Kitesoul Magazine #11 English Edition

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EVENTS
Red Bull King of The Air 2016
World Snowkite GPS Contest 2016
ITW
Luis Brito
KITE - TEST
The Wave Kings

R I D E R : A I R T O N C O Z Z O L I N O / P H O T O : T O B Y B R O M W I C H
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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
APRIL 2016 - MAY 2016
TWO-MONTHLY
Texts
Mark Barry, Olly Bridge, Airton
Cozzolino, Keahi de Aboitiz, Bertrand
Fleury, Andries Fourie, Aaron Hadlow,
Colin Heckroodt, Tuva Jansen, Matthias
Larsen, Matchu Lopes Almeida, Marc
Ramseier, Axel Reese, Alberto Rondina,
Michelle Sky Hayward, Oswald Smith,
Gabi Steindl
Photos
Christian Black / Red Bull Content
Pool, James Boulding, Tyrone Bradley/
Red Bull Content Pool, Toby Bromwich,
Claudio Cabral, Giangi Chiesura, Andrea
D'Antoni, Mario Entero, Giuseppe
Esposito, Laci Kobulsky, Craig Kolesky/
Red Bull Content Pool, Colin Leonhardt,
Alessandro Lo Mundo, Annalisa Matteu,
Brendon O'Neal, Stefania Perria,
Axel Reese, Martin Rendo, Svetlana
Romantsova, Gabriele Rumbolo, SBAM
Production, Tim Smith,Ydwer van der
Heide / Red Bull Content Pool, Marc
Weiler, WhiteSpace3.ca, Jason Wolcott
Cover:
Rider Aaron Hadlow/ King of Red Bull
KOTA 2016
Photo Craig Kolesky/Red Bull Content
Pool
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.
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.
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.
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
A year 2016 as fast as a hurricane!
This year's edition of the Red Bull King of The Air
in Cape Town, by all accounts, was the most beautiful
ever held. The wind conditions were not
the usual "stormy" ones at Big Bay, but the waves
in the Bay created amazing kickers for the participating
riders allowing them to reach stellar heights
for the happiness of the crowd. It was also
the edition with more incidents, some riders pushed
the limit up to an incredible level, like Lewis
Crathern, whose conditions after the terrifying
crash during the competition made everyone
hold their breath. And for the first time in the history
of this competition, a rider has won for two
consecutive editions, this year too the King has
been Aaron Hadlow!
Among the major events at the beginning of the
year, as already anticipated in our previous issue
n°10, there has been the World Snowkite Contest
2016 GPS Formula at Roccaraso (Italy), where
the best snowkiting riders gathered together
for a competition that this year more than ever
has been difficult to interpret, with very difficult
weather conditions with high temperatures and
consequently a lack of snow, which forced the organisers
to bend over backwards in order to guarantee
a safe as well as spectacular competition!
Niccolò de Simone, the event organiser and the
winners of this edition tell us about it in the very
broad article in this issue. Special thanks to Paulino
Pereira, usually a "liquid phase" rider, who
provided us with an amusing report on his first
snowkiting experience.
The most important new thing that actively involved
the Team of the magazine, was the wave-kite
test carried out in beautiful Cape Verde. Six kites
were tested, in the hottest spots in the Island
of Sal and with the most extreme conditions, in
Rider Jerrie van de Kop | Photo Svetlana Romantsova

order to determine "whether" the final wave kite
exists, a unique test worldwide which you will be
able to find exclusively in this issue of Kitesoul
Magazine.
Colleen Carroll, AWSI Female Kiteboarder of the
Year 2015, shares her thoughts with us in her permanent
section on the first pages of our magazine.
Journeys are more and more "soul".... and that's
how my great friend Gabi Steindl takes us to the
heart and silence of kitesurfing, Marc Ramseier
discovers Ireland and its freezing cold but yet
epic conditions and Matthias Larsen takes us to
Barbados with his beautiful selfies.
As far as our interviews are concerned we have
a young Cape Verdean, who last year got fifth at
the Tarifa Strapless, Luis Brito, another big rider
from an island that seems to churn out only great
champions....
There are also our educational articles: the foil
with Olly Bridge, the basic freestyle manoeuvres
with Alberto Rondina, the freestyle strapless as
explained by the wave world champion Keahi de
Aboitiz and the technical and invaluable advice
of two big wave riders, a couple who lives on and
breathes wave riding, Tuva Jansen and Bertrand
Fleury.
Also the new technical materials, the first approaches
to the new products and a photographic
preview for our Coming Soon, dedicated this time
to the first event of the freestyle world tour in its
first location, El Gouna, skilfully photographed by
our Art Director, Giuseppe Esposito, Kitesoul special
correspondent in Egypt.
So relax and enjoy this issue which we hope will
inspire you now that the summer season is approaching
here in the northern hemisphere.
Roberta Pala, Federico Sugoni

SUMMARY
EVENTS
SELFIES
34
104
20
Portfolio
Red Bull King of
The Air 2016
EVENTS
50
TRIP
78
Ireland
Barbados
nutshell
KITE - TEST
112
World Snowkite
GPS Contest 2016
The wave
RIDERS COLUMN
32
Colleen Carroll
COMING SOON
66
IKA WORLD
CHAMPIONSHIPS
El Gouna Grand Slam
SOUL'S REFLESSIONS
94
Flow and silence
FEELINGS
ITW
140
Luis Brito
100
Teahupoo's
sensations

STRAPLESS MOVES
166
in a
kings
PHOTO e VIDEO
154
Sail Video
System
WAVERIDING
158
Safety and rules
Shove it
360 hand shove it
FOILBOARDING
174
Foil-Gybe
Gybing off the foil
ACCESSORIE'S TEST
178
TECHNICAL STORY
184
Trapezi ION
PRODUCT FOCUS
190
Core XR4
Core Fusion
RRD Passion MK8
RRD Fifty Fifty
Girl power
FREESTYLE MOVES
198
Front roll
S-bend

20 PORTFOLIO
Lasse Girolstein
RIDER: Lasse Girolstein
PHOTO: Axel Reese/reemedia/liquid eye

22
PORTFOLIO
Alex Neto
RIDER: Alex Neto
PHOTO: Martin Rendo

24
PORTFOLIO
Sam Medysky
RIDER: Sam Medysky
PHOTO: WhiteSpace3.ca

26
PORTFOLIO
Alberto Rondina
RIDER: Alberto Rondina
PHOTO: Laci Kobulsky

28
PORTFOLIO
Matchu Lopes Almeida
RIDER: Matchu Lopes Almeida
PHOTO: Mario Entero

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× WANDERLU
32
RIDERS COLUMN
Wanderlusting
RIDERS COLUMN
Colleen
Carroll
Text Colleen Carroll
Photo Colleen Carroll e Toby Bromwich

STING ×
It can be easy to find a favorite
kite spot and make that ‘your
go-to travel spot’. Each time
you can sneak away for a little
vacation your fingers slip into
autopilot, checking ticket prices
for the airport nearest that one
favorite kite spot. Visiting time
and time again, year after year.
Not to say there is anything
wrong with that. Kiteboarding is
a fickle sport. I get it. Why venture
to the unknown when the
known is so good?
Even as a professional kiteboarder
one can get sucked into this
trap of knowing what you’re in
for. Personally, I’ve been going
to the same small town in brazil
for the past five years, in total
spending almost 10 months in
the quaint fishing village. But
then again there are reasons
for this. When booking a kiteboarding
holiday to a relatively
unknown destination you are
always taking a risk. Will it be
windy? Will the water conditions
be to my liking? What
about the food, locals, and
non-kiting activities? Will I be
safe exploring the beaches and
nearby towns? All my friends are
in this other location; maybe I
should just go to the same place
as them….
With most investments, they
say that with bigger risk comes
healthier rewards and just recently
while globe trotting from
Seattle to Asia to Africa, Craig
Cunningham and I cashed out
big. While the rest of the kiteboarding
world headed to Cape
Town, South Africa, easily one of
our favorite kite cities, we opted
for the path lesser travelled and
hopped a flight to Kenya. Destination:
Watamu.
Watamu is a small fishing village
located only an hour flight
from Mombasa, planted on the
central coast of Kenya. Boasting
one of the best beaches
in Kenya as well as consistent
winds for two peak seasons
a year, loads of offshore sandbars,
wildlife, fresh cheap eats,
and loads of non-kite activities,
Craig and I almost couldn’t believe
it to be true.
It sounds like every new spot
that promises the ultimate kite
vacation glory in their ad on facebook.
But in this case it was
even better than promised.
And as I sat at 4am on the last
days of this recent trip to Kenya
overlooking the most breathtaking
view of a waterhole remarkably
similar to the final scene
in the Lion King, I was blatantly
reminded that stepping outside
the comfort of visiting established
destinations can be so
much more rewarding. So I
challenge you, you who books
the same condo on the same
stretch of beach year after year,
ask around, do a few google
searches, find a place you’ve
always wanted to see and go for
it. You might just have the trip
of a lifetime!

34
EVENTS
Red Bull King of The Air 2016
testo Michelle Sky Hayward, Aaron Hadlow, Colin Heckroodt, Oswald Smith, Andries Fourie
foto Christian Black/Red Bull Content Pool, Craig Kolesky/Red Bull Content Pool, Ydwer van der Heide / Red Bull Content
Pool, Tyrone Bradley/Red Bull Content Pool

× 2016×
RED BULLKING
OF
THE AIR
Cape Town, stop showing off!” is exactly what the commentator said during the
Red Bull King of the air on Sunday 7th February 2016. The event started at 2pm,
precisely on time, at Big Bay, Cape Town. And showing off, is exactly what Cape
Town did! The wind reached speeds of over 35 knots, the waves were peaking at
enormous heights and the crowds and cheers were larger than ever before.

36
EVENTS
Red Bull King of The Air 2016
Heat after heat, the
spectators saw things
they had never
seen before. Each
jump was higher than
the one before it. The electricity
of the crowd’s cheers was building
too as the day progressed.
Things like Tom Hebert’s quirky
old school moves and Sam Lights’
megaloop triple back roll
had the crowd in screams. Reno
Romeu also stood out as one of
the crowd’s favourites with the
height he reached in all his tricks.
Then there were things that
had the crowds in screams for
not so good reasons; like when
Oswald Smith fell down in the
shallow water after a spectacular
handle pass gone wrong.
The lifeguards rushed to his
side but he soon had the crowd
cheering when he stood up and
walked away unscathed. Lasse
Walker also had a frightening
crash at the end of his heat.
Everyone realised there was something
wrong when he stayed
underwater and did not try to relaunch
his kite. Kevin Langeree
came to his rescue long before the
rescue boat could reach him, and
held him up out of the water so
he could breath. Happily, he came
out of the ocean with no broken
bones and just some water on his
lungs. The last accident of the day
was had by Lewis Crathern during
the last semi-finals. The competition
was immediately put on hold
so they could rescue him from the
water. We are not exactly sure how
he is doing but we do know that
he released his kite the second he
fell in the water, which was a very
wise thing to do and which made it
easier to rescue him. We also know
that he had a rather bad fall by
the height that he fell from. There
was about an hour and a half break
after that before the semi-final
could resume, as they had to wait
for the ambulance to return.
During the break, we spoke to the
media commentator, Colin Heckroodt,
for an update:
It’s been an incredible event, the

× KEVIN LANGEREE×

38
EVENTS
Red Bull King of The Air 2016

× JESSE RICHMAN×
judges up there in the box and
the riders and visitors from
overseas have been saying that
it is border lining on being the
best King of the Air event they
have ever seen. We’ve had the
most accidents so far, it’s been
the most risk taking so far, and
the guys have already been pushing
the limits in the first and
second rounds – it’s unheard of,
it’s amazing. So far I don’t think
any WOO records have been
broken, the wind isn’t quite up
to 40knots like they had before
when they broke the records.
But we’ve seen some serious
moves going down at about
18 and 19m with rotations and
maybe a loop or two. So it’s definitely
a record in terms of tricks
that have been done with
height.
The final was one for the record
books. Jesse Richman did his
first trick just seconds after the
starting horn blew and Aaron
Hadlow followed shortly with
his perfectly executed megaloop
KGB. Kevin Langeree also
wowed the crowds with his high
board-offs and smooth landings.
By this time it was 7pm and
the wind was only gusting up to
28 knots. But despite the long
day, the setting sun burning
their eyes and the dropped off
wind and waves, these guys
came to the party like never before.
It was anyone’s game at
this stage as each competitor
brought their best to the water.
Ruben Lenten was also there to
show his support. Unfortunately
he was not feeling up to an
interview as he was not feeling

40
EVENTS
Red Bull King of The Air 2016

× JERRIE VAN DE KOP×
well and still in a lot of pain.
The prize giving was held just
minutes after the final. Thousands
upon thousands of people
gathered in front of the podium,
with Table Mountain as
the backdrop. To no surprise,
Kevin Langeree won the Mystic
most extreme move of the day.
He was clearly the crowd’s favourite,
because as soon as he
was announced in third place,
they started to boo and complain.
In a moment of absolute
tension, we had to wait to see
who would come first, Aaron or
Jesse. Suddenly Aaron’s hand
was raised, announcing him the
winner and chaos in the form of
cheers and camera flashes filled
the beach.
While the podium positions lapped
up their victory, we spoke
to some of the other riders and
asked them how the event went
for them and what they thought
of the final results:
Oswald Smith: We had a really
great day here today, the wind
was perfect, the waves were
really big, we had some sick
kickers and everyone rode super
well. The level was higher
than ever before. Unfortunately
I bummed out of my quarter finals,
I got a few sick loops and
then I tried some handle passes
but didn’t really stick it so
I didn’t get my third trick down.
But the finals were insane, we
had Aaron doing some KGB kiteloop
passes which was crazy
and then we got Jesse doing a
kiteloop front mobe. I’m pretty
stoked, it was an awesome
event – best King of the Air yet!
The judging was pretty good,

42
EVENTS
Red Bull King of The Air 2016
Aaron deserves the first place
and I know that Jesse definitely
competed very hard, and then
in third place it was Kevin who
also did really well.
Andries: I’m happy, I’m stoked
with my achievement. I will be
doing it again next year, since I
was in the top 12 I automatically
go through. (Andries made it
through to the semi-finals) The
final results, I wasn’t too convinced
about the first, second
and third results. I think Kevin
needed to win since he won the
best move of the day during the
final heat, but I also think Jesse
did do really well so it’s hard to
say.
In rare moments this, everything
falls into place. A moment where
the pressure mounts and
the riders push the limits. The
world comes out to support a
cause and unity abounds. The
elements fall into place too, and
show off what they can provide.
And that rare moment, is called
Red Bull King of the Air.
Well done to every single rider
for going out there and giving
it their all. Well done to Aaron
for winning, the first rider to win
the King of the Air twice! Once
again, he has made history. I
guess Red Bull really does give
you wings. While we wait to
hear about Lewis Crathern, our
thoughts go out to his friends
and family. Our thoughts also
go out to Ruben, we wish him
well and hope to see him back
on the water again soon.

× LEWIS CRATHERN×

44
EVENTS
Red Bull King of The Air 2016

46
EVENTS
Red Bull King of The Air 2016
This year the Red Bull King of
the Air brought some of the
most incredible condition, the
wind was strong but the big waves
crashing through made the
biggest difference.
Looking at the criteria it is important
to balance height and
risk factor. Big Megaloops and
tricks such as the Megaloop
KGB where strong in my mind
through out the day and they
helped me get through to the
final.
It was an emotional day, seeing
my good mate and team mate
Lewis Crathern down and out
after a huge crash, I was very
worried and it made me realise
how serious a crash like this can
be. After over an hour of waiting
before the final, with the support
from Family and friends I
was able to get my head back
in the game. I managed to start
the heat in the best way possible.
I got my biggest jump,

followed by my best Megaloop
KGB, followed by a big Megaloop
front roll with a grab of the
wave. With so much adrenaline
and emotion flowing I could
really give it my all. The crowds
were huge and it was great to
feel that energy. Coming to the
beach I felt confident that I had
done the best I could. I was able
to go big and add maximum risk
factor. It is always hard to know
which way the decision will go
on the podium but I was really
happy to hear my name last and
stand on the top step.
Aaron

48
EVENTS
Red Bull King of The Air 2016
AARON HADLOW
× KING OF THE AIR 2016×

50
EVENTS
World Snowkite GPS Contest 2016 – Roccaraso (Italy)
ROCCARASO (ITALY)
The Alto Sangro ski area has hosted the World
Snowkite Contest 2016, GPS formula, which is based
on an evaluation system of the tracks covered by the
riders in a given time interval, through which the
scoring is assigned based on parameters such as the
length of the track and of the perimeter covered within
the race field. Six days of competition, from Monday to
Saturday and 35 registered athletes coming from every
country, from Russia to Italy.

ITW Roberta Pala
Text Mauro Ferro, Niccolò de Simone, Michele Leoni, Felix Kernsten, Lukas Vogeltanz, Paulino Pereira
Photo Bertrand Boone, Wareck Arnaud, Annalisa Matteu, Fabrizio Poggi, Mauro Ferro

52
EVENTS
World Snowkite GPS Contest 2016 – Roccaraso (Italy)
We asked some questions to the organizer of
the event, Niccolò de Simone.
KS_What are the considerations for this year
event?
WSC_There have been both positive and negative
elements. We have been unlucky if we consider
the snow conditions, however we managed to
run 4 days of activities out of six. This shows that
the Alto Sangro ski area is suitable for snowkiting
and very versatile. Unfortunately, ours sport
depends on weather conditions and the overall
mood is affected by them. Hence I would probably
say that this edition has been the most
complicated one compared to the previous ones.
We will work to improve both the format and the
GPS formula.
KS_Difficult conditions and change of the race
field, how did it influence the performance of the
contest?
WSC_ Safety and format wise the 2016 event has
been a very complex one due to the general weather
conditions. From a meteorological point of
view it has been the most difficult season I have
ever seen in relation to the snow conditions. During
the days of the competition we had high
pressure with winds aloft and the practicability of
the spots was limited by the absence of snow. In
fact, out of the five possible spots for the race,
only one was covered by snow more evenly. Nevertheless,
we managed to run the contest to the
end without any incidents. It goes without saying
that in such conditions the race format has also
suffered some limitations. The contest of Roccaraso
was created with the objective of enabling
the athletes to explore a wide area both through

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World Snowkite GPS Contest 2016 – Roccaraso (Italy)

the gps device and by the identification of a route.
Because of the snow conditions this year we
had to limit the single races to 30 minutes and
that did not allow the riders to discover an extended
territory.
misunderstandings due to a mistaken interpretation
by the athletes, which could have been avoided
by properly writing the rules down. This will
be one of the main objectives for the 2017 edition.
The main disqualifications were related to
the fundamental rule according to which riders
must return to the starting point in order to allow
KS_Tracks and rules, during this edition there
have been many disqualifications and ranking
changes.
WSC_The GPS formula competition is quite
young and complicated from a technological perspective
but it can adjust very well to different
race tracks and weather conditions. This makes
the rider meeting in the morning of fundamental
importance as all the characteristics of the competition
of the day are explicated there and then.
Probably the organization has put too much trust
in the oral information and this led to the many
the system to properly calculate the perimeter of
the completed track. In many cases the athletes
did not comply with this rule and that’s why the
organization applied a heavy penalty to the score
of some of them.
KS_How about the importance of mountain safety
and the difficulties to manage it in a competition
like this?
WSC_The general issue of mountain safety is so
wide and important that I doubt it could be properly
addressed in a nutshell. I believe it is impor-

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World Snowkite GPS Contest 2016 – Roccaraso (Italy)
tant to clarify which are the safety devices that
the organization required to the athletes and
what are the arranged emergency vehicles. In order
to be admitted to the competition each participant
must have, in addition to the helmet of
course, an avalanche research device, a probe
and a shovel. These are must-have-devices for
any off-track-goer which allow to be rescued as
well as to rescue one's companions in the event
of being swamp by an avalanche. So much for
the equipment required to the riders but another
important issue is related to how the organization
can effectively support the athletes so that
they can perform at their best. On this regard in
addition to the official communication, to the 118
and alpine emergency services, we had some caterpillars
available that could easily reach even
the most difficult points on the competition field.
Next year we will ask for the support of a GPS and
tracking services provider.
KS_The reasons why some riders withdrew from
the competition.
WSC_Although we found inappropriate for some
of the athletes to withdraw from the competition
considering the investment made by the sponsors
for their accomodation facilities, nevertheless
we cannot totally blame them. As we said,

the spot was not in an optimal condition and on
the first and second day of the competition, the
equipment suffered some damages.
KS _ 2017 projects, will the format remain the
same?
WSC_We will definitely change a few things:
1) We shall write very clearly the General Rules for
the GPS formula as well as the local rules regarding
the location where the races will take place.
2) We will have two events over the season one in
Roccaraso/Rivisondoli and another one in a location
to be determined. We are already getting in
contact with some locations in the north of Italy,
France and Switzerland.
3) We will add some race/backcountry trials of
about 10 km each so that also race enthusiasts
will have the opportunity to participate.
4) The selection system of the athletes will undergo
some changes because it is unlikely that
the sponsor will be able to guarantee free facilities
for 40 people.
5) We will try to get everybody to use the same
GPS data device and we will also try to develop
the reporting system of the GPS data.

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World Snowkite GPS Contest 2016 – Roccaraso (Italy)
Riders’ impressions:
Michele Leoni (ITA) 1° place tie, snowboard category
The week of competitions at Roccaraso at the
end of January it's almost a tradition for me since
it is already the third year in a row that I take
part to it. And this year it was a competition "with
a bang", as I managed to get on the top step of
the podium! However I think that the competitive
outcome does not represent the true motivation
which makes us travel for so many kilometres or
stay away from our families. The real reason why
this experience is really worth living, it's because
you can meet up in a really amazing place and
share unforgettable moments with "top riders”
coming from countries from half of Europe and
find yourself going beyond any border speaking
one same language holding a bar - red on the
left, to support and take the sport we love to an
ever higher level. Unfortunately this year because
of the snow conditions (very poor), both us and
our equipment have gone through a real strain,
nevertheless it was still great to see the French,
Swiss and Austrian friends who I had not seen
in a long time as well as meet other very strong
riders like Lukas Vogeltanz, from the Czech Republic
with whom I shared the victory.
Lukas Vogeltanz (Czech Republic) 1st place tie
snowboard category
The World Championship of backcountry snowkiting
which took place in the Alto Sangro, was based
on GPS formula, in other words on a system
of evaluation of the tracks that the riders perform
in a defined time interval, in which a score was
calculated determined by the length of the tur-

ning track and the perimeter comprised within the
closed figure that the rider must fulfil. Six days of
competition, Monday till Saturday. 35 riders were
registered, eight countries, including Russia, Czech
Republic, France, Austria, with a large delegation
of Swiss and French, the nations with the
biggest number of followers of snowkiting.
And what are my impressions of the place and
event?
The Roccaraso snowkiting spot is located at 200
km from the capital city of Rome, in the mountains,
2000 high above the sea. I visited this site
for the first time and it immediately charmed me.
The plateau has an area of 10 square kilometres,
wind everyday, flat valleys and on high mountain
regions. From my experience, I would put this
place first in terms of segmentation and size of
the European Alps - let's call it a “small NORWAY”.
There is therefore no better place in central Europe
for a GPS Formula race. GPS Formula is a
new type of race. Over time (here we should limit
30min) a snowkiter must ride as many km as he
can, in the largest given area and try to get as
much elevation. All these aspects are scored in
the following system: 1x distance, 3x circuit and
10x cant. Due to the scoring system the athlete
while riding, has to think of and invent his route, in
order to gain as many points as possible. During
the race, you see kiters set everywhere around
and you have you no idea of how one is doing. On
one hand you say to yourself what a good route
you have, but the rider who rides entirely to
the opposite side can have even a better one :-)
So you finally get to know the result some time
in the evening after everyone records his results
using the GPS. The following day, the race could
go to the same spot but the wind can change sli-

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World Snowkite GPS Contest 2016 – Roccaraso (Italy)
ghtly its direction and thus the whole tactic you
had during the previous race is useless and you
have to invent a new one, another route. This is
what makes a GPS Formula very interesting and
can be a race and a great tension at the same
time with great atmosphere amongst kiters.
Weather-wise Monday was probably the best,
with a northwest wind between 12 and 14 knots,
with an acclimatization day that the riders have
every time they go to a new area. We went “all'Aremogna”,
the snow conditions were pretty slim,
because of the high temperatures.
The outcrop of rocks was a major security issue,
so the paths have been defined in a much more
draconian way than what you would do in a normal
freeride competition, but of course that was
necessary for the safety of everybody!
For the entire race I used SONIC FR 15.0 and 18.0,
all the other riders also took close foil race kites.
The wind was extremely low but thanks to the
equipment I had, I made it to the first position.
SONIC FR is a super great kite you can easily use
in back-country, you feel safe and fast.
The Organizers of Roccaraso did a great job during
the whole event. For € 50 (registration fee) a
competitor gets accommodation, food, ski pass
and entry fee. During the week we had planned
three days for the race and the rest for personal
training and relaxation.
Felix Kernsten (Germany) 1st place ski category
It was the first time I took part to the World Championship
"backcountry" in snowkiting in Roccaraso.
I got the opportunity to attend this contest
thanks to Kitetracker.com. This year there were
39 selected riders (ski/snowboard) from 8 different
countries for the contest. Almost everyone
was supported by free accommodation, transport
and even free skipass for the week. Just great!
Unfortunately this year there wasn’t a lot of snow
(too high temperatures) and only low wind.
The first day there were no races, just training
and exploring the competition area. The spot is
an amazing backcountry area where I would have
a lot fun kiting in good conditions. The contest
was based on a GPS Formula, which means no
normal races...
The rider who manages to reach the longest distance
over the biggest area wins the race. You
need a GPS device for recording your track. The
system evaluates every single track of each rider
in a defined time interval. The second day
we had absolutely no wind, so we couldn’t start
any race and had a day off to make an excursion
or just skiing. The third day we were lucky and in

the afternoon we had the first race of 30 minutes.
Unfortunately there were some misunderstandings
on the rules, so I (and 4 other riders) got a
penalty of 30% off the points for not ending the
track at the same point.
The following day again no wind for a race :(. A
second race took place on Friday still with low
wind. To avoid any penalty the organizer Niccoló
de Simone explained once again the rules to all
riders. It was quite difficult to have a good course
with a long distance in the extreme situation of
just low wind conditions. That day I was lucky and
I won the race.
On our last day in the early afternoon we had
some wind and started the two last races which
I finished first. Overall I could win this contest
in the ski category. As it was my first backcountry
contest I am very happy with this first place.
Thank you to the organizers who did a great job,
especially considering the difficult weather conditions.
I had a good time in Roccaraso, also in
the evenings ;-), and I had the chance to exchange
experiences with other riders. I hope to see
even more guys there next year in lots of powder
and good wind condition :).
ROCCARASO SNOWKITE EXPERIENCE WITH
PAULINO PEREIRA
I´ve always imagined the feeling of kiting in the
snow.
When Ozone invited me to go with them to try
snowkiting I got really excited, not just because it
would have been my first experience but also because
they told me that last year the conditions
were epic and the spot is huge and perfect for
some flying. “Very low” I mean… safety first.
So the plan was to fly from Lisbon to Barcelona,
stop the weekend there with Iain and Hannes
from Ozone and visit the place a bit, then fly to
Rome on Monday morning, rent a car at the arrival,
2hours drive, hit the snow for 5 days and
come back to Portugal, simple! So, on the way
to Roccaraso, when we were about 40 minutes
away, the only mountains I could see had no
snow… I was thinking to myself that it could turn
out to be the worst snowkite trip ever. But then,
out of no where, just a bit of snow started to appear
and the happiness started to rise. It didn´t

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rise too much because when we finally arrived,
I thought that we were just starting to climb the
mountain, but I was wrong.
We stopped down at the flat spot to check the
wind which was no more than 4 knots in the gusts
and 10 cm maximum of snow. The bosses (Iain
and Hannes) said something like: “I recon it’s a
doable session with the 15m Chrono…” I said “No
way! I almost can’t feel the wind, I think the kite
can´t even fly up.”
Bosses: “Let’s wait for it then…, but first let’s eat
some “donkey-balls” for lunch…. I was really hungry
so I really didn´t want to try crazy stuff… They
were always joking about the “donkey- ball” food
and stuff… but in the end it was all about some
super cheese balls burned on the outside, really
good actually, tasty and crunchy. After lunch we
rented a snowboard for me and went to the flat
spot again. The wind seemed to have picked up
one knot so the bosses said it was pumping… I
was like: “OMG the altitude kills these boys’ heads”
We had to change clothing on the spot outside
the car, just like when we put on the wetsuit… but
a bit colder and on super slippery ground. You never
know when you will fall on your bum on the
ice and get it glued there. Meanwhile the bosses
already had foils and boards set up whereas I was
still trying to find out where my gloves were and
the car key so to lock it. And yes it’s a miracle, the
Chrono 15m was flying like butter and they were
riding. So I did all my best to get all the gear ready
and fly the foil kite for the first time.
When I did my first tack it felt a bit strange but at
same time it was amazing. You slide way easier
and the kite doesn´t pull at all compared to when
you are in the water and the feeling is different.
But then I had a problem with that, and it was
one of my mistakes that day. Because you reach
speed really fast, and you think that you have
enough power to do tricks, but then you pop and
nothing happens… You cannot forget that you
are kiting with 5 knots… So I realised that if you
want to go for unhooked tricks, I think you should
take a bigger kite than other riders around on
the snow. But don’t do it if your plan is to climb
mountains, the wind picks up really fast up there
and you could find yourself flying away, so ask
the experienced riders first.
Speaking of pop, it’s the weirdest thing in snowkiting,
snow can be icy, a bit soft and really powder.
So each one has a different feeling. If it is super
powder sometimes the pop never happens… you
only see snow flying. Icy pop… without a kicker
forget it… I don’t do it anymore… The best is the
“half-half” snow. But still hard to nail it like in the
water.
So, after an hour on the flat, the wind died com-

pletely and we packed up and went to the hotel
for a hot shower. The forecast for the following
day was no wind, no snow and very sunny… perfect
for some exploring the bosses said… So the
plan was to catch 2 lifts, and then walk up the
mountain to the top to get some wind and have
a session. We were a group of about 10 riders
up for this adventure. We packed 2 kites in the
backpack, snowboard and all the gear and caught
the first lift. We then found out that the second lift
was broken… I said: “yes!! Let’s go down snowboarding
and cancel the climbing episode.” But
just as I was saying that, everyone was already
going straight up the hill…. It was more than 1000
m walking up I think… The sun was beating down
and zero wind… I found myself thirsty and sweating
like a pig when climbing up… I only went half
way up, because in my mind there was no wind
up there and I just wanted to have fun snowboarding
heading down. Half of the group climbed up
to the top meanwhile myself and others stayed
at half way, chilling and waiting for the others to
say: “There is no wind”… Yeahh babyyyy!! Great
news for me. Otherwise I would have had to climb
up as fast as possible to have a session.
At the end everyone came down skiing and snowboarding.
Recap of the day: 4 hours of suffering
for 10 minutes of fun…
During the following days we got 10 knots of wind
at the event site and also at the flat spot. I didn´t
want to compete on the first day because of the
lack of snow and lots of rocks around. I considered
it dangerous to go as fast as possible and cover
the longest possible distance in 1 hour. When I
compete, I always try to win, and that effort could
cause big accidents, mainly because of my little
experience of snowkiting and of the spot.
I totally recommend every kiter to try snowkiting.
And if you have your family to take, it’s totally
doable to tow all the kids while you kite, I’m
pretty sure it will be an unforgettable experience
for everybody. What I really enjoyed the most in
snowkiting was the ability to cruise long distances,
ride up mountains, explore and come down
flying, or just pack your kite and do some powder
snowboarding over and over. It’s like having a ski
lift where you want.
I hope my next trip will have more snow and wind.
And maybe I will meet you meet up there!
Cheers
PAULINO PEREIRA

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World Snowkite GPS Contest 2016 – Roccaraso (Italy)
GPS FORMULA WORLD SNOWKITE CONTEST 2016 RANKING
Ski Category
1. Felix Kernsten (Germany)
2. Jonas Lengwiller (Switzerland)
3. Florian Gruber (Germany)
Snowboard Category
1. Leoni Michele (Italy) and Lukas Vogeltanz (Czech Rep)-tie
2. Luca Mastalli (Italy)
3. Reinhold Gehrer (Germany)
Thanks:
Ministero dell'Ambiente; Regione Abruzzo; Comune di Roccaraso; Comune di Rivisondoli; SkiPass Alto
Sangro; Cloud Consulting; Banca Bcc di Roma
Tobe Outerwear; Lifeproof; Ozone Kites; RRD Store Roma; Gin Kiteboarding; Kitetracker; Gopro; Kia
Motor Company; Università Rufa; DMC Alto Sangro Turismo
Giulio Accornero, Cristina Corsi, Fabrizio Poggi, Giulio Rolfini, Chiara Di Pietro, Manuele Mariotti, Grezly
team e ProWolf Asd.

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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COMING SOON
IKA WORLD CHAMPIONSHIPS - El Gouna Grand Slam
Photo: Giuseppe Esposito

IKA WORLD
CHAMPIONSHIPS
EL GOUNA
GRAND SLAM
COMING SOON

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IKA WORLD CHAMPIONSHIPS - El Gouna Grand Slam

COMING SOON

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IKA WORLD CHAMPIONSHIPS - El Gouna Grand Slam

COMING SOON

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COMING SOON
IKA WORLD CHAMPIONSHIPS - El Gouna Grand Slam

Final Results Freestyle Men
1. Carlos Mario (BRA, Slingshot)
2. Youri Zoon (NED, Slingshot)
3. Alex Pastor (ESP, Airush)
Final Results Freestyle Women
1. Karolina Winkowska (POL, Slingshot)
2. Bruna Kayija (BRA, Airush)
3. Annabel van Westerop (ARU)
COMING SOON

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Ireland
Ireland
TOUGH AS NAILS:
A NEW BREED OF KITESURFERS

Text Marc Ramseier & Mark Barry
Photo Marc Weiler & Tim Smith

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I’ve been organizing and running some of
my Kitesurf Wave Camps with Sanja, the
German Ozone distributor, for a couple of
years and have become friends with her
over time. The first year that she set off to
spend the majority of the winter in Ireland
I was left in a state of slight confusion and
kinda felt sorry for her. Why would you go
so far up North to spend the winter when
the usual direction to move to at this time of
the year is South, the closer to the equator
the better – that at least used to be my resolution.

Ireland

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I sure have seen pics and videos of my fellow
team mate Ryan Coote that has been showing
the kitesurfing world how good it can get up there,
but I didn’t think it would be feasible in the winter
months, at least not for me. I’ve been almost
entirely kiting in boardshorts ever since I started
kiting, built a house in Indonesia and spent most
of the last decade there – a bit spoilt you may say.
Sanja has not only been trying to tell me how great
and uncrowded it is in Ireland for wavekiting
and surfing, she also hooked up soon enough
with one of the top kiters from the Island which
was another living proof that it must get pretty
good up in Ireland after all. His name is Mark
Barry and he has left an impression in a video
(‘Hard Learning’) with Ryan where he rides and
gets pounded by some of the heaviest waves
Irland has to offer. Now that I was more based
out of Europe I was tempted to check out options
around here that would get me in some decent
waves. Ireland was an uncharted area on my map
and I was definitely keen to check it out, digging
into the myth there was in my mind about Ireland.
This adventure was only possible though once I
disregarded the ‘no-go-policy’ indoctrinated by

the warm water boardshort addiction that I’ve
managed to cultivate.
I set it up in a very elaborate way that made it impossible
for me to pull out last minute. We’ve set
out to organize a cold-water edition of my Kitesurf
Wave Clinics in Irland. tried a new format by
linking my professional video assisted coaching
with some traveling and exploring around the
island. Sanja was quickly able to fill it mainly with
– surprise-surprise – a bunch of hardboiled North
Germans, that aren’t held off the water by cold
temperatures and rough conditions. As always I
try to work together with the locals and usually
I can rely on my extensive network I’ve built up
throughout my professional kiting career that has
started fifteen years ago. This time it was Sanja
and the rest of the Ozone connection that would
be so kind to bring in their local knowledge.
So I was expected to arrive in Dublin by mid November,
spend one week with our clients coaching
and helping them to reach the next level
in their wave riding skills while traveling Ireland
and kiting its most appropriate wave kiting spots.
In the second week I was really looking forward
to explore more of Ireland together with the local

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boys and hanging out with them.
As much as the cold temperatures were holding
me back, there was a side of Ireland that exerted
a great attraction for me to experience the
raw force of nature in all its facets. Also there was
Guinness their national beer that I had to rediscover
as it was linked with disgust from a personal
imprint that has been lasting for decades.
Further I knew there was a very high potential of
clean world class waves on the island that despite
the temperatures attract surfers from around
the world and I was super excited to hopefully
get to see and ride some of that. And then there
was the big challenge to attack the big heavy
surf wrapped from head to toe in 6mm of rubber,
getting pounded from a wave that slaps you with
cold water that is then sent down your wetsuit to
shock freeze you. It couldn’t be more contrasting
to the warm and steady trade wind conditions i
was used to kite in, but it was also part of the
challenge to face the unknown, experience the
opposite.
Many times in the preparation to the trip I was
contemplating whether I was sane enough to go
kite 1000km to the north when all my friends in
Central Europe were thinking about going snowboarding
or skiing. The best was the guy at the
check-in counter who made big eyes when he
saw the destination of my travel while turning up
with a huge surfing bag. “You are not going to
surf in Ireland now aren’t you?”
The first day on the water in Ireland was unreal.
Even though it was stormy and rainy, Mark and
I took a small time window to take advantage
of the right wind angle paired with a big enough
swell to hit that one spot to ride some surprisingly
clean and nicely peeling lefthanders at
this pretty well known surf spot halfway up the
west coast, close to Marks home. The ridden waves
were well earned though as the entry into the
water was one of my sketchiest launches I ever
did. It’s all pretty straight-on in Ireland it seems.
Good I touched the ancient Celtic rock we had to
kite around in the river mouth when coming back
to shore – an act that would promise good luck,
so I was prepared for more of that.
The weather went crazy in the two weeks I was
there with storm after storm hitting the island,
lots of rain and non-stop wind. It was impressive,
some days it was almost impossible to stand on

the cliffs, let alone get a kite up in the air. I’ve
hardly ever kited anywhere in such rough conditions,
I’ve mainly only been on five and seven
square meter kites, many times making your way
into the water walking over sharp reef or beds of
super slippery kelp. It takes all of your attention
and skills to master some launches, often very
much worth it though as you’re rewarded with
good surf conditions.
Once the weather clears it allows views on stunning
landscapes, unreal rock formations, lush and
green vegetations, the nature showing it’s power
with all it has. A truly mystical place, accentuated
by castles and fortresses all over the place that
enhance the feeling of power that this land and
people have been enduring over decades. The Irish
in general are lovely, down to earth and well

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rooted people, a well-needed attribute as you
otherwise will get blown away it seems.
I’m used to waterfalls from the tropics – charming
streams of water gliding down the side of the
mountain. Here the waterfalls fly up in the air, get
blown away so that not a drop of water actually
lands where it’s supposed to. Welcome to Ireland!
Very well together with such rough weather goes
the tradition of Irish pubs that have become an
export hit all over the world. Nowhere though the
pubs fit in so seamlessly like here. When it’s stormy,
after a kite or surf session in the cold there is
nothing better than coming into a small local pub
with a fireplace in it, listening to some excellent
live music while drinking a Guinness, Irish Coffee
or Hot Whisky.
As far as my personal challenge with the cold
water and air goes I did pretty well. I did sometimes,
when driving to the spot with horizontal
rain hitting the car and with the cold temperatures
contemplate what I was doing there, but once
you overcome this and when you’re on the water
surfing the waves it doesn’t matter. The fun riding
the waves heats you up so that you forget
everything else around. It certainly is a mission
getting all that neoprene in place but surprisingly
once you’re going it’s not so much of an issue really.
On top the swiss style trick of wearing some
normal thermo underwear under the wetsuits
worked a dream and kept me extra warm.
We either kited the area around Mark’s home in
Lahinch halfway up the west coast. It’s one of

the surfing hotspots in the country with heaps
of surfing spots around, most of them not ideally
suited for kitesurfing though. Most of the sessions
I did in Kerry on the Dingle Peninsula with
the Brandon Bay as it’s most known spot for kite
and windsufing in Ireland I’d say. It’s a huge bay,
which makes it easy to adapt to all the different
possible wind angles as you just have to move
along the bay to find the ideal cross shore wind.
This makes it easier because choosing the right
spot proves to be a mastery in itself. The wind
direction is defined by the depressions that pass
by. Winds clock around and can come from pretty
much every direction, each favoring different
wave spots, which then still depend on swell height
and direction. The master professor in that is
Brandon Bays own Ryan Coote who has been at
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in Ireland. He runs the kite school in summer and
you can hire him to show you what Ireland has to
offer in the wave season.
After two weeks of pretty rough conditions with
many sessions in the rain that haven’t really lived
up to the promising start into it, my hopes
were relying on a last favorable window forecasted
that could bring a special wave spot close
to Ryan’s place to life. I’ve met up with Ryan and
his crew at the spot early morning and was super
stoked to see clean lefthanders peeling nicely
around a rocky headland. Needless to say that in
proper Irish manners the wave broke pretty close
to shore and coming in on it you had to go straight
for some gnarly rocks, closely avoid them by
setting the rail for the first bottom turn to be in
the sweet spot. It took some time to bring it all
together in the 40 knot of gusty winds, but I had
a blast. What a last day of the trip, it was a wave
feast that I shared with a bunch of great and fun
Irish guys that call this their home and everyday
condition – my respect and thanks for sharing!
Even the sun came out to wish us well and make
my day to allow me leave in total peace.
I will definitely be back! I’ll be keeping an eye on
wind and wave forecast to quickly hop on a plane
northbound, be at the beach 4 hours later and
after the session go for a Guinness that I have
become friends with. I can’t wait for it’s taste to
mix with the saltwater leftovers from some of Europe’s
most remarkable waves.
by Marc Ramseier
Let the local speak
words by Mark Barry
Irish and international resident kite surfers and
surfers know one thing about living in Ireland;
You need bags of patience. For about 6 months
of the year this coast gets a pummeled from North
Atlantic storms that at times seem relentless

and can leave you questioning your chosen passion.
Although with this, windows of magic are
produced. This small stretch of Atlantic coastline
produces some of the most heavy conditions for
both activities that leave top pros humbled.
Surfing here has exploded over the past five years
due to the exposure of some of our big wave
spots and heaving slabs. These days in the line-up
of the more famous reefs and slabs you
will be among a very international crowd but
unlike other famous locations around the world
the mellow easy vibe in the water has remained.
A certain respect is given to one another for this
is not a place you can just fly into and expect waves,
each of these people have probably spent
the past fortnight looking out the window at si-

90
TRIP
Ireland
deways rain.
Kitesurfing here has had quite a different story.
On a busy day in top conditions you will be lucky
to see four sailors on the water but our sense of
community is as strong. We are lucky that even
with the low numbers the few that pursue this
activity here push the wave riding levels each
session. When it comes to foreign visitor kiters,
despite great wave riding conditions we really
don’t get that many. I guess the typical kite surfer
wants warm water and steady conditions when
planning a foreign holiday. When I am travelling
to foreign countries and people hear I am from
Ireland there is an amazing difference in the opinions
of surfers and kiters. Generally the surfers
have all seen the photos and videos and have the
place high up on their bucket list while it is quite
rare to get a kiter with the same opinion. Marc
was one of the exceptions (although he also rips
on a surfboard...) I first met Marc in Denmark and
his ears perked up when he heard that I am from
Ireland. Four months later, Marc arrived in Shannon
airport with his board bag packed to the gills
and our little adventure began.
In typical Irish fashion the weather charts looked
horrific for the coming two weeks, 40 to 50 knots
onshore winds with 11 meter waves. A sense of
guilt was on my shoulders for dragging Marc this
far but I still had hope that that window would
appear and the trip would be worthwhile. So we
loaded up the van in welcoming sideways rain
and started the road trip with nervous grins.
First conversation topic was water temperature.
Even though Ireland shares the same lines of latitude
as parts of Canada and Alaska we are treated
to much milder water temperatures. This is
primarily due to the Gulf stream coming up from
the Caribbean. Still, to warm water surfers and
kiters these temperatures would be considered
Baltic and a warm water surfer Marc is. He is used
to the tropical waters of his home spots in Indonesia,
sitting comfortable kiting in a pair of shorts.
So I told him of how, oddly enough, you get
used to the cold temperatures and that when I
was travelling through Indo I was actually missing
the cold slowly eating into my bones during
a session and really not liking the sticky heat of
the water. What I failed to mention was that it
probably takes years to really like and appreciate
the cold water rather than a couple of weeks...
Ryan - Ireland: www.kitesurfireland.ie
Wave Clinics Marc: www.kitesurfwaveclinic.com

94
SOUL'S REFLEXION
Flow and silence

If you're just starting out in kiteboarding, you will
probably have a hard time imagining that kitesurfing
can be a peaceful and almost meditative experience.
Believe it or not, you'll eventually you'll soon
gain control and learn to ride like a zen master. Gabi
Steindl - once a world tour competitor, now a writer,
traveller, massage therapist, free thinker and frequent
solo missioner - reflects on the art of getting
completely and wonderfully lost in kitesurfing and
making friends with silence.
Text Gabi Steindl | Photo Colin Leonhardt

96
SOUL'S REFLEXION
Flow and silence
FLOW
Mihaly Csikszentmihaly is a theorist and professor
of psychology who has contributed pioneering
work to our understanding of happiness, creativity,
human fulfilment and the notion of 'flow'
- a state of heightened focus and immersion in
activities, such as art, physical activity and work.
I read one of his books about ten years ago while
training in Brazil in preparation for the final world
cup stop in Fortaleza. I found myself studying
the book, rather than just casually reading it, and
ended up writing out pages and pages of information
by hand so that I could go back to my favourite
parts at any time. Analysing and understanding
flow was pretty ground-breaking, not
only for my career as a pro kiter, but for my life
in general.
Mihaly suggests that reaching 'flow state' is one
of the secrets to happiness, and I certainly agree.
Existence is temporarily suspended, you become
fully immersed in a task and feel free from external
worries or problems - everything seems to
happen automatically and effortlessly, without
thinking. It’s almost as if you’re on autopilot.
You may have read more about flow in Dr. Jason
Gallate's 'To Love, To Kite...' he too was very keen
on the art of flow. Mihalyi created the 'Combination
of Challenge and Skill Model' which explains
that you will be in flow when your challenges are
greater than average and, crucially, when your
skills are higher than average.
FLOW IN LIFE
Sport is just one area that people refer to flow,
but regardless of titles, fame or fortune, spending
your life doing the things you enjoy and simply
getting good at them will also allow you to enter
a 'flow state'. Life's meaning takes on a greater
significance when you are constantly engaged in
something that you are passionate about.
For me, wave-kiting is just that: it puts me right
into that flow state. Just by being out there in ‘the
big blue’ I feel a connection with the waves, the
wind and the ocean in a way that goes beyond

the physical. Writing can also give me that feeling
of flow – admittedly not always, it has to be
said - but when I’m in flow I have the opposite to
writer's block. It's pretty great really.
I could not imagine a life devoid of these feelings
and the moments that I experience them. Being
completely involved in what I’m doing enables
me to experience a perfect inner clarity and a
deep sense of serenity. I simply begin to forget
myself and feel as though maybe I’m part of something
bigger. If you've ever felt something similar,
then it’s likely you’ve experienced flow in
some way. Perhaps you’re chasing it again even
now. Perhaps you always will be.
Experiencing flow while engaging in an enjoyable
past-time is great, but how good would it be if we
could consciously create flow in all of our everyday
tasks?
If you're lucky enough to have found a vocation
that you enjoy, perhaps you're able to find flow at
work, too? Lucky you.

98
SOUL'S REFLEXION
Flow and silence
SILENCE
“Silence is a true friend who never betrays.”
Confucius
One of the unique beauties of wave-kiting (and
something that is very contrary to surfing) is the
fact that you are completely alone. Sitting in the
line-up at a crowded break is the total opposite;
there’s always chatter and lots of interaction.
(Maybe the occasional fracas too if you’ve unintentionally
stirred up the locals.)
When you’re immersed in waves with your kite
there is no noise, other than the sound of nature.
And possibly the sounds of your friends cheering
you on (an unavoidable potential block to achieving
a feeling of flow and inner serenity, but welcome
all the same).
From the moment we wake up in our beds until
the moment we crawl back into them, our lives
are loud, busy and filled with external noise. We
rarely experience actual silence and, if we're honest,
many of us probably ‘fear’ it to some extent.
We feel uneasy when life becomes too still
and being comfortable with silence doesn’t come
naturally for us. Apart from all the external noise,
there’s all the noise from within; the constant
internal mind chatter that many of us are accustomed
to is quite often even harder to deal with
than the noise from the outside. The sounds of
our environment combine with the ‘monkey mind’
inside of us, leaving very little room to truly experience
silence.
I personally love spending days when I don’t speak
to anybody and I feel fortunate that I’m able to
do that. However, not everyone is in the position
to do so. As a result, for most of us, the silence we
can experience while kiting in the waves is absolute
gold and a rare opportunity.
“Within you there is a stillness and a sanctuary
to which you can retreat at anytime and be yourself.”
- Hermann Hesse

Experiencing and immersing yourself into silence
is an incredible, and I would argue, worthwhile
experience. Connecting with nature in the same
instance can make that experience even more
potent and I find the easiest time to fully go within
myself is when I'm in flow out there in the
ocean. Time can cease and thoughts may quieten.
If you will let it, silence can be an anchor, healer
and a guide.
Nature is perhaps the most readily accessible and
effortless channel through which we can experience
inner silence. For me and many others, kiting
in the waves is a kind of active meditation.
When I face seemingly unsolvable problems I can
usually find the solution as soon as I can find flow
in the ocean. In silence my head feels lighter and
it seems that mental clarity is more readily attainable.
As a result I make every effort to allow
time for silence in my life.
“Silence is the sleep that nourishes wisdom.” -
Francis Bacon
If only we could apply what we can experience
and feel in the water to our daily lives on the land
and try to cultivate and adopt more flow and silence
into our day to day existence; if we could
try to become more mindful of the power these
mental and physical states afford us in terms of
how we feel after a sick session and the potential
insights they can give us, then perhaps we could
feel more relaxed, more focused, more satisfied,
more peaceful and yet at the same time more
powerful.
Let kiting, the waves and the ocean show you
the way.
Gabi Steindl
Find me at: www.kitegabi.com
Please “Like” me on Facebook: www.facebook.com/kitegabi
© Gabi Steindl 2015 www.kitegabi.com

100
FEELING
Teahupo’o sensations
Text Keahi de Aboitiz | Photo Brendon O'Neal

TEAHUPO’O SENSATIONS
_
Nothing sets you up like a good bottom turn and
it really is the foundation to any good manoeuvre.
Whether your doing a turn, an air or getting
barrelled, doing a good bottom turn will always
help set you up for success. The key is to get low
lean into it and commit to the section. I always
loved this bottom turn shot from Teahupo’o really
showing the setup before pulling into one of the
best barrels of my life this year.
//
Keahi

102
FEELING
Teahupo’o sensations
Text Keahi de Aboitiz | Photo Brendon O'Neal

TEAHUPO’O SENSATIONS
_
The wind was a little offshore and there were
some very solid sets but I managed to sneak a few
pretty good ones amongst the guys towingI only
caught about 8 waves but this one is a barrel I’ll
remember for a very long time and I already can’t
wait to get back there. The vision staring out
of this barrel at the boats and mountains in the
background is something I’ll never forget!
//
Keahi

#Barbados in
104
SELFIES
Barbados in a nutshell

a nutshell
text and photo Matthias Larsen

106
SELFIES
Barbados in a nutshell
I decided to play around with my Gopro a lot as you cant reach for
pictures from the land even with a big lens. Barbados is truly a
wavekiting paradise almost all year long. But not for the beginner
kitesurfer.

Most the action happens on the reef at Silver Rock Beach and the
reef is around 400m out in the sea.

108
SELFIES
Barbados in a nutshell
The reef is 1-2m deep but on a wipeout on low tide you can touch it.
But its not really sharp.

It has not much current on the average day but on some days waves
get up to 4m and things change.

110
SELFIES
Barbados in a nutshell
What i really loved as I normally go to Capetown was the beautiful
warm water and turtles are the only animals that can appear
under your board.

112
KITE TEST
The Wave Kings
The Wave Kings
› KITE TEST‹
How many times have you wondered whether you
were doing the right choice when buying your new
kite? Will I like it? Will it be reliable? How good will it
be upwind? And so on and so forth till you get in the
water. And how many times when asking for some
advice you got a "nowadays kites are all the same" as
an answer. Mine is the best. This one pulls twice as
much compared to the others. And so on, leaving you
with even greater doubts.
However there are different opportunities to test the
materials, i.e. by borrowing them from a friend, at
one of the many test days or events, for example like
the one held in Sankt Peter-Ording, but it is equally
true that such opportunities are quite fleeting and
occur in unpredictable weather conditions hence
it can be difficult to grasp the real potential of the
products and their suitability to one's needs. To further
complicate everything we must also consider the
"habit" to a specific model, because quite naturally,
we subconsciously change the way we use a kite
text Federico Sugoni, Renato Casati, Maurizio Cinti
photo Gabriele Rumbolo, Federico Sugoni, Renato Casati, Maurizio Cinti and Courtesy Brands

according to its characteristics and not the other way
round.
All the above applies to any kiter as well as to us,
Kitesoul team, and we tested a lot of kites indeed and
this is why we decided to carry out vigorous tests, at
the same time, on some of the best models on the
market based on the same grounds, same conditions
and same rider. We have decided to start our first
and exclusive comparative test with the specialized
segment of wave-riding which, although being
relatively young, it’s the one that has developed more
during the past years also from a technical point of
view.
Furthermore the wave-riding discipline requires the
kite to play a different part than the one played in
freestyle for example. For wave-riding the kite must
be a loyal and sincere ally capable of aiding and
releasing the kiter from any pressure and worry to
enable him/her to focus on his surfing. Therefore a
delicate and complex balance to achieve.

114
KITE TEST
The Wave Kings
LOCATION AND
CONDITIONS
When it comes to wave-riding, especially
at the beginning of the year, our
minds fly over the African coasts to
immediately reach the archipelago of
Cape Verde, one of the favourite destinations
for wave lovers and home
to some of the best wave riders in the
world, such as Airton Cozzolino, Mitu
Monteiro, Matchu Lopes and several
others.
Here we found what we were looking
for, big small and medium waves and
wind with any strength and from any
direction which allowed us to push
the materials to 100% of their potential
throughout the testing period.
Below are the spots in Sal where we
did the tests and some of them were
very radical ones:
On/Side-on: Serra Negra, Kite Beach,
Ponta Sino
Side: Ponta Sino, Secret Spot, Ali Baba
(End point)
Off/side-off: Ali Baba (Bay), Coral Joule
The wind has always been rather intense
and gusty, for almost the entire
testing period with an average of
20-35 knots, which initially made us
opt for the 7sqm, frequently used in
overpower conditions then it dropped
between 15 and 20 knots on average,
allowing us to fully test the 9sqm too.

116
KITE TEST
The Wave Kings
F-ONE
Bandit
CABRINHA
Drifter
NORTH
Neo
Key players
Once the battlefield had been defined,
it was necessary to determine
the contenders, a rather natural choice
which went for the wave models (or
wave oriented) of some of the most
important brands in the market, which
responded enthusiastically to our
call by providing us with the new 2016
kites, with two sizes 7 and 9sqm, with
lines between 22 and 24m for each
kite.
In strict alphabetical order:
Bandit – FOne - The outsider
Drifter – Cabrinha - The champion
Neo – North - The athletic one
Pivot – Naish - The balanced one
Religion – RRD - The pioneer
Section – Core - The new entry
The protagonists were also our three
testers who had to work hard in order
to try 12 kites under any possible condition,
recording and sharing every feeling
with each other.
Federico Sugoni, 43 years old, 1,85m,
84kg, Kitesoul Editor, medium level
wave rider.
Maurizo Cinti, 42 years old, 1,88m,
82kg, Videomaker, medium/high level
wave rider.
Renato Casati, 45 years old, 1,90m,
85kg, Kitesoul Technical Director, high
level wave rider.
The other protagonists of the test
were the boards used by the team
to ensure equal conditions to all the
contestants, the F-one Mitu pro model
2016, especially provided by F-One,
sizes 5'8 and 5'6.

NAISH
Pivot
RRD
Religion
CORE
Section
The method
The test has been carried out with the
same modality throughout the entire
period, once at the spot all the kites
got rigged and ready to get in the water.
Every 15/20 minutes each tester
had to switch amongst all six models
and at the end of each session
take note of his own impressions and
then compare them to the others at
the end of the day by making a daily
summary report. At the end of the testing
period all the reports have been
cross-checked so to draft the general
chart.
Drifting
Upwind
Speed
Driving precision
Stability
Progression
Low end
Top End
Reaction to comands (de-powering)
Depower
Kiteloop
Jump
Hang Time

.
118
KITE TEST
The Wave Kings
In the water!
GRADE
8,15
F-one Bandit
Let's start from the kite which, among
all the tested ones, theoretically
should have had an allround/freeride
tendency, at least that's how F-one
presents it to the public. As a matter
of fact, the ductility and excellent
drifting and turning skills of the Bandit,
now at its eighth edition, make it
especially suitable for wave-riding, as
it shows everyday in the expert hands
of Mitu Monteiro. What we loved about
the Bandit was the simple manufacture
(although it still lacks of an oversi-
ze inflation valve), with its strengths
being its bar, simple and pleasant to
use and its solid and sincere pull as
opposed to a rather soft and not very
tiring feeling on the bar, sufficient to
guarantee a clear feedback to each
rider without the need to keep visual
control of the position of the kite. We
particularly loved the smaller size of
the Bandit, with its best performances
in side/side on conditions, positioning
itself at the top places in our ranking
level of satisfaction.

About the aspects we liked less, we
found a reduced de-power stroke
which can show some limits in off-side
off conditions, but just like every
kite with excellent performances in
on-side on conditions, you can't also
expect top performances with offshore
wind. A versatile, fast, precise
and responsive kite which will make
kiters of any level very happy.
0 10
Drifting
Upwind
Speed
Driving precision
Stability
Progression
Low end
Top End
Reaction to comands dp.
Depower
Kiteloop
Jump
Hang Time
8
7,5
10
9,5
7
7,5
8,5
8
9
7,5
7,5
8
8
BAR FEEDBACK
medium/soft
HARNESS TRACTION
high

120
KITE TEST
The Wave Kings
GRADE
8,27
Cabrinha Drifter
The Drifter, at its second edition,
shows great maturity confirming its
excellent qualities in the waves and
which last year allowed Keahi De
Aboitiz to become wave world champion
for the second consecutive time.
From a manufacturing perspective it's
a top quality product and the already
excellent bar has finally a standard
adjustment de-power. Every tester
appreciated the great comfort, with
a soft and stable pull on the bar with
a pleasant and solid grip, an always
predictable and progressive response
to commands, an extraordinary drifting
capability which impacts negatively
on its responsiveness showing
some sort of slowness compared to
the other kites, especially the larger
size one. This means that the learning
process with this kite is slightly longer
than with the other kites since it is necessary
to give very firm drives when
attacking the wave, so that the kite
moves quickly, but despite this, it is
necessary to change timing by significantly
anticipating it in order to get
the best from this kite and exploit its

strengths. On this new Drifter version
we must point out its unique feature
among the contenders, the possibility
to have specific adjustments for side
and side off conditions, the latter is
the one we liked most, as it can significantly
modify the kite behaviour and
adapt it to specific needs. For those
who prefer stability, progressivity,
comfort and drifting qualities, such as
those who surf the wave by feeling it
underfoot and not on the bar, the Drifter
is undoubtedly a very good choice,
especially the smaller sizes.
0 10
Drifting
Upwind
Speed
Driving precision
Stability
Progression
Low end
Top End
Reaction to comands dp.
Depower
Kiteloop
Jump
Hang Time
9
8,5
6,5
8
10
10
7,5
8,5
7
9
7,5
8
8
8
BAR FEEDBACK
medium/hard
HARNESS TRACTION
medium/low

122
KITE TEST
The Wave Kings
GRADE
8,81
North Neo
Ever since Ken Winner redesigned
the Neo model, three years ago, North
brought to the market one of the
most effective and balanced wave
kites, permanent choice for Airton
Cozzolino who took it to the top step
of the podium at the Tarifa Strapless
Pro 2015. From a manufacturing perspective,
Neo follows the rest of North
production, with top quality materials
and extreme clean manufacture.
What placed Neo at the top of the test
team preferences was not any specific
feature but the outstanding overall
balance and the secured high performances,
with a kite that does not
need any complex settings to perform
at its best but only needs to be rigged
and taken in the water. To offset
an extraordinary performing balance,
which made us love it at every spot
and with any wind condition, we noticed
it’s kind of "physical", which could
turn out to be quite weary for a not
so fit rider, especially in the low end
when you move the kite to create the

apparent wind, at which moment your
forearms may suffer some strain slightly
higher than the average (however
this is a common characteristic
to other North products). Apart from
that, Neo remains one of the utter reference
points for this industry with
its flexibility and ability to offer to the
rider performances at the highest levels
in every condition, a kite that never
lets you down and allows any rider
of any experience and level to express
at their best in a simple and natural
way without any particular adaptation
needs.
Last note: we would have preferred to
use a 6sqm size for the comparison as
it has an above average pull therefore
it must be chosen one or even two sizes
smaller than the others especially
for smaller sizes.
0 10
Drifting
Upwind
Speed
Driving precision
Stability
Progression
Low end
Top End
Reaction to comands dp.
Depower
Kiteloop
Jump
Hang Time
BAR FEEDBACK
medium/hard
HARNESS TRACTION
medium
8,5
8,5
8,5
9
9
8,5
9
7,5
10
9
8
9
10

124
KITE TEST
The Wave Kings
GRADE
8,62
Naish Pivot
Third edition for Pivot, which confirms
the goodness of the design year after
year with an excellent manufacture
quality with regard to the materials of
both the kite and the bar, but which left
us puzzled in relation to some technical
choices, first of all the peculiar swivel.
This is a solid component on spherical
bearings, which should always independently
keep the front lines clear and
as a matter of fact so it does up until
the sand gets in the way and limits the
above function, quite common on the
beach. Altogether we would have preferred
to test the Pivot with the usual
Fusion Bar ATB, available on the Naish
catalogue instead of the Fusion 4
lines which on one hand guarantees
the greatest de-power amongst the
tested kites but on the other hand needs
a de-power adjustment integrated
in the chicken loop which didn't
thrill us in the testing conditions we
had.
By looking at the Pivot in the air it
immediately appears its "stretched"

shape compared to the other kites
hence a higher AR, giving it extraordinary
upwind skills, especially in off/
sideoff/side conditions where Naish
excels, thanks to impressive upwind
angles, allowing the rider to take more
waves compared to the rival kites.
The downside occurs in on-side on
conditions where the kite is less responsive
than the actual need, however
the drifting remains remarkable,
unexpectedly performing for a kite of
this shape. The Pivot gives one of the
best carvings ever, and although it’s
slightly slower for the trajectories settings,
that can be easily solved after a
short adjustment period. Its incredibly
long and performing de-power allows
to totally reduce the power of the kite
while turning hence not to get dragged
out of trajectory by unexpected
gusts or by the residual power of the
kite which we have reported for some
of the other kites, moving the rider
away from going as vertical as needed.
In the water the kite showed an
incredibly soft feeling on the bar, definitely
the less physical of the batch,
which allows to stay focused and feel
less fatigued for longer than average.
0 10
Drifting
Upwind
Speed
Driving precision
Stability
Progression
Low end
Top End
Reaction to comands dp.
Depower
Kiteloop
Jump
Hang Time
BAR FEEDBACK
soft
HARNESS TRACTION
medium/low
7,5
10
7,5
8
9
9
8,5
9
9
10
8
8
8,5

126
KITE TEST
The Wave Kings
GRADE
8,38
RRD Religion MKVI
We can definitely say that six years
ago RRD created with its Religion model
a new sector to the market, the
kite is an icon for the brand which
for a long time has been a reference
point for wave lovers. This new version
adds to the usual good quality
manufacture the new Global bar V7
with an essential and clean design,
which brings along the appreciated
anti-stretch lines "RRD rigid thread lines"
and a rubber stopper which permits
to adjust the de-power extension
as wished.
In the water the kite was immediately
responsive and highly performing with
on-side on conditions, a powerful kite
which impressed us for its kiteloops
which are closed within a very short
perimeter and with little pulling. An
excellent kite also for strapless tricks
and jumps, it was very responsive to
the different settings available on the
back lines connections. In fact when in
maximum power position the responsiveness
is remarkable, however the
de-power is not totally convincing as
it gets up to its maximum extension

too often without completely reducing
the power of the kite, especially in
off-side off conditions. This behaviour
may seem "strange", but the Religion
project stands on the high number
of available sizes, all of which with a
slightly reduced range of use compared
to the competitors however perfect
in specific conditions. This means
having to use a smaller or bigger size
according to the conditions in order to
have better performances and thus a
more responsive and performing kite
compared to other ones of same size.
This feature is softened by using less
powerful settings of the kite, which allow
to significantly increase the range
of use although this goes to the detriment
of its exceptional responsiveness
but it levels it to the behaviour
of the other kites. For those experienced
riders who can invest in a higher
number of sizes compared to the average,
the Religion is definitely a good
choice, very performing, precise and
perfect for radical wave-riding with
impeccable lines.
0 10
Drifting
Upwind
Speed
Driving precision
Stability
Progression
Low end
Top End
Reaction to comands dp.
Depower
Kiteloop
Jump
Hang Time
BAR FEEDBACK
medium/hard
HARNESS TRACTION
low
8
9
9
8,5
8
7
7
8,5
8
8,5
9,5
10
8

128
KITE TEST
The Wave Kings
GRADE
8,00
Core Section
The Core brand has been able, during
the past years, to quickly grow and
assert itself above all in some markets
such as the German one, with
good quality products directed to the
freeride and freestyle lovers, therefore
we could say that up till now there
was something missing in their offer.
This is why Core decided to develop
the Section, their first wave oriented
kite. A young and yet very promising
product, which left all testers quite
surprised, with a strong and clear
nature. What is immediately catching
about the Section is its compact appearance,
which at first glance makes
it seem one or two sizes smaller
than the others. As a matter of fact
it creates less pull than the average,
taking us to the conclusion that it
would be more appropriate going for
a bigger size than usual. Another obvious
feature is the reduced section
of the LE and struts giving the
Section lightness and ability to penetrate
the air, the outcome of which
is a remarkable ability to ride upwind
and a reactivity/speed in responding
to commands better than average.

The reaction on the bar results therefore
immediate and almost nervous,
requiring some attention and
a minimum of adaptation, above
all as the feeling is pretty light and
the reaction may not always be fully
predictable. Another feature of the
Section is represented by the large
number of settings available that allow
you to customize the behaviour
to suit your needs, amongst which
stands out the one dedicated to the
softness of the bar, adjustable on the
bridles connections in the inner part
of the leading edge and not on the
back lines tips as with other producers.
This means being able to adjust
the response of the bar regardless
of the power of the kite, unlike other
kites where the bar becomes softer
when the kite is de-powered.
The Section is definitely a good
project and able to compete on the
same level as the others, and the test
figures prove it, but we are also certain
that it can still grow in the upcoming
years, and we also hope that
some youth drawbacks get polished
such as the slightly beneath average
manufacture of the bar and its not so
comfortable grip. It must be said that
the Section was the kite that most of
all divided the testers and that led to
a change of judgement, for better or
for worse, at every session. It is therefore
a kite with a strong personality
and radical performances that
can be liked or not according to the
rider's preferences but because of
0 10
Drifting
Upwind
Speed
Driving precision
Stability
Progression
Low end
Top End
Reaction to comands dp.
Depower
Kiteloop
Jump
Hang Time
BAR FEEDBACK
medium/soft
HARNESS TRACTION
medium
the innovative and "different" features
of the design, it could positively surprise
even the more experienced kiters.
A must try for those looking for great
vibes and performances.
6,5
9,5
9
7
7,5
7
8
8,5
8,5
8,5
7
8,5
8,5

130
KITE TEST
The Wave Kings
BARS USED
›CABRINHA Overdrive
| 48-56 | 45 | 8,1 |
(cm)
›CORE Sensor pro
| 46-52 | 40 | 7,7 |
(cm)
›FONE Monolith Bar
| 45 | 40 | 8,5 |
(cm)
length of the bar
It indicates the minimum and
maximum length (if modifiable) of
the bar used during the test
De-power length
It is measured the length of the
movable de-power in cm.
The length of the bar should adapt to
the kite measures. For example small
kites up to 7-8 meters would need
a 40-45cm bar, kites from 8 to 12m
need a 45-55cm bar and from 12m up
a 55 to 65cm bar.
A greater length can correspond to a
more dynamic use of the de-power
without modifying the length of the
fixed de-power, undoubtly beneficial
in off shore or gusty conditions.

›NAISH 4 Line
control System
| 45-51 | 56 | 9,4 |
(cm)
›NORTH Trust bar
2016
| 42-49 | 45 | 8,1 |
(cm)
›RRD Global bar 7
| 58 | 48 | 7,5 |
(cm)
Diameter
It is measured the diameter
of the handle of the bar.
There are wave riders who like to
hold something thicker in their hands
as they feel greater control and on
the other hand others who hate it as
they get tired too early. It also depends
on how big your hands are ....

132
KITE TEST
The Wave Kings
Kite capacity to...
›DRIFTING
"Follow" the rider even without any
command, even with slack lines, in
other words the ability of going "reverse"
without any command.
The need for drifting is much sought
in on-side on conditions and more
generally by those riders who use the
board a lot for the surfing and tend
to block the traction of the kite as
much as possible while riding.
as well as for the rotation on its axis
by comand.
A high value is recommended for
those looking for a very fast kite,
perhaps because they use a lot the
kite power while surfing, whereas
a low value for those who prefere a
less reactive kite or maybe because
they drift surf a lot
›driving precision
Fly exactly where you want to direct
it.
›UPWIND
Gain water going windward with remarkable
upwind angles
Having a kite which surfs with precision
helps riding the lines you want
without loosing any water.
Having a kite that has high upwind
capacities allows to get back to
the peak sooner hence to get more
waves than the other kiters in less
time or gain priority by starting more
upwind.
›speed
Move as quickly as possible throughout
the wind window, hence both
during the ascent and descent phase,
›StabilitY
Remain stable and predictable while
flying without any violent picking up
or slowing down.
A high value indicates good stability
i.e. a kite that flies without any surprises
within the wind-window and
does not violently swerve in the gust.

›Progression
Going up and down in a continuous
and progressive way within the wind
window without too many accelerations
or decelerations.
A high value indicates that the kite
is very progressive that means that
is goes down and up again at a
constant speed without too many
tractions or pauses between the descent
and ascent phase.
manufacturer for the used size.
›Reaction to comands
(de-powering)
Respond to commands even with a
strong de-powering
A high value indicates that the kite
effectively responds to commands
even when the de-power is widely
used
›Low end
Fly the minimum range of wind for
which it is designed.
A high value indicates an excellent
ability of the kite to perform skillfully
even with marginal values of use of
the wind-range given by the manufacturer
for the used size.
›Depower
Quickly and efficaciously reduce the
power of the kite.
A high value indicates that the kite
looses power immediately and the
result of it is very good on the surfing
which nearly completely eliminates
the traction of the kite.
›Top End
Fly the maximum range of wind for
which it is designed.
A high value indicates an excellent
ability of the kite to perform skillfully
even with the maximum values of
use of the wind-range given by the
›Kiteloop
NOT give out excessive traction during
the kiteloop.
A high value indicates that the kite
DOES NOT pull excessively during the
kite loop, thus the rider is not pushed
away too much from established surfing
trajectory.

134
KITE TEST
The Wave Kings
›Jump high
Jump high
A high value indicates a big height of
the jump. The value can be unimportant
to those who only do wave-riding
but it is important for those who
also do freestyle strapless.
›Harness traction
Give back on the harness a soft or
hard traction feeling.
Some kiters like a more "physical"
drive, feel a good traction on the
harness because they "feel" the kite
more and thus have more precision.
For others it is the exact opposite to
the benefit of comfort.
›Hang Time
Remain in the air as long as possible
during the jump
A high value indicates that the kite
floats in the air for a long time after
the jump therefore there is a long
stay in the air
›Bar Pressure
Give back to the bar a soft or hard
driving feeling when we pull it
towards ourselves
Some people like it hard, most people
like it softer. Those who suffer from
epicondylitis or inflammation of the
upper limbs will certainly prefere a
kite with a soft feedback on the bar.

adjustable trimmings
›BACKLINE Trim
Adjust the power of the kite by changing
the connection height of the
backlines at the connecting point of
the wingtip (where the lines are connected)
By moving the knot up it will give a
greater power and hence the kite will
be more reactive. On the other hand
the bar will tend to get harder and
the de-power will become less effective.
If a kite does not have this setting it
can be easily added afterwords by
simply adding a 3 set of spacer knots
at about 3-5 cm from each other.
Moving the knot towards the end of
the leading edge gives greater speed
to the kite, less pressure on the bar
and a better use of the de-power
Unlike the previous example, if a kite
does not provide for this trimming
it is not possible to add it so easily
afterwards, if not by "stitching" more
connecting points on the leading
edge (not recommended)
›Dedicated bar
pressure
Only Core has an extra trimming on
the Leading Edge to further refine
the hardness of the bar by varying
the insertion point of the bridles
› LEADING EDGE Trim
adjust the kite speed by changing the
high of the wingtip knot (the one on
the leading edge)
›Side ON / OFF
Only Cabrinha has this option for the
changing of the insertion angle of the
bridles more internally (On Shore) or
externally (Off Shore).

136
KITE TEST
The Wave Kings
The Wave Kings
› KITE TEST‹
CONCLUSIONS
By now you must be wondering which
one is the winner of the test, well
the answer is simple and clear: all of
them and none of them. Exactly, this
is because first of all we must admit
that the level expressed by the six
contenders was extremely high and
this is proved by the overall scores
which range between the 8.0 the
lowest and 8.81 the first one.
The real winner is the wide range of
the offer, as now more than ever, we
are convinced that there aren't two
kites alike, now that we can recognise
each very model even if blindfolded.
This means that there is actually the
perfect kite for each of us, but also
that you must find out which one it
is among all the ones available on
the market before buying it, so we
highly recommend to always try the
kites before making the final choice,
although we believe that this test
can already give you a safe direction.
In fact quite ironically we must warn
you, that you might prefer the last
one in the rank than the first one
because of its peculiarities, for that
matter we too have changed and
refined our judgment from time to
time according to the settings, the
conditions, the size at hand and
the characteristics of the spot. This
is also why, in a perfect world, we
would have liked to have an unlimited
personal quiver from which
getting from time to time different
models and sizes depending on the
situation, and this is obviously why
in the end prevailed, just about, those
kites with more balanced characteristics.
One thing we can definitely tell you
is that, now more than ever, the
majority of you can do wave-riding
thanks to the incredible level of reliability
and performance achieved
by these kites, which all they ask for
is to be taken to the most exciting
spots in the planet where, we can
assure you, they will prove to be sincere
companions of memorable sessions,
closer and closer to the true
spirit of surfing!

NO COMPROMISE.
PREDATOR / TECHNOLOGY
PREDATOR X-FRAME
PRE-CURVED AND 3D SHAPED FAT BAR 4-POINT NEOPRENE BELT SYSTEM SLIDE-IN BARPAD

WWW.PROLIMIT.COM

140
ITW
Luis Brito
ITW
Luis Brito

Name: Luis Matias Almeida Brito
D.O.B.: 10 September 1993
Home Spot: Kitebeach, Ponta Preta
(Sal- Cabo Verde)
Sponsors: Advance, Underwave, Chupa Chups
Years kiting: 8
Favourite spot: Ponta Preta
Other sports: horseriding, motorbike, windsurf,
S.U.P., football, volley
ITW Roberta Pala
Photo Andrea D’Antoni/Cabo Creative Lab, Gabriele Rumbolo, Giangi Chiesura/Photodream.it, Andrea D’Antoni/Cabo Creative
Lab, Claudio Cabral, Alessandro Lo Mundo, SBAM Production, Courtesy Xkite e Courtesy Advance/Underwave

142
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Luis Brito
KS_Hello Luis, tell us something about yourself
LB_My name is Luis Brito and I am from Cape
Verde. I am 22 years old and live in that beautiful
island that you all know, the island of Sal.
KS_How did your passion for kiteboarding begin?
LB_Before I started kiting when I saw those things
flying in the air I didn't even know what they
were called. I was into horse riding competitions
and one day on my way to my training session
with horses, I saw Djo Silva's brother teaching
some tourists. The horses were afraid, and he
said to me, "Come on, if you come over one day, I
can teach you how to kite". I replied that it wasn't
my sport and I didn't like it. Then I saw Matchu
jumping and I started thinking "Actually those are
really cool jumps, I want to do it too!". On a Sunday
I went to the beach, I tried with a small kite
and I thought only one thing to my self "Ok, this is
it!" When I switched to the big kite, I liked it even
more, so much so that sometimes I wouldn't go
to school or I would pretend to have a stomach
ache so to escape and go kiting. Mitu taught me
a lot as well as Matchu and Airton and slowly I
improved, I was 15. ...
KS_Tarifa strapless and other international
competitions, are you comfortable during competitions
or do you prefer the soul surfing? How
was the Tarifa experience?
LB_Tarifa has been a very intense experience.
The athletes were all talented and I didn't expect
anything like it, I didn't think I could get so far. At
the beginning I trained just for my own pleasure,
because I liked this sport, then I realised I had a
future in kitesurfing and I worked harder and har-

144
ITW
Luis Brito

der. It was my first strapless competition. I put a
lot of effort in it, Mitu coached me. I got fifth in
the world rank and it has been amazing. The wind
there is strong and gusty and this year I hope to
go again and continue improving myself by watching
other riders besides the guys from Cape
Verde who I know well. Right now I feel motivated
by taking part to competitions.
KS_What about your big injury and the recovery,
how are you now?
LB_After the car accident, I didn't practice for a
year and a half, it was a very long time, spent for
the skin reconstruction surgery of my arm and
hand followed by the full rehabilitation period. I
spent 4 months in Portugal and then I went back
to Sal and I slowly started kiting again. I feel good
now.
KS_What about your sponsors? How did your
relation with Advance / Underwave begin and
what is your favorite quiver?
LB_I have been with Advance for 4 years, before it
I had no sponsors, Mitu helped me out, he said to
me "You're doing well and now you need to have
a sponsor which will make you become bigger."
A few years ago Underwave was Mitu's sponsor
so he was the link to the company and showed
them some of my pictures. When he came back
from Italy he had two kites for me ... how wonderful,
especially here in Cape Verde, where the
finacial resources are quite slim. I really appreciated
their trust in me and from that moment on
our relation began, I went to Italy and we started
making plans together. I find the Kaiman S, the
new 2016 kite, fantastic for wave riding as well
as for strapless freestyle, very fast, with a great
pulling and no back stall. Now I'm testing the

146
ITW
Luis Brito
new Chupa Kite board which will be released in
March (February interview). I am very happy with
my board, beautiful shape, beautiful volume, very
stable, I have a 5'10" which I use on big waves
and a 5'8" which I use for freestyle strapless or in
strong wind conditions.
KS_Big waves or freestyle strapless? Is there a
discipline in our sport which you prefer?

LB_I love both and I go with the condition, often when
there is a wave condition I go strapless on waves.
KS_You are very tall and heavy, it is much harder to
do freestyle strapless with your stature...
LB_It really changes a lot, but it depends on the equipment
and the wind, I'm 190 cm and I weigh 87 kg, it is
a bit more difficult, for example Airton is small and very
fast, what he can do quickly, I do it a lot slower.
KS_In Advance do you actively take part to the
research and development for the wave boards?
LB_Yes, I am a rider and they always involve me
in the testings and I always give a feedback on
the brand equipment.
KS_In the recent years Sal is developing, a very
fast urbanisation and a lot of tourists, what is
happening on your island?
LB_My island has changed a lot, it is like being
in Europe, lots of houses and of tourism and the
buildings are really changing the conditions. For
example at Ponta Preta, the hotels that have been
built have changed the direction of the wind. Then
they put some stones in the sea which made increase
the dimension of the waves. Tourists come
here because of the sunshine, it is not cold and
everything is "no stress", but living in Cape Verde
is not so easy. At the beginning everything
looks nice, then eventually one realises that it is

148
ITW
Luis Brito
difficult to have European like salaries. We have
many French, Italians and soon also a Hilton will
be built therefore many British people will come
over. This certainly means a lot of more work, but
also the "no stress" feeling starts fading away a
little.
KS_You are very young but with so many
projects in your drawer, what are your plans for
the future?
LB_ In the future I intend to continue kiteboarding
and thinking of when I will be 30-40 years old, a
little bit like Mitu, maybe I will have my school, my
shop and my family. This year I'm going to Tarifa
for sure, then we wait for the outcome for a possible
wave and freestyle strapless on wave contest
in Mauritius. I train for about 9 hours a day
for these events and in the evening I am exhausted
but that's what I want to do.
KS_And what about your relationship with the
other top riders in Sal, Airton, Matchu, Mitu ...
LB_ I’ve known Mitu know ever since I was a
child, he is like a family member, he knew my
mother and when I turned 15, he really helped me
a lot with kitesurfing ... Airton and Matchu are my
best friends and I grew up with them and Libero,

Airton's father, who helped me a lot and treated me
like a son and he means the world to me. I was a bit
more stubborn than them. Libero took me to school
and made me realise how important it was and he said
to me "If you do not go to school, your kitesurfing future
ends here." I was really stubborn and I liked to hang
around and being with friends. Then Mitu helped me to
grow in kiteboarding and he was always ready to
give me the right advice. These people will always
mean so much to me.
KS_We saw you jump with two kites, it must be
something very difficult....
LB_With two kites it is really difficult and fun, I
saw people doing the same but with one bar. I
kite with two kites and two bars, I worked on it
for two months. The first time was at the Lake of
Garda, I saved the kite of a little boy. I tried to body-drag
keeping one kite still and the other one
under power in order to recover the board which
I had lost. I got on the board and thought, "Now

150
ITW
Luis Brito
how do I turn?". I sat on the board in order to figure
out how to do it, I headed up and got back ...
Then I checked on the internet and realised that
no one does it, even more so now that I use two
kites and I am strapless. I use a big one and a
smaller one, for example 7-8, 11 and 12. I trained
hard here in Cabo, so now all the maneuvers that
I usually make with one kite, I make them with
two kites. Sometimes under strong wind conditions
the 7 tends to enter inside the 8, but only

once they intertwined while surfing at kitebeach,
however I worked out what to do if that happens.
In Greece I used two 7s with 45 knots and that's
when I realised that I could do it even if the wind
wasn't light. I will certainly do a performance in
Tarifa, and I believe everybody will be left speechless.
KS_What is the importance of your family and
friends in what you do. ..
LB_My friends are very important, they love what
I do and here in Cape Verde everyone has a real
connection with the sea so they understand me.
My parents, my sisters and brothers are happy,
they are happy about my results and they are
proud of me. They are very grateful to Libero for
making me realise that studying was important.
My parents work a lot and bringing up six children
is not easy. They would take me to school and I
would run out and go to the beach and so Libero
knew I was skipping school.

152
ITW
Luis Brito

KS_How is your life outside of kiteboarding, how
do you spend your days when you're not in the
water but also what is your typical training day
like?
LB_If there is no wind, either I spend some time
in front of the computer or I get my mask and
flippers and I go fishing or else on Sundays I play
volleyball on the beach with my friends. I often
look for waves to surf, I also do S.U.P. but it takes
a lot of effort, especially being so tall. When there
is the right condition with strong wind, I get up
at 8.30 and by 9.00 am I am already set, either
headed to Ponta Preta or kitebeach to do freestyle
strapless. I stay in the water for a really long
time even 9-10 hours but I am very committed to
it as if you don't train and commit you don't get
anywhere.... When I kite a lot I feel satisfied.
KS_ Our magazine is called Kitesoul, because we
believe that our soul has a solid bond with this
sport. How do you feel while you are in the sea
whether during a competition or a sunset free
ride session?
LB_While I kite I only think about the sea and the
kite, I feel like I'm in love, as if I was born again,
very happy. Only when you kite you can appreciate
and feel what it's like, the more I kite the more
I want to kite. When I'm in the sea, I feel isolated
from the rest of the world, myself, the wave and
the kite. When I come out of the water I look at
my kite on the beach, watch the sea ... and I feel
in paradise.

154
PHOTO AND VIDEO
SAIL VIDEO SYSTEM – 3rdPersonView camera mount
SAIL VIDEO SYSTEM
3rd person view camera mount
Text Renato Casati | Photo Thijs Vrij & Courtesy Sailvideosystem.com
I had been looking for a handsfree solution to film
myself in third person view while kiting for quite some
time now.
By third person it is meant filming yourself from
behind, sideways and thanks to this solution also frontally
(with different angles compared to the standard
and usual position on the nose of the board). It basically
means that you can film yourself from any angle
thanks to an extension pole adjustable to any inclination
and be handsfree at the same time.

In the past I tested several solutions
amongst which Vu Vantage
and Wizmount, but for
different reasons I found none
of them satisfying for kiteboarding...
- Having to wear a backpack in
the water it's obviously not advisable
as not only it can get
heavier but it can also restrict
your movements and it is bulky.
- Shootings with these solutions
always show the backpack
as well as how the camera is
mounted.
- Frontal filming is not possible.
The perfect solution for kiteboarding
which solves the above,
as well as others issues, is
called 3rdPersonView camera
mount (www.sailvideosystem.
com).
It was developed by a Dutch
kiter (Thijs Vrij) and therefore
perfectly studied and engineered
for the needs of our sport.
It works so well that it has been
included in the Go Pro official
book "Professional Guide to
filmmaking".
I personally tested it in Cape
Verde, in the waves of Ponta
Preta and I can definitely say
that it is the perfect and functional
solution for our sport.
Here are, very briefly, the many
advantages of an intelligent solution:
- It can be worn therefore you
are handsfree and it is not cumbersome.
- Adaptable to any action sport
besides kiteboarding (surfing,
Stand Up Paddling, windsurfing,
biking, skiing, skating, wakeboarding,
paragliding...etc, etc).
- Ultra light and technological
materials, water and salt resistant.
Made in the Netherlands
therefore with quality materials.
- Compact and lightweight to
carry when you are not wearing
it.
- Solid and stable when used
thanks to the integrated stabi-

156
PHOTO AND VIDEO
SAIL VIDEO SYSTEM – 3rdPersonView camera mount
lizing anatomic plate positioned
on the back of the belt.
- Adjustable on any axis (horizontal,
vertical and lateral) for
epic shoots from unique and
breath-taking angles, through
a pole system easily usable
and adjustable in any moment.
Shootings can be made from
behind, sideways but also frontally.
- Elastic waterproof belt with 4
fastening levels to allow great
adaptability and super stability,
one size fits all, or with back
plate to be mounted on the kite
harness.
- Adaptable to any Action Cam
like Go Pro, but also to DSLR
cameras and heavier camcorders,
by simply changing the
ball head.
MODELS
There are two basic models
available:
The ALL SPORTS PRO version
and the KITE one.
They are basically identical but
the kite version is mounted directly
on the harness, through
some screws, whereas the PRO
version consists of a belt, similar
to a harness, which can be worn
for any action sport situation
for which you don't wear a kite
harness or it can be used for kiteboarding
by those who do not
want to make holes in their harness
but want to be able to film
frontally too. In this last case it
would definitely be necessary
to use a seat harness in order to
avoid any overlapping between
the kite waist harness and the
3rd person view belt.
There are many different options
available for the mounting
of the camera to the pole and
I advise you to visit the manufacturer's
site to evaluate what
would be your best personal solution.
TIPS:
- On big waves, it is better to
use a bicycle type mount (seatpost
mount), deeply tightened
with a screwdriver, as the ball
head could slightly move and
vary the shooting angle.
- Tightening the belt straps as
much as possible helps giving
an excellent general stability.
- The stabiliser straps help the
pole to remain in place without
moving too much and in the
event of pole accidental detachment
they prevent the pole
from sinking. If you do not use
the stabiliser straps it is advisable
the use of a leash to avoid
loosing the pole in case of violent
wipeouts as it does not float
and it would sink.
SAFETY
It basically consists of an outer
arm hence it goes without
saying that in big wipeouts,
especially when mounted on
the front, it could theoretically
get tangled with the lines of
the kite. However the release
system of the pole, through the
yellow back leash (Lock Release
System), is immediate and easy
to use, but, being located on the
back, it could turn out to be not
so easily used in the waves in
case of necessity.
For those who use the Pro version
there is the option to release
the belt by opening it from
the front.
However it is always wise to
have the knife at hand in case
of extreme situations, although,
as you know, you should always
have it at hand whether or not
you mount this solution.

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Controllable power meets extreme performance to match the highest
expectations of freestyle, wakestyle, freeride and wave riders
x Grunty pull combined with great depower tocover huge wind range
x 4-line open c kite for unlimited freestyle and freeride performance
x Fastest turning speed for kiteloops and boosting big airs
x Great pop and solid line slack for unhooked tricks
x Highest performance for all riding styles
Blue/mint
Blue/red
Blue/yellow

158
WAVE RIDING
Wave Riding – safety and rules
text Tuva Jansen and Bertrand Fleury | photo Jason Wolcott
Wave Riding
SAFETY AND RULES
Kiting in the waves are getting more and more popular, and spots are getting
more and more crowded and that can create conflict between the riders in the
water, so it is very important that everyone knows the rules and follows them
so we can all have a good time in the water riding wave sand not waisting the
time being frustrated and pissed off on each other.

160
WAVE RIDING
Wave Riding – safety and rules
First of all, when you arrive at a new spot, you should always
take some time just looking at the spot to see how the spot
works-how the wave brake, if any currents or how the current
works, and how to get out and in of the water and to see where
you can come in again after if you can not come back to the
same place where you entered in. ( the wind can die, you can
drop the kite in the water, lose your board etc..) Talk to other
kiters or surfers at the beach if possible.
To get out to the wave you sometimes would have to pass the
shore break, so then you should take your time and time it right
between the sets. Dont rush anything, and it will be much easier
and safer.
When you are going out, watch out for the people riding the
waves. It is the person riding the wave that have the priority.
This guy is very focused on the wave and riding it, so the person
going out will have to get out of his way.
The most important rule in wave riding is who have the right of
the wave and this often creates some tension in the water or
on the beach later on between the riders, so it is very important
that people got this right. Is that the first person that gets on the
swell/wave has the right of the wave! To have the right means
that this person went outside, found the wave out there, he turned
on it and followed it back to where it brakes. Now, and this
is important- it is not because you are deeper, or more upwind,
that you can have the priority! It is not like surfing! In kitesurfing
or windsurfing it is too easy to go deeper or more upwind, so if
everyone start to push deeper and more upwind, it will end up
that people go too deep and will miss the whole wave because
they will not be on the right place to ride the wave.
And now, if you for some reason are going to slow and do not
manage to follow your swell/wave from outside and to where
it brakes , you can not just take the swell/wave in the back of
yours if there are already someone on it, you will have to get out
of the way and go and outside and look for another one.
So the rules between surfers, windsurfers and kiters are different
in every spot you will sail. At some spots, you are not

162
WAVE RIDING
Wave Riding – safety and rules

allowed to kite or windsurf if it is any other surfers in the water.
So before you entering a new spot, you have to make sure you
know the local rules. But normally between kiter and windsurfers,
the rules are the same , it is the first to get on the swell. But
surfers always have the priority for the waves! This is because it
is so easy for kiters and windsurfers to catch waves compare to
the surfers, and it also gets dangerous if you as a kiter ride the
same wave as a surfer, you have to get out of the way and just
go and get another one.
When it comes to safety and what to use of leaches, it all depends
of the rider I will say. If you do have good kite control
and don’t do big mistakes with the kite, like suddenly looping
the kite or what ever, I would recommend to ride with a board
each, if not, you should consider riding with out or at least using
a helmet so you do not get the board back in your head. When
it comes to kite leaches, and this is only my opinion, I think it is
much safer to ride bigger waves with out any leach attached
to the kite if you are riding hooked in. It will only be one more
thing you will have to realize in case of emergency, and you do
not have much time in the waves. If your kite falls in front of the
wave on a bigger day, you can get pulled underwater for a long
time, so what I always recommend people to do when they see
that the kite falls down, is to keep your hand on the kite release
or even un hook the kite, so if the pressure gets to big, you just
lets go and the kite will get washed with the white water. Better
for you and less chance for the kite to brake.
If you get worked or crash in the waves, it is all about keeping
your kite in the air! Do not pull too hard on the bar, try to keep it
straight up when you are getting tumbled and loosing the control
on where you are, keep calm and think about not pulling the
bar. If you kite stays in the air, you have no problems what so
ever.

164
WAVE RIDING
Wave Riding – safety and rules
Another important safety rule is to never kite bigger waves that
what you can surf or swim in. If the kite goes down or the wind dies,
you will have to come back swimming and you better be prepared
for it. Normally less you know, less scared you are, but you should
have some respect for waves, because it has a lot of power and is
very unpredictable. Every spot is different.

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SHOVE I
166
STRAPLESS MOVES
Shoveit
Personally, I always loved the feeling of shoveits.
For me it was one of the very first strapless
tricks I learnt and if your just starting to get into
strapless freestyle I think it’s a reasonably good
place to start. It’s a relatively simple trick that
when done right can feel really good. It can also
be implemented into harder tricks as you progress
Although it’s pretty simple, you still need to be
fairly comfortable with the basics. Ideally by now,
you want to be fairly comfortable with riding
strapless and have mastered how to ollie or use
a small chop to pop for small jumps.
Text Keahi de Aboitiz | Photo James Boulding

TBY Keahi De Aboitiz
Although with most strapless tricks more wind is
generally better, with shoveits, lighter wind is generally
better and having a slightly heavier board
for this trick can also be beneficial when learning.
Because you are coming disconnected from the
board, the stronger the wind and the lighter the
board, the more it will tend to fly away once you
become disconnected
Try and use a kite with fairly good depower. Although
everything is still possible on a c kite, it
will make life much easier when using a bridled
kite. With most strapless tricks it’s all about controlling
the power and as we progress through
these tricks, you’ll see just how much it matters
for some tricks

SHOVE IT - KEAH
168
STRAPLESS MOVES
Shoveit
Step 1: Look for the right take
off
Although a shoveit can be performed
pretty much anywhere,
for your first attempts, doing it
off a small chop or kicker is probably
the easiest. This way you
don’t have to rely on your popping
skills as much.
Step 2: Take off
For this particular trick, you
don’t really need a lot of height
but you still need a decent pop
to get enough height for the
board to rotate the whole way.
Learning to pop without straps
is something that will take time
but the more practice you get,
the easier it will become. Basically
you want to stomp on the
tail while edging hard into the
wind, then shift your weight
forward as you take off to bring
the board with you.
For your first attempts try ride in
at a medium pace with your kite
around 10 or 11 o’clock. You can
send the kite slightly to make
it easier to pop, but make sure
it doesn’t cross pass 12 o’clock.
Edge hard and stomp on your
back foot to get a good pop off
the water
Step 3: Starting the rotation
There is going to be a lot of trial
and error to begin with, but the
more you try, the more you’ll
figure out what rotation works
and how to kick the board. After
you take off try and keep your
board on a 45-degree angle
and using your back foot, kick
the board sideways and into
the wind. Sometimes I like to try
and grab the side of the board
or the side of the tail kick with
my toes a little to help spin the
board. Try to spin the board on a
45-degree axis with the bottom
surface constantly facing the
wind. It’s hard to explain how
hard to kick the board but its
just about practicing it till you
figure out what works for you.
Step 4: Finishing the rotation
Once you kick the board, try and
keep your knees bent with your

I DE ABOITIZ
feet up waiting to see how the
board reacts. This way you can
make it away from your board
a little easier if things go wrong
and be ready to catch the board
under your feet if things go right.
Ideally you need to kick it at
a height and speed that when it
finishes the rotation it’s going
to land on the water in the right
direction with or without you.
Step 5: Look for the landing
and stomp it
Try and keep your knees bent
with your feet up right until the
end of the rotation. As the board
rotates the last 90 degrees,
get ready to catch it with your
feet as it lands on the water by
extending your legs back out. I
try to follow it with my body for
that last little rotation to pick
the right time to put your feet
down. If you do everything right
the board should finish the
rotation with the fins grabbing
the water right as you stomp
the landing.
Tips and tricks:
or the first time, I’d recommend
trying this as more of a transition
move just to get the feel
for it. Try spinning the board 180
as you bring the kite to 12 and
head back the other way. This is
the best way to get a feel for the
rotation without moving to fast
and limits the chance of injury
from landing on the fins with
speed. Once you figure that out
can take it to the next step
Possible Dangers:
Although this is a fairly simple
trick, you need to be very careful
of the fins. When learning it
can be hard to figure out the rotation
and the wind can flip the
board quite easily causing you
land on the fins. Consider using
less sharp plastic fins if you
have some and be ready to lift
your feet up and steer the kite
to make it away from the board
if you have to

360 HAN
SHOVE I
170
STRAPLESS MOVES
360 hand shove it
This is another one of my favourite tricks and although
it’s not super difficult it can be a little tricky
to figure out at the start. That being said, it
feels amazing when you do eventually land one.
For this particular trick you want to have a bit of a
background in strapless freestyle. Its not necessarily
that difficult but its quite technical and can
take a bit of practice to be done right.
The main thing you need to know is how to flick
the board up and catch it in your hand and al-
Text Keahi de Aboitiz | Photo James Boulding

D
TBY Keahi De Aboitiz
though it looks simple, when there is wind involved
it can take a little practice.
This is another trick where slightly lighter wind
and a heavier board can actually be beneficial.
Because you are letting go of the board, it can
quite easily be picked up by the wind and fly away
from you. When learning I wouldn’t recommend
trying this in too much wind as it can become
dangerous with the board flying back towards
you cause injury.

170
STRAPLESS MOVES
360 hand shove it
360 HAND SHOVE IT
Step 1: Look for the right take
off
This trick can take a little more
time then you think so make
sure you find a good ramp to
get height. Although it can be
performed off flat water, it is
much easier off a chop or even
better, off a small wave as this
allows you to get height much
easier. Preferably I like to do
these off a wave as this allows
you to much more height without
sending the kite.
Step 2: Take off
Try to come in fairly quick with
your kite around 10 or 11 and line
up the ramp. Put your back in
the middle of the bar with your
index finger and middle finger
either side of the depower line
as this will help minimize the
kite steering up too fast. If your
doing it off a wave, try and take
off right as the wave stands up
to help you get more height. If
your going off a chop try time
it so you can get as much of a
ramp as possible. Edge hard
and stomp on your back foot to
get a good pop off the water
Step 3: Catching the board
Although this looks fairly simple,
it can end up being a little
harder then you think to get right.
As you take off, try and flick
the board slightly upwind at an
angle towards your hand while
reaching down to grab it at the
same time. Make sure wind is
hitting the bottom of your board
rather then the top or it will
want to fall back to the water
and fly away. Try and catch the
board as much in the center as
possible on the upwind side as
this will make the rest of the trick
a little easier. Bring your knees
into your chest to allow room
for the board to spin beneath
you. I feel this also helps me
keep my balance throughout
the air.
Step 4: Spinning the board
I’d recommend trying this first
in lighter wind as it can end up
being quite difficult if the wind
is stronger. Any time you are
letting go of the board you need
to be very aware of how quick
the wind can grab it and send it
towards you. Rotate the board
about 90 degrees before letting

- KEAHI DE ABOITIZ
go. Rather then throwing the
board, its more about moving
your hand quickly from one side
of the board to other and grabbing
it before the wind takes it
away. Make sure try and keep
the board fairly horizontal to
minimize the chance of fly away
Step 5: Finishing the rotation
The initial momentum from
spinning it should help and
once you catch it you can continue
the rotation with your hand.
Try and bring the board all the
way around and hold it under
your feet until you get back
close to the water. Throughout
the trick try and focus on keeping
the kite as still as possible.
Although it will slowly move
across the window to the other
side because your back hand is
on the bar, you want to make
sure it doesn’t cross 12 too fast
or it will pull you away from your
board and you will stop on the
landing.
Step 6: Landing
Look for your landing and wait
until you’re almost on the water
before you let the board go.
Try to position your board under
your feet with your knees still
bent and as you let go, extend
your legs toward the water to
keep contact with the board.
As you land your kite will most
likely now be on the other side
of the window so the best thing
to do is backloop the kite to keep
momentum. If you try to steer it
back you will most likely sink on
the landing. Now go claim it to
your mates!
Possible Dangers:
The biggest danger you need to
be aware of is having the board
fly towards you when you’re taking
off or when you’re spinning
the board. Any time you disconnect
from the board, be aware
that wind can send it towards
you fairly easily.
The other main danger is the
fins. If the board does fly away,
be aware that in can land upside
down so keep an eye out and
be prepared to avoid it.

174
SPECIAL "FOILBOARDING"
Foil-Gybe // Gybing off the foil
special "foilboarding"
Foil-Gybe //
Gybing off the foil
Gybing off the foil
Step 1
Start by riding alone on a reach in your normal riding position.
Make sure you are riding at an average speed (10.knots). Riding at
this speed means it will be easier to change your feet because you
are going slower and you will have enough speed so you will not
come off the foil.
GYBING OF
Text Olly Bridge | Foto Axel Reese / reemedia / liquid eye

Step 2
Now you are riding stably on a reach remove you back foot out of
the strap and place it just in front of the back foot strap. This will
make it easier for you to switch your feet quickly. More your weight
on your front foot this will bring you of the foil.
Step 3
Make sure the Board if flat and not leaning to one side. Switch your
feet like you would normally do on a windsurf board. Quickly place
your back foot into the opposite front foot strap. At the same time
remove you old front foot and place it just in front of your back
strap so it becomes the new back foot.
Step 4
Now you have to change your feet, start slowly bearing downwind,
carving the board onto the other tack. When you are doing
downwind downloop the kite. This makes the kite turn faster onto
the new tack so you can keep foiling.
Step 5
Once you are riding on the new tack you can now place you back
foot back in the strap and put the pressure on your back foot to
start foiling again. Spin your bar so your lines are not twisted. potreste
essere facilmente colpiti.
F THE FOIL

176
SPECIAL "FOILBOARDING"
Foil-Gybe // Gybing off the foil
FOIL-GYBE

Foil-gybe
Step 1
Start by riding alone on a reach in your normal riding position.
Make sure you are riding at an average speed (10.knots). Riding
at this speed means it will be easier to change your feet because
you are going slower and you will have enough speed so you will
not come off the foil.
Step 2
Now you are riding stably on a reach remove you back foot out of
the strap and place it just in front of the back foot strap. This will
make it easier for you to switch your feet quickly.
Step 3
Make sure the Board if flat and not leaning to one side. Quickly
place your back foot into the opposite front foot strap. At the
same time remove you old front foot and place it just in front of
your back strap so it becomes the new back foot.
Step 4
Not you have changed your feet, start slowly bearing downwind,
carving the board onto the other tack. When you are doing
downwind downloop the kite. This makes the kite turn faster
onto the new tack so you can keep foiling.
Step 5
Once you are riding on the new tack you can now place you back
foot back in the strap and spin your back so your lines are not
twisted.

178
accessories test
Girl power
*Girl power*
≈
Manera Meteor x10D Steamer 4.3
Manera Exo
≈
NP Serene frontzip 5.4.3
NP Raven
NP Spreader Bar S1 Tracker EZ Set
Few months ago I received some products for the
female market in order to test them and give my
impressions, Manera sent me the Meteor 4.3 wetsuit
and the Exo harness and NP sent me the Serene
5.4.3 wetsuit and the Raven harness as well as three
different options of spreader Bars, out of which I
tested the S1 Tracker EZ, with a sliding hook with
lateral stroke.
I will start by saying that both
the tested wetsuit are front zip,
of course it's a personal choice,
I prefere this option and this is
why I always opt for it for every
wetsuit I wear especially in winter
time.
In regard to my physical characteristics
I am a quite robust
kiter, I am about 1.70m tall and
67 kilos. My kiting level is good,
I've been practicing this sport
for about 16 years now and the
majority of my sessions concentrate
during the winter or
spring with strong winds and
colder water temperature hence
the need for a comfortable and
warm wetsuit is paramount.
The first wetsuit that I tested
was the Manera Meteor X10D
Steamer 4.3, size M. Thanks
to the special 3D design of the
wetsuits, the fitting is exceptional,
the starting point is not
the usual 2D design followed by
the development of the 3D one,

text Roberta Pala
photo Stefania Perria
but the other way round and I
believe that from a feeling on
the body perspective the result
is very successful. As soon as I
got the wetsuit, I was terrified of
not being able to fit in, I have a
rather important body structure
and in some "female" areas
such as thighs and gluteous
sometimes can be quite laborious
to put a wetsuit on. But it
was extremely easy! The X10D
jersey that Manera uses for its
wetsuits is really super flexible
and comfortable. The seams
provide for flexibility and water
resistance, preserving the
best elasticity. Often, during the
sessions in the sea, I personally
get back with tons of water in
my calf, the Manera wetsuit has
the Water Strainer, a perforated
neoprene and not sealed jersey
solution, which allows the water
to drain from the legs. However
there are also the additional ankle
straps, very light. Often we

180
accessories test
Girl power
leave our wetsuits hanging for
drying off and that can slowly
deteriorate them but the Manera
wetsuit has additional reinforcements
on the shoulders in
order to preserve the neoprene
and the wetsuit design. It is a
wetsuit specifically designed
for kitesurfing. The colour is
blue which represents a change
from that total black area to
which we were used to years
ago. The only thing I missed a
little bit was the car keys pocket
;-). Sizes S - M and L.
With the Manera Meteor I also
tried the Manera Exo harness,
size XS and I must say something
very important as for
the first time I found a harness,
not designed for the female
body, which remains perfectly
in place, comfortable and protective
in the right areas. Just
like many other women, I have
large hips with a rather thin
waist, the typical "hourglass"
body shape, this often means
that those harnesses with a
more male design, dangerously
ride up to and press the breasts
or else rest on the ribs and hips
area without properly adhering
to the waist, resulting in a rotation
of the harness and consequent
pain and abrasions. That
has NEVER happened with the
Manera Exo which for me was a
pleasant surprise. Furthermore
since I have a lumbar problem,
a slight scoliosis that with some
harnesses often gives me back
pains during the sessions, especially
those with a rather tight
lumbar waist band as it often
happens in the women's harnesses
design. The Exo shape,
with its Energy dispersion frame,
distributes the forces over
a larger area, without focusing
on the lower lumbar area and
all the force absorption adaptations
are located externally
to the harness and not in its
internal manufacture I believe

that also this solution adopted
by Manera is the reason why it
felt so comfortable during its
use. A new straps system designed
to prevent the harness
from riding up also distributes
the forces downwards. Just like
in many harnesses there is not
the safety knife. In areas of greater
friction, such as the upper
area towards the ribs, it’s soft
and comfortable. There are two
quick-releases for the leash and
also the possibility to leave it
free to slide or fix it to the right
or left. Six different types of colours,
for any taste. Sizes from
XS to XXL. Since this is a unisex
harness, perhaps it could be
useful to have also a size below
XS, for those extremely tiny girls.
Info: www.manera.com
The other wetsuit which I tested
in the past months is the NP Serene
5.4.3, also front zip. I chose
this wetsuit because of its characteristics
of thickness, which
are essential to keep me warm
during the sessions with strong
Mistral wind, typical of where I
live. The neoprene used is very
soft and the wetsuit was really
easy to wear, I am size 38, that
is a US 8 or an Italian size 44,
it follows well the body shapes
and it’s soft and flexible in the
right places. The specific Apex
Lite Core has microscopic air
bubbles inside, to make it more
flexible, warm and light compared
to a traditional neoprene.
The Fireline is a polypropylene
core, an elastic insulating layer,
warm and light, soft to touch,
the surface absorbs the moister
which is then heated by the
body, creating this way a kind of
"greenhouse effect" inside the
wetsuit. Special bamboo charcoal
fibers woven in the lining
of the suit and they are used
because of their antibacterial
and anti-odor properties and to
maintain the body temperature.
I was never cold with this wetsuit
therefore I was able to greatly
prolong my winter sessions.
The key slot is in the neck panel.
The front zip has a magnetic
lock closure for the panel. It has
additional ankles straps, reinforcements
at the knees and
sealing seams. Blue colour with
red stripes. Sizes from 34 to 40
(4-10).
The combination for NP, with
the suit Serene 5.4.3, was the
NP Raven harness, which I used
in size S, and the NP Spreader
Bar S1 Tracker EZ Set. First of
all when I got the hooks to be
tested from Alberto Rondina,
the Spreader Bar with the sliding
hook immediately caught
my attention, mainly because
I'm approaching the wave-riding
discipline and having a
hook that "follows" you it's great...
just as it is also now clear

182
accessories test
Girl power
to Alberto Rondina, who sent it
to me for the testing that I am
not going to send it back ... In
this combination, the harness is
designed for the female body,
with a good lumbar support,
its design is not low at all as
it often happens with women
harnesses, which makes it very
comfortable. It's also soft and
light, the spreader bar has a
front connection for attaching
the leash, very convenient. It
has the safety release buckles
for the handlepass line. The material
which gets in contact with
the rib area is really soft, the
supplied spreader bar is smaller
in order to fit better and cause
women less discomfort on the
waist. I found it very comfortable,
I especially appreciated
the lightness and softness of
the harness, finding it comfortable
even in tough and strong
gusty wind conditions, notwithstanding
the continuous "pulls"
on the lower back. Two colours,
sizes from XS to L.
As I said, I did not use the Spreader
bar supplied with the NP
Raven, but the NP Spreader Bar
S1 Tracker EZ Set, with the sliding
hook, which reduces the
torque load when the kite pulls
sideways for example whilst
riding toe-side, blind or wave-riding.
The hook returns to
the center position as soon as
the torque ends. The freedom
of movement of this hook won
me over, I often spend half of
my sessions busy putting the
harness back in place after any
torque, especially while riding
toe-side or blind, thanks to this
hook my sessions were much
more relaxing! Although they
used top materials, we must
remember that we use it in the
sea water hence a spare parts
pack is supplied for the replacement
of the mechanism. You
can watch the "how to" video on

the website. The security knife
is in the slot beneath the hook
and there is a frontal safety leash
attachment which I found
it to be very handy for wave-riding
with the short leash. Available
sizes 25cm: men XS, S, M,
L and women S, M, L and and
30cm: men XL.
Info: www.npsurf.com
I would like to thank Manera and
NP for this opportunity.

184
TECNICAL STORY
Spoilt for Choice – Freeride versus Freestyle Harness
SPOILT FOR CHOICE
FREERIDE VERSUS FREESTYLE HARNESS
Finding the right harness can be a tricky
decision. At first glance they all look pretty
similar. But in more detail, there is a multitude
of distinguishing features that determine
their range of use. Who should go
for a freeride harness and who for a freestyle
harness? Airton Cozzolino Lopes and
Matchu Lopes Almeida shed some light on
the matter:
“Air 360“! Airton, Top-Athlete
from Cape Verde blows the
minds - yet again - of spectators
on the beach of his home-island
Sal during a strapless freestyle
session. In his typical style, he
is super quick and does many
tricks right after each other. Airton
is pulling his moves really
close to shore, rotating underneath
his kite with his board
is literally stuck to his feet. He
rides back out to sea but only
briefly. Only 100 metres into his
tack, he launches already into
his next transition.
Back on the beach Airton and
his mate Matchu are taking
shop about their brand new
harnesses that they have only
just received. Although both
have a similar riding-style, they
use rather different harnesses.
Airton wears his ION Pro-Model
Madtrixx and Matchu is testing
the new ION Vertex. It is immediately
obvious that Matchu’s

text Axel Reese, Airton Cozzolino, Matchu Lopes Almeida | Photo Axel Reese/Reemedia/liquid eye
model is much higher cut and
wider than the slimline one of
Airton.
What’s the reason for the different
shapes in harness design
and what type is best for a
particular style of riding? We
decided to get to the bottom of
things with the help of the two
pros.
If you’re looking for maximum
back support, it is best to choose
a model with a higher cut
like the Vertex. In comparison
with the Madtrixx, which is a
narrower, lower cut harness,
the Vertex is stiffer overall and
offers more support around the
edges. The Vertex is therefore
more suitable for freeriding.
“People with less core and back
strength than most professional
kiteboarders will find models
like this one extremely helpful.
These will save them from
a sore back after a good session
in the water“ Matchu points out.

186
TECNICAL STORY
Spoilt for Choice – Freeride versus Freestyle Harness
This same target group generally
focuses more on cruising
and hooked jumps. Therefore it
is not really an issue that their
freedom of movement is slightly
more limited with the Vertex
than with a harness with a slimmer
outline. Airton comments
“But for riders who love to
freestyle, wakestyle and kite in
waves these higher cut models
aren’t that suited.“ Looking at
Airton’s harness it is immediately
evident that the design offers
less support for the lateral
back muscles due to its smaller
width and lower cut. It is also
much softer towards the outer
edges. “The flexibility of the edges
together with the slimmer
design gives me a huge freedom
of movement. That’s what
I seek in a harness as it’s ideal
for fast and radical rotations
of the body“, Airton suggests.
According to Airton beside the
Madtrixx also the Hummer falls
into this category, offering
many advantages over a higher
cut harness for a fast and athletic
style of riding.
A view to the inner surface of
the harness:
But it’s not only the cut, also the
design of the inside plays an important
part with regards to the
comfort and performance of the
harness. Laminated neoprene
makes up the inside of both, the
Madtrixx as well as the Vertex,
allowing the harness to move
sideways. “For many tricks, riding
in switch stance for a long
period, or also wave riding it is
of great advantage when the
harness is a bit looser and can
slide around the body instead of
being fixed in one position. Only
like that it is possible to maintain
a relaxed stance without
having to turn to absorb the pull
of the kite“, explains the master
of strapless freestyling.
A view to the hook:
In addition, Airton has customised
his harness. He uses an ION
Traveller hook. Here the hook
of the harness can slide along
the spreader bar, maximising
the level of comfort for the rider
when facing away from the direction
that the kite travels in.
“For my particular riding-style,
the Traveller hook offers me an
even greater level of comfort.
It feels just awesome when I’m
hooked in and the chicken loop
slides around rather than the
whole harness itself, every time
I slightly twist my upper body.
Of course it also comes down to
personal preference”, with this
Airton backs up his decision of
using the Traveller hook.

188
TECNICAL STORY
Spoilt for Choice – Freeride versus Freestyle Harness
A view to “Mr.Wakestyle: Aaron
Hadlow”:
Multiple World Champion and
ION team-rider Aaron Hadlow
is one of the most experienced
freestylers in the world. His trademark
is his incredibly powerful
style. Together with Aaron,
ION has developed the Hadlow
Pro, an adaption of the Hummer.
The main priority for Aaron during
his manoeuvres naturally is
to have maximum freedom of
movement. That is why his harness
is cut lower than the conventional
Hummer. Compared
to the Madtrixx, which is also
slimline, Aaron’s pro-model is a
fair bit stiffer especially around
the back. It is crucial to make up
for lost ground after a big jump
as fast as possible, especially in
competition. That’s when this
particular level of stiffness is incredibly
valuable. Therefore Aaron’s
model is called a Hybrid,
combining the best of both worlds,
with a main focus on maximum
freedom of movement.
Overall it can be stated:
The less fitness and core strength
a rider has, the more intense
the strain on the back during
a kite-session; more support is
needed in the back area and
thus the wider the cut of the
harness should be. In this case
a freeride harness is the perfect
choice. Riders who kite a
lot in waves or freestylers who
require maximum freedom of
movement for handlepass-manouvers,
are better off with a
slimline, lower cut freestyle model.
Despite all the categorising
and specialising of models, in
the end of the day the final decision
is of course also a matter
of personal preference and taste.
Really one is spoilt for choice
and there is unfortunately no
scientific formula to determine
the perfect model for you.

190
PRODUCT FOCUS
CORE XR4 / XR4 LW
Product focus
CORE XR4 / XR4 LW
FREERIDE | WAVE | RACE
text and photo Courtesy Core Kites
www. corekites.com
XR series. For any wind. And any
style. A power delta bow kite
for pure adrenaline pumping
hangtime. A kite that delivers
ridiculous whoo-hoos in any
conditions. A kite that always
has your back. And now available,
for the first time ever, in
a color other than our original
white (BrightWhite10) version.
“TechBlack10, as we call it, has
special meaning to us." CORE
Chief, Bernie Hiss, explains.
"Our legendary sister company,
Carved, introduced its’ first kite
in 2005. And exactly ten kite
iterations later, CORE is a world
leader in kite innovation. CORE
releases the new 4th generation
XR4 with proprietary new
materials and more aerodynamic
design. The XR4 distinguishes
itself from the prior model
with the use of CORE ExoTex®
Dacron. Relentless research
went into our new proprietary
Dacron, a fabric that sets
structural performance benchmarks
in strength and abrasion
resistance. ExoTex® allows us to
improve airflow by reducing the
leading edge and strut diameters.
Despite reducing all five
strut diameters our new Exo-
Tex® Dacron improved kite stiffness
and flight characteristics.
The XR4 is more stable, can
point higher, depower more and
go bigger. Yes, we squeezed
even more hangtime in for those
seeking the ultimate big air
machine. Although the highly
rigid ExoTex® frame delivers crisp,
powerful feedback it doesn’t
mess with the XR’s legendary
easy riding comfort. The XR4
has not forgotten its roots as a
kiter’s first kite. Or its reputation
with aerialists and wave riders.
We carried over features like
our Intelligent Arc flight control
and Short Bridle System that
made the previous generation
so good in the first place. We

tweaked some features to make
them even better. Like reducing
pump time by improving airflow
in the Speed Pump System. And
adding new Grintex® patches
on the leading edge and tips for
better protection. We just love
how the kite responds to our
Sensor 2 bar. Feedback is precise
and immediate. Trim adjustments
are effortless. And if you
happen to eject, no problem,
the kite will drift depowered on
one front line until it comes to
rest in a launch ready position.
The new XR4 comes in 9 flavours,
I mean, sizes and 3 in the
XR4 LW edition. Check out the
XR4 at your local CORE retailer.
Sizes: 5.0 | 6.0 | 7.0 | 8.0 | 9.0 |
10.0 | 11.0 | 12.0 | 13.5 | LW 15.0 |
LW 17.0 | LW 19.0

192
PRODUCT FOCUS
Fusion Core 2
Product focus
Fusion Core 2
Freeride | Freestyle | Low wind
text and photo Courtesy Core Kites
www. corekites.com
When the Fusion hit the water
two years ago, it took the market
by storm. Now, after two years
of continuous R&D, we bring
you the second generation
Fusion featuring evolutionary
refinements while remaining
true to the original character.
Familiar, yet one quick look at
the Fusion 2 and you will notice
the new Union Pro pads, contour
tips and fins. We are super
stoked with our new in-house
designed Union Pro pads
and straps. When we could not
source “off the shelf” pads that
met our standards, we decided
to build them ourselves. The
new, orthotic EVA footpads with
its “toe grabber” 3D surface will
hold your feet securely even
on those off balance landings.
And with a base plate that can
accommodate nine different
stances and three pad insert
options we are sure you will find
the perfect setup for your riding
style. Our new Union Pro straps
are equally customizable. With
effortless pitch, longitudinal
and height adjustments, finding
your sweet spot will be easier
than ever. We lined the strap
interior with padded neoprene
while protecting the exterior
with durable synthetic leather.
A noticeable change can also be
seen in the new contour tip outline.
The edge runs longer and
straighter to a geometrically
optimized, bevelled corner. The
modified edge profile blends
perfectly with the Progressive
Channels and new G10 fins to
deliver crisp freestyle take-offs
and controlled power edging
without sacrificing the much loved
freeriding character of the
original.
We worked really hard to keep
all the good stuff that made the
Fusion so popular in the first place.
For example, we continue to
use our proprietary Cartan® 30°

Biaxial carbon fibre weave to
optimize board torsion and dynamic
longitudinal flex. We retained
the famous Diamond 3D
Shape performance attributes.
We didn’t fiddle with the proven
V-Keel, the Double Concaves or
the Progressive Channels. The
famous Fusion feel is alive and
well in the new generation. And
don’t forget about our two light
wind editions: the Fusion 2 LW
medium and the Fusion 2 LW
large. Boards that ooze confidence
and agility even in the lightest
of winds. The new Fusion
2. The Swiss Army® knife of kiteboards.
Always the right choice
for your next epic session.
Chop, glass, or waves, it doesn‘t
matter when you‘re riding the
Fusion 2, the ultimate all style
twin tip. The best seller is back...
only a little better!
Sizes: 133x39 cm | 135x40 cm |
137x41 cm | 139x41.5 cm | 141x42
cm | 144x43 cm | LW 147x44 cm
| LW 152x46 cm

194
PRODUCT FOCUS
RRD Passion MK8
Product focus
RRD Passion MK8
FREERIDE / BIG AIR
Text Courtesy RRD
Photo Svetlana Romantsova e courtesy RRD
www.robertoriccidesigns.com
Excellence through Passion; the
definition of the new Passion
MK8.
The MK8 delivers pure, predictable
power, paired with amazing
stability. The ‘new best
thing’ is a fantastic kite for allround
freeride, big air, and freestyle
progression that provides
a perfect blend of turning
speed, handling, and jumping
ability. Expect incredible performance
from this kite due to
the changes made to the profile
shape and aspect ratio.
The MK8 is re-designed, refined,
and has redefined the durability
of its predecessor, the
Passion MK7. One of the largest
differences is that the new Passion
MK8 now has 3 struts instead
of 5. The reduction of two
struts translates into a lighter
kite with increased low-end. Because
of the increased stability,
power, and performance of the
MK8, we were able to maintain
the same predictable power delivery
as the MK7. In addition,
the shape of the trailing edge
has been improved. We increased
the diameter size of the
bridle by 1mm and equipped
all bridles with a double pulley
system. The strut construction
with additional reinforcements
is also a new feature. They are
connected to the leading edge
more securely which improves
durability and the efficiency of
the airflow over the kite.
The Passion MK8 is especially
easy to relaunch, even in
low wind conditions. Furthermore,
the gradually changing
power while sheeting is coupled
with consistent bar pressure.
Thus aiding in the MK8’s predictability.
Boosting huge airs
is a blast on this kite because
the kite is smoother and more
stable in gusty conditions with
increased turning speed. Don’t
hold back! Give it full power.

The 15m and 17m sizes are specifically
designed for super light
wind. All details were considered
to reduced the weight of
these light wind kites.
The special 3m size is specifically
made for kiteboarding
schools and kids. It is also a
new design, simplified to the
core, with only two struts, great
low end power, and stability for
newcomers. A must for all kite
schools. As in the larger sizes,
the revisions allow this small
kite to fly very well in light wind.
Simply put, this is one extraordinary
piece of equipment.
If cutting edge technology and
impeccable attention to detail is
what you’re looking for, look no
further.
Special Features: New 3-strut
construction with additional
reinforcements, leading edge
seam protection, quick air flow
valve with protection cap, 45degrees
Leading edge reinforcements
panels, bridle anti-tangle
device, radial reinforcements,
3m version for schools.
Sizes: 3 • 5 • 7 • 9 • 11 • 13 • 15 •
17 mq

196
PRODUCT FOCUS
RRD Fifty Fifty
Product focus
RRD Fifty Fifty
Freestyle / Freeride Twintip divisibile
Text Courtesy RRD
Photo Svetlana Romantsova e courtesy RRD
www.robertoriccidesigns.com
A board for those who want to
travel light and compact. Available
into 2 x different sizes: 138
x 42 and 138 x 40,5 cms. This
kiteboarding format is getting
more and more popular for those
who travel often by plane, or
others who want to simply have
a short bike trip to the beach
in total comfort. The shape is
specifically designed along the
middle split of the board that is
naturally stiffer than a conventional
board, and so is the outline.
Slightly wider tips and and
a very thin rail profile, create a
great combo for pure freestyle
sessions or exhilarating freerides
in both light and strong
winds. The split system is extremely
simple and the board
can be assembled by screwing
in the carry handle, that works
as a connecting part. No other
pieces or technical devices needed
to assemble this functional
stick that can be stored in the
smallest bag or corner of your
car. Enjoy the pure freedom of
simplicity!

CELSIUS PRO
CHEST ZIP
“Only a PRO knows why”
FEATURES:
• Internal fabric tape only on seam joint areas
• 360 ultrastretch back panel
• Antiskid deck protection liquid tape on side seams
• Drain holes
• Velcro ankle straps
• Outside-in zipper
Available in: Orange/Black
Thicknesses:
•5/3 - 4/3
Available in: Gray/Black (Razzle Dazzle)
Thicknesses:
•4/3 - 3/2
Sizes:
XS•S•M•MT•L•LT•XL•XXL•XXXL
www.robertoriccidesigns.com
EXTREME flexibility where pattern
design is combined with the best available
neoprenes in the market. Our zippers close
from the out- to the inside, which is better
for the pressure distribution, resulting in
stronger front zips.
The Celsius pro is fully made with
Superstretch limestone neoprene, the most
flexible material available today, the Celsius
Pro is the wetsuit made with the lowest
number of panels in our collection. Less
panels mean more flexibility.
The PRO is pure fabric taped on the inside
only and on the seam joint areas.
This allows even more flex, especially
around the arms. Only a PRO knows what
this means!

198
BASIC FREESTYLE MOVES
S-bend vs Unhooked Frontroll
S-BEND VS UNHO
BASIC FREESTYLE MOV
Text Alberto Rondin
S-BEND
They might seem similar to some people, but
they are actually completely different: the S-bend
comes from the Raley based tricks, the Unhooked
Frontroll instead its a proper flip so the approach
to them is totally different!
The S-bend is one of those tricks especially, that
in Wakeboarding is considered one of the basics
tricks but also the hardest if done the proper way,
and risky in case not landed property!
The S-bend is a heelside raley with an overhead
backside 360, so basically its a flat rotation
while your legs are stretched and the board high
behind you (just like in raley).
- With the kite at 45’ and good speed, unhook and
get ready to pop hard, same pop you would do for
a raley.
- Push hard with your back leg on the water and
send the nose of the board against the wind to
get height.
- While your legs are going up, start to bed the
front leg and stretch your arms, being sure to
have your hands right in the middle of the bar.
- Turn your head looking under your back armpit,
this movement together with the bending of the
front leg starts the 360 rotation.
- Give and extra whip to the rotation twisting
your shoulders and pushing hard with your head
under the armpit. In this moment you should be
with the board above your head and your back
facing the kite.
- Keep spinning and look down to the water to realize
how high you are, if you need to speed thin-

OKED FRONTROLL
ES ALBERTO RONDINA
a | Photo Laci Kobulsky
gs up or you can slow down (if you are still high)
- bend your knees and get ready to cushion your
landing!
TIPS:
- If you feel the pop is not good
enough don’t go for it, the face
landings are painful :D
- Always keep the hands right
in the middle of the bar, you
wanna focus only on body
movement, so best is when the
kite is sitting in the same place
during the trick.
- Start with the kite a little higher
at the beginning, so even
if you are gonna crash (it could
be normal at the beginning ;)
its not gonna be that painful.

200
BASIC FREESTYLE MOVES
S-bend vs Unhooked Frontroll
The Unhooked Front Roll, or Front Flip, its an
inverted end over end style flip.
The biggest difference that you will notice from
the S-bend is that here you don’t stretch your
arms, instead you keep the bar close to your
body with the arms bended, and the front rotation
starts straight away after the take off.
- Your head is very important in this trick, as in
every other trick. Wherever the head goes the
body is gonna follow. So move your head back,
looking up in the sky, this will get you inverted.
- It feels a lot like doing a flip on a trampoline, so
the more compact you are the faster the rotation
is gonna go.
- With the kite at 45’ and good speed, unhook
with your hands in the middle fo the bar and pop
hard.
- Keep the bar close to you and keep pushing
with your head to finish the rotation and land
heel side again.
- Push hard with the back leg and in the same
time bend the front leg to start the front rotation.
- Bend your knees and cushion the landings.
TIPS:
- Start with the kite a little higher
at the beginning, so even
if you are gonna crash (it could
be normal at the beginning ;)
its not gonna be that painful.
- The most common mistake is
not to push enough with your
head, so always remember
that.
- The more inverted you wanna
get the more you gotta push
with your head, and have some
strong abs is also very important!

UNHOOKED FRONTROLL
You have just learned two tricks in one day!
Go out there and have fun ;)
ciao
Alby

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