The Final Frontier . . High Wind Kiting - Kitesurfarea.com

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DEPARTMENT
TURKIEWICZ
. . . The Final Frontier . . High Wind Kiting . . .
My van was getting blown side-to-side
as I headed east down to the Gorge. The
Columbia River was frothing, with 30 mph
west winds ripping down the corridor and
white caps turning to dust as the wind
continued to build with the dry eastern
Oregon heat. Shock waves of 40-45 mph
gusts were cruising through, making it
scary to stand on shore.
I had never seen Joe Turkiewicz kite, but
I had heard the stories and was intrigued to
see him and his passion for high wind
kiting. We finally got our schedules to
match, and the Gorge was firing, with wind
reports in the red. I called Joe to make sure
we were on, and within minutes, he
rounded the corner of the Secret Spot,
where the Gorge corridor straightens out.
On big days, the wind fires through like a
wind tunnel on full throttle. He didn’t seem
the least bit worried – and why should he?
This was the type of wind he searches for
“with full-on floodgates open - current for
truck-size roller central - and all my friends
tearing it up.” On days when most
kiteboarders run back to their poleboarding
roots, Turkiewicz is checking the
river to see if that new 4 meter kite is going
to get its first test run in nuclear conditions.
Its unnerving to think that in two years,
Turkiewicz has graduated from his first 12
meter kite and directional board to a high -
wind, strapless style that attracts attention
from the moment you look out on the river.
He still rides an ancient Wipika, but the
style is all new school. High wind kiting as
he puts it, may be the last frontier to be
conquered. His story is part inventor, part
innovator and part passion.
Joe’s Story (uncut)
At the company where I worked
everyone kited or was learning to kite. We
had new demo kites that everyone was
fighting over. It seemed that as the new
guy, I never could get on the right kite for
the day. I immediately got sick of always
flying different kites that were never tuned
right. I ended up buying a beater, an 8.4
meter Airblast and a bar, so I had a
consistent setup day-to-day. I quickly
learned I could take that thing into pretty
high winds and loved the way it flew, so I
filled out the quiver with the 6.3 and 4.9
and am currently riding the smallest kite
from two summers ago.
Mad Scientist
There were so many different boards on
the beach and in the shops; I liked the
shape of one board or the rail on another,
but I saw a lot of breakage going on too. I
am really into composites, so I started
reading all I could find about lay-ups in
aircraft, racing hulls, etc. After asking
everyone that I knew that had knowledge in
that field a barrage of questions, I decided
I could make my own. The first one was
blue insulation foam/plywood sandwich
with a Kevlar top. It lasted a couple of
months, but was only about $35 to build.
During that time I was going through tons
of material statistics on resin types, weave
flex characteristics, and foam densities. I
had manufacturers sending me samples,
Finding room to carve in the swell - all strapless - is what draws
Joe to high wind kiting. Location: Gorge Lens: Jim Semlor
Joe Turkiwiecz rips a seam through the crippled swell at the ‘Secret Spot’.
Location: Gorge Lens: Jim Semlor
Story by Joe Turkiewicz
Photographs by Jim Semlor
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[
I have started looking at some smaller kites than 7’s for
surfboards. I love high wind because bigger wind makes for bigger
swell. The hindering thing I feel in the “high wind” category of kites
is that most of them are made for training or smaller people. I want
a tiny performance kite that turns stupidly fast and can take
punishment. If you want to get the same power from a small kite
in high wind that you get from an average kite in normal wind, the
compensation for the load difference needs to be taken into
consideration. The load relative to the size is substantially
different. I think that as people find higher wind more appealing,
there will be a stronger demand on manufacturers to make gear
that performs.
]
Turkiewicz fully committed at the Spit.
Location: Hood River Lens: Pierce Louis
and I got some books on
vacuum bagging. I got a bunch
of medical vacuum pumps
cheap and got after it.
I ended up with a 3-layer
sandwich, 110 cm finless board,
with small flip tips.
It was a mix of all the
elements of construction and
desired ride characteristics I
wanted. It rode so nice, and I am
working hard to copy it for this
winter. The board is super fast,
loose, and light.
Line Madness
My lines were next. I started
hacking them down, so I could
turn faster and get more cuts on
swell.
I felt the board could change
directions faster than the kite on
traditional length lines, so I
shortened the window to match
it.
I also started sewing up my
own bar systems, with bomber
hardware that was matched to
my throw and reach. I again
spent the winter in Costa Rica; it
is so windy there, and I have
never in three years in the Gorge
seen wind like it.
Last winter, I kept going out in
higher winds and cutting down
the lines to turn faster and to
carry more kite.
I came back to the Gorge that
spring flying on 10 meter lines,
but it is never windy enough to
fly on those here, so I am flying
16 to 20 meters on most days.
Evolution of a
Gorge Surfboard
I had never flown anything
bigger than a 9 meter in Costa
Rica; big kites feel very slow, so
I started riding around on my
friend’s mini-tanker surfboard in
lighter winds on my smaller
kites.
I picked up a couple swap
meet surfboards when I got
back. I started riding those
exclusively — no matter the
wind. Gary Swanson of Cascade
Performance Fiberglass offered
to shape me boards after I
stopped in to bounce a few
ideas off him on a high wind
surfboard.
We ended up with a concept
of a traditional looking
performance short board that
has a shape and fin combo
tweaked to milk longer rides off
Gorge swell, and a beefed up
construction to take abuse.
The whole process was
amazing, especially watching
my new board being shaped.
After building boards myself,
seeing him fly through a blank
and end up with a perfect shape
so quickly was astonishing.
I think it makes you a better
rider to think about how you ride,
or want to ride, and to tweak or
build your equipment to help you
get there. Understanding all the
elements and dynamics at work
is a huge part of it.
Surfing the Gorge
My most memorable moment
was this spring during a huge
swell at the “Wall,” a great little
wave spot in the Gorge.
I can remember turning in the
trough and hitting the face of a
swell while my back lines were
poking through the back of the
wave in front of mine.
This has pushed me to want
to ride some bigger waves on
higher wind days. I think that
waves of any kind are where it’s
at, no question. I have recently
seen some amazing powered
freestyle riding.
The whole sport is
progressing. The kids that I had
never heard of last year are
absolutely killing it, with some of
the best riding I have seen in
person, pictures or film.
I want to add some of that
element to slash and burn on the
swell — linking those kinds of
moves on a swell would be the
ultimate style for me.
Sponsors include Wipika Kiteboarding, Hotel
Tilawa.com, Anarchy Eyewear,
Gary Swanson and Cascade Performance
Fiberglass.
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