TIPS FOR VIEWING - The Kiteboarder Magazine

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shop talk Calikites offers group tours to places like San Felipe, Baja California. Photo Ozvisuals Smack calikites owners: Shane Banner and Brian Schwarz Ages: 29, 30 Location: San Diego Contact: www.calikites.com, 619.223.5483 Riding for how long: 10 years Favorite Conditions: Warm water, 12 or smaller, and friends are a must. When did you first get exposed to kiteboarding and when/where did you learn/start? Shane: Brian and I went to college at the University of Colorado, Boulder. We were looking for things to do when we weren’t skiing; I mean studying. A bunch of us started flying a foil kite. We flew that for a few months and then we incorporated it into snowkiting on Lake Dillon Reservoir. When summer came we did some road trips to Lake McConaughy and figured out how to get going in the water. After that we were hooked. What motivated you to get into the kiteboarding retail business and lessons? Brian: I had moved out to San Diego with my girlfriend and joined a finance firm. On every lunch break I was running to Fiesta Island and changing out of my suit and putting on a wetsuit. The local guys said I wouldn’t last long and they were right. I found a shop in Coronado and knew I needed a partner so I called Shane who was living in Denver. Two weeks later we opened the shop. What is the kiteboarding scene like in your area? What makes it special in your view? San Diego is a really interesting place to ride. This is one of the friendliest areas I have ever been in. As most people know, the wind is light here, so when we do get the occasional good day, everyone drops everything and runs to the beach. No riders here take it for granted, so I think that’s what keeps it so friendly. Why did you recently move your shop location? We had sort of lost track of why we started the shop. We wanted to be out there riding with everyone, but over the years our school got busier, and we spent more time at the shop and less time on the beach. Our local riders kept telling us that we would be doing more business and having more fun if we were at the beach. So we changed our business plan and will be out a lot more. Do you require your instructors to have certification? Why and what kind, or why not? Everyone who has ever taught at Calikites has been PASA certified. I believe that being certified by either PASA or IKO is very important. When I got certified six years ago I went in with an open mind. After the course was over I had learned so much that it completely changed the way I taught. PASA is really good at their job and I think that is one of the main reasons our school continues to be successful. It is important to have a network behind you so if anything ever did go wrong with our shop, school, local beach regulation, etc., they would be the first people I would call. How does your shop support the kiteboarding community? Are you involved in helping the local community in general? We organize lots of trips. Since the wind is light we find it necessary to travel for better wind. There are so many good places to go that are so close to San Diego. We are usually going somewhere to chase the wind every month. We have planned trips ranging from weekend outings to a trip that had a 50 passenger bus and an entire takeover of a hotel. We are constantly traveling to come up with new hotspots to take people. Where do you draw riders from? What tips can you offer experienced kiters who want to come kite your area? San Diego is a great place to get started on a kite trip, so we draw riders from all over the world. You can take new guys out and get them started in the lighter wind and get all of the kinks out. If you have a few people that want to go to Baja, give us a call and we’ll build you an itinerary based on the wind forecast for Baja. We are the last kite stop before the border, so if you need help or have forgotten something give us a call and we’ll hook you up. What is the best way for people to check the forecast and current conditions in your area? There is no great forecast for San Diego, but www.ikitesurf.com is the best way to check on current conditions. The more north the wind is showing the better it is going to be. For Baja, check out www.buoyweather.com, but nothing is as good as local knowledge. What is your biggest challenge as a kiteboarding retailer? Finding time to ride, but we are working on that. There’s never a dull moment with the CaliKites crew. Photo Paul Lang Photo Shal jacobovitz F-One is growing its network of US riders and welcomes Gary Rhodes, Evan Fairchild (pictured) and Freddy Zamora to its team. Rhodes is well known in Hatteras and has worked for many years at Kitty Hawk Kites. Evan Fairchild from Santa Cruz, California, is a young and promising freestyler who has turned heads at 3rd Avenue and is just starting to get noticed on the collegiate kiteboarding scene, and Freddy Zamora from Puerto Rico, one of the best riders on the island, is eager to show his talent during upcoming contests. www. f-onekites.us/team video reviews By James Brown Trainer Kite: Boot Camp Flying a trainer kite is a step in learning to kiteboard that is unfortunately, is often skimmed over. The stress-free time spent learning about wind direction, the wind window and building muscle memory makes the advanced steps much easier. Leading Edge Productions now offers a popular 2-meter two-line kite and includes a companion DVD. The video shows how to set up the kite prior to launch, describes the wind window and talks about kite control to get you started. Running Time: 6+ minutes For more information go to: www.leadingedgeproductions.ca Shades of Green They say nothing in life is free. But in this case, Ben Wilson and his sponsors have generously made this full-length documentary-style film available online for FREE! As featured in this magazine beginning on page 30, check out some of the best kitesurfers in the world charging epic Indonesian waves. They make it look fun and easy—until things go wrong. I suppose the high risk of riding huge barreling waves is what makes it so thrilling. Featuring Ben Wilson, Reo Stevens, Bear Karry, Ian Alldredge and surf photographer Jason Wolcott. What brands do you represent and why? Every year we get a bunch of kites from the manufacturers and Any words of we go down to the beach and test them all with a wisdom you want few of the local riders and get feedback. Then we to share with our choose which kites from which brands we want readers? Brian: It’s to stock. We have gotten really good at carrying a better to be outside Running Time: 37+ minutes wide range of kites to cover almost every rider. If looking in than To view the video go to: www.benwilsonsurf. someone wants a kite from a brand that we are not inside looking out. com/benwilsonvision.htm currently stocking, we are still able to keep that Shane: Demand customer happy. the can. You can also buy kiteboarding DVDs at www.thekiteboarder.com 22 thekiteboarder.com thekiteboarder.com 23
letters What Our Readers Have To Say Dimitri Maramenides navigates a few rocks in Aruba with a style that is all Dimitri. Photo Helen Trotman Keep it Clean After spending a week in the Bahamas with my girlfriend for a little R&R and some kiting, I felt it necessary to send an official thank-you letter to the crew at The Kiteboarder. You see, this time, it wasn’t inspiration or endless hours of reading and visual entertainment you provided me. I’m thanking you for dressing me in free swag that was suitable enough to allow me into the finest establishments on the island. Upon arrival, it was brought to my attention that the fanciest of my shirts was my new t-shirt from The Kiteboarder. I wore it to all of our fancy dinners, making sure to keep it clean. I was pretty sure I went unnoticed, until one night as we finished up dinner, our Bahamian waitress looked at me and said, “Wow, with the wind we’ve been having, you must be horny all the time.” Thank you to the Crew at The Kiteboarder for always dressing me in style! Mike letter of the month Mike, we find ourselves in the same situation as you all the time. Here’s a big tip: Bring a light jacket or button-up shirt to cover up the back of the shirt if you happen to be visiting an upscale-type place. Our official “The Kiteboarder Magazine Whitecaps Make Me Horny” shirts have been very popular. Get your own in our store at www.thekiteboarder.com –Ed. Got somthing on your mind? Submit your letter and you could win a killer t-shirt from Windcult Kiteboarding! E-mail ryan@thekiteboarder.com Even in the Desert Keep up the good work! Hope business is great! I would love to sign back up with the magazine. Even out here in the desert we have to get our fix. Thanks, and I hope you don’t mind amateurs sending in photos. Christian Canese, Lake Pleasant, Arizona Christian, we never mind getting photos from amateurs; in fact we encourage everyone to send us photos! Few things get us more excited than seeing photos of everyday riders pushing themselves and having fun! –Ed. Check’s in the Mail After thinking that you guys overlooked my subscription renewal, I just looked up the check and realized it was made out to a different magazine. I guess my wife renewed the wrong magazine. I like yours the best and didn’t plan on renewing those other guys. We’ll get a check in the mail to you pronto. Sorry about the confusion. Tim Tim, Thanks for the comment and no problem on the confusion. We appreciate your continued business. Next year, don’t send your money to those other guys and get yourself a Classy The Kiteboarder T-Shirt! –Ed. 24 thekiteboarder.com
Page 1 and 2: Rider: Kinsley ThomasWong | Locatio
Page 3 and 4: Rider: Jan Schiegnitz | Location: O
Page 5 and 6: IQUID FORCE BILDERBACK = PHOTO LIQU
Page 8 and 9: 40 thekiteboarder.com It was hard t
Page 10 and 11: Executive Editor RYAN RICCITELLI ry
Page 12 and 13: Sjoukje Bredenkamp 2010 Cult + Sol
Page 14 and 15: INSIDE JOB Photos Courtesy Best Kit
Page 18 and 19: West coast competitors are looking
Page 20 and 21: It was hard to convince Ian Alldred
Page 22 and 23: Reo Stevens finds enough room to wa
Page 24 and 25: Close-up sandy parker Age: 33 Heigh
Page 26 and 27: Some parts of the Camas Valley rema
Page 28 and 29: California: El Niño events are inf
Page 30 and 31: ARUBA BAJA MAUI JERICOACOARA PUNTA
Page 32 and 33: Off the Map On a windy and unusuall
Page 34 and 35: Gnarly Bombs While Mavericks was go
Page 36 and 37: product watch 9 New Products to che
Page 38: analyze this liquidforce havoc TEST
Page 41 and 42: f-one designer’s corner F-One twe
Page 43 and 44: slingshot designer’s corner Desig
Page 45 and 46: Body dragging a rider back to safet
Page 47 and 48: work bench To Fix or Not to Fix? Th
Page 49 and 50: Yard sale When three sports collide

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