Table of contents for Issue #87 June - July 2017 in Kiteworld Magazine

The most frequent question I get asked at the moment when someone finds out that I edit a kitesurfing magazine, is, ‘So is this foiling thing going to last then?’. Their concern is usually over whether to commit to finding ways to finance a purchase - if it’s really the next big thing, rather than a short term fad. Well, I’m no master, but I have spent enough time now riding a few different foils to understand the appeal. The first (and still the best thing about foiling for me) is that I look at the forecast very differently. 12 – 16 knots are now absolutely game on, and powered. I’m looking for green colours, not just red, purples and pinks on Windguru. There are many more greens. I don’t…

“THE REAL CORE OF IT IS GRABBING YOUR TWIN-TIP, POINTING IT DOWNWIND, POWERING UP AND GOING FOR BROKE!” Twin-tip racing is a growing discipline, offering a more straight-up and accessible buzz than its more technical cousin, foil racing. Rather than navigating around a course with challenging upwind angles and long reaches, TT:R racing, as it’s known, is run on a downwind slalom track with tight turns around buoys close to the shore, so riders jostle for position right in front of spectators on the beach. Of course skill is a prerequisite and you need a sound grasp of tactics to do well, but the real core of it is grabbing your twin-tip, pointing it downwind, powering up and going for broke! The recent addition of having to jump over inflatable…

“The island is only 11 kilometres long and two kilometres at its widest point and during the short transfer to our accommodation it felt even smaller than I had expected. Just one main road runs across the crescent shaped islet with a few smaller side-streets forking off here and there.” Squashed like a sardine into my economy class window seat while flying back to Western Australia from New Caledonia, I watched puffy clouds drift by, daydreaming of the amazing waves I had scored on my trip. Suddenly, I popped back to reality with a start. Rubbing my eyes, I stared outside in disbelief, wondering whether I was actually hallucinating. “What the … ?”. Half moon in shape, thousands of feet below, a tiny island sat glowing like an emerald out…

TEST TEAM NOTES: For a 5’3’’ the Spade rides like a much bigger board thanks to its width. That short length mixed with relatively wide characteristics mean that the outline is very rounded. As a result the Spade likes to turn tightly, making this a lot of fun in small to medium waves. Also, this 5’3’’ size was pretty good for all three test team riders, and we vary in size from around 68 kilos up to 95, so that’s impressive. Although this isn’t a cut-off nose style board there is still quite a lot of width upfront and the volume is positioned quite far forward too, helping support a bigger rider in terms of float, but lighter riders can enjoy the pulled in tail. That mix works well. It’s…

TEST TEAM NOTES: When it comes to surfboard ranges, RRD always pack incredible variety across the widest range of offerings. This year there are six models (all in several sizes of course) available in classic PU, wood (the Maquina isn’t available in wood), and their LTD EPS core with biaxial glass fibres and a carbon net over a bamboo stepping deck. Like last issue with the C.O.T.A.N, although this PU construction isn’t the strongest, if you were going to choose a board for its natural flex and comfort that lets you feel as one with the board, helps in chop and for burying a rail with ease, this PU is delicious and it’s also very light. This 5’7’’ Maquina is the thinnest, narrowest and most classic looking performance model we…

TEST TEAM NOTES: The Trax HRD Lite Tech is in line with F-One’s bright colourways this year, and we think why not? Kitesurfing is a fun sport and fun looking products make you feel better. We’ve tested many versions of the Trax over the years as it’s one of F-One’s longest running boards. We used to love it’s soft grip and really carvey nature, but these days the Trax is a serious player in the freestyle world, getting on the WKL podium twice in the last two events under the feet of Brazilian Set Teixeira. F-One’s Helical Rail Design (HRD) means that the Trax doesn’t stretch too far beyond the capabilities of most riders, though. The rail bite of the Trax is still lovely, and something that all riders will…

TEST TEAM NOTES: The very thought of being wet and cold takes me back to my time in the military, being woken from our sleeping bags on a wet, wintery night to take our turn on ‘guard’ duty while somebody else got their couple of hours of rest. We’d crawl out of our bivvies and into a ‘shell scrape’ to spend some time trying not to fall asleep as we waited for the ‘enemy’ to, hopefully not, attack us. Invariably you’d end up drenched and one of the key tenets of avoiding hypothermia is to NEVER get in your sleeping bag at all wet, so you’d have to remove your freezing wet kit before getting back in the warmth of your bag, safe in the knowledge that you’d be doing…

“Past the facade of tourist traps, sombreros, senor frogs, giant holiday resorts, and EDM bros there hides a different Mexico in the Yucatan.” NOTE #04: EL CUYO, MEXICO “You are going where? I have never heard of that spot for kiting, so I doubt you will have any wind, or it will probably be light.” This is the cynical response I am used to receiving when detailing my upcoming kite adventures and endeavors to find undiscovered spots. As kitesurfing germinates across all corners of the globe, new windy locations are being unearthed with wind statistics that make your tired body beg for a day off the water. I’ve been travelling for the past four years and that has been my goal; to sojourn at windy whereabouts and to find a…

This variation on the back roll is a grab that I only learnt quite recently. Although more difficult than a standard front hand grabbed back roll, when done right it can feel really good as you can land with more speed and power thanks to keeping your front hand on the bar. The increased difficulty here comes with figuring out the timing and how to initially reach the grab, but it will come with practice. Before trying this trick you should ideally be fairly comfortable with the basic strapless rotations and have a good understanding of how to pop without using the kite very much for help. Another element that makes a big difference is wind strength. The stronger the better for this trick, making it easier to keep the…

ALPINEFOIL The Alpinefoil RX-V5 S is suitable for beginner to advanced level riders. The reinforced, inverted and progressive rails are wrapped in carbon fibre while the deck has an EPS core that’s reinforced with carbon. The double concave hull shape is even more pronounced and the additional volume and healthy rockerline in the RX-V5 S’s nose prevents the board ‘submarining’ during touchdowns. Pair the RX-V5 S up with the full carbon Kitefoil 5.0 and you’ve got a serious set-up. The KiteFoil 5.0’s full carbon construction offers super-stable accessibility for the budding foiler, however, there’s also excellent performance on tap for experienced riders as there’s so much comfort at high-speeds and quick response for snap decisions in critical mid-race moments. Increased rigidity in the fuselage combined with Alpinefoil’s new MCF (Monobloc…

The GKA Kite-Surf Wave World Tour kicks off next month in Tarifa and even the judges have been pushing it. Here’s Fadi Issa at home on Fuerteventura getting amongst a big swell that pushed in last month. Riders, take note: if you’re not up to standard, the judges are keen to drop in! Here’s another shot of Fadi storming the cover of KW issue six, ‘back in the day’ in 2003. #stillshredding THE KITE SHOW Check out Sam Light’s feature on UK kitesurfing this issue on page 98. Then catch the extra chapters we shot with him in Cape Town to find out how he developed the maddest wakestyle skills in the game! Episode 24 is also out with news on the gruelling Red Bull Ragnarok event in Norway, the…

As a non-American, when I think of the US, I conjure up mental images of a few classic regions that have been drummed into my consciousness through a youth spent watching American film and TV. There’s southern Florida with its flamboyant Hispanic influences, the cosmopolitan hustle and bustle of New York and the west with its rugged mountain towns, great plains, survivalists, ski bums and ranchers. I have visited all these corners of the country but one area I hadn’t made it to was California. In my mind, there’s no other part of America as culturally emblazoned on our surf-influenced minds. Surfing exploded from its legendary beaches, going from dropout habit to the chosen pursuit of an American middle-class. The Cali image most often evokes the glitz and glamour of…

“78-year-old Gower Wilson is the unofficial ‘Milko’ (milkman), and has been milking his cows for decades, twice a day, providing the very freshest unprocessed milk you could possibly imagine, straight from the udder.” GABI’S GUIDANCE: GETTING THERE QantasLink offer year-round flights to Lord Howe from Sydney and Brisbane with a flight time of just under two hours. Note that baggage allowance is just one piece at 14 kilos, however, you can buy up to five extra bags, with each additional 14 kilo bag costing AUD$30. Oxley Travel has been specialising in trips to Lord Howe Island for over four decades. Always pre-book your stay as island visitor numbers are strictly monitored. www.oxleytravel.com.au VISA & ENTRY REQUIREMENTS If you’re entering Australia on a foreign passport you will need a visa regardless…

TEST TEAM NOTES: The Raptor is certainly special. Last year we tested the Elite board which CrazyFly position as their ultimate board in terms of pure carbon desirability; it even came with a very posh foam padded case that looked more like it was housing a delicate musical instrument. Inside there was also a certificate of ownership! The Raptor LTD doesn’t come with all that, but what a great looking product and somehow it feels more relevant a ride and experience overall to the everyday rider. More practical and usable but still showing that CrazyFly have the art of finishing to a super high standard nailed. The Raptor is an all singing full carbon design around a wood core and this year features a Nano glide skin base and a…

TEST TEAM NOTES: The Jaime twin-tip has been in the North range for longer than most of us have been kitesurfing! A freeride board with enough potential for hooked-in and unhooked freestyle progression, the Jaime has always found popularity in its forgiving flex that makes it comfortable for big air, heavy landings and choppier conditions. New for this year, the Jaime Textreme offers a step-up with additional biax carbon construction adding stiffness and response. We tried the Jaime Textreme first and were perhaps spoiled. It’s like a little Golf GTI and gave us a pretty awesome freeride experience, especially in terms of how it mashes poor conditions to bits. Smooth grip, highly alert and nicely lacking the abrupt feel of too much freestyle performance. We had the 133cm Textreme, which…

TEST TEAM NOTES: We don’t often review harnesses, because, like you, we tend to find one we like and then they last for a long time. They’re often a good investment, if you spend the time finding the right fit in the first place. They’re the one constant in our kiteboarding life. Whatever the weather, whatever the conditions, it’s likely that we’ll use the same harness for every session, so the harness needs to adapt to a different thickness of wetsuit and/ or material underneath, or to the changing types of riding you’ll be doing. Like feet, body shapes are all so different, so where we often differ as a team in our preferences for foot strap designs, so too do we in our harnesses. The Dakine Pyro though deserves…

The foil has quite a lot of influence over how easy or difficult it is to get the board onto its side into the water start position. If you have a heavy aluminium foil and mast and a low buoyancy board, this part will be more difficult. The aim is to get the board facing across the wind, just as you did in your early lessons when trying to get up on a twin-tip. It’s exactly the same, but the board feels just a little more cumbersome in the beginning, so movements will be exaggerated. You’ll probably find that you have a strong arm that you’ll use to position the board whichever direction you’re setting off in. If that’s your right hand, then when the board is pointing to the…

WORLDWIDE SCHOOLS & SHOPS EVEN MORE LISTINGS AT WWW.KITEWORLDMAG.COM SCHOOLS THE AMERICAS 1 Aerosport Canada Magdalen Islands & Oka Quebec, Canada info@aerosport.ca +1 866 986 6677 www.aerosport.ca 2 Aqua Sports Maui Wailukui, Hawaii kiteboardingmaui@mac.com + 1 808 242 8015 www.mauikiteboardinglessons.com 3 Captain Kirks Kiteboarding Long Beach, LA & La Ventana info@captainkirks.com +1 310 833 3397 www.captainkirks.com 4 Exotikite Kiteboarding School Baja, Sur Mexico info@exotikite.com +521 624 165 2612 www.exotikite.com 5 Tron X Nuevo Vallarta, Mexico info@tronx.mx +52 (322) 108 9292 www.tronx.mx 6 Good Breeze Kiteboarding Cocoa Beach, Florida info@kiteboardingcloseouts.com +1 321-252-5483 www.goodbreezekiteboarding.com www.kiteboardingcloseouts.com 7 Hatteras Island Surf & Sailing Waves, NC barton@hatterasislandsurfshop.com +1 252 987 2292 www.hatterasislandsurfshop.com 8 Kiteboarding School of Maui Kahului, Maui, Hawaii mschale@ksmaui.com +1 808 873 0015 www.ksmaui.com 9 Kitty Hawk Kites Nag's Head, Hatteras mail@kittyhawk.com +1…

“THE HFPT IS THE FASTEST SINGLE-HANDED FLEET IN THE WORLD AND THAT WON’T CHANGE.” Whatever else has been happening in competitive kiteboarding over the last few years, foil racing got its act together quickly. The HydroFoil Pro Tour got off to a flying start last year with a fast, large and professional fleet of racers who attended five busy events around the world. The inclusion of foiling at the Olympics in Tokyo 2020 is still a possibility. That, coupled with such a great first year of competition in 2016, meant the foiling fraternity eagerly anticipated the first event of 2017, which kicked off on Playa Central in La Ventana from the 19th to 29th March. Last year the foil racing elite faced the choice of budgeting to compete in two…

“THE HFPT IS KIND OF THE ANTI-CHRIST OF THE ONE-DESIGN FANS WHO DECLARE OPEN-CLASSES TO BE CHEQUE BOOK RACING AT ITS MOST DIABOLICAL.” Despite a somewhat wobbly start, the northern hemisphere spring seems to have finally sprung and here we are again at the start of yet another kiteboarding season. I apologise and should say at the end of another kiteboarding season. It’s a little ironic that every year it’s the column that I write around now that I find the hardest to write as inspiration always seems to be lacking; I suspect the hub of the problem is in the words ‘about to start’ and the lack of ‘actually starting’. The weather may only just be warming up enough for the least hardy of us to finally get back…

“WHEN WE WERE NINE WE’D RUN AROUND IN THE YARD WITH TRAINER KITES, JUMPING OFF LITTLE BUILDINGS OR GETTING TOWED ALONG ON SKATEBOARDS.WE PLAYED TAG BY TRYING TO HIT EACH OTHER WITH THE KITE AND WOULD BASICALLY DO ANYTHING WE COULD THINK OF THAT INVOLVED A KITE.” EARLY STARTERS  WORDS > EVAN NETSCH When I was about eight-years-old my family moved to the Outer Banks for the same reasons that people travel to Hatteras and those islands every summer - it’s warm, windy and there is surf! Well, there isn’t always surf, it can be pretty flat in the summer, but what is so nice about Hatteras and the Outer Banks islands is that no matter the day or the time of year (almost), there is either wind or waves.…

TEST TEAM NOTES: Modern kites offering C-kite characteristics are a varied herd of beasts. Some work equally well for freeriding and can be tuned for everything from performance freestyle to comfortable cruising with easy sheeting power at the bar. At the other end of the scale are those that aren’t so far removed from the C-kites of old, with bags of pop, a reliable bar feel and plenty of line slack. The Skoop sits more at that end of the spectrum. It’s an uncomplicated and robust looking, three strut C-hybrid shape with a fixed bridle. The leading edge is reasonably slim as it’s supported with a bridle, but has been designed with rigidity and durability in mind. From afar the kite is instantly recognisable with a very simple and fairly…

TEST TEAM NOTES: The improvements made to the fourth generation Neo are largely found in the smoothness of its ride feel. The earlier Neo had epic low end, and found fans in bigger riders. The latest Neo’s increased manoeuvrability, smoothness and decreased handling effort makes them more agile and still able to find power in the lower gears. For 2017, the Neo is slick. Without being radically overhauled, the Neo is very polished and smooth and holds the middle ground when it comes to power and steering speed of the eight wave kites we tested this year. In gusty conditions there’s a constancy in feel that allows you to focus on your body positioning, the board and the wave rather than the kite. It’s like a well-trained sheepdog; send it…

TEST TEAM NOTES: How can you not be having a great time with this NHP in your life? What a happy image in a world where we’re surrounded by dark, black graphics. There’s nothing but love coming out of this board, and if you think it looks bright in these images, it’s even more vivid in real life and looks great down in the water while you’re riding around. You’re always assured of good, functional build quality and components with Nobile. Very easy to put together, Nobile’s KISS system of plug and twist connections means that you don’t need a screwdriver and everything is super quick to put together by hand. The KISS system is also used on the footstraps, so there’s no awkward pressing to get screws to bite…

TEST TEAM NOTES: The Imperator 6 was our first experience of the Carved board brand in the flesh on test, and on first unwrapping Matt thought he’d been sent a new spoiler for the back of his car! Graphics-wise, Carved have let the carbon do all the work. It’s so basic, but there’s always something alluring about that black sheen. The white stickers of the kitesurfer on the tips aren’t quite up to the same spec, though... The subtleties in the design are on par with the elite identity, though. There’s a cutout in the tips that’s not immediately visually apparent, and in the base there’s a centre spine / keel to cut through chop and a concave either side of that – making a double concave – for added…

#01: SUPER FOODS We’ve all heard the term ‘Super Food’ but what does it actually mean? Super foods are like the Teslas of the food world. They have certain eco warrior status, they’re super charged and are largely perceived to be expensive. Thankfully, super foods don’t necessarily all have the high price tag you might imagine, but they do possess certain super powers that give them their super food status, such as a naturally high concentration of vital nutrients, vitamins, minerals, antioxidants, good fats, healthy enzymes and other healthy properties that help someone maintain a healthy lifestyle. To find out more, we got in touch with Kate Chandler, a former sponsored kiteboarder and now raw food specialist who owns and runs a health food cafe. Here she reveals five super…

Looping a kite can seem daunting at first. You get so used to moving the kite in the same way through the window and up overhead when turning, that to now start sending it down towards the water and then back through the power zone seems to go against what you’ve learnt so far. In this feature we’re just looking at downloops – steering the kite forwards and down through the bottom of the window, rather than the more aggressive version of sending the kite back around the top of the window, which creates more aggressive lift and pull (the loops you see when riders boost in the King of the Air). A downloop is particularly useful for wave riding for example, as it can add a lot of fluidity…