“Warning Cabarete Local” graphics. –rr - The Kiteboarder Magazine

48 thekiteboarder.com
Kite Forum
Website: www.kiteforum.com Founder/moderator: Toby Braeuer
Background: Learned import and export, then did several kinds of jobs.
I am now working 100% for my websites.
Why did you start your forum? In 2000/2001 I always looked up a German forum, and my girlfriend said I
was wasting my time doing so. I started my own forum, so she has nothing to complain about!
Also, the former strongest Yahoo group was hard to read, since a question got posted and answers came
some pages later. Back then the phpBB software was new, and the answers were listed under the question.
What is the mission of your forum? The forum helps any kiter in the world with as much info as possible
on our sport. The goal is to have any question answered, and so far this works really well. Real users are at
16,000 and growing everyday.
Who is your audience? Kiters from around the world
What differentiates you from other forums? It is international and has team riders, company owners,
reps, developers and many normal kiters of any level from around the world on it. It also links to the other
five sites that I have created for kite beaches around the world, videos, travel, blogging, reviews and more.
What are your personal favorite kiteboarding websites? I am so busy working on my own websites
and new ideas that I don’t have much time to look at others!
Kite-surf.com
Name of Forum: Kite-Surf.com Website: www.kite-surf.com
Founder/moderator: Robin Zwissler
Background: I am a Computer Specialist for SAP Software, working for BMW.
Why did you start your forum? I took lessons in southern France back in 1998. I was immediately
hooked and knew that kiteboarding would be the sport of the future. Back then, there was only Hung Vu’s
Kitesurfing eGroup (nowadays called Yahoo!Group). So, I founded the first kiteboarding website featuring
the news of the stuff discussed in that eGroup in July 1999.
What is the mission of your forum? To collect and supply as many kite and kiteboard reviews as possible.
So far, the site has 1357 kite reviews and 348 kiteboard reviews.
Who is your audience? Anybody looking for kite and kiteboard reviews
What differentiates you from other forums? Our focus is to have the biggest and most complete
reviews section. Due to my “real” job and forum spammers, I have only time left to focus on the
Reviews section nowadays.
What is are your personal favorite kiteboarding websites? www.hanglos.nl, as it has the best news
overview in one place.
NW Kite
Name of Forum: nwkite.com Website: www.nwkite.com
Founder/moderator: Phillip Holmstrand
Background: Web Services Manager for the City of Portland who started
kiteboarding in 2003. I have been totally addicted ever since.
Why did you start your forum? I was stuck at home one week a couple years ago with a wicked fever.
Already had the domain name, slapped on phpBB and emailed all my buds. Nwkite.com was born! We
have over 700 members and focus on the Pacific Northwest, but most members are from the Gorge,
Portland, and the Oregon Coast.
What is the mission of your forum? To keep the stoke of kiteboarding alive in the hours when we can’t
get to the water, and to keep locals informed of events and industry news.
Who is your audience? Kiteboarders and fans of kiteboarding.
What differentiates you from other forums? We have an awesome group of users that actually do kite at
least five days a week, and incredible photographers that contribute tons of eye-candy. Most importantly, I
think we keep flaming and gear wars taboo and shuffle those topics to other forums.
What are your personal favorite kiteboarding websites? KiteForum.com is a useful site in small
doses, but since we have nwkite.com now, I much prefer to fill my daily addiction there. Of course
IWindsurf.com is always awesome for wind info.
Photos courtesy of Ed Dubois
NYC Kitesurfers
Name of Forum: NYC Kitesurfers Website: http://groups.yahoo.com/group/NYCKitesurfers
Founder/moderator: Dmitry Avramenko
Background: Computer programmer working for small startup in NYC who
windsurfed for eight years before switching to kiteboarding in 2003.
Took first lessons in Cabarete, was hooked and never looked back.
Why did you start your forum? I met Toby from Kiteforum in Cabarete and thought that local riders in
NY had no means to communicate with each other. We needed a local forum where we could discuss
local beach access issues and get united so I created the forum in 2003. We are pretty new and have
336 members so far, mostly from the New York and New Jersey areas.
What is the main goal or mission of your forum? Build a strong local community, share experiences,
discuss gear, help with local kite spots discovery.
Who is your audience? Users are local kiteboarders as well as visitors to our area from overseas and
other states.
What differentiates you from other forums? I think we have one of the friendliest, supportive and
informative groups out there. Members are very active in posting trip reports, networking for riding, and
just sharing info in general.
What are your personal favorite kiteboarding websites? www.kiteforum.com
SnowKiting.com
Forum: snowkiting.com Website: snowkiting.com
Founder/moderator: Eric Byers
Background: Eric just finished up an internship with Windzup in December
and is back at the University of North Dakota finishing up his degree in
Aviation Management. He was very involved in the recent To Cross the
Moon Expedition (see 411/Smack).
Why did you start your forum? Snowkiting completely reversed my nasty opinion of snowy, freezing,
windy winters in the Upper Midwest. What some people might call hell frozen over, I call the perfect season.
I believe snowkiting can mature best if treated as an independent sport. Snowkiting.com gives new,
snow-centric ideas a place to grow without being overshadowed by water-centric chatter.
What is the mission of your forum? The forum provides a non-commercial place for snowkiters and those
interested in this side of the sport to get the latest news and videos, as well as share info and ideas.
Who is your audience? Mostly North America but we do draw international users. Any and all interested
in the snowkiting.
What differentiates you from other forums? Snowkiting.com is devoted exclusively to the snow side of the
sport and is driven by a passion and vision for snowkiting.
What are your personal favorite kiteboarding websites? Utube.com
Skypilot Kiteboarding
Name of Forum: Skypilotkiteboarding.com Website: Skypilotkiteboarding.com
Founders: Alex Noke-Smith (R) and Dan Charlesworth (L)
Background: Alex is a firefighter with the City of Vancouver and has been
kiting for five years. Dan is a commercial pilot who has windsurfed for
16 years and kiteboarded for four.
Why did you start your forum? Skypilot Kiteboarding was created to provide a strong voice for the local
Vancouver and Squamish kiteboarding communities. It has grown to over 1000 members and we’re now
hearing from people around the globe of all ages, who are into kitesurfing, dirt kiting, snowkiting and buggying.
What is the mission of your forum? Our ultimate goal is to support and merge a strong Canadian kiting
scene into a global network, allowing our voices to meet the masses.
Who is your audience? As of this year, there are four distinct Skypilot sites run by riders in Western
Canada, Ontario, Quebec and Eastern Canada.
What differentiates you from other forums? Skypilot is a very welcoming community-based resource for
all levels of rider. Users contribute weather forecasts, condition reports, day planning, gear reviews, safety
tips, trip feedback, and equipment maintenance/mods. We even have our own photographer, Ed Dubois
– check out his photo gallery! Skypilot is also very active in driving new projects forward like additional
beachfront webcams, regular articles, news items, and fundraisers for various causes.
What are your personal favorite kiteboarding websites? www.bigwavedave.ca. Dave runs an amazing
website that caters not only to kiters, but to windsurfers, surfers, and body boarders on Vancouver Island.