Indice dei contenuti per Issue #95 October 18 - November 2018 in Kiteworld Magazine

Over in surfing, the World Surf League very recently announced that they will be awarding equal prize money for men and women at every WSL controlled event from 2019 onwards, making them the first US global sports league to do so. Two days later, also in the USA, the Patagonia Cape Hatteras Wave Classic, a kitesurfing wave contest that runs in September, also announced equal pay cheques for their annual event. On page 138 Sensi Graves reflects the often heated and many sided argument as to why it is that women in kiteboarding are fewer in number and also (some would say ‘therefore’) paid much less in prize money and sponsorship than most of their male counterparts. The main reason for the pay gap is often indeed related to the…

“JESSE’S OVERALL IMPRESSION SCORE OF 4.7 OUT OF 5 WAS SECOND ONLY TO HIS PREVIOUS HEAT SCORE OF 4.8. HE WAS NEARING AIR GAMES PERFECTION.” DELIVERANCE AT DAWN Even when all the championship riding was done, Carlos Mario and Jesse Richman had to be split from an equal points finish on countback results, while Mikaili was only assured of a clear win after beating her season-long rival Hannah Whiteley in the single elimination final at the last event in Germany. This first ‘Air Games’ season was a real test for all involved. A new format aimed to re-invigorate the twin-tip freestyle scene and attract more general fans. New school, old school, big air and kite loops all in one contest – it had the backing of the industry and some…

Featuring a park and freestyle throwdown the world’s first junior park slider competition went down in Hood River in July. World Class Kiteboard Academy hosted the event and twenty young riders from ten different countries entered. Many had not spent much time riding sliders beforehand, but with help from the Kite Park League’s Ewan Jaspan, Annelous Lammerts and Alex Maes, they made steady progress. The winners of the Hood River Junior Jam were awarded a spot in the Patagonia Hood Jam and boys winner Mark Cafero would eventually go on to finish tenth at that event. The slider event was followed up by a freestyle competition with some of the best young freestylers in the world hammering out double passes and massive grabbed single passes. Duotone duo Aron Rosslee and…

One of the world’s top foil racers, Germany’s Florian Gruber, claimed his third successive title in the men’s TT:R Worlds ‘Open’ division in which competitors can race on any board or kite they please (although not foils unfortunately for Florian). Having dominated the event from early on, by the time the fifth and final day of racing came around he could have sat those races out and still won. “It might have seemed easy, but it’s always hard,” said Gruber. “I had pretty clean racing most of the time and I didn’t make too many mistakes, so I was pretty relaxed. But for sure all the younger kids have got a lot better in the last year, because they’ve been training for the Youth Olympic Games (YOG). So, I really…

“MORE INTERESTING THAN THE ROAD MAP TO YOUR NEXT IMPROVEMENT IS DISCOVERING THE KEY POINTS THAT WILL HELP YOU ACTUALLY MAKE A ROAD MAP FOR YOURSELF.” The temptation was overwhelming. In fact so overwhelming that I was already half done writing before I managed to rein myself in and, sad at heart, hit select all and delete. It’s rare that I am so driven to write that I manage to get fingers on keyboard before your esteemed editor comes knocking at my door (or rather spamming me with e-mails). I had so much to say and so many comments to make that it seemed the ultimate home run. Never before has a column topic been so obvious to me, nor has the first 500 words written themselves so fast. The…

“I GOT REALLY GOOD AT HELPING OTHER PEOPLE ACHIEVE THE RESULTS THEY WANTED IN THEIR KITING, PHYSICAL PERFORMANCE OR BOTH, BUT I WASN’T ACHIEVING THE SAME MYSELF.” I left the Royal Marines 18 years-ago. I wasn’t a particularly good officer and they weren’t sad to see me go, but what stayed with me from that time was how archaic the training methods employed by this elite combat unit were. I was expecting to be at the peak of physical fitness by the time I left. Instead, whilst doing the tests they put everyone through before they leave, I found I was actually a lot less fit than when I joined! I thought there must be a better way. I set about running a kite school and peak performance consultancy in…

INNOVATION BY DUOTONE There is not a single day without one of our engineers or team riders on the water testing new products. We call ourselves fortunate to have a team which yearns to push the sport to the next level. From the early days until today, we experienced incredible progression and yet there is no end in sight. And this is what creates the excitement. Our R & D team does not respond to trends! We love to start the trend, to set the tone and to explore new ways on the water. HISTORY BY DUOTONE We were there when the first kites were seen riding downwind from Ho’okipa to Kanaha. We got dragged over the beaches of Maui, the Baltic Sea or Tarifa, we tried directionals and twin…

KEN WINNER, USA: This guy is a legend. No one else has left a bigger mark on the development of our kites. Meanwhile his designs are so perfectly engineered that the most common request from our team riders is to change nothing. And indeed sometimes it is hard to imagine that there is still room for improvement. But until today Ken has succeeded every year to make our kites better and better. His equally successful partner in crime is: SKY SOLBACH, USA: Racing, foiling or strapless wave surfing – Sky feels at home in every discipline. Together with Ken he has spent thousands of hours on the water or in the shape booth, developing, testing and refining hundreds of prototypes from a piece of foam to the production stage. REBEL…

BEGINNERS First off, a lot of brands state that foil ‘X’ is brilliant for beginners and intermediates... and advanced riders, too. That’s a huge claim! Foiling, more particularly beginner and freeride foiling for the masses, hasn’t been around very long. If you learnt to foil even as recently as just two or three years ago, you had to be a determined and above average rider because the wings were so fast and hard to ride. New equipment has generally got easier and there are a few products that have made things a lot easier (I teach a lot on Shinn’s P-wing – surface area: 1,150 cm²), but the range is still narrow. So what I’ve focused on doing is working out what does and doesn’t help a beginner, with the…

TEST TEAM NOTES: The BS45 offers generous width for light wind freestyle performance and yet has only a relatively short length, so looks stylishly compact compared to others in this category. Great design with black and orange, looks tidy in its finish and has a feel of quality. Robust in build with a Paulownia wood core wrapped in biaxial glass, the BS45 is fairly heavy in your hands. Not overly so, but has more weight than we expected for a light wind board. Like an Aston Martin perhaps, big and sturdy, but alluring all the same. The outline is quite parallel for grip while there’s a reasonably generous rocker for chop handling and comfort. The look of the board has good freestyle playa credentials but rides with controlled speed. You…

During exercise we burn vital reserves of glucose; sugar the body has stored as glycogen and ATP in our muscles from the food that we eat. To replenish these reserves we have to refuel, but choosing what and when can be a tricky business with so much conflicting information and fad dieting going on in the world. WHEN TO EAT Your body’s metabolism will be heightened after exercise, which means what you eat will be turned into energy more efficiently. So it’s a good idea to eat within an hour of exercise to get the maximum benefits from the food you consume. Every person will have different dietary requirements but, in general, eating some form of carbohydrates, protein and consuming plenty of liquid to rehydrate is the rule. PROTEIN During…

“WE ROLLED THROUGH THE DUNES AS THE HUGE ALL-TERRAIN LEVIATHAN DEVOURED THE TERRAIN. THE SCENERY WAS MIND BLOWING AND THERE SEEMED TO BE LAGOONS ALMOST EVERYWHERE WE LOOKED.” I’m trudging steadily uphill through the sand and my heart beats fast as I claw my way to the top of the biggest sand dune. As I reach the crest of the dune the view is just breathtaking. Behind me is the vast expanse of the Namib desert; in front is a deep turquoise ocean and a small lagoon that’s dotted with flamingos foraging for food. Clouds cast interesting patterns across the dunes. When I close my eyes I hear the sound of the waves, wind and songs of the nearby birds. I’m in Sandwich Harbour, an incredible place where the desert…

“I’VE BEEN SURFING WHICH HAS REALLY HELPED THAT SIDE OF MY RIDING, BUT WITH STRAPLESS FREESTYLE I’VE TRIED TO KEEP IT GOING BECAUSE EVERYONE IS TRAINING HARD FOR IT NOW THE TOUR IS ESTABLISHED.” Matt: You’ve been travelling around Europe this summer in between events. You hit the road after the tour stop in Viana do Castelo, Portugal. Where did you go? Ralph: I’d driven to Viana from France so decided to go on a road trip with my then-fiancee (now wife) Joanna and Theo Demanez. We wanted to make a really long trip along the coast on our way to the event in Tarifa, but pretty early on my van broke down in Peniche and we were stranded. Not a great start! Were you guys all staying in the…

Everything becomes a new and at the same time remains 100% unaffected and reliable. Starting August 2018, the Boards & More kite division develops and distributes all products under the new name DUOTONE. The values with which we have built our reputation on – like advanced technologies, uncompared quality and continuous development – remain steadfast in guiding our new direction. Together with our complete R & D team, distribution network, production crew and athletes, we stay committed to these core values. So join us as we enter a new era. We’re riding with high hopes under a new flag, ready to set the tone. Welcome to DUOTONE!…

TESTING-TESTING Although we test gear for two solid months a year in Cape Town during January and February, we also test for the rest of the year in a range of conditions in the UK. 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 47, has been kiting for 18 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 riders really need from their purchases. Jim Gaunt is 39, editor of Kiteworld, has been kiting for 15 years and rarely rides the same gear for more than a couple of sessions, so…

TEST TEAM NOTES: As with the kite range, what was the North twin-tip range is now the Duotone range. The Select Textreme is Duotone’s flagship carbon infused high-spec freeride design for riders looking for the ultimate session weapon, come what may. We have fallen deeply in love with the Jaime Textreme in recent seasons, which is the more highly geared, stiffer and generally faster and more involving ride than the Select, but once again the Select offers flexible accessibility and no time needed to adjust to riding it at all. This year Duotone have added what they’re calling Space Flex Technology which sees Textreme carbon mixed with Biax weaves for a light but responsive board. You barely have to concentrate on kitesurfing at all; you just get on it and…

TEST TEAM NOTES: The ongoing evolutionary tale of the hardshell harness continues with Manera’s brand new Eclipse. Two-and-a-half years in the making the final mould itself that Manera settled on for the harness has a five figure price tag, so clearly development costs aren’t cheap. However, hard shells (or deviations of that) are becoming more and more common, but Manera wanted to add some more adaptability to the hard shell design. Hard is good they believe because the harness is less able to squeeze you in your sides when more and more pressure is applied to the front of a harness as you fight harder to lean back. (Imagine pulling an elastic band from an original round position.) That basic hard shell concept is fine they say, but when you’re…

A recent post on a widely popular women’s kiteboarding Facebook group hit a nerve. It was a general call-out about how this person was tired of seeing women in bikinis (read: not kiteboarding) and generated over 90 comments. The ensuing discussion ranged from agreement on how, “Yes, that fake kiteboarding is bad for the sport”, to appall; “Let’s respect our fellow women!” This is a long-standing tirade, but seem to have not yet run its course. We have women fighting for equal pay and respect, and on one hand maintain a fierce determination that oversexualization is negative; no ifs or buts. On the other hand we have the idea that women can and should do what they want with their outfits and bodies; by posting sexy and provocative content themselves,…

The air jibe (basically a turn in the air to use instead of a carving gybe) is a fairly simple trick and perfect to try if you are new to strapless. There are a few nice things about it: firstly, the actual air part of the trick is done with very little forward momentum as the aim is to be ready to travel in the opposite direction when you land, so it’s not as intimidating as other tricks in which you’ll be landing fast in the same direction you took off. The air gybe also only requires you to steer the kite continuously in one direction with your back hand, so there are no confusing re-directions of the kite and you can use your nearest front hand to grab the…

01 > Life is short, so don’t blink. Follow your dreams and make them happen before time takes the chance away. 02 > Open your eyes. All the answers you need are right there; you just have to observe them. 03 > Never say it’s over until it’s over. Over several days every single point counts in racing and you can still win until the very last race, so never give up and when negativity starts overcoming you, drive yourself to the positive side. 04 > Tomorrow is another day with no mistakes in it (yet). Credit to Joey Pasquali who told me this after a bad day of racing in San Francisco Bay at a HydroFoil Pro Tour event. 05 > Honesty is like a boomerang. If you put…

PEOPLE WANT TO DO OTHER STUFF Ten years ago, unhooked PKRA-style freestyle was the zenith for many riders and owning C-kites was a way of showing the world that you were an advanced rider (which is why I bought some before I could even unhook!). While technical handle-passes are still a goal for many, a lot of people just want to go bigger than they’ve gone before, perhaps learn kite loops and generally enjoy a user-friendly experience along the way. If they can afford it, many riders are often happy to own more than one board (e.g, a twinny, a surfboard and perhaps a foil) but they don’t always want to have two different kite styles in their quiver because it’s a big expense and, thanks to all-rounders, not always…

Come the finals it was clear that Brandon, Sam Light and Ewan were the ones to watch. However, Hood River hometown-hero Brandon used his local knowledge to overcome Sam Light and Ewan Jaspan with a blinding display, including a mobe 720 off the kicker, but his victory was a tight one - there were just 0.03 points between him and Ewan in second. In the women’s, Karolina’s all-out approach helped her edge past Julia Castro who notched up the highest scoring trick of the event with a backside one to 360 out on the Cabrinha slider to corrugated pipe, while relative newcomer Katie Potter pushed past some seriously experienced competitors to take third place. Brandon and Karolina still hold the tour leads going into the last event of the year…

Robbie Douglas from the US took his third speed title at the Kite Speed World Championship on Masirah Island in Oman in August. Masirah is about as ideal as it gets for speed sailing with flat, shallow water and reliably strong winds that allowed the riders to notch up consistently speedy times all week. Not as windy as last year, Robbie was the only rider to push past the 50 knot barrier, registering the fastest ever port-tack run to be recorded in competition at 50.25 knots, pipping French defending World Champion, Alex Caizergues, to the top of podium. Robbie was being coached by fellow World Champ Nico Parlier, who not only advised him on strategy, but also helped him tune his Flysurfer foils, which he says gave him a massive…

WHO’S IN? There are over 1,000 members in the database with 500 in regular communication and 30-50 at the fortnightly / monthly drinks. The 2018 club trip to Kenya had more than 30 riders onboard! WHAT’S ON The club is very active both on and off the beaches. Activities are coordinated via a Meetup group, Facebook, Whatsapp and Telegram to organise lift-shares and socials. Get-togethers are held every two weeks or month at a Central London pub. Right now Shaws Booksellers by Blackfriars tube is the main spot. Activities range from ad-hoc kite sessions to planned coaching clinics with pro riders, like Lewis Crathern. The club organises trips abroad which members of all levels are encouraged to jump in on, while members are also able to get discounts on gear…

KEAHI: The backyard at Moona’s. A session in front of your house never gets old! KEAHI: Cabrinha’s annual product release shoot can be a tough one. It’s always a blast but you basically have those 10-14 days to get the gold, but it depends what Mother Nature offers up. As consistent as Hawaii is, it can be tricky to find those magic days and with a lot of weird weather this year we had to really explore our options to get everything covered. Getting dealt those strange forecasts can occasionally be a blessing in disguise. Maui wasn’t delivering the goods, but the north winds shut down the surfing potential and can open up the whole northern coastline of Oahu; from just a couple of kite spots into a whole range…

“TWO-AND-A-HALF KILOMETRES SOUTH OF THE KITE STATION LIES EL NAABA’S BEGINNER LAGOON WHICH, AT 700 METRES LONG AND 200 METRES WIDE, IS SHALLOW AND PERFECT.” I first visited Marsa Alam 15 years ago which, at the time, was a new village being created by the Mubarak goverment for tourism. Investors flocked to it, believing they were about to cash in on the next gold rush. If you could swing a spade, you were hired to build one of the many hotels that began to crop up and pioneers like Ibi Chouman were out to grab a slice of the action for themselves before foreign developers snapped it all up. Seeing the potential, Ibi wanted to turn nearby El Naaba into THE kitesurfing Mecca but in recent years only El Gouna…

There is probably no spit of land on earth over which Reno would not jump. In 2013, he got the Guiness World Record for the most spins in one jump and while Reno draws inspiration from wakeboarding, his team mate Matchu lives by the rythm of the tide pushing wave kiting like hardly any other these days. When it comes to choosing the right kite, they both grab the Dice as this kite is a fantastic performer in both waves and freestyle. Additionally, the Dice beautifully harmonizes with Reno’s favorite board, the Jaime Textreme, as much as it does with Matchu’s choice, the Pro Whip. RENOS FAVOURITE GEAR: JAIME / JAIME TEXTREME BY DUOTONE Tried and test as the highest performing and versatile freeride and freestyle twin tip on the…

“SOLID WAVES IN WINTER, FLAT WATER, KICKERS AND GREAT FOILING CONDITIONS ALL YEAR ROUND. MARAZION’S A FAVOURITE WITH THE LOCALS!” KNOWLEDGE IS POWER Turning up somewhere without knowing the ropes is ill advised. Not because of ‘localism’, but because kiting in the wrong place could cause problems for you, resident kiters and fellow beach users. If you know where and when to go however, Cornwall can offer up some of the UK’s best kiting! Here’s our little guide to Cornish kiting cream, including thoughts from local legend and UK wave champ, Lee ‘Pasty’ Harvey, to help you get slotted rather than clotted! WHEN TO GO Although the summer months are warmest, the wind is less reliable and some Cornish beaches become unrideable due to how packed they get with holidaymakers.…

TEST TEAM NOTES: Taking their experience and know-how from kites into board making, this year Ozone are definitely making noises with their new two model board range, the Code and the Torque. The Torque is the higher performing model, billed as a performance freestyler, delivering all round capabilities for intermediate to advanced riders. First off, it’s a great looking board. We had the black and grey one and it’s total stealth. Nice and light but not too light, the Torque feels up to the job of whatever you can throw at it. This was our first contact with a pair of Ozone foot straps and without over-complicating things, they’ve kept the design as a simple Velcro fastener, but the whole set-up is super effective. Decent foot straps and foam pads…

“EVERYTHING BECOMES PERFECT BECAUSE IT’S NOT PERFECT. WABI-SABI IS SIMPLY JUST BEING IN THE HERE AND NOW.” “JAPANESE PEOPLE ALWAYS EAT ACCORDING TO THE PRINCIPLE OF ‘HARA HACHI BU’; ONLY EATING UNTIL YOU’RE 80 PERCENT FULL. EATING IN SMALL PORTIONS AND IN MODERATION, OVER-EATING SIMPLY DOESN’T EXIST HERE.” Besides genetic factors which we are unable to control, 70% of the determinants for a long life are in our hands. Averaging 85 years of age, Japanese people have the highest life expectancy in the world. In contrast to most of those in the Western World, not only do the Japanese manage to live long, they live healthily and actively into old age, suffering less age-related illnesses and degeneration than those of us in the West. Okinawa island in the South China…

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 7 361 KITE Corpus Christi, TX info@361kite.com +1 361 742 7966 www.361kite.com 8 PROKITE SOUTH PADRE South Padre Island TX +1 541-490-6872 +1 855-774-5483 info@prokitesouthpadre.com www.prokitesouthpadre.com 9 TRON X Nuevo Vallarta, Mexico info@tronx.mx +52 (322) 108 9292 www.tronx.mx 10 EXOTIKITE KITEBOARDING SCHOOL Baja, Sur Mexico info@exotikite.com +521 624 165 2612 www.exotikite.com 11 COME KITE WITH US…