that cover every possible riding style from early stages of learning through to Big Air, along with lightwind, wave riding, foiling, and freestyle between. Kite technology makes leaps and bounds each year, and at any one time we have a few different materials in development and testing.

From a freeride perspective we offer the One which is a single strut, and the Lithium which is a three strut Delta hybrid. The One is most suited towards lighter wind and gustier conditions, and crosses over into foiling, due to the lighter weight geometry. The Lithium is our legendary freeride machine with over 10 years of ongoing refinement, designed to be super fun to use, combining everything you could possibly want in a single freeride kite.

Moving into the wave freeride space, the new Session Kite has been introduced to cater to a broad range of riders from pure wave specialists, to all around freeride. The Session is the only kite on the market that is delivered with the options of interchanging between a fixed bridle for a more direct feel or the v3 pulley bridle for a more on/off feel and greater depower.

For the rider looking for a freeride freestyle blend, the Union was developed with seven times Canadian champion Sam Medysky. We focused on a kite that was looping and jumping oriented but also at home with pure freestyle and park riding.

Finally, we have the Ultra, originally developed as a lightweight concept kite, which is for traveling and foiling. This has become one of our best-selling models and is the kite that defined the single strut market.

W H Y H A S T H E S E S S I O N R E P L A C E D T H E WAV E K I T E ?

This was a challenging change for us, as the Session essentially replaced the Wave kite and the Diamond kite. Both of these had a very strong following and had been through many years of refinement. We discovered that the general wave customer was looking for more versatility, specifically in the ability of the kite to jump, but also freeride and foil.

At the same time, we had to achieve this versatility, without losing the dedicated wave performance. Through working with a broad test team, we ended up with an amazing product that is suitable for the wave purist as well as the freerider.

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

Our kite construction did not undergo any major changes this year; this is largely due to the huge level of reliability we continue to have.

We have some of the lightest kites on the market, without sacrificing durability, thanks to the load frame and our material partners in Japan and Germany, along with a constant focus on quality manufacture.

Our WebTech minimizes or replaces the traditional Dacron reinforcement by channeling the broader loads into the Load Frame through a web ‘subframe’ of UHMWPE or Ultra High Molecular Weight Polyethylene. This is featured in key areas such as the primary attachment points on the leading edge or the rear attachment points, while also being used to support structural components such as the center strut.

Each version of the Load Frame is designed specifically for each kite model to optimize the spread of load on the canopy.

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

The collective is at the heart of Airush. We treat team riders as an integral part of the company, so most of them have key models of product that they are directly involved with testing and developing. Our aim is to design products that the riders are passionate about riding. The collaboration and relationships the riders have with the design team is a vital part of the process and how they work together. Many of them have designated models that they work very closely on. For example, Alex Pastor drives the development of the Razor and Victor Hays focuses on the Lithium.

In other cases we work with a group of riders, as this brings their specific riding perspective to each model. For example, in the Session kite, Ozzie is very focused on the pure down-the-line aspects, while Reider and Alexia want it to do everything, and Kiko wants it to jump.

So, through their testing and feedback we end up with a well-resolved product that has the broadest range of high-performance use.

“Our aim is to design products that the riders are passionate about riding. The collaboration and relationships the riders have with the design team is a vital part of the process and how they work together.”

T E L L U S A B O U T Y O U R S U S TA I N A B I L I T Y P R O J E C T S ?

Alongside innovation and durability, one of our passions is developing a more sustainable business. So, there are quite a few aspects we focus on.

We are part of a coalition of organizations involved in the development of the climate park named after the Norwegian explorer and early environmentalist, Thor Heyerdahl. For every kite or board purchased from Airush Kiteboarding, we will plant and nurture a mangrove tree to maturity within the Thor Heyerdahl Climate Park. Each of these incredible mangroves can potentially absorb over one ton of CO2 over 20 years, whilst protecting the low-lying coastlines from stormy weather and tsunamis, and increasing fish production. As a group (we are part of a privately-owned group called Sestar, including brands Starboard and Severne) we have planted over 500,000 mangroves so far.

We have teamed up with Sustainable Surf to develop a full line of directional surf and foil kiteboards working to the Ecoboard fundamentals of a measurably reduced carbon footprint, renewable, recycled and/or upcycled material inputs and optimizing materials and processes that reduce toxicity during manufacturing. As a base material for our surfboard and foilboard cores, EPS can be easily recycled during manufacture and afterward, whilst being less harmful to produce.

At the same time, the EPS core is typically lighter, allowing us to put a tougher outside skin onto the board to increase the lifespan. EPS requires an epoxy skin, and typically epoxy resin has five times the strength of polyester because of its molecular bonding. These boards are all constructed from bio resin systems that reduce greenhouse gas emissions by as much as 50% over conventional petroleum-based epoxy, and replace petroleum-based raw materials with renewable plant-based materials.

We are also constantly looking for alternate materials that can create more sustainable products. For example a few years ago we teamed up with one of the leaders in recycled fabrics with Waste 2 Wear. They recycle 100% post-consumer plastic bottles into eco-friendly fabrics.

This unique process involves turning environmentally damaging waste into usable, sustainable yarns.

We renovated a turn of the century building into the Airush headquarters in Cape Town, incorporating progressive insulation to limit the heating and cooling requirements, and installing LED lighting.

Through the installation of solar panels and advanced battery systems, we have reduced our overall electricity demand from the power grid by over 70 percent and our carbon footprint by an estimated 7.5 tons per year.

Possibly most importantly, we really believe in developing durable products that can deliver long term performance, along with well resolved designs that keep you stoked for as long as possible. ■

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ELEVEIGHT

Eleveight’s range has expanded extensively since they first started a few years ago. With a long history of kite development behind them, they now have a complete product range.

We asked them about the technology that has gone into the Master C+ (their high-end twintip), their Curl and Escape Pro surfboards, and their XS Big Air kite.

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Y O U R E C E N T LY B R O U G H T O U T A N E W KITE, THE XS (EXTREMESERIES), AIMED F O R B I G A I R U S E . W H AT T E C H N I C A L F E AT U R E S M A K E I T S U I TA B L E F O R T H I S A N D H E L P I T W I T H S TA N D T H E E X T R E M E FORCES OF BIG AIR?

When we developed the XS our aim was to create a very playful kite that excels in Big Air sessions as well as in powered freeride sessions. The DNA of the kite is the result of a two-year long development process, where we tested and refined each parameter extensively. Everything about the XS is fine-tuned for massive big airs.

The result is a five-strut delta hybrid design, with an explosive lift and long hang time. We chose the five-strut DNA to ensure an ultra-sturdy frame that can withstand the extreme forces and deliver stability in all situations. We paid special attention to the turning characteristics. A kite that is made for extreme action needs a constant and fast pulling turn that instantly reacts to steering impulses. The XS also features a high aspect ratio with medium sweep of the wing tips, which provides constant power in all conditions and guarantees a massive hang time.

We back up our technical development with quality workmanship and prime materials, like our X4 ripstop canopy from Techno Force and XT high tenacity cloth for the inflatable structure.

BIG AIR ASIDE, HOW DOES THE XS CROSS OVER FOR OTHER DISCIPLINES?

The XS is a powerful high-performance kite that exceeds in Big Air but is also a fantastic and playful freeride kite, made for a vast range of riding styles. The design parameters give the XS a fantastic low-end performance, with a wide sweet spot that comes in handy for all sorts of hooked freeride riders that want to cover a wide range of conditions.

YO U R M A ST E R C + T W I N T I P I S T H E LIGHTEST AND MOST PERFORMANT FREERIDE TO FREESTYLE CROSSOVER T W I N T I P I N Y O U R L I N E - U P. TA L K U S T H R O U G H T H E T E C H T H AT H A S G O N E INTO MAKING THIS HAPPEN.

Essentially, the Master C+ features a full layer of spread tow carbon on top and a full layer of BIAX carbon on the bottom. As a result the board is lighter, but more importantly carbon changed the performance characteristic of flex, torsion and rebound. The Master C+ has a faster release and generates more pop. The board reacts more comfortably in choppy and gusty conditions and makes it easier to ride in this situation.

TELL US MORE ABOUT THE BOARD’S RAILS.

The Master range features our innovative Parabolic Rail Shape (PRS) that sets a new benchmark in twintip rail design. The key idea of the PRS rail is a tucked under edge, a concept that is well known in surfboard shapes. We adjusted this idea for our twintip range. The PRS rail has a thin rail in the tips, as a thin profile results in better grip and pop during take-offs and landings. The thickness of the rail increases in the feet area and has a tuckedunder-edge in the center part. The general concept of a tucked-under-edge is that the board sits slightly deeper in water. This creates a much better upwind performance and grip, less spray, and more comfort especially in choppy conditions.

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TELL US ABOUT THE CONSTRUCTION O F YO U R P RO S U R F B OA R D S, T H E C U R L P R O A N D E S C A P E P R O , A N D TA L K U S THROUGH THE CARBON FLEX TECHNOLO G Y.

The aim for our surfboard range was to deliver the distinctive surf feel and buoyancy of a true surfboard but we optimized and adapted the construction for kite-powered riding. The construction features a classic wet layer surfboard composition with a medium density PU form. But we blend this traditional construction with our innovative Carbon Flex Technology (CFT) with an integrated Innegra/carbon vector grid and carbon stringer. The CFT technology makes all our Pro boards much more durable but also creates a more responsive flex and feedback for the rider.

W H Y H AV E Y O U U S E D C A R B O N S T R I N G ERS IN THE BOARDS?

Our carbon stringer has two major advantages. On the one hand it is a further reinforcement of the normal wood stringer, which makes the boards more durable and increases longevity. On the other hand it creates a more reactive and slightly stiffer flex pattern, which is needed for kitesurfing.

WE HEAR THE CURL PRO AND ESCAPE PRO ARE HAND SHAPED IN PORTUG AL. W H AT B E N E F I T S D O E S T H I S B R I N G ?

We chose this production facility for different

reasons. Firstly, our R&D team is also located in Portugal and we could establish a very responsive communication between us and the manufacturer. The production of prototypes is very efficient, and the testing is made around the corner in one of the best kitesurfing spots in Portugal. Secondly, local production gives us a certain level of flexibility in the order process – we can react better towards the general demand and different size requirements.

W H AT K E Y F E AT U R E S O F T H E E S C A P E PRO HELP IT MEET THE DEMANDS OF THE STRAPLESS FREESTYLE MARKET?

The shape is optimized for this specific target market. The noseless shape has a much shorter rail line to minimize drag and help with faster rotations. The channels on the wide nose and tail provide more waterflow to generate drive and speed but also help with the landing of very technical freestyle maneuvers. The low rocker line guarantees early planing in all conditions and light wind. The construction

combines the highest quality materials for the perfect mix of control, comfort and durability. We focused on strategically placed reinforcements to decrease points of high stress such as fin boxes and the front foot area.

W H I C H O F Y O U R T E A M H AV E B E E N P U T TING THESE PRODUCTS THROUGH THEIR PAC E S ?

The XS and Master C+ are the preferred tools for Arthur Guillebert when he wants to push the limits in Big Air and megaloops. He was also a helpful part in the development and testing process. Nuno ‘Stru’ Figueiredo rides our Curl Pro in all kitesurf conditions from small waves up to Nazaré monsters. The Escape Pro is the weapon of choice for our Spanish strapless freestyle crew who like its versatility in a wide range of conditions. ■ ELEVEIGHT

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Big Air and the Doobie Loop R I D E R L E W I S C R AT H E R N PHOTOS EUNICE BERGIN

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The King of the Air is a showcase of the top level moves that are happening in the discipline of Big Air today. I have taken part in every Cape Town KOTA event and when I think back to the first one in 2013 the moves have evolved incredibly…

The megaloop still remains the umbrella move that nearly all big scores are associated with, the high handlepass being the only other move that can score big. I like it – it shows extreme skill and courage to unhook and pass the bar in gale force wind. It’s a move you see mostly from the guys that have a strong freestyle background. When combined with a megaloop, it’s hard to see a more technical move in kiting. I don’t feel that Aaron gets the credit he deserves for bringing this move to the event in the early years, and also Ruben for his role in its creation. They were doing this stuff years ago when most of us were just learning to megaloop. You can count on one hand how many times the megaloop handlepass has been done at all KOTA events which is an indication of its difficulty. Now with such a focus on overall height, it has taken a back seat, but the level of difficulty must be respected.

In 2017 Nick Jacobsen brought in combinations of megaloops with foot outs, which inspired a whole generation into freeing themselves from the board during a megaloop. He was rightly rewarded by the

judges for innovation. Now it seems the whole fleet can perform the move, but what separates the good from the amazing is the riders who do not require a board handle to perform it and those who can combine it with rotations. Of late, some riders are exploring pulling the front hand, rather than the back and there is a great deal of excitement around how this will be received at the 2021 event.

GOING BIG: LEW’S SECRETS

Even if you don’t aspire to take part in the KOTA, I’m sure you’d love to beat your friend’s WOO scores. One of my best tips for handling being overpowered, is to keep the kite as low as possible. By low, I mean one foot off the ocean surface. Sheet out fully and try to keep the kite at the edge of the window. The typical kitesurfing stance of shoulders back and being nicely levitated over the heel side rail can go out the window. Being as disciplined as possible not to raise the kite will help you lessen the forces of the kite through your body. You must BIG AIR AND THE DOOBIE LOOP

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hold on to your edge like your life depends on it. The board edging becomes key to absorbing the gusts, and energy dumping where the ocean allows, like flat spots in between chop, will give you your breaks.

When turning around to change tack, move the kite very slowly past 12.

It is good practice in general to move a kite slowly when overpowered, even when launching and landing your kite. Slow movements mean better control.

To help you load up for your jumps, try to sit down slightly into the final edge as the kite is hitting 12. Not only will it lower your center of gravity but it will assist in a good body position for when you become airborne. There are different styles of taking off and positions whilst airborne but I am very much a believer in a tucked body position throughout. I feel it’s the most controlled, and any balance changes whilst airborne are easier to make in this position.

Think about wearing an impact vest, I really feel wearing one can be beneficial to you and boosts your confidence and helps you to go bigger. Crashes that hurt happen rarely but when they do can often result in rib and torso injuries. Having some protection here can mean the difference between being sore for a few days or being off the water for a few months. Plus they give you extra floatation and can help you stay warmer in winter. In light wind I might not always wear one but when I want to go for tricks I do not go without it.

DOOBIE LOOP

“Think about wearing an impact vest, I really feel wearing one can be beneficial to you and boosts your confidence and helps you to go bigger.”

Ruben invented the Boogie Loop many years ago. He was light years ahead of any other Big Air rider, and while they were getting stoked on either straight megaloops or perhaps the delayed backroll, he was on another level. A Doobie Loop derived from double boogie – a double frontroll with a megaloop. What makes this trick difficult is the perspective you have throughout the move. Big megaloops with rotations require a high level of aerial awareness. The first step is to pick a perfect take off. Over the years of pulling megaloops, my experience tells me that injuries occur when you are not 100 percent on take-off.

Better to bail out if the feeling is not right. I like to have focal points during the different stages of rotational megaloops, even if they are subconscious ones. Table Mountain in Cape Town is a good one!

Another challenge with the Doobie Loop is generating a good rotation speed from the take off. It is a frontroll initiation which is harder than a backroll one (you continue to edge during a backroll) so it’s essential to really throw it round and tuck up for speed. Ideally you’ll still be rising after the first frontroll, then it’s time to glance at a quick reference point before committing to the second roll and sending the kite round with the back hand. What a feeling! Completing the first frontroll on the way up defines a Doobie with the second frontroll taking place during the looping of the kite. My understanding of a megaloop is that the bar must also be sheeted fully in and the kite as level as possible with the rider.

I like to take a 9m as much as possible for megaloops; it takes quite a lot of wind speed to choose an 8m. I find that 8m kites (or smaller) loop very quickly and with less power. A 9m loops low in the window and creates more power. I also like the extra lift of a bigger canopy.

Taking the 9m over an 8 or 7m definitely alters your riding style during a big session. You can forget slashing a wave or chilling out. Simply negotiating the ocean and riding around is a 100 percent work out.

Depowering the kite is required for riding around then you power up just for jumping, then land, depower and repeat. ■

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North Orbit

You don’t get a much better accolade for a kite than Jesse Richman winning the Red Bull King of the Air on it. Enter the Orbit…

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W H E R E D O E S T H E O R B I T S LOT I N TO YO U R C U R R E N T K I T E RANGE? DOES IT CROSSOVER INTO FREERIDE?

The Orbit is our premier, high-performance five-strut dedicated Big Air kite. It has the widest wind range of all our kites and the five-strut design gives it an incredible amount of stability. While it does cross over into freeride, for that we recommend our performance freeride kite, the Reach, which does it all: it boosts, loops, foils and surfs.

W H AT D E S I G N F E AT U R E S M A K E T H E O R B I T A K I N G O F T H E AIR WINNER?

The Orbit has a very big footprint in the sky. This increases the amount of sail area working for you, making the kite super-efficient with great power delivery – which gives you phenomenal loft and hangtime. Its powerful and efficient two-stage arc design incorporates a flattened, more open arc shape through the central power-producing region of the kite, where the energy is most useful for you performance-wise.

This gives you the highest amount of projected area and projected aspect ratio, so the Orbit has the best hangtime and power delivery for its size. Pulling the wingtips in towards the rider gives the kite more responsive steering and the smoothest transition of the profile attack angles when it is under load. The Orbit’s faster and more responsive steering, coupled with the ability to fly forward through the sky quickly, mean that it is able to get around and catch you, climb up and still give you lots of time to prepare for your landing.

T H E O R B I T I S R O C K S O L I D W H E N I T ’ S H O W L I N G . W H AT D E S I G N E L E M E N T S E N H A N C E S TA B I L I T Y I N T H E T O P E N D O F THE WIND RANGE?

As a high-performance Big Air kite, the Orbit is stable and consistent in a wide range of conditions, especially in the high end. Its dependable catch and kiteloop recovery allow you to ride the kite overpowered, without it getting away from you. When you’re chasing a storm the Orbit provides incredible top-end control. The five-strut design gives it an incredible amount of stability and wind range, and you have a lot more control over the canopy movement at low attack angles. The fixed, no-pulley bridle is a little bit longer, and combined with its placement on the kite gives us a very stable platform in all conditions.

H O W H A S T H E O R B I T E V O LV E D F R O M I T S P R E V I O U S M O D E L ?

In the words of Red Bull King of the Air winner Jesse Richman, “The Orbit has proven itself to be THE kite for Big Air and freeride kiting.

From day one, the Orbit has set a new standard, and every evolution of this kite has stepped up the potential for Big Air kiting. The Orbit has always been extremely stable and can boost to the moon, and now we have the most refined version of the kite yet.” So, the 2021 Orbit got lighter, quicker, and more responsive. The North designers utilized new lighter weight strategic canopy reinforcement material on the kite to reduce the kite’s weight, making it faster through the air. They also reduced the leading-edge diameter and created a new low drag bridle that gives the kite an unparalleled response time, while maintaining a light bar pressure. For 2021, Chief Kite Designer Pat Goodman listened to our customers and set out to improve the Orbit’s tendency to overfly without sacrificing any positive attributes. This was achieved through micro-adjustments in the kite’s bridling.

W H I C H B OA R D I N YO U R RA N G E WO U L D B E I T S P E R F ECT PA RT N E R FO R B I G A I R S H E N A N I G A N S ?

We recommend you pair the Orbit with the Atmos Carbon twintip board for explosive boosting and looping, and stable, predictable landings. It will provide a dynamic ride with powerful upwind ability, precise edge control, rapid response and explosive pop. You can reach Earth’s atmosphere with the Atmos in either the Carbon or Hybrid

construction! We’d also recommend riding the Atmos with our Flex Bindings to give you a locked-in feel and solid support and to complete your ultimate Big Air look.

W H I C H O F Y O U R T E A M H AV E B E E N I N V O LV E D A N D H O W D O E S THEIR INPUT FEED INTO THE DESIGN?

Our product team is incredibly humbled to work with such talented riders who push our products to their limits. Their feedback is essential for the development process. The designers were stoked to have Jesse Richman, Nick Jacobsen, Graham Howes, Tom Bridge and Marc Jacobs together in Cape Town in February after Red Bull’s 2020 King of the Air for our 2021 Big Air photoshoot. This provided an excellent opportunity for the riders to test the 2021 Big Air range and input into the design process just weeks before global Covid restrictions began.

When restrictions set in and the designers were unable to test with the team riders, we flew prototypes to Jesse in Maui to provide feedback.

We were also super lucky to have Marc intensely testing with the product team in New Zealand throughout the development of the 2021 Big Air range.

T H I S Y E A R YO U L AU N C H E D YO U R B I G A I R, S U R F A N D F R EE R I D E C O L L E C T I O N S ? W H AT N E X T F O R N O R T H ?

We have some really exciting things in the pipeline! We launch our new Foil range, along with the new Freestyle Collections in March 2021.

We’ll also be launching the new 2021 Reach. We can’t wait to share what we’ve been working on with you – get excited! ■ NORTH ORBIT

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Goodboards Amnesia Pro

The Amnesia Pro is the newest offspring in Goodboards’ kiteboard series. We asked them more about the company and the board. Read on to find out how the humpback whale helped inspire the board’s shape…

F I R S T LY, P L E A S E T E L L U S A B I T A B O U T Y O U R C O M P A N Y.

We have been developing, producing and selling snowboards since 1989. With this experience, we founded our own brand Goodboards in 2010. Our company headquarters, development, marketing and sales are in Germany on the beautiful Lake Ammersee, which lies between Munich and the Alps. We have established ourselves as a board sports specialist for high-quality snowboards, wakeboards and kiteboards. Our slogan - JOIN THE GOOD WAY - describes the company philosophy and the special attitude towards life in our region! We work independently, with the professionalism of big brands, but with the passion of little ones.

W H AT R I D I N G S T Y L E I S T H E A M N E S I A P R O I N T E N D E D F O R ?

The Amnesia Pro (and the normal Amnesia) is the most freestyle-oriented board in our range. The board is intended for riders looking for the performance of a freestyle board and the comfort of a freerider.

Thanks to the Anti-Chop-Technology, it runs incredibly smoothly, particularly so in choppy water. Due to the lower stress on the body, you can also have noticeably longer kite sessions.

CAN IT BE USED WITH BOOTS?

The Amnesia Pro has a second row of inserts that are set in hard wood so that you can take your first steps into wakestyle with boots or – for experienced riders – the board is ready to take whatever you throw at it.

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TELL US ABOUT THE BOARD’S UNUSUAL OUTLINE.

We have applied the wavy edge of our Snake board to the Amnesia Pro. 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 the tubercles on its fins and tail.

In fluid mechanics, fluid dynamics tests have shown that the whale’s tubercles reduce water resistance but at the same time increase lift.

This is the basis for the board. The flow between the waves is channeled and does not stop. The current always stays on the board and helps to maintain or increase the buoyancy on the waves and thereby makes it smoother and more comfort-oriented. The wavy side easily cuts through choppy water, making it noticeably gentler on the knee and joints. This unusual shape extends the effective edge, turns more easily and generates less water.

TA L K U S T H R O U G H T H E C O N S T R U C T I O N O F T H E B O A R D .

We only use the highest quality materials for all of our products, whether kite, wake or snowboards, making them more durable and powerful. Tip and tail are reinforced with carbon. The bases are made of sintered PE so you can mend a scratch in the base of all our boards like a snowboard. The pores that arise during sintering are not just filled with wax, but prevent the formation of a water film. That means the boards don’t stick to the water. The underwater hull of the Amnesia Pro has six long straight channels and two tube channels in the tips. These accumulate water before a jump, generate additional pop, and provide you with excellent grip for jumps and stability on hard landings. When driving upwind, it acts like a spoiler at the front and literally pushes the nose upwind.

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

We are a small brand and don’t have big, well-known names as team riders. Our most famous rider, who takes part in the German Championship, is Clemens Rohling. He said, “Thanks to the new outline, it is much calmer in the water; the comfort features (chop killer and knee problem killer) can be clearly felt! There is no negative change in directional stability, liveliness, turning properties or jumping ability due to the new outline. The edge is clean and very easy to release, so that you can take full advantage of the board’s pop (hooked or unhooked) without much thought. Fast turns are easy to do without getting the feeling that you are losing control of the edge.”

W H E R E A R E YO U R B OA R D S M A D E ?

We have two small factories in the Czech Republic that produce for us.

It’s not a mass production like most boards from the Far East. Every board has a handwritten serial number that shows which board you own from which series. As an owner-managed enterprise we do not have to grow quickly; we can grow sustainably. We only produce small series with performance, durability and attention to detail always in the foreground. By using the highest quality materials, Goodboards are made-to-last and offer maximum performance paired with a lot of driving fun.

WHO HAS INPUT INTO THE DESIGNS?

During development, our ideas are combined with the wishes of team riders, dealers and end users. We and our customers prefer classic wood designs which have already received six design awards in recent years. On 180 test days per year, you have the possibility to personally test various Goodboards prior to buying, accompanied with competent consulting. We want the customer to have the ‘aha’ effect and come out of the water with a big smile. We hope for the future that more people will consider where, under what conditions and how sustainably their new favorite toy is being produced. ■ GOODBOARDS AMNESIA PRO

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Naish Kite 810 Foil

Hydrofoil design is perhaps at its most exciting when ease of use is combined with extreme speed.

We spoke to Naish HQ to find out about the latest addition to their kite foil range, the 810.

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T H E 8 1 0 F O I L L O O K S F A S T, B U T H O W A C C E S S I B L E I S I T ?

Do not be deceived by its fast look – while the 810 foil has excellent top speed, it was designed to be very accessible with relatively low take off speeds (9-10 mph), a flat smooth launch and intuitive control throughout its wide speed range. This makes it comfortable and playful – a great all-round wing.

C A N Y O U TA L K U S T H R O U G H T H E C O N S T R U C T I O N A N D H O W I T CO M PA R E S T O P R E V I O U S M O D E LS ?

The 95cm mast is 20 percent lighter then previously, significantly stiffer, and offers more control at any speed. Then the chopped carbon/unidirectional carbon fiber wing and stabilizer is 25 percent lighter than the previous years. The aircraft grade aluminum 64cm fuselage has been re-engineered to reduce weight and drag, while stainless steel Helicoil M6 thread inserts minimize corrosion issues.

T H E R E S E E M T O B E S O M E U N I Q U E F E AT U R E S I N C L U D E D I N THE FRONT WING – HOW DO THEY AFFECT ITS PERFORMANCE?

The 810 features a unique combination of a modified delta planform, moderate anhedral in the center sections and surface piercing tips.

At low speeds, the wing has a fairly high effective aspect ratio – this delivers both a smooth, early take-off, and allows the rider to easily glide through lulls and maneuvers. As the wing is loaded up, the twist profile changes (the planform and layup are designed to induce washout), which both reduces drag and allows the rider to aggressively cant the board and carve turns to the point of surface piercing without the wing becoming unstable. The result is a fast wing with an extremely wide range that is always controllable and fun to ride.

W H AT S TA B I L I Z E R I S I T P A I R E D W I T H ?

The 810 is paired with the 280 HA back wing. This yields the optimum ‘tail volume’, making it very stable and easy to use.

W H I C H B OA R D O P T I O N S I N YO U R L I N E U P A R E R ECO M M E N D ED FOR RIDING WITH THE 810?

The 810 works well with a wide range of rider skill levels and sizes. It is a great foil for everything from advanced freeriding and bombing around on the Hover 97, to your first foils with the Hover 160.

H O W D O E S T H E 8 1 0 C O M P A R E T O Y O U R 9 6 0 F O I L ?

The 810 has a wide speed range and excels at fluid carving turns. It is easy to use and gives you the taste of high performance. The 960 has a similar take-off speed and excels at pivotal and skatey turns. The 960 is designed to always feel safe and comfortable – the speed tops out so you always feel in control.

H O W D O E S Y O U R K I T E F O I L R A N G E D O V E TA I L I N W I T H T H E E X I S T I N G J E T F O I L S E R I E S A N D H O W M U C H C R O S S C O M P AT IBILITY IS THERE?

The lines between the foil ranges are being blurred as the sports evolve. The 810 and 650 are also being used by performance wingers now, while the smaller Jet and HA wings are being used by kiters pushing their riding in extremely light winds.

W H I C H O F Y O U R T E A M R I D E R S H AV E B E E N E N J O Y I N G T H E F O I L ?

All of our foil riders have the 810 complete and a 650 front wing as well. They go back and forth depending on the conditions and their

riding style. Ewan Jaspan helps us with the testing and development; he foils in light wind quite a bit and loves the 810. Some of the choices surprise me – Tim Walsh, who is very light, likes the 810 to try unhooked and fooling around, while we, Des and Nils, weighing quite a bit more, like the 650 to blast around. ■ NAISH KITE 810 FOIL

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FLYSURFER TRIP

Why pay for extra sports baggage on your next kite holiday (remember those?) when you can halve the size of your board bag and pack the new FLYSURFER TRIP, a split board with some innovative technology.

E X P L A I N T H E D E S I G N Y O U H AV E U S E D F O R T H E S P L I T M E C H ANISM AND HOW IT WORKS?

The innovative three-piece construction features a PU-connector to join the split-board seamlessly together. The unique S connection reduces the dangerous perpendicular stresses of heavy landings and allows a rail-to-rail aligned fastener pin. The flexible component protects the two halves of the board, and allows homogeneous flex and a progressive concave. The PU-connector can be replaced and has a compact pack size.

T H E WAY T H E B O A R D S P L I T S I S V E R Y D I F F E R E N T T O Y O U R P R E V I O U S S P L I T B O A R D S . W H AT I S T H E A D VA N TA G E O F T H E NEW ONE?

It is a new board and doesn’t correspond to the old design of our ‘Flysplit’. It has a completely new construction and connection system.

The advantage of the TRIP is the new PU-connector, which protects the board and the pins from abrasion, and can be easily exchanged.

The new progressive concave ensures excellent response and control.

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A N D L O O K I N G AT T H E D E S I G N , W H AT H AV E Y O U P A C K E D INTO THE TRIP?

The TRIP has a single concave that ensures a smooth ride and stable landings. You can feel the difference compared to other split board constructions, which can only match the shape and flex of regular boards by adding significant weight and extra laminate layers. The TRIP is designed with a full-length wood core made of responsibly grown Paulownia wood. This guarantees the optimum mix of flex, responsiveness and dynamic recovery force of the board, while retaining huge amounts of strength and durability.

W H AT H AV E Y O U D O N E W I T H T H E O U T L I N E O F T H E B O A R D ?

The asymmetrical outline uses a rounder and shorter toe-side edge, which makes the board feel lively. The feature increases comfort and maneuverability while cruising on the toe side and offers a unique carving feeling. The Stepped Channel Tip design also provides increased surface area for better pop and more directional stability.

Simply put, it lets you carve precisely or ride aggressively while maintaining upwind drive.

THE FINS ARE A BIT DIFFERENT TO THE NORM! TELL US A B O U T T H E M .

The FIREFIN is a two-component injection-molded fin system for twintips. They can be removed easily without using tools. The fins are made from two high-quality materials: a hard, engineering-grade, recyclable thermoplastic body and a marine-grade, durable silicone skirt which is corrosion resistant and UV stable. This simple plug-and-play system ensures you travel worry-free without damaging your gear!

W H AT S O R T O F R I D I N G S T Y L E W O U L D T H E T R I P S U I T ?

The TRIP is the go-to product for intermediate riders who strive to progress their freeride skills and who love to travel as smoothly as possible.

W H E R E A R E T H E B O A R D S M A D E ?

Since we manufacture our boards in Poland we can guarantee the highest precision and quality, and ensure that only the best materials are used in their construction.

Y O U A L S O H AV E A B A G T O G O W I T H T H E B O A R D – D O E S I T F I T W I T H I N A I R L I N E S ’ B A G G A G E A L L O WA N C E S ?

Yes the bag fits airline allowances, although of course it depends on the airline operator. The TRIP bag dimensions are 105x50x15cm. If you pack it smart, you can fit in the TRIP, one wetsuit, one harness, and two foil kites or one tube kite. It is also more convenient for traveling on trains and buses, or fitting in your car.

W H I C H O F Y O U R T E A M R I D E R S H AV E B E E N E N J O Y I N G U S I N G THE TRIP?

In the summer we traveled with the team to Brouwersdam in the Netherlands to shoot the TRIP. Olly Bridge, Theo de Ramecourt, Florian Gruber, Jannis Maus and Johanna-Catharina Edin all tested the new TRIP and were amazed how convenient and performant this product is.

W H AT E L S E D O E S F LY S U R F E R H AV E C O O K I N G ? !

I can’t say too much here, but we definitely have some new products in the pipeline that will be released in early spring 2021 - our customers have been waiting for these! Stay tuned and make sure to follow our FLYSURFER social channels. ■ FLYSURFER TRIP

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CORE GTS6 A L L- R OUN DE R TE ST

RANGE

BOOSTING

TURNING SPEED

FREESTYLE

ACCESSIBILITY

The GTS has garnered a serious reputation as a Big Air and overpowered riding machine, cultivating its image with countless photos featuring the kite at impossibly low angles in front of Table Mountain and low-level short line gravity defiance. With heavy hitting riders like Steven Akkersdijk and Joshua Emanuel helping to guide development, we were intrigued as to how they would soup it up further for the next generation.

The core (sorry) principles of the GTS6 remain the same. We’re looking at a three-strut future C-shape kite with quite full square wingtips and a short and minimal quad pulley bridle. The CIT bridle settings carry over from the GTS5, letting you tune the kite to your liking, with the tiny increments on the leading edge making noticeable changes to the flying characteristics. The major revisions this year include a fresh strut design, making them higher diameter, stiffer and lighter than before. The leading edge looks to have been beefed up a little in diameter.

Unhooked, the GTS6 is no slouch whatsoever. It’s a kite that likes to be adequately powered and ridden with board speed, and in its range the pop and slack is in abundance, and it’s a definite level up from the popular Nexus range in terms of more purist unhooked work. Tune it down with the steering hang points combined with the CIT mode and its directness on the bar is formidable enough for even the most discerning freestyler to dominate a Brazilian lagoon until sunset.

Where the kite is designed to shine is, of course, in the top end. Take it out absolutely lit and hooked in, and the GTS6 lights up like a precision German Christmas tree. Forward board speed is rapid, and initiating a jump

WAVE

requires some timing and skill. Hit the kicker clean and time it all well, and it’s going to lift you off the water like an ejector seat, providing plenty of reassuring overhead support. Post loop, its deserved reputation to climb you out of a precarious situation remains accurate, and the level of catch on offer constantly surprised us. You only needed to let a little bit of sheet out after the kite loop, and it will rush up and make it exceptionally simple to time a heli-loop for soft landings. When running downwind at a high rate of knots we were intrigued to see how well the kite performed leeward. Considering how relatively C-shaped it is, it drifts with surprising balance. It also seems to take a gust on the chin a little more amicably than its predecessor, which would make perfect sense with the stiffer airframe.

The GTS6 is a true evolution of the model, and CORE have smoothed out the kite’s characteristics even further making using the kite in extreme high wind all the more reliable. Purists are not going to be disappointed, as the GTS certainly hasn’t lost even a hint of that gut-wrenching looping and boosting ability. In fact it may even have a little more G-force on tap than previously, but it simply performs with even more finesse.

The range of use and versatility built into the settings is also noteworthy.

When the sand starts flying down Table Bay, this is a kite we would also be happy to rig up…

Slingshot Phantasm 633 and Dwarfcraft 120 F OI L T E ST

GETTING UP

STABILITY

UPWIND

CARVING

ACCESSIBILITY

The Logosz designed 633 front wing has earned a cult following in the freeride foiling sector, and has set the standard for an accessible and entertaining foil system with exceptional pitch stability and the potential to push the top end much further than expected from a speed perspective.

It’s come with a few different brand badges due to the shared production for the full carbon version, the Ghost Whisper 91, and in the form of the Apollo wing for Slingshot’s well-established Hover Glide system.

There’s been distant rumblings about a new full carbon foil system from Slingshot for a couple of years now, and rather than rushing to market with something they weren’t happy with, Slingshot have worked long and hard to get the production right on the Phantasm. We can confirm the wait is well worth it.

Due to its enormous popularity, comparisons with the old shape 633 are going to be made, so let’s get them out of the way early. Downturned winglets on the front and rear wings increase the yaw stability which was one of the original 633’s potential sticking points. It remains an amazingly easy foil to carve a turn on, but round the corners the Phantasm is far more engaged, and the banking ability for swooping surf foil style turns is increased. In the top end the speed remains very comparable to its predecessor. The Phantasm features a beautifully sculpted 12k carbon mast with a molded-in tapered base for the board connection. The long mast foot has plenty of extra options for the track mount, giving you the ability to attach it to more or less any board, regardless of how far fore or aft the track position. It also spreads the load further across the laminate of the board creating a rock-solid connection.

The fuselage to mast connection has been elongated, and three M6 bolts

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keep things tightly together, and it allows compatibility with larger front wings if required. The downturned winglets also make the foil a little safer for a novice. The package is well presented in an excellent carry case including neoprene wing covers to keep things safe on day to day beach trips, protecting your pride and joy effectively. Slingshot have genuinely improved a benchmark product with the Phantasm 633. Sure, there’s a negligible weight increase over its full carbon predecessor, but the tracking improvements and much increased stiffness through the system is definitely worth the few extra grams. The lack of flex in the system translates your every nuanced movement down to the foil, and gives you more confidence blasting through chop and making deep banking turns. They’ve taken the original 633 and given it grip like an Audi Quattro four-wheel drive system and it’s undoubtedly an entertaining surfy foil to ride and progress on.

We paired the Phantasm 633 with the latest Dwarfcraft 120 pocket board from Slingshot which has had a nice rework this year. The largest of three available sizes, it packs 24L into the relatively short length board, and sports a grippy and comfortable corduroy deck pad, laid into a gently concaved deck. It also seems to be a few grams lighter than previous and makes for an early planing and accessible platform for freeride foiling. It takes off with ease, has very little swing weight and suits the Phantasm 633 hydrofoil well. If straps are your thing, they’ve included inserts for all configurations, and it would double well as a tow foiling or dock start board.

TESTED

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Naish Pivot S25 9m A L L- R OUN DE R TE ST

RANGE

BOOSTING

TURNING SPEED

FREESTYLE

ACCESSIBILITY

Season 25 yields another variant of the Pivot, making it among the longest standing flagship kite models in the Naish range. It goes without saying that the kite has proven itself with a couple of solid King of the Air wins along the way. Built around a three-strut swept tip platform, the familiar build elements from Naish are present. Quadtex ripstop from Teijin makes for a stiff, light and wear resistant canopy. Higher inflate pressures achieved by an iSUP valve make for a super stiff and lean airframe. Shark tooth darting elegantly creeps up each canopy segment, reinforcing the trailing edge and helping eliminate vibration – this has been reworked this year into a smoother shape. For S25, a striking limited-edition skull and crossbones model, aimed for the inner buccaneer amongst us, celebrates a quarter century of Naish products.

The main change this year is a new bridle tuning point, which allows for enhanced wind range at the top end, giving the kite a serious power dump ability. We had a tinker with this and can report back that it’s very effective. Our 9m test kite saw some epic strong and variable northern European conditions and handled them with grace. When perhaps we’d normally reach for the 7m, you could drop the pigtails up a setting and ride far more comfortably, with the kite spanning out and moving forward, but seemingly remaining as poised as ever. We were genuinely surprised how far you could push overpowered riding whilst feeling in control.

What makes the Pivot such a historically successful model is a subtle blend of factors. First of all, it’s the board speed. A skinny leading edge and easy access to power means the Pivot is full throttle from the get-go. The power delivery on the bar is exceptionally linear; you can really feather the

WAVE

lift you want to achieve when boosting and glide down with control and confidence. With the ATB bar, there’s a long friction-free bar stroke, and you can use all of it. The bar feedback provides an excellent translation of what the kite is doing above you and its position in the window at all times.

There’s no vagueness at any point. The turning speed is perky to say the least, and initiating a turn requires minimal effort. A quick flick of the wrist, then choose your power on the bar stroke and you can throw a loop exactly to your liking. The progressive nature of the Pivot means it builds confidence in Big Air situations fast. It’s an instantly familiar and predictable kite, which doesn’t take an age to dial into, whilst yielding massive performance when you want it to. These factors also transfer over into a capable wave kite. The rapid and nuanced handling and adequate drift make it a pleasure to take out in chunky swell, and we even found ourselves foiling with it, where it was also remarkably fun.

The Pivot is a kite that has ranked very highly amongst its Big Air peers for several years and hasn’t needed massive design changes to continue to be extremely competitive. It allows you to scare the life out of yourself with exceptional high and loop capabilities, but the level of control and feedback achieved lets you operate with a modicum of safety and enhanced confidence. Hooked-in freeriding doesn’t get much more fun than with the Pivot, and it continues to be a performance crossover masterpiece.

Naish Gecko S25 5’4 A L L- R OUN D E R TE ST BUILD QUALITY

ONSHORE

DOWNTHE-LINE

WEIGHT

STRAPLESS FREESTYLE

Naish have created various blunt nosed boards for strapless freestyle over the years and were early on board with the compact board concept for enhancing aerial characteristics. The Gecko is available in two constructions, a standard bamboo version and a high-end carbon and S-Glass variant with vector net strengthened rails. Being a dedicated strapless board, foot strap inserts are not present on either, and correctly so. Two sizes are available in 5’1 and 5’4 with a respective 22l and 24l of volume.

The Gecko sits alongside the long-established Skater in the current surfboard range, but focuses its efforts on more mediocre flat water and chop conditions than properly formed waves and covers the full spectrum of real-world conditions. A relatively parallel rail outline immediately tracks very well in a straight line, and builds speed with ease, smoothing a mushy surface well. The noticeably grippy quad fin setup is uncomplicated to load up and release against, even with minimal kicker options available.

Something sometimes overlooked in a kite surf board is the quality of the standard fins, but Naish haven’t cut corners with the Gecko as it’s obviously a critical part of the mechanics, and have provided a super stiff quad fin set with a little extra cant in the rear pair.

Width in both the nose and tail mean that once the board is in the air it has a predictable anti-gravity characteristic under your feet; wind doesn’t seem to catch the top of the board and flip it off your feet like a more traditional surfboard. The corduroy EVA pad feels positive and grippy without being overly aggressive, and divides itself evenly into three distinct sections over the front of the board, aiding foot placement for both take

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offs and landings without having to glance down. In the standard double bamboo construction that we tested, weight is definitely minimized but it seems adequately built for the big impacts. A simple light concave runs the entire length of the board, and disperses the landings graciously whilst running downwind. Re-engaging the fins and rails presents no surprises or squirrelly behavior. The relatively high volume retained means it takes fast powered landings in its stride.

Although it’s certainly not the primary design focus, we found the Gecko handled smaller wave conditions admirably and perhaps undersells itself in this department. The grippy quad fin setup made for some face slicing, fast drawn out turns. Don’t underestimate the Gecko: it is super fun on onshore conditions and can make a convincing top turn if required.

So if you’re intent on extending your trick regime and aren’t blessed with ideal kicker conditions close to hand, the Gecko could definitely be for you. Its ability to load energy into the intelligently designed rail and fin combination and release in flatwater is remarkable and the inherently forgiving shape enables the Gecko to gobble up sometimes irritating short chop for breakfast, much like its reptilian namesake devours mosquitoes.

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F-ONE Bandit 2021 A L L- R OUN DE R TE ST

RANGE

BOOSTING

TURNING SPEED

FREESTYLE

ACCESSIBILITY

Last year the Bandit went off in two defined directions. This was an extremely successful exercise for the long-standing kite range, meaning F-ONE could develop a really specialized wave kite with the Bandit S, and have less compromise and crossover built in to the original Bandit line, which, now in its 14th year, continues to be focused more at twintip, freeride and Big Air. F-ONE have managed to maintain their famously high levels of prototyping and development through the pandemic, and quite a bit has changed, particularly with the build. A revised panel layout, most noticeable in the seaming of the trailing edge is evident. They’ve aligned the ripstop perfectly to the direction of load, and used the intermediate weight cloth to tighten up the trailing edge. As ever, the Bandit is very elegantly put together and makes the sensible balance between weight and reinforcement look effortless. A revised bridle system they’ve coined the ‘spider’ has been implemented, giving increased control over the kite’s arc. Kevlar patches are strategically placed on the leading edge to prevent scuffing on launch, and the intermediate 130g cloth developed last year with Teijin is employed again, saving weight and increasing overall strength.

In the air, you can immediately feel the kite is more taut and rigid than last year and has a slightly lighter touch on the bar system compared to last year. The Bandit’s party trick ability to creep you upwind without you noticing remains, and reduces fatigue where you would normally be engaging your rail more upwind punch. Its boosting properties are as present and accessible as ever, and the smoothness and predictability around the wind window speak volumes about the solid design.

The Bandit over the last few years has consistently harbored an extended wind range, but this has been extended even further than before due to the kite’s inherent stability in the canopy. This year particularly, perhaps due to the revised bridle and trailing edge, the Bandit remains more composed and usable than ever in the top end, and offers an almost unrivalled

WAVE

consistency of power delivery throughout the wind range. It has that “chuck the kite anywhere and get a predictable response level of functionality” that should be the hallmark of any decent performance freeride kite. It can deliver as much punch as you want it to, when you require it, without any unwelcome surprises.

Remaining a relatively lightweight kite in its category, the low-end responsiveness and scalable power delivery translates well into the realms of freeride foiling, where we gave it a good test one balmy autumn afternoon.

This situation also reinforced what a smooth pulse through the turn the kite produced making more complex transitions a simple affair.

What surprised us about the Bandit last year was how much its Big Air credentials had improved and this carries through in spades for 2021, only improved by the further enhanced wing range and enhanced rigidity. The bar feedback lets you control your rotations immaculately which is reassuring as you can achieve some serious height on demand. The Bandit 2021 has been further honed as a practical, yet formidable performance freeride kite, which spans a huge proportion of wind and water situations for the day to day rider, and creeps well into the elite performance realms.

Ride Engine Elite Carbon V6 Santa Cruz provided the cradle of the hard shell harness and Ride Engine continues to evolve and refine the concept and make a truly innovative product. The Elite Carbon has been completely revised this year, and the latest showpiece is the implementation of the Unity spreader bar, which comprises a wide belt of composite ratchet straps. They extend quite far back past your hips and clip into some relatively low profile clamp boxes, which are tucked away under neoprene. This means you can say goodbye to flappy webbing and irritating buckles.

The bar itself is a lightweight molded composite affair which can switch between kite, windsurf and sliding spreader setups with the aid of a few Torx bolts hidden behind the front pad. Two large tabs tuck the bar into the belt, and once under compression this forms a very rigid connection with virtually no vertical twist under load. Underneath it all is a chunky Velcro waist belt to hold things in place whilst you load up.

Once initially set, this Unity bar allows the user to literally fit it once and then clip in and out with two compression levers, negating the usual need for fiddling with webbing. These do the final few centimeters of compression closure and have some handy loops to aid your exit with cold hands. Twin levers also mean no discrimination between left and right-handed riders. Removing all the webbing and buckles from the equation not only shaves off some weight, but also eliminates the usual long-term wear points of a more traditional harness.

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In the water, the Elite Carbon is pure luxury; for the uninitiated it’s like getting off an uncomfortable wicker chair and sliding onto a luxurious sofa. The level of compression and load distribution in the decadent memory foam molds well to the body. The neoprene has a texture on it to minimize any slippage and provides a high level or grip and comfort without a wetsuit on. The backplate is ultra-stiff 12k carbon, and a work of art in itself. It sits a little taller than some, distributing the load effectively across the base of your back.

Just when you thought harness technology couldn’t evolve much further, Ride Engine have stepped up and reset the benchmark again. It’s great to see a brand still innovating in the hard shell harness sector it created. The Unity spreader bar system is clean, functional design, and paired with that ultra-stiff and comfortable backplate arrangement makes the Elite Carbon V6 a kite harness to covet.

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Ocean Rodeo A-Series Roam 10m A L L- R OUN DE R TE ST DEPOWER

LOW END

DRIFT

TURNING SPEED

ACCESSIBILITY

Ocean Rodeo have been developing the new ALUULA airframe material for a while now, and we’ve been eager to get our hands on it. The A-Series kites are offered as a premium option over the existing models in the OR range, and in this case the already solid performing Roam wave kite.

The first thing you notice, even when the kite is in the bag, is how light it is.

Never afraid of a little quantitative data here at TheKiteMag, we whipped out the precision scales, and found the 10m to weigh in at 2.08kg. To put it in context, this is 500g less than a comparable lightweight three strut wave kite, and for a flying structure which has to support its own weight, that’s a whole heap of difference. It’s a mere 9g more than a recent 9m strutless kite we tested.

If you love gold, you’re in for a treat, as the first thing you notice getting it out of the bag is the extremely crisp and shiny new material which makes up the leading edge and struts of the kite. Pump the kite up to the recommended 9 PSI and you’re presented with an extremely stiff airframe which comes from a combination of the properties of new material and high pressures. When handling on the beach, bending the struts and leading edge is far more difficult than a standard Dacron kite, even though the tube diameters on the Roam are noticeably low.

The build and seaming on the inflatable sections of the kite have been completely reworked, which could explain the long gestation period for the A-Series. The weight saving extends to the bridling which is narrow diameter, and all the other fixtures and fittings are similarly minimal, with a bare minimum of screen print on the canopy. One surprising thing we discovered: Aluula is very slippery when wet, so bear that in mind when handling the kite!

In the air, the rapid turning and predictable power response when you throw it across the window provides exactly what you need from a wave kite. We don’t use this phrase lightly, but the lightness and stiffness make

RELAUNCH

the 10m kite feel far smaller and more responsive than anything else we’ve tested to this point. Having a 10m test kite was a blessing, as this is the largest size most will use for a wave kite, and it’s a crisp and precise user experience that extends the low-end stability and drift beyond the realm of what’s expected of a 10m, highlighting how simple weight saving and the in-built stiffness directly affect performance. The Roam A-Series slices efficiently through light airs and you can effortlessly throw the kite around when you need it, which is very noticeable in bigger onshore conditions, letting you get to parts of the wave previously inaccessible in that little wind.

So in real world conditions what does it give you over the standard Roam?

It certainly provides an extra few seconds of drift, and a definite increase in turning response. Initiating a turn is instant and natural, and progress across the window is smooth and not going to pull you off your board. Earlier flying gives it a really good crossover application for hydrofoil use. It’s also worth noting that the concrete solid airframe and lightness extend the wind range of the kite at both ends. A 10m kite at 2kg is on par with most mono strut or strutless kites so you enjoy a few knots extra there; the airframe stability means that at the top end where kites start to deform, the Roam doesn’t.

There are a lot of claims from manufacturers about weight saving this year with various methods and outcomes, but even the most hardened cynics among us can’t deny OR have come up with something remarkable here which will go on to change the performance of modern inflatable kites.

What’s going to be interesting is seeing how other manufacturers and material suppliers respond.

Mystic Stealth Mystic have crafted a number of innovative harnesses over the last few years, namely the Legend, famous for its lightweight injection molded backed soft shell, and the Majestic X, a hard-shell neoprene harness offering excellent load distribution and high levels of comfort. With the Stealth harness they have fused these two concepts together and the end result is quite spectacular.

The Stealth is a full hard-shell harness with an exceptionally stiff backplate; we’re talking very little compression under load from the front hook. This is achieved with a thicker band of composite running round in a belt. Interestingly the Stealth does have some built-in torsional flex, meaning when you are pulling some stunts and flexing your trunk it can accommodate some shift in your body, and not lock out your acrobatic tendencies.

This is then coupled with a revised molded foam interior, which doesn’t absorb any water. No water retention in the foam means zero weight gain once it’s wet. Is this noticeable you ask? Well, we think yes. We weighed the same sized neoprene-backed harness dry, then dunked it in some water and weighed it again and it had gained nearly half a kilo in retained water. If that was your board you’d know all about it. Individual panels in the foam (flexagons) have different densities, so different areas of the harness have individual flex properties, which helps it mold to your back shape and distribute load evenly. From a practical point of view, when you put the harness in your van and negligently leave it there overnight by mistake, there’s no salty pool rotting your vehicle for you the next day. The exceptional lightness is also going to save some weight in the airline luggage.

Three Stealth spreader bar styles are available in three sizes per model,

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TESTED

including a traditional fixed kite hook for freestylers, a surf slider set up with low friction ring and central loop for people who like to be hooked in permanently. The other good news is, you can buy the steel component hook parts which bolt in, so you don’t have to buy the whole spreader system again if you switch disciplines. The slim molded composite spreader bar has tongues that link back into the belt and lock the bar in place providing a solid integrated connection between the belt and spreader bar. Then two traditional webbing straps with buckle straps make adjustment familiar and simple. The final closure is a lever located on the right-hand side of the spreader that winches everything in another 15-20mm. It’s a simple process to get the Stealth extremely tight, and once initially adjusted, the lever makes quick work for removing and refitting the harness day to day.

In the water the Stealth feels minimal, subtle and very supportive. In a way, what’s most notable is its apparent absence. A mark of a well-designed harness is that once installed, you don’t have to think about it, and in this case it’s Stealth by name and stealth by nature. We experienced zero riding up even after some big crashes and overpowered riding. It’s all around slim profile fits flush into the small of your back, and water doesn’t seem to force itself up the back cavity when you have a fast crash. For more technical tricks, we found the lack of bulk seemed to make your body feel very free in rotations. It’s a great example of how to combine two successful concepts into one product.

Egypt with

Youri Zoon & Victor Hays

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175

T E S T E D

Duotone Neo SLS AL L- R OUN D E R TE ST DEPOWER

LOW END

DRIFT

TURNING SPEED

ACCESSIBILITY

It is with much fanfare that the new SLS products have landed in Duotone’s range for 2021. With the new products all tested and signed off pre-Covid it has enabled Duotone to make a solid splash this autumn and has caused much chatter on the forums and beyond. So, SLS = Strong, Light, Superior. In the kite lineup the tech responsible for this (as we covered last issue in our Tech and Materials slot) is the PentaTX material. As we are seeing across the kite market the ‘twenties’ seem to be all about one thing: weight savings. With kite designs having plateaued (i.e. they are pretty much all good, which is great for us) attention has turned to how we can apply materials to improve the performance of your gear. PentaTX is lighter than Dacron, which has always been the weak link with a kite’s weight, but is also stiffer than standard Dacron. The weight saving is significant, bringing the weight down to that of a comparable single strut kite (it is now only around 250g heavier than a Mono), but the other perhaps more significant factor is how the PentaTX performs differently to Dacron. And the main difference is in its stiffness. It’s around 25% stiffer than Dacron and – in an industry which has spent 20 years melding ripstop and Dacron and building kites entirely around the relationship between the two materials, that is pretty significant!

So, this is a Neo, but a Neo built out of different material – in terms of performance characteristics it is kind of like the difference between riding a carbon and an aluminum foil… In terms of design, the Neo looks similar and in the air it has that distinctive, boxy, Neo shape that has defined a genre of kites and seen it on the top of plenty of podiums, but when you dig a little deeper you can see two significant changes that have been adopted to accommodate the PentaTX. The new Flex Struts which blend PentaTX and a heavier duty ripstop to provide struts with more flex which negate some of the ‘harshness’ of the stiffer material.

The second step – to maximize the effectiveness of the stiffer frame – was to increase the size of the wing tips. So, it may look like a Neo, but Duotone haven’t just switched in the new material, they have rethought the design as well.

In the air and we tested our 10m Neo in a range of conditions, including a couple of foil sessions. The kite does fly earlier and sits more comfortably at 12 o’clock on the beach, in this respect it is like a Mono or other lighter kites – so you do do a bit of a double take when you

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TESTED

RELAUNCH

look up and see a three strut Neo up there. That said, in most conditions when you’re planning to take a 10m kite out in the waves, you’re generally going to have enough wind to get off the beach and this is not a ‘lightwind’ focused kite. So where we are looking for the extra response (and to justify the extra $) is in performance. And the performance is definitely different – it can be summed up in one word: snappier. It’s a word we use a lot in kite tests, but the Neo SLS seems to epitomize it perfectly. It turns more quickly, it flies through the window with more speed, and the bar input is more immediate. It’s an altogether more direct experience. You can see why Duotone’s wave team have been frothing about it as that extra responsiveness can be the difference between a 1st and 2nd place, but for mere mortals you can feel it too, and it does make a difference. If you are trying to get around a section, you can snap the kite through the window and it will give an immediate injection of speed and also generate power on the upstroke as well, but once you depower it sits and drifts like a ‘standard’ Neo. The low end is also excellent as you would expect from a Neo and – again as you would expect from a Neo – it is not a kite that enjoys being massively overpowered.

The Neo began life as a wave kite and that is still its DNA, but it also enjoys a big ‘freeride’ following and here you may appreciate the new tech, but most likely not as much as you will in the waves. It is still one of the least threatening and most enjoyable kites to fly available, but to get the most out of the tech you need to be pushing yourself and the Neo hard.

Overall, we felt that SLS has been a successful exercise from Duotone, it’s not just marketing blurb and you can see that Ken and the guys who have helped him test and develop the kite have had to rethink the received wisdom of Dacron-focused kite development and, on this evidence, have come up with an exciting new formula for kite design.

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177

the committed

We talk to Guillaume Lenclen and Matthieu Verley, two French kiters who may not be kite pros, but show true commitment to kiting. They manage to get in the water most days, partly thanks to their foray into the world of foil kites…

T E L L U S A B O U T Y O U R K I T E S U R F I N G J O U R N E Y.

We’ve been kiting together for about 22 years now, first on two lines then four lines, and mainly on twintips to start with. Our local spot, Wissant in northern France, has a 14-kilometer sandy bay, renowned for good quality waves for waveriding, and strong, regular wind. Situated on the narrowest area between France and England, the wind accelerates up the Channel, so we are used to riding in 50+ knots, mainly in side or side off wind. For the last 10 years we have mixed freestyle and strapless surfing, and now focus on foiling in light wind and waveriding in winds above 25 knots. It’s very exciting to progress together and work out how to improve the feeling on the water. While we’ve maintained the same passion right from our first ride, we’ve progressively changed our style of riding and embraced new opportunities.

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THE COMMITTED

Y O U ’ R E N O W F O I L I N G A B I T D I F F E R E N T LY T O T H E N O R M .

TELL US ABOUT THIS.

We started foiling about five years ago and quickly fell in love with the unique feelings. But we found that LEI kites had limited performance when combined with the surf foil style of hydrofoil. Last year, on a 13knot day with calm sea conditions, a local instructor let us try his FLYSURFER PEAK4 single-skin foil kite, a kite dedicated to snow and land kiting, and used by instructors for teaching. The strange feeling at the beginning, of riding with almost nothing in your hand, became a huge feeling of freedom and new opportunities. From that moment everything changed – it wasn’t 20 or 30 percent better than a wave LEI kite but 500 percent – a real game changer! So we both bought the PEAK in 3, 4 and 5m2. That covered us for a range from 8 knots to 27 knots. We still have a quiver of small LEI wave kites for waveriding above 25 knots, but the PEAKs are our main kites.

W H Y D O E S T H I S S E T U P WO R K S O W E L L FO R YO U ?

We quickly increased our level and ability to ride waves as if we were surf foiling without a kite. With a single-skin kite, you gain an enhanced ability to position yourself at the right point in the wave, initiate power when required, and drift deep into the wave with no power from the kite pulling you off the wave. The drift characteristic of this kite is the key point – it matches the foil speed you need to follow the wave, due to its good flying quality and light weight. It is less likely than an LEI kite to fall out of the sky, even if you go deep down the line or go downwind. The maneuverability is incomparable even with only one hand on the bar. The best thing with this setup is that it transforms any basic or poor conditions like onshore mushy waves into a deep powder snowboard ride. We finish a session with a smile every time, as if we were kids again!

W H AT I F I T D O E S F A L L O U T T H E S K Y ? !

ABOVE AND LEFT

Pocket-sized boards in the pocket.

It is not designed for water so you need to pilot it precisely. Other brands produce a similar type of relaunchable single-skin kite, but they don’t yet have the same feeling of lightness, drift and available power as the PEAK4. Sometimes it will relaunch but usually the crashes are in waves so then it’s best to swim back and relaunch from the beach. I tell every rider that wants to try it for the first time, that it is not really that safe and you need to be a competent rider, and that it is necessary to ride with a friend in case you need help.

GUILLAUME LENCLEN AND MATTHIEU VERLEY

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REFLECTIONS

W H AT H A S T H E R E A C T I O N F R O M O T H E R K I T E R S B E E N ?

We felt like pioneers discovering a new way of riding. Usually when we rig a 3m kite and everyone else is riding a 9m, people are surprised.

During the first year we were the only two at our local spot doing this, but now more kiters have joined us and love it too. Even advanced and pro windsurfers who were riding windsurf foils before have switched to this setup. There are now around 10 of us using it here and I know there are riders in other areas using it. We’ve called it flysurfing, like one of the first names for kiting!

W H AT B O A R D S A R E Y O U U S I N G ?

I ride my own 90cm custom pocket board and Matthieu rides production KT boards. We ride the same MFC Hydros foil with 1075 and 1250 wings for kiting. This new quiver is really lightweight – the foil board is around 4.5kg and the kite around 800 grams, and we use minimalist bars that weigh less than 300 grams. It is really simple, easy to carry and we can set up within two minutes. That means more time on the water.

“We felt like pioneers discovering a new way of riding.”

I F Y O U ’ R E L O V I N G F O I L I N G H AV E Y O U A L S O T R I E D W I N G I N G ?

Yes, it gives us the option to go in stronger winds, but it requires quite a big, heavy board compared to kite foiling and isn’t as easy for getting out in big beach break. Winging gives you a free feeling like the PEAK, but in lighter wind the wing doesn’t fly as well if you go deep down the line. The kite foil setup allows more dynamism and maneuverability in small and medium waves. It also allows you to have a full view of the wave, which gives you a feeling of freedom. We are now used to riding big waves with the PEAK, although not very comfortably above 30 knots, when we’d rather take a 3m wing or wave kite. We started to build 2m PEAKs for strong wind, by re-sizing the 3m which is the smallest size available from FLYSURFER. The drift is even better, but in stronger wind the waves can get really big and a 2m kite makes you feel vulnerable. At this point winging became our new option.

S O, YO U ’ R E U P FO R A N Y T H I N G W I T H A FO I L , A S LO N G A S I T G E T S Y O U I N T H E WAT E R ? !

Yes, all of this has become very addictive and we’re used to mixing surf foiling, kite foiling and wing foiling. It gives you many more opportunities to have fun on the water every day. Don’t be afraid to test new things and follow your own path, not just what marketing brings to the party, to find your own riding style! ■

LEFT

The Channel dishing up some perfect foiling waves.

RIGHT

Minimal kit needed.

GUILLAUME LENCLEN AND MATTHIEU VERLEY

181

La Dolce Vita WO R D S A N D P H OTO S N O È F O N T

Noè Font traveled to Sicily in the summer to make a film, ‘La Dolce Vita’, with Gianmaria Coccoluto and friends. They kited almost non-stop but also had time to sample some of life’s simple pleasures that Italy is famous for (pizzas, ice creams, homemade pasta, tiny cars…) and to reflect on the important things in life.

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183

184

In the wake of Europe’s lockdown, with the world upside down and traveling being more exclusive than at the dawn of flight, reminiscing of past travels was a daily thing and I found myself itching as Coco rode Lo Stagnone di Marsala, Sicily, without another soul around.

I had very good memories of Sicily from when I was younger and as soon as traveling within Europe became slightly more ‘socially acceptable’, I took the matter into my own hands and flew over there. On arrival, I was picked up in a convertible VW and had to take my board bag apart and stuff all my gear over the back seat. With boards sticking up from the back, it was “welcome to Sicily”!

Sicily had the lowest number of positive Covid cases in Italy but coming from Spain I was instantly shocked by the lack of restrictions which made it all far more surreal – life seemed to be carrying on as normal there. The word romantic comes to mind when I think of the love for tradition passed through so many generations, for a lifestyle so authentic, timeless and humble, appreciating things the way they always have been – homegrown, fresh, and tasteful, from gelato in a bun to pasta al dente and caffè ristretto. Not to mention that they are suckers for their small cars and preppy clothes... all-in-all creating a phenomenon more casually known as ‘La Dolce Vita’. You have to give it to them – why change something when it is so great?

Ready to rumble after a very long time off the water, rusty and with a bag of tricks I’d completely forgotten, I couldn’t be more excited.

My goal was simple: I was there for kiting as much as was physically possible, and kite we did. A ten-day trip quickly turned into three weeks! We kited mainly at Lo Stagnone, as it has the best conditions right out the door – butter flat water and 12m wind every day. We had a couple of days at Capo Feto, but discovering new spots and going on adventures is something for another trip. The first five days are a blur – wind, wind and more wind. On the sixth day I was relieved to see the wind had taken a break as my body couldn’t handle another six hours at the beach!

LA DOLCE VITA

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I was also there for filming of course and it didn’t take long for me to realize that Coco is a superstar in Sicily. No matter where you go, everyone knows him, from the fruit lady on the corner to every single member of staff at the ‘Saro’ where we were fed breakfast, lunch, and dinner daily. More importantly, on the water he is an absolute trick machine – there is not much he can’t do. I think he did all his tricks on the first day in 10 minutes and continued to do so throughout the entire trip. We wanted to make sure he did some new things for the video – sometimes just adding a little spice like a new grab on his KGB540 or switching hands mid-air can make a trick look completely different. It’s always good to work with somebody like Coco who is as passionate as I am to get the job done. Sometimes when you’re working with a filmmaker who doesn’t have much of a kiting background 186

REFLECTIONS

it’s hard for them to understand how complex some of the tricks are and the fact that we might take a whole day to land one. We took turns filming each other and if one of us didn’t get their trick we’d be there cheering behind the camera.

Time flew by and all too soon it was time to head home. But I’m not done with Sicily yet and I have no idea why it took me so long to go back. It’s now at the top of my list. Perceptions change when you’re kept out of the water for so long and it is a good reminder to make sure you’re not taking anything for granted, something most of us were guilty of pre-Covid. Traveling, hanging out with friends, going to the beach or simply out for dinner: these are all things I realized I had taken for granted. Not so anymore… ■

Kainani Drexler on Drifter K, available in 3’6”. ktsurfing.com

187

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