Kitesoul Magazine #23 International Edition
In this issue: Airton Airs Victory at home, Jerrie VDK in Zanzibar, Landkite speed WR, Catamaran kite experience, Spot Guide Embuaca, Demo Tour RRD, The magic of Dakhla, Philippines trip, ITW David Tonijuan, BIG Air world tour, Red Bull Megaloop Challenge and much more!
In this issue: Airton Airs Victory at home, Jerrie VDK in Zanzibar, Landkite speed WR, Catamaran kite experience, Spot Guide Embuaca, Demo Tour RRD, The magic of Dakhla, Philippines trip, ITW David Tonijuan, BIG Air world tour, Red Bull Megaloop Challenge and much more!
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PRODUCT FOCUS<br />
RRD: Ten Knots ; Poison | Core: Section 2 | F-One: Lynx Bar<br />
ADVENTURES<br />
Jerrie Van de Kop in Africa<br />
EVENTS<br />
Youth Olympic Games 2018<br />
TRIPS<br />
Philippines | Brazil<br />
SPOT<br />
Caraibbean
SHAPING YOUR<br />
EXPERIENCE
2018/19 KITES<br />
DASH<br />
SIZES: 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 | 10 | 11 | 12 | 14<br />
FREESTYLE/FREERIDE<br />
RIDE<br />
SIZES: 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 | 10 | 11 | 12 | 14<br />
ALL-AROUND<br />
FREERIDE<br />
BOXER<br />
SIZES: 3.5 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 | 10 | 11 | 12 | 14 | 16<br />
FREERIDE/FOILING<br />
Ci sono un mondo di scelte per te, quale scegliere dipende da te!<br />
Dalla semplicità e intuitività del Ride, la vivacità e velocità del Boxer o la potenza dinamica del Dash, i nostri kite sono molto di più<br />
di costruzioni equilibrate di filo e poliestere. Sono strumenti per trasformare la vostra esperienza in nuovi obbiettivi da raggiungere.<br />
Ci approcciamo ad ogni nuovo progetto con questa idea in mente. Curando la lavorazione in ogni dettaglio per darvi la miglior prestazione<br />
in acqua. Indipendentemente dalla vostra abilità o livello di esperienza, c’è un aquilone nella nostra linea che è progettato per funzionare<br />
perfettamente con il vostro stile. Ottimizza il tuo tempo in acqua con Naish!<br />
2018 KITES<br />
SLASH<br />
SIZES: 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 | 10 | 11 | 12<br />
PURE WAVE/STRAPLESS<br />
PIVOT<br />
SIZES: 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 | 10 | 11 | 12 | 14<br />
FREERIDE/WAVE<br />
TORCH<br />
SIZES: 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 | 10 | 11 | 12 | 14<br />
PRO PERFORMANCE/FREESTYLE<br />
Agenzia per l’Italia: Ocean Avenue • info@oceanavenue.it • +39 328 6442519<br />
NaishKiteboarding<br />
naish_kiteboarding<br />
naishkites.com<br />
Photo: frankiebees.com, Riders: Paula Rosales, Jesse Richman, Featured: 2018/19 Ride Kite, 2018 Hero & Motion Twin Tips
Alby Rondina<br />
James Boulding<br />
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Freestyle / Crossover<br />
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SHORT BRIDLE SYSTEM<br />
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FOLLOW US ON<br />
corekites.com / facebook.com/corekites / instagram.com/corekites / twitter.com/corekites<br />
CORE Kiteboarding / +49 (0) 4371 / 88934-0 / info@acorekites.com / Fehmarn, Germany
High Performance Freeride+<br />
Freestyle<br />
Wave
Editor<br />
David Ingiosi<br />
david.ingiosi@kitesoul.com<br />
Wave Thecnique Editor<br />
Mitu Monteiro<br />
Freestyle Thecnique Editor<br />
Alberto Rondina<br />
Thecnical Expert<br />
Renato Casati<br />
Photo & Video<br />
Maurizio Cinti<br />
Design<br />
Giuseppe Esposito<br />
Translations italian-english<br />
Daniela Meloni<br />
APRIL - MAY 2018<br />
TWO-MONTHLY<br />
Texts<br />
David Ingiosi, Renato Casati, Matt<br />
Pearce, Ulrich Frank, Jerrie Van De Kop,<br />
Stefania Conte, Ewan Jaspan, Reemedia,<br />
Red Bull, Naish, Core, RRD, F-One.<br />
Photos<br />
David Ingiosi, Axel Reese, Svetlana<br />
Romantsova, Frankie Bees, HighLight<br />
Prod, Gerard Smith, Ydwer van der<br />
Heide, Reemedia, Mariano Arias, Andrè<br />
Magaro, RRD, F-One, Cabrinha, Naish,<br />
Core.<br />
Cover:<br />
Rider Jerrie van de Kop<br />
Photo: RRD Courtesy<br />
Publisher and advertising<br />
VISU Media<br />
Via Cavour, 20<br />
24030 Ambivere (BG)<br />
Amministratore Unico<br />
Federico Sugoni<br />
fs@kitesoul.com<br />
Registration Tribunale<br />
di Bergamo n°10/2014<br />
del 15/04/2014.<br />
Periodicità bimestrale<br />
Copyright <strong>Kitesoul</strong> <strong>Magazine</strong><br />
All content is copyright of <strong>Kitesoul</strong><br />
<strong>Magazine</strong> / Visu Media Srl.<br />
FEDERICO SUGONI<br />
Publisher<br />
He’s a manager and a businessman.<br />
He fell in love with kiteboarding<br />
almost 10 years ago in<br />
the wild and amazing North<br />
Shore of Oahu (Hawaii). Aside<br />
from kiteboarding there is<br />
only one other important<br />
thing in his life: his baby<br />
daughter.<br />
He’s responsible for the 2014<br />
launching of KiteSoul <strong>Magazine</strong>.<br />
DAVID INGIOSI<br />
Editor in Chief<br />
Professional journalist and<br />
video maker with a solid<br />
experience in sailing, sea<br />
adventures, travels and water<br />
sports, he has been reported<br />
the “blue world” from the<br />
inside for more than 15 years.<br />
He fell in love with kitesurf<br />
several years ago in Sardinia,<br />
then travelled all over the<br />
world as Iko instructor.<br />
MAURIZIO CINTI<br />
Film-maker<br />
Movie buff and keen photographer.<br />
He’s a skater, snowboarder<br />
and wakeboarder,<br />
but he actually burns with<br />
passion for kiteboarding. He<br />
started off with freestyle a<br />
few years ago, but nowadays<br />
he’s more into chasing big<br />
and powerful waves. This is<br />
what he loves the most.<br />
GIUSEPPE ESPOSITO<br />
Art director<br />
Kiter since he was in the baby<br />
pram, he is a rider for RRD<br />
Italia and he have a Bachelor<br />
in Comunciation Design at<br />
Politecnico di Milano.<br />
With this assignment, he<br />
finally has been able to put<br />
together his two passions:<br />
kite and design.
KITESOUL MAGAZINE<br />
Feel The Flow<br />
MITU MONTEIRO<br />
Technical Editor-Wave Riding<br />
He comes from Sal. Official<br />
F-one and Manera rider.<br />
2008 KPWT World Champion<br />
and three-time Vice World<br />
Champion. He started to surf<br />
and windsurf as a kid and but<br />
he definitively fell in love with<br />
kitesurf as soon as he discovered<br />
it.<br />
ALBERTO RONDINA<br />
Technical Editor-Freestyle<br />
He’s the best Italian rider of<br />
the competitive kiting world.<br />
Cabrinha, Neil Pryde and<br />
GoPro official team rider<br />
and four-time Italian Champion.<br />
Alberto has won the<br />
2001 edition of the European<br />
Championship and third<br />
place in the 2012 PKRA World<br />
Championship.<br />
RENATO “DR. KITE” CASATI<br />
Technical Expert<br />
RRD Wave team rider. Kiteboarder<br />
since 2000, he has<br />
been PKRA athlete and judge.<br />
He’s a professional sportswriter<br />
for several technical<br />
magazines. He lives between<br />
Como Lake and Sardinia, but<br />
he spends every winter in the<br />
waves of Cabo-Verde.<br />
DANIELA MELONI<br />
Professional translator<br />
Daniela mainly lived abroad<br />
where she graduated<br />
in Law and worked. She<br />
discovered her passion for<br />
water actvities back in 2007<br />
when she moved back to the<br />
Sardinian west coast and met<br />
her husband, the kitesurfer<br />
Enrico Giordano. Professional<br />
translator since 2009. She is<br />
a SUP lover and an amateur<br />
photographer and never<br />
misses to photo or video<br />
shoot a Kite or Sup wave<br />
session!
David Ingiosi<br />
THE 4 SECRETES TO IMPROVE YOUR KITESURFING
Which rider wouldn’t like to get on the water and land a new trick? No matter whether it is our first jump<br />
or refining that deadly Front Mobe. The satisfaction is always amazing. Once we land a maneuver for the<br />
first time not only our brains but also our muscles start remembering the positions and then, this way,<br />
everything becomes easier. To improve the riding and tricks there is no other way but to spend as much<br />
time as possible on the water. Of course, perseverance is also crucial. If over a season we only count<br />
about twenty sessions our progression will be inevitably slow and not very satisfying, not to say frustrating<br />
because every time will be like starting it all over again.<br />
01. FIRST: FOCUS ON THE GOAL<br />
One of the best ways to improve your riding skills is set yourself new goals and focus on those. Do you<br />
want to land a maneuver? Try to visualize it, think of the different steps, imagine the progression and<br />
beat the timing. Having a positive attitude is also of great help: imagine the happiness once you land<br />
it. This way body and mind are already prepared for the challenge once on the water. The beginning of<br />
the session, when still fresh and full of energy, is the right time to try new tricks, after a brief warm-up.<br />
8-10 times will do. Then, stop and think of what was wrong or didn't work and above all try to understand<br />
why. Then repeat, maybe leave it aside now and again and motivate yourself with something you already<br />
master. If you want to score your goal you need to have the right attitude: have fun while you try. The joy<br />
of experimenting, to challenge one's limits starts while trying and not necessarily when you've reached<br />
your goal.<br />
02. MISTAKES COME WITH THE LEARNING PROCESS<br />
Kites are engineered to fly properly but also to handle crushes. So, don't be afraid of crushing the kite on<br />
the water. Mistakes are necessary to measure what both the kite and ourselves can or cannot do. If riding<br />
upwind and bodydrag are already mastered skills, don't worry about getting it wrong. Watching video tutorials<br />
on the maneuver you are trying to close can be very helpful. But, it’s necessary to choose the right<br />
one, that better fits us and explains it more clearly and understandably. The best thing would be having<br />
someone ashore looking at us to tell us what we do right and what wrong, as often because of the speed<br />
of the maneuver we cannot pinpoint the critical points and the correct movements.<br />
03. DON'T BLAME THE EQUIPMENT.<br />
Some riders lose themselves in the equipment attributing to the latter the majority of their successes or<br />
failures in landing a maneuver. But to make any progress, 80% of factors has to do with one's skills and<br />
motivations. In some African, South American or Eastern spots you can see youths on the water doing<br />
wonders with very poor quality or old equipment. Modern equipment is extremely high performing, safe<br />
and versatile. All it takes is choosing the one more suitable to our riding style, with which we feel at ease<br />
and game on. Then it's all up to us.<br />
04. BEING FIT COUNTS, YOU BET IT DOES<br />
Much more important is keeping fit. Kiteboarding is a sport that stimulates muscles, joints, and tendons.<br />
Not to mention the body stress during a couple of hours spent trying new movements with inevitable<br />
mistakes, falls, recoveries that over-stimulate our body. Running, cycling, stretching not only increase<br />
the chances to stay longer on the water and face the repeated efforts but also prevent accidents<br />
like muscular sprains, contractures, twists, etc.
SUMMARY<br />
PORTFOLIO<br />
EVENTS<br />
YOUNG ATHLETES<br />
18 30 40<br />
AIRTON AIRS VICTORY AT<br />
HOME<br />
Dakhla hosted the qualifiers<br />
for the Youth Olympic<br />
Games in Buenos<br />
Aires<br />
EXPERIENCES<br />
KITE EXPERIENCES<br />
SPOTGUIDE<br />
62<br />
Jerrie Van De Kop in Zanzibar<br />
76<br />
A catamaran for kiters<br />
strolling around the Caribbean<br />
82<br />
Embuaca (Region Ceara,<br />
Brazil)<br />
ITW<br />
LANDKITE<br />
TUTORIAL<br />
114<br />
David Tonijuan: as an<br />
athlete I believe in hard<br />
work<br />
124<br />
99.62 km/h: Thierry<br />
Collado sets a new world<br />
speed land kiting record<br />
126<br />
Jump: how to go higher
DOWNWIND KITE EXTREME BIG AIR<br />
48 56 58<br />
A true adventure<br />
THE RED BULL MEGALOOP<br />
IS BACK!<br />
THE GKA KITEBOARD-<br />
ING WORLD TOUR - AIR<br />
GAMES 2018<br />
MARKET<br />
TRIPS<br />
KITE TRIP<br />
90<br />
DEMO TOUR RRD 2018<br />
94<br />
Portfolio The magic of Dakhla and<br />
the beauty of kitecamps<br />
102<br />
Portfolio Philippines, a trip out of<br />
the norm<br />
PRODUCT FOCUS<br />
146<br />
RRD: Ten Knots ; Poison<br />
| Core: Section 2 | F-One:<br />
Lynx Bar
18<br />
PORTFOLIO<br />
Alberto Rondina<br />
RIDER: ALBERTO RONDINA<br />
PHOTO: CABRINHA COURTESY
20 PORTFOLIO<br />
DAVID TONIJUAN<br />
RIDER: DAVID TONIJUAN<br />
PHOTO: F-One Courtesy
22 PORTFOLIO<br />
JULIEN LELEU<br />
RIDER: JULIEN LELEU<br />
PHOTO: RRD COURTESY
24 PORTFOLIO<br />
EWAN JASPAN<br />
RIDER: EWAN JASPAN<br />
PHOTO: TIM WALSH
26 PORTFOLIO<br />
ROMARIO MAICON DA SILVA<br />
RIDER: ROMARIO MAICON DA SILVA<br />
PHOTO: AXEL REESE
30<br />
EVENTS<br />
AIRTON AIRS VICTORY AT HOME<br />
Airton<br />
airs victory at home<br />
Text: Matt Pearce<br />
Photo: Ydwer van der Heide
G K A K I T E S U R F<br />
W O R L D T O U R
32<br />
EVENTS<br />
AIRTON AIRS VICTORY AT HOME<br />
Throughout January the event organisers, race officials<br />
and competitors had been salivating over the<br />
images and footage that were being circulated around<br />
social media of Ponta Preta going off and at least a<br />
few people had been (perhaps tentatively) gearing<br />
themselves up for a massive start to the season.<br />
However, as the event drew closer the wind died down<br />
a little and the swell backed right off. In the last week<br />
before the event, many of the riders who’d travelled<br />
here early to practise found themselves looking at a<br />
totally flat Ponta Preta which is quite out of character<br />
at this time of year.<br />
Then, on the morning of registration day with the wind<br />
already blowing, Ponta Preta began to show signs of<br />
life. Mitu and Djo Silva, the legendary local organisers<br />
of the event who have a deep knowledge of the conditions<br />
on the island, gave the riders and crew the<br />
heads up, the swell was fast approaching!<br />
From there on, we had five epic days of competition<br />
that saw 38 men and 11 women doing battle at this<br />
iconic right hander and at another right, Secrets, further<br />
up the coast. Cape Verde delivered! Airton Cozzolino<br />
kicked off his season in front of a screaming<br />
home crowd in fine form by beating Keahi de Aboitiz<br />
in the men’s final, the first time he’s EVER beaten Keahi<br />
in any heat!
"From there on, we had five epic days of competition<br />
that saw 38 men and 11 women doing battle at this<br />
iconic right hander and at another right, Secrets,<br />
further up the coast. Cape Verde delivered!"
34<br />
EVENTS<br />
AIRTON AIRS VICTORY AT HOME<br />
Speaking afterwards Airton admitted that he couldn’t<br />
have asked for a better start. He didn’t win his 2017 title<br />
the way he would have liked to, with a clean sweep<br />
at the final event and it's clear that he intends the<br />
faultless performance he pulled out at this event to<br />
be the first of many. His ensuing victory in the strapless<br />
freestyle expression session only underlined that<br />
Airton isn’t looking to make any mistakes in 2018. You<br />
can however be certain that a few riders, Keahi included,<br />
will be waiting ready to capitalise on any slip-ups<br />
that he does make along the way.<br />
The defending female tour champion, Moona Whyte,<br />
had a similarly ideal start to her season at this event,<br />
beating Jalou Langeree in one of the tightest heats of<br />
the competition, the women’s final. There are some<br />
very complete riders in the women's division but Moona<br />
and Jalou are a step above right now and, it looks<br />
like we’re going to see a closely-run contest between
36<br />
EVENTS<br />
AIRTON AIRS VICTORY AT HOME<br />
these two at this year’s upcoming tour stops.<br />
Jalou adapted well to the new challenge of competing<br />
on her back hand.<br />
The next two events in Dakhla, Western Sahara, and<br />
Viana do Castelo in Portugal favour Moona as well,<br />
as she’ll be riding at both of them on her front hand.<br />
A fire has been lit under Jalou though and she’ll be<br />
training hard to improve her backside riding on the<br />
run up to the next tour stop with her eyes firmly fixed<br />
on first place.<br />
We also saw some other riders who are not entirely<br />
new to the GKA KiteSurf World Tour, but who didn’t<br />
compete in all of the last year’s events, open their accounts<br />
on the 2018 tour with stunning displays in the<br />
men’s division.<br />
Of course, some incredible performances were seen<br />
across the board, but these were some standouts and<br />
it looks like there’s some impressive talent coming<br />
up in the ranks this year that’ll be nipping at the heels<br />
of the tour’s heavyweights when the next event begins<br />
in Dakhla, from 24th to 29th April.
38<br />
EVENTS<br />
AIRTON AIRS VICTORY AT HOME<br />
CHECK OUT THE PODIUMS BELOW<br />
MEN<br />
1: Airton Cozzolino (CV / ITA)<br />
2: Keahi de Aboitiz (AUS)<br />
3: Sebastian Ribeiro (BRA)<br />
WOMEN<br />
1: Moona Whyte (USA)<br />
2: Jalou Langeree (NED)<br />
3: Ines Correia (POR)<br />
EXPRESSION<br />
SESSION<br />
1: Airton Cozzolino (CV / ITA)<br />
2: Matchu Lopes (CV)<br />
3: Camille Delannoy (FRA)
40<br />
YOUNG ATHLETES<br />
Dakhla hosted the qualifiers for the Youth Olympic Games in Buenos Aires<br />
DAKHLA<br />
HOSTED THE<br />
QUALIFIERS<br />
FOR THE<br />
YOUTH<br />
OLYMPIC<br />
GAMES IN<br />
BUENOS AIRES
Last 25th February ended the Continental Championship in Dakhla,<br />
Morocco, for the qualification of the European and African young kiters to<br />
the Youth Olympic Games to be held in Buenos Aires in 2018: the victory<br />
of Sofia Tomasoni gives Italy its first qualification for the TT:Racing girls.<br />
Good result also for Slovenia, South Africa and Morocco.<br />
TEXT: DAVID INGIOSI
42<br />
YOUNG ATHLETES<br />
Dakhla hosted the qualifiers for the Youth Olympic Games in Buenos Aires<br />
After winning the Youth World<br />
Championship in Brazil in 2017,<br />
Sofia Tomasoni continues her<br />
brilliant ascent to the kitesurfing<br />
Olympus. She pocketed a nice ticket<br />
for the Youth Olympics which<br />
will take place in Argentina in 2018.<br />
During the qualifiers for the prestigious<br />
Olympic event, held from<br />
20th to 25th January in Dakhla, on<br />
the Red Sea in Egypt, Sofia stroke<br />
a series of incredible results, with<br />
four nice first places in the eight<br />
boards competed in the week of<br />
racing. Slovenia was also selected<br />
for the European Boys with<br />
Toni Vodisek, South Africa for the<br />
African Girls with Rut Gouws and<br />
Morocco for the African Boys with<br />
Jonas Ouahmid. "I am so happy -<br />
said Tomasoni - I had been waiting<br />
for this moment for almost a year.<br />
Now I am not thinking about the<br />
Olympics but about keep on winning.<br />
It is such an amazing feeling".The<br />
competition was tormented<br />
by the unfavourable weather<br />
conditions that forced the athletes<br />
to run all the races in the last<br />
three days with very strong winds,<br />
even over 30 knots, but flat water<br />
thanks to the race track set up in<br />
the sheltered lagoon in the Bay of<br />
Dakhla. Nevertheless, the young<br />
athletes proved an excellent technical<br />
level especially in relation to<br />
the change of kites and the strategic<br />
choices.
44<br />
YOUNG ATHLETES<br />
Dakhla hosted the qualifiers for the Youth Olympic Games in Buenos Aires<br />
WE ARE A<br />
SAILING<br />
DISCIPLINE<br />
WITH A HUGE<br />
POTENTIAL
NOW I AM NOT<br />
THINKING ABOUT<br />
THE OLYMPICS BUT<br />
ABOUT KEEP ON<br />
WINNING
46<br />
YOUNG ATHLETES<br />
Dakhla hosted the qualifiers for the Youth Olympic Games in Buenos Aires<br />
HERE ARE<br />
THE FINAL<br />
RANKINGS:<br />
European Boys<br />
1 Toni Vodisek (SLO) 9pts<br />
2 Benoit Gomez (FRA) 9.9pts<br />
3 Maxime Chabloz (SUI) 15pts<br />
European Girls<br />
1 Sofia Tomasoni (ITA) 6pts<br />
2 Alina Kornelli (GER) 12pts<br />
3 Nina Font Castells (ESP) 12pts<br />
African Boys<br />
1 Jonas Ouahmid (MAR) 12pts<br />
2 Pieter Botha (RSA) 15pts<br />
3 Terje Magnus Groenewoud (RSA) 24pts<br />
African Girls<br />
1 Rut Gouws (RSA) 8pts<br />
2 Johane Botha (RSA) 15pts<br />
3 Assia Roussafi (MAR) 22pts
Mirco Babini:<br />
"Taking kitesurf to increasingly higher levels"<br />
"Italy proved once again its strong organization, cohesive and professional.<br />
The joint work of the Italian Sailing Federation and Kiteboarding<br />
Class is an important basis and it will represent the future<br />
course of action. I have a great responsibility and I will try to pursue<br />
this route with commitment and professionalism to take the kiteboarding<br />
discipline to increasingly higher levels. We are a sailing<br />
discipline with a huge potential". Said Mirco Babini, <strong>International</strong><br />
Kiteboarding Association (IKA) President. "The organization, supported<br />
by the Moroccan Olympic Committee, by the Sailing Organization<br />
and local Authorities, was faultless - added President Babini - as well<br />
as the logistics at the Dakhla Attitude village".
48<br />
DOWNWIND<br />
A true adventure<br />
A true adventure<br />
Not just the slogan but the pure definition of the Kite Downwind from<br />
Sal to Boa Vista in Cape Verde. Covering over 75km through the Atlantic<br />
Ocean, this extreme sport event has become a downwind every kiter<br />
should have on their bucket list.
Boa Vista is easy to reach from many European airports in just 6 hours<br />
and offers a true paradise for kitesurfers who seek amazing downwinders<br />
along the island, perfect waves and a no-stress lifestyle. A hidden<br />
treasure far from mass tourism and the standard kitesurfing holidays immersed<br />
in the local lifestyle.<br />
Ulrich Frank the founder of the Kite Downwind came to Boa Vista in 2015<br />
for the first time and fell in love with the place right away. “During the<br />
winter breaks from running a water sports center in Malcesine at Lake<br />
Garda I could travel the world, in fact that was my plan. I wanted to visit<br />
Cape Verde, South Africa and all those places a kitesurfer has in mind.<br />
I ended up coming back to Boa Vista again since and guess where I will<br />
be going the next winter break again? After the first Kite Downwind in<br />
2017 it was clear to me that this event should have been repeated! Back<br />
then we only had 14 riders, a creepy website and not a lot of footage to<br />
promote the next one but it was time to move ahead and start to push.<br />
I decided to dedicate more time to this project, not only a simple sports
50<br />
DOWNWIND<br />
A true adventure<br />
event but a charity fundraiser for local kindergarten on the Island run by<br />
Sonia Stacchezzini and the team of Un click per un Sorriso.<br />
After the successful event in 2017 a new website went online and with<br />
it the idea that more events would follow. www.kite4change.com was
orn and now hosts the Kite Downwind from Sal to Boa Vista and the<br />
first Foil around Boa Vista competition in December 2018.<br />
Both Events seek to raise money for the kids on the Island. After careful<br />
planning the second event in February 2018 was a huge success.<br />
30 riders from all over the world left Sal Island on 4th February in the<br />
morning at 09:00am.<br />
The highlights of the event were definitely the participation of Mitu Monteiro<br />
and Matchu Lopes. The 2 heroes of the Cape Verdean kite community<br />
dedicated their crossing not only to the kite4change cause but to<br />
Francoise Guy who was the first windsurfer to make the same crossing<br />
in 1994 and had a big impact on the water sports scene in the Cape Verdean<br />
Islands.<br />
To see Mitu, Matchu and Sean the son of Francoise Guy out there on the<br />
ocean playing with the elements made me proud and filled with joy. This<br />
and 24 – 27 knots, 4 meters of waves and a lot of kites in the air made this<br />
crossing one that will be remembered for a very long time.<br />
The last piece of the downwind marks the final race. Roundabout 10km<br />
before finishing the riders gather together and the support boats form a
52<br />
DOWNWIND<br />
A true adventure<br />
starting line. After 3 hours of kiting on the open ocean this race is definitely<br />
not an easy one. The first kilometer most riders were in one line<br />
but then you could see the pros flying over the chop leeward of Praia<br />
Cabral.
Matchu Lopes won the race closely followed by Sean Guy and Arsenio<br />
Dias. When we arrived on the Beach on Boa Vista in front of Morabeza<br />
it felt like the whole island came to see us. Hundreds of people were<br />
cheering on the beach and running around with Cape Verdean flags to<br />
salute Matchu and Mitu.
54<br />
DOWNWIND<br />
A true adventure<br />
Truly a warm welcome. We continued with the Winners Ceremony and<br />
great live music under the star lights. We were able to collect a bit more<br />
than 1000€ for the local kindergarten and bought new chairs, tables and<br />
scholastic materials”.
Watch the Video Recap of the Event<br />
and if you’d like to join us in 2019 simply sign up at www.kite4change.com.
56<br />
KITE EXTREME<br />
THE RED BULL MEGALOOP IS BACK!<br />
THE RED BULL<br />
MEGALOOP IS BACK<br />
1ST APRIL – 1ST NOVEMBER 2018, SPOT ZANDVOORT<br />
Dates announced for the Red Bull<br />
on the official site. 16 kiteboarders<br />
will be challenged to show their<br />
biggest megaloops in the most extreme<br />
Dutch weather conditions,<br />
when the wind hits 30+ knots or<br />
more. Let’s get ready! Riders can<br />
subscribe until March 20th 2018!<br />
When Mother Nature will show her<br />
skills between April 1st and November<br />
1st, we’ll ask you to show<br />
us yours.<br />
The first 3 selected riders for the<br />
sickest kite event in the world<br />
were announced:<br />
WEBSITE<br />
WWW.REDBULL.COM<br />
The Red Bull Megaloop will be organized<br />
when the weather conditions<br />
are perfect. That means:<br />
when the authorities warn to stay<br />
indoors, but the best kiteboarders<br />
only have one goal: ride hard and<br />
fly high.<br />
Joshua Emanuel (South Africa) –<br />
Defending champion<br />
Lasse Walker (The Netherlands)<br />
Nick Jacobsen (Denmark)<br />
RED BULL MEGALOOP RECAP VIDEO
58<br />
BIG AIR<br />
THE GKA KITEBOARDING WORLD TOUR - AIR GAMES 2018<br />
THE GKA KITEBOARDING WORLD TOUR<br />
AIR GAMES 201<br />
In 2018 the GKA Kiteboarding<br />
World Tour will stage a series of<br />
World Cup events that will put the<br />
wow factor and spectators’ enjoyment<br />
at the heart of the action.<br />
Wild and dynamic performances<br />
will take the best of all aspects<br />
of twin-tip freestyle kiteboarding<br />
and at the end of the season World<br />
Champions will be crowned: let<br />
the Air Games begin!<br />
The essence of the tour is to find<br />
the most complete twin-tip rider<br />
out there, however the basis of<br />
each judging category primarily<br />
calls for as much height as possible.<br />
After that, the show will come<br />
down to each rider’s interpretation<br />
and how they want to display their<br />
vision for where an all-round show<br />
of explosive riding can go in the<br />
given conditions.<br />
THE CATEGORY BREAKDOWN:<br />
Tricks will be judged over four categories<br />
and at the end of the heat<br />
(4 riders per heat) each rider’s best
8<br />
three tricks from three different<br />
categories will count.<br />
THE CATEGORIES:<br />
Regular jumps (spins, grabs – anything<br />
goes, as long as it’s high)<br />
Board-offs<br />
Kite loops<br />
Handle-passes<br />
By developing a format with four<br />
different and diverse categories<br />
the visual show will always be dynamic,<br />
explosive and exciting. By<br />
allowing riders to omit one category<br />
of trick, there’s still scope for<br />
them to specialise without having<br />
to sacrifice their own distinct<br />
riding styles, so we expect to see<br />
some of the sport’s biggest stars<br />
throwing down in their own trademark<br />
style.<br />
Imagine Carlos Mario’s double<br />
handle-passes off big kickers in<br />
Cabarete mixed with Jesse Richman’s<br />
kite loop double half cabs.<br />
Picture the huge hang-time of Tom<br />
Hebert’s insanely high board-offs
60<br />
BIG AIR<br />
THE GKA KITEBOARDING WORLD TOUR - AIR GAMES 2018<br />
in front of thousands of people on<br />
the beach in Tarifa up against the<br />
flow of Kevin Langeree’s massive<br />
inverted kite loop back rolls. Could<br />
Aaron Hadlow realise yet another<br />
World Championship by combining<br />
his undoubted ability to adapt<br />
to all aspects of twin-tip kiteboarding<br />
– whether the conditions<br />
are calling for adaptation towards<br />
more powered technicality or high<br />
wind artistry?<br />
One male and one female rider will<br />
prevail, and this tour will bring together<br />
the world’s best riders to<br />
open all our eyes to what’s possible<br />
when inspiration from all<br />
corners of the twin-tip spectrum<br />
merge as one into Air Games.<br />
CONDITIONS<br />
The competition will run in any<br />
winds of 15 knots and above, so riders<br />
need to be prepared to switch<br />
up their performances. As the<br />
winds increase, the overall height<br />
factor will score more highly, while<br />
at the lower end of the wind scale,<br />
judges will be rewarding more<br />
technicality, while still expecting<br />
as much height and amplitude as<br />
possible.<br />
Staged at some of the most iconic<br />
kiteboarding competition venues,<br />
expect classic kiteboarding conditions<br />
that will ignite the imagination<br />
of people all over the world<br />
and at the same time inspire true<br />
kiteboarders, too:<br />
Throughout 2018 the GKA event<br />
team will work with the riders to<br />
create a strong tour for the athletes,<br />
public and sport. Anything<br />
could happen! Stand by for takeoff…<br />
Round 01<br />
Mondial du Vent, Leucate, France: 17th – 22nd April<br />
Round 02<br />
Tarifa (combined event with strapless freestyle): 27th June – 1st July<br />
Round 03<br />
Susi Mai Invitational, Cabarete: 9th – 15th July
WITHOUT<br />
A DIAMOND<br />
—THERE’S NO<br />
HAPPILY EVER<br />
AFTER<br />
Alan Van Gysen Rider: Nick Jacobsen Contact: Pryde Group GmbH Bergstraße 7, 82024 Taufkirchen, Germany Tel: +49 89 6650490<br />
WITHOUT YAMAMOTO LIMESTONE<br />
NEOPRENE THERE’S NO HAPPILY<br />
EVER AFTER EITHER<br />
Yamamoto Limestone Neoprene is the diamond of wetsuit innovation and performance.<br />
Made from limestone extracted from Mount Fuji in Japan, it is a non-petroleum based<br />
material that is the industry standard for premium neoprene and superior watersport<br />
performance.<br />
No sad faces here though... because ALL our wetsuits use Yamamoto so you can<br />
always experience the Happily Ever After with any of our wetsuits.<br />
[1]<br />
[2]<br />
Premium Japanese limestone-based neoprene is 95%<br />
water impermeable compared to 70% for standard<br />
petroleum neoprene. It absorbs less water, dries faster<br />
and provides more wind chill protection.<br />
Yamamoto neoprene has a unique cell structure and has<br />
a 23% higher closed cell ratio for added buoyancy and<br />
flexibility [1]. The cells are evenly spaced and filled with<br />
nitrogen gas that increases heat retention [2].
62<br />
EXPERIENCES<br />
Jerrie Van De Kop in Zanzibar<br />
- Jerrie Van De Kop -<br />
FROM ZANZIBAR TO KILIMANJIARO<br />
Text: Jerrie Van De Kop | Photo: RRD Courtesy
64<br />
EXPERIENCES<br />
Jerrie Van De Kop in Zanzibar<br />
Zanzibar where it all started. On<br />
this behind the scenes shot, you<br />
see me showing the hydrofoil<br />
to kids. This is how I’m going to<br />
the mainland. Kitesurfing on my<br />
hydrofoil. But why? Explaining to<br />
kids the problem of global warming<br />
with the help of Lutman who could<br />
translate the story. It is ‘the’ way to<br />
raise awareness for global warming<br />
to young generations. An easy and<br />
cool way.
66<br />
EXPERIENCES<br />
Jerrie Van De Kop in Zanzibar<br />
First session for me in Zanzibar! Finally! This was a really special session.<br />
This is the first time for Lutman to ever kitesurf. Lutman is a talented<br />
acrobat who lives on Zanzibar. It’s crazy to see how athletic this kid is!<br />
Once we were kiting together and the only thing I could hear was strong<br />
breathing and laughing. He was stoked! Awesome to share his first time<br />
kiting with him and I’m sure Lutman will be a big name in acrobatics or<br />
maybe even kitesurfing!<br />
For the start of my mission we were looking for empty beaches where<br />
it’s not usual for kitesurfers to go. Meeting up with the kids is awesome.<br />
They have no idea of what is happening. It’s hard to communicate with<br />
them because of a different language. They speak Swahili.<br />
Changing kites is a big deal once you are out there in the open sea. During<br />
my trip to mainland Tanzania I had to change my kite to a smaller<br />
one. Later on, the wind picked up and I could ride my 7m Passion. Changing<br />
kites in a small boat is tricky but it was the only way to do it. After
traveling for 6 hours I made it to the mainland.<br />
During my trip from Zanzibar to Tanzania I stepped into a sea urchin.<br />
There are loads of them around the reefs of Zanzibar. It’s so hard to get<br />
them out so I decided to let the splinter in… Worst decision ever! My toe<br />
got infected by the sea urchin, I had to solve this problem before hiking<br />
the Kilimanjaro!<br />
So, I asked a local on the beach. I could not communicate with him, just<br />
show him the infection.<br />
The man came back with a young fruit and some oil. He looked into my<br />
eyes and said ‘sorry’.<br />
He took my dirty toe in his mouth and bit as hard as he could around<br />
the sea urchin splinter. I have no clue why, but I think to open the wound<br />
again. My toe was hurting too much! Then, he took the milk from the<br />
young fruit and rubbed this into my toe. He did the same thing with the<br />
oil and… done! The next day I woke up and the infection and splinter were<br />
gone. Yes!<br />
Searching for a place to sleep when you don’t know where you are, it’s<br />
difficult. I ended up with these two men who invited me to their home for<br />
some food and a cup of tea. This place is really special for me because<br />
‘normally’ you don’t get into these houses… This house was not a normal<br />
house, but one from dirt and wood. There was no door and only one little<br />
window in the little house. The 2 men lit a fire inside. After a few minutes<br />
the house was full of smoke from the fire. It was easily 35 degrees inside<br />
and the man was chilling in a winter jacket nearby the fire... On our trip<br />
searching for a good place to landboard we met many friendly and cool
68<br />
EXPERIENCES<br />
Jerrie Van De Kop in Zanzibar<br />
people!<br />
Perfect place, wind, sun and Masai! We got so lucky with the perfect<br />
conditions to start the next stage. Crazy to see how dry the land gets<br />
during my landboard mission through the drought areas. I never really<br />
landboarded before but that was pretty easy. It was so nice to see how<br />
interested the Masai were. Pretty sure that they had never seen a guy<br />
landboarding there before. They came to check out the landboard, kite<br />
and bar... Landboarding was not the only transport I used to continue my
way to Kili. Also, with a blowcart and kitewing I managed to get closer to<br />
the mountain!<br />
Later that evening we stayed inside a national park and slept in tents<br />
inside the park with all wild animals. Around the camp we made fire to<br />
scare the animals away. This was such a sick experience because we<br />
were far from cities or the inhabited world… Without light or fire the animals<br />
would come into our camp. We woke up at 4 o’ clock in the morning<br />
by the sounds of lions around the camp. This was also the time to wake<br />
up to prepare the hot air balloon. I had never been in a balloon before,<br />
so this was an awesome experience too! Floating over the national park<br />
over all the animals and drought areas to get closer and closer to the<br />
Kilimanjaro, my last stage to finish my mission.<br />
On the way, we found these kids on the road. They say that dressing up<br />
like this is the last stage of becoming a ‘man’. They are beautiful.<br />
Once we organized all our stuff and surviving kits for the hike it was time<br />
to hike to the first camp, the third cave. It’s important being fit and well
70<br />
EXPERIENCES<br />
Jerrie Van De Kop in Zanzibar<br />
rested before the climb. Our Crew worked already really hard with long<br />
days of work in Zanzibar and Tanzania shooting. We were so tired already<br />
before the hike even started… Living in Holland without any mountains to<br />
train or practice, the Kilimanjaro was the first big mountain I ever hiked.<br />
The nature you pass by during the climb is amazing. From green jungles<br />
first to very dry and dead climates to the top… Sleeping in tents with -10<br />
degrees at high altitudes is difficult. How could we prepare for that? The<br />
climb gets heavier and harder once you go higher to high altitude levels.<br />
As result, no energy and sleepless nights. We had a super positive and<br />
cool crew to help us through hard times. I’m definitely proud of everybody<br />
in our crew for making it to the top! It felt like walking on the moon!<br />
Hiking the mountain was already a huge challenge for me. But I came<br />
here to kite on top of the Kili, at almost 5.700 m, to raise awareness for<br />
the melting glaciers. We got so lucky again with the bit of snow that we<br />
had that day! Really a miracle. When I woke up I felt so bad. I never felt<br />
so bad in my life before. I had to deal with a serious portion of high altitude<br />
sickness. Someone of the crew, Jerome, helped me getting up and
tie my shoes and get to the tent to eat something. Jerome was basically<br />
carrying me because I could not walk or stand straight. All my balance<br />
was completely gone and couldn’t get air because of the puking and high<br />
altitude. I tried to eat something and took some aspirins... after a while<br />
I was just a tiny bit better and felt like trying! The crew pumped my kite<br />
with 5 or 6 men, because of the thin air it took way longer to inflate the<br />
kite and pumping a kite at high altitude is almost impossible.<br />
The kiting went all on automatic pilot. Without any balance I crashed a<br />
few times, but I was happy, adrenaline made me feel a bit better and…
72<br />
EXPERIENCES<br />
Jerrie Van De Kop in Zanzibar<br />
FOLLOW THE WIND THE JOURNEY OF<br />
A LIFETIME TO RAISE AWARENESS FOR<br />
GLOBAL WARMING AND CLIMATE
done! Sooo stoked to be the first one kiting on world’s highest freestanding<br />
mountain! We went back to the camp and made everything ready to<br />
go down again. In total we have been hiking 8 days up and 1 day down!<br />
Once down my balance came back and felt a lot better.<br />
"Global warming and climate change are at the base of many problems<br />
throughout the world. It caught my attention that the ice caps on the Kilimanjaro<br />
are melting due to the drought. There is only one fourth of the<br />
ice left on and millions of people rely daily on its melting water. Besides<br />
that, the steady winds in Zanzibar, my friends and I love so much, will<br />
disappear. I’m mind intrigued by the charity Just Digg It that invented<br />
the Hydrological Corridor system. This system can help change the world<br />
into an ecologically thinking society that contributes positively to fight
74<br />
EXPERIENCES<br />
Jerrie Van De Kop in Zanzibar
drought all over the planet. Just Digg It creates positive global awareness<br />
via on-and off-line campaigns and education programs to inspire,<br />
unite and activate an entire generation to cool down our planet. If you<br />
ask me, I think that if we can warm up the earth, we can most definitely<br />
cool it down as well! For this reason, I created this unique project: ‘Follow<br />
the wind’, which is all about raising awareness for global warning in a<br />
positive way. By going on a 23-day expedition lead by only wind itself, I<br />
wanted to let the wind guide me through the dry areas and see the problem<br />
with my own eyes. My trail starts in Zanzibar and leads to the highlands,<br />
passing the dry districts of the mainland of Tanzania and Kenya.<br />
The wind guided me through one big ecosystem including three different<br />
climates: Water, Dry landscape and Snow".
76<br />
KITE EXPERIENCE<br />
A catamaran for kiters strolling around the Caribbean<br />
Text: Stefania Conte | Photo: Gerard Smith<br />
A catamaran for kiters strolling<br />
around the Caribbean<br />
The Caribbean has always been considered as one<br />
of the most favourite winter getaways, also for kiters.<br />
The opposite season circle compared to Europe<br />
makes these islands the perfect destination to escape<br />
the grey and cold winter European months. The<br />
Caribbean area includes all the islands between the<br />
Gulf of Mexico and the Atlantic Ocean, washed by the<br />
Caribbean Sea. A multitude of islands with the most<br />
diverse shapes, grouped in various archipelagos, of<br />
both coral and volcanic origins and one better than<br />
the other: Grenada, Saint Vincent and the Grenadines,<br />
Saint Lucia, Martinique, Antigua, Guadalupe, Saint<br />
Martin.<br />
Wind hunters such as kiters find what they are after in<br />
this paradise. The Trade winds blow from November<br />
to June from the Atlantic, created by the Golf Current<br />
and with an average speed between 18 and 24<br />
knots. They are stronger at the beginning and end<br />
of season, and in December the so called "Christmas<br />
Wind" from North-East reaches 30 knots, whereas at<br />
mid-season it settles and rotates Eastward to pick<br />
up again stronger by May/June blowing from South-<br />
East. What better destination then to enjoy this exemplary<br />
meteorological condition?<br />
Traditional resorts aside which make a holiday pretty<br />
static, the new kite trips trend in these places is<br />
to hire those catamarans especially equipped for kite<br />
safari. This way it is possible to move around every<br />
day from one island to the other to test the countless<br />
spots and at the same time fully enjoy all the wanders<br />
of these islands.<br />
Cruises last between 7 to 10 days and the most popular<br />
ones are those among the enchanted and semi-deserted<br />
islands in the Archipelago of the Grenadines:<br />
Union Island, Mayreau, Tobago Cays, Palm Island.<br />
Some of these islands are only 100 meters long and<br />
30 meters wide: on one side very fine golden sand,<br />
on the other one small pieces of coral covering the<br />
beach washed by the waves; in the middle tall palm<br />
trees create a shady area ideal for a well-deserved si-
esta in between sessions.<br />
On a catamaran, on top of admiring idyllic panoramas,<br />
everything is at arm reach and in less than half<br />
an hour sailing you can move from one spot to the<br />
other. The various location typologies meet the needs<br />
of both pro riders and beginners as one can choose<br />
from sheltered bays, coral reef, lagoons amongst the<br />
mangroves and waves at open sea.<br />
Temperatures range between 26 and 31 degrees<br />
Celsius and the water is warm, 27 degrees average,<br />
crystal-clear and with breathtaking turquoise colour.<br />
A swim in the coral reef for some snorkelling is also<br />
a must, one of the many nice activities to keep the<br />
non-kiting guests busy.<br />
Something important which cannot be underestimated<br />
nowadays is the all round safety of its territory.<br />
Tourists can travel around these islands and be totally<br />
safe, moreover there's no need for any vaccination<br />
and the malaria doesn’t exist. The predominant religion<br />
is Catholicism.
78<br />
KITE EXPERIENCE<br />
A catamaran for kiters strolling around the Caribbean<br />
The kite trips on a catamaran usually leave from the<br />
marinas of Saint George in Grenada, Rodney Bay in<br />
Saint Lucia or Saint Vincent, which are the islands<br />
with international airports with direct flights from the<br />
United States (New York and Miami) and from Europe<br />
(London and Frankfurt). Waking-up every morning in<br />
a different bay, seeing places only accessible via sea,<br />
swimming with turtles, having various kite sessions<br />
at any time, by also launching from the boat, make a<br />
holiday on a catamaran a unique experience, different<br />
from any other type of holiday.<br />
One of the first operators to organise kite trips on a<br />
catamaran in the Caribbean is Zenith Ocean Voyages<br />
which over the years developed a very much appreciated<br />
holiday formula and its cost includes high<br />
quality food, limitless drinks and soft drinks, custom<br />
duties, port charges and the fuel. Guest can also use<br />
for free various kite and board models branded Crazy<br />
Fly: Kites: 1 x 7m, 1 x 9m, 1 x 11m, 4 x 12m, 1 x 13m, 1 x<br />
14m, 1 x 15m, 3 x 17m, 1 x 19m. Boards: 2 x surfboards,<br />
7 x TTs (136-138).<br />
The boat, a 2010 Fountaine Pajot, named Meercat<br />
is the most modern luxury catamaran specialized in<br />
cruises for kiters in the Caribbean. It is set up and optimised<br />
to allow a safe and clean storage of the kite<br />
equipment (kites, boards, bars, harnesses, pumps)<br />
without invading the comfort areas of the boat.<br />
There are three double en-suite cabins for the guests<br />
with hot water shower and lavatory. The minimalist<br />
interior design maximizes the space. On the deck, sun<br />
beds and springboard are always available for relaxing<br />
also during the sailing.<br />
The Wi-Fi amplifier right at the top of the mast connects<br />
to the hotspots ashore which transmit via Internet<br />
to multiple devices on board, so you can stay connected<br />
during the holiday. A powerful 9kW generator<br />
provides 220V power and activates the desalinator<br />
which produces 180 litres of water per hour, essential<br />
for navigation at open sea and in the remote islands.<br />
Safety devices are certified and regularly checked.<br />
DESTINATIONS AND SPOTS<br />
Here are some of the ports of call of the Zenith Ocean<br />
Voyages catamaran with the description of the kite<br />
spots.<br />
THE GRENADINES<br />
The favourite ones by the captain of the Meercat,<br />
who has been navigating these waters for over ten<br />
years, the Grenadines offer a mix of seven different<br />
spots not more than 45 minutes away from one another<br />
and always windy. No wonder this is the most<br />
popular destination.<br />
Fregate Bay: butterflat water with direct off shore<br />
breezes, 2m deep sandy bottom and no obstacles<br />
or rocks. This is the place to go big and practice new<br />
tricks.<br />
Mayreau: with the boat anchored behind a sandy<br />
beach kite on shore breezes only 10m from the an-
chor. A strong north east swell gives up to 2m waves<br />
on the reef, normal swell produces small kickers and<br />
wavelets. If you are not strong on waves kite the Lagoon<br />
inside the reef.<br />
Clifton: Home of Happy Island and super flat, shallow<br />
kiting. Show off your skills and the sundown session.<br />
Palm Island: A small up wind expedition half a km<br />
from the anchorage of Clifton. Here you find waves,<br />
flat water and channel swell.<br />
Tobago Cays: 170 square km of protected marine park<br />
turquoise water hides behind the great horse shoe<br />
reef. Free ride over crystal-clear water, coral heads<br />
and marine life. Typically, we boat launch adding a<br />
new challenge to the catamaran kiting experience.<br />
The Grenadines’ vibe is rustic, the Caribbean of old,<br />
untouched by mass development. The beach barbecue<br />
and rum shacks are the same today as 50 years<br />
ago.<br />
ANTIGUA AND BARBUDA<br />
Different from the Grenadines, Antigua offers a contradiction<br />
of remote kiting condition free of traffic<br />
and shore line development... with the glamour of the<br />
high and super yachting industry. The beginning and<br />
end of the Antigua trip is in Falmouth Harbour, home<br />
to great bars, restaurant and night-life.<br />
Green Island: 4 hours sail from Falmouth Harbour, this<br />
kite spot sits between two head lands connected by a<br />
reef. Launch from Green Island beach only 40m from<br />
the boat. Deep flat water is great for free riding, free<br />
style and beginners. There is enough room for everyone,<br />
typically there are no more than 15 kiters on the<br />
water.<br />
Devils Bridge: shallow super flat water only 1 km from<br />
the boat, an easy expedition for free style heaven.<br />
Barbuda: a day sail from Green Island, following an<br />
underwater shelf to fish for fresh tuna. Arriving at Low
80<br />
KITE EXPERIENCE<br />
A catamaran for kiters strolling around the Caribbean<br />
Bay we anchor on 12 Mile Beach. Deep water and off<br />
shore breeze with a strong on shore swell produce almost<br />
snowboard conditions. Carve heal and toe side<br />
along the 12-mile shore line, it's unique. This spot is<br />
probably the last place we know where you can kite<br />
with no other kiters.<br />
Now, imagine of having spent a day of pure kiting and<br />
fun, in the sun, a crystal-clear sea and now you are<br />
there in the cockpit sipping your favourite drink and<br />
admiring the colour shades of the clouds at sunset...<br />
In the Caribbean, winter will be just a vague memory.<br />
OTHER DESTINATIONS<br />
These are just two of the kite expeditions offered by<br />
Zenith, other islands include St Marteen and Guadalupe.<br />
For the ultimate expedition Zenith offers the<br />
Mega Trip, a 500-nautical mile journey through unlimited<br />
kite locations along Venezuela, Bonnair and<br />
Curaçao. This trip has a true expedition feel unlike<br />
the regular 7 to 10 days kite vacation trips mentioned<br />
above.<br />
WWW.ZENITHOCEANVOYAGES.NET
82<br />
SPOTGUIDE<br />
Embuaca (Region Ceara, Brazil)<br />
Embuaca<br />
REGION CEARA, BRAZIL<br />
A participant to a Kiteboarding clinic returns with the 4x4<br />
pickup from the day trip to the starting point back in Guajiru.<br />
The group had been "at a northerly spot", "it has been splendid<br />
...". When asked which location they had been to kite today,<br />
there are only perplexed looks. "In any case, it was the best<br />
spot in the area!" "Aha". After some inquiries, we quickly come<br />
up with the answer. Embuaca! But Embuaca?!<br />
Reemedia
84<br />
SPOTGUIDE<br />
Embuaca (Region Ceara, Brazil)<br />
Embuaca? Ever heard of it? Where<br />
is it? We usually hear these questions<br />
when talking about this kite<br />
spot between Flecheiras and Mundau.<br />
Embuaca is still relatively unknown,<br />
which could change well<br />
over the next few years. The brochures<br />
of kite tour operators are<br />
producing more and more spots<br />
in the Ceará region. It starts with<br />
Cumbuco and then it goes up to<br />
Macapar, north of Jericoacoara.<br />
And Flecheiras and Guajiru are<br />
known to many kitesurfers. Five<br />
kilometres north of Flecheiras lies<br />
the largely unknown fishing village<br />
of Embuaca.<br />
Embuaca shines with good kite<br />
conditions for a wide kite audience.<br />
Beginners and intermediates,<br />
wake-stylers and wave-ambitious<br />
kitesurfers are in good<br />
hands here. The spot is located in<br />
a small bay. Through the slightly<br />
lukewarm headland, the waves<br />
turn into this narrow bay.<br />
But one after another. As in Flecheiras<br />
and Mundau, the waves in<br />
Embuaca are relatively clean. A<br />
sure indication for this are the<br />
surfers, who are regularly found<br />
here at high tide. The locals have<br />
to be out every day, so they are fit<br />
in these waves. Mainly the guys go<br />
out in the middle of the village and<br />
create several stylish turns in the<br />
clean waves. "The wave is always<br />
breaking clean there," adds Bernie<br />
Hiss, CORE CEO and Brazilian connoisseur.<br />
The waves are certainly<br />
not the largest of the environment,<br />
but they run at times quite ordered<br />
and break just as clean. You<br />
can do up to four turns on a wave<br />
in good conditions. "Embuaca has<br />
an easy-to-ride wave that you can<br />
play with!" Enthuses a visibly enthusiastic<br />
kitesurfer from Holland.<br />
"Embuaca is the spot with probably<br />
the best waves in this region!"<br />
Says a French kitesurfer, who has<br />
been exploring the coast up and<br />
down for years. If you go a little direction<br />
windward, then these are<br />
already a little smaller. But more<br />
importantly, here in the small bay
and further up the headland anyway<br />
the wind always works. Even<br />
in the morning and in the evening,<br />
when surrounding spots still suffer<br />
from the "side-off". In Flecheiras<br />
one has then in any case no<br />
optimal wind conditions. In Embuaca<br />
there is no such problem.<br />
"Even in the morning we already<br />
have an absolutely free, very constant<br />
wind, no bothering any covers,"<br />
Bernie sums it up. Windward<br />
direction there is a small reef on<br />
which waves break again.<br />
"At low tide, the water is mostly<br />
flat, at high tide the wave is easy<br />
to play with and in the lee direction<br />
you can easily slit beautiful<br />
waves. Ideal for wave beginners,"<br />
he adds. So, we find Bernie and Kai<br />
Enseleit, head of a big windsurf<br />
shop in Germany, already at the<br />
spot in the morning. Bernie takes<br />
some waves at low tide with his<br />
Wave SUP board and Kai has the<br />
surfboard with him.<br />
Starting the kite on the beach is<br />
also possible in the morning and<br />
late afternoon without any problems.<br />
In this respect, an important<br />
safety criterion is given from<br />
the point of view of beginners and<br />
intermediates. On the wide sandy<br />
beach there are the typical Brazilian<br />
sailboats ("Djangardas"). There<br />
are no stones here.<br />
Embuaca can be reached by car. In<br />
the middle of the village through<br />
which the coastal road performs,<br />
in the front there are once again<br />
the Djangardas. The fishermen<br />
arrange their nets here and every<br />
day the village youths plays soccer<br />
on the football area. Two small baracas<br />
are right on the beach, where
86<br />
SPOTGUIDE<br />
Embuaca (Region Ceara, Brazil)
you can eat good fish. "Alone the<br />
delicious fish dishes directly at<br />
the spot are brilliant", Bernie appreciates.<br />
Nevertheless, everything here still<br />
seems sleepy and original. "The atmosphere<br />
is super relaxed here,"<br />
adds Bernie. Here you will not find<br />
a pousada. "A territory where you<br />
feel equally comfortable regardless<br />
of your preferences," says<br />
Bernie.
88<br />
SPOTGUIDE<br />
Embuaca (Region Ceara, Brazil)<br />
General Information<br />
CLIMATE:<br />
At almost 600 km in length, Ceará's coast is one of the most beautiful<br />
and longest in Brazil, with its big dunes, rugged cliffs, coconut palms<br />
and freshwater lagoons. The climate is humid and warm, with average<br />
temperatures of 26 to 30 degrees and a humidity of 80%. The water temperatures<br />
vary between 25 and 28 ° C. A lycra shirt and a short or bikini<br />
are sufficient. The sun is shining daily from June to January, with most of<br />
the rainfall occurring during the months of March, April and May. Then it<br />
rains one, sometimes four hours, but rarely all day.<br />
FLY:<br />
-TAP Air Portugal takes you from Lisbon/Portugal to Fortaleza/Brazil in<br />
about 7 hours. Tip: Multi-hour stays in Lisbon are great for touring downtown.<br />
Furthermore, KLM with attractive connections from Amsterdam.<br />
CAR:<br />
We basically have 4x4 cars on our trips to Brazil, which makes it even<br />
more flexible on the beaches. Partly can be with these Hilux', Volkswagen<br />
Amaroks and so on… also to cope with other routes on the beach. The 4x4<br />
cars cost between 85-125 euros a day, buggies and other cars are around<br />
40-60 euros a day.<br />
WIND AND WAVES:<br />
From June to January the constant wind blows from the right and can<br />
reach wind forces up to 35 knots in the best months.<br />
The waves are dependent on the swell and wind as well as low and high<br />
tide. The tidal range is about 1 to 2 meters.
90<br />
MARKET<br />
DEMO TOUR RRD 2018<br />
WWW.ROBERTORICCIDESIGNS.COM
Here we go, time to take off again! The 2018 RRD <strong>International</strong> Demo<br />
Tour Italian stops are finally out, a great opportunity from one of the top<br />
world-wide brands for kitesurfing equipment production to make the<br />
large audience of enthusiasts try all the equipment in the catalogue of<br />
the Italian brand and for anyone planning to buy something new. Many<br />
spots and so much new equipment to try with the international team<br />
athletes, among which the wave and freestyle professionals Tony Cili<br />
WaterMan, Greta Menardo, Gabriele Garofalo Kiteboarding and all the<br />
international guests which we’ll unveil stop after stop.<br />
We start on 1st April in Puglia where we’ll visit the Impact-Shop Bari.<br />
See you on the beach!<br />
The 2018 RRD <strong>International</strong> Demo Tour will run from<br />
1st April to 7th July. Here are all the stops: Bari, Gizzeria,<br />
Anzio, Calabrone, Vada, Maccarese, Puzziteddu,<br />
Stagnone, Senigallia, Igea Marina, Lake of Santa<br />
Croce, Torbole, Campione, Gera Lario, Talamone, Salto<br />
di Fondi, Marina di Grosseto.
GLOBAL BAR V8<br />
SIMPLE / FUNCTIONAL / SAFE / DURABLE<br />
Simplicity is our mission.<br />
We remove any unnecessary items, instead of adding them,<br />
to make every component more functional.<br />
Simply said : ”you cannot break what does not exist”.<br />
-THE RRD EXCLUSIVE RIGID THREAD LINES-<br />
We obviously still deliver you the bar with the exclusive RRD Rigid thread lines. These lines are made with using the most recent<br />
fibers and an innovative production process. Not only are the lines easier to untwist, but most importantly, they don’t stretch!<br />
EXTREMELY COMPACTED<br />
DYNEEMA BRAIDED SOCK<br />
DYNEEMA UNI-DIRECTIONAL<br />
FIBERS
ONE BAR FOR ALL KITES<br />
No need to ‘change any game’ with the release of our 8th version of the RRD Global Bar.<br />
Because of the great history of performance, we have kept our new version simple, reliable,<br />
and packed with the same great features of the previous versions. But with the V8,<br />
we now take another step forward with new components and redesigned parts.<br />
RIDERS: ABEL LAGO -KITE: RELIGION MK8 - PHOTO: SVETLANA ROMANTSOVA<br />
“OUR LINES DON’T STRETCH”<br />
-NEVER LOSE YOUR TRIM-<br />
INDUSTRY STANDARD BRAIDED LINES<br />
CAN STRETCH UP TO 25.0 cm<br />
RRD RIGID THREAD LINES<br />
CAN STRETCH UP TO 2.5 cm<br />
MAXIMUM STRETCH ON A 25 m LINE<br />
www.robertoriccidesigns.com
94<br />
TRIPS<br />
The magic of Dakhla and the beauty of kitecamps<br />
The magic of<br />
Dakhla and<br />
the beauty<br />
of kitecamps<br />
Text: David Ingiosi | Photo: Mariano Arias
As we go down the staircase of the<br />
plane, a cool and furious wind hits<br />
us on the chest. Smiles grow bigger<br />
as we exchange looks feeling<br />
chuffed in the evening darkness.<br />
We came to Dakhla wind hunting<br />
and what a better way to start our<br />
adventure? It's a nice party of 20<br />
people, medium-high aged, several<br />
career professionals, some girls,<br />
many Tuscans, several Romans,<br />
the northerners of course and a<br />
Calabrian relocated to Switzerland.<br />
Everybody happy to be on<br />
holiday and only one thing in their<br />
mind: kite as much as possible in<br />
Dakhla paradise. Some of us are<br />
beginners, others more experienced<br />
with more than one exotic<br />
trip around the world. Lorenzo Leoni<br />
is our trip manager, true-blu<br />
from the Maremma region, experienced<br />
look, ready wit and iceeyes.<br />
Lorenzo owns the kite school<br />
and Iko centre, Kite's Angels Beach<br />
in Castiglione della Pescaia and<br />
for four years has been organising<br />
kitecamps to Dakhla. "I travelled<br />
loads and kited in some amazing<br />
places, but nothing compares to<br />
Morocco in terms of quality conditions",<br />
positively explains in a very<br />
strong Tuscan accent.<br />
DAKHLA ATTITUDE: ENTHUSIAST<br />
RIDERS AND INTERNATIONAL<br />
ATHLETES<br />
We couldn’t possibly disagree with<br />
him and the strong welcoming<br />
wind at the airport just pleasantly<br />
proves his words. We put our luggage<br />
and equipment in the vans<br />
and off we go to what will be our<br />
accommodation for the next 9<br />
days: the Dakhla Attitude resort.<br />
In recent years Dakhla lagoon has<br />
seen the creation of many hotel<br />
facilities along its coasts, all deeply<br />
aligned with kiters' needs which<br />
come here from all over the world.<br />
However, the Attitude, strictly<br />
managed by Moroccans, was one<br />
of the first hotels and capacity<br />
wise it’s still today one of the biggest<br />
and for sure the most prestigious:<br />
proof is the fact that every<br />
year it hosts the Pro Tour athletes<br />
and the related international competitions.<br />
With its cobalt blue bungalows,<br />
recently repainted, that<br />
stick out among the white sand<br />
dunes and Cabrinha flags everywhere,<br />
it surely cannot escape notice.<br />
Check-in, welcome tea and<br />
off we go to our rooms. It's past<br />
midnight and we start feeling tired<br />
from our journey from Italy.<br />
SESSIONS WITH 30 KNOTS: NO<br />
WORRIES<br />
The morning after we wake up at 8<br />
am, have breakfast and start getting<br />
our equipment ready. Each of<br />
us receives the keys for the storage<br />
closet and as it happens, we<br />
exchange opinions on our kite and<br />
board quiver. Our attention however<br />
is drawn to it, the lagoon of<br />
Dakhla in full splendor. Moroccans<br />
call it "Rio de Oro" because according<br />
to an ancient legend, at sunset<br />
the golden fish came to the surface,<br />
colouring the entire expanse<br />
of water. In this sheer of salted wa-
96<br />
TRIPS<br />
The magic of Dakhla and the beauty of kitecamps<br />
ter surrounded by the desert, the<br />
wind never stops blowing morning<br />
till evening and never below<br />
20 knots average from March to<br />
September, whereas thanks to its<br />
nearness to the Tropic of Cancer,<br />
the climate is dry and day temperatures<br />
range from 25° to 30° C. At<br />
night, on the other hand they suddenly<br />
drop by even 5-8 degrees. A<br />
winter coat is necessary.<br />
The wind is super strong: over 30<br />
knots fill the water with spume<br />
and make quite a consistent chop.<br />
Many of us are not used to go on<br />
the water with such conditions<br />
and the initial impact it's quite intimidating.<br />
The small kites, like 7<br />
or 6 are fast and super responsive<br />
on the bar and it takes some hours<br />
before becoming familiar with<br />
it. In the afternoon there are the<br />
first lessons: helmet, life jacket,<br />
short lines, the students enter the<br />
water monitored by Lorenzo and<br />
the other instructors, all Iko certified.<br />
Everyone is full of adrenaline.<br />
The great thing about kitecamps<br />
is sharing everything, happiness<br />
and anxiety. Being together is the<br />
real power of kitesurfing which no<br />
wonder creates intense, longlasting<br />
and always very special friendships<br />
which last well over the trips.<br />
Go out together, support each<br />
other, progress, swop equipment,<br />
debate on tricks, stance and style.<br />
As the days go by we familiarise<br />
with the lagoon, the strong wind<br />
and the hundreds of other riders<br />
cutting through the crystal-clear<br />
waters. On the beach a team of assistants<br />
from the hotel kite school<br />
looks after the riders: Rashid,<br />
Mustafà, Kamal, Nabil, Moroccan<br />
boys with a generous smile, tireless<br />
and super efficient. The beach<br />
is very wide and it’s just amazing<br />
watching them going back to the<br />
school dragged by the kite, digging<br />
barefoot long furrows in the<br />
sand with such exceptional mastery.<br />
SPEED AND WAVE ADRENALINE<br />
SESSIONS<br />
Close to the Dakhla Attitude there<br />
is a super flat-water spot: it's
called Speed Spot and it takes a<br />
10-minute transfer organised by<br />
the hotel. Wind is off, and a rescue<br />
boat is included in the service.<br />
Here it is common to bump into<br />
international athletes, mainly freestylers,<br />
that gather here to train for<br />
the next competitions. We greet<br />
Paul Serin, F-One, and Mikaili Sol,<br />
young Brazilian athlete from North<br />
Kiteboarding team who is climbing<br />
the world championship rankings.<br />
At high tide some of us rush into<br />
a downwind to Dragon Island, a<br />
pointed-shaped islet with emerald<br />
green waters and breathtaking<br />
sceneries. For those who<br />
prefer waves, there are several<br />
wave spots on the Atlantic coast:<br />
West Point with the namesake hotel<br />
dedicated to surfers, Point de<br />
l'Or safe also for learners, Foum<br />
Labouir one of the most famous<br />
beaches in Dakhla with right-hand<br />
waves, deep and fast, beach break<br />
and lastly for the experts there is<br />
La Sarga, inaccesible and wild, at<br />
the far end of the peninsula of Dakhla.<br />
After the sessions we chill by the<br />
Attitude beach bar, sun bathe,<br />
mess around, some do yoga, and<br />
some enjoy a well-deserved massage<br />
in the hotel's Spa. Of course,<br />
you also make friends with other<br />
groups of kiters: Spanish, German,<br />
and French who are the majority<br />
here, given the Moroccan cultural<br />
heritage as former French colony.
98<br />
TRIPS<br />
The magic of Dakhla and the beauty of kitecamps<br />
Another quite popular pastime is<br />
looking at the photos taken in the<br />
water by Mariano Arias, Argentinian<br />
professional photographer who<br />
spends his days capturing the riders<br />
with amazing shots. Perhaps<br />
those photos express the true essence<br />
of these trips: smiles, emotions,<br />
the joy of practising the best<br />
sport in the world, living in touch<br />
with nature, travel the world and<br />
breathe the scent of freedom.<br />
Thank you Dakhla, Bsslama!
Grazie<br />
Dakhla,<br />
Bsslama!
102<br />
KITETRIP<br />
Philippines, a trip out of the norm<br />
Philippines<br />
A TRIP OUT OF THE NORM<br />
Text: Ewan Jaspan | Photo: Frankie Bees
104<br />
KITETRIP<br />
Philippines, a trip out of the norm<br />
It’s always exciting visiting new kite locations, but<br />
even more so to a place where the kite spots aren’t<br />
even kite spots yet. This was the case when we were<br />
visiting the farthest North East province of the Philippines,<br />
Cagayan, to explore the rough and rugged<br />
coastline and find windy paradise.<br />
Our trip started in the bustling metropolis of Manila,<br />
not only home to 22 million people, but also the most<br />
densely populated city in the world. This was a bit of a<br />
shock to the system, arriving to the middle of the city,<br />
surrounded by pollution, traffic like I have never witnessed<br />
and heat that initiated a few clothing changes<br />
throughout the day. Wading our way through the city<br />
we explored all its crevices and hot spots with our local<br />
tour guides Paula and Dane, who know the city<br />
better than anyone. It’s a very confronting experience<br />
amongst all the homeless on the side of the streets<br />
with young children and babies lying between traffic,<br />
as we were walking around with expensive kite<br />
gear and camera equipment, it definitely felt like we<br />
were a little out of place and definitely privileged to<br />
be wandering the city in our circumstances rather<br />
than some others. At the end of the day returning to<br />
our hostel and the cool breeze of the air conditioner<br />
was a reward like no other and after two days it was<br />
definitely time to escape up north to the trade winds<br />
and tropical waters of Cagayan. Manila was an experience,<br />
it’s great to see and do this kind of thing every<br />
now and then to gain perspective on how so much on<br />
the world functions and lives.<br />
All packed up and ready to go at night, our bus arrived<br />
in the middle of town and we boarded what was<br />
supposed to be an eight-hour 600km drive through<br />
the countryside, this ended up being a bigger mission<br />
than expected. We got in the bus and had a good<br />
sleep, and I awoke expecting to be pulling up in Santa<br />
Ana (the town in Cagayan) but then checking the<br />
map, eight hours in we had barely left the city and<br />
were only about half way. The roads are small and
106<br />
KITETRIP<br />
Philippines, a trip out of the norm
chaotic throughout the entire country, where buses,<br />
trucks, cars, tuk-tuks, scooters and animals all share<br />
two lanes limiting our cruising speed to something a<br />
little under what we expected. Finally, after 15 hours<br />
we arrived at our hotel, a vast resort with its own runway<br />
and casino, but no one to be seen other than<br />
staff.<br />
Our first day was spent exploring the locations for our<br />
shoot. The locals put it all on for us with cars and jetskis<br />
at our disposal to search out new spots around<br />
the islands and reefs. After sussing out the spots that<br />
would work for the cycle of trade winds rapidly approaching,<br />
we finished the first day tow foil surfing at<br />
the most picturesque reef break I have ever ridden. It<br />
was my first time foil surfing and what an experience<br />
it was, whipping into a lump of water and going from<br />
gliding to all of a sudden feeling a surge underneath<br />
your feet and the foil is powered. We towed ‘til the<br />
sun went down and we all had some great long rides<br />
linking peaks together then cruising back to base with<br />
a purple sky, cold beers and feeling totally refreshed<br />
and reborn after our city stopover and never-ending<br />
bus ride.<br />
Our first morning waking up in the north and we were<br />
welcomed by wild conditions. 30 knots and rain were<br />
not what we were expecting but it sure made for entertaining<br />
riding and a tough job for our camera crew<br />
Olivier and Frankie. We shot the first day at the marina<br />
in town where all the local fishing boats come and<br />
go. Jesse and myself enjoyed a big air session as the<br />
locals were left speechless, never having seen something<br />
like high wind kiteboarding before, let alone<br />
former King of the Air champion, Jesse Richman, going<br />
wild boosting over their boats and looping over<br />
the pier. We had a great time amusing the crowd and<br />
stacking some crazy kiteloop shots against a jungle<br />
backdrop whilst testing the new Naish Dash and getting<br />
accustomed to it’s looping power and lively feel.<br />
After hours of riding we ventured to the next spot<br />
on the other side of the headland, tired and sore, we
108<br />
KITETRIP<br />
Philippines, a trip out of the norm<br />
were just at the start of this photoshoot and Damien,<br />
in charge of the shoot, was not going to let up on Jesse<br />
and myself until there was no wind, light or shots<br />
left to get.<br />
Throughout our four days of kiting in Cagayan we<br />
explored every kite spot possible and rode some untouched<br />
picturesque slices of paradise. We ventured<br />
into the waves, which ranged from mellow fat slow<br />
rollers to crunching triple overhead slabs, found flat<br />
water, hit the reef and foiled through the lagoons and<br />
everything in between. On our last day after exploring<br />
all the mainland had to offer (or maybe not even<br />
scratching the surface) we boarded the traditional<br />
fishing boats and made way for Palaui, an island just<br />
off the coast voted to have beaches in the top 10 in<br />
the world and kite spots surely nearing there too. After<br />
our first session, Paula had organised us to do a<br />
beach clean up from the kite beach down to the village<br />
primary school. Our aim was to raise awareness<br />
and educate the locals about the effect human waste<br />
has on the environment and to protect and cherish the
110<br />
KITETRIP<br />
Philippines, a trip out of the norm<br />
beautiful piece of earth they live in. We involved all of<br />
the local boat crew in the clean up and by the time we<br />
had reached the school, we had about 20 large garbage<br />
bags filled with trash, from food wrappers, old<br />
fishing equipment, plastic bottles and even old shoes.<br />
I think delving deeper into this issue with the locals<br />
and really showing them how many little bits of trash<br />
have built up in their habitat really made an impact<br />
and they were all super motivated to make a change<br />
and keep their paradise, paradise. The school kids all<br />
cleaned up their school and we talked to them, with<br />
the help of Paula, about the issue and what effect it<br />
is having on the environment worldwide. It’s amazing<br />
to see such a happy community of people who live<br />
such a simple life and shows that real happiness is not<br />
materialistic, but about making the best of what you<br />
have and caring for each other, family and friends.
Afterwards, we took the kids back to the kite spot and<br />
they all played with the kite gear and leading by example<br />
we made sure to leave no trace and finish our<br />
trip with the island in better condition than we found<br />
it. It’s definitely important to try and give back to the<br />
environment as we spend our lives in it and want to<br />
preserve it for future generations to come.<br />
On the final day of wind, after completing all of our<br />
tasks, Frankie and Olivier stacking all the shots we<br />
needed and Jesse and myself completely out of energy<br />
we celebrated with a great local dinner and then a<br />
trip to the Casino to see what was going on. The food<br />
was great, local fish and delicacies partnered with<br />
fresh juices but what we found next in the casino was<br />
jaw dropping.
112<br />
KITETRIP<br />
Philippines, a trip out of the norm<br />
Walking in we went through all the security checks,<br />
so common in the Philippines, and walked into a vast<br />
open room jam packed full of tables, hundreds of<br />
staff, but very strangely, absolutely no customers. We<br />
had never seen anything like it, the amount of empty<br />
tables and money obviously invested in the casino,<br />
for no customers and no one to be seen. Apparently,<br />
it was a Chinese online Casino where rich Chinese<br />
people hire locals to gamble for them online and<br />
spend an absolute fortune. It turns out that almost<br />
half the people in the town work at the casino but<br />
they’re either working on a table dealing, or gambling<br />
on someone else’s behalf, something I for one, didn’t<br />
know even existed.<br />
Cagayan was full of surprises and the whole trip was a<br />
great experience with a tight knit crew. We made the<br />
best of every situation and had a real adventure. After<br />
shooting on Maui for years the trip was something so<br />
far from what we were used to and pushed us all to<br />
our limits to make it all happen. From the senseless<br />
city to the rural outskirts of the country we experienced<br />
all the Philippines had to offer, paradise, poverty,<br />
happiness, sadness, wind, waves, man made and<br />
natural jungles and the amazing people, we had an<br />
unforgettable time and recommend the trip to anyone<br />
looking for a trip out of the norm.
114<br />
ITW<br />
David Tonijuan: as an athlete I believe in hard work<br />
as an athlete I believe in hard work<br />
23-year-old David Tonijuan is an all-round athlete who<br />
loves Freestyle, but indeed he practices every aspect of<br />
kiteboarding and that includes its lifestyle and the love<br />
for travelling that comes with this sport. Since a few<br />
years now he is part of the F-One international team<br />
and he switched from excellent competition seasons to<br />
others not quite so, but he grew up a lot especially as a<br />
professional and as a person. Funny thing is that he was<br />
born in Barcelona, a city with no wind…
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ITW<br />
David Tonijuan: as an athlete I believe in hard work<br />
David, you have been doing several extreme sports.<br />
Can you please describe why kitesurfing is so attractive<br />
to you?<br />
Since I was a little boy, I always needed to have a<br />
board under my feet and I can say I was sort of born<br />
with that attraction inside me. Kitesurfing is magical,<br />
not only because of its purity as a sport but so it is also<br />
the lifestyle it brings you when you attach yourself<br />
to it. I like all sports, but not all of them allow you to<br />
travel, to know new cultures, to learn languages and<br />
to practise it with natural resources from our world<br />
like the wind or the sea. I kind of see Kitesurfing as a<br />
mix between different sports and this might be the<br />
reason why it has attracted me so much. You can be<br />
“surfing” as many waves as you want, you can do such<br />
great “wakeboarding” tricks with the help of the kite,<br />
you can use a “paraglide” to fly and you can use the<br />
kite and the wind to lift you up when “snowboarding”<br />
in the mountains…
Why do your friends call you "Handel"?<br />
It is mainly my best friends who call me that, and it<br />
comes because of kiteboarding. We all know, that the<br />
advanced tricks in freestyle were called handle-passes<br />
because is the one way you can do several horizontal<br />
spins without getting tangled with all the bar and<br />
lines system. A friend of mine, when we were kids,<br />
started to call me that without even knowing what<br />
the meaning was, but it seems it stayed there for a<br />
while.<br />
What do your parents think about the level you<br />
reached in this sport? Did they expect you to become<br />
a professional athlete?<br />
I think none of us expected it at the beginning. My father<br />
started kitesurfing at the outset of the sport and<br />
I always wanted to follow him. I must say, the level<br />
came with the motivation of having fun riding with<br />
my kite mates. I am ambitious, and when I saw someone<br />
doing a new trick I needed to do it just to make<br />
sure I was able to do so. My parents have always sup-
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David Tonijuan: as an athlete I believe in hard work<br />
ported me, however I appreciate a lot that they have<br />
also pressured me with my studies. Kitesurfing is extremely<br />
beautiful, but it is still a minority sport which<br />
makes it hard to live from it forever.<br />
How has your life changed after joining the F-One<br />
team?<br />
F-One opened a new world to me. My life is fortunately<br />
the same but with two extra years of experience.<br />
Since I started with F-one, lots of things have<br />
happened and I tried to learn a lot from them; I got<br />
my best result in competition but also my worst, I<br />
have been able to learn so much by getting involved<br />
in the design of the WTF freestyle line, I got to know<br />
closer the functional departments of a kiteboarding<br />
company and I have been able to meet incredible<br />
people and visit awesome places.<br />
How have your sponsors, including F-One, helped you<br />
achieve your goals?<br />
The term “sponsor” is the most frightening one for a<br />
rider in every extreme and minority sport. You probably<br />
know what you want but it is also true that you<br />
can’t do it without some sort of support. Sponsors<br />
have been essential for my achievements so far which<br />
I don’t consider to be outstanding yet. My goals have<br />
been changing over time and somehow you start to<br />
appreciate that once you achieve one, suddenly a new<br />
one appears. When I decided I wanted to compete I<br />
was very worried about it: “How someone from Barcelona,<br />
a place where there is no wind and it’s forbidden<br />
to kite during summer time, could ever get into<br />
the elite of the sport without having the support of<br />
a sponsor?“ I knew that without a sponsor I wouldn’t<br />
have been able to travel and train to reach the level<br />
needed. I must say, that together with a good friend<br />
of mine who always told me “work hard, show it and<br />
the sponsors will come” and my family, I am where I<br />
am and have achieved it thanks to them.
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ITW<br />
David Tonijuan: as an athlete I believe in hard work
Tell us about your favourite quiver and what you really<br />
appreciate in it...<br />
I am riding ¡¿WTF !? kite, the eleven is my favourite<br />
and the 138cm board size. I have been riding its variations<br />
already for more than two years testing tens of<br />
prototypes we built for its development. I think that<br />
together with the good performance of the equipment<br />
on freestyle and my personal love for it have<br />
been the main reasons why I appreciate it so much.<br />
Which new tricks are you learning at the moment and<br />
what are your best ones?<br />
I am focusing on rewind tricks and kicker stuff trying<br />
to make them with proper execution. We are in<br />
a moment when in competition everyone is always<br />
training for the 5 trendy tricks that scores highest. I<br />
am trying to work on tricks that are same high level<br />
and that could score as high as a “typical one” but<br />
they look “cooler” because you don’t see them very
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David Tonijuan: as an athlete I believe in hard work<br />
often. Tricks are about a combination of double handle<br />
passes mixing switch and rewind rotations. I am<br />
also focusing on the single handle passes but powered,<br />
solid and trying to make them stylish.<br />
Where are your favourite spots to ride in the world<br />
and why?<br />
I have an easy answer for that: Brazil is and will always<br />
be the best spot in the world! Six months a year nonstop,<br />
20 knots, flat water lagoons, 30 degrees and<br />
such a good lifestyle. What else could you ask for?<br />
Professional Kiteboarding is getting more and more<br />
extreme, powerful and spectacular. How do you live it<br />
personally and what is your deep motivation?<br />
It seems like big air has come back and strong. It’s<br />
funny to see how the sport is changing starting at its<br />
origins with boots and dangle passes, changing into<br />
straps and wakestyle tricks and now it seems like it is<br />
moving and asking for big jumps again.<br />
I must be honest and say I like all disciplines, but none<br />
is like freestyle. It is sad to see how badly freestyle<br />
suffered last years and see how it is right now. However,<br />
we are professional kiteboarders and I personally<br />
think we have to adapt for what it has to come, it<br />
is the only way to move forward and keep straight up.<br />
Our body suffers more than everyone could think.<br />
People think is just water, but the sport is asking more<br />
and more power to evolve and our knees, back and<br />
shoulders are the ones suffering the consequences.<br />
In order to avoid that or slow down the arrival of injuries,<br />
the out of the water training is a must for every<br />
freestyle competitor.<br />
What are your plans for the rest of this season?<br />
I am still under calendar’s confirmation of the new<br />
“World Kiteboarding Championships” to see what will<br />
be happening at the end. But I want to announce I<br />
will be focusing partly on some video-projects, I have<br />
never felt I had time for that while competing but<br />
looking at the situation we have now, it seems I will<br />
be able to dedicate time to that which is something<br />
I’ve always wanted to do.<br />
How do you take care of your body and what is your<br />
approach to the risks of the discipline?
124<br />
LAND KITE<br />
99.62 km/h: Thierry Collado sets a new world speed land kiting record<br />
THIERRY COLLADO SETS A NEW WORLD SPEED<br />
LAND KITING RECORD
Land kiting, also known as kite landboarding or<br />
land kiteboarding, is one of the most underrated<br />
disciplines in kiteboarding. Nevertheless, and<br />
despite the fact that it is performed on terra firma,<br />
riders can reach high speeds. Surprisingly, or<br />
maybe not, land kiteboarders are nearly as fast as<br />
their fellow water performers.<br />
On February 18th 2018, Thierry<br />
Collado set a new world speed<br />
land kiting record. The rider living<br />
in Ventura, California, drove his<br />
equipment at 61.9 miles per hour<br />
(99.62 kilometers per hour, or 53.78<br />
knots) at La Franqui, in France.<br />
"I really didn't expect it because<br />
there was still standing water in<br />
a few spots, and a lot of slippery<br />
areas. But I found many places to<br />
do my thing. The wind was not<br />
strong. Instead, it was 'disgustingly<br />
gusty,'" explained the man nicknamed<br />
Akkrew. "Suddenly, a gust<br />
stronger than the others carried<br />
me beyond my hopes. I heard my<br />
bearings screaming, and I had the<br />
impression to go a little faster than<br />
usual."<br />
Collado checked his GPS and<br />
quickly knew he had a world record<br />
on hands. He continued riding<br />
his kite, but the wind decreased,<br />
and Thierry started feeling tired.<br />
"I am so close to reaching my goal<br />
- the 100 km/h mark. I am very excited<br />
and will be back soon. But,<br />
for now, I am happy to be back on<br />
first place in the world ranking,"<br />
concluded Thierry Collado.<br />
At the moment, the fastest kiteboarder<br />
in the world is Alex Caizergues<br />
with a remarkable world<br />
speed record of 57.97 knots (66.71<br />
mph or 107.36 km/h).
126<br />
TUTORIAL<br />
Jump: how to go higher<br />
JUMP<br />
how to go higher<br />
One of the things that always appealed<br />
to me about kitesurfing<br />
was the possibility of jumping, fly<br />
high, almost like a seagull, even<br />
if only for a few amazing and unforgettable<br />
moments.Over the<br />
years, I’ve often asked myself<br />
about the key factors necessary to<br />
improve this basic skill of my favourite<br />
sport and slowly I made it<br />
to 23-m height.Here, I put together<br />
some tips, which don't aspire<br />
to be a final guide, but more like<br />
an introduction to take you to the<br />
next level, because "the next step"<br />
is always round the corner once<br />
you've learnt how to fly; you will<br />
find that jumping is highly adrenaline-charged<br />
and it’s a hard-togive-up<br />
addiction, always chasing<br />
bigger heights.
BOARD LOAD & POP (EDGING)<br />
TECH-<br />
NIQUE<br />
One of the main problems of jumping high is the loss of "grip" of<br />
the board while loading the jump, resulting in a long jump instead<br />
of a height one, with a likely fall of the kite when landing<br />
because you pass under the lines during the flying phase. That’s<br />
because the kite tends on pushing you forward and you must<br />
contrast that by leaning backwards with your body as much as<br />
possible.<br />
This is the typical mistake due to the technical inability while you<br />
are riding to properly edge and pop the board as you invert with<br />
the bar. Being overpowered often forces you to shift forward<br />
the weight of your shoulders and consequently of your body, in<br />
order to increase your depower capacity and be able to load. This<br />
aspect can be improved through a simple exercise: try to firmly<br />
increase the upwind angle, as if about to jump but without actually<br />
jumping. Then leave the edge and take it quickly back and<br />
so on and so forth. Once you have familiarised with this exercise<br />
you will be able to make small jumps, even just 1-m high, but by<br />
using your back leg pop to lift and not the kite.Try to focus your<br />
attention on your back leg and on the nose of the board properly<br />
pointing upwind. Slowly combine these movements to the bar inversion,<br />
making sure the board is kept upwind as much as possible<br />
until the pop, as if you were about to do a back roll when you<br />
start going up.<br />
In short, the basis for a good jump is a fantastic pop with the<br />
board which is the result of a proper EDGING, in other words<br />
keeping the rail at high speed upwind or when riding beam<br />
reach. Without this basic skill, bigger kites or any other trick are<br />
useless... this is really the FIRST basic aspect to set up properly.
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Jump: how to go higher<br />
HANDS' POSITION ON THE BAR BEFORE THE<br />
JUMP<br />
Keeping your hands at the centre of the bar creates less inversion<br />
speed and greater physical effort. Therefore, it is useful to keep<br />
your hands as far apart as possible on the bar so to maximise the<br />
lever when inverting, with the least physical effort.<br />
This rule works all the more if you have the right or a small kite<br />
size. In strong overpowered conditions the kite’s responsiveness<br />
is greater therefore, your hands can remain more centred on the<br />
bar.<br />
TECH-<br />
NIQUE<br />
SPEED & BODY POSITION DURING LOADING<br />
To jump high and long it is necessary to have advancement speed<br />
which proportionally creates an always increasing tension on the<br />
lines. SPEED is crucial, it is not possible to jump high if riding<br />
slowly.<br />
We must distinguish between riding types and lines’ tension. A<br />
super upwind creates maximum tension on the lines, but you<br />
lose some speed and the pop is easy. A normal upwind, tending<br />
to beam reach, gives you much more speed but makes the lines<br />
looser and a more complicated pop. Therefore, the best riding for<br />
loading is one in between the two, which is "the maximum speed<br />
during which you can make a proper and effective pop without<br />
losing speed nor tension on the lines”.<br />
Your body posture during the jump loading phase is crucial,<br />
because when pop-upwind and legs are spring-loaded ready to<br />
burst you must not lose tension on the lines letting your body<br />
forward.<br />
Your body must go backwards, as if to touch the water with your<br />
bum to counter- balance the kite going back up and keeping the<br />
same tension on the lines.<br />
KITE INVERSION & HANDS’ ACTION<br />
To go high the kite must be inverted as fast as possible by properly<br />
using your hands on the bar. Most people invert too slowly<br />
keeping a prolonged pressure on the bar which makes the kite go<br />
forward and not up, losing this way the edge too fast due to the<br />
physical inability to keep the strong kite acceleration.
The inversion speed is extremely important, and it is crucial to<br />
focus on your hands' ACTION which must be diametrically opposed,<br />
one hand pulls hard but the other must push and not<br />
remain inactive! Careful, as the most common mistake in kitesurfing<br />
is pull with both hands, which nullifies the speed inversion<br />
and, a greater speed inversion means greater verticality and<br />
therefore more height.<br />
During this phase a widespread mistake, even with the correct<br />
inversion procedure, is loading with both hands too soon,<br />
that’s when the kite is still moving forward. If you observe the<br />
kite movement while inverting, you’ll see that for a sec it moves<br />
forward and that's when you should stop pulling so that the kite<br />
can verticalize as fast as possible over your head instead of going<br />
forward. If you pull, you favour the forward movement. If you let<br />
go, the upwards one. Recapping: the inversion must be done as<br />
fast as possible with your hands doing two diametrically opposed<br />
actions. Once the inversion is finished, the kite moves forward.<br />
Now, slightly leave the pressure off your hands to let the kite
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Jump: how to go higher<br />
breathe and make it verticalize for few tenths of a second and as<br />
soon as you feel it’s verticalizing, that's when you must symmetrically<br />
pull with both hands as hard as possible to make you go<br />
up to stellar heights.<br />
Mistakenly, many believe that to jump higher the kite must be<br />
sent to extreme positions such as 13.30 or 14.00.<br />
But this would result in awfully messy jumps in the air and badly<br />
landed with ridiculous hang times.<br />
The secret to fly high is to be as one with your kite as much as<br />
possible, by being aligned with it during the flying phase. There-<br />
TECH-<br />
NIQUE<br />
POP AND JUMP<br />
Once the previous aspects are all checked, you are ready for the<br />
best possible pop.<br />
The spring-loaded legs and the kite inversion will take you to a<br />
point where you will be slung upwards (Momentum), when you<br />
will finally have to go along with this phase as much as possible<br />
with your body which from its full counter-position will switch to<br />
a total go-along with the power of the kite position.<br />
During this phase, focus on the board which must keep the edge<br />
for as long as possible, without flatten it out before the pop,<br />
even if losing some speed. Also, after the pop the board must not<br />
go too much behind your body, as in Raily style, nor remain too<br />
horizontal on the water.<br />
This pop balance, focused on the board position, guarantees an<br />
optimal body flying position with an excellent balance of all the<br />
joint segments.<br />
There is a long-lasting debate on whether it would be better<br />
to favour a pop speed, sacrificing the hard pop which makes<br />
you lose speed, or keep less speed with a super powerful pop.<br />
Of course, the mix of the two characteristics would be top, but<br />
that takes many years of practice to refine the timing, crucial<br />
for combining the two elements, as well as having remarkably<br />
trained legs to keep that type of strain at high speeds.<br />
If you have a wave as a ramp, your entire visual attention must<br />
focus on the growing kicker to hit it on its most vertical point.<br />
KITE POSITION DURING THE POP AND WHILE<br />
FLYING
fore, the best final position to stop the kite while ascending is<br />
12 - 12.30, starting from about 10.30, even better if you can keep<br />
even lower positions, i.e. 10, with the board on inverted pop.<br />
The type of kite you use also makes the difference: a C kite will<br />
better work from 11.00 to 13.00 whereas a Bow kite from 10.00<br />
to about 12.00. Thing is that a lot of people have a wrong timing<br />
with the pulling hand, pulling for too long, without the opposite<br />
hand pushing to counter-call it, which takes us to the next point.<br />
BAR POSITION DURING FLYING<br />
After quickly inverting the kite, the focus must shift on counterbalancing<br />
the inversion with your hands to stop the kite at 12 /<br />
12.30.<br />
Once the kite has settled at about 12.30, then we can move to a<br />
loading phase and that's when both hands do pull on the bar to<br />
near it to the maximum power point and further load the flying<br />
phase. All that happens in a wink, these are "automatisms" that<br />
come with time and practising lots of jumps.<br />
This loading phase with both hands must end when we feel that<br />
the kite is about to pass us backwards. That’s when your hands<br />
distance the bar from your body to let the kite "breathe" so to<br />
move it back ahead of us and speed up the landing phase, perhaps<br />
with a downloop. Then your hands go back to the pull/push<br />
action, ending the previous stage where both pulled.<br />
BODY POSITION DURING FLYING<br />
After having been thrown in the air, your body must find a balanced<br />
position which will depend on the load and pop phase.<br />
Tucking up while flying, legs on your chest becoming smaller,<br />
helps keep an optimal centre of gravity during the aerial phase,<br />
moving your body as little as possible to avoid loss of balance.<br />
You can imagine that by becoming smaller the wind will have less<br />
surface to act on and get us off balance or slow us down.<br />
Often, we find ourselves in an over-rotation condition because<br />
we didn’t properly execute the previous steps. However, during<br />
the flying phase it is almost always possible regain the lost balance<br />
even after the pop, by using shoulders/head in the opposite<br />
direction to the pop over-rotation.
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Jump: how to go higher<br />
TECH-<br />
NIQUE<br />
KITE RECALL<br />
When the ascending and the stalling phase end, it's time to think<br />
about the landing and change the position of the kite that was<br />
holding us at 12 o'clock / 12.30.<br />
Timing is crucial for a soft-landing, therefore neither anticipate<br />
too much nor delay the phase of moving the kite forward to get<br />
it back at about 11 o'clock.<br />
If you anticipate the kite too much you will have heavy forward<br />
landings, like belly flat with face smacked on the water because<br />
of too much pull. If you delay it too much, your bum will always<br />
touch the water because when you'll get to the surface the kite<br />
won't have any pull yet as it was left too much behind.<br />
Once you start jumping over 10-m high and even more so if over
15 m, you will realise that you must definitely learn the downloop<br />
landing, also and especially with kites smaller than about 9 m,<br />
because a small kite descends very fast and from a certain height<br />
it does not give enough support to land properly using the simple<br />
swing procedure. If you use C kites, the downloop is part of<br />
the game even for moderate heights, if you use high elongation<br />
AR kites the lift during landing is greater and the downloop not<br />
always necessary.<br />
LANDING<br />
The landing must be "favoured" and not hindered therefore we<br />
must act in favour of the kite pull instead of opposing to it.<br />
During the landing phase we must focus on the nose of the board<br />
which must always point downwind, avoiding loading only the
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TUTORIAL<br />
Jump: how to go higher<br />
back leg, which would stern-down the board, pound on the water<br />
and eventually fall. This downwind phase quickly removes tension<br />
from the lines so to decrease the speed and get back to the<br />
upwind angles.<br />
Also, remember not to put the board immediately on the rail, but<br />
flatten it as much as possible to get more stability at high landing<br />
speeds on higher jumps.<br />
EQUIP-<br />
MENT<br />
EQUIPMENT<br />
Only after making sure all the previous steps have been properly<br />
mastered, you can shift your attention on the best equipment for<br />
jumping, those that will give you greater drive to further improve.<br />
Up to a certain height, which I empirically appraised at about 10<br />
- 13 meters, almost every kite works just fine, so don't blame the<br />
kite for not jumping, but turn to your technical limits, perhaps<br />
get somebody film you so to later analyse it and understand your<br />
mistakes.<br />
It's no point in having a Ferrari if we can hardly drive a FIAT 500,<br />
so don't rush into the ultimate kite or the best board because the<br />
equipment makes a difference only once the technical level is<br />
good.<br />
Once your level is good, you will then find that the right kite can<br />
actually make you gain something when combined with many<br />
other small details.<br />
KITE<br />
Of course, if a kite has been engineered for wave riding it won't<br />
be exceptional for its ascending capacities as it would be an<br />
engineering nonsense developing a kite that must be as close<br />
as possible to the water and then it jumps extremely high when<br />
inverted. Therefore, although any kite could take you to reasonable<br />
heights if your technical skills are fine, undoubtedly a 5-strut<br />
kite, engineered for hang time, can better perform jumps compared<br />
to a 3-one engineered for wave riding.<br />
The magic word is often "A.R.", Aspect Ratio, the relation between<br />
the length and the width of the kite. Without getting too<br />
technical, there is a logical principle which can make you understand<br />
the type of reaction that the kite will have in the air: if you<br />
have a low AR kite, i.e. 3.5, it will have a kind of balloon shape,<br />
very roundish. On the other hand, with a high AR, i.e. 6.3, the kite<br />
will have a very "elongated" shape, for example the F-One Furtive
or Foils such as F-One Diablo.<br />
The difference between these two A.R. worlds is enormous,<br />
because if on the one hand a low AR gives the kite an amazing<br />
responsiveness during inversion, slinging you upwards in a nanosecond,<br />
it’s also true that it will end its ascending phase quite<br />
early as the wind has less horizontal surface on which project its<br />
propulsion and, above all, it will descend far too fast, as it lacks<br />
of "floating" capacity, due to its too small horizontal shape.<br />
Nowadays every manufacturer has in its catalogue Big Air or<br />
Hang Time models and I would advise to buy at least a couple of<br />
different sizes if you are serious about Big Air.<br />
A further feature that a good kite for jumping should have is an<br />
excellent Top End, that is the ability of performing well even at<br />
the high wind limit for which it was designed, that's because,<br />
often, who jumps high is overpowered and if the kite doesn't<br />
depower properly, the bar remains distant from you while riding<br />
and you will not be able to load the pop properly. C kites are<br />
excellent for jumping high, but with equal wind they must be one<br />
or two sizes bigger to reach the same height as the bow or hybrid<br />
ones and above all they definitely have less hang time. So,<br />
they reach stellar heights but fall back very fast and you must absolutely<br />
master the downloop when descending to avoid traumatizing<br />
your knees too much on landing.<br />
BOARD<br />
Any board is ok for jumping and there are basically two schools<br />
of thought on this, both good depending on your likings:<br />
1 - FAST BOARD AND SMALLER KITE<br />
Some people rather have a very loose board, with less grip but<br />
with significant pickup, which means more speed and a smaller<br />
size kite which is faster and verticalizes earlier.
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2- SLOWER BOARD AND BIGGER KITE<br />
Some others prefer a slower board, with a very strong edging,<br />
as it gets the necessary pickup from the kite and the great grip<br />
guarantees an impeccable control of the pop when lifting.<br />
EQUIP-<br />
MENT<br />
Either way, a good pop must be an intrinsic feature of the board.<br />
In my opinion, the board size, long or short, it’s personal as there<br />
are clearly pros and cons. A short and narrow board, for example<br />
a 127x36, gives amazing control over speed, therefore allows to<br />
accurately load the jump during the pop, but it isn't so brilliant<br />
over the chops, penalizes the landings and tends to slow down<br />
in wind lulls compared to a longer board while you are trying to<br />
pickup to gain speed. But it allows you to better handle the overpowered<br />
conditions.<br />
A longer board, for example 139x42 favours speed and chops<br />
overcoming and facilitates the landings, but it is harder on the<br />
legs and can lead to excessive acceleration resulting in an inability<br />
to edge properly while riding and pop while loading.<br />
Those really skilled can make good jumps with any size, therefore<br />
don't get paranoid about 5 cm more or less. Instead try to understand,<br />
by borrowing your friends' ones the grippy or loosy feeling<br />
the board gives you, which is more important than the size per<br />
se.<br />
I personally prefer very short boards at the expenses of the<br />
landing a little, but I have a fantastic control over the pop, as I<br />
said, it's extremely personal and some jump very high with more<br />
generous boards by having a slightly longer fin so to have more<br />
edging, legs' strength permitting.<br />
HARNESS<br />
A seat harness allows to handle greater overpowered conditions<br />
as the lower centre creates a contrast with less effort. Basically,<br />
one can better lean backwards and arms/shoulders remain further<br />
back and stretched, favouring greater contrast.<br />
I mean, if you look at the pro riders they all use waist harness for<br />
jumping, but those are people with muscular structures different<br />
from 90% of us mere mortal kiters. It's worth noting that also pro<br />
riders emphasise the importance of not having the waist harness<br />
rise up too much otherwise the abilities to edge, proportionally<br />
decrease as the hook rises.<br />
However, the advice would be to do some jumps, same day with<br />
same wind, but with the two types of harness and evaluate the
esults through Woo or Piq: you will appraise the differences<br />
between the two harnesses, even more so if your abs are not the<br />
same as Hulk...<br />
PADS & STRAPS<br />
Landings can be hard, especially from substantial heights. Nowadays<br />
every binding has been equipped with soft Pads, some of<br />
which even with interchangeable bearings which allow to adjust<br />
the "softness" of the pads, by simply changing bearings. Therefore,<br />
soft pads help preventing inflammation injuries to knees<br />
and tendons.<br />
What sometimes gets overlooked though is the width of the<br />
strap. Hard landings create a serious risk of finding your instep<br />
up to the strap limit, which can cause unwanted injuries to ankles.<br />
My advice is to firmly tighten the strap so to block the<br />
instep halfway through, preventing it from shifting too much forward<br />
and your ankle can quickly exit backwards if necessary.<br />
Bindings are excellent for getting the best possible grip and surely<br />
allow a totally different feeling, but only few can actually use
138<br />
TUTORIAL<br />
Jump: how to go higher<br />
them with ease for jumping high, as there are good chances of<br />
possible injuries to the knees during the destructive falling phases.<br />
WEATH-<br />
ER<br />
CONDI-<br />
TIONS<br />
FINS<br />
The grip of a twin-tip board is given by its rails and any channels<br />
in the shape but also by the fins. Sometimes to make a board<br />
more grippy just slightly lengthen the 2 fins on the leading rail.<br />
Don't underestimate this aspect, it’s easy, immediate, cheap and<br />
effective!<br />
WIND AND<br />
OVERPOWER<br />
It is understandable that 40 knots can project higher than 20.<br />
Not only because of the propulsion power, as the same power<br />
could be reached by using bigger kites with light wind. Stronger<br />
winds allow to use smaller kites, therefore faster during inversion<br />
to go vertical, bringing this way height instead of length.<br />
However, pro riders rarely use kites any smaller than 8 m size,<br />
even with 50 knots: I saw people on the water with a 10 m and 40<br />
knots which is insane! Therefore, do not do it, unless you weight<br />
100 kg, or you master the necessary technical level!<br />
But what makes them go out extremely overpowered is the principle<br />
according to which, with that wind intensity the excessive<br />
overpower makes highly responsive even a bigger kite which has<br />
the advantage to make you go back down from stellar heights<br />
with a lot more lift compared to a smaller kite and has bigger<br />
surface during the ascending phase. Of course, you must also<br />
have the technical skills and physical ability to handle it, which<br />
makes all the difference. Consequently, being capable of handling<br />
overpowered conditions with very strong wind is a fundamental<br />
skill to reach significant heights, but one can easily get up<br />
to 10-15 metres with normal kite sizes, the ones of everyday sessions.<br />
Jumping overpowered is pointless if you cannot load the<br />
edge and when you pop, assuming that you do, you get projected<br />
forward instead of upwards. It is often said "use the biggest size<br />
you can" and that's true, but the last two words do make the difference<br />
“you can", which means that you can handle, keep, that<br />
you can pop and verticalize.<br />
Of course, you need to appreciate that being overpowered is
dangerous for you and others around you, therefore only with<br />
years, a lot of sessions and experience and very slowly, you will<br />
be able to increase the basic kite sizes, bearing in mind the risks<br />
you take.<br />
FLAT WATER, CHOP, WAVE, WIND DIRECTION<br />
Surely there must be a reason if every pro rider jumps high in<br />
South Africa. Water conditions are extremely important. Water<br />
with little chop allows to reach higher speeds which turn<br />
into height when you invert. If during the pop phase you add a<br />
"kicker" (that is a wave), this will create greater contrast as you<br />
strongly slow down on the wave while you invert. As if you had<br />
someone holding you from behind while you invert. Clearly a<br />
1-m wave will make you go up less than a 5-m one, therefore the<br />
height of the ramp is essential. And 40 knots will make you go<br />
higher than 20.<br />
Last but not least, the wind direction, side/side off, which makes
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TUTORIAL<br />
Jump: how to go higher<br />
PUMP<br />
O FOIL?<br />
REAL<br />
TEST<br />
a greater traction on the lines and makes you slow down on the<br />
wave even more.<br />
All these elements together create the best theoretical condition<br />
to fly as high as possible. And South Africa is top for its beaches<br />
that offer these amazing conditions.<br />
I often wondered in how many metres this ideal heavenly condition<br />
materializes compared to the standard ones that we often<br />
have of side-on or even on-shore wind, bloody messy chop and<br />
2-m wave, if even that... Unfortunately, I still have not been to<br />
South Africa to experience it personally, but some of my friends<br />
who in Italy jumped some given meters, after having been there<br />
improved their heights of about 2.5 to 5 m, not a minor increase<br />
given by that insane mix of factors just mentioned.<br />
F-ONE FURTIVE 10 VS DIABLO 9<br />
All the tests we made with Piq and Woo were carried out over<br />
about a hundred trials in over 30 days at El Medano (Tenerife),<br />
at the spots of Pigsbay, Muelle, Cabezo, Flashpoint, alternating<br />
wave condition and wind angle.<br />
The kites used for the tests were F-One, as the tests also aimed<br />
at finding the differences between the pump universe and the<br />
foil one in relation to the reached heights.<br />
Over the last years, I occasionally jumped switching between the<br />
two universes because as far as jumping is concerned, the foil<br />
kite is undoubtedly a fighting machine and I highly recommend<br />
you to try it if you still haven't as it is a hardly forgettable feeling,<br />
so much so that for some time you'll be tempted to leave the<br />
pumps aside and use only foils.<br />
Having said that, foils have several considerable structural limits,<br />
with which you must inevitably live with if you want to jump with<br />
them. They are more complicated to handle during launching, not<br />
only because a bigger area is necessary, but mainly because with<br />
strong wind or in strong overpowered conditions the launching<br />
can become very dangerous because, unless 1 or 2 people hold<br />
you from behind, you will be projected forward and upwards,<br />
even if you launch from edge of window which isn't easy either<br />
with strong wind.
In addition, handling gusts with a foil is totally different compared<br />
to a pump, so I strongly discourage you from using them<br />
with very gusty wind or you will often find the foil that flag opens<br />
and violently and suddenly folds back in and gives you brutal<br />
jerks or it falls bundling up resulting in a swim for you. Also forget<br />
about kiteloops or downloops as the AR are so extreme that<br />
the rotation arch is far too long to do it effectively, unless you<br />
use very small foils. So, why are they so attractive?<br />
KNOTS: 15-20<br />
DIABLO 9 FURTIVE 10<br />
Max Height m.<br />
5 Jumps Average m.<br />
Best Hang Time Sec.<br />
11,8<br />
9,8<br />
6,4<br />
8,9<br />
7,6<br />
5,2<br />
KNOTS: 20-25<br />
Max Height m.<br />
5 Jumps Average m.<br />
Best Hang Time Sec.<br />
13,2<br />
11,9<br />
7,8<br />
10,3<br />
9,1<br />
5,9<br />
KNOTS: 25-30<br />
Max Height m.<br />
5 Jumps Average m.<br />
Best Hang Time Sec.<br />
15,8<br />
14,4<br />
8,5<br />
15,3<br />
13,8<br />
6,8<br />
KNOTS: 30-35<br />
Max Height m.<br />
5 Jumps Average m.<br />
Best Hang Time Sec.<br />
ND<br />
ND<br />
ND<br />
17,2<br />
14,9<br />
7,4
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TUTORIAL<br />
Jump: how to go higher<br />
PUMP<br />
O FOIL?<br />
REAL<br />
TEST<br />
Because they do jump in light and medium-light wind range,<br />
more than pumps, and their hang time is significantly better, so<br />
much so that, if you try some old school and board off with the<br />
foil you'll realise quite unexpectedly that you are better than<br />
usual.<br />
This higher Air Time is given by the greater lift while descending<br />
due to the more elongated shape with greater AR. However, to<br />
avoid these feelings remaining such, we asked F-One, which we<br />
thank for their precious collaboration, for a FURTIVE 10 m, pump<br />
kite which comes from the Top for Big Air within the inflatables<br />
and a DIABLO 9 m, kite foil that comes from the Top Race within<br />
the Foil kites, but which in theory could have great hang time<br />
qualities. We then compared them, with the same rider, same<br />
wave and chop condition, same spot, with different rising wind<br />
intensity, and recorded them both with Woo and Piq.<br />
The following are the average scores of an excellent rider weighting<br />
75 kg. Don't try copy him! You would get hurt. It is a test in<br />
overpowered conditions with a fit and technically skilled rider.<br />
It clearly appears that Foil kites perform better in light and medium-light<br />
wind range, while pump kites tend to equal and<br />
outdo the foils in medium-strong and strong wind range. That's<br />
for height. On the other hand, Hang Time wise the Foil universe<br />
maintains a winning gap. The Diablo was not used during the 30-<br />
35 knots test as at 25-30 knots it was already in an overpowered<br />
condition (F-One recommends using Diablo with maximum 25
WOO &<br />
PIQ?<br />
knots) and handling an overpowered Foil with gusts is really dangerous<br />
for anybody. However, the nearly converging score of 15.3<br />
m vs 15.8 m already with 25 knots suggests that the pumps outdo<br />
the foils with more intense wind, with a much easier handling of<br />
the kite as well as being less dangerous with strong gusts normally<br />
carried by strong winds. The natural and appropriate objection<br />
then would be "why don't the pro riders use them then?"<br />
There are many reasons which can be explained with the risks<br />
of the foils for jumping as above described. And let's not forget<br />
that the KOTA for example, it's not a Big Air competition where<br />
who jumps higher wins, but who throws powered manoeuvres at<br />
substantial heights and downlooping with foils is an inadvisable<br />
experience to say the least. But with not too strong and gusty<br />
wind conditions and the only objective of going as high as possible<br />
or having more hang time for old school manoeuvres, foils are<br />
by far the best choice, as long as their intrinsic disadvantages are<br />
appreciated.<br />
To measure the height of the jumps you will need a measuring tool which<br />
will make you progress really fast. Currently, top market products are<br />
Woo, the 3.0 version is about to be released these days and, Piq North.<br />
If you are uncertain on which to buy or you simply would like to know<br />
better about their pros and cons, stay tuned as we will tell you all about<br />
it in our next <strong>Kitesoul</strong> Issue.<br />
Now then, after all this talk, all you need to do is go in the water and try<br />
your best, day after day and in time your results will only improve.<br />
Have fun!
146<br />
PRODUCT FOCUS<br />
RRD<br />
Product focus<br />
POISON LTD V5 WOOD<br />
www.robertoriccidesigns.com<br />
Text & Photo: RRD Courtesy<br />
The Poison LTD V5 is a coveted<br />
creation and the most wanted<br />
freestyle board in our range<br />
since its introduction. The LTD<br />
construction consists of Biaxial<br />
Carbon layers on the top<br />
and bottom of the board with a<br />
special mix of Paulownia and lighter<br />
weight wood, CNC shaped<br />
core. It’s 20% lighter, thinner,<br />
more responsive, and of course,<br />
provides loads of pop. Once you<br />
use the Poison, you’ll immediately<br />
fall in love with it. There is<br />
something about it that makes<br />
it feel just right.<br />
A new outline shape will take<br />
the V5 and its riders to new<br />
heights. This board has a more<br />
continuous but subtle curve on<br />
the outline providing comfort<br />
and control in a wide range of<br />
conditions. A new lamination<br />
technology combined with the<br />
incorporation of unidirectional<br />
carbon stringers, resulted<br />
in less negative flex and more<br />
rigidity. This new lay-up combined<br />
with slightly more flex from<br />
the top results in more explosive<br />
pop, increased speed control<br />
and reduced vibration.<br />
The more squared/swallow tips<br />
provide more surface area for<br />
grip and increased pop. This tip<br />
shape creates a higher angle<br />
of attack on the water surface<br />
and increased control. The Poison<br />
is an amazing freestyle board.<br />
This version has a carbon<br />
reinforced track system that, in<br />
combination with our Rad Pads<br />
or boots, enable the rider to<br />
make the smallest adjustments<br />
needed to perfect their stance<br />
for maximum performance.<br />
Picking your Poison is now easier<br />
than ever as the Poison V5<br />
defines the Status Quo of freestyle<br />
boards.
STANDARD Features<br />
• Deck and bottom Biaxial Carbon 450 grams<br />
• Anti-torsion box tip design<br />
• Deep concave in the middle of the board<br />
• 5mm sidewalls<br />
NEW Features<br />
• CNC shaped mix of Paulownia wood core<br />
• New tip profile on squared/swallow outline<br />
• Reduced Thickness<br />
• Unidirectional carbon stringers<br />
• Carbon reinforced ABS track channels for pads<br />
Adam Super about the<br />
Poison Ltd V5:<br />
“The Poison can be easily described<br />
in one word, incredible.<br />
The flex pattern is just right;<br />
blending comfort and performance<br />
seamlessly into an aggressive<br />
freestyle machine that<br />
can be appreciated by all skill<br />
levels. I love the pop and response<br />
from the carbon that is<br />
paired perfectly with smooth,<br />
buttery rides from the more<br />
continuous outline. The boards<br />
stiffness, speed, comfort and<br />
control allow me to maintain my<br />
laid-back style, even in tough<br />
conditions. It’s easy to be steezy<br />
when you got a Poison LTD<br />
under your feet.”
148<br />
PRODUCT FOCUS<br />
RRD<br />
Product focus<br />
10 KNOTS V4 LTD<br />
www.robertoriccidesigns.com<br />
Text & Photo: RRD Courtesy<br />
Do you want to be the<br />
first one on a twintip<br />
out there as soon as a<br />
breeze comes up?!<br />
The 10 knots v4 LTD is the new<br />
premium twintip light wind machine<br />
that represents the spirit<br />
of free riding. The very flat scoop-rocker<br />
line of the board and<br />
the new tips design allow incredible<br />
ease of kiting and an amazing<br />
grip while going upwind in<br />
the lightest breezes.<br />
”As soon as a breeze comes up I want to be<br />
the first one on a twin-tip out there!”.<br />
TECHNOLOGY<br />
The 10 Knots LTD V4 is completely<br />
built and assembled in Europe<br />
with a new exclusive even<br />
lighter technology and is laminated<br />
with pre-preg Biaxial 220<br />
grams Carbon on deck and bottom,<br />
has ABS sidewalls and a<br />
CNC PVC core, which makes the<br />
board a planet of its own.<br />
LAMINATION<br />
Laminated with pre-preg Biaxial<br />
CARBON 220 gm deck and bottom.<br />
Special Features<br />
• Pre-Preg Biaxial Carbon<br />
• Pvc superlight core<br />
CORE<br />
CNC PVC Core + reduced weight<br />
ABS sidewalls.
150<br />
PRODUCT FOCUS<br />
F-one<br />
Product focus<br />
LA LINX BAR DI F-ONE<br />
www.f-onekites.com<br />
Text and Photo: F-One Courtesy<br />
The LINX bar is our brand new<br />
updated control system for<br />
2018! We’ve taken all the best<br />
bits of the Monolith Bar and added<br />
some great features to create<br />
the ultimate connection to<br />
your kite.<br />
The LINX bar is available in two<br />
sizes, 52-45cm and 45-38cm;<br />
this allows you to choose the<br />
perfect size bar for your quiver.<br />
Our new integrated floats on<br />
the rear line not only offer a cleaner<br />
look; they also house the<br />
mechanism to adjust the size of<br />
your bar too.<br />
A new One Line Flag Out safety<br />
system features this year and is<br />
now the standard for all F-ONE<br />
kites. There’s a high-quality corrosion<br />
proof Inox steel hub on<br />
the front lines that allows one<br />
line to slide. The first 6m of the<br />
front lines are larger in diameter<br />
for durability, and there is a<br />
stopper to prevent the bar from<br />
travelling too far away from you<br />
when the safety is engaged.<br />
We have also added a manual<br />
swivel on top of the chicken loop<br />
this year; it uses a high-quality<br />
ball bearing and is easy to rotate<br />
even when powered. This<br />
allows you to untwist your front<br />
lines after performing rotational<br />
tricks and is a feature every ri-
der is going to fall in love with!<br />
The Lifeline safety connection<br />
has an added swivel, so there<br />
is no danger of twists affecting<br />
the release of the kite, and the<br />
same goes for the leash too.<br />
The safety can be set up in suicide<br />
mode for freestyle riders<br />
while still retaining full functionality<br />
when the chicken loop is<br />
released as the loop can slide<br />
through the Lifeline safety connection<br />
with ease.<br />
There’s a new Inox steel ring on<br />
the front lines; riders can choose<br />
to run the front lines through<br />
this ring to give the kite a short<br />
V on the front lines. Or you can<br />
run the lines outside of this ring<br />
to have a full front V. Kites like<br />
the Furtive perform better with<br />
the full front V, while the Bandit<br />
flies better with the short V. This<br />
feature of the bar means you<br />
only need one kite bar regardless<br />
of your quiver of kites.<br />
We’ve retained the ability to<br />
tune the rear lines, so if a line<br />
does stretch, you can still tune<br />
the bar so all the lines are equal,<br />
and the kite will still fly properly.<br />
The LINX bar features a smaller<br />
diameter to make it comfier in<br />
your hands and reduce fatigue<br />
and, of course, we have new<br />
fresh colours for 2018!
152<br />
PRODUCT FOCUS<br />
Core<br />
Product focus<br />
CORE Section 2<br />
Un miglior drifting, più leggerezza e un vero wave kite<br />
www.corekites.com<br />
Testo & Foto: Core Courtesy<br />
The second gen Section is built<br />
for both traditional and freestyle-wave<br />
(surfstyle) enthusiasts<br />
with serious depower for downthe-line<br />
drifting and incredible<br />
control off the lip. “Weight management<br />
is a critical component<br />
in performance wave kites,”<br />
Chief Designer, Frank Ilfrich<br />
begins, “and we’ve leveraged<br />
our proprietary fabrics to achieve<br />
further gains.”<br />
CORE’s no-stretch ExoTex Dacron<br />
frame incorporates a unique<br />
radial reinforcing thread<br />
pattern that enables higher<br />
pressure airframes with smaller<br />
diameters. It improves airflow,<br />
flight stability, and rider<br />
feedback by substantially increasing<br />
tube strength and rigidity<br />
despite reducing diameters.<br />
“ExoTex creates a lighter<br />
yet more robust canopy that’s<br />
ideally suited for wave riding,”<br />
Frank concludes. The Section<br />
2’s acclaimed ExoTex airframe<br />
holds a better shape in gusts<br />
and improves water relaunching<br />
in big waves.<br />
The Section 2 carries over its<br />
small diameter ExoTex airframe,<br />
lightweight surf construction,<br />
and super quick reflexes from its<br />
predecessor. The design team<br />
found additional weight savings<br />
and rigidity improvements on<br />
the airframe. And they simplified<br />
the intelligent trim system<br />
that customizes bar feeling and<br />
turning speed.<br />
CORE’s no compromise Section
2 is designed to improve every<br />
wave riding experience with effortless<br />
directional control and<br />
the right amount of pull to keep<br />
strapless riders upwind and<br />
on their board. Freestylers will<br />
love the confidence and in-air<br />
control to land those physics<br />
defying aerials. When it comes<br />
to waves, the Section 2 is ‘all in.’<br />
Perfect for foilboarding too!<br />
This drifting phenom with huge<br />
range pairs perfectly with any<br />
foilboard. Its lightweight construction,<br />
nimble behavior, and<br />
reduced lateral forces make it<br />
an unexpectedly awesome foiling<br />
kite. It won't yank you off<br />
your board, and it zips through<br />
lulls with ease. Yup, the Section<br />
2 will amaze you with its foiling<br />
pedigree.<br />
Section 2 LW: Small Wave Phenomenon<br />
The new Section 2 LW departs<br />
somewhat from traditional<br />
wisdom in that a bigger kite is<br />
counterproductive on waves.<br />
The new Section LW’s immense<br />
range lets riders easily spill the<br />
wind so they can focus on surfing.<br />
The LW’s agility and surface<br />
area to weight efficiency give<br />
the feeling of a smaller kite and<br />
yet it still has the pull to get you<br />
out of trouble in the lulls. And<br />
gusts are held in check with its<br />
incredible depower. It’s easy to<br />
question the efficacy of a 12 or<br />
14m wave kite if you haven’t ridden<br />
one. If you ask Rob Kidnie,<br />
a CORE team rider in Indonesia,<br />
which Section 2 is his favorite,<br />
he’ll say the 14m LW. “The old<br />
rule of thumb that a smaller kite<br />
is always better may no longer<br />
apply to the LW,” suggests Bernie<br />
Hiss, CORE’s CEO and avid<br />
wave rider.
154<br />
PRODUCT FOCUS<br />
Core<br />
SECTION 2 SIZES:<br />
4.0 | 5.0 | 6.0 | 7.0 | 8.0 | 9.0 | 10.0 | 11.0 | LW 12.0 | LW 14.0
SECTION 2 FEATURES:<br />
1. Ultra Light Frame: Super light yet amazingly rigid and durable.<br />
2. Surf Profile: Wave tuned camber and aspect ratio.<br />
3. ExoTex® Ultra Rigid Dacron: Zero stretch airframe.<br />
4. CoreTex® Triple Ripstop Canopy: Extreme durability and UV protection.<br />
5. Future-C Shape: True C-kite feel. For snappy turns with a controlled and consistent<br />
pull.<br />
6. Radical Reaction Tips: C-style shaped wingtips for faster bar response.<br />
7. Short Bridle System: Improved kite feedback.<br />
8. CORE Intelligent Trim (CIT): Customizable “power steering” and turning speed.<br />
9. Instant Auto Relaunch: Reliable waterstarts in difficult conditions.<br />
10. Speed Valve 2: Quick, reduced effort inflation.<br />
11. Speed Pump System: Super fast all strut inflation.<br />
12. Sensor Bar Ready: For maximum kite feedback and control.
NEXT ISSUE JUNE - JULY OUT ON THE 2 TH OF JUNE 2018