Table of contents for Issue #90 December '17 - January 2018 in Kiteworld Magazine

I’ve been watching the forecast for Nazaré in Portugal for the last three years and November was by far the best I’d seen in terms of being able to kite it. Patri McLaughlin and I nearly went last year when Jason Polakow windsurfed it, but it turned out to be just 15 knots, and he got pummelled. I booked my ticket just five hours before the flight left. Garret McNamara gave me contacts for a bad ass media team who go out there when it’s huge. This is a completely new game compared to Jaws where you can just focus on the wave you’re riding before usually ending up in the channel. Here the waves were everywhere... and 60 feet. I couldn’t tell whether there was a massive wave behind…

“IT WAS CLEARLY AN ULTRA-MARATHON-STYLE BATTLE BETWEEN TWO BRAZILIANS FROM THE START - DEFENDING CHAMPION ALEX NETO AND CARLOS MARIO.” This event first took place in 2014 across a far shorter 16 kilometre course that saw contestants rallying through the dunes and lagoons that make up the breathtaking lunar landscape of the Lençóis Maranhenses national park in the far northeast of Brazil. Even in its shorter form the race was a tall order, but now at 65 kilometres long, four times the original distance, it’s far tougher. This race may not be as lengthy or as downright savage as the infamous 130 kilometre Red Bull Ragnarok snowkite race in Norway, but the Rally dos Ventos has its fair share of challenges. The race involves finding your way from point A…

Having battled the frigid waters and stormy conditions of Fehmarn, Germany, on the Baltic Sea just weeks earlier, Pointe D’Esny on the southeast corner of Mauritius promised a dreamy contrast. Unlike the KiteFoil Gold Cup, various divisions race in one massive fleet which can include 60 or more racers. Newly crowned IKA World Champion, Nico Parlier, came into the event on a roll after also winning the previous HFPT round in Germany, clearly putting an injury-addled start to the season to bed and he led the tour coming into Mauritius. His incredible streak of form continued in Mauritius, winning every race on day one. Guy Bridge was in hot pursuit almost every race, but Nico racked up no less than 15 bullets (wins) in 18 races and finished outside the…

40mph winds and an 18 foot swell were forecast for the 2017 Cape Hatteras Wave Classic in North Carolina, causing the 30 competitors to wonder if it would even be possible to run the event. However, when the crew pitched up at Rodanthe Beach Access on day one, they found that Hurricane Jose had posted up just offshore and was delivering the ‘perfect storm’, with wind in the upper 20s and big, hollow waves for the taking. A shift in the swell and wind direction for day two meant the Cape Hatteras Lighthouse was firing for a long day that saw heats start at 9am and progress through the men’s finals that evening. Local underdogs Esben Boxer and Brock Skipperdene went up against international pros like Jason Slezak and Reider…

ANTIGUA & BARBUDA Jake Kelsick, Ozone / Tona pro kiteboarder: We got super lucky in Antigua because the hurricane came really close to the north side of the island, but we didn’t really get hit by it. I actually went kiting during both hurricanes. Barbuda got run over by the eye though and was flattened, now they’re trying to raise money to rebuild. There are some of the most amazing spots over on Barbuda. The beaches are still there and you can still sail across and kite, but the island is completely destroyed and it’s not going to be an easy road for the 1,800 Barbudans who live there. TURKS & CAICOS Philip Shearer, Big Blue Unlimited: Things obviously got serious when a category five hurricane was forecast to head…

Our testers don’t set out to find the best products for pro riders, but instead focus on what’s important for every day riders. Senior tester Chris Bull is 46, has been kiting for 17 years and tested more gear than anyone we know, outside of gear developers themselves. He runs CBK-Hayling Island (www.CBKhaylingisland.com), a lively school, club and shop and understands what riders really need from their purchases. Jim Gaunt is 38, editor of Kiteworld, has been kiting for 14 years and rarely rides the same gear for more than a couple of sessions, so has a detailed understanding of current directions / trends. Kiteworld associate editor Matt Pearce is 28, 6’2’’ and 95 kilos, so adds weight to the team. He’s been kiting for nine years, with six of…

TEST TEAM NOTES: So, we arrive at our annual test of the original do-everything kite, which is now in its eleventh edition! Corrr, it makes you feel old when you think about that, but fortunately riding the Bandit makes you feel young! We’ll start by mentioning that Raphael Salles and his team have fixed a few small bug bears that we’ve had with the Bandit for the last few seasons. Nothing to do with performance - it’s an incredibly popular kite and, rightly so, but it’s only this year that they have finally added in a wide single-point inflation system. We were surprised when they didn’t add it in 2017, but clearly Raph is all about performance over frill. Anyway, we’re pleased to say that the Bandit is now super…

“THE NEXT STAGE OF HYPOTHERMIA IS TIREDNESS. AT FIRST THIS JUST FEELS LIKE FATIGUE BUT WILL PROGRESS TO DELAYED THINKING AND A FORM OF DAZED CONSCIOUSNESS WHICH IS NO STATE TO BE IN WHEN TACKLING WAVES.” WHAT DOES COLD ACTUALLY DO TO US? In short, cold at varying degrees messes us up in many ways. The first reaction to coldness for most people is icy, partially numb fingers, a streaming nose and a cold head when exposed to the air temperature / wind chill. This isn’t hypothermia though, it’s just your body reacting to cold, but hypothermia begins its early stages sooner than you might think. When considering the effects of cold it’s helpful to think of ‘cold’ as more of a scale than an endpoint. You don’t just go…

“LIFE IS LIKE A KITE LOOP: IF YOU HALF-ASS IT, IT’S GOING TO HURT.” 01 > The moment you become so set in your ways that you are unwilling to learn new things is when you grow old and outdated. Continue to learn and adapt and you’ll stay young and current forever. 02 > I like the quote “discipline equals freedom” by Jocko Willink. If I have the discipline to get done what I need to, then I have the freedom to do whatever I desire with the rest of my time. Kill procrastination, get it done. 03 > Your mind and body are very connected. If you neglect one of them you will become unhappy and unable to perform at your potential. Stay healthy, adequately fuelled, properly recovered and,…

That’s Jesse Richman on the cover and in action on this page, having rushed nothing other than his flight to make it to Nazaré in Portugal for this enormous swell. His ongoing attempt to ride the biggest wave ever kitesurfed happened just days before we went to print at the start of November. Jesse is one of a few ultimate athletes in kiteboarding when it comes to mind control. He lives his life through a theory that “success is the moment when preparation meets opportunity”. This issue he also talks about how it’s important to learn to control fear; that fear can be a driving force instead of a paralysing fear. That may seem hard to imagine to you and I perhaps, but it all comes from good time spent…

We offer the complete package for an unforgettable experience in the Northeast of Brazil. Your focus will only be sailing! Surfin Sem Fim is inspired by the nature around us. We combine beauty and challenge with respect and passion. Join us! SSF Adventures Light Jeri - 40km Preá to Tatajuba Jul 29th - Aug 01th Aug / 15th - 18th Sep 30th - Oct 03th Oct / 20th - 23th Nov / 25th - 28th Delta Poldros - 150km Camocim to Atins Oct / 07th - 13th Nov / 11th - 17th Corner of Brazil - 260km São Miguel do Gostoso to Galinhos Jan / 6th - 11th Classic Route - 260km Taíba to Preá Jul / 15th - 20th Dec / 02nd - 07th Delta Experience - 200km Parnaíba…

“COMPLICATING MATTERS AND INCREASING THE RISK FOR THESE TWO, THE MAURITIUS EVENT AT ONE EYE HAD ATTRACTED 75 RIDERS TO REGISTER! ” Airton Cozzolino put last season’s demons to bed when he lifted the GKA Kite-Surf World Tour Championship trophy in Mauritius in early September. Although his official nationality is Italian, Airton spent most of his youth growing up and riding on Cape Verde alongside Matchu Lopes, who claimed the 2016 title by the smallest margin of points ahead of Airton. It was fitting too that this year’s last event was decided at One Eye, where Airton’s 2016 title hopes suffered the biggest set back when he exited the contest in only the third round at the hands of local wildcard, Jeremy Chan. Airton got off to a flier…

The Rhosneigr Park Jam in North Wales staged the final round of the Kite Park League tour for the second time. The biggest international event in the UK for the last two seasons, the cream of the park riding crop competed alongside a crew of hardy UK locals and there was a lot on the line in both the men’s and women’s division. The top three riders in both competitions were close enough on points to take the tour title if they could make it happen in the icy waters of the Irish Sea... and not come a cropper to a resident wildcard who could steal precious points. As the contest moved into the double elimination phase, an intense battle to make the final enraged. Tour regular Alex Maes was…

“Two days later the forecast had held and we took action. After a few days of travelling, collecting the right gear, spending five hours in Denmark to repack, I found myself at Manchester airport at 8pm. Two hours on the road and two large Starbucks coffees later, we arrived at Rhosneigr.” THE TEAM MANAGER: JAMES BOULDING Autumn is my favourite time of the year with the changing colours and switch in seasons and I’ve grown to love it more and more. Of course the wind is always stronger and the swells kick up a notch with the stormy action. This October saw a hive of Atlantic activity and two named storms hit the UK. The first, ‘Ophelia’, brought widespread devastation, though mainly focused on Ireland. I followed the news as…

Mike, can we start with the basics of how and where hurricanes form please? Hurricanes fall into the bracket called tropical cyclones and they generally form in the deep tropics when clusters of thunderstorms happen at the same time. Although the precise mechanism by which these storms form is unknown, there are several things that are necessary for a hurricane to happen. • A pre-existing area of disturbed weather • Sufficiently warm water temperatures • Enough moisture in the middle levels of the atmosphere • Light upper level winds • All this needs to occur within five degrees of the equator Why do hurricanes hit the Caribbean region as hard as they do? The typical path of tropical cyclones is westward across the Atlantic Ocean. Their course is often dictated…

F-One boss Raphael Salles is one of kitesurfing’s original Jedis and has been through every changing face of kiteboarding. He is heavily involved in all aspects of the future of the sport, both in front of and behind the scenes, and I really enjoyed the insight he gave in all the product briefs in a morning. This year marks an obvious commitment from F-One to cater for the niche extremes as well as the core freeride market. What’s so good about these launch weeks is just what you’d expect – there’s stacks of gear to get out and ride on with the convenience of swapping back and forth between items to really feel the difference. We review the Bandit kite on the previous page of course, so let’s move on…

GENERAL GOODIES! 01 - AEROPRESS If you struggle to get out for a dawnie without coffee then you don’t need to resort to the drive-thru. Aeropress is the coffee maker of choice at the KW office. Lightweight and highly transportable, it makes an incredible brew with no plastic waste! www.aeropress.com 02 - AQUAPAC The Toccoa is a 28 litre heavyweight, waterproof daysack that’ll keep your beach essentials clean and dry. Featuring mesh side pockets for water bottles, the bag is available in green, blue and matt black. www.aquapac.net 03 – AWESOME MAPS Kitesurfing is happening all over the world, and this map proves it! Decorate your wall with it and dream about visiting all 500 of the listed spots! More sports maps also at: www.awesome-maps.com 04 - BLAWESOME The Blawesome…

“WE CAME TO FIND OUR LIMIT AND KNEW WE WERE BOUND TO DO THAT. ALL YOU ARE LEFT WITH IS TO PUSH FURTHER. IT’S AN AMAZING FEELING IF YOU MANAGE IT! Completing a feat of endurance makes an indelible mark on a person’s character, broadening your perspective and appreciation of day-to-day comforts. Mentally you gain strength for future challenges, too. Anke Brandt and Francisco Lufinha have completed numerous long distance kiting challenges between them, but when they set out on the Kitesurf Odyssey to set the World Record for the longest continuous distance travelled by a two-person team, kiting from the Azores to the Portuguese mainland in September, it was the start of a monumental undertaking. KW associate editor Matt Pearce has run ultramarathons of 100 miles and more, so…

Approach the trick at planing speed and, depending on your riding direction, position the kite at either one or 11 o’clock. Steer it back towards 12 as you edge hard upwind for the pop. Sheet in just before the kite hits 12 and when you can edge no further release your rail by carving sharply into wind, pulling up with your front leg as you push off with your back foot. As soon as you take-off, reverse your leg position by pulling your back leg in and extending your front leg while looking over your back shoulder to initiate the forward rotation. During an ordinary front roll you would just continue looking over your back shoulder until the rotation was complete before spotting your landing and riding away. However, in…

The top foil racers in the business faced off for the final round of the Kite Foil Gold Cup at Poetto Beach at the Sardinia Grand Slam. Not only would this event deliver the points champion of the KFGC series, but the winner of this one-off event would also be crowned IKA World Champion. Two Frenchmen commanded the early headlines. Axel Mazella came into the event as tour leader while Hydrofoil Pro Tour racing dynamo, Nico Parlier, who hasn’t followed the Kite Foil Gold Cup this year, was also in town and sure to bring about a showdown. Axel had a good start on day one and won both of the first two races in shifty breezes, showing his class in conditions that vexed much of the fleet. “I got…

“CARLOS MARIO MANAGED TO LAND A HEART ATTACK 7, A FRONT BLIND MOBE AND A FRONTSIDE 319 – THREE MASSIVE TRICKS - WITHOUT EVEN GETTING HIS HAIR WET IN ONE OF HIS HEATS!” It’s been a rollercoaster year for the World Kiteboarding League. After a solid start to the tour in New Caledonia and Leucate, internal issues meant that the team struggled to get confirmed events lined up during the summer. It’s an all-too-common story in the history of competitive freestyle, but by August the rider-run tour had reversed their fortunes with three newly confirmed events - enough to secure a legitimate world tour result and crown World Champions later this year. The first of these newly signed events was in Texel, Netherlands, but an unfortunate windless spell yielded…

If you’ve ever tucked yourself in behind a sandbar, sheeted in and gone for broke then you know much fun speed sailing is and followers of the discipline are as committed as they come. Weymouth Speed Week draws speed freak kiters, windsurfers and dinghy sailors from across the UK and often beyond. This year’s event had the best forecast in years! The event takes place on a notoriously blustery 500 metre course across Weymouth Harbour and, with such a promising forecast, the competitors were sure to be gunning hard for the 38.48 knot course record, set by windsurfer Anders Bringdal back in 2008. This year the fastest speeds were well in excess of last year. Even on one of the lighter days, James Longmuir managed to clock four times the…

There was a time, not so long ago, that I found myself penning this piece from an aeroplane seat each issue. Time moves on and my travel schedule is a fraction of what it used to be (not to mention the fact that my organisational skills have improved and I don’t leave it to the last minute anymore!). This month I find myself tapping the words out on my iPad from the beach in Hamata, Egypt. I was a very frequent visitor to Egypt in kiteboarding’s early days when the focus was more on big air and jumping tricks. The agreeable temperatures, consistent winds and abundance of flat water spots made it an ideal match for my ‘training’ needs - and I do use the word ‘training’ somewhat lightly, as…

In August we were contacted by an architectural photographer from Puerto Rico, called Piti Gutierrez, who loved kiteboarding and his country. He was passionate about a new project that he had set up called #KiteProjectPR for which he was reflecting the sport, the riders and the island. He wanted to create a website that people could go to and learn more about kiting in Puerto Rico. We had some correspondence back-and-forth and began working on a feature as there was no doubt as to the appeal of the island. A Caribbean location, Piti says that they call it La Isla Del Encanto (the Island of Enchantment) thanks to its privileged location, culture, beaches and of course, constant wind. The beautiful coastline around its 100 x 35 mile area made it…

“There’s a genuine risk of encountering a real predator in Svalbard – namely, the polar bear – and they are always moving around on their hunt for food.” Svalbard is technically part of Norway, but it sits hundreds of miles to the north of the mainland and is actually closer to the North Pole than it is to the Norwegian capital of Oslo. An Arctic climate, it features breathtaking frozen landscapes, dangerous animals and changeable weather. When tourists think of Norway many mistakenly imagine a snow-covered land in which polar bears and rein-deers roam the streets. In Svalbard it’s reality. ›For a few years, four friends and I had been wondering about a question: could Svalbard be crossed using the power of the wind? In April of this year we…

TEST TEAM NOTES: Of all the kites in the performance freeride bracket, the Switchblade has probably changed the most when compared to three years ago. We’re not criticising the Switchblade of the past because it’s been one of the most popular kites of all time, but it used to be a beast. Over the last three years it has become progressively lighter, quicker and less of brute. As the canopy shape has evolved, the close feel you have with the kite has improved, too. Mid-life crisis over: the weight’s come off and the personal trainer has really been worth it. There’s now more drive than drag and the steering is more sporty, but there’s still that underlying Switchblade bass line coming through nice and firmly without being a real handful.…

WORLDWIDE SCHOOLS & SHOPS EVEN MORE LISTINGS AT WWW.KITEWORLDMAG.COM SCHOOLS THE AMERICAS 1 Adventure Kiteboarding Muskego, Wisconsin sales@adventurekiteboarding.com +1 414-367-9283 www.adventurekiteboarding.com 2 Kiteforce Montreal, Quebec info@kite-force.com + 1 514 691 3314 www.kite-force.com 3 Hatteras Island Surf & Sailing Waves, NC barton@hatterasislandsurfshop.com +1 252 987 2292 www.hatterasislandsurfshop.com 4 Kitty Hawk Kites Nag's Head, Hatteras mail@kittyhawk.com +1 252 441 0265 www.kittyhawk.com www.khkiteboarding.com 5 Good Breeze Kiteboarding Cocoa Beach, Florida info@kiteboardingcloseouts.com +1 321-252-5483 www.goodbreezekiteboarding.com www.kiteboardingcloseouts.com 6 Miami Kiteboarding Miami, Florida info@miamikiteboarding.com +1 305 345 9974 www.miamikiteboarding.com 7 TKS Miami Miami Florida sales@tksmiami.com +1 (305) 646.1681 +1 (305) 397.8282 www.tksmiami.com 8 361 Kite Corpus Christi, TX info@361kite.com +1 361 742 7966 www.361kite.com 9 Prokite South Padre South Padre Island TX & Hood River +1 541-490-6872 +1 855-774-5483 info@prokitesouthpadre.com www.prokitesouthpadre.com 10 TRON X Nuevo Vallarta,…