Tabla de contenidos para Issue #89 October - November 2017 en Kiteworld Magazine

This is the last thing I’m writing this issue. Sometimes it’s not, depending on the issue and when inspiration strikes. I prefer it when it all flows easily, just like kitesurfing. This issue is focused on elements of control, and at times it feels like the world, and those ‘in charge’, are anything but. As Hurricane Irma sweeps through the Caribbean it seems like an odd time to be talking about control, when so many are without it and at the mercy of fate. We really feel for those great many people who now face an uncertain future. Whether you believe that global warming is caused by humans or not, there’s no denying that sea temperatures are warmer. The experts I’ve listened to this week aren’t denying that this hurricane…

Oman, on the southeast coast of the Arabian peninsula, put itself on the kitesurfing map in August as an ideal location for speed sailing. Unlike speed locations of the past, the setup is all natural, so there’s no digging of shallow trenches needed, with men’s winner Alex Caizergues commenting, “The feeling of speed is amazing here because you have very flat water and no chop – we can give it 100% with little risk. This place just makes you want to go faster and faster!” Alex set a new championship record of 48.5 knots, almost 90 kilometres an hour. Meanwhile, on the women’s side, a new speed queen emerged who is usually more well known for her glamorous freestyle videos that mask the dogged competitor beneath. Hannah Whiteley was a…

The Kite Park League has had a packed season of events so far this year since kicking off at the Blue Palawan Open in the Philippines back in February. Sam Light (looking to claim back-to-back championship titles) and Ewan Jaspan had been neck-and-neck at the top after Ewan beat Sam by a very close margin in the second round at the Triple-S. However Sam had clashing commitments and used his discard for the Hood event, leaving Ewan, with his huge kicker hits and technical slider riding, to try to take the chance and move well ahead to consolidate an overall tour lead. However, hometown hero Brandon Scheid brought out his typical Gorge-honed powerful riding style to take the win with some big rotations off the kicker, including a high scoring…

“WHEN I TALK TO PEOPLE ABOUT CAPE VERDE, I ALWAYS SAY THAT THE RELIGION IS STRAPLESS.” The strapless scene owes a lot to 34 year-old Cape Verdean, Mitu Monteiro. One of the most genuinely warm and humble pro riders you’ll meet, his natural path seems to have always lay in the ocean. “I did eight years of school. I quite enjoyed it, and learnt some French, but my head was always in the sea. I’d take my bodyboard to school so I was ready to go.” Growing up on an African island, I was curious about how kitesurfing has become such an integral part of life for so many young riders there, given the expense and limited availability of equipment. The top rung of the current kitesurfing wave and strapless…

TEST TEAM NOTES: The Union III is different. And not just different from last year; different from most other kites in this performance freeride category, and gave us a really interesting test this year. We’ve really enjoyed the last two iterations of this model for its large amounts of power and easy access to lofty, floaty boosting. Although it was one of the most grunty performance kites out there last year, the Union II bridged the gap for those riders graduating on from entry-level ease-of-use and accessibility, helping them move into a more performance kite that wasn’t complicated to ride and yet offered oodles of power with better turning, jumping and unhooked performance than the Lithium. When people were on their 12s, we could usually get going on a nine…

“At the current rate, some predictions forecast that there will be more plastic than fish in the sea by 2050, so the onus is on us to vote with our purchases to help stop that happening.” DRASTIC-PLASTIC While the realities and severity of climate change are widely debated and a deeply divisive issue, plastic in the oceans is an ecological disaster that everybody can agree on but the scale of the issue is hard to fathom. Two thirds of the plastic in our oceans comes from the land in countless ways. Perhaps as litter dropped on a beach, or as a coffee cup floating through a city’s drainage system, or as a result of industrial waste or poorly managed landfill sites. Marine waste, such as jettisoned fishing gear, makes up…

“A COMPETITOR’S MINDSET IS INTERESTING. YOU NEED A WILLINGNESS TO BEAT YOURSELF UP COMBINED WITH A RELENTLESS BELIEF THAT YOU CAN SUCCEED. NO ONE HAS EVER MADE IT TO THE TOP WITHOUT COUNTLESS LOSSES ALONG THE WAY.” The wind was blowing hard and my heart was thumping. I took a few deep, calming breaths. I was about to take my last attempt at the kicker during the women’s finals of the prestigious Wind Voyager Triple-S Invitational and I needed to nail it. I’d crashed my first two attempts and so hadn’t registered a score on this feature. I’ve practiced a frontside 540 countless times and knew I could land it. I focused and removed any doubt. Tacking in towards the kicker with the wind howling at my back, I kept…

QUESTION: I can keep my kite nice and stable in the air in light winds when I’m stood on the beach and I don’t seem to have to work the kite or concentrate on it too much to stop it dropping out of the sky. However, as soon as I pick up my board and walk into the water - making sure to walk slightly towards the wind to try to keep the lines tight - the kite frequently loses power and just wants to drop towards the water at the edge of the window. What am I doing wrong and what can I do to avoid this? COACH GEBI’S ANSWER: The main difference is that there is not enough velocity to create ‘drag’ and hold the kite back a…

“WE SHOULD FACILITATE LEARNING AND MAKE THE SPORT MORE ACCESSIBLE AS YOUTH ARE THE FUTURE OF KITEBOARDING.” 01 > I do not know much. 02 > Try to make work an extension of your life if you can. Do what you love and follow what you’re passionate about. It’s all living, learning, striving and growing. 03 > Always gamble on the light wind days when you’re learning to kitesurf. Then embrace every aspect of the sport, not just one discipline. 04 > You don’t want to be going out in big waves on an old bar, so get a new bar every autumn. 05 > Venture north in summer. Denmark, Norway, Iceland, Sweden and Germany have massive, empty beaches, very long days and a great variety of winds. 06 >…

AIRUSH Airush’s ultra-versatile Lithium returns for 2018 with accessible freeride performance for riders of all levels. Smooth, stable handling combines with the easiest of relaunches, making it ideal for novice riders, yet the inherent crossover potential thanks to reliable handling offers plenty to experienced riders. The Diamond Series, featuring the Diamond kite, the Diamond bar and the Diamond Team board also return. The Diamond bar has a reduced diameter grip for smaller hands, a shorter throw, lighter bar pressure and, in combo with the kite, offers a wider wind range. The bar also adjusts smaller than standard, to 42 – 48cm. Airush’s exclusive V4 Dyneema Load Frame also adds tremendous strength and durability. Based on the Livewire, the Diamond Team board is Bruna Kajiya’s choice weapon with a softer flex…

HFPT Racing for the ultimate tech-head in the case of pure performance gear, the HydroFoil Pro Tour has continued to see some fast paced racing in the last couple of months, with Nico Parlier steadily climbing back up the rankings after a slow start to his season. His fellow Frenchman, teen Axel Mazella had been leading the tour until the last event in Fehmarn, Germany, where Nico Parlier dominated, building on his win in France and a steady performance in more challenging, light wind conditions in San Francisco, and has finally managed to pull ahead as overall tour leader with one round to go. Axel remained close to Parlier in Fehmarn and was never outside the top three, managing a couple of wins along the way, but it was the…

The Kiteboarding 4 Cancer derby went down on the River in July as individual riders and teams attempted to accumulate as many laps of a triangular course as they possibly could inside a six hour time limit. It’s quite a sight, with literally hundreds of kites flocking around the course in this, one of America’s most iconic of windsport locations, and everyone raising funds for a great cause. Foil racer Jonny Heineken won the event with the most laps completed around the course but the real victory was the $192,948 raised for Project Koru - an Oregon-based charity that helps people retake control of their lives and futures after battling cancer. Next year’s KB4C is already confirmed from July 13-15, 2018 and, with this event getting more popular every year,…

“ISN’T THE FREEDOM TO DO WHAT YOU WANT ONE OF THE MOST ENDEARING ASPECTS OF OUR SPORT?” I should warn you that I am frustrated. If you’re in the mood to be offended by some uncomfortable reading, turn the page. If not, get comfortable and I’ll explain. Kiteboarding in reality is a ‘sport’, ‘hobby’ or ‘pastime’. A recreational activity maybe. It’s not a person or an organisation. It’s not even a group. The practitioners of kiteboarding are not connected by family ties, race, region, religion, political views, nationality or even DNA. Kiteboarders are not a united body; they don’t have an elected representative, a sovereign monarch nor a ruling collective (despite the conspiracy theories or multitude of self-elected long-titled bodies). Kiteboarding does not have a rule book and it doesn’t…

“OCD IRONICALLY ASSISTS JACOB WITH HIS TRAINING BY ALLOWING HIM TO SOLELY FOCUS ON WHATEVER TASK HE IS ATTEMPTING TO ACCOMPLISH. HE BEGAN WITH FREESTYLE, EXECUTING MOVES IN A FEW HOURS THAT TOOK MANY OTHERS DAYS AND WEEKS TO LEARN.” Jacob Olivier’s life has morphed from one of hiding and living in constant fear of the world around him, to now being ranked among the top junior foil racing athletes in the world, with an eye on the Olympics. Battling sudden onset Obsessive Compulsive Disorder (OCD) caused by Pandas Disorder after a high fever, in addition to Dyslexia and Dysgraphia, the Olivier family sought treatment from specialists around the globe, only to find the solution was right in their own backyard. Accompanying his father, Manuel Olivier, to the beach for…

TEST TEAM NOTES: Our second year reviewing the XR series and what is a now fairly unusual breed of high-aspect, big-power, bow-shape kites when compared with the mass output of hybrids. The XR5 sits in the same category as hooked-in specialists, like the Ozone Edge and North Rebel. You’ll notice the wider, more open shape with a flatter section in the middle than the majority of more mid-aspect, all-round hybrid performance kites. The big sell in these flatter kites is lots of sheeting power and big, easy jumping. We were excited to get the chance of having a selection of three kites for a month here in the UK to test across a wide range of conditions, following on from the howling sessions we had in our annual Cape Town…

TEST TEAM NOTES: You’re not seeing things: this is our second Aero test in as many issues. Given that foil kites are gaining interest as hydrofoil board popularity grows, the vast majority of people have no experience of them, so we wanted to try out two sizes over these last couple of months, not only to see the advantages they have in light winds or where their benefit lies for hydrofoiling, but to also explain a bit more about what you can expect from riding a foil kite if you’ve only ever ridden tube kites. The Peter Lynn Aero is pitched as a high-end, top performing race kite, so we’re not doing things by half-measures, but it’s important to find the biggest contrast as possible. The freeride hydrofoil board development…

It seems there are thousands of new products released to the market each week that promise to change the way we do things and how we interact with the world around us. However, none have quite changed the game like drones. Opening up a world of fresh angles for both video and photo, they have inspired new perspectives, ideas and business opportunities. Although most ‘consumer’ drones are relatively new, they have already revolutionised multiple industries. The most obvious of which, and the one that I am going to talk about in this feature, is the level of creativity in video and photo that has previously been impossible for amateur producers. The way you use your drone to achieve the best result totally depends on the subject you’re shooting. As with…

“HEADING PAST SANDOWN WE DECIDED TO STAY OFFSHORE TO AVOID THE WIND SHADOW OF THE HUGE CLIFFS. THIS TACTIC MEANT CONTINUING TO HEAD DEAD DOWNWIND. I WAS HANGING ON, DREAMING OF BEING ABLE TO TURN LEFT AGAIN AND GET BACK ON A MUCH EASIER WIND ANGLE.” RUSSELL’S WRAP The Round The Island race is a very prestigious event in the sailing world and now that foils have seriously broken into kiting and massively opened up our sailing angles, they have also made it a really exciting thing to do as a kiter. The monohull boat sailing record is two hours, 23 minutes, 23 seconds. Foil kiter Guy Bridge holds the outright single-handed record at two hours, 32 minutes, 25 seconds. I’m not a serious racer, but I love foiling. I’m…

ONCE YOU’VE GOT YOUR BACK ROLL SUSSED, KEEP DOING THEM – WHETHER YOU’RE DOING THEM HOOKED-IN OR NOT THE MORE BACK ROLLS YOU DO, THE MORE YOU’LL UNDERSTAND YOUR ROTATION, TIMING AND SPIN SPEED. WHEN YOU’RE COMFORTABLE WITH AN UNHOOKED BACK ROLL, ONE SUCH FURTHER PROGRESSION IS TO STOP YOUR ROTATION HALFWAY AND COME BACK THE OTHER WAY, BUILDING UP TO PASSING THE BAR JUST BEFORE LANDING. HOWEVER, EVEN IF YOU DON’T MAKE THE PASS, YOU CAN STILL LAND THIS TRICK TO TOESIDE WITHOUT A HARD CRASH. SO DON’T WORRY IF YOU’RE NOWHERE NEAR THIS TRICK YET, AS JERRIE VAN DE KOP HAS SOME INTERESTING ADVICE IN TERMS OF CONTROL THAT ANY FREESTYLER WILL FIND USEFUL FOR THEIR OWN PARTICULAR POINT OF PROGRESSION Aback-to-blind air pass is a back roll…

Team Cape Verde has dominated the top of the podium on the GKA Kite-Surf World Tour since the first event of the year in Tarifa back in June, where Airton Cozzolino took an early lead after an unreal display of his strapless freestyle ability. He was joined on the podium by Cape Verdean and reigning champion, Matchu Lopes, and Paulino Pereira from Portugal, who remains consistent after finishing last year’s tour in third, too. Although uniquely explosive in his freestyle, any notion of a clean sweep of wins on this mixed wave and strapless freestyle World Championship tour for Airton were dashed soon after at the very next event in Dakhla, Morocco. Mitu Monteiro showed his vast experience and ability to rip in whatever waves you put in front of…

The TT:R season is about to draw to a close at the Open World Championships in Pintang, China. This exciting new discipline, which more closely mirrors snowboard boardercross than fleet sailing, is going to be the first kiting discipline to see the flicker of an Olympic flame next year when it debuts at the Youth Olympic Games in Buenos Aires. So the pressure will be on for this year’s final confirmed event where the riders will compete for their share of the 10,000 USD prize money. Atte Kappel from Sweden currently leads the men’s division with a 50.7 point lead over Martin Dolenc who sits 6.7 points ahead of Olly Bridge. Kirstyn O’Brien from the US leads the women’s division with a 20 point lead ahead of Chinese rider Jingle…

The third round of the British Kitesurfing Championships was hosted at the Hunstanton Sailing Club in late July after two quality tour events that started at Westward Ho! in May and continued at the Kitesurfing Armada in June. Both had great winds and tight competition. This being the third year of this BKC incarnation of the tour, rivalries are starting to bear fruit and riding standards are really progressing. None-more-so than in juniors, which was regularly the biggest fleet this year, and really the reason why the British tour has always helped foster incredible international riding talent. Unfortunately, there wasn’t quite enough wind to complete the pro men or masters rounds at Hunstanton... but with two successful, windy events in the bag, solid results have been logged for the overall…

“HERE IN PORTUGAL S CAPITAL, THE END OF THE WORK DAY ISN’T ONLY BEER O CLOCK, BUT OFFERS THE CHANCE FOR A BRIEF VACATION.” The jacaranda tree branches sway in a little square in front of the old Convento do Carmo monastery and the fluttering purple blossom offers shade for the guests of the small kiosk. A yellow number 28 tram rattles through the street while a group of students find their way through the crowd in traditional uniform, recognisable today as it inspired J.K Rowling’s vision for Harry Potter. The middle of the square is dominated by the Chafariz do Carmo drinking fountain. Built in 1771 after a huge earthquake, water is transported from the famous aqueduct at the gates of Lisbon. The headquarters of the National Guard lie…

THE TEST TEAM 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.CBK-haylingisland.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,…

TEST TEAM NOTES: We’re going to be doing a more complete single strut kite test over the coming issues. Although we’ve spent plenty of time on the LF Solo in previous editions, the Boxer was the first new 2018 model we had for a proper testing period. Unwrapping the Boxer from new it has all the feel good factor that we’re used to with Naish in terms of visuals, great identity and very neat fittings. They’re not always the most heavyweight and industrially robust products, but they are stunning in your hands and in use because the aerodynamics are usually spot on. The Torque bar is well featured and can be adjusted from 45 - 50cm. Our test bar had the above-the-bar (ATB) depower clam cleat which is smooth to…

“I HAVE BEEN A PROFESSIONAL FOR TEN YEARS NOW, SO I FEEL LIKE I HAVE PLENTY OF KNOWLEDGE TO SHARE AND TRIED TO FEED THEIR INSPIRATION AS MUCH AS I COULD.” Have you done much coaching before? I did my BKSA instructor qualification 12 years ago when I first started travelling and went on to do some teaching in Australia to help pay the rent for a few months. Since then I’ve done a few advanced coaching days at my local beach in Hayling. I have also been coaching kids at my local cable park, which has been fun. Did World Class Kiteboard Academy have something specific that they wanted you to teach? Obviously with their students being in a mobile school where their lessons happen close to fantastic kitesurfing…

The first time I ever found myself in a rip was when I was still learning to kite and it remains one of the scariest kiting experiences of my life. I’d (foolishly) ventured out at a fairly sketchy wave spot in Scotland in early January and when the wind dropped my kite went down in a flatter section of water between the breaking waves. I didn’t know it but I’d just crashed in the middle of a rip and immediately found I was being pulled offshore. I’m not ashamed to admit that panic quickly set-in. I had pulled the safety, the kite was flagged out and I was swimming for the shore but getting nowhere. It was cold and I was wearing a 5/3 suit, so I was tiring fast.…

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,…

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