June 2009 Issue of The Kiteboarder Magazine

The Pismo Beach KiteXpo has grown to become California’s largest kite event.Kiters and local SUPers werestoked to try out a wide varietyof boards.Team rider Frank Witke sends one forthe crowd.PISMO DEMO DAZEBy Marina Chang | Photos Paul LangAny local or seasoned visitor familiar with Pismo Beach, California, anticipates the startof spring like a kid at Christmas. The days get longer, the sun shines stronger and thewind blows more often than not through fall. Visitors attending the 2009 Pismo BeachKiteXpo the weekend of March 18 got to share some late holiday cheer during the 7thannual demo event, hosted by Xtreme Big Air and The Kiteboarder Magazine. The biggestKiteXpo to date with 23 vendors exhibiting, Pismo delivered as kiteboarders convergedon the windy seaside town to see and try all new 2009 gear from participating brands.Big Boards, Bonfires and WhitecapsWhat do kiteboarders do when there’s no wind? Many have taken to stand up paddle boarding(SUP) which was added to this year’s demo. A huge hit, C4/Boardworks, Global Surf Industries,Naish, RRD and newcomer Solo Paddle Surf provided plenty of boards to try out in the lagoonand waves.Attendees and organizers enjoyed a killer BBQ, raffle and bonfire Saturday night.The first day ended with no wind due to a stalled high pressuresystem but with a solid forecast for Sunday, participantsspent the day soaking up the sun, demoing SUP boards andfinding out what was new in safety, construction and designfor 2009. Reps and pros were on hand from Advance, Best,Cabrinha, Eclipse, F-One, Flexifoil, Freak Dog, Liquid Force,Naish, Ocean Rodeo, Ozone, RRD, Slingshot, Underground,and Wainman Hawaii with their full product lines and peoplewere busy trying on and testing out the harnesses, surf shirtsand other accessories from DaKine, Mystic, Victory Tropiskinand Surfshades USA. Seasoned riders were pleasantlysurprised with the appearance of Martin Vari, three-time worldkiteboarding champion, who came with partner Jeff Tobias tolaunch his new company Vari Kites at the eXpo.Evan from Mystic talking shop.Sunday brought 20 to 30 knots winds on the outer buoys starting at 6 am. All knew the wind wascoming, it was just a matter of when and how strong it would be. With over $5,000 worth of prizesto give out, the wind hit the beach right as the raffle was ending. Swag starting flying as riders hadone eye on the water and the other on if they held the winning tickets for the grand raffle prizes.For a good solid hour, kites filled the sky in 15 to 25 knot conditions before high pressure andunseasonable high temps moved back in and shut things down. Some headed downwind where thewind was still good to get a final session in before heading home. Others stuck around and wererewarded 45 minutes later when the wind came back on for a few more hours of demoing.As riders, vendors and organizers started packing up for the day, smiles abounded everywhere.Next year’s event has been tentatively extended to three days from March 12 through the 14. Seethe Jan 2010 issue of The Kiteboarder for details.For more photos and event video, see www.thekiteboarder.comor www.xtremebigair.com/kitexpoKurt Miller intent on notburning the chicken.Jeff Tobias (Vari) and Dimitri (Eclipse) enjoyingthe conditions at Pismo.Somebody really wanted the Victory dry shirt!Thanks to the Isla Vista Kitesurfing Club of UC SantaBarbara for the great BBQ and local kiteboarder andfarmer Peter Dohi for donating the wood for the bonfire.Proceeds from the BBQ benefited the collegiate club witha new kite for the season. Also thanks to Red Bull andMountain Dew for the hydration.A special thanks to the following companiesfor donating the grand raffle prizesand complimentary swag:Best Kiteboarding, 2009 11m Waroo; Wainman HIcourtesy of Kite Naked, 2009 6.5 Gypsy; Ocean Rodeo,2009 140cm Mako; Solo Paddle Surf, carbon paddle; C4,carbon paddle; Gath helmet and SUP paddle courtesyof Murray’s; Hyperflex Wetsuits, AMP 4/3 fullsuits (two);h20 Audio, Waterproof iPod/mp3 cases and headphones;Victory Tropiskin Koredry dryshirts and lycras; DaKine,SX board bag; Cabrinha, trolley bag; F-one, board bagand dry shirt; Kite Launcher, line managers; Donkey DickKiteboarding, watches; and Headhunters, sunscreen.20 thekiteboarder.comthekiteboarder.com 21