Indice dei contenuti per #83 October - November 2016 in Kiteworld Magazine

I’m sat in a hotel dining room in Mauritius with some of the riders who compete on the GKA Wave & Strapless Freestyle tour along with the event organisers. Bringing this up isn’t supposed to make you spit with jealousy (though I realise it may... if it’s any comfort, the fillet steak was a little over seasoned for my liking... ) it’s to make an important point that came to light as the conversation passed back and forth about the future of the tour and the views of those invested in the sport as a whole. As part of the media team for the tour, I’ve been privy to a lot of background discussions. The subject of foot straps on surfboards came up around the table. Several brands have expressed…

Day one of the HydroFoil Pro Tour stop in Pointe d’Esny, Mauritius, kicked off with 15 to 20 knots of wind, flat water, blue skies and five races - all of which were won by Nico Parlier who was already the firm favourite after his victory earlier that month in San Francisco. However, rivals Johnny Heineken (USA), Maxime Nocher (Monaco), Axel Mazella (France), and Olly Bridge (Great Britain) had no intention of making it easy for him and there was also a competitive field of riders in ladies division with the USA’s Daniela Moroz, Elena Kalinina (Russia), Alexia Francelli (France) and Gina Hewson (New Zealand) all vying for first place. Pointe d’Esny has a tricky tidal cycle which plays into the racing strategy meaning riders would have to use the…

“THERE ARE MOMENTS IN A TRICK WHERE A SLIGHT TWEAK OF THE KNEE CAN CHANGE YOUR MOVE. THE BEST RIDERS FIGURE THIS OUT THE QUICKEST.” Riding flat water is every aspiring freestyler’s dream. As pros we travel across the world looking for the perfect conditions with the least amount of ripples on the surface of the water and smooth consistent wind. It’s hard to find and is the reason why so many people flood to exotic locations around the world every year. Some people must think it’s crazy to fly halfway across the world just to ride in a lagoon that’s sometimes no bigger than a swimming pool, but there are no other conditions that give you as much confidence to push your level and to learn tricks. The flat…

VITAL STATISTICS: NAME: Adeuri Corniel AGE: 16 LIVES: Kitebeach, Cabarete YEARS KITING: 8 BEST RESULTS: Number one in the Dominican Republic, 2nd at the Youth World Cup and 4th at the WKL Cabarete Freestyle Invitational SPONSORS: RRD Tell us about your home spot and why you like it so much. My home spot is Kitebeach in Cabarete. It’s an easy place to learn new tricks and there are usually small kickers in the shorebreak, which are great for launching off and getting extra height in a trick. I love it - it´s like ten seconds from my house and it blows 20 to 25 knots almost everyday. What’s your favourite trick and why do you like it? I have two favourite tricks – the front blind mobe and the back…

Round two of the GKA Wave & Strapless Freestyle Tour at Sotavento took us back to a special time in kiteboarding when the interaction and bond formed between the riders and the public was very tangible. This new tour format has provided opportunities for riders and characters who you’re perhaps not familiar with. And they’re grasping their opportunity with a humble appreciation. Jan Marcos Riveras and Luis Brito were awarded a special prize for the spirit that they showed throughout the event. Jan Marcos commented, “It was such a unique and special event. The crowd were amazing and we have to try to maintain this atmosphere from now on.” Mark Shinn commented in his column last issue that the reason he was so excited about this new tour was that…

LOCATION: Bracklesham, south coast, England CONDITIONS: Perfect nine metre weather on foils / barely ridable on a twin-tip, around 12 knots TEST TEAM NOTES: The 2017 Airush Core foil is brand new and pitched by Airush as a beginner to advanced performance foil. Featuring all the shape technology of their Team carbon foil, the Core design is aimed at those looking to invest less into foiling at this stage, with the mast and fuselage instead constructed from aviation grade anodized aluminium with CNC precision milled parts. The modular design means you can upgrade key components between the Team carbon version and this Core model, allowing you to step up as and when you feel the need. The first thing to note is that there are several wing pitch settings to…

TEST TEAM NOTES: The Rally is a workhorse of a kite, which is why it has enjoyed such a long reign of success and popularity in the Slingshot range. Slingshot themselves say it’s the most versatile kite ever produced, with incredible wind range, manoeuvrability, low-end power and relaunch. The fixtures and fittings are awesome, with one of the easiest twist lock one pump valves that attaches directly to the pump hose. Throughout the kite Slingshot’s renowned and very robust construction is apparent with lots of reinforcements through the most stressed areas. Continuing their industrial grade manufacturing theme, the bar isn’t the lightest or softest you’ll ever use, but it’s very robust, comfortably grippy and very reliable. The bar is available with either above or below-the-bar trim, both of which work…

NOTE #03: SOUTHEAST INDIA When you first arrive in India, there is never enough mental preparation for the awe inspiring, sensory overload that typically takes place during your first few days. But do not be mistaken, this is what creates the love-hate relationship with the country known as “The Land of Prayers”. I first had the idea to visit India and explore the vast coast of the Gulf of Mannar after doing a few windy seasons in Sri Lanka, which is considered a tamed down Indian experience in comparison. There is a Venturi effect created between Sri Lanka and India, boasting the essence of what every salivating kite addict wants from a relationship with wind - reliable, strong, steady and, like the energizer bunny, it ‘keeps going and going’! Knowing…

Where you locate your feet on a board when kitesurfing is the foundation of what is called ‘stance’. Without going into upper body stance details, (which is another subject) let’s break down the basics of where to set your feet up on different types boards for optimal performance in various conditions. Coming from an Olympic racing background and coaching top kitesurf world speed record holders, foilboard racers and freestyle pros, I know the value of fine-tuning your gear. Winning performance is found in the details and top form comes from tuning your gear down to minute detail. Where you stand on the board and how you set up your straps makes a drastic difference to how your board performs. Experimenting and learning what works in all conditions is what separates…

CORE “Lighter. Stronger. And just maybe a little more rad.” is how Core describe their second generation of all-carbon freestyle boards, the Bolt 2 and Choice 2. Both have shed 300 grams and yet become stronger and more responsive. The Bolt 2 is an out-and-out wakestyle board favoured by Dutch man-mountain Steven Akkersdijk, while the Choice 2 is an all-terrain freestyle stick better tuned for strapped riding. A new CNC milling and production process has allowed for the Paulownia wood core to extend up to the board’s edges, reducing weight and increasing reflexivity. Refined channels and Vario Rails provide grip and control with or without fins. Both boards continue to benefit from Core’s proprietary 30 degree biaxial carbon-fibre weave that further optimizes board torsion and dynamic longitudinal flex. The result…

The Hood River slider park saw the sport’s wakestyle elite descend on the spot to throw down over a series of challenging obstacles. A wide array of prizes were up for grabs, ranging from $1,000 for the best trick over the right footed kicker to the greatly-coveted Golden Hammer which, while probably a little less financially desirable than the cash prize, was worth far more in terms of props and respect! Day one brought with it a fairly scattered forecast but the first three men’s heats began with riders linking up lines across the Cabrinha Transfer Box, the North Up-Down rail, the North Cheesewedge and ‘Corrugated’ – a daunting looking corrugated pipe slider. Competitors were allowed three attempts on each obstacle before moving to the next one. While the spirit…

It’s taken me a while to sit down and put pen to paper for this issue’s tome and for once it’s not because I’ve lacked inspiration or even a subject to ponder, but for the want of finding the middle line. I’m not known as someone who sits on the fence too often. I have reasonably strong opinions and I’m normally not afraid to share them, but if I’m honest I’m a little torn here. I’m bound to upset someone whichever side I fall on this particular subject. On the other hand that’s never stopped me in the past, so I guess I’ll just dive in head first as is my want and then keep a low profile when the sparks start to fly! My thoughts are loosely based on…

Product launches come thick and fast at this time of year. As brands introduce their new product lines, we eagerly await news of entirely new products or of how the kites and boards we know and love have been retuned, rebooted or taken in an entirely different direction. At the same time, many of us ponder these new offerings and whether or not they are truly innovative. It’s becoming increasingly common to hear people questioning quite how groundbreaking new releases really are, or whether or not they can justify the extra cost. To find out more about whether or not innovation is still happening, or whether we’ve ground to a halt, we decided to speak to some of the people in the industry who busy themselves throughout the year designing…

We try to bring as much well-rounded experience and buyer’s considerations into our reviews as we can. We’re not about finding the best products for pro riders, but rather squeezing out the most relevant characteristics for every day riders. Senior tester Chris Bull is 45, has been kiting for 15 years and tested more gear than anyone we know, outside of gear developers themselves. He runs CBK-Hayling Island (www.CBK-haylingisland.com), a lively school, club and shop and understands what the pros and bros are looking for in their purchases. Jim Gaunt is 37, editor of Kiteworld, has been kiting for 13 years and rarely rides the same gear session to session, so has a good understanding of current directions / trends. Kiteworld associate editor Matt Pearce is 27, 6’2’’ and 95…

TEST TEAM NOTES: The whole Levitaz package is stunning with a super high level of craftsmanship going into these products that are built in Austria. The Element set-up is their most entry-level offering for freeriding, but in no way does it feel entry level in your hands. The alluring carbon modular parts glisten as you assemble them and the excitement for hitting the water with your new ‘machine’ starts straight away! Breaking down into five parts and coming with its own neat bag, the Levitaz is very transportable, too. You can combine various front and back wing configurations from the Levitaz range as and when you improve or your riding requirements change. The Element mast is available with a plate connection and a deep Tuttle box, so it’s interchangeable with…

TEST TEAM NOTES: And so we come to the product that North have been heralding as the ‘Game Changer’. To be honest, we’ve known that this product has been coming for quite some time as North spent a long time on it and needed to get it absolutely right on first release. When something is so different, there’s not much room for a second chance. First up, North have to be complemented for their manufacturing prowess. The Click Bar looks like it’s been in production, modified and tweaked for years. Always clean and clinical in their finish, the Click bar is no exception. If you haven’t heard about it yet, the Click bar basically trims the rear lines instead of how we’ve always done it, via the front lines. As…

TEST TEAM NOTES: Part of the S-Tech (soft tech) range, this S-Brymm 5’4’’ sits in the middle of the range, between the S-Bryck 4’10’’ and the S-Byron 5’10’’. This is the first time we’ve ridden a soft top board for kiting. Although many a seasoned surfer will scoff at the idea of a soft top, it has so many benefits! The key elements of difference to note early on are of course the soft top, the robust plastic base and the super flexible fins. The S-Brymm is a quad fin, snubbed nose foam decked, fairly wide shape with a generously wide tail, too. Incredibly stable, it’s not tippy at all and you can virtually walk all over it without being thrown off too often. The comfort levels underfoot are insane…

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 Good Breeze Kiteboarding Cocoa Beach, Florida info@kiteboardingcloseouts.com +1 321-252-5483 www.goodbreezekiteboarding.com www.kiteboardingcloseouts.com 6 Hatteras Island Surf & Sailing Waves, NC +1 252 987 2292 www.hatterasislandsurfshop.com 7 Kiteboarding School of Maui Kahului, Maui, Hawaii mschale@ksmaui.com +1 808 873 0015 www.ksmaui.com 8 Kitty Hawk Kites Nag's Head, Hatteras mail@kittyhawk.com +1 252 441 0265 www.kittyhawk.com www.khkiteboarding.com 9 KGB Kiteboarding Baja Mexico & California info@kgbswag.com…

As the event only finished as we went to print, there’s just space to squeeze in a congratulations to Matchu Lopes for winning the GKA Wave & Strapless Freestyle event in Mauritius in September. A truly hard working and passionate rider, the emotion was real, as was the admiration he received from his competitors. Hard work does pay off kids, and Matchu, who now leads the GKA Wave & Strapless Freestyle tour with one event to go in Dakhla in October, has his eyes on the biggest prize in wave kiting competition in several seasons! Reports at: www.kiteworldmag.com We’ll see you next time!…

The Lancelin Ocean Classic is a long standing watersports race that began in 1986, when a group of windsurfing enthusiasts got together at Ledge Point in Western Australia and raced 25 kilometres to Lancelin. Now also involving kitesurfers and stand-up paddlers, the Lancelin Classic is held in one of Western Australia’s most beautiful and windy coastal pockets. The annual competition brings together professionals and amateurs to battle it out for supremacy and a competitive prize pool. Olly Bridge from the UK took the win in the open kitesurfing class in 2016, completing the 25 miles in just 26 minutes 08 seconds; one minute and 50 seconds ahead of second place finisher, WA resident Torvar Mirsky. Keahi de Aboitiz was also competing, he finished fourth in a time of 33 minutes,…

2013 Champion George Dufty claimed the men’s Pro title for a second time and over the season has shown us some incredible riding. Not only that but his approach and attitude is an example to all aspiring riders, as he’s got super fit especially for kiteboarding, takes his pre-heat approach seriously and when not riding himself, he’s always running up and down the beach giving juniors advice for their heats. George is definitely going on to bigger and better things. The men’s title was a well turned out series again. Last year’s champion Sean Murphy came over for each event from Ireland, but couldn’t match George’s consistency in all conditions this season. At the last event in Hunstanton in particular in what were very blustery and strong conditions, George managed…

VITAL STATISTICS: AGE: 26 LIVES: LA CIENEGA, CABARETE, DOMINICAN REPUBLIC YEARS KITING: 10 BEST RESULTS: 1ST PLACE WKL MAITAI CABARETE INVITATIONAL 2016, 1ST PLACE DR OPEN 2014, 3RD PLACE PKRA LEUCATE, FRANCE 2011 SPONSORS: STAR KITEBOARDING, COGUA KITEBOARDS, ENCARGO PAQ Tell us about your home spot and why you like it so much. My home spot is Kitebeach, Cabarete. The conditions are good almost every day and that’s where my friends and the other pro Dominican riders hang out, train, and push each other on the water. What’s your favourite trick and why do you like it? The one handed front flip-to-blind is my favourite trick. I love the momentum that I can generate doing this flip and it feels really natural and smooth. There aren’t many people who can…

Like many established riders of his generation – Bas hit 30 this year – his dad was a windsurfer and from there he found himself naturally migrating his interests to kiting, a stealthier weapon for a new generation of watermen in 2003. At the time, ammo was scarce but he managed to lay his hands on a Naish AR3 that triggered in two line mode. Like most hitmen, the only way he found to naturally improve was to cut his teeth in freestyle competition combat, which he did early the following year. He took his chance well too - “Yeah I took the Dutch Championships twice, in 2007 and 2010 when Kevin and Youri didn’t compete, ha! Otherwise in the other years I finished third.” It’s important to have that…

TEST TEAM NOTES: Shinn claim that the El Stubbo is as close to a one board quiver that they’ve ever produced, for sliding skate-style, wave and hydro-foil action. It can be ridden with none, one, two or three straps in quad fin, twin fin or hydrofoil flight mode. Vastly smaller in board shape and volume than the other two on test this issue, Shinn use a unique foil plate on the base to add rigidity for the foil. Although the board is very short in length, it’s fairly wide in relation to its length to make a little more allowance for less than perfect footwork, there’s a high nose rocker to try to lessen touch-down catapults and the tail is pulled in for easy control when carving. On the water,…

TEST TEAM NOTES: A new kite to the Core range, the Free sits between the GTS 4 - which we reviewed last issue - and the formidably powerful XR4, which we’ve also ridden a lot. Looking at the range, the GTS 4 is basically your bad-ass C-style kite that’s stacked with high-end performance (but also incredible depower) and the XR4 is your higher aspect boosting kite which perhaps surprisingly also has a good character for waves (because it’s pretty quick) and we’ve been very impressed with the 12 metre. Then there’s the Section, which is the true wave kite and now this year we have the Free, which is the mass market, broad appeal beginner / intermediate / early advanced freeride kite. Core have grown into serious players. Even non-kitesurfers…

SEPTEMBER SUMBAWA, INDONESIA: Although we often see tantalizing images of clean, glassy waves in surf magazines, there’s not much in the way of actual info about kitesurfing in Sumbawa. However, if waves are your thing then Sumbawa is definitely worth a look between August and November when the perfect blend of reliable southeasterly trade winds and swell deliver some of the best kitesurfing wave conditions imaginable. There are two windy seasons in Indonesia, one during the rainy season and the other during the dry season, but the period between August and November when the wind blows from the south is the best time to head there with an average of only five non-kiteable days per month at that time. Water temperatures are around 27 – 29°C / 81 - 84°F…

The skies are becoming busier. As more and more kiters learn to jump well, it’s important to try to avoid each other. The International Regulations for Preventing Collisions at Sea 1972 (Colregs) were published by the International Maritime Organisation (IMO). Among other things they set out the ‘rules of the road’ to be followed by ships and other vessels at sea to prevent collisions between two or more vessels. We, of course, are ‘other vessels’ and most noticeably the rules (or perhaps the one major rule that we should all at least know) is that port gives way to starboard. Considering the extra dimension of flight which is completely unique to kitesurfing, I think it’s right that we look into more ways of avoiding collisions. It’s also worth mentioning that…

Watching good surfers ride waves is a truly captivating and invigorating sight. Their dance with Mother Nature seems so graceful, yet powerful, and most of all so pure. Instinctively in flow with the elements, a surfer essentially rides energy that has often been travelling for several thousands of kilometres before it explodes at beaches and reefs in the form of waves. Playing in the surf is certainly a fantastic pastime and heaps of fun, however, it is much more than just a sport. It is a perspective, a philosophy. It is a way of life. Our whole existence on this planet comes in waves, so drawing some teachings from the surf seems only logical, right? 1. EVERY WAVE IS DIFFERENT Although for ‘outsiders’ all waves might look pretty much the…