40 thekiteboarder.com It was hard to convince Ian Alldredge to come back to Indonesia after being skunked last year, but the incredible conditions on this trip made his return more than worthwhile. 30 thekiteboarder.com Ben Wilson doesn’t usually ride Zach with Kleppe straps, entertains but with the the crowd Fastrack with system, a particularly he can good quickly wipeout. install straps to just the spot he wants in seconds. Photo Jason Wolcott Skyline, Utah offers 100 miles of terrain for every level of rider. Photo Gustav Schmiege Densely populated areas seem to be experiencing the majority of multi-use challenges. Photo Katina Arnott With the Fastrack system, you can fine tune your strap positions to suit your style or the conditions. Photo Jason Wolcott On the Darko, the first Slingshot twin-tip to be equipped with Fastrack, you will be able dial in the exact stance you want anywhere between 20-26”. Photo Courtesy Slingshot thekiteboarder.com 41 By Reo Stevens | Photos by Jason Wolcott thekiteboarder.com 31 Proving that powered-up unhooked riding isn’t just for the young guns, Australian ripper Richard Milne pushes himself harder than most – and is more than 40 years old. Photo Jennifer Milne Features launch In the traditional system, a pack of threaded inserts set in foam or plastic are installed into the core of the board and then glassed over. This system has worked well over the years, but the big disadvantage is that you are at the mercy of the manufacturer for your choices of strap or binding placement. Slingshot Kiteboarding has recently come up with a new system of attaching straps to boards to solve this problem. Known as Fastrack, this new system looks similar to a mast track on a windsurf board, and allows the rider to dial in their stance to their exact preference. According to Tony Logosz at Slingshot, “Burton put a similar system in snowboards which was accepted and liked. When we started prototyping the idea, we didn’t come across any negatives, only positives, so we pursued further development. We’ve been testing the system for over a year now.” According to Slingshot, the new Fastrack system offers many benefits over the traditional system and is currently available on Slingshot’s line of Aviso surfboards. Slingshot will also integrate Fastrack into some 2010 boards including the new Darko twin tip, with both options available (Fastrack and non-Fastrack boards) on select 2011 models. According to Logosz, Fastrack allows riders to adjust their stance anywhere within a 20”-26” range, instead of in 1” increments like the current systems .He claims that boards utilizing Fastrack are lighter and stronger due to the lack of insert packs and an improved load distribution. Not only can your strap placement be much more adjustable with the Fastrack, but you can change your straps or remove them in less than five seconds. “Instead of industry set systems, especially on surfboards, now riders can set straps exactly to their sweet spot and personal preference and change quickly to adjust for different conditions or other riders,” said Logosz. “Now you can make your twin tip more directional-like by bringing your back foot back, allowing you to throw big spray like a directional.” fastrack: By Marina Chang 12 Fastrack: <strong>The</strong> Next One Pump? Slingshot’s the next innovative one pump? new footpad and strap system. By Paul Lang Over the past 10 years, most of the equipment we use as kiteboarders has gone through major design changes, each time becoming more refined and easier to use. I say almost all because some of our equipment is the same now as it was at the beginning of the sport. For instance, despite all of the technical gains that have been made in R&D, the system of attaching foot straps and bindings to boards with threaded inserts has remained completely the same. 12 thekiteboarder.com Shades of “ Burton put a similar system in snowboards which was accepted and liked. When we started prototyping the idea, we didn’t come across any negatives, only positives, <strong>The</strong> Making of so a we pursued Kitesurf further Movie development. We’ve been testing the system for over a year now. Green “ <strong>The</strong>re was a day when we were all content to pump up each segment of our kite individually, and now virtually every kite sold has some form of another Slingshot innovation, the One-Pump system. <strong>The</strong>re may be a day that we look back and can’t recall why we let ourselves be limited by the standard insert placements on our boards, but the Fastrack system has a long road ahead if it’s going to become the new industry standard. We always like to see new innovations, but most riders have never felt limited by traditional systems, so it may be awhile before the average rider demands a system like this. <strong>The</strong> most promising use for the Fastrack is going to be on surfboards, where you will be easily able to move the straps to suit the conditions. <strong>The</strong> Fastack system is an interesting concept, and whether or not it becomes widely used, it’s exciting to see development happening in area that has remain unchanged in the history of kiteboarding. Slingshot will unveil the Darko twin tip with Fastrack at the 2010 La Ventana Classic and KiteXpo January 17-24. Check out the new clinics and day trips offered at this event along with the latest updates at www.palapasventana.com/lvclassic.aspx thekiteboarder.com 13 SNoW PlaCe lIke HoMe Domestic Winter Travel Every winter, the temperature goes down and most of us don’t spend enough time on the water to stay sane. To get our water fix, we spend lots of money traveling to exotic locations where winter doesn’t seem to exist. Doing that keeps us happy, but it also costs a lot of money. This year, why not do things a little differently? Here in the US, we have easy access to some of the best snowkiting available on the planet. Why head halfway across the globe, when we have such a great resource right in our own backyard? If you have never given snowkiting a try, make it a point to do it this year. You probably already own all the gear you need (your regular kite gear, plus a snowboard or pair of skis) and if you already know how to kite, then getting started on the snow will be easy. Our suggestion to save a little money this winter is to keep things local and expand your horizons by taking a snowkiting vacation. After all, there’s snow place like home. For more information on the US Snowkite scene, check out www.driftsnowkitemag.com 30 Shade of Green. <strong>The</strong> making of a kitesurfing movie. 40 <strong>The</strong>re’s Snow Place Like Home. Domestic winter travel destinations. El Niño: By Benjamin Miller, Ikitesurf.com Meteorologist Blessing or Curse for Winter Kiting? El Niño has been the scapegoat of weather phenomena for years. In fact, the Peruvian fishermen who are credited with discovering El Niño in the early 1500’s viewed it as a curse. And not without reason, for the arrival of El Niño marks the beginning of an extended period of poor fishing for these generally productive waters. More recently, climatologists and meteorologists have recognized that El Niño brings many abnormal and adverse weather conditions to North American winters as well. Most well known are the destructive floods across California and the unusually warm temperatures across the Northern Rockies and Plains. But El Niño has been linked to many more subtle effects too. Just how will it impact your winter kiting plans? Skyline, Utah, has become a world-renowned destination for snowkiting, hosting riders from across the country and the globe throughout the winter season. Skyline is home to the US Open Snowkite Masters, and attracts riders of all abilities to enjoy its varied terrain. <strong>The</strong> small-town atmosphere allows for a relaxing vacation while having fun on the mountain all day. Rated as “<strong>The</strong> New Snowkite Town” by National Geographic and as an ideal place to learn alpine kiting techniques by Men’s Journal, Skyline offers something for every winter kiter. Best Time to Visit: January- March for the deepest snow and powder conditions, with an extended season from December- April. Skyline is consistently windy November-April. Typical Winter Conditions: Skyline’s playground is naturally set up to work with any wind direction, and with a few feet of snow, most of the mountain he different is open variables to ride by December. that need to Wind come rolls together in kitesurfing to produce over the ridge a truly at memorable least five days day a week, of barrels typically make from even the the most consistently windy southwest. waves Storms difficult can bring to northerly score. <strong>The</strong>re winds are along so with many combinations to get right: potential swell size, whiteouts. direction, During tide, high wind pressure, strength, easterly and winds wind direction. To create that provide memorable light wind situation sessions is on nearly the lee impossible; side of the hills. much like a painter mixing various Skyline portions is located of different at an elevation colors to of form 10,000 a combination feet on the that gives them just the hue exposed and shade Wasatch they plateau, were looking which lines for. it up perfectly for catching valley thermals and upper-level winds almost daily. While it offers consistent wind conditions, it is also set up to grab incoming storms, which can turn a beautiful day into a whiteout. Be prepared for backcountry mountain conditions and drink plenty of fluids to combat the high altitude. Skyline’s snowplow drivers are known as the best in the state, and they diligently work to keep the pass open, but it’s always a good idea to check the forecast and be prepared for the day. How to Get <strong>The</strong>re: Fly into Utah’s Salt Lake City International Airport (SLC) and rent a car. Travel south to the outlying town of Fairview, a quiet outpost at the bottom of Highway 31. <strong>The</strong> riding area is 14 miles up the canyon and will be obvious as you crest the summit ridge of Skyline. <strong>The</strong> parking lot at Milepost 14 on Highway 31 is the spot to be. Where to Stay: Mount Pleasant offers all amenities including a full service grocery store, the county’s only bar, and Utah’s largest kite shop along with the largest hotel in the region. Fairview boasts the closest food and lodging at the base of the canyon to Skyline. Check out Horseshoe Mountain Resort in Mount Pleasant (435-462-9330) or Skyline Motel in Fairview (435-427-3312) and stop by the Home Plate Restaurant for the best food around. What to Do if No Wind: Kite Utah offers snowshoe rentals to check out the beautiful scenery or you can rent a snowmobile at Big Pine Sports in Fairview for the day and make your own adventures. Skyline is a huge destination for snowmobiling. You can also bring your own backcountry skis and tour across Skyline’s 100-mile ridge. Contact for More Info: Kite Utah (www.kiteutah.com) is the local shop and school. Kite Utah is the only authorized school in the region and holds a permit from the US Forest Service to teach at Skyline. Kite Utah will be offering camps throughout the winter of 2009/2010 hosted by Chip Wasson, Guillaume Chastagnol, and Heather Schenck, along with private instruction (dates listed at www.FlyOzoneUSA.com). Kite Utah is located on the backside of the Triangle Bar, another kiteboarder-owned establishment. Departments 30 Close Up Liquid Force’s Josh Mulcoy and RRD’s Sandy Parker profiled. 44 Analyze This <strong>The</strong> TKB team puts five new products to the test. 70 Designer’s Corner Designers talk about their new and next gen products for 2010. 78 Instruction How to help a kiter in need and score good karma points. 84 Workbench What to fix yourself and what to leave to the pros. day range. However, one other factor is that the North Pacific What adds considerable uncertainty to any extended forecast is that High is generally farther south during El Niño winters somewhat not all El Niño’s are created equal. However, preliminary data from Wind is driven and effected by countless mechanisms both large and small scale and El 6 thekiteboarder.com WHAT IS EL NIÑO? negatively affecting the El Norte wind. As northwest winds come the Tropical Atmosphere Ocean (TAO) buoy network and the majority Niño is just one such mechanism. To say that El Niño will specifically cause or prevent a thekiteboarder.com 7 off the North Pacific High, they tend to drive the north-northeast Put simply, El Niño is a disruption in typical ocean and atmosphere interactions. Ordinarily, easterly trade winds keep the warmer surface water piled up across Indonesia and north Australia, while cooler water upwells along the South American coast. However, this buildup of water can only last so long before the warmer surface water beings to propagate eastward. This ets off a series of shallow ocean waves called Kelvin waves, which help to transport the warmer water toward Peru and Ecuador. Once the warmer water arrives along South America it begins to spread northward and southward and impacts to North American weather patterns become more prominent. <strong>The</strong> biggest impacts are generally in the winter and spring months. Hawaii: During El Niño winters, the North Pacific High dips farther southward than in ordinary winters resulting in a weakening of the northeast trade winds that prevail across the Hawaiian Islands. Because of the sagging North Pacific High, the jet stream is able to dip farther southward as well. This tends to allow storms to get closer to the islands. <strong>The</strong>se storm systems don’t bring much rainfall (moisture gets shoved eastward and drought is a common problem in Hawaii during El Niño winters), but they do bring bigger than normal waves to the North Shore and stronger stints of northeast to northwest winds. of El Niño climate models indicate we’re in for a moderate El Niño for the 2009/2010 season. So, in general, the effects this season should be a bit muted compared to a strong El Niño year. El Niño will likely impact Hawaii with weaker than normal northeast trade winds, but stronger stints of winds from passing storm systems. El Niño brings cooler air temperatures and less thermal-driven wind. Skyline, Utah By Heather Schenk 46 <strong>The</strong> El Nino Phenomenon. Blessing or curse for winter kiting? California: El Niño events are infamous for bringing greatly increased amounts of precipitation resulting in disastrous flooding, especially in the January to March timeframe. However, impacts to the winds are less obvious. In El Niño years, the jet stream tends to split with the storm track dipping more southward than in typical winters. This split weakens the strength of storms, resulting in plenty of precipitation, but less storm-driven wind. After analyzing data from the last several years across the iKitesurf.com weather network, an interesting pattern emerges regarding El Niño winters. San Francisco winds tend to be generally weaker across the central coast, Bay, and Delta, due to cooler, cloudy, and rainier weather. However, springtime winds, especially across the Bay, begin to ramp up faster than normal. For instance, over the last three El Niño events THEKITEBOARDER.COM at 3rd Ave. Channel (see Graph), the month of April has had 21 to 28 days in which the peak afternoon wind average was over 20 knots. Meanwhile, in non-El Niño years, the number of times in which the winds reached over 20 knots was only in the teens. <strong>The</strong> impact of El Niño to southern California also tends to weaken winter winds. This is because of slightly cooler than normal weather and increased cloud cover that accompany additional rainy days. As a result, there are less thermal wind days. El Niño is likely to bring a wet winter with more clouds and cooler days, resulting in less of a chance for solid winds. However, El Niño of winters generally lend themselves to a faster strengthening of springtime winds (April/May) across <strong>The</strong> the Making San Francisco of a Bay (especially the Central kiTesurf Bay and Peninsula sites). Additionally, Movie during El Niño winters the Sierra Nevada typically receive abnormally heavy snows, making for great snowkiting conditions. Texas: El Niño brings abnormal amounts of rainfall to the Gulf Coast, especially to south Texas. In fact, over the last century, rainfall during El Niño events has been nearly double that of non-El Niño winters. <strong>The</strong> increased rainfall means more clouds and generally cooler weather. Since Texas beaches are largely dependant on thermallydriven sea breezes for winds, it is easy to see how El Niño tends to impact the region with lower winds. This impact is particularly notable in the early spring months (late February to April). For example, over the last 10 years, South Padre Island has seen 20- 25 days where winds peak at over 20 knots in the month of April in non-El Niño years. However, in El Niño years, April has usually only seen 14-16 days where winds reached above 20 knots. El Niño brings abnormally wet winters to the Gulf Coast. This is particularly noticeable in south Texas. With cloudier and cooler days, solid days of wind will be fewer and farther between. This is especially true in the early spring when the more solid sea Brian Schwarz from Calikites in San Diego Bay. Photo: Andrew Schwarz breezes are generally slower to return compared with non-El Niño years. Snow Place like Home Florida: Impacts from El Niño on the Sunshine State are similar to the rest of the Gulf el nino: Coast region. Florida sees more precipitation during El Niño versus a non-El Niño winter. Blessing or curse? However, climate data reveals an interesting trend. Temperatures actually tend to remain above normal through mid-January. So, although El Niño brings additional rainfall and off to tHe generally reScue: more clouds, winds tend to remain comparable to non-El Niño winters, at least Baja: iKitesurf.com meteorologist Mike Godsey has spent through mid-January. <strong>The</strong>n, temperatures tend to cool and thermally-driven sea breezes Helping Kiters weaken in a bit. need several winters in Baja and reports that the more southerly storm Springtime winds (mainly March and April) during El Niño years have been track of El Niño winters results in two significant impacts. First, historically a bit weaker across Florida. <strong>The</strong> lower wind impacts are greater for the Gulf Baja experiences cooler air temperatures and more cloudy days, new Coast ProductS beaches than the Atlantic Coast. meaning fewer moderate, or even mild, thermally-driven wind days. Second, the more active winter weather pattern, coupled 21 for 2010 El Niño brings increased precipitation, but tends to impact the winds mainly in the with the more southerly position of the Four Corners high, results spring. Effects seem to be fairly small for the Atlantic Coast, but greater for the Gulf in a greater frequency of El Norte wind days, which typically Coast. If you’re planning to go kiting during spring break, I’d say stick to the central or lasts three to eight days. With the more active El Niño-driven south Florida coast. storm track, these events will likely be more in the three to five CONCLUSION: El Niño is an irregular event that varies in intensity with each occurrence. El Norte winds farther from shore. In general, look for kiting conditions to be more challenging as stronger winds tend to remain away from the beaches. Baja’s famed El Norte wind is often more frequent during El Nino but other factors during this weather pattern can make these winds more gusty and unsettled near shore. Shades Green windy day is beyond any forecaster’s skill. Your best bet for maximizing your water time is to monitor the forecasts, wind trends, and real-time data for your favorite areas. iKitesurf.com is a powerful FREE weather service which includes access to over 45,000 weather stations and accurate model forecasts for riding spots worldwide. A premium service is available which includes precision weather stations and Meteorologist forecasts. Visit www.ikitesurf.com/thekiteboarder to receive your discount on a premium ikitesurf.com membership! While shooting footage for the Shades of Green Movie, Ian Alldredge, Reo Stevens, Ben Wilson, and Bear Karry scored some of the best waves of their lives. Here Ian goes further into the green room than most kiters will ever experience. Read the story behind this amazing trip beginning on page 30. Photo Jason Wolcott
THINK PASSING THE TORCH A little over five years ago I started this magazine with nothing more than sand in my pockets. Here we are kicking the door open to 2010 and we are slowly and steadily growing every issue. I remember many people saying we would not last more than two magazines. Our publisher Marina Chang was my first hire and by issue number two she was my partner. Both of us have taken our lumps over the years and sacrificed corporate salaries and benefits all for the love of kiteboarding. Many people think we are owned by some big fancy company, but the reality is we have remained an independent privately-funded magazine. Photo Dallas McMahon Over the years we have hired many great people who ultimately went and worked for our competition. Brian Wheeler, who is the Managing Editor for Kiteboarding <strong>Magazine</strong>, got his start as an intern for us many years back. Gabe Brown worked for us before his stint as the editor of Kiteboarding <strong>Magazine</strong>. Some of the photographers whose photos you see inked in dozens of magazines around the world got their start submitting photos to us early in their careers. Many of the top pros in the world have had their first photo printed in TKB. I am not writing this to sound pretentious. It makes me proud to know that TKB is one of the few magazines that focuses not only on the pros, but on everyday riders. 8/19/09 7:52:32 AM I too remember my roots. I got my start from Tom James when he hired me almost a decade ago at Kiteboarding <strong>Magazine</strong>. I made 18 magazines with them until I decided to do my own thing and make the magazine I always wanted to make. With that said, it is an honor to introduce to you the new editor of <strong>The</strong> <strong>Kiteboarder</strong> <strong>Magazine</strong>. I am not going anywhere, but it is time to turn the reins over to Paul Lang. I met Paul four years ago when he sent me a photo for the Send It photo section. I did not know him from Adam, but our passion for kiteboarding made our worlds collide, and we hired him on shortly after as our Assistant Editor. Four years later, Paul has proven beyond a reasonable doubt that he deserves the editor’s crown. As I said, I am not going anywhere. I guess after 10 years of making kiteboarding mags, maybe I deserve my new title as Executive Editor/Janitor/Beach Bum. It brings me great pleasure to introduce Paul Lang as our new editor. ENJOY! 8 thekiteboarder.com thekiteboarder.com 9
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