Table of contents for Winter 2021/22 in Kiteworld Magazine

Where is your kite when you jump? Where is your weight when you carve? How much are you bending your legs when you rotate? People say this sport is easy; easier than many other board riding activities – at least when it comes to attaining a level of skill to be self sufficiently in control; master of your playground and able to venture forth... and back and forth. Kitesurfing is accessible, relatively quick to learn and offers enormously rewarding experiences as soon as you can hold your ground upwind. Escaping work, engaging with nature, bracing your legs against the challenging pull of the kite as it buffets in the gusts; why doesn’t everyone kite?! Kitesurfing is really not that easy to get good at, though. It takes as much thought,…

KITEFOIL WORLD SERIES SARDINIA KITEBOARD GRAND SLAM 6 – 10TH OCTOBER, POETTO, CAGLIARI The IKA’s Kitefoil World Series mid-season event took place off the sunny coastline of Cagliari, with €25,000 of shared prize money up for grabs. The stakes were high and competitors were eager to battle it out in the turbulent mistral winds. 29 men and 13 women from 19 countries signed up for the event; some having travelled across the globe to make it. In December, the overall tour winners at the end of the five event season will be crowned IKA KiteFoil World Champions. The absence of the formidable Daniela Moroz meant that first position was all to play for in the women’s fleet. The Frenchies Poema Newland, Lauriane Nolot and Jessie Kampman took full advantage with…

“THEY SAY THAT THE ADVENTURE BEGINS WHERE THE PLAN ENDS. I HAD REACHED THE END OF MY PLAN. WHAT FOLLOWED WAS A SIX WEEK TRIAL AND ERROR PERIOD WHERE THE LOCAL MECHANICS TRIED WITH ALL THEIR MIGHT TO SUCCEED A MOTOR CONVERSION ON MY VAN.” THE BEGINNING Tonight is the three month anniversary since starting the road trip. It is also the final week that I will spend on the coast before returning to Cape Town for the arrival of spring and the early summer south-easters. I am sitting in my van; the same van where it all began. I think the idea came about when I was travelling home along the east coast with a newly acquainted friend, Rudi, in the first week of this year. Early January always…

“ON SHORT LINES THE KITELOOP GOES MUCH LOWER AND THE POWER DELIVERED IS SOMETHING I CAN’T EVEN DESCRIBE.” This was your first time travelling to Tarifa, how did you find the summertime there compared to Cape Town? Tarifa is so similar to Cape Town. The vibe, the wind, the atmosphere – it has it all. On arrival I was graced with 40 knot Levante winds. Everyone who knows me knows that this is what I live for! The kiteboarding scene is massive in Tarifa during the summer and a lot of the top dogs kite there as well, which made the trip ever more productive. I’ve been pushing myself above and beyond, trying different things and meeting new people. Apart from kiting, this place is a little party bubble. It’s…

TEST TEAM NOTES: Cabrinha team rider Keahi de Aboitiz needs no introduction in the world of kitesurfing and, likely, his surfing and foil surfing reputation is arguably becoming just as strong. The new Cabrinha H-Series of wings are his signature models, available in 650, 800, 1000 and 1200 cm² sizes. Matt finish carbon, they’re seductively sleek. As you run your hands over the blade you can’t help but imagine you’re holding a sushi knife. Although it sounds very small, the 650 is the main model for kiting in the H-Series (the bigger wings in the range are for wing foiling and surf foiling). Deeper in aspect and tuned for less experienced foilers, Cabrinha also have the more compact X-Series of wings on offer alongside Keahi’s signature H-Series. (We tested the…

Thijs has been seriously into wind sports from a young age. When he became tired of working as a window cleaner, he quit and headed to Aruba to hit the water for a few months and reset his goals. While there, he also ended up meeting his now wife. Result. The pair headed back to Holland where Thijs started a kite school with his friend Roel, running it on a shoestring budget out of a bike and trailer. Kiteboardschool.nl grew to be the biggest kite school in Holland, employing 30 instructors, at which point they became over run with admin. Unable to find suitable software to manage the communication between instructors and students more easily, they set about trying to build their own, teaming up with developers ‘Beer n Tea’.…

“WE NOTICED THAT ONE OF THE KEY POINTS THAT ADVANCED RIDERS OFTEN MENTION IS THAT THEY PREFER PRODUCTS THAT FOCUS ON PURE FUNCTIONALITY RATHER THAN FEATURE-RICH DESIGNS THAT CURRENTLY DOMINATE THE MARKET, AND ALSO EXIST IN OUR OTHER LINES.” Have you often had experiences when riding around and you’ve thought, ‘This is just too heavy, it doesn’t need to be.’? The concept of the Ether collection is more centered around minimalism. Sometimes the importance of the fact that these products are lightweight is overstated. Purely focusing on weight was not the idea with the Ether Series. Albert Einstein is famously quoted as saying, “Make everything as simple as possible, but not simpler”. Within that idea we really tried to focus on the essence of each product and what it needs…

CORE The Core X-Lite 2 is a single strut specialist kite for foiling that will partner perfectly with Core’s SLC foil that launched earlier this year. The X-Lite 2 features the all-new CORETEX 2.0, a triple ripstop canopy cloth with improved tear resistance, stiffness and durability. Furthermore the X-Lite 2 is ultra light weight and has a shorter anti-snag bridle system for enhanced water relaunch. Serious about foiling in all conditions? The X-Lite is available in a huge array of sizes! SIZES: 13.5, 12, 11, 10, 9, 8, 7, 6, 5, 4, 3 and 2m www.corekites.com CRAZYFLY CrazyFly launched their comprehensive 2022 product range in August, including kites, twin-tips and foils – all produced in their own factories in Europe and boasting an impressive three year product warranty. Making up…

Joining the racers who were still on the island of Sardinia the very next week after the KiteFoil World Series were those hoping for glory in the one-off annual world championship event that sees racers competing on very similar equipment, conforming to strict ‘box rule’ equipment specifications. The event marked the first ‘Worlds’ of the Olympic cycle in which kiteboarding will make its debut at the Paris 2024 Games. 89 men and 49 women were lured to what was by far the biggest kitefoiling fleet to ever assemble. To be in with a chance of winning, athletes must have a tremendous amount of stamina. By the end, the winners could have completed up to 40 races, each lasting between 10-30 minutes; potentially around 13 hours of racing in the space…

WHETHER PORTRAYING THE CHARMING SPIRIT AMONG KITERS, THE INVIGORATING FREEDOM OF WINGSURFING, OR FIRST HAND EMOTION DURING A HUMANITARIAN CRISIS, FILM MAKER KYLIE ZARMATI’S ABILITY TO CONNECT THE VIEWER WITH WHAT’S SEEN ON SCREEN CAN BE POWERFULLY FELT. YOU’LL FIND HER AFFECTIVE TOUCH IN UNIQUE PRODUCT PROMOS, RIDER PORTRAITS OR HOUR LONG DOCUMENTARIES SHOT IN BANGLADESH. “KYLIE ABSOLUTELY RIPS AT KITESURFING AND NOW WINGING. PLUS, SHE IS AN EXTRAORDINARY, STAND OUT HUMAN!” REVEALED RIDE ENGINE BRAND MANAGER, GARY SISKAR, WHEN WE WERE RIFLING THROUGH SOME OF THEIR SHOTS FROM PERU, IN WHICH SHE HEAVILY FEATURED. “SHE’S IN TUNE WITH THE UNIVERSE MORE THAN MOST.” HE CONCLUDED. KW’S HOLLY KEENAN MET WITH THE 27-YEAR-OLD CALIFORNIAN FOR THIS INTERVIEW Kylie Zarmati has managed to do what most of us can only dream…

AWESOME MAPS Over 500 kitesurfing spots, with information on style, level, wind direction, water temperature and peak season - all on an intricately illustrated map of the world. Never be short on kite travel inspiration again! Available as poster, XXL canvas, towel and foldable map. Other sport themed maps also available. Prices around £48 / $59.90 / €49.95. www.awesome-maps.com DR. TUBA Dr. Tuba’s is the most advanced and up-to-date kite repair kit for almost any known problem on a kite, from ripstop and dacron fabrics to bladders and valves. You’ll only realise how crucial this kit is when it’s saved your bacon and got you back on the water when you could have been heading home. Dr.Tuba offer a huge selection of kite bladders for all the big brands, backdating…

TEST TEAM NOTES: The RPX is one of the best kites on the market for truly all-round riders, especially for any focus on unhooked tricks, but also offers security and comfort for lighter weight or inexperienced riders. If you’re a heavier rider looking for lots of low end sheeting power, this is probably not the kite for you. Using the proven Open C canopy platform of Slingshot’s multiple freestyle world championship winning RPM, the RPX is now lighter, with 88 less canopy panels and has a cleaner airflow for greater range and upwind ability. We’ve ridden a lot of RPMs. Even in the strongest of winds, the RPM always excelled at making you feel comfortable and confident. It’s quite amazing that Slingshot created one of the most successful handle-passing kites…

TEST TEAM NOTES: This is a beautifully finished set-up and, although cosmetically new in areas, essentially it felt very similar to the Sense / Sonar 850 set-up we tested last year. Unpacking all the parts from the very well presented North foil case, the quality and good looks are evident throughout. Blending the use of aluminium in the 85cm mast and short fuselage with lightweight foam core carbon sandwich wings, this is a nice, light set-up. The Sense board is also light and thin, just like a twin-tip. The first thing to note because of that is that there’s no mast track. So the mast fixes to the board in just one available position. My co-foil tester Rob, who is over six feet tall and weighs north of 100 kilos,…

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 KITTY HAWK KITES Cape Hatteras, NC kbschool@kittyhawk.com +1 252 987 2297 www.kittyhawk.com 3 OUTER BANKS KITING Avon, NC jay@outerbankskiting.com +1 252-305-6839 www.outerbankskiting.com 4 GOOD BREEZE KITEBOARDING Cocoa Beach, Florida info@GoodBreezeKiteboarding.com +1 (321) 252-5483 goodbreezekiteboarding.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 COME KITE WITH US El Cuyo, Yucatan, Mexico info@comekitewithus.com +1 347 4072 588 www.comekitewithus.com 9 KITESURF ROATAN Camp Bay, Honduras kitesurfroatan@gmail.com +50 432 525 891 (also WhatsApp) www.kitesurfroatan.com 10 SA BARRA Maceio, Brazil info@sabarra.it +39…

Introduced 15 years ago as the first ‘one-kite-to-do-it-all’, with its unique Delta shape the F-One Bandit became a flagship model for a new, somehow more simplified direction in the kitesurfing market. The early years of the Bandit marked a line in the sand that kitesurfing equipment had evolved to such a degree that the equipment was safer than ever and, therefore, it was possible that one kite could satisfy beginner and advanced riders alike. The Bandit set its precedent in offering all the depower you need, easy steering and boosting, but also great relaunch. For many magazine test teams around the world, the Bandit set the benchmark against which all other ‘all-round’ kites were compared, for better or worse, from discipline to discipline. As the sport matured in recent seasons,…

Surfing. That’s where it all started for me. Actually, the more accurate description would be waves. I am obsessed with waves. Surfboards, bodyboards, wave skis, kitesurfing, wing, foils, SUP; some vehicles have come and gone, some are enduring, but my desire to ride has been constant. Not that I don’t enjoy riding on flat water! TT riding on glassy offshore water can be epic and foil riding in six knots is awesome too, but if I had to choose one sport and discipline (and thank god I don’t) it would surely involve swell. Wave riding was a novelty in kiting’s early days. The kites didn’t really depower, drift or turn well and we had little idea what a kite wave board should be (with the benefit of hindsight we can…

Due to events being postponed or cancelled last year, the GKA decided that the Kite-Surf World Cup results from the Cape Verde event in 2020 would count towards the overall title race for 2021, along with the three events scheduled for this year. Carrying Cape Verde event wins forward were James Carew and Ines Correia, but Ines didn’t go on to compete this year. Her runner-up was Peri Roberts. Sylt, situated on the Northern coastline of Germany staged round one of 2021, delivering winds up to 28 knots on the first three days of the competition. Due to the messy wave selection, the judges decided to run a 70% strapless freestyle and 30% wave format, playing to the advantage of some riders. Brazilian shredder, Pedro Matos, had an impressive run,…

“I WAS GETTING UP AT 6:30AM, CATCHING A BUS TO THE WEST SIDE OF THE ISLAND, AND THEN HITCH-HIKING TEN KILOMETRES WITH TOURISTS TO REACH THE KITE SPOT. MOST OF THE TOURISTS KNEW ME AS THE LITTLE BLONDE ISLAND KID, ALWAYS WITH A KITE ON HIS BACK AND BOARD IN HIS HAND.” WILLOW-RIVER TONKIN IS AS DIVERSELY SKILLED A KITER AS YOU’LL MEET. FROM KITESURFING MONSTROUS WAVES TO LANDING TRIPLE FRONT ROLLS ON A STRAPLESS SURFBOARD, THIS HALF-MAURITIAN IS A WIZARD IN THE WATER. WILLOW IS ALSO MUCH MORE THAN JUST A PROFESSIONAL KITESURFER AND WATERSPORTS ATHLETE. THE 22-YEAR-OLD WAS BORN IN SOUTH AFRICA, MOVED TO TAIWAN AT THE AGE OF SIX FOR FOUR YEARS, BEFORE HIS FAMILY MOVED AGAIN TO MAURITIUS WHEN WILLOW WAS TEN. RAISED WITH A SENSITIVITY…

TEST TEAM NOTES: The lightest twin-tip that Slingshot have ever made absolutely delivers when it comes to fun ocean-going, spritely performance. Although the board itself weighs just two kilos, 25% less than any other Slingshot twin-tip, the Formula still inspires sturdy confidence thanks to the unmistakably strong Slingshot material feel. The Formula really is a good looking stick too, alluringly thin throughout with even slimmer, milled out tips. The high modulus carbon fibre layup, enveloping an Atomic Paulownia wood core and Textreme carbon stringer from tip-to-tip, are the key elements of the Formula’s make-up. These combine beautifully to offer a quick, nuanced ride that’s full of feel and response under foot. The over riding elements that shine are speed and grip, neither of which is over cooked; the Formula feels…

ATLANTIC BASIN TROPICAL CYCLONE IMPACTS - HOW FAR REACHING CAN THEY BE? Each year we observe an array of cyclone activity across the tropical Atlantic. Many systems are short lived and torn apart as fast as they form, but there are longer track systems that can hold for days and/ or weeks with various fluctuations, given the right sets of atmospheric steering and elements within. For the northern Atlantic, we always come back to the Bermuda-Azores High; our dominant steering mechanism for most intents and purposes (excluding unique and individual Caribbean and Gulf of Mexico steering flows, of course). Most activity drifts clockwise around the Bermuda-Azores High from west Africa along the monsoonal belt just north of the equator, up and around the High’s western side and hooks away from…

“THE FINAL BECAME A BATTLE AGAINST MYSELF. I HAD TO PUSH AND GO FOR IT ONE MORE TIME EVEN THOUGH I WAS SCARED FOR MY LIFE.” I had ridden the new eight metre Bandit XV in 40+ knots on strong Levante days at home in Tarifa, but the conditions in Denmark for the Cold Hawaii event were next level. I was feeling positive, though. I knew there were a lot of good competitors, but I was within the top three in terms of the tricks I could land. Leading up to the event I spent time in Brazil where I learned a lot of new moves and then I had a couple of 40+ knot sessions in Tarifa which gave me confidence. I went to Denmark with a good group…

Matias from Heli said, “There’s a jacuzzi on the roof of the boat, maybe you could jump from it?” “Ha ha, that’s crazy!” I replied. Thinking about it though, jumping from the jacuzzi would just be about sending the kite and controlling the jump. That was the easy part. The bigger struggle was getting in the jacuzzi on the upper deck, 12 metres above the water on a 50 metre yacht. After discussing things with the captain and Matias, we came up with a plan: I’d launch the kite at the beach and ride to the rear deck of the boat and get onboard. Somehow the kite and I needed to go up three levels. I landed the kite at 9 o’clock out over the water, let go of the…