Kitesoul Magazine #10 English Edition

WWW.KITESOUL.COM
EVENTS
Blue Palawan International
Kiteboard Open
ITW
Liam Whaley
VKWC World Champ 2015
TRIP
Arctic Adventure
STRAPLESS MOVES
Back Roll - Keahi de Aboitiz

R I D E R : T O M H E B E R T / P H O T O : T O B Y B R O M W I C H
WHATEVER THE CONDITIONS
SEIZE THE MOMENT
T H E N E W E V O
T R U E K I T E B O A R D I N G

F R E E R I D E / F R E E S T Y L E / W A V E
R E L A T E D P R O D U C T S
J A I M E
SELECT
W A M
S I Z E S 6 / 7 / 8 / 9 / 10 / 11 / 12 / 13 / 14
P R O G R E S S I O N Q
Quality commitment in every detail.
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Editor
Roberta Pala
roberta.pala@kitesoul.com
Wave Thecnique Editor
Mitu Monteiro
Freestyle Thecnique Editor
Alberto Rondina
Thecnical Expert
Renato Casati
Photo & Video
Maurizio Cinti
Design
Giuseppe Esposito
FEBRUARY 2016 - MARCH 2016
TWO-MONTHLY
Texts
Olly Bridge, Colleen Carroll, Charlotte
Consorti, Tom Court, Craig Cunningham,
Keahi de Aboitiz, Richard Findall,
Tobias Holter, Abel Lago, Sam Light,
Sam Medysky, Paulino Pereira, Axel
Reese, Jesse Richman, Alberto Rondina,
Brandon Scheid, Reo Stevens, Karolina
Winkowska
Photos
Erik Aeder, Vincent Bergeron,
James Boulding, Toby Bromwich,
Charlotte Consorti, Quincy Dein,
dpvideoproduction, Mauro Ferro, Mark
Hampton, mediahouse.one, Fabrizio
Poggi, Axel Reese, Martin Rendo,
Alberto Rondina, Svetlana Romantsova,
Ramon Schoenmaker, Jamie Scott, Ben
Welsh, Jason Wolcott, Xtremsurfers
Cover:
Rider James Boulding
Photo Toby Bromwich/Blue Palawan
International Kiteboard Open
Publisher and advertising
VISU Media
Via Cavour, 20
24030 Ambivere (BG)
Amministratore Unico
Federico Sugoni
fs@kitesoul.com
Registration Tribunale
di Bergamo n°10/2014
del 15/04/2014.
Periodicità bimestrale
Copyright Kitesoul Magazine
All content is copyright of Kitesoul
Magazine / Visu Media Srl.
FEDERICO SUGONI
Publisher
He’s a manager and a businessman.
He fell in love with kiteboarding
almost 10 years ago in
the wild and amazing North
Shore of Oahu (Hawaii). Aside
from kiteboarding there is
only one other important
thing in his life: his baby
daughter.
He’s responsible for the 2014
launching of KiteSoul Magazine.
ROBERTA PALA
Editor
Sports photographer since
1997, kiteboarder since 2001,
she has worked for the most
exponential kite magazines
for the last 15 years.
A free and wild soul, she
has left the luxuries of town
living for a life in contact with
nature: a sea and wave lover.
Nowadays you can find her
on the shores of Capo Mannu,
Sardinia, one of the most
beautiful spots of the Mediterranean
Sea.
MAURIZIO CINTI
Film-maker
Movie buff and keen photographer.
He’s a skater, snowboarder
and wakeboarder,
but he actually burns with
passion for kiteboarding. He
started off with freestyle a
few years ago, but nowadays
he’s more into chasing big
and powerful waves. This is
what he loves the most.
GIUSEPPE ESPOSITO
Art director
Kiter since he was in the baby
pram, he is a rider for RRD
Italia and he have a Bachelor
in Comunciation Design at
Politecnico di Milano.
With this assignment, he
finally has been able to put
together his two passions:
kite and design.

KITESOUL MAGAZINE
Feel The Flow
MITU MONTEIRO
Technical Editor-Wave Riding
He comes from Sal. Official
F-one and Manera rider.
2008 KPWT World Champion
and three-time Vice World
Champion. He started to surf
and windsurf as a kid and but
he definitively fell in love with
kitesurf as soon as he discovered
it.
ALBERTO RONDINA
Technical Editor-Freestyle
He’s the best Italian rider of
the competitive kiting world.
Cabrinha, Neil Pryde and
GoPro official team rider
and four-time Italian Champion.
Alberto has won the
2001 edition of the European
Championship and third
place in the 2012 PKRA World
Championship.
RENATO “DR. KITE” CASATI
Technical Expert
RRD Wave team rider. Kiteboarder
since 2000, he has
been PKRA athlete and judge.
He’s a professional sportswriter
for several technical
magazines. He lives between
Como Lake and Sardinia, but
he spends every winter in the
waves of Cabo-Verde.
DANIELA MELONI
Professional translator
Daniela mainly lived abroad
where she graduated
in Law and worked. She
discovered her passion for
water actvities back in 2007
when she moved back to the
Sardinian west coast and met
her husband, the kitesurfer
Enrico Giordano. Professional
translator since 2009. She is
a SUP lover and an amateur
photographer and never
misses to photo or video
shoot a Kite or Sup wave
session!

EDITORIAL
Rider Colleen Carroll
PHoto Toby Bromwich/Blue Palawan International Kiteboard Open
Welcome 2016!
It’s only been a month since the beginning of the
new year and the world of kiteboarding is already
throbbing... In fact as we are about to go on-line
with our n°10 issue, the Snowkite World Contest
is taking place in Roccaraso (Italy), the Red Bull
King of the Air 2016 in Cape Town (South Africa),
as well as our comparative Big Wave Kites test
in Cape Verde, where our test team is trying the
best six 2016 Wave Kites.
All throughout 2016 we will tell you in first person
about all the major world events, and that's why
our special correspondent Mauro Ferro, together
with the Kitesoul editor, Federico Sugoni, equipped
with heavy clothing, Kite, Skis and Snowboard,
will give you some of the latest news from
the Roccaraso event pending the full article in the
next n°11 issue!
Stay tuned!
Colleen Carroll, AWSI Kiteboarder Female of the
Year 2015, is the protagonist of the picture of our
editorial and in this issue she will tell us about an
extraordinary event, the Blue Palawan International
Kiteboard Open in the Philippines, the first
park event in Asia. The incredible photos taken
by the great Toby Bromwich, with the comments
by the protagonists, which will make us feel the
excitement of pure wakestyle.
Colleen also becomes a permanent member
of our team and she inaugurates her personal
section which she will keep throughout 2016,
where she will tell you about her opinion on a
wide range of topics. From next issue on, other
great international champions will join us too and
they will also have their own section exclusively
for Kitesoul Magazine.
For the travel section we will switch between frost
and heat, as we’ll travel amongst the icebergs of

Greenland, in a truly unusual scenario for a quiet
session of kiteboarding, and in the warm waters
of Australia and Mozambique, two extremly different
worlds for one single passion.
In this issue you will see the extraordinary pictures
of Jesse Richman entering the first barrel
ever entered by a kitesurfer in Peahi, he will tell
us about the most incredible experience of entering
a barrel in between the "jaws" most feared
by surfers from all over the world, JAWS ...
Then we have the interviews with the great characters
of our sport, Liam Whaley, the new VKWC
World Champion who gives an exclusive after
his recent title award. What will the future of the
world competitions be like in 2016?
Patri McLaughlin, mister "big waves", explains
how to train properly in order to challenge the big
waves around the world...
Of course there will also be our tutorial articles:
the foil with the extraordinary Olly Bridge, the freestyle
manoeuvres with the great Alberto Rondina,
the strapless freestyle explained by the wave
world champion Keahi de Aboitiz and the technical
advice of Reo Stevens.
Those who love super technical articles will find
as usual their "match"! The choice of the right
fin in wave riding according to the advice of Abel
Lago and the discovery of the secrets for the right
harness as explained by our technical "guru"
Renato Casati.
Lastly, the new year 2016 also brought us a new
member to the team, our linguist Daniela Meloni,
Photographer, Stand Up Paddler and author of
the videos and photos of F-ONE wave rider Enrico
Giordano. Welcome Daniela!
Roberta Pala, Federico Sugoni

SUMMARY
COMING SOON
TRIP
32
106
18
Portfolio
World Snowkite
GPS Contest 2016
EVENTS
40
SEQUENCE
78
Pe’ahi (Jaws)
Barrel
Mozambic
PHOTOSHOO
122
RIDERS COLUMN
28
Colleen Carroll
Jasse Richman
Blue Palawan
International
Kiteboard Open
TRIP
62
Arctic Adventure
ITW
82
Liam Whaley
Enduro
Photosho
WAVERIDING
134
Find the r
STOR
96
Patri McLaughlin

WAVERIDING
150
o
10 things that
should go through
your head when
approaching a new
break
FREESTYLE BASIC MOVES
T
ot in WA
STRAPLESS MOVES
142
Back roll
SPECIAL FOILBOARDING
PRODUCT FOCUS
156
Manera: EXO
Core: BOLT | IMPCAT
ION: STRIKE
RRD: JUICEV2 | POISON
Flysurfer: SPEED5
178
Toeside Surface Pass
Pop to Blind Surface Pass
146
TECH
Dolphin, Crashing,
Tack
TECH
ight fins
168
Harnesses 2.0

18
PORTFOLIO
Abel Lago
RIDER: Abel Lago
PHOTO: Martin Rendo

20
PORTFOLIO
Sam Medysky
RIDER: Sam Medysky
PHOTO: Vincent Bergeron

22
PORTFOLIO
Steven Akkersdijk
RIDER: Steven Akkersdijk
PHOTO: mediahouse.one

24
PORTFOLIO
Sven Luijbe – Kitefeel.nl
RIDER: Sven Luijbe – Kitefeel.nl
PHOTO: Ramon Schoenmaker – Flysurfer.com

26
PORTFOLIO
Hervé Bouré
RIDER: Hervé Bouré
PHOTO: Xtremsurfers

28
RIDERS COLUMN
The world of kiteboarding is an ever changing
RIDERS COLUMN
Colleen
Carroll
× THE WORLD OF K
IS AN EVER C
Text Colleen Carroll
Photo Toby Bromwich/Blue Palawan International Kiteboard Open

ITEBOARDING ×
HANGING
The world of Kiteboarding is an
ever changing, emerging world
of diversity. The popularity of
brands, pro riders, and styles,
ebbing and flowing like that of
the most convoluted river. With
the current state of mainstream
Kiteboarding as fluid as ever.
When kiteboarding first developed
a competition scene, it
was all about going big. Go
big, unhook, heck even throw a
big dangle pass in there if you
were bold enough. It was extreme
and hard core. As things
progressed, the term 'freestyle'
came to mean doing your tricks
with less movement in the kite,
more handle passes and points
rewarding for max power and
speed into and out of the maneuver.
Then of course there
is wave riding. It's popularity
consistently on the rise at coastlines
around the globe. Despite
the lack of a consistent
competition circuit, wave riding
has persevered and is a mainstay
in kiteboarding's mainstream.
Racing took a major growth
spurt when talk of Olympic
participation was on the table
and another rise with the development
of foiling. Which with
the introduction of production
boards has also just become
kiteboarding's own version of
the 'soul surfer' ride and is on a
rapid upward trichectory of its
own.
But there is one discipline that,
long considered the black sheep
of Kiteboarding, who's time has
now come to share some of the
spotlight; Park Riding. Although
the discipline it self is relatively
nothing new. Riders like Mauricio
Abreau, Andre Philipp, Jason
Slezak and Moe Gold just to
name a few, have been kiting on
features since before most of
the pro riders these days were
out of elementary school. The
renowned Triple - S Invitational
just had its 10th anniversay this
past year, bringing 'like minded'
riders together for a week
long park shred fest since 2006.
However, despite the efforts of
some of these revolutionary godfathers,
this side of our sport
has stayed comparably small
to some of the more traditional
disciplines. Yet as of late there
seems to be a shift going on. A
growing acceptance of park riding
as one of the big dogs in
kiteboarding.
Maybe it has to do with the instability
of the world tour, maybe
we are getting more athletes
crossing over from sports that
can most easily relate to park
riding, who can say exactly. But
what is even more exciting is
that there are more and more
young riders finding their way
into kiteboarding parks across
the globe, pictures and videos
boasting the completion of
backyard builds, and new events
showcasing park riding as the
main attraction like last week's
Blue Palawan Kite Open. And
who knows, in the years to
come we may even see ourselves
crowning official world titles
in park riding. Time will only tell
how far this growing trend will
reach.
Colleen

30
RIDERS COLUMN
Sticking with it - Jesse Richman
RIDERS COLUMN
JESSE
RICHMAN
text Jesse Richman | photo Quincy Dein
× S T I C K I N G W I T H I T ×
Some days feel like they were
doomed from the beginning.
Sometimes they are, but that
should never stop you from
trying. Often times it’s only
after it’s all said and done that
you see it all happened for a
reason. Any day out at Jaws is
bound to be wild.The forecast
for December 9th looked really
big and I felt like we were going
to have a crazy day, but I really
had no idea how crazy. Looking
at the off shore buoys we knew
it was going to be good, so we
got up and ready to rock in the
morning. We went down to the
cliff and the waves weren’t really
there yet but I could feel they
were coming. So Patri Mclaughlin,
Ryan Toaspern and I got
ready to go out!
Everything was going smooth
until we got half way there on
the jet ski and all of a sudden
“brapppp brappppp braaaaaa
braaa braaaap……..” The ski
made some crazy sounds and
lost all power. We could see
Niccolo Porcella’s kite in the air
up ahead on a wave at Jaws but
we had to turn around—so bummed—but
we had no other choice.
We couldn’t figure out what
was wrong on the water so we
idled back to the boat ramp a
bit relived that we didn’t have to
swim the ski in. We then called
the day off. We had seen a few
other jet skis break that day,
and a boat flipped too. The day
just had a destructive energy in
the air and Jaws isn’t something
that you can force.
I still wanted to fix the ski so
we took it to the mechanic. Funny
enough, he looks at it, plays
with a spark plug cable and in
about 30 seconds says it’s good
you’re ready to rock. That’s
when we thought, “Well, what

else are we going to do today?”
We called everyone back to the
beach and went down to launch
again. Niccolo and his brother
Francisco came in right as we
were leaving and told us that
the wind was terrible and the
waves were inconsistent, but
we were still going to try it.
Once we arrived at Jaws we
saw another broken ski getting
towed back to shore. Meanwhile,
Robby Naish was windsurfing
and there were a few others
trying but the wind looked pretty
funky. The conditions weren’t
really that great, but when you
go through all the effort to get
up and drive the ski out to the
break, gather all the support
crew, and lineup the photographers
and videographers on
land, you feel obligated to give
it a go. I was also really pumped
to go surf so with everything
in order I launched off the ski.
That’s when I knew the day was
turning around.
Despite the conditions my Naish
Pivot felt great. I had a fire
ball of rage inside me that had
built up from a long day of frustration.
The only thing I could
do was let it out in my riding. I
went full speed and had the sickest
kite session at Jaws yet.
(Barrel sequence from this sesh
in mag). We found ourselves
out there with no one else at
the peak of the swell. This never
would have happened if the
ski worked the first time. The
valuable lesson learned from
this day is that when something
goes wrong and it feels like the
worst possible result, sometimes
if you stick with it, it all
works out for the better.
Jesse

32
COMING SOON
World Snowkite GPS Contest 2016 - Roccaraso (Italy)
Photo Mauro Ferro, Fabrizio Poggi

WORLD SNOWKITE GPS CONTEST
2016 ROCCARASO (ITALY)
Coming soon on next n.11 issue

34
COMING SOON
World Snowkite GPS Contest 2016 - Roccaraso (Italy)

36
COMING SOON
World Snowkite GPS Contest 2016 - Roccaraso (Italy)

38
COMING SOON
World Snowkite GPS Contest 2016 - Roccaraso (Italy)
PODIUMS
Ski:
1. Felix Kersten – Germany
2. Jonas Lengwiler - Switzerland
3. Florian Gruber – Germany
Snowboard:
1. Leoni Michele - Italy & Lukas Vogeltanz - Czech Republic
2. Luca Mastalli - Italy
3. Reinhold Gehrer - Germany

40
EVENTS
Blue Palawan International Kiteboard Open
Text James Boulding, Colleen Carroll, Tom Court, Craig Cunningham, Tobias
Holter, Sam Light, Sam Medysky, Brandon Scheid, Karolina Winkowska
Photo Toby Bromwich/Blue Palawan International Kiteboard Open

Blue Palawan International
Kiteboard Open
James Boulding
2016 saw the first ever kite park built in Asia. With features hand
made by renowned slider maker Joby Cook and shipped from
the US out to Asia, it was clear this wasn’t going to be just any
old plain set of features. Arriving with a host of top rail riders
on the planet the event quickly gained a focus in the kite media
and Toby Bromwich was on hand to make sure the content was
on par with the action. The tropical backdrop of Blue Palawan
was the perfect backdrop to shoot the slider park, this shot was
featured the north step up ledge with Toby getting within a meters
distance of my board shooting fish eye to get rider, kite and
backdrop all in the same shot. With the world tour squabbling
in disarray over rights and all sorts of problems its good to see
at least one side of our sport flourishing and seeing an amazing
turnout of top riders to support an event and park in a location
that must be on ones to do list.

42
EVENTS
Blue Palawan International Kiteboard Open

Karolina Winkowska
(1 ° Overall, 1 ° Sliders, 1 ° Kicker)
This photo was taken during the last day of the blue kiteboarding
competition. It was meant to be really windy, but as usually during
the competition the weather wasn’t cooperating with us. The
wind was dropping and in one point nobody could have ridden
anymore. Then the girls discovered that if they borrow big 17m
and 15m kites from the guys, they not only can ride but also can
run the competition. So here I am on Sam Light’s 15m Turbine,
performing in the kicker discipline. Competitions are always
challenging and nothing works like normal, that’s why we have to
embrace what we get and believe it will work out for us !

44
EVENTS
Blue Palawan International Kiteboard Open
Sam Light
(1° Overall, 1° Sliders, 1° Kicker)
This shot was taken during the warm up before the contest. I’ve
started calling this a rocket ship tail grab as you have to get so
horizontal to tweak the grab that much. It’s very hard to stay on
axis and maintain composure because when you pull the board
that far up towards your body it throws your center of balance
off completely and it can easily look jerky. When I do pop one of
these nicely it’s my favorite grab by far, it just feels so good to
tweak it that much!

46
EVENTS
Blue Palawan International Kiteboard Open

Colleen Carroll
(3 ° sliders, 3 ° kicker, 3 ° overall)
The long awaited Blue Palawan International Kiteboard Open
was one of the most fun and unique events I have ever attended.
Not only was it set in a tropical paradise but also the custom
built Jibstruction features were perfectly crafted and specially
designed for Asia’s first kiteboard park. With this unique setup,
media sessions and event heats alike were some of the most fun
days spent kiteboarding I’ve had in a while. With renowned kiteboarding
photographer Toby Bromwich behind the lens and 24
of the worlds best park riding kiteboarders there was constant
action and entertainment to be had. Not to mention lots of time
spent in the sun and hence the long pants and sunnies while riding.

48
EVENTS
Blue Palawan International Kiteboard Open

Brandon Scheid
(Men’s overall 3°)
Getting the right shot in kiteboarding is all about timing and coordination.
First of all you need wind, in this case we also needed
a one off built slider compliments of Joby Cook and Blue Palawan.
In addition tog those two elusive factors, you also need
good light and a hard working photographer. Lining up the perfect
shot is all about the collaboration between the shooter, in
this case Toby Bromwich, and the rider. It took us several tries
to nail this particular shot, mostly due to the rider(me). Either
I wasn't quite as locked in to the press as Toby wanted, or my
arm was in my face ruining the shot. Luckily with the consistent
winds we found at Blue Palawan we had plenty of time to line
it all up. All the effort for this one image was just a fraction of
the effort that went into shooting and running the Blue Palawan
Kite Open, Asia's first kite park contest. With consistent warm
breeze, classy accommodations, and arguably one of the best
kite parks in the world the event was setup to be a guaranteed
hit, and it fully delivered on all fronts.

50
EVENTS
Blue Palawan International Kiteboard Open

Craig Cunningham
(2° sliders)
It’s crazy for me to think about all the extraordinary places kiteboarding
has taken me over the years. Palawan Island in the
Philippines was no disappointment. Not only a tropical paradise
but a new kiteboarding destination fully equipped with the first
kite park in South East Asia! My favourite feature of the park is
the North Fun Box! No bias, it’s an amazing feature with so many
different options for lines, step ups and transfers! In this shot
we were practicing for the event and there was a lot of people on
the water. Noe Font and I were both coming towards the feature
from a long way out trying to sneak in front of each other. When
we got close neither of us budged so we just hit it together. I
called the top deck and so Noe had to opt for lower but since we
were so close our kites were bumping and it almost turned bad…
I figured I was upwind so should've had the right of way!

52
EVENTS
Blue Palawan International Kiteboard Open
Sam Medysky
(3° Sliders)
Palawan was a destination unknown to me. When I first heard
about a slider event in Palawan, Philippines I didn’t think it would
actually happen. The thought and costs behind having Joby
Cook at Jibstruction build 3 feature and ship them to the other
side of the world seemed a bit far fetched to me. The amount of
careful planning, time and support that went into the Blue Palawan
Kiteboard International Open was truly amazing. I was so
stoked to have had the chance to be apart of the first year of
this event. Event’s always start small and I feel it’s amazing to
be there at the beginning allowing me and other to appreciate
where the events come from and where it’s going to. Palawan was
spectacular venue for a park event, delivering some of the best
conditions for riding. Flat shallow water, light to moderate winds,
loads of sunshine and good vibes set the tone for this year Blue
Palawan Kiteboard International Open. I will most definitely be
back again in the future!

54
EVENTS
Blue Palawan International Kiteboard Open

Tom Court
Blue on Palawan island in the Philippines is definitely one of the
most unique places that I have ridden in the last few years, the
strange combination of onshore winds, coupled with the shallow
sea grass covered water creates a surreal flat water playground
that now plays home to one of the worlds most well built kite
parks. This picture was taken during one of the first session ever
in the park, after we unloaded the features from the containers
sent from the US we set the park up and waisted no time getting
on the water. In the excitement I wasn’t letting anyone get in the
way of my putting my kite low right from the start!” Shot by Toby
Bromwich (Who always likes a low kite).

56
EVENTS
Blue Palawan International Kiteboard Open
Tobias Holter
WHAT RAILS CAN TEACH YOU?! Sometimes its better to stay
in the moment than thinking about what to do next. Even if 'next’
doesn’t mean to spin more but having dinner with friends followed
by a Sant Miguel Light to ease into a couple more Redhorse.
Cheers to these beautiful sunsets over Blue Palawan, the
most Tropical Railpark in Kiteboarding.

58
EVENTS
Blue Palawan International Kiteboard Open
Paula Rosales, Colleen Carroll and
Sophie Mathews enjoy a glassy paddle
to the nearby mangrove forest
before the start of the event.
Not only is he often found showing
off in front of the camera, Tom Court
thoroughly enjoys capturing event
video.
The judges hard at work during the
Semi Final heats of the event.
#lifestyle

Tom Court enjoys an event lay day
by zip lining through the Palawan
Jungle.
Blue Palawan International
Kiteboard Open
Part of the Blue Palawan Kiteboard
Open experience was integrating
into the local culture. Here the
competitors were invited to a silent
disco for a special showing of Palawan
Islands first major movie.
All hands were needed to unload
and assemble the highly anticipated
arrival of the Liquid Force Rooftop
feature.
Crowning the first ever Miss Sensi
Bikinis Philippines, Sensi Graves
poses with the contest winner during
the evening poolside show.

60
EVENTS
Blue Palawan International Kiteboard Open

Podiums
Men's Overall:
Sam Light, Eric Rienstra, Brandon Scheid, Craig Cunningham,
Sam Medysky, Noe Font e Axel Tack,Tom Court, James Boulding.
Women's Overall:
Karolina Winkowska, Sensi Graves, Colleen Carroll, Victoria
Soloveykina, Manuela Jungo, Malin Amle, Katarzyna Lange,
Julia Castro.
Men's Features:
1° Sam Light, 2° Craig Cunningham, 3° Sam Medysky
Women's Features:
1° Karolina Winkowska, 2° Sensi Graves, 3° Colleen Carroll
Podio Uomini Kicker:
1° Sam Light, 2° Eric Reinstra, 3 ° Brandon Scheid
Women's Kicker:
1 ° Karolina Winkowska, 2 ° Sensi Graves, 3° Colleen Carroll
Men's Attitude Award:
1 ° Noe Font, 2° Phil Larcher, 3° Nico Etienne
Women's Attitude Award:
1 ° Julia Castro, 2° Katarzyna Lange, 3 ° Natalia Grabowska
Men's GoPro Media Competition:
1 ° James Boulding, 2° Brandon Scheid, 3° Tom Court
Women's GoPro Media Competition:
1 ° Manuela Jungo, 2 ° Colleen Carroll, 3 ° Karolina Winkowska

62
TRIP
Arctic Adventure

Arctic Adventure
text Richard Findal |photo dpvideoproduction

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Arctic Adventure
I’m usually a hermit crab when it comes to the cold, until
I received an email inviting me to represent Cabrinha in
Greenland for the Arctic Kite Adventure. The Arctic Kite
Adventure was run by Allianz insurance to make a video with

them for an advert. My initial thoughts were ‘I don’t own any
warm clothes after 8 winters in the Caribbean’, but fuelled
by my passion for adventure, I immediately replied with an
obvious yes!

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Arctic Adventure
The first leg of the journey began with a short,
early morning flight from London Luton to Copenhagen.
After enjoying a good nights sleep in a
hotel nearby, I then had to battle my way through
the traffic to get close to the airport! Once I made
it through, I then discovered the X-ray bag scanners
were broken so they were checking manually.
I sprinted to the departure gate and made it to
the plane just in time.
After an enjoyably brief flight, I arrived in Copenhagen
with 22 hours to kill before my connecting
flight to Greenland. I managed to arrange a locker
to put my 2 large suitcases and surfboard bag in
so I could rent a car and do some exploring! Without
any form of navigation, I used my manly directional
skills, which brought me to an awesome
flat water kiting spot. I spent a while there chatting
to the incredibly welcoming locals, including
the Dutch Freestyle Champion. My adventurous
side soon began calling and I headed off into Copenhagen.
There were bikes everywhere and Lidl
supermarkets on every corner! I stopped to grab
some lunch and ended up with a parking fine, so
quickly retreated back to the safety of the beach.
After spending the majority of the night in the hire
car, at 5am I met the rest of the team in the airport,
Geza the expedition leader, His brother An-

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Arctic Adventure

dre an former backgammon world champion, the
camera men David a veteran sea Sheppard and
Bastian the northern lights expert. We quickly realised
our combined 18 bags of luggage between
the 5 of us was exceedingly overweight. Fortunately
Geza had already cracked a deal with Air
Greenland airline and accepted all 350kg of luggage.
After not sleeping too well in the hire car, I
slept like a baby the entire flight and woke up just
in time to get the first glimpse of the icebergs.
We landed at Kangerlussuaq airport and layered
up ready for the cold, however I was pleasantly
surprised by the warmth and rapidly returned
back to just my t-shirt. We spent a few hours topping
up our tans followed by the final plane journey
to Ilulissat where we would spend the next
few weeks. During the flight we were blessed with
clear blue skies as we flew over the glacier, which
looked incredible! We arranged a convoy of taxis
to take all 18 bags and us to our apartment,
which overlooked the sea. With a forecast of possible
wind the next day, we didn’t hang about and
got all the kites ready, lines attached ready to be
launched from a boat whilst some of the guys
prepared all the camera kit.
The morning greeted us with a light breeze and
glorious sunshine. After refuelling with hot drinks
and a speedy breakfast, we checked the cameras,
set up the boards and headed down to the harbour
where the boat was awaiting us. We set out
on the boat weaving through the ice and found
the most amazing backdrop filled with icebergs
just a short distance out. We pumped up the 15m
Contra and I plopped in the icy waters with the
Double Agent Foil. I didn’t hang around for long
and swiftly launched and rode out surrounded by

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Arctic Adventure
mammoth icebergs. It was so surreal. My cheeks
ached from smiling so much. However, it wasn’t
long before I had my first proper bathe and that
large grin was soon wiped off my face. I was foiling
in front of an iceberg and the film crew wanted
the kite as low as possible, it was all go swimmingly
well until the wind shadow caught up with
me. To my horror, the kite lifelessly dropped out
of the sky and I came to a sudden halt. I was unable
to relaunch the kite until I managed to drift
far enough away back into the wind line. The NP
Lucifer dry suit kept me exceptionally toasty, except
for my feet. I quickly discovered I had forgotten
to zip up my wetsuit boots and my feet were
frozen! I most definitely learnt a valuable lesson
that day! The wind continued to increase as the
session went on and I was joined by some of the
other guys on the water. With everyone now on
twin tips, it wasn’t long before there was a ‘who
can jump the biggest iceberg contest,’ which con-

sisted of a lot of aborted attempts. After around 4
hours riding, we finished our session and headed
for the warmth and comfort of our apartment.
We weren’t so lucky with the wind for the next
few days but this gave us the opportunity to explore
and film the area. After a day of hiking and
checking out the local glaciers and wildlife, we
soon realised we hadn’t seen a single tree anywhere.
With a few more days of no wind, we decided
to put the drysuits to the test and swim out
to some icebergs just offshore with some camera
gear. After learning my lesson last time, I zipped
my boots up and my feet stayed toasty and we
managed to get some remarkable pictures.
At last! The forecast predicted wind and lots of
it! It was showing 30 knots for super Sunday, but
quickly changed to mega Monday! It didn’t let us
down! We were up early to get out on the water
to make the most of the howling winds! To begin
with I launched a 12m FX amongst the icebergs,

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Arctic Adventure
but immediately realised we would need much
smaller kites. As we were in a much denser area
of icebergs, it made the wind dangerously gusty,
as one minute you’d get lofted 6 feet and look
down to the smaller icebergs waiting for you to
impale yourself on them. We decided to change
location and as we arrived at the new spot, the
wind kicked in even more! We launched our 7m
kites and was boosting as high as we could, which
often proved tricky as you were not always clear
for landing. Once we filmed lots of iceberg jumping,
we headed to what can only be described of
the Everest of icebergs. If any of it broke off whilst
we were close, we would be instantly squashed
and left for the Greenland Shark. We decided it
was worth the risk and made our way over. As
we approached the monster-berg, we were all

absolutely speechless. The sheer enormity of
this iceberg was astonishing, it was definitely a
‘you have to be there moment’. One of the guys,
Andre, decided he was going to touch it, but as
he got within a few meters, his kite luffed which
scared us all into retreating a bit further from the
colossal wall of ice. We managed to attain all the
footage we required, but all that was missing was
the all important drone footage.
Christmas came slightly earlier this year as Thomas
from Allianz visited to see how we were getting
on and brought us some presents! Unfortunately
there was no wind forecast during his stay, but
one afternoon we were blessed with 4 knots! This
was just enough to show him what Kitesurfing
is all about, so out came the ultimate light wind
arrangement, the 17m Contra and foil board. The
wind was side shore but as we were in a bay, we

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Arctic Adventure
knew if the wind dropped we could make it back
to land. If not, we’d hop on a passing iceberg until
help arrived! Luckily enough we timed it just
right, after explaining there was no time for lunch
as the wind waits for no man. No more than 45
minutes later, I landed my kite just as the water
transformed into a vast mirror. That was the end
of the wind for the day but I was super stoked I
managed to get out for a short spell.
On the no wind days we spent our time hiking with
our new found posse of huskies, eating nic naks
and playing backgammon and yahtzee. But the
wind was never gone for too long. For our 3rd session,
we headed to Kite Beach on a marginal wind
forecast. Upon arrival the wind was already building
and turned out to be a great day! We took our
fins off our boards and headed out to the world
biggest ice slider park. There were enormous wall

ides and sliders that went on and on! The camera
guys were getting all the shots and we had
the drones buzzing around us. It wasn’t only the
camera team that were enjoying the scene; we
had a boat of Chinese tourists cheering us on. Of
course the only polite thing to do was to jump
over them several times! The day came to an end
with a breath taking show of the Northern Lights.
We were told the locals believe the lights are their
ancestors playing ball with the head of a Walrus
and if you whistle, they will come and get you. Of
course we didn’t tell our friend Bastian this until
after he whistled us over!
Our final kite session was in the snow, which was
a first for me, but made it freezing cold, which
wasn’t helped by the wind switching off. On arrival
back at the harbour, the snow had accumulated
over 4 inches in just a few hours. This meant

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Arctic Adventure
a snowboarding and sledging session on our kite
boards! No wind fun!
Our last day was filled with more snow boarding,
snowball fights, final interviews and filming and
lots of packing.
The flight home was pretty eventful as the plane
we were supposed to be on had some technical
issues, so we had to go on a different plane, which
meant we had a random stopover in Greenland,
before getting on our plane to Copenhagen. Once
we landed in Copenhagen we all said our goodbyes,
which was pretty sad, as we’d become really
good friends over the past few weeks. However
we have requested next time for it to be filmed in
Brazil or somewhere hot!

78
SEQUENCE
Pe’ahi (Jaws) Barrel – Jesse Richman
PE’AHI (JAWS) BARREL
• Jesse Richman•
This was the fourth time I tried to pull into a Jaws barrel
on my Pivot kite and the first time that I—or for that matter
any kiteboarder—has successfully made it out of one.
It was an incredible view. I believe that big barrels are
probably the best, and most addictive, experience I’ve
ever had. Being engulfed with so much energy around you
is wild. To me they are so special because with big barrels
comes big consequences. One mistake and it’s a really
gnarly experience, which is what usually happens to
me. It’s still fun but actually making it out of one feels like
touching a dragons tong and escaping his jaws before he’s
calmed down. Simply awesome.

Text Jesse Richman
Photo Quincy Dein

PE’AHI (JAW
• Jesse R
80
SEQUENCE
Pe’ahi (Jaws) Barrel – Jesse Richman

S) BARREL
ichman•

82
ITW
Liam Whaley - World Champ 2015
ITW Roberta Pala | Photo Ben Welsh and Toby Bromwich

INTERVIEW
LIAM
WHALEY
VKWC WORLD CHAMP
2015

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ITW
Liam Whaley - World Champ 2015
D.O.B.: 11/04/1996
Home spot: Tarifa, Spain
Sponsors: Cabrinha, NP Surf,
Mitsubishi Motors
Years kiting: 11
Favourite spot: Cauipe, Brasil
Wall of Fame: 2015 World
Champion, 2014 Vice World
Champion, 2013, 4th Overall,
2012, European Junior Champ

KS_TELL US SOMETHING ABOUT YOURSELF…WHE-
RE DO YOU LIVE, WHERE ARE YOU FROM, WHEN
DID YOU START KITEBOARDING AND WHAT'S YOUR
TRAINING HOME SPOT?
LW_I moved to Tarifa when I was 13, until then I was living in Ibiza,
Spain. I started Kiting at the age of 8 during a summer in Tarifa, one
of my dads good friends taught me. My training spot changes depending
on the wind. With SW winds I train in Tarifas lagoon which
are definitely the best conditions! Then with Easterly winds I tend
to kite in a spot just in front of town called Balneario!

86
ITW
Liam Whaley - World Champ 2015
KS_LET’S TALK ABOUT YOUR FAMILY, AND ABOUT
YOUR DECISION TO MOVE TO TARIFA…HOW IMPOR-
TANT IS THE SUPPORT OF YOUR FAMILY FOR WHAT
YOU DO?
LW_The first time my Dad came to Tarifa was in 1982. He was one
of the first guys windsurfing there with a couple of friends and one
of the first guys to cross the straights of Gibraltar (without safety
boats or back up). He and his brothers decided to build o hotel
in 1984 (Hurricane Hotel) as they saw a lot of potential in Tarifa.
My Dad carried on living in Ibiza as I went to school there and my
mother had a shop there. In 2013 when I started to get some good
results in competitions we decided to move to Tarifa so that I could
carry on progressing and also so that my dad could look after his
business.
KS_WHO ARE YOU SPONSORED BY?
LW_I’m sponsored by Cabrinha, NP Surf and Mitsubishi motors. I
am working hard on my Image at the moment so that I can get a
few more sponsors.
KS_WHAT ABOUT YOUR PERFECT GEAR …
LW_11m Cabrinha Chaos, 1.38m X 42cm Xcaliber Board, H3 Boots,
Np Mirage harness and Np Mission Front Zip Wetsuit.
KS_YOU ARE VERY YOUNG BUT YOU HAVE ALREA-
DY REACHED SOME VERY IMPORTANT GOALS, WHI-
CH IS YOUR NEXT ONE?
LW_I really want to work on new tricks that have never been done,
make great video projects that won’t be forgotten and of course
win a few more world titles. Competition is still what gives me the
most adrenaline.

88
ITW
Liam Whaley - World Champ 2015
KS_IN YOUR OPINION, HOW IMPORTANT IS FREE-
STYLE TO YOUNG PEOPLE?
LW_Freestyle has no barriers. Young people tend to be very competitive,
creative and motivated so freestyle is something that will
help them put those gifts to good use. I am someone that used
to be very nervous and hyperactive. Freestyle kiteboarding has
helped me chill out a lot more and helped me understand where I
have to put my energy into.
KS_WHAT DO YOU DO WHEN YOU ARE NOT KI-
TING? TELL US SOMETHING ABOUT YOUR FAMILY,
FRIENDS, YOUR TRAVELS. HOW DO YOU SPEND
YOUR FREE TIME?

LW_The end of this year and this year have been pretty insane. I
have spent a lot of time with my friends. I recently just came back
from Bali where I really progressed my surfing and yeah I have
basically been on holiday for the last few months. Now it is time to
train again haha.
KS _WHAT DO YOU THINK ABOUT THE FUTURE OF
VKWC AFTER THE IKA DECISION?
LW_Everything is a bit confusing at the moment. Both parties
want to run the tour next year. I don’t think anyone agrees or cares
about the decision that IKA made. To me it’s a bit of a joke, we don’t
need politics. If nobody makes a good tour soon we will have to run
our own tour. By the riders for the riders!

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ITW
Liam Whaley - World Champ 2015

KS_YOUR “PERFECT DAY” IN THE WATER…
LW_Going out with some of my best friends, spending 5 hours in
the water and hopefully ending the day with a new trick in the bag.
KS_KITEBOARDING HAS CHANGED A LOT IN THE
LAST YEARS, WHAT DO YOU THINK WILL BE THE
NEXT STEP?
LW_Carry on pushing what the riders are doing at the moment. I
think we are doing our part, it would be cool to see Kiteboarding
become a mainstream sport one day!
KS_WHAT IS THE LIMIT OF MODERN FREESTYLE?
LW_Here is no limit, the limit is being broken everyday by Kiteboarders
across the globe!
KS_WHICH MOVES ARE YOU TRYING?
LW_Secret haha
KS_AARON HADLOW CAME BACK BIG, YOU BOTH
DID THE MOST BEAUTIFUL HEATS EVER SEEN! WHAT
DO YOU LOVE ABOUT AARON AND OTHERS BIG RI-
DERS?
LW_I have been a big fan of Aaron since as long as I can remember.
He has pushed kiteboarding forward in so many ways that it’s hard
to explain. The coolest thing is that after so many years he is still
competing and he still wants to win more than anyone else!

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ITW
Liam Whaley - World Champ 2015
KS_MANY RIDERS, HAVE STARTED TO TAKE SOME
DISTANCE FROM “CLASSIC” COMPETITIONS AND
JUST FOLLOW DEDICATED EVENTS, SUCH AS THE
RBKOTA. WHAT DO YOU THINK ABOUT IT?
LW_I think those events are really cool but they are a completely
different discipline. RBKOTA is sick but there is only one event a
year. We need a tour that runs throughout the year. I personally
prefer not to risk competing in KOTA because I would rather conserve
my body and try to win another freestyle title.
KS_TELL US A PARTICOLAR SKILL/FEATURE WHICH
YOU WOULD LIKE TO STEAL FROM EACH ONE OF
YOUR TEAM-MATES...
LW_I try to take the best bits out of each rider and put it into my
riding with my own style. When I do a trick and I see somebody do
it better than me then I will try and copy it ;)
KS_OUR MAGAZINE IS CALLED KITESOUL, BECAUSE
WE BELIEVE THAT OUR SOUL HAS A SOLID BOND
WITH THIS SPORT. WHAT DO YOU FEEL WHILE YOU
ARE IN THE OCEAN WHETHER IT IS DURING A COM-
PETITION OR DURING A SUNSET FREE RIDE SES-
SION?
LW_Definitely a lot of freedom, I get the chance to clear my head
and only concentrate on what I am doing in that moment. I feel at
home :)

96
STORY
Patri McLaughlin - "Mr. Big Waves"
Patri McLaughlin
Mr.
Big
Waves
“We just went to Lanes to kitesurf.
Patri, what were you doing?"
“Today I went freediving in
Lahaina. I made it 100 feet (30
meters) deep in 2.5 minutes. I’m
pretty psyched, and it was super
fun. I went deeper than I have
ever gone before!" answered
26 year old Patri McLaughlin. At
first we were a bit speechless.
Patri says that you must free
dive with partners. It’s dangerous
to dive deep without a partner.
No question, Patri is a “big
wave” kitesurfer who also trains
in various ways. Apart from free
diving, he also goes to the Gym
several times a week for normal
strength training and Indoor Cycling.
“I train on the bike for 20 minutes
to warm up. While keeping
the bike at a steady pace I hold
my breath for 30 seconds, and
breath steady for 30 seconds.
Sometimes people look at me
funny in the gym,” he laughs.
“After 19 minutes I try to hold
my breath for a full minute. After
about 50 seconds, I think I’m
going to die. It's very very hard,”
he adds. All this is to prepare for
sessions at Jaws. The water is
40 feet deep in spots, and you
have to be ready for a long hold
down.

Text: Axel reese/reemedia/Liquid Eye
Photo Erik Aeder, Axel Reese / reemedia / liquid eye

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STORY
Patri McLaughlin - "Mr. Big Waves"
The wave rider for the North
Kiteboarding team is regularly
out for freestyle sessions in
Waiehu. Waiehu is an onshore
spot on the North Shore of
Maui. He has reached top positions
at strapless freestyle
events. When the wind blows
40 knots he is at Kitebeach on
a twin tip board sending big
airs and kiteloops, but his love
are the really big waves. “When
looking at Jaws from the cliff
I often get the feeling of fear.
I know just how powerful the
wave is and I get the butterflies
in my stomach before heading
out. The only way to kite Jaws is
from jet ski, and it takes an hour
to get there from Maliko gulch.”
Patri knows Jaws very well, so
he not only goes out to kitesurf,
but also paddles the waves on a
10 foot surfboard.
Paddle-surfing the waves at
Jaws is dangerous. "On the kite
surf board, I have a better overview
of the sets, and it is easier
to turn faster. This makes it easier
compared to the surfing sessions
at Jaws,” claims Patri. The
waves have "so much energy
and you have to go full speed.”
To calm his nerves, Patri usually
first takes two smaller waves.
Once he gets comfortable, he
then goes for the bigger waves.
“The stoke for me compares to
nothing else, but unfortunately
the dual conditions of perfect
waves and wind are rare.”
Patri likes to travel to locations
such as Indonesia, Mauritius,
or Fiji, as Maui is expensive,
so oftentimes traveling can be
cheaper than staying home.
Patri has obtained a license to
work as a real estate agent on
Maui. He may be found on the
water nearly every day of the
year, either surfing, kitesurfing,
or free diving.

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STORY
Patri McLaughlin - "Mr. Big Waves"

Patri McLaughlin
Born: 07.06.89 on Maui
Sponsors: North Kiteboarding, ION
Patri learned to kitesurf at 13. He took part o n
the KPWT in wakestyle freestyle. He then competed
in the KSP Wave Tour.
Strap or strapless: Strapless
Favorite board: North Prosurf
Favorite kite: Neo
Favorite spot for strapless freestyle: Waiehu
Favorite spot for Big Wave: Cloudbreak, Fiji

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Patri McLaughlin - "Mr. Big Waves"
ITW
AR_How do you train to freedive?
PMcL_Learn affective ways to hold your breath longer. It's also
good to go with people that know how to dive. Free diving is very
dangerous. More people die diving then surfing Jaws.
AR_How long can you hold your breath?
PMcL_I can hold my breath 3 minutes 45 seconds sitting on the
couch. I want to make it to 5 minutes though.
AR_Have you held your breath too long and gone unconsciousness?
PMcL_No I haven't. I always gasp for air before I pass out. I've almost
blacked out diving before. That's why you need to dive with
a partner.

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Patri McLaughlin - "Mr. Big Waves"
AR_How do you train for big wave days?
PMcL_I stay physically and mentally fit. It helps if you can manage
the stress of big waves. It's hard to be calm out there but it helps
more then anything.
AR_Which behavior is necessary?
PMcL_Staying calm under pressure is the most important thing
you can do.”
AR_What errors can occur while under water?
PMcL_Panicking is the worst thing you can do when you fall in big
waves. It burns more oxygen then anything.

D A I L Y
W O R K
W E A R
STRIKE SERIES
AIRTON COZZOLINO´S DAILY WORKWEAR
SURFING ELEMENTS
ION-PRODUCTS.COM

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Mozambique
MOZAMB
The first time I heard about Mozambique
was in 2010. I was in Namibia
for the record attempt and a South
African rider was telling me about
this amazing beach paradise with
white sandbanks, perfect for freestyle.
It had been at the back of my
mind ever since. Although the civil
war had been over for more than ten
years (1992), Mozambique still had
the reputation of being unstable,
and there’s another thing that can
be unnerving whenever anyone talks
about Mozambique - the sharks! Nonetheless
I took my courage in both
hands and I decided to put aside any
preconceived ideas about the place
and go there. The images that I saw
on the internet of this paradise with
its magnificent beaches were what
finally won me over.

Ique
Text Charlotte Consorti
Photo Charlotte Consorti e Courtesy F-One

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Mozambique
There are two main locations; the most popular
one is in the Vilankulos region in the South,
and the other in the Pemba region in the North.
Statistically the wind seemed strongest in the
North in July and August, so I focused my research
on the Cabo Delgado region. It didn’t take long
because there’s just the one kitsurfing school in
the North, based at Murrebue beach. I did a Google
Earth search for the place and saw that it was
indeed an amazing spot. The bay is formed by a
33km long beach and a lagoon 3km wide. I contacted
the Il Pirata school and found it was closed
for the summer for refurbishment, but they
were happy to accommodate us all the same. All
I had to do then was find some flights. There was
just one airline serving Pemba: LAM, with plenty
of connections to Nairobi, Dar Es Salam, Johannesburg
and Maputo. Then I had to arrange for
visas, as they don’t issue them on the spot. You
have to send your passport to the embassy in Paris
and be prepared for a wait; it took more than a
month for the visas to arrive and I received mine
with only a few days to spare before we were due
to go. As with any trip, the challenge is to avoid
taking too much kitesurfing gear, and this time I
also had to find room for a drone. I’d tried to get
information from LAM before the trip, but received
no answers to any of my emails or phonecalls.
But I suppose LAM is a local company after all…

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Mozambique
The journey went well in the end and there was
no excess to pay. Carlo, the owner of Il Pirata lodge,
met us at the airport. It was only 6pm but
it was already dark, so we didn’t get to see any
scenery on our way to the lodge. The journey
took barely 20 minutes in a 4X4. Carlo and Susanna
came and settled on this little plot of land
more than 10 years ago, somewhat by chance,
and they’ve turned it into a peaceful little haven.

They live there all year round. It wasn’t long before
they realised the place had great potential
for kitesurfing, so Carlo took his IKO diploma and
opened a kitesurfing school. Susanna looks after
the restaurant which is open at weekends, and
which is “the place to be” for all the expats who
work in Pemba.

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Mozambique

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Mozambique

I admit that when I first saw on the internet that
there was an Italian restaurant here, that’s what
drew me to this place, and I wasn’t wrong! But
their talents don’t stop there, they’re also extremely
gifted designers. When Carlo showed us to
our bungalow I could hardly believe it, it was far
from being a basic cabin. It was actually a luxury
two-storey living space with palm branches for a
roof, a low wall surround and the rest completely
open to the elements, except for mosquito nets.
The bed was on the upper floor, with a view of
the lagoon. The whole thing was built of natural
local wood and stone. You get a magical feeling,
as if you’re sleeping amongst the stars. The next
morning I discovered we also had an uninterrupted
view of the sunrise, and I absolutely loved it; I
didn’t even have to get out of bed to see it! It was
amazing to discover this idyllic spot. A beach that
stretches as far as the eye can see, a heavenly
lagoon and barely a soul here, even in August! It
was hard to imagine that just a few days before
I was on a packed beach in Montpellier, fighting
for a space to inflate my kite. The best time for
kitesurfing is when the tide is going out and the
lagoon gives way to a host of small sandbanks
and super-flat mini lagoons.

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Mozambique
No fighting for space here, everyone can have
their own pool! People from the surrounding villages
take advange of the low tide to walk down
as far as the reef to fish for crabs and shellfish.
Lots of children take part in the fishing, and they
love to see the kites go past. It was great sharing
the experience and playing games with the children.
At high tide the sea gets a bit too choppy
for freestyle, so that’s the time to go strapless or
even go and play amongst the waves on the reef.
The problem is, it’s so comfortable at Il Pirata, it’s
hard to find the motivation to shift yourself to
go out and find other places, but thanks to Carlo
we did get to visit another spot further south at
Mecùfi. A new hotel had just been built and Carlo
had opened another kitesurfing school there.
The reef is much closer at this point, so the waves
are a lot more accessible and usuable at low tide.
That’s why it’s the best place for surfing in Northern
Mozambique. On the other hand there’s no
lagoon as such, just a lake that forms at high tide
in the mangroves. Mecùfi was a very pretty place
but nothing compared to Murrebue beach, so we
were happy to go back home.

118
TRIP
Mozambique
I say “home” because by the end of the first week I
really did feel like it was my home. We ate with Carlo
and Susanna every evening. Before they settled
in Mozambique they worked in the leisure industry
for more than 10 years and travelled all over the
world. They have lots of stories to tell, and they’re
fascinating to talk to. In short, everything comes
together at Il Pirata to create a remarkable environment:
superbly decorated cabins, a restaurant
that serves mouth-watering food, a warm welcome,
a deserted white sandy beach, an enormous
lagoon of clear water, steady winds…You inevitably
get a little emotional when the time finally comes
to leave. Murrebue is one of my top 3 favourite
places along with Columbus and Oman.
I wish I’d visited the Quirimbas archipelago which

is only a 20 minutes flight from Pemba. With its 27
little islands that are designated as UNESCO World
Heritage sites, the place is chock-full of little paradises,
every one as delightful as the next. Which is
a good excuse to go back!

120
TRIP
Mozambique
How to get there
Flight to Nairobi with Kenya Airways, about 800
euros. Note that LAM flights are expensive, it’s as
well to book in advance. The flight to Pemba with
LAM costs about 400 euros.
Check out possible direct charter flights from Milan
in the future.
Where to stay
Il Pirata has three on-site bungalows for 80 euros
per person full board.
http://kitesurfingmozambique.com
Health
Yellow fever: there’s no risk of contamination in
Mozambique but vaccination is mandatory. I can
personally attest to this; I had to have the vaccination
again when I arrived at Pemba airport
because I’d forgotten my vaccination certificate.
Malaria: Zone 3, high risk. You are strongly advised
to take preventive treatment.
Languages
Mozambique is a former Portuguese colony and
Portuguese is the official language, but many different
dialects are spoken by the various ethnic
communities, such as Makhuwa and Tsonga.
Sea and wind conditions
The sea is warm so there’s no need for a wetsuit
in general, but take a shorty suit for evening sessions
or when the wind is high. Wind is predominantly
light, between 12 and 15 knots. I sailed with
10m, 12m and 14m kites. The wind is strongest in
July with speeds of up to 20 knots. The best season
is mid-May to late August.
Time difference
+ 1 hour in winter.
Currency
The metical (MZN). In July 2015, €1 = 42.50 MZN
US dollars and euros are also accepted.
Budget
Cost of living is high. This is mainly due to the
fact that practically all food products are imported
from South Africa and there is still very little
tourist infrastructure in the north of the country.
Accommodation is limited to mid-range.

122
PHOTOSHOOT
Enduro Photoshoot in WA
ENDURO
PHOTOSHOOT IN WA
Deciding which place we should have
gone for the shooting became a mission,
since time was getting tight before the
release of the new Ozone Enduro kite.
We had lots of options, like south of
Brazil, Cabo Verde, Mauritius, Barbados,
Canary Islands and some more, but
at the end of November it looks like lots
of places are at the end of season and
others at the beginning…
Text Paulino Pereira ! Photo Jamie Scott & Mark Hampton

124
PHOTOSHOOT
Enduro Photoshoot in WA

At the beginning of November we had the dates
of when the kites would have been ready for shipping
from the factory. Out of nowhere Australia
came out as a good option since Billy Hampton
could join us on the shipping and the coast below
Margaret River is pretty cool.
So we decided to book flights to Australia, me
and Lou the “behind the camera” boss. After things
got booked I started to think about the deadly
animals that live in Australia… Sharks…. Snakes….
Spiders… Crazy kangaroos…. OMG it’s going to be
a crazy trip since Lou loves to find nature and wild
stuff.
Got myself on the plane from Lisbon to Dubai and
then Perth. It was a journey about 24 hrs long......
it’s a pain in the ass I can tell you. It was hard to
keep myself awake since I like to try to sleep at
the local time at destination so I don’t get jetlagged.
I arrived in Perth at 11 pm, rented out a car and
got lost on the way to Safety Bay because of
some road construction so some of the roads
were closed. So it took me about 40 extra mins
to arrive. Finally I got home and first thing I did
was to check up for deadly animals in my room.
I looked for spiders and snakes in every hidden
place. Nothing…

126
PHOTOSHOOT
Enduro Photoshoot in WA
The Enduro kites where supposed to arrive before
me but no news of the kites. We only had the
big Zephyrs. The bad thing was that the wind was
pumping for 7m kite…. So we woke up at 4.40 am
to get that first light of the day and low wind and
try to get some shots of the Zephyrs. The wind
was super unstable and in a different direction.
But it was the perfect angle for Lou. He was happy.
After we did 2 more sessions with strong wind
to boost some hang-time jumps on the 17m kite.
My back was a bit tired by the end of the day so I
thought we deserved a good meal.
It was around 9 pm and we were looking for a
restaurant to have something to eat. Everything
was closed. We saw a McDonald’s but I said: “No
way Lou! I’m not going to eat fast food! Let’s try
to get some nice meat or fish”. But after driving
for some km, we found out that everything was
already closed but there was a Chinese restaurant
full of people and Lou said “Man that’s our
restaurant, it’s full, it should be very good. We got
in and we found out that it was a party of the owner’s
family…
We ordered some meat with rice and vegetables…
Oh, boy… I can tell you, it was the worst meat I
ever tasted, the sauce was horrific and the rice
was like concrete… I could stick my fork in it
and pick up the plate altogether… Insane. In the

end we went to McDonald’s because I was still
hungry… by that time I was already missing the
Portuguese food. During the following days we
found out that food in restaurants was all about
fast food and nothing special. Something that I
really love is to have great and healthy food, and
that’s something we could not find there, unless
cooking at home.
We received the Enduros in the following days
and we were ready to rock. We decided to stay
one more day at Safety Bay to shoot freestyle,
high jumps and some kite-loops and then the
next day drive down to Margaret River to meet
Billy. I have to say, the kite-loops of the Enduro
are something from another planet. It produces
such a big boost. And the wind was just around
25 knots. Can’t imagine what it delivers with over
30 knots… The next morning was so perfect for
another freestyle session alone at the flat spot,
so we went for another sesh before driving down.
That place is so great to improve your freestyle
and the wind is good for 12m kite in the morning
and in the afternoon for 9 or 7m full on.
Something that scared me while driving long
distances were the kangaroos. They run on the
road and can smash your car…. And that could
have cost us lots of money and time… so Lou was
always ready to scream out for kangaroos and

128
PHOTOSHOOT
Enduro Photoshoot in WA
I was full with coffee cups so my attention was
always pumping.
We arrived at Margaret River at around 5 pm. The
wind was a bit too offshore so we called it an end
for that day. We were staying at Billy’s house and
he got us a nice chilli dinner and lots of beer to
plan our next days of shooting.
The plan was to wake up every day at 6 am and
shoot nature and wild action in the bushes until
9 am. After that, get a session until lunch time
and then another one in the afternoon. An extra
sunset session could be an option too. It was really
tight to make it all happen for the Enduro and
Zephyr kites, since they work well for most of disciplines
and we had only about 12 days.
- First time in the bushes:
We went just in front of Billy’s house, he basically
lives in the forest, which is awesome, I love that
feeling. Far from buildings, car noises and industrial
stuff.
I can tell you I was really concerned about being
bitten by a spider, since I was wearing shorts and
walking among knee high bushes. After some local
people told me that kangaroos can be deadly,
sometime they kill farmers? … So my eyes were
always open.
Lou was loving the searching for animals thing…
but only after 4 days we found kangaroos and
they looked super scared and run away from us.
So I started to get confidence day after day and
forgot about deadly animals. On the last days I
was running in the big bushes and did not remember
about dangerous stuff… just because

there wasn’t any there… or my mind was telling
me that hahaha.
One of funniest episodes was to film the Enduro
kite hunting in the bushes. So, the idea is that I
was in the forest, I saw a kite flying among the
trees, like an animal or an eagle… Yeah, it sounds
strange and hilarious, but we look for crazy stuff
to entertain our lovely viewers and that was the
mission… making different stuff.
So that hunting episode was a hard one to nail,
we had to put the lines hanging on the trees and
fly the Enduro kite in the middle of the forest with
big gusts. I was really surprised how I could fly
that kite in a place like that. But we left the flying
part for the very last day just in case the kite got
destroyed, which almost happened after a big
gust ripped the bar off my hands, and the kite

130
PHOTOSHOOT
Enduro Photoshoot in WA
flew away to the top of the trees. But amusingly
the kite did not have any rip or scratch. Which
means it is more than tested! And that name suits
like butter .
- The motorbike “beach start” episode:
So the Enduro motorbike idea came up after we
had been told the name of the new Ozone kite.
The idea was to show a bike that rides in all types
of roads and add a “YOU DEFINE THE LIMIT” part,
which was jumping from the bike and landing on
the water. Hilarious, isn’t it? But again, the mission
in the trip was to come up with extra juice in
the kite clips and I think we did it.
The local police is strict about speed on the roads
but I could not resist to push up some gas on
that Ktm 450cc which was super powerful. Lou
did not want me to push hard on it because we
could not burn much time on video with that so I
was a bit sad…. But I got some time alone in the
forest which was real fun and Lou could get some
environmental sound.
- On the water action part:
Forecast looked bad for waves so we skipped that
to the end and started with more freestyle with
Zephyr at Augusta spot that is 30 minutes driving
down from Margaret River. We had the boat
of Billy’s father, Mark Hampton, a really cool guy
and always ready to help. I think if we did not had

his help our trip would have been way harder to
nail on all aspects. Thanks again for all your help
Mark.
Augusta is a pretty cool place to kite, around 3
km of pure flat lagoon perpendicular to the wind.
It was so sick to do some tricks with the Zephyr
in the morning.
In the afternoon the wind picked up for the 7m
and Billy and I went for an onshore wave and
strapless session and we got some nice shots
from that day.
Every evening I helped Lou choosing the best
clips so in the end he didn’t have to go through
the footage again. That’s why he made a faster
job.
Something else I hated in Australia in addition to
food, were the annoying flies: there could be 20
knots and those flies handled it and wouldn’t leave
you alone. I have a pic of Lou with something
like 50 flies around him and we had to be careful
because one could easily eat them just by speaking…
OMG.
The locals say you have to relax and let them
free, but I couldn’t. They land in your eyes too.
It’s Crazyyy… And there are the big ones that bite
you, so be prepared if you plan to visit this place.
The water temperature is quite good, a shorty
wetsuit is enough. But for surfing I recommend a
3/2 mm full suit. You save your skin from the reefs,
so the blood doesn’t call the sharks that are
around you . Hehe

132
PHOTOSHOOT
Enduro Photoshoot in WA
Talking about sharks, Australia has a shark
tracker website where you can see all the
sharks with a gps device which also reports of
spotted sharks. Interesting that after a good
kite day we saw that a shark was on the same
beach as us… that’s super interesting…. Ufffff
The place where I was more scared of kiting
was the Lefties, it is supposed to be the most
sharky beach in Margaret River. With the swell
hitting the reef, some brown seaweed was coming
up to the surface of the water and it looked
like sharks swimming around. Man, it was
burning scary. But after 30 mins the waves
were getting better and I totally forgot about
them, all the attention was on action… But no
crash was allowed during that session…
I met Billy for the first time there, and the first
day he was super quiet and a silent kid. But
after we became familiar he pushed the limits
with funny stuff. It’s normal for a young 16
year old boy. But I was surprised by his talent
in the water. Great surfing style with a kite and
landing already lots of handle-pass mobes. He
is truly an all-round skilled rider and I hope to
see him killing it in a near future.
We were all happy with the final result of the
Enduros. In the end if compared with the 2015
Catalyst it is better on freestyle kite-loops and
on the wave option you really feel the better
depower and the kite float while going down
the line on the wave. Also, it responds better
while depowering the bar than previous Cat.
Ozone squeezed that kite to make it even better.
I wasn’t sure if they could make a better

allround kite than the Catalyst. The bridle setup
makes all the difference. Get your hands on
it and have your thoughts.
The end of the story is that people are super
friendly, restaurants are most fast foods, the
best options are Italian restaurants or cook
your own food because supermarkets are really
good.
Night action is weak in Margaret River, there
are some pubs and bars but we were so tired
and did not explore night life. Sleeping is one
of the things I love doing and waking up at 6
am every day… didn’t help.
- The words most used during this trip were:
“ANGLES” from LOU, 2 hours before we start
kiting he likes going searching for all possible
angles. So if you will work with him get used to
the ANGLES word.
“RECON” and “DOABLE”. RECON is really used
here, as my English is still poor, I wasn’t used
to hear the word Recon, but after 2 days I was
tired and joking with it to. Every phrase from
locals seems to have the word RECON in it.
Ex: I recon that we should ride Lefties today,
should be “DOABLE”. As the wave conditions
were a bit “SHIT”, Mark Hampton was always
saying, “It might be DOABLE, I RECON”.
“SHIT” was the word I used the most to talk
about something, this started in the Chinese
restaurant… after that I would say everything
with shit or shitty in it… And the bad thing is
that everyone around started to use it… kind
of bad from my side…
Animals are friendly, kangaroos run away from
you, snakes only like biting mice, sharks only
bite seals and us humans are more dangerous
to them… Respect the Nature. Should be fine. I
will go back there. It’s a beautiful Country.

134
WAVERIDING TECH
Find the right fins
FIND THE RIGHT
FINS
Text Abel Lago e Courtesy RRD

The fins of your surf board are like the wheels
for a F1 race car, depending on the conditions
you will use different type of thickness,
size or flex.
The fins that you will use for your board
depend on your weight, style and especially the
conditions you are used to ride in.
Photo Svetlana Romantsova, Martin Rendo, Dave White, Courtesy RRD

136
WAVERIDING TECH
Find the right fins

HEIGHT
AREA
BASE
RAKE
Let’s start with the type of material that your fin
needs to be built:
If you live in a cold water spot (like in my case) you
normally will have to use a fin with a good flex
because the cold water makes the fin feel more
rigid, so in spots like Galicia or Cape Town where
the water is under 15º C I use the Glass fins that
give me good control and make the board feel a
bit loose so you can push harder in your turns.
But this is because I am a lighter rider (70 kg) if
you are a heavyweight I will recommend you the
Edge fins that are a bit stiffer and will make the
board easier to control when you go fast.
If you are lucky and you travel or live at a warm
water spot I will prefer to use the Edge fins or if
the waves are heavy and fast I will use and recommend
you the carbon fins that give you control
especially on big bottom turns.
Which size to choose?
The size of your fin will depend on your weight,
skills and the size of the wave.
I am used to ride small and medium sized fins all
the time, independent of which type of fins I will
use. Only in big waves I ride with XL fins to have
more control and slow the board down. When you
ride big waves, the board goes really fast because
the waves are faster so what you really need is
control and to be able to slow down, big fins are
harder to turn, but on big waves your turns will
always be open and big so I will totally recommend
big sizes.
In small waves it is always better to use small fins
that will make the board more loose, playfull and
easier to make quicker turns.

138
WAVERIDING TECH
Find the right fins
Thruster or Quad?
Well, this will be a personal choice. I am used to
ride everything. Lucky me: I have almost the whole
RRD board collection in my car and I choose 3
or 4 fins depending on the conditions.
I am a goofy rider and I am used to ride a lot of
backside or backhand conditions (wind from the
right) and depending if it is onshore or sideshore,
I choose 3 or 4 fins. For example:
If I have onshore conditions where the water will
be choppy I normally ride Salerosa 5’8 quad with
Glass M size fins or the COTAN 5’2 with the same
fins, because with the quad setup I have more
control in my switch position and speed. But if
conditions are heavy or more sideshore I will go
for my Maquina 5’7 and 3 fins, because then I will
start to ride more backside and what I need then
is an easy board that turns quick.
When I go frontside with wind from the left I use
more the 3 fin set-up with side - or on-shore conditions.
And I will only use Quad if the waves are
small or for strapless freestyle because with 4
fins you go faster and this is what you need when
you ride small waves.
Abel Lago

Carbon
The new RR PRO fins are designed to accommodate
different rider weights and styles. Based on
a moderate rake template design, this fin line delivers
great drive and speed in any conditions. Very
reliable in a large variety of water conditions, they
provide great performance on any wave shape or
surface. Specifically designed for kiteboards, they
excel in grip and release at high speed, both on
white turbulent waters or on clean steep sections
of the wave. Available in 4 different sizes for Thruster
set up and 2 size for Quad setup.
Side fins in cm: H 11,5 x 11,3 x 87,94 cm2
Center fins size in cm: H 11,0 x 11,0 x 82,17 cm2
Technology
The PRO ACTIVE CARBON technology, with a stiffer
flex and hi fiber memory, laminated with 2 x
layers of DYNANOTEX CARBON, is recommended
for bigger waves or warmer water use. You can
now customize your boards performance, according
to your desired style, with a very simple and
effective fin choice that we have discovered over
many months of testing in order make your life
easier and significantly help to improve your performance
level.

140
WAVERIDING TECH
Find the right fins
Glass
The new RR PRO fins are designed to accommodate
different rider weights and styles. Based on
a moderate rake template design, this fin line delivers
great drive and speed in any conditions. Very
reliable in a large variety of water conditions, they
provide great performance on any wave shape or
surface.
Specifically designed for kiteboards, they excel in
grip and release at high speed, both on white turbulent
waters or on clean steep sections of the
wave. Available in 4 different sizes for Thruster
set up and 2 size for Quad setup.
Side fins in cm: H 12,0 x B 11,6 x 94,15 cm2
Center fins size in cm: H 11,5 x B 11,6 x 87.94 cm2
EDGE
A new collection of surfboards and kitesurboards
fins now available in 4 different sizes S/M/ML/L
both for thruster and quad set up.
Designed with thicker profile and built with a stiffer
layup and technology than the RR pro model
fins these fins deliver a great amount of drive
through wide base design and the construction
combined togerther. More appropriate for powerful
riding and plenty of speed, when precision and
predictable behavior is essential.
Any thruster set up can be modified into a quad
setup simply buying a rear quad set, using the
thruster side fins as the front fins.
Technology
The ACTIVE GLASS FLEX technology, with a softer
flex and lower fiber memory, are recommended
for smaller waves, or for cold water use.

THE FAHRENHEIT IS THE LATEST
DEVELOPMENT AVAILABLE FOR A SUPER
QUICK DRYING WETSUIT COMBINED WITH
EXTRA DURABILITY AND STRETCH. THE
WHOLE WETSUIT IS MADE WITHOUT ANY
STITCHES, IT’S FULLY LIQUID TAPED ON
THE OUTSIDE AND FABRIC TAPED ON THE
INSIDE, TO OFFER SUPERIOR STRETCH
AND LONGER LIFETIME.
INTERNALLY IT’S MADE WITH AN ESPE-
CIALLY ENGINEERED QUICK DRYING LINEN
THAT FEATURES TWO LAYERS OF FIBERS
ON TOP OF EACH OTHER, WOVEN WITH A
SQUARED PATTERN DESIGN THAT ALLOWS
WATER TO FLOW THROUGH IT QUICKLY TO
THE OUSTIDE AND DOWNWARDS. IT’S LIKE
PULLING WATER TOWARDS THE OUTSIDE
AND CHANNELING IT DOWNWARDS SO IT
CAN DRY QUICKLY.
FAHRENHEIT
CHESTZIP
“Stitchless Technology”
WE HAVE TESTED THE FAHRENHEIT IN EURO-
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PERATURE OF 20°C, AND WE GOT IT DRY IN
LESS THAN 20 MINUTES! THIS SPECIAL LINEN
ALSO KEEPS YOU WARMER SO LONGER IN THE
WATER! NOW ALSO AVAILABLE IN THE HOODED
VERSION, ONLY IN 6/4 THICK NEOPRENE TO BE
USED IN REAL WINTER WATERS.
FEATURES
• STITCHLESS TECHNOLOGY
• FULLY FABRIC TAPED ON THE INSIDE
• FULLY LIQUID TAPED ON THE OUTSIDE
• QUICK DRY LINEN
• DRAIN HOLES
• ANKLE WATER LOCK STRAPS
Only available in black
Thicknesses:
•FAHRENHEIT C/Z HOODED 6/4
•FAHRENHEIT C/Z 5/3
Sizes:
XS•S•M•MT•L•LT•XL•XXL•XXL
Inside view

BACK RO
142
STRAPLESS MOVES
Back roll
Text Keahi de Aboitiz | Photo James Boulding

LLBY Keahi De Aboitiz
HOW TO: NO GRAB BACK ROLL
If your having trouble figuring out the front roll
then it may be worth trying to learn a back roll
first. For most people it seems like one or the
other will be easier at first and for me I actually
figured out the back roll first.
Although its not completely necessary if you
have a bit of a freestyle background, it will make
this trick easier. Ideally you want to know how to
do a back roll with straps and have some understanding
of the basic rotations at least. Although
the rotation is different, the more freestyle skills
you have, the easier this will be. By now you want
be pretty comfortable with some basic strapless
tricks and have a good understanding of how to
pop without using the kite too much for help.
This is another trick where strong wind is better.
The more wind there is, the easier it will be
to keep the board stuck to your feet as long as
you keep the bottom of the board constantly

144
STRAPLESS MOVES
Back roll
BACK ROLL - KE
Step 1: Look for the right take off
This is another trick where you
are going to need a nice solid
takeoff. Although it can be done
off flat water, it is much easier
off a chop or a small wave. Personally
I like to do them off a solid
chop but for a lot of people it
will probably be the easiest off
a small wave. I’d recommend
mixing it up and seeing what
works best for you.
Step 2: Take off
Approach the ramp with speed
with your kite around 10 or
11 o’clock. Put your back hand
in the middle of the bar with
your index finger and your middle
finger either size of the depower
line. Because only your
back hand is going to remain
on the bar, the kite will naturally
want to turn up once you start
the rotation so you need to try
minimize this as much as possible.
Edge hard and stomp on
your back foot while pulling the
bar in to get as much height as
possible.
Step 3: Start the rotation
As you leave the water take
your front hand off the bar and
throw your arm behind you while
looking over your front shoulder
to start the rotation. Bring
your front knee up and try to
bring your board up almost
above your head while trying to
keep your legs fairly straight for
the first part of the rotation. For
this trick, try and keep the board
on as much of a vertical axis
as possible
Step 4: Finishing the rotation
As you bring the board around,
focus on keeping the board on
a vertical axis throughout the
rotation as this allows for the
most contact to the wind. Slowly
bring your knees into your chest
through the middle part of the

AHI DE ABOITIZ
rotation while sheeting the bar
out as you start coming down.
Because your kite is turning up,
it naturally wants to pull you up
and away from the board. Do
your best to stop it from passing
12 o’clock to quickly. Its ok
if it does slightly but it needs to
do this slowly with the bar sheeted
out.
should be landing fairly slow
so do your best to stay over it
and keep it at close as possible.
Bend your knees as you land
and pull in on the bar for stability.
Now back loop the kite to
keep moving.
Possible Dangers:
Although this one is relatively
safe, you still need to be aware
of the dangers involved. Like
always in any strapless trick, it
can be quite easy for the board
to fly away downwind landing
upside down. Just try to be aware
of the fins as they can quite
easily cut you.
Step 5: Landing
Slowly bring your board back
underneath you while straightening
out your legs to keep
as much contact on the board
as possible. Your board may try
to fall away from you but you

146
SPECIAL "FOILBOARDING"
Dolphin, Crashing, Tack
special "foilboarding"
Dolphin,
Crashing, Tack
Dolphin
When you are learning or if you have already learnt you might of
experienced the dolphin. This is when up and down like a dolphin.
It is doing this because you are putting all your weight on the back
foot, this causes the foil to shoot out of the water and catch air. To
stop the dolphin put more weight on your front foot.
DOLPHIN
Text Olly Bridge | Photo Axel Reese / reemedia / liquid eye

Crashing
You are most likely when the foil breaks the surface of the water and
you come crashing down. To avoid hurting you self on the foil when
crashing try and jump away from the foil, up wind or downwind. Try
and avoid falling in front of the foil as sometimes it can keep foiling
and will hit you.
CRASHING

148
SPECIAL "FOILBOARDING"
Dolphin, Crashing, Tack
TACK

Tack
Step 1
Come into the tack with plenty of speed so you can keep foiling
throughout the tack. Start moving your kite up to the top
of the wind window. You kite does not want to stop it needs to
slowly move from one side of the wind window to the other. As
your kite is coming push the board further into the wind. Keep
your arms out to create as much lift up wind as possible. Keep
your knees bent.
Step 2
Keep pushing the board into the wind and bring your kite across
to the new side. Put more pressure on your back foot to lift the
board out of the water more. As you start coming into the wind
more duck under the bar like you do when doing a normal role
tack.
Step 3
Once your Kite has gone pass the top of the wind window and
your board has gone head to wind take your back foot out of the
strap and place it in your new front strap. With both your feet in
the front straps, this shifts your weight forward onto the front
wind to stop you from over foiling. Pull the bar in to keep the
power on. Duck under the bar to get onto the new tack.
Step 4
Once you have your new front foot in the strap take your other
foot out of the strap and place in the back strap. You need to be
quick getting your back foot in the strap to keep foiling and not
touch down. Keep moving your kite across to the new tack.
Step 5
Get back into your normal upwind riding position.

150
WAVERIDING - SAFETY TIPS
10 things that should go through your head when approaching a new break
10 THINGS THAT
SHOULD GO
THROUGH YOUR
HEAD WHEN
APPROACHING A
NEW BREAK
1. “WHEN IN DOUBT, DON’T GO OUT!” The number
one factor that will influence any decision
that you will make regarding safety is to know
yourself. Know your skill level, know what you are
comfortable with, and most of all know your limitations
and be smart enough to make the sensible
decision not go out and look elsewhere.
2. Local knowledge rules! If you show up to a new
spot and there are local kiters (even better lifeguards)
already out, ask questions. Why go through
the painful learning experiences of new spots
like learning where the reefs are with your fins, or
even worse how strong the rip tides and currents
are while you drag a popped kite in through the
channel. If you feel embarrassed about asking
questions, get over it! It shows experience that
you know better to ask than just head out blind.

Text Reo Stevens | Photo Jason Wolcott

152
WAVERIDING - SAFETY TIPS
10 things that should go through your head when approaching a new break
I’d imagine it’s a lot more embarrassing getting
rescued by a local, or even the coast guard. Just
imagine the taunting you’ll get in the local pub
when your mates constantly replay the recording
of the newscast of your ride in the “little bucket”
under the helicopter.
3. Wind direction/quality: Sure the wave looks
good, but how’s the wind? Study the weather
conditions and make sure that you shouldn’t just
be paddling out for a regular paddle surf instead
of pumping up your kite.
5. Tide: Is it rising or dropping? “I’m sure there’s an
‘app’ for that.” Tide charts… get one! Know what
the tides are doing. A changing tide can change
everything!
6. Where are the channels, are there any? Both
reef and sandbar shore breaks can offer up a
channel area. They are not necessary, but sure
can make your life easier with a nice smooth,
open area that makes getting back out to the
take off zone a lot easier on your body. They are
also a great ‘safe zone’ if something goes wrong.
4. Currents: How fast are they? Where are they
going, and do you really want to go where they
are going? Asides from the waves themselves,
currents can be one of the most dangerous factors
in the ocean. The can be subtle, but strong
enough that they can drag you down the coast, or
even worse, out to sea without you even noticing
that you are moving. Knowing how to recognize
currents, and knowing how to get out of them
could save your life.
7. Reefs: Do they pose a danger? This factor correlates
to the previous observation points. Do the
tides go low enough that the reefs now become
an exposed obstacle? Several areas of the world
have a severe enough tide change that areas
that are cover with water could be exposed over
a matter of a few hours. What you easily glided
over on your way out is now exposed coral keeping
you from getting all the way back to the
beach. Where there any channels? If so, do they
still exist? Has the lowing tide exposed the reef

enough that it has increased the strength of the
current in these channels so much that you won’t
be able to use them to get in? If you think you
might need to walk on the reef, reef booties are a
great idea. Remember, the ocean is a constantly
changing entity, keep an eye on what its doing.
Being aware of your changing surroundings could
save your life.
8. Trust your equipment: If your facing a session
that if things go wrong they are going to go “really
wrong”, perhaps its best that you fix that slow
bladder leak, or replace that worn chicken loop
and that line with a knot in it.
10. Is the juice worth the squeeze? Now that you
have everything assessed, you know the conditions,
you feel its safe to go out you and have
your back up plans in case everything goes
wrong; imagine everything going wrong and are
the rewards of the potential session really worth
the possible consequences. Remember, “If in
doubt, don’t go out!”
For more information on ocean safety… Check out
the Hawaii Lifeguard Association’s recommendations
on what to do when things do go wrong.
http://oceansafety.ancl.hawaii.edu/safety/
9. Know your escape route: Even if you can’t emulate
all of James Bonds charisma and charm, you
should at least adopt one of his tactics. If (and
when), everything goes wrong, using all the previous
factors that you’ve assessed, have a plan of
retreat on how you are going to make sure that
you will make it back to shore under your own
power. “It’s always good until it isn’t.”

154
WAVERIDING - SAFETY TIPS
Kite down in Surf
KITE DOWN
IN SURF
1. STAY AWAY FROM THE LINES: The last thing you want is to get hog
tied up in your lines and have the wave hit your kite and synch them
tight. If the kite goes down directing outside of you and the next wave
is going to push the kite over your head, do your best to get to one
side or the other, preferably upwind so you can quickly relaunch you
kite after it passes you.
2. BE PREPARED TO DITCH IT ALL: If the kite goes down in front of the
wave and you choose to hold onto the kite, be prepared to get a solid
dragging from the wave pulling the kite. Stay calm, hold your breath
and let it pull you, but have your hand on the quick release ready to
‘ditch it all’ if that pull is too strong or the wave is not letting the kite
go and you need to get a breath.
Holding onto the kite should only be done in smaller surf and does
have a high risk of damaging your kite either by ripping it or simply
stretching the stitching and material. Always use your best judgment
in the moment, and if you’re in doubt, just ditch it all and stay away
from the lines!
Text Reo Stevens | Photo Jason Wolcott

156
PRODUCT FOCUS
Manera exo
product focus
MANERA EXO
http://www.manera.com
When we launched the EXO harness
two years ago, our close
collaboration with a Human Kinetics
science laboratory gave
us a new approach of this product
and resulted in a technological
breakthrough compared
to what existed on the market.
For 2016 we have continued to
work on the same technologies
to bring them to an even higher
level. Changes were made in
both the structure and the materials,
improving both comfort
& durability on the EXO.
The look & durability of a harness
are very important aspects
and we wanted to improve both
of them. Our design team has
been looking for the best possible
materials in terms of look,
colors and durability, including
RIP STOPS, PU, 600D, SOFT
TOUCH and PREMIUM NEOPRE-
NE, all chosen to match well together
and all tested to resist to
the most extreme conditions.
This materials research makes
the harness look sophisticated
and modern, far away from the
regular EVA thermoform you
can find on the market. Plus, the
EXO harness is now stronger
and more resistant than ever.
We realized that when it comes
to comfort, the fit is essential.
Pre-forming all the material
layers that compose the harness
during manufacturing created
the ERGONOMIC PREFIT
technology. The first version
of the ergonomic prefit really
helped to adapt actively to the
movements of the body, and
provides freedom, flexibility and
softness. The goal for 2016 was
to improve it. We re- worked on
this manufacturing process to
pre-shape the EXO in a way to
fit better around the waist. The
result is impressive as the new
model clips around your body
like if it was meant to be here.
The Energy Dispersion Frame is
a molded plastic injected frame
with a hexagonal structure.
Built with various degrees of
stiffness and volume, to control
its flex and resistance, its main
advantage and innovation lies
in its connection to the spreader
bar through webbing and
buckles. The loads are transferred
directly and the frame
therefore receives 100% of
the Kite power. Its design and
structure helps distribute consistently
the pressure over a
much wider area. Pressures are
no longer concentrated on a
narrow area of the back, which
protects the rider and prevent

Texto and photo Courtesy Manera
him from having to compensate
with his lumbar muscles. This
technology brings a new vision
on the energy transfer science
and providesthe rider with a
comfort never seen before, and
an incredible freedom, like wearing
no harness.
Different thicknesses of the new
foam that lines the entire interior
volume of the harness are
used according to the pressure
absorption needs. It provides
better cushion under tension
with optimum comfort. The harness
will give the rider a maximum
range of motion and flexibility.
Over time the foam keeps
its original shape and thickness,
maintaining the comfort of the
harness. This new method consists
in transmitting all the loads
and pressures outside the harness
through the frame while
placing the totality of the foam
layers between these forces
and your back. Usually straps,
plates, and other devices are
hidden inside the harness and
are sandwiched between two
layers of foam. Unfortunately
only the layer between your
back and the structure of harness
helps reducing tensions.
On the Manera Exo harness, the
integralità of the foam thickness
is here to soften and suppress
pressure, for maximum
comfort.
Hips are a really sensitive part
exposed to frictions. In order to
avoid injuries we designed this
area with a full piece of neoprene
without seams and included
a double foam layer.
The Manera engineering team
developed a brand new attach
system that distributes forces
downwardly. Stuck in its original
normal position, the spreader
bar doesn’t go up.
You can be right or left hander,
the Manera leash release will be
easy to trigger: We placed one
on each side of the harness. Depending
on your preference, you
will also have the choice between
letting your leash free to slide
along your back and locking
it to either the left or right side.
Helping the Down Hold System,
two flaps situated on each side
of the spreader
bar are inserted in the harness.
Once the straps are tightened,
the flaps are compressed and
blocked inside. The aim is to
rigidify the link between the
spreader bar and the harness
structure. The result is surprising
as the hook never goes up
to your chest.

158
PRODUCT FOCUS
Core
product focus
CORE BOLT
FREESTYLE | WAKESTYLE | SLIDER-STYLE
http://corekites.com
You ride everything. Rails, sliders,
ramps, logs or whatever.
You might build ‘em yourself.
Or you may just find ‘em in your
travels. Either way, you’ll need
a board that can handle your
adventures. A board that edges
hard, goes big and takes a beating.
If this describes your style
then the Bolt is your board. The
Bolt is rail ready. It brings super
tough, wakestyle construction
with the right amount of flex
and bombproof boot inserts.
But that is not what makes this
board so special. The Pro Fix
Grindbase, on the other hand,
is. The Bolt’s revolutionary
snowboard-like base will make
your next session a little smoother.
With YouTube worthy, slides
and grinds. And magically
disappearing dings leaving only
awesome memories. That is
the new Pro Fix Grindbase. The
first kiteboard with a repairable
PTEX base.
Bolt. The ultimate, easy fix, freestyle,
wakestyle, slider-style
weapon.
THE UNCOMPROMISING WAKE-
STYLE
We doubled up on our proprietary
Cartan Carbon fiber to support
the additional stress from
fixed bindings. We incorporated
progressive freestyle channels
so you can ride without fins.
And we gave it a worry free
base. Why? To make a board
with no limitations. A board you
can ding.

text and photo Courtesy Core Kites
product focus
CORE IMPACT
FREESTYLE | WAKESTYLE
SIZES: 7,0 | 9,0 | 11.0 | 13,0
The no compromise, no nonsense,
C-kite. For those adrenaline
pumping unhooked moves
you keep on trying. We say...
more power to you. And now, 10
years after launching the fabled
C-kite, known as the Carved
Unit, we give you the power to
master your inner freestyle and
wakestyle ninjas with the new
CORE Impact. Unadulterated
and pure perfection. Squared
tips and bridleless. A dedicated
freestyle/wakestyle machine
with a deep, extreme C-shape.
DEEP-C SHAPE
With slightly longer tips than
the GTS3, the Impact retains
a more classical C-shape. As
such, expect a consistent, uniform
pull through your rotations
and transitions so you can focus
on your moves and not the
kite’s.
CLASSIC-C TIPS
Real C-kites have square wingtips.
Connecting lines directly
to the square wingtip provides
the direct connection you demand
and the “slack lining” you
expect from a true C-kite.
5 LINE SETUP
No bridle or pulleys here. Just
simple and direct line connections
to the kite. Feel where
your kite is when you are blind.
EXOTEX® Dacron
Made in Germany. Exceptionally
strong. ExoTex Dacron incorporates
a new asymmetrical weave
and emulsion (protective
coating) process. The stronger
fabric improves airflow by permitting
reduced leading edge
and strut diameters. Despite reducing
strut diameters, our new
ExoTex Dacron improves kite
stiffness, flight stability and rider
feedback.
CORETEX® TRIPLE RIPSTOP
Exclusive to CORE. Our, industry
leading, triple ripstop canopy fabric
is protected and strengthened
with three different coating
processes called emulsions.
CoreTex sets new benchmarks
in breaking strength, tear resistance,
longevity, UV protection
and elongation.
SPEED VALVE 2
No special hose adapter needed
here! The heavy duty Speed
Valve 2 connects directly to any
standard 20mm O.D. twist lock
pump hose. The Speed Valve 2
maximizes airflow, minimizes
inflation times and noticeably
reduces pump pressure. The
valve location also protects it
from beach hazards.
ACTIVE 5TH LINE SAFETY
Classic 5th line safety with a bonus.
The Impact’s 5th line and
safety line always remain perfectly
tensioned regardless of
the trim adjuster cleat setting.
For a perfect flight profile.
Custom Trim SYSTEM
The Impact has 3 backline and
3 frontline attachment points
to customize your bar pressure
and kite flying style.
RAPID RELAUNCH
Get more out of your freestyle
session. With its wide tips and
small diameter front tube, the
Impact releases better from the
water than you would think. One
pull on the steering line is all you
need to get the Impact flying
again so you can spend more
time mastering your latest handle
passes.

160
PRODUCT FOCUS
ION Strike Select
Product focus
ION Strike Select
Semidry 5,5/4,5 DL
Sizes
46 / XS - 48 / S - 50 / M - 52 / L - 54 / XL - 56 / XXL
http://www.ion-products.com
The STRIKE SELECT is the Don
of high-tech wetsuits. Shred in
style, crash in comfort and revel
in its luxury of Plasma_Plush lining
and the brand new Water_
Gate_3D construction. The increased
Single Lined back panel
results in outstanding freedom
of movement, while the Power_
Seam gives great stretch and
protection of the seam for a longer
lifespan. Having completely
overhauled the panel layout
with less seams, we can ensure
more warmth and stretch than
ever before. Have confidence in
this premium suit.
Line concept
Look loud and be proud this season
with the STRIKE AMP! A
suit that reflects the 'ride hard'
attitude of the individual, the
new design features offer outstanding
comfort and ultimate
flexibility. The Hot_Stuff lining
and the brand new Water_Gate_3D
construction gives unbeatable
warmth, while the Crash_Padz
give cushioning in all
the right places.
Sanitized® Technology
Sanitized® is a certified antibacterial
fabric with active biocidal
substance: zinc pyrithion
treatment to prevent bad odor
from bacteria, mildew etc. in
moist or sweaty environments.
This function is permanently integrated
in selected ION items
such as premium wetsuits, boots
and shoes.
Maki_Tape
Every centimeter of each GBS
seam is sealed with Neoprene
tape on the inside! It offers remarkable
stretch across the entire
suit. The soft surface won't
irritate your skin and provides
additional sealing against water.
In order to make the suit
last longer, stitching is placed
visibly on the outside where the
load is heavy when bending or
kneeing at the ground.
Ninja_Knees
What's the one thing prospective
wetsuit customers do at the
shop? Yep, you guessed it! They
pull on the wetsuit's arms. Here
at ION we think the legs deserve
the same attention, so the new
Ninja_Knees feature uses the
same highly elastic materials
as used in the arm panels. The
result is astonishing with awesome
freedom of movement,
especially when bending the
knees.
Ninja_Spine
By mimicking the concept of
the Ninja_Knees, we deliver the
same freedom of movement
to places we think it's necessary.
By incorporating a small
striped insert between the back
and the buttock panels, more
flexibility is provided for rotation
and stretch.
L-Tex_Protection
An erosion resistant protection
that's printed onto the knee,

varying in shape and size depending
on the suit.
Seal_Tite (Collar)
This single layer collar construction,
provides perfect water
sealing and outstanding
comfort. The super smooth
Glide_Skin on the inside of the
collar prevents skin irritations
and seals the neck perfectly without
choking. On the outside,
an additional rubber like stripe
is added on the collar rim to reduce
water intrusion, whilst the
higher collar protects against
cold water and windchill.
Seal_Tite (Wrist/Ankle)
A rubber like stripe print is provided
around the inside of the
wrists and ankles. This results
in a tighter sealed fit which
stops water from rushing into
your suit and loosening of material
around these areas.
Water_Gate_3D
The Water_Gate construction
has been updated! With an additional
seam to allow a more
body-specific fit around the
neck, it provides superb water
resistant sealing. The Water_
Gate 3D is used in all Select Level
and AMP Level models.
Seam_Reinforcements
All stress points that come under
a lot of force are reinforced
with either Melco_Tape on the
inside seams, or rubber logo patches
on the outside of the suit
to prevent ripping.
Contour_Cut
To improve flexibility and
comfort, all ION wetsuits come
with the ION Contour_Cut. It
greatly enhances flex in the collar,
wrists, elbows, insteps and
the back of the knees.
Drain_Holes
All wetsuits that have the Water_Gate_Plus
batwing panels
have small holes in the lower
back. This keeps the back area
dry by allowing the water which
has leaked in through the back
Text and photo Courtesy ION
zip to drain out. Drain_Holes
are also placed in the calf area
to prevent water from getting
stuck in a 'bubble' like fashion.
In addition to this, ION
front zip wetsuits also have
Drain_Holes in the chest and
back panels.
Sunglass_Loop
A small loop of webbing is featured
on the neck of ION wetsuits
and tops. Attach the safety
line of your ION sunglasses
to the webbing and leave your
worries at the beach.
Key_Loop
No need to panic! All ION wetsuits
are equipped with a clever
key pocket, inside of which is an
elasticated attachment. Depending
on the model of the suit,
this feature can be found on the
calf, arm or other area. *Please
note. Only store water resistant
keys in order to avoid any damage.

162
PRODUCT FOCUS
RRD
Product focus
RRD JUICE V2
Sizes (cm)
135 x 40,5 | 138 x 42 | 143 x 43,5
http://www.robertoriccidesigns.com
Wakestyle
It’s the latest wakestyle board
developed for Jerri Van De Kop,
our newly signed dutch wakestyle
kite boardrider.
Jerrie loves riding bindings and
loves landing tricks at 40 Mph.
If you eat it at that speed there
is very little hope for your
ankles and knees to still being
usable for walking. So your board
becomes your life saver.
Solid, perfectly trimmed so it is
not too slow yet not too straight
to be dangerous, the Juice V2 is
simply JUST RIGHT.
It comes with a 55 cms long totally
dead flat outline section
on the middle of the board, to
increase upwind potential, and
a deep channelled hull to lower
fin size but keep a mega grip
on the water. The new stick to
throw pretty much anything
you have in mind.

text and foto Courtesy RRD
Product focus
RRD POISON LTD V3
Sizes (cm)
135 x 39 | 136 x 40 | 137 x 41 | 138 x 42 | 140 × 43
http://www.robertoriccidesigns.com
The LTD pro carbon version of
the most wanted freestyle board
in our range since its introduction.
Some still refer to it as
“the board with the eye” constantly
reminding about its legendary
grip, light feel and silly
“pop”. Once you use the Poison
you immediately fall in love with
it.
There is something about it that
makes it feel just right: the scooprocker,
it’s the same one used
on the Poison V2, constant curve
with slightly lifted tip area,
but the outline has completely
been re-designed. The new outline
is based on the one designed
for the new wake-style
board program, the Juice V2: it
features a totally straight line
in the mid 45 cm of the board,
creating a perfect area to push
hard when trying to edge and
go upwind as hard as you can.
The tip area has instead being
narrowed down quite a bit, increasing
top speed and allowing
a quicker direction change, therefore
increasing the pop. The
Poison has more flex in comparison
to the Juice. The newly designed
Torsion Box follows the
profile of the tips being developed
with a new squared/swallow
outline creating a higher
angle of attack on the water
surface, and increasing control.
Now available in LTD Technology:
the differences of this premium
LTD version is that the full
carbon construction saves up
20% of weight and increases
the reflex response to transmit
your Energy which for instance
create san ever better pop. This
more reactive version also has
a thinner ABS sidewall of 3 mm.
Next to all that it has channels
for your pads or boots which gives
more options for a perfect
stance.
The Poison V3 defines the new
Status Quo of freestyle boards.

164
PRODUCT FOCUS
Flysurfer Speed5
product focus
FLYSURFER SPEED5 9.0 & 12.0 m²
Allround
http://www.flysurfer.com
FLYSURFER is a pioneer of its
industry, constantly exploring
new paths that lead to progress.
The creation of the SPE-
ED5 once again proves the success
of this approach, to open
up new dimensions. After a 10
year success story, the FLYSUR-
FER classic “SPEED” receives a
facelift and convinces with improved
performance and use-ability.
As an excellent all-round
kite the SPEED5 is the perfect
choice for every kiter.
The SPEED5 is the best kite system
for the highest all-round
performance on any terrain and
for every ability level. The SPE-
ED5 is a true multi-talent on
the water. This big-air and hang
time giant also convinces through
its characteristics as a chilled
cruiser and a simple re-launcher.
On land, the SPEED5 is
the first choice for freestyle kite
land boarders and buggy-kiters.
The strong material and its robust
construction is ideal even
for your roughest sessions. The
SPEED5 is a safe companion for
snowkiting. Even in gusty conditions
its stability and reliable
performance allows pure stoke.
Combining all strengths of its
forerunner with the newest features,
the SPEED5 offers an
incredible range of use, from
low-end to strong winds, making
it suitable for both rookies
and experienced riders. High
stability, effortless steering,
easy relaunch and a strong depower
enable the SPEED5 to be
extra controllable and thus very
safe. The ideal kite for both rookies
and experts. The SPEED5
offers the largest wind range of
all FLYSURFER products. Due to
its impressive depower and its
refined construction it performs
reliably in wind conditions
ranging from low-end to strong
winds. In general, FLYSURFER
Kiteboarding products are well

text and photo courtesy Flysurfer
known for their high performance
in low wind conditions. The
SPEED5 joins these footsteps
and shows a solid performance
and fun factor from 8 knots
onwards.
The development team emphasized
easy handling of the SPE-
ED5. The result is a fast set-up,
effortless steering and riding as
well as easy launching and landing.
Because of its steady increase
of lift, take-offs and high
controllable jumps are made
easy. An aspect ratio of 6.15 in
combination with an optimized
profile and rigid-foils increase
the glide ratio. In comparison
to the SPEED4 this results in a
stronger kick, increased jumping
height, hang time and an
even slightly better upwind performance.
The faster and more
precise turning of the SPEED5
makes its use a blast.
FLYSURFER’s virtue is to enable
customers to travel light and
comfortably. For that reason
the SPEED5 has light and small
packaging. The light weight
allows easy transportation -
whether it is for your adventure
holidays or business trips. In
addition, the kite bag features
enough space for even more kites.
The technical features are generated
from many years of
experience of the FLYSURFER
developing and workshop team
and their close collaboration.
DLX+ Cloth - The DLX+ cloth is
FLYSURFER’s newest cloth material
and has exclusively been
developed for the SPEED5. Its
base fabric is stronger and with
improved air density due to optimized
coating. This prolongues
the durability and restistance
of the canopy to aging.
Additionally the cloth features
shiny fresh colors.
The new internal construction
raises the quality of FLYSURFER

166
PRODUCT FOCUS
Flysurfer Speed5
foil kites to a new level. Double-stitched
seams and extra
taped ribs and straps provide
even more stability. Our reliable
drainage system is integrated
into the canopy of the SPEED5.
Openings that are about the
size of a hand are located on
both ends of the trailing edge
near the tips. They allow water
and sand to be drained automatically,
without influencing the
performance of the kite.
Triple Depower Technology
Depowering by pushing away
the bar, modifies the angle of
attack
The second depower option on
the SPEED5 involves the adaptive
canopy curve. By simply
moving the bar, the kite bridle
gradually modifies the canopy
curve of the kite and thus influences
the power of the kite
Through modification of the
mixer the airfoil camber adjusts
to the wind conditions. For light
winds a bulbous airfoil camber
is beneficial whereas a flat airfoil
camber is best for strong
winds.
LIROS Dyneema Lines - FLY-
SURFER Kiteboarding trusts
in the lines of LIROS that are
produced in Germany with a
high quality standard. Thanks
to their strong Dyneema core
fibers, a reduced line diameter
is possible while maintaining
equal breaking strength.
Optional 5th Line - By default
the SPEED5 is equipped with
a Front Line Safety (FLS). For
sympathizers of the fifth line
safety system, we have developed
a Full Depower Safety (FDS)
upgrade-kit, which is available
in the FLYSURFER online-shop
or at a dealer.
Double Cordwise Ballooning
- The Double Cordwise Ballooning
technology ensures the
canopy inflates into the designed
3D shape. This means that
exact calculations of profiles
and seams are implemented,
minimizing creases in the cells
and therefore ensuring the optimum
in aerodynamics, glide
ratio and low-end performance.
Rigid Foil Technology (RFT) -
The Rigid Foil Technology reduces
wrinkles in the cloth on
the leading edge. This results in
reduced aerodynamic drag and
thus increasing the lift of the
kite. As a result, the kite translates
every gust of wind into
propulsion without deforming
the canopy. Over all, the RFT increases
the kite dynamics while
maintaining a light weight and a
small in pack size.
Uniform Bar Setup - Our Infinity
3.0 Control Bar system is designed
to be used on all FLYSUR-
FER kites. It is only necessary to
ensure that the stopper knot is
set to the longest FLS position
of the kite of choice.

168
TECH
Harnesses 2.0
HARNESSES
text Renato Casati
We talked about harnesses in issue n.4 of our
magazine, but some recent market news gave a
spark to further analyse some interesting aspects
for all kiters. During the last year and with the
drive coming from Ride Engine, the industry has
reached really interesting innovations.
How to get by amongst so many
models apparently very similar
to one another?
Why is it so important to try a
harness even when we already
know the size?
Does the ideal harness exist?
Which are the real reasons for
the choice of a harness?
The harness represents our
faithful companion during our
sessions in the water, the most
useful and necessary, yet unfortunately
the most underestimated.
Kite and boards get frequently
replaced, whereas the
harness is never replaced before
it breaks. That is a mistake,
because every year new models
are released with improvements
on small or large deficiencies
compared to the previous ones.
The materials change, the comfort
is enhanced, the stay in the
water extends in duration, higher
performances are reached
and your back and joints appreciate
it.

PULL FORCE DISTRIBUTION
(Courtesy Jay Kiteboarding)
KITESURF ORIENTED
HARNESS!
It may sound trivial, but there
are still some kitesurf riders
who use a harness borrowed
from a windsurfer friend...
It has long been known that
the kitesurf has a different type
of traction from the windsurf,
therefore manufacturers have
differentiated and optimized
the sale lines by creating diversified
models in response to the
various needs of different disciplines
and users.
KITESURF
ORIENTED HOOK
The fixed hook is a legacy we
get from windsurf and as such
it has never been put too much
into question. However the
movements of the kite are obviously
very different from those
of the sail of a windsurf so having
a fixed hook turns out to be

170
TECH
Harnesses 2.0
nearly always the worst solution.
The following are some of the
advantages of the sliding hook
a.k.a. sliding spreader bar:
For wave riding, a sliding
spreader bar, considerably verticalizes
the trajectories making
the surfing more radical with
less fatigue for hips and knees.
For freeriding, it definitely
makes the riding more comfortable,
the upwind is sharper and
the joints appreciate.
For racing, a mixed solution is
often used with the alternation
of a fixed hook to a sliding
spreader bar according to one's
needs.
There isn’t any such problem
for the unhooked freestyle although
the very fact that you
unhook, says it all about why
the tractions of the kite should
not be always on the same pulling
point.
FLEXIBILITY is key. That means
having all the options available
and use whichever you consider
the best one from time to time.
The Jay Dynabar, for example,
is unique for the number
of options that it offers, it can
be combined with any harness
on the market and provides all
kinds of attachment points with
dozens of possible combinations.
HARNESS TYPOLOGY
WAIST or SEAT?
Is it better a waist harness or a
seat one? This represents the
first major dilemma for a beginner
although we often continue
asking ourselves the same
question during our growth as
kiters.
As a matter of fact we are talking
about two completely different
things with totally different
characteristics.
Thinking that the Seat type is
only used by beginners or less
skilled kiters is a mistake in fact
it really carries lots of advantages
over the Waist type.
Low barycentre
The barycentre is lower, because
traction is absorbed by
a lower part of your back. This
way the fatigue considerably
diminishes and you can significantly
prolong the length of
your sessions. Quite often this
turns out to be the only choice
for those who have back problems
and want to kite.
Having a low barycentre considerably
increases the opposition
in overpowered conditions
and this keeps the kite powered
for extreme hang time.
Finally, a seat harness can be
also perfect for wave riding as
a low barycentre allows more
radical carves..... (have you ever
seen how motorbikers bank
without touching the ground?).
It is true that with a Waist harness
your legs and hips are more
free and it is better for the lateral
sliding because if you leave it
quite "loose", the hook together
with he waist band can rotate
outwards (unfortunately riding
up a lot more too). However
there have been sliding spreader
bars for years, which are also
perfect for Seat harnesses,
with almost the same degree of
range of motion as the ones resulting
from the rotation of the
waist band but, unlike the waist
band do not ride up and always
return right in the centre.
Comfort?
There is no question, they are
more comfortable than waist
ones allowing longer sessions.
However at the same time they
can be also more "uncomfortable"
as not everyone likes the
kind of bulky feeling around the
thighs which as a matter of fact
does limit some hip motions

during extreme freestyle or
wave tricks.
“The privates"?
In spite of these clear advantages,
during the years Waist harnesses
seem to have been considered
better than Seat ones.
One of the reasons why seat
harnesses got a "bad reputation"
and a lot of people refuse
to consider them, is because
initially they came from Windsurf
Seat harnesses. Due to the
fact that the upward traction
in kitesurfing is completely different
from the horizontal one
in windsurfing, it became obvious
that a harness designed for
windsurfing could have caused
“damage” and be “painful” to
male inner thighs.
That's why anyone who used
non-optimised seat models has
only bad memories about them
and would not consider them at
all.
This issue has been tackled by
recently developed Seat models
with an improved design which
shifts the traction from your inner
thighs to the outer part of
them. So if you were to try one
of these new models you would
be surprised and pleased to
see how different they are from
what you remember and the
numerous advantages over the
Waist models. Furthermore the
comfort has been enhanced by
wider straps covered with comfortable
and cushioning materials.
Riding up hook?
For many years the riding up
hook issue on Waist harnesses
has caused many problems and
fractured ribs. If on one hand
there have been considerable
progresses over the years and
the riding up hook problem has
nearly been completely solved,
on the other hand there is no
doubt that even on this aspect
the Seat models are much better,
allowing the traction to be
always exactly in the same
point.
MUST TRY IT! WE ARE
ALL DIFFERENT!
The choice of a harness represents
a VERY personal aspect
as each of us is made morphologically
very differently from
anyone else.
Even if we were the same size
as another person we might
have a kyphotic or lordotic posture
making our perception of
comfort and of traction com-
pletely different depending on
the model. The market trend is
towards models made of materials
that adapt to different body
morphologies so to better fit
any user. However reality may
be different and in my opinion
we are still quite far from a good
"standard" level truly effective
and adaptable to all users.
That is why it is of FUNDAMEN-
TAL importance to test a harness
before buying it.
Unfortunately there are many
reasons why kiters DON'T try a
harness before they purchase
it: laziness, lack of supply in the
shops, trade fairs too far away.
Therefore the vast majority of
them buys a harness without
testing it first in the shop or in
the water. The purchasing order
is based on things like the
colour and the famous athlete
who uses that harness model.
Then, when the harness arrives
we realize that it doesn't fit well,
it's either too loose or too tight
or too soft or else it doesn't
support as we expected it to.
Testing may not always be simple
therefore, if you can, "steal"
your friends' harnesses, try
them in the water and focus on
the feelings you get and make a
comparison with your own har-

172
TECH
Harnesses 2.0
ness. The more harnesses you
try, the more useful feedback
you will get to understand what
you really need.
WITH OR WITHOUT
WETSUIT?
The harness should be tested
with the wetsuit measure we
use the most or the thickest one
we have in mm (usually 5 mm)
as well as WITHOUT a wetsuit.
This way you can verify the correct
size you need in both situations.
But what really happens
is that many people try it at the
shop without a wetsuit and go
for the just about right size so
that when they wear it on top
of the wetsuit it turns out to be
small.
SIZES?
Sizes are unfortunately
just an indication. For ex.
a size M is not always identical
to another size M as it differs
according to the manufacturer
and even when it comes from
the same manufacturer it may
fit differently if it is a different
model... Lastly, it goes without
saying that a size M fits completely
differently a very thin
body shape than a fatter one.
Perhaps, could it be more useful
if we were to check the size
tables provided by some manufacturers?
(see size table attachment)
Unfortunately there are substantial
discrepancies between
a theoretical "standard" size
and the reality of human morphology
which is always very
diverse ...
For example, according to the
size table at hand considering
that I weigh 87 Kg I should wear
an XL but, I am 1.88 cm tall so I
should wear a XXL. However as
my chest is 94 cm I should wear
an S and being my waist 88 cm
I should use an L.
So, which one is my correct
size? In the end it's an M!
We very frequently hear things
like "this harness does not fit
properly, the other one is perfect
etc etc" ... This is often due
to the correct fitting of the harness,
i.e. a harness which rides
up to the rib-cage is considered
to be a bad one but that’s usually
because the person who
chose it did not properly evaluate
the correct size or maybe
because he or she didn't have
the chance to try it before buying
it..
APPEARANCE
& DESIGN
The colours of a harness always
have their charm, they
can express peace or aggressiveness,
joy or pessimism, for a
lot of people that is just a detail
and focus their choice on more
practical parameters. For some
others though, the colours are
the only parameter of choice
which of course it is not the
best way to choose a harness!
Same goes for the design, it can
be very simple or minimalist, or
highly sophisticated, some people
go for smooth ones, other
people for more aggressive
thermoforms.

MEN'S SIZE CHART
(Example courtesy Prolimit)
SIZE WEIGHT (KG) ALTEZZA (CM) BREAST(CM) WAIST (CM)
46/XS
54-64
168-173
92-96
69-75
48/S
61-70
171-176
96-100
75-81
50/M
66-77
173-178
100-106
80-86
52/L
77-86
177-181
106-111
85-91
54/XL
86-95
178-186
111-116
90-96
56/XXL
95-104
183-188
116-121
95-101
END USE
Then the next choice
you need to focus on is simply
the main use you need your
harness for (Wave, Freestyle,
Freeride, Race...). If you practice
all disciplines and you only want
to buy one harness you will
have to go for an allround one,
whereas if you only do Wave
riding you will have to look for
that specific model.

174
TECH
Harnesses 2.0
PROFILE, SUPPORT,
FLEX
Once you have chosen the
Waist model or the Seat one,
the following BIG hurdle you
face is whether you want it to
be soft, medium or rigid, with
high or low profile, with little or
much support. Quite often one
wonders which is the difference
amongst the various models
and just as often one gets confused
during such evaluation
because of too many variables.
Actually it is very simple. The final
choice should be based not
only on the features described
by each manufacturer which
although being considerable
are secondary, but also and primarily
on two basic parameters
PROFILE and SUPPORT:
1- PROFILE, that is how "high"
or "low" is the harness shape.
The higher it is the more your
back will feel supported and
comfortable. The drawback for
such choice is that you'll have a
slight movement limitation due
to the resistance given by the
very shape of it. This is a problem
encountered by real and
extreme freestylers or by wave
riders. The size of the profile and
the support are connected that
is how you feel your back gets
supported during your sessions
in the water. Hence, the higher
is the profile the greater is the
support. However, the support
does not depend primarily on
the profile but more like on the
flex of the support provided...
Let's be clear...
2 - THE SUPPORT is identifiable
in two very specific areas:
A - BACK SUPPORT (central
back area)
B - LATERAL HIPS SUPPORT
(two areas: middle-lateral left
and right)
In order to better understand
how the support works we can
use a simple example. Just imagine
you sit on a chair with a
high back and on another one
with a low back and this will
explain the support difference
for you... Or else you could imagine
to sit on two chairs with
the same back height but one is
rigid and the other one is soft.
This can give you an idea of
the difference between rigid or
soft support and also of the flex
concept. The type of back support
can be quickly identified by
carefully observing the shape
of the harness. You can identify
three types of support:
HIGH (when you observe the
harness you can notice it very
much stretches vertically)
This kind of support is more
comfortable as a bigger part of
your back rests against a support.
This means that if you do
quite big rotations in the air
then such harness with so much
support could turn out to be the
wrong one. On the other hand
if you like spending six hours in
the water then a harness with

a lot of support lengthens your
session time....
It goes without saying that the
greater is the support the more
your back will be grateful for it!
MEDIUM (the harness looks very
proportionate)
This typology is a good compromise
for all uses.
LOW (the harness appears very
compact and with a downward
unbalanced shape)
It allows a perfect freedom of
movement against a lesser lumbar
support and hence you will
have an earlier fatigue feeling.
Support distribution
To further complicate the above
distinctions, it must be considered
that, given the same
height support, we must observe
how the "support" has
been deployed. For example,
some harnesses shape may
have a greater support on the
higher area, less support on the
middle area and no support at
all in the lower area so not to
limit front bending. In short, if
you carefully observe the shape
of a harness you will already
be able to understand a lot of
it but, unless you "touch” it and
bend it with your hands, you will
not understand much else.
Hips support
The various models may look
similar from their back design,
but then they differ from one
another for their lateral support.
For example, for wave riding the
profile of the harness may seem
to have the back part similar to
the others but if you look at the
side profile you'll notice less
support in order to not impede
rotations too much.
Flex
The FLEX is related to how rigid
is the material used for making
the support.
A lot of people think that a greater
thickness equals a greater rigidity.
This is not always true as
the degree of resistance of the
material used for the stuffing
does not define rigidity by default
and, as a matter of fact,
this turns out to be often the
opposite ... Greater rigidity, that
is, little flex has without a doubt
three major advantages, especially
for wave riding:
A - Being rigidity undeformable
by definition, the traction
is evenly absorbed by your EN-
TIRE back therefore generally
with less pressure on unwanted
pulling points of your body. In
other words the kg transferred
on each cm of a rigid harness
are less than the ones on a
soft harness where the pulling
points depend on the shape of
the back of the rider and on the
harness design and these pulling
points can be very traumatic
and sometimes cause protrusions
or other dorsal pathologies.
B - A more rigid structure does

176
TECH
Harnesses 2.0
not compress the rider, leaving
the rib-cage and lungs free
and giving an altogether feeling
of greater freedom and movement.
C- Lower weight and smaller dimensions.
This type of harness
can weight up to 30% less than
a traditional one as well as being
smaller and more compact. This
is because bigger dimensions
are not necessary to transfer
the traction as it is absorbed
by the rigid structure. In order
to understand this concept it is
sufficient to have a look at the
Ride Engine harnesses.
Type of use
The type of end use is defined
by the combination of the different
possible values, between
support and flex. This means
that, for example, if you bought
a harness ideal for top freestyle
riding but you use it for wave
riding (or vice versa), it's as if
you were using a Ferrari downtown
or, if you prefer, a Fiat 500
on a Formula One track ... in
both cases you are driving a car
but just not the most appropriate
one. I have always believed
that it is a good idea to take
two harnesses when travelling
abroad because if you lose one,
it gets stolen or breaks, you still
have the other one and secondly
you can choose which
one to use according to which
discipline you want to practice
and therefore perform at your
best. If you want just one harness
and you practice a bit of all
disciplines with some compromises,
the best choice are the
freeride harnesses or an adjustable
flex one.
Renato Casati “Dr Kite”
RRD’s wave team rider. Kitesurfer since 2000,
PKRA and KPWT athlete and judge. For the
last 12 years he has been writing for several
kiteboarding magazines.

KITE BEACH SCHOOL
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178
BASIC FREESTYLE MOVES
Toeside Surface Pass
BASIC FREESTYLE MOVES ALBERTO RONDINA
TOESIDE SURFACE PASS
Text Alberto Rondina | Photo Alberto Rondina, Roberta Pala
The feeling of passing the bar behind your back
for the first time you will always remember! Turning
your back to the kite is always scatchy so
even if you are planning on the water you still
need a good amount of control and technik to
manage the trick!
This one is the most basic handle pass trick and
the easiest to start with, i believe. It was the first
one I started with, and its a great intro for many
other tricks afterwards!
Start off unhooking and quickly slide into toeside,
going in the downwind direction trying not to loose
speed.
Doing so, keep your legs bended (especially the
back leg) and your hands right in the middle of
the bar, so the kite won’t move too much.
Bring the bar down and close to your front hip
getting ready to pass the bar.
Let go your front hand, turn the bar around behind
your back and pass it.

This is the most important point of the trick. Passing
the bar its the easy part, the tricky part is
turning the board around back to heelside.
What you have to do is move the weight of your
body from the back leg to the front leg. Doing so,
you can put a lot of pressure on that front leg so
that you can pivot around it and then go back to
heelside!
Hook back in and ride away, you have done your
first handle pass!
Key things to remember:
- Going downwind with the board is very important
to have a light pull on the bar.
- Keep the hands in the middle of the bar.
- Keep the knees bended to have a lower barycenter.
- Move weight from back leg to front leg in the
key moment.

180
BASIC FREESTYLE MOVES
Pop to Blind Surface Pass
BASIC FREESTYLE MOVES ALBERTO RONDINA
POP TO BLIND SURFACE PASS
Text Alberto Rondina | Photo Alberto Rondina, Roberta Pala
Popping to Blind is the 2nd step in surface handelpasses.
Its something that you first need to try hooked
in, so that you can focus on the board and body
movement without thinking too much about the
kite or kite power. The board basically needs to
turn 180 degrees backside, so as you look back
with your head you can see the spray your board
was making, well now it still needs to go the same
direction.
Once you have that dialed, you gotta step it up
and try it unhooked.
With good speed, unhooked and look for a good
place where to pop (a nice chop would help)
Push hard with your back leg to get height and
bend slightly the front leg to bring the board out
of the water.
Turn your head over your back shoulder and leave

the back hand from the bar.
Keep the bar close to the front hip and bend your
legs to get ready to cushion the landing and being
more balanced.
You have to turn more then 180’ (especially at the
beginning) to land downwind so that the kite pull
is gonna be very lown and its gonna be easy to
pass the bar.
Grab the bar with the other hand and ride away.
Right now an whole new world just opened in
front of your self!! Pretty much any trick you can
think off can be landed to blind….so be sure to
have your blind landings locked in, cause there’re
gonna be very useful and stylish!!
Ciao
Alby

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