Table of contents for Issue #99 June - July 2019 in Kiteworld Magazine

What does kiteboarding mean to you? To some it’s simply an escape from work, for others it’s a transforming experience that leads to rearranging their entire life. Wherever on the scale you fit, you’re bonded to the tribe. Next issue is our 100th . We’ve seen many ground breaking changes in the sport and since 2002 we’ve witnessed several generations take their grip on a style or direction and have their time in the spotlight. I was recently in France for the first round of the newly unified GKA Kite World Tour’s Freestyle World Cup event in Leucate. This year will see a combination of predominantly pure freestyle (read: unhooked trick) based events, but with some high-wind ‘open discipline’ stops, such as round two in June at Vargas in Gran…

“SETTING UP PROPERLY BEFORE YOU TAKE TO THE SKIES IS THE KEY TO GOING HIGH.” It’s easy to get caught up in the general wave of enthusiasm that each ‘new’ development in kiteboarding brings. Being a relatively young sport, kiteboarders are generally eager and keen to pick up innovations in both style and material, unlike in surfing for example. Amid all the recent talk of foils it’s easy to forget that the foundation of our sport was, is and always will be, based around twin-tip riding. Yes, there are the strapless aficionados and the foil fanatics at every spot, but for each specialist there are literally hundreds of regular TT riders who have no inclination to move onto anything else. In truth 99.9% of kiteboarders, no matter which discipline they…

“To give you an idea of their spirit and attachment to their land, the Wayúu have never been conquered by the Spanish, or ruled by the Colombian authority!” We’d dreamed of exploring Colombia for many years, long drawn by its music, people, untouched waves and empty coastlines, but what of its main deterrent for other travellers; drug cartels, violence and kidnapping? In November 2012 the Colombian government opened peace talks with FARC (Fuerzas Armadas Revolucionarias de Colombia - the oldest and largest group of left-wing rebels and one of the world’s richest guerrilla armies). A peace agreement was signed in 2016 by president Juan Manuel Santos, who was awarded the Nobel Peace Prize when the 50-year civil war came to an end. The heavy cost of at least 220,000 lives…

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 49, has been kiting for 20 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 40, editor of Kiteworld, has been kiting for 16 years and rarely rides the same gear for more than a couple of sessions, so…

RRDRELIGION MK9 12M TEST TEAM NOTES: We usually test wave kites in the six to nine metre range. Those smaller, nippier sizes are the ones that will normally deliver the kind of rapid response we yearn for in the surf, but what about bigger kites for light wind wave sessions? In the last three years as a reporter at GKA Kite-Surf World Cup events I’ve seen finals won and lost on 10-12 metre kites and some of my most enjoyable summer sessions at home in the UK have been in lighter breezes, when a nine metre wouldn’t have even gotten me off the beach. I don’t think that if you can’t ride waves on a nine then you should just jack it in and go foiling. We review the Religion…

MYSTICMAJESTIC TEST TEAM NOTES: I have lots of harnesses in my life, I’m a lucky boy. Soft shells, hard shells, first versions up to the most recent. In terms of fit, this is the most comfortable I’ve had because, while it’s firm, the Bionic Core frame isn’t totally rigid. I also never have to make adjustments to re-tighten it on the water, which is great when I’m out for a long session. I’ve always found that different manufacturers use different thicknesses of webbing for their straps. Thinner straps make it easy to tighten your harness up very well, but sometimes loosen off after a while on the water and you find yourself having to come in to re-adjust. Mystic never really had this problem, though perhaps they have thickened the…

Some say that through kiting they find their ‘flow’, or a kind of meditation. For others it has literally become a lifeline. Three Canadian military veterans who had difficulties transitioning to civilian life after service found that kitesurfing was an incredible tool to assist them in troubling times. Through their discovery they’ve set up a nonprofit, the Rogue Adventure Group. Founders Edward Monk, Derek McCann and Ryan Murphy all have unique and extensive military experience. They were deployed to Afghanistan on combat operations that resulted in an extremely deadly tour for Canadian Forces. In the seven months that they were there, three close fellow Combat Engineers lost their lives, amongst others. They not only struggled to deal with their experiences, but it was difficult to see many of their peers…

“EVERY DECISION HAS TO BE MADE TOGETHER TO ENSURE OUR NOSES ARE POINTING IN THE SAME DIRECTION. HERE AT SEA WE ARE TOTALLY DEPENDENT ON EACH OTHER. EVEN SIMPLY GOING TO SHORE MEANS WORKING TOGETHER AS WE ONLY HAVE ONE DINGHY.” “Marije, wake up, it’s your turn.” It’s difficult to open my eyes because I feel as if I’ve just gone to bed. The sea is turbulent, the wind is strong and there are frequent showers. Slightly nauseous I find my way into some clothes and stumble up the stairs, through the deckhouse and on to the steering deck where I look at my watch. Half-past seven; I had slept half-an-hour longer than planned but it didn’t feel like that. I look at the laptop and the area surrounding the…

RRDPLACEBO V7 139 TEST TEAM NOTES: The Placebo really is one of the most tried and tested designs as a first board. Not very stiff, but not too soft; stiffer in the middle to get you going and softer in the tips for comfort. There’s enough width in the tip and tail to add rail length grip and easy upwind drive, but they’re pulled in enough to ensure you don’t get water spray in the face. There’s also loads of forgiveness to help you round your turns. The rail profile is very moderate; not too fat and soft, nor is it too thin and bitey. When you’re edging, the Placebo feels very smooth. Everything is very uniform, there’s very little textured shape to run your hands over and be wowed…

I’m going to mostly talk about the front wings, because I think this is what’s really important for freeride foiling and what F-One have got right for the mainstream. I’ve ridden the Mirage 800 wing a lot, almost 100 sessions. It’s pre-preg carbon, nice and light but also tough. I’ve had my foil wash up a shingle beach a few times and there isn’t a ding on the Mirage, which you would see on a lot of other pre-preg carbon wings. What I like about the Mirage is that it’s super stable in a straight line, so it’s great for foot changes and first tacks because it carves in a really predictable, steady arc. There’s no tip over or yaw. The only downside I’ve found is when I’ve been carving…

WHY HAVEN’T I TRIED BEFORE NOW? First of all, I’ve been fully focused on getting better at wave riding for the last few years and didn’t feel that I had enough rounded skills to try foiling. Plus, I’m a very accident-prone person and already have enough battle scars, so I’ve always shelved the idea. I’m also very competitive with myself and didn’t want to be a crap beginner again. I guess I finally gave in because the Cape Town season was coming to an end, so if I got injured I wouldn’t ruin my whole season. There’s also less wind at that time, so being able to get out in lighter winds would ensure that I’d get my water time and be able to better fit it around work. The…

As with almost all tricks, the foundation is usually based around good take-off speed. Come into this back roll with plenty of controlled speed over the water. This will not only help with your pop and release, but will also give you momentum to help control your rotation. Raise the kite up to around 11 or 12 o’clock (if you’re heading in the same direction as me) for take-off. You don’t need to send the kite back hard as you would for a normal jump. To generate pop you need to use good forward momentum. ‘Pop’ refers to the moment that you break the surface tension and leave the water. You can pop even if you don’t use your kite to generate the jump, by increasing the tension between you…

GKA FREESTYLE WORLD CUP LEUCATE FRANCE: 20 - 25TH APRIL Brazilian dynamo Carlos Mario and Francesca Bagnoli from Italy got their seasons off to a flyer in April at the opening GKA Freestyle World Cup fixture of 2019 - the Mondial du Vent in Leucate, France. Last year’s event was a false start for the GKA tour with no wind at all and similar conditions prevailed for the first few days in Leucate this year, with the event site becalmed. The wind suddenly arrived on day four. To make better use of the southerly wind direction, the event was moved to nearby Port Leucate with nuking conditions for the final two days of competition. The Freestyle discipline on the GKA’s Kite World Tour is a mixed format over the year,…

“I HAD NO IDEA HOW MUCH TIME PASSED WHILE I WAS RIDING, BUT THE THIN, COLD AIR BURNED UP LOTS OF ENERGY.” It was approximately 4°C (39°F) and the air temperature was probably the same as the water. I’m familiar with this spot where a dam forms a drainage divide, with water on one side running away to the Adriatic Sea, and on the other to the Black Sea. The difference this time was that I hadn’t brought my skis. After spending so many incredible winter days in this area, exploring the backcountry and climbing the summits by ski and kite, my mission was to kitesurf just once on this lake before the ice re-covered its surface. This wasn’t my first attempt, but autumn was getting late and I hoped…

“A STANDOUT MEMORY IS ONE ON THE FIRST TIMES I WENT OUT JUMPING OVER BIG GRASS ISLANDS WITH A COUPLE OF FRIENDS - BROCK AND REIDER (DECKER). WE WERE MAYBE 14 OR 15 AT THE TIME AND REIDER’S DAD WAS WATCHING US FROM A DISTANCE. WE CAME BACK IN AND ALL GOT YELLED AT FOR BEING SO RECKLESS!”. EVAN NETSCH Dreamy flat water conditions as well as the late and early season swells that roll across the sandbars on the ocean side of the peninsula have attracted many a seasoned rider to take up long-term residence here over the years. Hatteras also plays host to one of kiteboarding’s longest-running events, the Triple-S Invitational, which takes place in the world’s top slider park just outside Real Watersports in June. The whole…

“AS HYDROFOIL RACING BEGAN TO FLOURISH, PEOPLE DISCOVERED THAT THE REAL KEY TO SPEED WAS A FOIL KITE. FLYSURFER BECAME ONE OF THE FIRST BRANDS TO FULLY EMBRACE THE EMERGING DISCIPLINE.” Back in February, I was in Cape Verde at the GKA Kite-Surf World Cup event at the legendary wave, Ponta Preta. Working as part of the GKA media team, I’d spent most of the event inside a shipping container (semi-affectionately referred to as ‘the media cave’) directing the livestream camera feed and watching some of the world’s best kitesurfers slotting into barrel ride after barrel ride. By the end of the week, I’d seen a lot of barrels. On the rare occasions that I exited the cave I also noticed several new kites flying around with stylish, clean-cut graphics…

NAISHSLASH 2019 9M TEST TEAM NOTES: Last year I tested the Slash in a six metre size and it had that classic wave kite feel; sitting forward in the window, was very athletic through the turn and even for a small size was insanely quick. Naish reckon this year’s Slash is even faster due to an altered leading edge shape which allows it to pivot more tightly on the wingtips. I’ve been riding the nine metre this time around, so of course it’s not as nippy as a six, which means I can’t fully compare it to last year’s kite in that area, but no doubt the responsive feel is still one of the first things that jumps out at you. When I hung it out at the edge…

IONRIOT CURV 9 TEST TEAM NOTES: Unlike the other accessory products this issue that we’ve lived with for three months or more, I’ve only had two sessions on this new Riot, but it’s banging. Not only is it stunning and black – like Darth Vader black – it’s quite a piece of machinery in your hands. Light and compact, you can tell that it’s fully moulded as it’s so intricately shaped. I can put it around my waist and, thanks to the ‘Thermo Composite Curv’ material, it will sit there without being done up. But, importantly, it’s not hard and stiff. The ‘9’ in its name comes from ION’s Flex Index, which runs 1 – 20 in their hardshell harnesses and describes the rigidity: 1 being soft and flexible, 20…

In Portugal’s far north, the swells of the cold Atlantic Ocean release their energy against mile-upon-mile of untouched coastline. The rugged beauty of rolling dunes is broken only by the ancient architecture of coastal towns and hilltop churches. Surfers can be seen wherever there’s a working wave while, just outside the port town of Viana do Castelo, a protected bay provides a flat water playground that is a new found paradise for kitesurfers. Arriving at FeelViana, after an easy 40 minute drive from the cultural city of Porto, is quite a surreal experience. Following the river, a pine forest shrouds from view a building that looks like it might have been airlifted in off the slopes of a modern ski resort. Wooden bungalows rise from the dunes and tall facades…

SCHOOLS THE AMERICAS 1 ADVENTURE KITEBOARDING Muskego, Wisconsin sales@adventurekiteboarding.com +1 414-367-9283 www.adventurekiteboarding.com 2 KITTY HAWK KITES Cape Hatteras, NC kbschool@kittyhawk.com +1 252 987 2297 www.kittyhawk.com 3 HATTERAS ISLAND SURF & SAILING Waves, NC barton@hatterasislandsurfshop.com +1 252 987 2292 www.hatterasislandsurfshop.com 4 OUTER BANKS KITING Avon, NC jay@outerbankskiting.com +1 252-305-6839 www.outerbankskiting.com 5 MIAMI KITEBOARDING Miami, Florida info@miamikiteboarding.com +1 305 345 9974 www.miamikiteboarding.com 6 PROKITE SOUTH PADRE South Padre Island TX +1 541-490-6872 +1 855-774-5483 info@prokitesouthpadre.com www.prokitesouthpadre.com 7 EXOTIKITE KITEBOARDING SCHOOL Baja, Sur Mexico info@exotikite.com +521 624 165 2612 www.exotikite.com 8 VELA BAJA Los Barriles, Baja, Mexico info@velabaja.com +52 1 624 1379781 www.velabaja.com 9 COME KITE WITH US El Cuyo, Yucatan, Mexico info@comekitewithus.com +1 347 4072 588 www.comekitewithus.com 10 KANGAROO KITE PERU Paracas, Peru kangarookiteperu@kangarookite.net +51 940 472 094 www.kangarookite.net 11 WILD K…

Capturing and defining kite culture. We re-visit some of the key moments in the sport and hear opinion from the real influencers in the game in our special 100th issue, released in July. WWW.KITEWORLDMAG.COM…