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Kitesoul Magazine #24 International Edition

In this issue: Deury Corniel and Nina Font Castells 2018 WC, Baikal Lake, Triple-S Invitational 2018, LORD HOWE ISLAND, Willow-River: " Here's the One-Eye's story", The "walk of shame", Why yoga might help you be a better kiter, Défi Kite 2018, The Stagnone of Marsala like an arena for Free- style, Meeting CORE, Sailing around the Gren- adines and much more.

In this issue: Deury Corniel and Nina Font Castells 2018 WC, Baikal Lake, Triple-S Invitational 2018, LORD HOWE ISLAND, Willow-River: " Here's the One-Eye's story", The "walk of shame", Why yoga might help you be a better kiter, Défi Kite 2018, The Stagnone of Marsala like an arena for Free- style, Meeting CORE, Sailing around the Gren- adines and much more.

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Trips Baikal | Lord Howe | Caraibbean<br />

Competitions Defi Kite | Triple-S<br />

EventsCore's Meeting<br />

Product Focus<br />

RRD: Stark -Thrive - Shield | Cabrinha: Double Agent | Naish: Boxer


LUFF<br />

AT<br />

FIRST FLIGHT


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BOXER<br />

SIZES: 3.5 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 | 10 | 11 | 14 | 16<br />

FREERIDE/FOILING<br />

Built for foiling, yet incredibly versatile, the Boxer is our most luffable kite yet.<br />

Dynamic and adaptable, it marries the best characteristics of strutless and strutted kite designs with its single luff strut.<br />

The strut’s relaxed connection lets the canopy freely expand and contract, allowing it to handle heavier loads with ease<br />

Outstanding underpowered, the Boxer is incredibly easy to relaunch, light to the touch and responsive, yet forgiving.<br />

Easy to control, this kite generates power quickly and provides excellent sheet-in-and-go. Find your perfect partner in this<br />

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Check-out the rest of the 2018/19 line for even more thrills.<br />

RIDE<br />

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FREESTYLE/FREERIDE<br />

Carefully crafted to define your best moments on the water, each Naish kite has a distinctive feel.<br />

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Explore them all to maximize your time on the water.<br />

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WAVE +<br />

FREESTYLE / STRAPLESS<br />

FREERIDE<br />

TWO CHARACTERS.<br />

ONE KITE.


Editor<br />

David Ingiosi<br />

david.ingiosi@kitesoul.com<br />

Wave Thecnique Editor<br />

Mitu Monteiro<br />

Freestyle Thecnique Editor<br />

Alberto Rondina<br />

Thecnical Expert<br />

Renato Casati<br />

Photo & Video<br />

Maurizio Cinti<br />

Design<br />

Giuseppe Esposito<br />

Translations italian-english<br />

Daniela Meloni<br />

JUNE - JULY 2018<br />

TWO-MONTHLY<br />

Texts<br />

David Ingiosi, Matt Pearce, Reemedia,<br />

Gabi Steindl, Alby Rondina, Gianmaria<br />

Cocoluto, Jacopo Cantini, Francesco<br />

Contini, Daniele Milazzo, Dorian Cie, Noè<br />

Font, Naish, Cabrinha, Core, RRD, F-One.<br />

Photos<br />

David Ingiosi, Thomas Burblies, Axel<br />

Reese, Beau Pilgrim, Stephan Kleinlein,<br />

Dave Gardiner, Gabi Steindl, Svetlana<br />

Romantsova, Reemedia, Emiliano<br />

Peluso, Emanuele Pezzuto, Daniele<br />

D'Addario, Emanuela Mazzotta,<br />

Alessandro Quarta, Pamela Margarito,<br />

RRD, F-One, Cabrinha, Naish, Core<br />

Cover:<br />

Rider:Willow River<br />

Photo: Core Courtesy<br />

Publisher and advertising<br />

VISU Media<br />

Via Cavour, 20<br />

24030 Ambivere (BG)<br />

Amministratore Unico<br />

Federico Sugoni<br />

fs@kitesoul.com<br />

Registration Tribunale<br />

di Bergamo n°10/2014<br />

del 15/04/2014.<br />

Periodicità bimestrale<br />

Copyright <strong>Kitesoul</strong> <strong>Magazine</strong><br />

All content is copyright of <strong>Kitesoul</strong><br />

<strong>Magazine</strong> / Visu Media Srl.<br />

FEDERICO SUGONI<br />

Publisher<br />

He’s a manager and a businessman.<br />

He fell in love with kiteboarding<br />

almost 10 years ago in<br />

the wild and amazing North<br />

Shore of Oahu (Hawaii). Aside<br />

from kiteboarding there is<br />

only one other important<br />

thing in his life: his baby<br />

daughter.<br />

He’s responsible for the 2014<br />

launching of KiteSoul <strong>Magazine</strong>.<br />

DAVID INGIOSI<br />

Editor in Chief<br />

Professional journalist and<br />

video maker with a solid<br />

experience in sailing, sea<br />

adventures, travels and water<br />

sports, he has been reported<br />

the “blue world” from the<br />

inside for more than 15 years.<br />

He fell in love with kitesurf<br />

several years ago in Sardinia,<br />

then travelled all over the<br />

world as Iko instructor.<br />

MAURIZIO CINTI<br />

Film-maker<br />

Movie buff and keen photographer.<br />

He’s a skater, snowboarder<br />

and wakeboarder,<br />

but he actually burns with<br />

passion for kiteboarding. He<br />

started off with freestyle a<br />

few years ago, but nowadays<br />

he’s more into chasing big<br />

and powerful waves. This is<br />

what he loves the most.<br />

GIUSEPPE ESPOSITO<br />

Art director<br />

Kiter since he was in the baby<br />

pram, he is a rider for RRD<br />

Italia and he have a Bachelor<br />

in Comunciation Design at<br />

Politecnico di Milano.<br />

With this assignment, he<br />

finally has been able to put<br />

together his two passions:<br />

kite and design.


KITESOUL MAGAZINE<br />

Feel The Flow<br />

MITU MONTEIRO<br />

Technical Editor-Wave Riding<br />

He comes from Sal. Official<br />

F-one and Manera rider.<br />

2008 KPWT World Champion<br />

and three-time Vice World<br />

Champion. He started to surf<br />

and windsurf as a kid and but<br />

he definitively fell in love with<br />

kitesurf as soon as he discovered<br />

it.<br />

ALBERTO RONDINA<br />

Technical Editor-Freestyle<br />

He’s the best Italian rider of<br />

the competitive kiting world.<br />

Cabrinha, Neil Pryde and<br />

GoPro official team rider<br />

and four-time Italian Champion.<br />

Alberto has won the<br />

2001 edition of the European<br />

Championship and third<br />

place in the 2012 PKRA World<br />

Championship.<br />

RENATO “DR. KITE” CASATI<br />

Technical Expert<br />

RRD Wave team rider. Kiteboarder<br />

since 2000, he has<br />

been PKRA athlete and judge.<br />

He’s a professional sportswriter<br />

for several technical<br />

magazines. He lives between<br />

Como Lake and Sardinia, but<br />

he spends every winter in the<br />

waves of Cabo-Verde.<br />

DANIELA MELONI<br />

Professional translator<br />

Daniela mainly lived abroad<br />

where she graduated<br />

in Law and worked. She<br />

discovered her passion for<br />

water actvities back in 2007<br />

when she moved back to the<br />

Sardinian west coast and met<br />

her husband, the kitesurfer<br />

Enrico Giordano. Professional<br />

translator since 2009. She is<br />

a SUP lover and an amateur<br />

photographer and never<br />

misses to photo or video<br />

shoot a Kite or Sup wave<br />

session!


David Ingiosi<br />

At last kiteboarding enters the Olympics. During the World Sailing Mid-Year Meeting<br />

held in London in May, after a week of discussions the exponents of the world's<br />

sailing federations reached the decision: kiteboarding will officially make its debut<br />

as Olympic sailing class in 2024. In fact, kiteboarding was running for the Olympics<br />

for some time now and it was only a matter of understanding in which edition of<br />

the Games kites and boards would have made their official debut. It’s now been<br />

confirmed and it’s definitely some beautiful news for our sport.<br />

Kiteboarding will enter the Olympics 2024 with a race format with mixed teams of<br />

men and women. The details of the chosen format for the Olympic competitions<br />

still need to be defined but could include national teams of men and women gaining<br />

points from races or "relay" races where athletes compete alternating the track<br />

laps. There is nothing much on the equipment to be used yet. The official notice<br />

published by the World Sailing Board just refers to "new equipment must be selected".<br />

We await further news to this end in the upcoming months. The <strong>International</strong><br />

Kiteboarding Association (IKA) will closely work with the World Sailing Events Committee,<br />

to ensure that the format reflects the wishes and dreams of the competing<br />

kiteboarders from all over the world.<br />

Kitesurfing is sailing, let’s cut the fuss<br />

ust few hours after the decision, IKA President Mirco Babini (<strong>International</strong> Kiteboarding<br />

Association) said: "We are extremely happy, I couldn't sleep last night I<br />

was so excited. It's been a long way that started some years ago, but we never lost<br />

track. The achieved goal of kitesurfing becoming an Olympic discipline in Paris 2024<br />

is the result of years of work and we proved reliability and organizational skills to<br />

the sailing community. Kiteboarding will give added value to the whole movement,<br />

especially to those minor federations which will be able to take part to the Olympic<br />

adventure with a limited budget. What we achieved is very important because kiteboarding<br />

fully belongs to the sailing family. We now have few months to determine<br />

the exact equipment and format. We shall intensively work on some ideas we have<br />

for the presentation in November. I’m very proud to have contributed in a strong<br />

and yet consistent manner in the work management of my team."


KITEBOARDING IS OFFICIALLY<br />

AN OLYMPIC CLASS!<br />

THE NEW MIXED FORMAT EVENTS OF THE OLYMPICS 2024 WILL BE SCHEDULED<br />

FOR 2019 DURING THE WORLD SAIL ANNUAL CONFERENCE IN NOVEMBER. BUT<br />

NOW, LET'S JUST ENJOY THIS AMAZING SUCCESS!


SUMMARY<br />

PORTFOLIO<br />

TT:R<br />

TRIPLE-S<br />

18 30 36<br />

Deury Corniel and Nina<br />

Font Castells crowned<br />

2018 TwinTip:Racing<br />

World Champions 2018<br />

Wildcards announced<br />

for the 2018 Triple-S Invitational<br />

KITE TRIP<br />

KITE EXPERIENCES<br />

ITW<br />

68<br />

Baikal lake: a different<br />

kind of paradise<br />

80<br />

AUSTRALIA’S LOST PARA-<br />

DISE LORD HOWE ISLAND<br />

96<br />

Willow-River: Here's the<br />

One-Eye's story<br />

PHOTO CONTEST<br />

LEARN KITESURF<br />

EXPEREINCE<br />

130<br />

One Shot Kitesurfing in<br />

Salento – Winter <strong>Edition</strong>:<br />

here are the winners!<br />

134<br />

I do the walk of shame<br />

and I don't give a damn<br />

140<br />

Why yoga might help you<br />

be a better kiter


RACING FREESTYLE CORE'S MEETING<br />

40 46 50<br />

Nicolas Parlier conquers<br />

the 2018 Défi Kite<br />

The Stagnone of Marsala<br />

like an arena for Freestyle<br />

Less talk and straight to<br />

the core. We are German!<br />

ITW<br />

EXPERIENCE<br />

SAIL & KITE<br />

104<br />

Jeremy Burlando, 12<br />

years of talent in every<br />

kite discipline<br />

114<br />

Portfolio Here is KiteBuddy! I show<br />

you how a kite shop can<br />

be successful<br />

122<br />

Portfolio Kiters wind hunting<br />

along the beautiful Sinis<br />

coast<br />

KITE TRIPS<br />

PRODUCT FOCUS<br />

146 154<br />

Sailing around the Grenadines<br />

with Julien Leleu<br />

RRD: Stark -Thrive -<br />

Shield | Cabrinha: Double<br />

Agent | Naish: Boxer


18<br />

PORTFOLIO<br />

JAMIE BOULDING<br />

RIDER: JAMIE BOULDING<br />

PHOTO: CABRINHA COURTESY


20 PORTFOLIO<br />

PAULINE VALESA<br />

RIDER: Pauline Valesa<br />

PHOTO: Romantsova Photo


22<br />

PORTFOLIO<br />

CARL FERREIRA<br />

RIDER: CARL FERREIRA<br />

PHOTO: ROMANTSOVA PHOTO


24 PORTFOLIO<br />

JESSERICHMAN<br />

RIDER: JesseRichman<br />

PHOTO: TracyLeboe


26<br />

PORTFOLIO<br />

WILLOW RIVER<br />

RIDER: WILLOW RIVER<br />

PHOTO: THOMAS BURBLIES


32<br />

TT:R<br />

Deury Corniel and Nina Font Castells crowned 2018 TwinTip:Racing World Champions 2018<br />

Deury Corniel and<br />

Nina Font Castells<br />

crowned 2018<br />

TwinTip:Racing<br />

World Champions 2018


DEURY CORNIEL AND NINA FONT CASTELLS CLAIMED<br />

THE 2018 TWINTIP:RACING (TT:R) SLALOM YOUTH<br />

WORLD CHAMPIONSHIP IN HAINAN ISLAND, CHINA.<br />

THE FINAL QUALIFICATION EVENT FOR THE UPCOMING<br />

2018 YOUTH OLYMPIC GAMES (YOG) DEFINED THE 24<br />

ATHLETES THAT, IN OCTOBER, WILL LIVE THE DREAM IN<br />

BUENOS AIRES, ARGENTINA.<br />

It will be the first time that kiteboarders<br />

will compete for gold,<br />

silver, and bronze medals in an<br />

Olympic event. The historical<br />

moment will also mean random<br />

clashes and tangles during hardfought<br />

water battles.


122<br />

TT:R<br />

Deury Corniel and Nina Font Castells crowned 2018 TwinTip:Racing World Champions 2018<br />

The newly introduced kiteboarding<br />

discipline puts six-to-eight riders<br />

competing in adrenaline-fueled<br />

heats with five downwind legs<br />

each.<br />

Whenever the wind permits, the<br />

organization installs one-meter<br />

high boardercross-style obstacles<br />

that must be jumped over. Each<br />

heat only lasts a few minutes and<br />

there are constant lead changes.<br />

The TT:R Youth World Championship<br />

was run by the <strong>International</strong><br />

Kiteboarding Organization. The<br />

new world champions will now<br />

represent their nations in the<br />

highly anticipated Olympic event<br />

at Club Universitario de Buenos<br />

Aires.<br />

"Right now, I'm super happy. The<br />

Dominican Republic is qualified.<br />

Normally, this is like a game. I just<br />

try to do my best, and I don't mind if<br />

there is someone better than me",<br />

expressed Deury Corniel. Corniel<br />

kept his opponents at a safe distance<br />

and put out an impressive<br />

performance by winning five of the<br />

six races.


"We've been training for months<br />

and arrived prepared. For me,<br />

both things are the same - it's important<br />

to represent my country,<br />

but it is fantastic I'm world champion,<br />

too."<br />

On the women's side, Spanish<br />

rising star Nina Font Castells also<br />

smashed her direct opponents by<br />

claiming four of the six races.<br />

"It feels great. It's the first time<br />

our sport will be in the Olympic<br />

Games, so it's amazing to be<br />

heading there. But the world title<br />

is cool as well, so I'm really happy,"<br />

added Castells.<br />

The qualified nations for the 2018<br />

Youth Olympic Games are Dominican<br />

Republic, China, Croatia,<br />

France, Spain, Italy, Germany,<br />

Thailand, Antigua & Barbuda, Slovenia,<br />

Morocco, Philippines, Australia,<br />

New Zealand, South Africa,<br />

Venezuela and Argentina.


34<br />

TT:R<br />

Deury Corniel and Nina Font Castells crowned 2018 TwinTip:Racing World Champions 2018<br />

2018 TWINTIP:RACING SLALOM<br />

YOUTH WORLD CHAMPIONSHIP | TOP 5<br />

BOYS<br />

1. DEURI CORNIEL (DOM), 4PTS<br />

2. HAORAN ZHANG (CHN), 11.5PTS<br />

3. LORENZO CALCANO (DOM), 14PTS<br />

4. MARTIN DOLENC (CRO), 19PTS<br />

5. BENOIT GOMEZ (FRA), 20PTS<br />

GIRLS<br />

1. NINA FONT CASTELLS (ESP), 4PTS<br />

2. SOFIA TOMASONI (ITA), 13.5PTS<br />

3. KEWEN LI (CHN), 19PTS<br />

4. POEMA NEWLAND (FRA), 19PTS<br />

5. ALICE RUGGIU (ITA), 21PTS<br />

UPCOMING MAJOR EVENTS:<br />

24 JULY - 29 JULY 2018<br />

2018 TT:R OPEN WORLD CHAMPIONSHIPS & YOUTH CUP<br />

GIZZERIA, ITALY<br />

04 OCTOBER - 14 OCTOBER 2018<br />

YOUTH OLYMPIC GAMES<br />

BUENOS AIRES, ARGENTINA


36<br />

TRIPLE-S<br />

Wildcards announced for the 2018 Triple-S Invitational<br />

Wildcards announced for the 2<br />

Triple-S Invitational 2018<br />

Aymeric Martin, Nicolas Gilomen, Manuela Jungo, and Isabel Von<br />

Zastrow claimed the four wildcards on offer for the upcoming<br />

2018 Triple-S Invitational.


018


38<br />

TRIPLE-S<br />

Wildcards announced for the 2018 Triple-S Invitational<br />

The event will take place between June 2nd - 8th in Cape<br />

Hatteras, North Carolina, and showcases the world's best<br />

progressive wake-style kiteboarders putting their skills to<br />

the test on slider and kicker features.<br />

The 12th Annual Wind Voyager Triple-S Invitational will feature<br />

24 male riders and 10 female athletes from all corners of the<br />

planet.<br />

The winner of the 2018 Wind Voyager Triple-S Invitational<br />

wildcard competition is French rider, Aymeric Martin. His video<br />

submission included inversions off the kicker, bidirectional<br />

720s, and technical slider hits.<br />

The runner-up is Nicolas Gilomen, a kiteboarder from<br />

Switzerland who impressed the judges of the Triple-S<br />

Invitational with a creative collection of tricks off of kickers,<br />

and impressive moves on the slider and rails.<br />

Manuela Jungo created the best female video. Her performance<br />

featured a heel back 5, several technical slider hits, and rare<br />

double handle passes.<br />

Last but not least, Isabel Von Zastrow secured a tasty spot on<br />

the main event with her fast approach and confident landings.<br />

She returns for the second consecutive year to the Triple-S<br />

Invitational via wildcard competition.<br />

All wildcards were picked based on park-style riding and never<br />

based on video editing skills, lifestyle, and pretty faces. Four<br />

additional spots - two for men, and two for women - will be<br />

decided after the Open competition.


40<br />

RACING<br />

Nicolas Parlier conquers the 2018 Défi Kite<br />

Nicolas Parlier<br />

conquers the<br />

2018 Défi Kite


Nicolas Parlier and Alexia Fancelli were the fastest kiteboarders of the<br />

2018 Défi Kite, held in Gruissan, France.


42<br />

RACING<br />

Nicolas Parlier conquers the 2018 Défi Kite<br />

The 100-kilometer kitesurfing<br />

marathon attracted 320 riders.<br />

Four races were run, and the famous<br />

Tramontane wind didn't disappoint<br />

and blew in the 20 to 45<br />

knots range.<br />

The competition mixed, once<br />

again amateur and professional<br />

kiteboarders. A large majority of<br />

the riders flew 15-meter kites. Nico<br />

led his foil to victory with a flawless<br />

performance.<br />

"It's a good start of the season for me"


44<br />

RACING<br />

Nicolas Parlier conquers the 2018 Défi Kite<br />

expressed the hydrofoil and formula<br />

kite world champion. Parlier<br />

won the Défi Kite for the fourth<br />

time.<br />

Alexia Fancelli kept the French flag<br />

up in the sky and won the women's<br />

division. She was thrilled with<br />

the way everything was set up.<br />

"It was an awesome weekend in Gruissan for<br />

the 6th edition of the Défi Kite. I'm super happy<br />

to win this event and to finish 17th out of 320.<br />

We had beautiful battles out in the water,"<br />

added Fancelli.


2018 Défi Kite | REsultS<br />

MEN<br />

1. Nicolas Parlier<br />

2. Theo De Ramecourt<br />

3. Jean De Falbaire<br />

WOMEN<br />

1. Alexia Fancelli<br />

2. Ariane Imbert<br />

3. Nadine Poncept


46<br />

FREESTYLE<br />

The Stagnone of Marsala like an arena for Freestyle<br />

THE STAGNONE<br />

OF MARSALA LIKE<br />

AN ARENA FOR<br />

FREESTYLE<br />

From 10th to 13th May, the Stagnone of Marsala in<br />

Sicily, hosted the ProKite Cup 2018, an event valid<br />

for the Italian Freestyle Championship. The competition<br />

had the best national riders battle it out, as well<br />

as foreign riders in a separate category. Gianmaria<br />

Coccoluto got the first place, followed by Francesco<br />

Contini and Jacopo Cantini. Adeuri Corniel won in the<br />

international category.<br />

David Ingiosi


Over 25 Italian and foreign athletes<br />

of all ages made the ProKite<br />

Cup 2018 a memorable event,<br />

rich in good vibes. Organized by<br />

the ProKite of Alberto Rondina<br />

in the lagoon of the Stagnone of<br />

Marsala, Sicily (Italy), the event<br />

was the first stop of the Italian<br />

Freestyle Championship 2018.<br />

The course track was set up in<br />

the waters just in front of Alby<br />

Rondina’s Sports Centre and the<br />

heats took place with the athletes<br />

divided in the following categories:<br />

Men Open, Men Youth<br />

(born in year 2000 onwards),<br />

Master (born from 1974 to 1983)<br />

and Grand Master (born in and<br />

before 1973).<br />

During the three-day-competition<br />

the Stagnone did not disappoint<br />

and gave the competing athletes<br />

constant wind and flat-water conditions<br />

thanks to which everyone<br />

was able to prove his own abilities<br />

for the delight of the public.<br />

At the end of the competition,<br />

commented live and inflamed by<br />

Alby Rondina himself, the victory<br />

went to the current Italian titleholder<br />

Gianmaria Coccoluto<br />

who charmed the judges with his<br />

repertoire of powerful and stylish<br />

tricks. Behind him in second<br />

place the Sardinian Francesco<br />

Contini who proved once again<br />

strong nerves and a solid technique,<br />

and the Tuscan Jacopo<br />

Cantini who despite an ankle injury<br />

during the training sessions<br />

managed with his class to win the<br />

third step of the podium.<br />

The performance of the young<br />

Jeremy Burlando deserves also to<br />

be mentioned, he’s only 12 and<br />

already boasts the Junior World<br />

Champion title, whereas special<br />

get well soon wishes would go<br />

to Davide Fontanesi, who sadly<br />

got injured during the event. We<br />

trust that Davide will get back<br />

stronger than ever and fight for<br />

the title with the determination<br />

that he has always shown in the<br />

water.<br />

It was an interesting choice by<br />

the organization committee the<br />

one to include in the competition<br />

an Amateur Open to which registered<br />

the foreign riders who are<br />

consistent regulars in this lagoon.<br />

The Dominican Adeuri Corniel<br />

won this competition, followed<br />

by Gianmaria Coccoluto and Valentine<br />

Rodrigues, respectively in<br />

second and third position.


48<br />

FREESTYLE<br />

The Stagnone of Marsala like an arena for Freestyle<br />

On a sourer note, the non-performance<br />

by women who apart<br />

from the reigning Italian Champion<br />

Francesca Bagnoli, did not<br />

attended the event. Francesca<br />

called on all the Italian Freestyle<br />

girls from her Facebook page<br />

during the event, urging them<br />

not to give up and participate in<br />

these types of events. Let's hope<br />

they follow her advice.<br />

The second event of the Italian<br />

Freestyle Championship 2018 will<br />

take place on Lake Garda.


THE<br />

COMMENTS OF<br />

THE ATHLETES<br />

"I’m stoked about this victory, I didn’t take it for granted because each competition<br />

has its own history and it already happened to me to lose against athletes<br />

less strong than me at the World Championship, therefore I always try to do my<br />

best. The level of the participants was really high in this first event, the young<br />

ones are strong. Italy is full of good spots for training, and it shows. Many years<br />

ago, I chose to move here to the Stagnone because it’s unique in the world. Conditions<br />

were good during the competition and allowed to run all the heats and to<br />

me to get on the highest step of the podium. In my opinion this ProKite Cup 2018<br />

has been one of the best Freestyle events since 2012, both for its organization<br />

and logistics, for us athletes everything was just perfect".<br />

GIANMARIA COCCOLUTO<br />

"I’m very satisfied of this second place, last winter I trained with the objective of<br />

getting right behind Coccoluto here at the Stagnone. Now I just have to beat him<br />

too. It's tough because his manoeuvres are powerful, but not impossible, I need<br />

to put heart and mind. Here at the Stagnone I feel at home because in Sardinia I<br />

train in the Lagoon of Mistras which is very similar. Garda will carry some variables<br />

for everyone, we'll see".<br />

FRANCESCO CONTINI<br />

"This third place pays back all the training I did last winter in Kenya. The loss<br />

of my mother a few years back for me was a big blow and I had dropped kitesurfing.<br />

Then I managed to get myself together, get my startup and resume my<br />

training to get back big. I'm very happy, this sport is everything to me, it's my life.<br />

Coccoluto himself helped me a lot when I came here at the Stagnone, for me he's<br />

a great athlete but also a friend and I thank him. I hope I keep improving and<br />

maybe get myself a spot at the World Championship too".<br />

JACOPO CANTINI<br />

"I expected a sixth place maximum. I knew the athletes in the competition and<br />

how strong they were. Therefore, a fourth place was unexpected and yet even<br />

more appreciated. In the end I delivered a good performance, I landed all the<br />

tricks in my repertoire, I also tried a Front Blind which I landed. The Stagnone<br />

is my home, I was born here, I know it very well, I know where it's gusty. During<br />

the first heats I even used the 15 which is not a Freestyle kite, but I used it to the<br />

fullest. Now I want to train on the doubles. Kitesurfing is a deep passion for me, I<br />

want to increasingly progress and improve”.<br />

DANIELE MILAZZO


50<br />

CORE'S MEETING<br />

Less talk and straight to the core. We are German!<br />

Core's Meeting<br />

Less talk and straight to the core.<br />

We are German!<br />

From 9th to 15th April, <strong>Kitesoul</strong>'s editorial staff moved on the Island<br />

of Sal, in Cape Verde, to join Core's <strong>International</strong> Meeting 2018. A<br />

fantastic opportunity to get a closer look and test the new Nexus, a<br />

kite of the German Brand that will become a huge best seller but also<br />

to meet the entire crew of this Brand: starting with its founder Bernie<br />

Hiss, then the designer Sebastian "Buzzy" Witzleben who we interviewed,<br />

the international sales manager Philip Schinnagel and everyone<br />

else, including the pro riders Willow-River Shakes Tonkin and Steven<br />

Akkersdijk. Here's how it went...<br />

David Ingiosi<br />

Photo: David Ingiosi, Thomas Burblies, Steven Akkersdijk, Core Courtesy


52<br />

CORE'S MEETING<br />

Less talk and straight to the core. We are German!<br />

For sure one German signature is their ability to avoid any useless<br />

talk and get straight to the matter of things. Core products, as the<br />

word says, accurately reflect this philosophy, just like the <strong>International</strong><br />

Meeting held in Cape Verde: basically, retailers and us media spent<br />

7 days, morning to sunset, on the beach testing the equipment together<br />

with the brand's crew. According to the Germans, that is the only<br />

way to get a solid and precise opinion of the results achieved by the<br />

company. Well, can't argue with that. The constant trade wind that<br />

blows on the island during this time, the waves together with the mild<br />

temperatures surely made things much easier...<br />

In Sal the atmosphere is always charming and welcoming starting with<br />

the location chosen for the guests by the team, the KiteworldWide<br />

Surfhouse run by Simon and Lilly and which became the headquarters<br />

of the group. Just a 10 minutes transfer on a pickup truck, would get<br />

us to the famous Kite Beach where there’s Mitu Monteiro's school, and<br />

it's always amazing watching him in the water while he trains Freestyle<br />

Strapless. Many hours spent on the beach testing the kites in any condition,<br />

getting explanations on the adjustment and then in the water<br />

for endless sessions. Dinners all together and parties in the village of<br />

Santa Maria, small, very colourful, full of restaurants, bars with live


music and local crafts shops. In short, there were all the right ingredients<br />

for our meeting branded Core.<br />

We really appreciated the assistance and total dedication to this sport<br />

by the entire Core crew, starting with the big boss Bernie Hiss, every<br />

afternoon in the water with us and then Sebastian, Philip, Toby, Josè,<br />

Steven, Willow and all the others. For us, <strong>Kitesoul</strong> <strong>Magazine</strong>, it's been<br />

a very interesting experience with many cues and technical info, which<br />

we are happy to share with you.


54<br />

CORE'S MEETING<br />

Less talk and straight to the core. We are German!<br />

Nexus: a customizable and very high-performing kite<br />

But let's get to it, the true protagonist of Core's <strong>International</strong> Meeting<br />

2018: the Nexus. The new Core kite comes from the Section 2, the<br />

GTS4 and 14 years of research. It's an all-round kite which made us<br />

have fun right from the first minute we had it on our hands. Versatility<br />

and the possibility to customize it according to one's riding needs are<br />

its strengths. In fact, thanks to the CIT handling system we can finetune<br />

the kite's power and the turn radius by acting on the connection<br />

points of the lines of the leading edge. In the all-round mode, the Nexus<br />

pulls a little more, increases its hangtime and rotates slower. This<br />

behaviour is perfect for beginners and anyone who prefers a more<br />

relaxed surfing style. On the other hand, the wave mode, makes the<br />

kite faster, increases the depower improving the feet contact on the<br />

board when strapless, and allows narrower loops (useful in bottom<br />

turns). It also allows a greater pull when we pull the bar in, resulting in<br />

a fast feet switch. Lastly, the freestyle mode increases the loop radius,<br />

makes the kite more stable during freestyle manoeuvres and more<br />

vigorous.<br />

In general, the new Nexus inherits many of the best CORE innovations<br />

including a progressive power delivery, the 3 struts structure and the<br />

Radical Reaction Tips of the GTS. We deeply appreciated its incredible<br />

manoeuvrability on the waves of Kite Beach, its huge wind range and<br />

the Surf profile derived from the Section 2.


Let's see in detail the main features of the<br />

new Nexus:<br />

Technological shape, 3 struts only and radical tips<br />

Inspired by the GTS shape, the Nexus with its Future-C shape with a<br />

moderate aspect ratio, allows fast, tight turns with precise control.<br />

Imagine yourself making a perfect bottom turn, while you down loop<br />

your Nexus and don't feel yanked off the board. In other words, this<br />

innovative shape allows perfect ridings even in strong conditions.


56<br />

CORE'S MEETING<br />

Less talk and straight to the core. We are German!<br />

The size and profile of the 3 struts have been carefully engineered to<br />

start turning faster than the 5 struts similar profiles, an important element<br />

in the waves. The three -strut frame also allows weight saving,<br />

it's more stable in light wind conditions and it improves drifting.<br />

Core designers also finetuned the Nexus leading edge profile, especially<br />

between the bridles and control lines to allow extra confidence<br />

with the kite which increases its responsiveness, agility and directional<br />

control in waves of all sizes, including radical ones.<br />

Made to resist thanks to the triple ripstop<br />

Another strength we deeply appreciated of this kite is its construction<br />

quality. The Dacron ExoTex has a unique thread with radial reinforcements<br />

with no stretch and a protective coating that bear a higher<br />

pressure in the airframes with smaller diameters. ExoTex improves<br />

the air flow, the flight stability, and the kiter response by substantially<br />

increasing the strength and rigidity of the tubes despite the reduced<br />

diameters. If you just look at the radial seams on the leading edge,<br />

you’ll see no bulge to unsettle the air flow.


Another feature that proves the special construction of the Nexus is the<br />

triple ripstop, an exclusive Core patent, protected and strengthened<br />

with three different processes called "emulsions". Currently, CoreTex<br />

represents a benchmark on the market in relation to strength, tear<br />

resistance, longevity and UV protection. To make the kite's resistance<br />

complete there are the anti-wear Grintex Patches in the right places,<br />

that is the seams of leading edge and struts, which further protect<br />

from the hidden dangers on the beach. In this regard it’s worth reminding<br />

that just like any other Core kite, the Nexus comes with a 6<br />

year-warranty on every spare part from purchase date.


58<br />

CORE'S MEETING<br />

Less talk and straight to the core. We are German!<br />

Innovative aspect ratio, short bridles and<br />

instant relaunch<br />

In relation to the kite's profile the maximum camber is back shifted,<br />

and its aspect ratio is lowered, that is it's slightly larger to improve<br />

drifting. This profile also improves wave riding in onshore wind conditions<br />

because the kite runs along the window avoiding the backwards<br />

stall. The short bridle system of the Nexus also improves its responsiveness<br />

and allows a better perception of the kite position and to<br />

anticipate any movement.<br />

In Kite Beach's conditions, a prompt relaunch was what we needed<br />

when facing a threatening wave ready to swallow our kite that had<br />

fallen on the water. The Nexus immediately got in relaunch position<br />

and off the water with just a pull.<br />

Another nice thing about the Nexus is that it doesn't need any special<br />

adapter for its inflation valve. In fact, the Speed Valve 2 directly connects<br />

to any 20 mm hoses with twist lock connectors. The valve maximizes<br />

airflow, minimizes inflation time and reduces effort for pumping<br />

even large size kites. Also, the big tubes and the struts' valves allow a<br />

free and fast airflow.


60<br />

CORE'S MEETING<br />

Less talk and straight to the core. We are German!<br />

Sebastian "Buzzy" Witzleben: in<br />

Core we are crazy about performance!<br />

We took advantage of Core's <strong>International</strong> Meeting 2018 on<br />

the Island of Sal to interview Sebastian "Buzzy" Witzleben<br />

who together with Frank Illfrich represent the "creative<br />

heart" of the kites and boards of the German brand. It’s not<br />

by chance that I use the word heart, because this guy has a<br />

special passion for his design work and for kitesurfing. Here<br />

is what he told us about the Brand philosophy in relation to<br />

designing, concepts, materials and adopted solutions.<br />

Sebastian, during the meeting we spent the days testing the Nexus as<br />

well as the other equipment, three key words come to mind that seem<br />

to characterize the Core production: high performance, versatility and<br />

strong identity? Do you agree?<br />

First of all, thank you for these impressions, and absolutely, I definitely<br />

agree. In Core we are crazy about performance and we want every single<br />

product to guarantee the top in any condition. This is the objective<br />

to which we dedicate all our efforts. But we want these performance<br />

skills to be addressed to and appreciated not just by a small number<br />

of riders but by the majority of them. When we develop a kite, we


don't just think to its use in some specific conditions, as for instance<br />

in some spots, neither we focus on any peculiar skill of the riders. We<br />

want every kiter to be able to use our equipment at its best, anywhere<br />

and be sure to improve at every single session. For example, the XR is<br />

the kite with which it was scored the jump world record, but also a kite<br />

used by schools. Or the GTS4, a kite with which you can throw killing<br />

Megaloops, but also give it to your little sister who is just about starting<br />

and make her have fun in total safety. Each of our products strictly<br />

comply with these parameters and we want this philosophy to be what<br />

makes us acknowledged and appreciated in the market.<br />

The same parameters that apply to the Nexus too, right?<br />

Sure, the Nexus is the newest member of our family, we like to see it<br />

that way. In a sense it replaces the Free, which was the kite dedicated<br />

to beginners and schools and that gave us a lot of satisfaction. However,<br />

the Nexus is a much higher performing kite with versatility skills<br />

of use incomparable to the Free. We are talking about a kite that you<br />

can perfectly use in the waves, flat water for Freestyle and that thanks<br />

to its handling and balance skills it's an all-round kite.


62<br />

CORE'S MEETING<br />

Less talk and straight to the core. We are German!<br />

Every Core kite can be used in a wide variety of conditions and meet the<br />

needs of any discipline lover. Your marking a new market trend, which<br />

means less expenses for those riders who chose your brand and have a<br />

smaller quiver yet super effective and versatile. Is that right?<br />

I am very happy to hear that because we work on each kite making<br />

sure that it performs at its best in a given discipline, but that can also<br />

give great satisfaction even in other contexts and for sure in its basic<br />

performance. For example, water relaunch is an important safety element.<br />

All our kites regardless of their specific characteristics must<br />

have an excellent relaunch. Of course, Joshua Emanuel wants a kite<br />

with immediate relaunch and same goes for Willow and Steven and


myself too, but it's exactly what my wife also wants, or a kid and we<br />

must guarantee that. Same goes for jumps. We all like to jump and fly<br />

as long as we can, even if we love Wave riding or Freestyle. That's why<br />

all our kites allow to jump to the best. We want a rider who enters a<br />

store to buy a Core kite and already knows his or her riding direction,<br />

to rest assured that he'll always have a kite with an excellent feeling<br />

on the bar, versatile and reliable in any condition.<br />

How do you combine this total versatility need of your kites with more<br />

technical disciplines, for example Wave Riding or Wakestyle?<br />

We don't compromise in such cases. Both the Section 2 and the Impact<br />

2 are kites on which we worked hard over the years. They do not<br />

belong to the Universal Series as they have a more technical and specialized<br />

vocation in relation to their disciplines, Wave and Wakestyle<br />

respectively, they fly with a precise attitude. Therefore, on the one<br />

hand, they are less versatile, maybe a little difficult at first, but then<br />

you can progress with them over the years in a clear direction and still<br />

get great gratification off them.<br />

Research of performance and of versatile products it's a philosophy you<br />

also apply to your boards. Don't you?<br />

Yes absolutely, we believe that if you buy poor quality equipment,<br />

you'll end it up by buying it twice. In general, a good board is suitable<br />

for everyone and it's worth the price. We try to use the best materials<br />

on all our boards, which of course means a higher price but that is<br />

the only way for perfection. We are not happy to compromise. As for<br />

versatility, in our Twintip board catalogue for example we have the Fu-


64<br />

CORE'S MEETING<br />

Less talk and straight to the core. We are German!<br />

sion 3 and the Choice 2, more universal and able to meet the needs of<br />

Freeride and Freestyle lovers, of those who want to jump high, while<br />

the Bolt 2 is a more radical board, with a harder set up, that can also<br />

go with boots but that also offers fun to those approaching Wakestyle<br />

or Freestyle.


Let's talk about the bar. Your Sensor 2, despite being pure technology is<br />

appreciated for its simplicity, the reduced diameter that doesn't wear<br />

your hands out and the option to adjust the pressure and adapt to kites<br />

of any size. What did you do on this accessory?<br />

I strongly believe that the Sensor 2 sums up the Core philosophy to<br />

the best. I still recall when we started our design work on this product<br />

and Bernie and I discussed on the approach to have. Right from the<br />

start, we believed in a concept of minimalism, lightness, simplicity and<br />

reliability. We also wanted the bar to be immediate, fast, with a good<br />

direct feeling, long-time resistant and capable of proving the excellent<br />

engineering work carried out on the kites. As far as materials are concerned<br />

we only use the best on the market: Dyneema for the lines that<br />

guarantee maximum resistance to the loads in place and titanium core<br />

for the bar that guarantees maximum resistance and reduced weight,<br />

we didn’t go on the cheap here ever since the beginning. Not to forget<br />

all the works on the always important details: trim adjustment with<br />

one line, 2-way quick release, shorter, lighter and more compact than<br />

all the other systems, the swivel just below the bar that automatically<br />

unwinds the front lines if the bar is pulled in, the lines end loops are<br />

braided first and then stitched, the vario width to shorten or extend<br />

the bar. Everything is designed with the aim of having a control which<br />

is effective, perfect, safe and simple to use.


66<br />

CORE'S MEETING<br />

Less talk and straight to the core. We are German!<br />

Sebastian, you're not just a designer but a true waterman who spends<br />

just as much time in the water to test products as at the desk and in<br />

front of the computer to engineer them. But you don't work on Core<br />

projects on your own, do you?<br />

That's right, I am not Core’s designer, that's Frank Illfrich. You could<br />

say we are some kind of creative couple, we are friends but with totally<br />

different personalities. I am extremely talkative, restless, Frank<br />

is calm, completely focused on every detail. You can't actually tell who<br />

does what on a product because we simply put our energy and experience<br />

together and reach the goal. People watch us talking on the<br />

beach for hours on and may ask what we are talking about, but we<br />

truly love our job, I wouldn’t talk about passion or talent, we simply<br />

need to do what we do.<br />

How do the other members of your crew take part in this 2-made job?<br />

We try to gather and consider everyone's feedback, starting with the<br />

athletes of course, but also the sales or marketing manager, engineers,<br />

dealers around the globe. In Core we think of ourselves as a<br />

family, each of us is important and directly involved in our objectives.


WITHOUT<br />

A DIAMOND<br />

—THERE’S NO<br />

HAPPILY EVER<br />

AFTER<br />

Alan Van Gysen Rider: Nick Jacobsen Contact: Pryde Group GmbH Bergstraße 7, 82024 Taufkirchen, Germany Tel: +49 89 6650490<br />

WITHOUT YAMAMOTO LIMESTONE<br />

NEOPRENE THERE’S NO HAPPILY<br />

EVER AFTER EITHER<br />

Yamamoto Limestone Neoprene is the diamond of wetsuit innovation and performance.<br />

Made from limestone extracted from Mount Fuji in Japan, it is a non-petroleum based<br />

material that is the industry standard for premium neoprene and superior watersport<br />

performance.<br />

No sad faces here though... because ALL our wetsuits use Yamamoto so you can<br />

always experience the Happily Ever After with any of our wetsuits.<br />

[1]<br />

[2]<br />

Premium Japanese limestone-based neoprene is 95%<br />

water impermeable compared to 70% for standard<br />

petroleum neoprene. It absorbs less water, dries faster<br />

and provides more wind chill protection.<br />

Yamamoto neoprene has a unique cell structure and has<br />

a 23% higher closed cell ratio for added buoyancy and<br />

flexibility [1]. The cells are evenly spaced and filled with<br />

nitrogen gas that increases heat retention [2].


68<br />

KITE TRIP<br />

Baikal lake: a different kind of paradise


Baikal<br />

lake:<br />

A DIFFERENT KIND OF PARADISE<br />

Before we begin, I want you to know that this isn’t the article<br />

where I sell you the story of a perfect trip. It’s not a trip to a remote<br />

island with wind, sun, palm trees and crystal-clear water.<br />

Places like that are beautiful but we’ve done that before.<br />

This time we were looking for something else. A different kind<br />

of paradise. Beauty comes in many forms and we did find it<br />

in Russia. To some it might or might not be appealing but it<br />

sure was worth it.<br />

Text:Noè Font


70<br />

KITE TRIP<br />

Baikal lake: a different kind of paradise<br />

Baikal lake<br />

T<br />

he first few emails came around and they talked about Lake Baikal, the deepest fresh<br />

water lake in the world in the middle of Russia. I mean who wouldn’t get excited about<br />

that. Russia is a country I knew so little about and Siberia had never been in my bucket<br />

list. Or even close to it. I went ahead and briefly googled it. With just a few photos I was already<br />

intrigued.<br />

On the trip we had Aaron Hadlow, Stefan Spiessberger, Craig Cunningham, Francesca Bagnoli,<br />

Artem Garashenko and myself. The usual media crew: Toby, Chris, Carlos and Tommy the boss.<br />

Artem was our guide, he’d been there a few times already and took care of the logistics of the<br />

trip. In the weeks prior to the trip he warned us of the cold and rough conditions we were going to<br />

encounter there, so we did what you’d do and packed thick wetsuits and the clothes you’d bring<br />

on a trip to the snow. Over the years our good friend photographer Vincent Bergeron, has repeated<br />

a saying that states to “Never, trust the local. Ever.” Once again it was proven true. We landed in


Baikal lake<br />

Russia to much better weather than expected; 30 degrees Celsius and sun.<br />

When you look at Lake Baikal on a map, you see it has a very stretched out and narrow shape; 636<br />

km long and 79 km wide. In winter it freezes and the ice is thick enough to drive on, but in summer<br />

you have to drive around it.<br />

On arrival, Artem briefed us on the area and the two main spots. Two different wind directions<br />

and two different spots. One was a river mouth, the other one had a church for a backdrop. Both<br />

around six hours away from Irkutsk, in opposite sides of the lake. We were going to spend two<br />

weeks out there, so we set the main base in the outskirts of Irkutsk, the main city.<br />

During our first week, the forecast was light and the chances of wind were slim. Artem took us<br />

out to the local Cable Park to meet the local kite community. They welcomed us with excitement.<br />

Photos were taken, babies were held and hats, boards and even kites were signed.


72<br />

KITE TRIP<br />

Baikal lake: a different kind of paradise<br />

Baikal lake


wWhen we arrived in Irkutsk our local contact, Mikhail, had organized to build a rail<br />

of our choice with some local welders. It isn’t easy to build an obstacle for kiting;<br />

they have to be fast to setup, easy to carry and of a decent length. We arrived at the<br />

warehouse and there it was. Five pieces, each one of them too heavy to move alone. Luckily for us<br />

Mikhail was the man, he organized a truck with a built-in crane to haul the rail to the spots of our<br />

convenience. That saved our asses, we would have never moved that rail out of that warehouse<br />

alone.<br />

The first move was to the river mouth. The chances of wind were very slim, but we still made the<br />

drive to check it out. Two hours down the road, another four in a long and bumpy dirt road, through<br />

a green field and over stones to the end at the tip of a sandbar. Or should I say, “stone bar”. Either<br />

way, it really was the spot of your dreams. It looked insane; stones instead of sand and grass hills<br />

instead of palm trees, wild horses and fresh clear water. We spend the whole afternoon waiting<br />

for the wind, but it only picked up enough for a quick cruise on the foil. Nevertheless, we were all<br />

frothed up to ride there at some point during the trip.<br />

The wind finally made an appearance in the forecast, but on the opposite side of the lake and<br />

there we went. The crew was split in three different cars and we’d take turns on riding shotgun,<br />

navigating and napping in the back. Unfortunately, all the 4x4’s you can rent in Irkutsk have more<br />

than half a million km on the counter. So, an hour into our 4h drive one of the cars breaks down.<br />

Artem immediately took control of the situation, made some phone calls and after what sounded<br />

like a heated discussion he said: “we must wait”. And we did, one hour, two hours, three hours…<br />

We decided to spend our time at a little bar by the road. The kind of bar with dissected bears hanging<br />

on the walls. The replacement car finally showed up. It was a Range Rover, but they<br />

told us that such a car had to be hired with a driver. He was a maniac. All the roads have<br />

one lane only and they are really windy. Never a chance to pass the car in front. Yet, he<br />

somehow made it work. His timing was perfect, one second too late and we’d have lost<br />

our boss and camera crew to a frontal accident with a transport truck. The guys had to<br />

tell him to take it easy and slow it down in many occasions but communicating with<br />

him wasn’t easy. Or it was the sneaky Vodka shots he’d have throughout the day? We<br />

tried to keep up with the Range Rover, but they were too fast for our cars. Around eight<br />

hours after we had left the house, we arrived at the spot.<br />

There were two hostels in the little village, one grocery store and one restaurant. The<br />

“good” hostel was fully booked, and our only option was to spend the night in a room<br />

above the restaurant. I think we can all agree those were the doggiest beds ever. If I<br />

may call them so. In hindsight, it’s all part of the adventure and an opportunity so see<br />

a different culture. It makes you realize how dependent and accustomed we are to little<br />

everyday luxuries, such as comfortable beds and diverse food options. That being said,<br />

it wasn’t what we were hoping for after eight hours of driving.<br />

The next morning, we had breakfast in the restaurant downstairs. At that point we<br />

hadn’t yet realized that the exact same food was going to be our diet for the next four days. A<br />

Baikal lake


74<br />

KITE TRIP<br />

Baikal lake: a different kind of paradise<br />

Baikal lake


meatball-based diet. Which eventually turned into a joke. Breakfast, lunch and dinner. We’d have<br />

salads and soups, but none were as predominant. Meatballs in tomato sauce, wrapped in pasta<br />

and meatball soups just to name a few. We all eat at least three servings per meal. However, the<br />

total cost would round up to 20$ for the entire crew.<br />

We rushed to setup the slider before the wind came in. It took us a while. The pipes didn’t really<br />

line up together, so we had to smoothen up the surface with a knife. Once the wind came in it was<br />

game on. We split the crew so that we could be as productive as possible, some would film video<br />

on the slider while the others shot freestyle photos. In photoshoots like this there is always a list<br />

of high priority shots that need to be done. Especially the cruising shot. Get a photo, video, water<br />

angle, drone clip, done. After that it’s time to throw down.<br />

It was a really good first day of action, we figured out the lines on the rail and the freestyle guys<br />

pretty much landed all their tricks. On the next day a storm rolled in. It was cloudy, rainy and<br />

cold. Finally! We focused on doing some big air and megaloops. Later in the day we drove up the<br />

“beach” to check out another little sandbar. It was really cold, but we still went out for a session<br />

on our smallest kites, had a laugh at how fast they actually move down the window and stacked<br />

a few more clips. At sunset the light shined through the little gap between the clouds and the<br />

horizon. It looked really cool in the photos. After that, the forecast pretty much died but we stuck<br />

around the area as there was a slight chance of wind further North.<br />

Back on the road. Four hours to a beach where the cows sunbathed by the shore of the lake. Light<br />

onshore breeze. We didn’t bother. Drove back that same day, packed up the slider and went back<br />

to Irkutsk. Halfway through the second week. With a couple of sessions in the bag. All our hopes<br />

were in that one day of wind in the forecast.<br />

Baikal lake


76<br />

KITE TRIP<br />

Baikal lake: a different kind of paradise<br />

We packed the cars and headed back through the bumpy dirt road, the green<br />

field, over the stones to the end at the tip of the sandbar. Or was it “rock bar”?<br />

We found a place to stay close by, had lake fish for dinner and slept early. At<br />

dawn ready to roll; it was windy. We found breakfast and arrived at the spot. Twenty knots, sunny<br />

and flat water; really it was our pot of gold at the end of the bumpy dirt road. It was epic; tricks<br />

were landed, shots were taken, clips were stacked and fun was had. We kited for as long as our<br />

bodies swapped the bar, packed up the slider again and left. That was it. Job done. One more day<br />

and we would have been out of there.<br />

Baikal lake


Everyone was frothing to get back to Irkutsk for a real meal and some drinks. Next minute, a car<br />

breaks down. In the middle of the damn bumpy dirt road. No reception. Artem takes control, drives<br />

to find reception and makes a call. No one cares, it’s the weekend. One random stranger drove by<br />

and offered to tow the car behind his truck in exchange for a stack of cash. Something like 100 km<br />

down the bumpy dirt road. The rope broke a few times. We arrived at the restaurant past midnight.<br />

Ate real food and drank beer. The maniac driver had a strawberry milkshake. Got home really late<br />

and slept in. It felt good. That was it. Job done.<br />

Baikal lake


78<br />

KITE TRIP<br />

Baikal lake: a different kind of paradise<br />

Baikal lake


Baikal lake<br />

Airport transfer. 3am. Maniac driver. Flat tire. Shit. He’s changing the tire. Car falls off the jack<br />

stand. Broken brake discs. Found another car. Phew. Check in. 100$ bag fees; mandatory. Take off.<br />

Good times Russia. Until we meet again.


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KITE EXPERIENCE<br />

AUSTRALIA’S LOST PARADISE LORD HOWE ISLAND<br />

Lord Howe Island<br />

AUSTRALIA’S LOST PARADISE<br />

Text: Gabi Steindl<br />

Photos: Beau Pilgrim, Stephan Kleinlein, Dave Gardiner, Gabi Steindl


Squashed like a sardine into my economy<br />

class window seat while flying back to Western<br />

Australia from New Caledonia, I watched<br />

puffy clouds drift by, daydreaming of the<br />

amazing waves I had scored on my trip. Suddenly,<br />

I popped back to reality with a start.<br />

Rubbing my eyes, I stared outside in disbelief,<br />

wondering whether I was actually hallucinating.<br />

“What the …?”.<br />

Half moon in shape, thousands of feet below,<br />

a tiny island sat glowing like an emerald out<br />

of the deep blue sea. I made out two large<br />

mountains at one of the tips, white sandy<br />

beaches all around and a lagoon blazing in<br />

the most surreal shades of turquoise and<br />

blue that was fringed by a large coral reef.<br />

I nudged the dude in the seat next to me, gesturing<br />

him to take off his headphones for a<br />

moment. “Mate, please have a look; is there<br />

an island down there or am I going crazy?”<br />

“Wow! That’s amazing, must be Norfolk Island.”<br />

“Nah, I reckon we’re too far west for<br />

Norfolk,” I replied. “We both must be hallucinating<br />

then,” he offered, before returning his<br />

headphones to his ears and his full attention<br />

back to the inflight entertainment.<br />

Back with my feet on solid ground waiting at<br />

the luggage belt, I took a close look on Google<br />

Earth on my iPhone and was in the know.<br />

What I had seen from the air was “Lord Howe<br />

Island”, part of New South Wales and about<br />

700km northeast of Sydney in the Tasman<br />

Sea.<br />

A few months later, I sat in the tiny 32-seater<br />

propeller driven Bombardier Dash-8 plane of<br />

QantasLink from Sydney to the island. “Get-


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KITE EXPERIENCE<br />

AUSTRALIA’S LOST PARADISE LORD HOWE ISLAND<br />

ting there” is always part of any adventure. In<br />

this case, it took three attempts… Two days in<br />

a row all flights got cancelled as the combination<br />

of extremely dense low fog over Lord<br />

Howe, the island’s mountainous landscape<br />

and an extremely short airstrip, rendered<br />

landing impossible. Third time lucky!<br />

The landing was pretty full-on. The weather<br />

was still pretty dismal, and the aeroplane<br />

slipped out of dense grey skies onto a super<br />

short airstrip that started only a couple of<br />

meters away from the ocean, perched right<br />

next to two large mountains.<br />

The island (only 11km long and 2kms at its<br />

widest point) felt even smaller than I had expected<br />

during the short transfer to my accommodation.<br />

There is only one main road<br />

running across the crescent shaped islet with<br />

a few smaller side-streets forking off it here<br />

and there. Everything was extremely lush<br />

and tropical in fifty shades of green. The only<br />

township is located on the northern side.<br />

Spectacular twin-peaks Mount Lidgbird (777<br />

m) and Mount Gower (875 m) dominate the<br />

south end of the island. A breath-taking lagoon,<br />

about 8kms long and 1.5kms wide, runs<br />

along the western side. Lord Howe is home to<br />

the world’s most southern coral reef. As an


eroded remnant of a seven million-year-old<br />

shield volcano, it counts 28 small volcanic islets<br />

along its coast.<br />

Approximately 350 permanent residents call<br />

Lord Howe home and it’s not easy to become<br />

a true islander. You have to have lived on the<br />

island for 10 years consecutively in order to<br />

get your “islander-status”, which makes you<br />

on Lord Howe.<br />

The island was first sighted by Lieutenant<br />

Henry Lidgbird Ball, commander of the First<br />

Fleet ship “Supply” whilst transiting convicts<br />

from the East coast of Australia to the penal<br />

settlement of Norfolk Island, on 17th February<br />

1788. Ball named the uninhabited island<br />

after British Admiral Richard Howe.<br />

eligible to buy land. Even then, it’s still not<br />

a walk in the park, as there are only a small<br />

limited number of blocks left for sale on the<br />

entire island!<br />

The trend amongst the islanders to use cars<br />

kicked in only in the last 10 years. Today there<br />

are about 250 motor vehicles on the island,<br />

including machinery and transport mini-buses.<br />

Seven cars make up the fleet of available<br />

rental vehicles, but bicycles are the best way<br />

to get around on the island. I immediately set<br />

myself up with a bike from the bike-stable<br />

at “Ocean View”, established more than 100<br />

years ago it’s one of the original guest lodges<br />

All place names on the island (beaches, mountains<br />

etc.) originate back to the First Fleet.<br />

Lord Howe is a UNESCO World Heritage listed<br />

paradise of global natural significance with<br />

a remarkable geology and an extremely varied<br />

landscape, even more so considering its<br />

actual size. A large part of the island is still<br />

practically untouched forest, with some flora<br />

and fauna found nowhere else in the world.<br />

The ocean is crystal clear, full of colourful fish<br />

and coral. Most of the island is made up of<br />

luscious rainforest, palm, pine, banyan and<br />

pandanus trees, with the sweet smell of frangipani<br />

and hibiscus hovering in the air.


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AUSTRALIA’S LOST PARADISE LORD HOWE ISLAND<br />

The first day took me immediately to one of<br />

the most remarkable wonders of the Lord<br />

Howe Island Group. Onboard “Greenback”<br />

- named after the locally prolific Yellowtail<br />

Kingfish – a beamy, 9.3m custom-made fishing<br />

boat, powered by 315 HP diesel, we set<br />

course for “Ball’s Pyramid”, the World’s tallest<br />

volcanic sea stack. Situated 23kms southeast<br />

of Lord Howe, the 551m-jagged rock pinnacle<br />

shoots out of the Tasman Sea like a spearhead.<br />

As Lord Howe, Ball’s Pyramid is a relict<br />

of the mammoth volcano that once stood<br />

in the area. Still joined underwater by a seamount,<br />

Ball’s Pyramid is just 0.5 per cent of<br />

the gigantic burning mountain it was once a<br />

part of.<br />

“In the distance it's a fairy tale castle wreathed<br />

in clouds. It's a medieval fortress, protected<br />

by an ocean moat and guarded by a ridge of<br />

towering battlements. It seems to drift on<br />

the water supported by a shroud of clouds.<br />

It is so unreal. Another world, mysterious


and unknown, where the air is filled with the<br />

pounding of the waves and the wild yells of<br />

sea birds." Those were the words of Australian<br />

John Davis, who was in the team of the<br />

first successful climbers that made it to the<br />

summit on 14th February 1965.<br />

Ball’s Pyramid offers astonishing diving and<br />

fishing, but Mother Nature even outdid herself<br />

on top of that. I was sitting on the bow,<br />

staring in total happiness out to the horizon,<br />

when suddenly a large pod of bottleneck dolphins<br />

came up all around the front of the boat,<br />

playfully swimming with us as we steamed<br />

along. Everything seemed utterly surreal<br />

when one of them launched nearly 10 meters<br />

up in the air right in front of me, with the pyramid<br />

in the backdrop. I had to pinch myself<br />

to make sure I wasn’t dreaming! Freediving a<br />

little later in more than 600m deep water that<br />

was the strongest and deepest shades of blue<br />

that I have ever experienced, I felt like a mermaid.<br />

I could not get the big grin off my face


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KITE EXPERIENCE<br />

AUSTRALIA’S LOST PARADISE LORD HOWE ISLAND<br />

until I put my tired bones to bed that evening,<br />

still rocking and totally blissed out.<br />

“Blinky Beach” (named after Captain Blenkinthorpe<br />

who landed the first settlers in 1834)<br />

was on fire the next morning! Reaching the<br />

top of the sand-dune, overlooking the beach<br />

and feeling the light offshore on my back, I<br />

watched absolutely perfect crystal cylinders<br />

breaking in luminous turquoise water onto an<br />

amazing white sandy beach. There were only<br />

two surfers out! Paddling out to the line-up, a<br />

turtle popped its little head up and hung with<br />

me for a while. The vibe in the water was super<br />

friendly—surfers introduced themselves<br />

with their names! Where in the world does<br />

this still happen?<br />

Lord Howe in general is very unlike anywhere<br />

else in the world. On many occasions I had<br />

the impression that time was literally standing<br />

still—exactly one of the most captivating<br />

charms of this place. There is no mobile<br />

phone coverage (at all!) or street lights, thus<br />

bringing a head-torch is a great call! The daily<br />

weather report is written on a blackboard at<br />

the tiny Museum. 78-year-old Gower Wilson is<br />

the unofficial “Milko”. He has been milking his<br />

cows for decades twice a day, providing the<br />

very freshest and unprocessed milk you could<br />

possibly imagine, straight from the udder. The<br />

fuelling up procedure at the airstrip still happens<br />

with a tractor. Unless posted express,<br />

the mail arrives only every two weeks by ship<br />

from the mainland. Every second Saturday is<br />

a bit like Christmas for the islanders when the<br />

“Island Trader” docks on the little jetty in the<br />

lagoon, delivering everybody’s bulk shopping


of fresh produce, goods ordered online, the<br />

mail etc. It’s also then that the shelves of the<br />

two general stores light up with fresh fruits<br />

and veggies which can get a bit scarce by the<br />

end of the two-week period.<br />

Everybody waves to each other whether<br />

traveling by foot, bicycle or car. If you’re too<br />

lazy to carry your surfboard home, it’s perfectly<br />

safe to leave it in the palm forest behind<br />

the dunes at Blinky’s. Bikes don’t need a<br />

lock. Simon is the only policeman. And it was<br />

the greatest feeling to wave to him from the<br />

passenger seat, without wearing a seat-belt.<br />

Instead of a fine, I got a big wave and smile<br />

back. Seat-belts are not compulsory on Lord<br />

Howe and the maximum speed limit on the<br />

entire island is 25 km/h.<br />

Life on the island in general is relaxed and<br />

unhurried. Also, with regards to tourism, the<br />

island is very protective of keeping things at<br />

a rather slow pace. Only 400 tourists are allowed<br />

at any one time. With a maximum of<br />

750 people on the island, facilities are limited<br />

but visitors will find everything they need, including<br />

a few little shops (clothes, arts, and<br />

souvenirs), food and general stores, bakery,<br />

cafes, hairdresser, liquor store, museum, restaurants,<br />

post office, information centre, a<br />

ranger, a small four-bed hospital with a GP,<br />

three churches, public telephones, local radio<br />

station, two banks, and one ATM. A few Wi-<br />

Fi-hotspots have only been established very<br />

recently.<br />

After catching a huge amount of perfect waves<br />

at Blinky’s and a quick lunch, it was time to<br />

venture out into the lagoon on my kite for the<br />

very fist time. Bordered by the world’s most<br />

southern coral reef, the lagoon is home to<br />

over 500 species of fish and 90 species of coral,<br />

with new species still being discovered regularly.<br />

The snorkelling here is absolutely unreal,<br />

and I even befriended a very inquisitive,


88<br />

KITE EXPERIENCE<br />

AUSTRALIA’S LOST PARADISE LORD HOWE ISLAND<br />

beautiful reef-shark later on my trip. Waves<br />

form at several reef passes along the 8km<br />

stretch of reef that runs from the northern to<br />

the southern end of the lagoon. “La Meurthe”<br />

(named after the unmanned “ghost ship” that<br />

drove ashore in 1907) at the north west passage<br />

became my favourite wave-playground.<br />

Lord Howe truly exceeds any water-sports<br />

lover’s (kitesurfing, windsurfing, SUPing, surfing,<br />

diving, snorkelling, kayaking, swimming<br />

etc.) dreams and the options for “fun in the<br />

sun” in crystal-clear waters are pretty much<br />

endless.<br />

From North Bay you can venture by foot up<br />

to Mount Eliza (147m) to get an amazing view<br />

over the entire island. Lord Howe is a true<br />

treasure for hiking and there is a multitude of<br />

walking tracks crisscrossing the island from<br />

As the name suggests, the stunning “North<br />

Bay” is situated at the northern tip of the lagoon.<br />

I will never forget landing my kite there<br />

for the first time on the pine and palm tree<br />

lined, brilliant white crescent shaped beach,<br />

and having hundreds of birds flying around<br />

me checking out my “giant wing”. Sooty terns<br />

or Wide-a-wake as locals call them, the most<br />

abundant sea bird on the island, breed here<br />

over summer. Lord Howe is a bird-lovers’ delight<br />

with almost 170 species of sea and land<br />

birds living on or visiting the island group,<br />

and hundreds of thousands nesting here each<br />

year, including the endemic, flightless Lord<br />

Howe Island Wood hen. Abundant until the<br />

first settlers arrived, Wood hens were nearly<br />

extinct and down to 6 pairs in 1982. Thanks to<br />

local conservation efforts, numbers have risen<br />

and there are about 300 now! I was lucky<br />

enough to spot quite a few of those cute little<br />

feathered friends during my stay on the<br />

island.<br />

easy strolls to breathtaking cliff top guided<br />

treks.<br />

The evenings here are quiet, apart from the<br />

chirring of the cicadas. The only light comes


from way above, the Southern Cross, the<br />

Milky Way, the star-lit sky. There is no nightclub<br />

but there’s always the “Bowlo” (Bowling<br />

Club) which has fine draft beers and a pool<br />

table. Funny that the only ATM on the island<br />

is located here too. Visitors can choose from<br />

a number of different restaurants that serve<br />

delicious food and each night of the week,<br />

there is a particular one that’s the “happening<br />

place” of the evening, serving a kind of<br />

themed dinner (Burger Night, Pizza Night,<br />

Fish Fry etc.).<br />

Comes Thursday, however, you should get<br />

your dancing shoes (or thongs) ready! “The<br />

Shack”, a small wooden hut right on the water’s<br />

edge next to the jetty, is an institution<br />

on the island. It has been going since 1998.<br />

Every Thursday the islanders flock here to<br />

“brew” their own music and entertainment.<br />

There are bongos and other musical instruments,<br />

and everybody is welcome to jam to<br />

the tunes, sing, announce whatever they want<br />

through the mic or plug the iPod in and mimic<br />

the DJ for a while. What makes the whole<br />

“The Shack”-experience even more special:<br />

absolutely everything is broadcast live on Triple-J's<br />

frequency on public radio all over the<br />

island, thus replacing Australia’s most popular<br />

national radio station from 9-12 pm.<br />

The last adventure to accomplish two days<br />

before leaving was to climb Mount Gower<br />

(875m) in time to watch the sun rise from the<br />

highest point over the island. I meet my guide<br />

at 2:45am, armed with head torches, we started<br />

the hike in the pitch dark. The climb to the<br />

top is the most advanced of all the walks here<br />

(Grade 10) and must be done with a licensed<br />

guide. It’s a challenging eight-hour return trek<br />

through rainforests, cliff hugging tracks with<br />

dizzying drops, and up rope assisted steep<br />

inclines. Suffering from mild acrophobia, the<br />

14km traverse across rather rugged terrain,<br />

was pretty demanding. I have to admit I was<br />

grateful at times on the way up that it was<br />

still so dark I could hardly see. The glow in<br />

the dark mushrooms were particularly aston-


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KITE EXPERIENCE<br />

AUSTRALIA’S LOST PARADISE LORD HOWE ISLAND<br />

ishing and made me feel as if I had indulged<br />

in some of their hallucinogenic counterparts.<br />

There were many more incredibly fascinating<br />

plants along the way, many of them endemic.<br />

The peak of the mountain was wrapped in<br />

thick clouds, thus we decided to watch the<br />

sunrise about two thirds of the way up. The<br />

moment the sky turned pink was breath taking.<br />

Exploring the misty, incredibly spectacular,<br />

super dense rainforest right on top felt<br />

like discovering Jurassic Park.<br />

On the way back down, at the base of the<br />

cloud bank where the island became beautifully<br />

visible beneath me, I sat down on a big<br />

boulder and reflected, with my head quite<br />

literally still “in the clouds”, on all the unforgettable<br />

moments and experiences that Lord<br />

Howe had presented me with. I felt utterly<br />

blessed and in the peace of my surroundings<br />

I meditated for a fair while in deep gratitude.<br />

I would most probably still be sitting there, if<br />

I hadn't noticed white caps starting to form in<br />

the lagoon…<br />

www.kitegabi.com


92<br />

KITE EXPERIENCE<br />

AUSTRALIA’S LOST PARADISE LORD HOWE ISLAND<br />

USEFUL FACTS & INFORMATION<br />

FLIGHTS, ACCOMMODATION, TRANSFER,<br />

ACTIVITIES<br />

Lord Howe Specialist Oxley Travel will take care of all your needs<br />

www.oxleytravel.com.au<br />

Gabi recommends staying at Ocean View Apartments, self-catering<br />

with fully equipped kitchenettes, pool, tucked away in a beautiful<br />

tropical garden, ideally situated off the main road and close to restaurants,<br />

cafes, general store etc. www.oceanviewlordhoweisland.<br />

com.au<br />

VISA & ENTRY REQUIREMENTS<br />

Travellers entering Australia on a foreign passport will need a visa<br />

regardless of the purpose or duration of their stay.<br />

LOCAL CONTACTS WATERSPORTS, RENTAL<br />

EQUIPMENT, TOURS<br />

Dave Gardiner - Greenback:<br />

Kite-Packages, Fishing, Scenic & Environmental Tours - marine life,<br />

photographic, snorkeling & cruising.<br />

www.lordhowekitesurf.com<br />

Chad Wilson - Ocean View Boatshed - SUP Kite Surf Lord Howe<br />

Island:<br />

Kite, Surf, SUP Lessons & Packages, Rental Equipment (FREE for<br />

Ocean View Apartment guests) and Guided Tours.<br />

Fishing Trips & Sightseeing Tours.<br />

www.supkitesurflordhowe.com.au<br />

CLIMATE & When to go<br />

Anytime! Lord Howe’s climate is subtropical and mild all year<br />

round. Winter: 17-22ºC, Summer: 24-27ºC.


For kiting, the most reliable time for wind is Winter (June-Sept) with<br />

winds ranging from 20 to 35knots, mainly from the S/SW but also<br />

through to NW.<br />

In Summer (Oct-May) the chances for wind are generally lower,<br />

with less of both: number of windy days per month and wind<br />

strength. Summer, however, is the time when the winds blow mainly<br />

from the East (with the odd SW’ly), which means clean cross-offshore<br />

conditions on the reef! Wave quality is also better through<br />

summer with regular long periods swells.<br />

Please note! Tide differences of about 2 meters are rather significant<br />

all year round and it’s important to always keep them in mind<br />

when heading out to the waves on the reef!<br />

Water temperature is a toasty 25ºC in summer, perfect for just<br />

boardies, yew!<br />

In winter, the water is about 18-20ºC, thus bring a steamer.<br />

The humidity averages in the 60% to 70% range year-round becoming<br />

more noticeable on warmer summer days than in the cooler<br />

winter months.<br />

PRICES:<br />

Lord Howe is certainly not a budget destination - an absolutely<br />

unique, uncrowded paradise, after all, has its price.<br />

Trust me, it’s so worth every penny!<br />

ELECTRICITY:<br />

240 volts.<br />

TELEPHONE & MONEY MATTERS:<br />

Public phones available with a 24hr world satellite link. No mobile<br />

phone coverage.<br />

Credit cards are widely accepted and there is an ATM at the Bowling<br />

Club. Bring cash as a back-up.<br />

GETTING AROUND<br />

Bicycles are the way to go on the island and can be hired from either<br />

your accommodation or bike hires.<br />

Last but not least Remember to bring a head-torch!<br />

More info on the island: www.lordhoweisland.info


94<br />

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ISOLA DI LORD HOWE: ULTIMO PARADISO AUSTRALIANO<br />

www.kitegabi.com<br />

More informations about the island: www.lordhoweisland.info.


96<br />

ITW<br />

Willow-River: Here's the One-Eye's story<br />

Willow River<br />

HERE'S THE ONE-EYE'S STORY<br />

INSIDER KNOW-HOW OF WILLOW-RIVER TONKIN, PROBABLY THE MOST WELL-<br />

KNOWN FACE OF THE WORLD-CLASS SPOT ONE-EYE AND AT THE SAME TIME AN<br />

ABSOLUTE INSIDER OF THE WAVE SPOTS ON HIS HOME ISLAND OF MAURITIUS IN<br />

THE INDIAN OCEAN.<br />

Where does the name<br />

"One-Eye" come from?<br />

The legend says that way back in<br />

the 70s, there was an old farmer<br />

that owned the land around Le<br />

Morne and he only had One Eye...<br />

So, when the Australian surfers<br />

came to Mauritius to explore and<br />

find some waves, on the way to<br />

the spot they ran into this One-<br />

Eyed man before getting in the<br />

water and so they ended up naming<br />

that wave ONE EYE.<br />

What does One-Eye look<br />

like on a small day?<br />

On a small day One Eye can be<br />

very, very deceiving. Many people<br />

will go out thinking it’s small and<br />

nothing can happen. But when it<br />

is 1 or 2 or even 3 meters, it is<br />

breaking right on the shallowest<br />

reef. So, when something goes<br />

wrong, you end up directly on the<br />

reef.<br />

What does One-Eye look<br />

like on perfect days?<br />

When it´s perfect it gets super<br />

long with never ending spitting<br />

barrels and steep peaks!<br />

And on small and medium<br />

days, it gets quite crowded<br />

in the line-up. From four<br />

to five meters it becomes<br />

more selective, right?!<br />

Yes, on small days everyone<br />

thinks it’s super safe and nothing<br />

can happen, so when it is small<br />

it gets super crowded with people<br />

that don't know the dangers<br />

of One Eye and don't really know<br />

what they are doing. But as soon<br />

as it gets big, there are very few<br />

people willing to go out to charge<br />

some gnarly waves and score a<br />

couple of stand-up barrels.<br />

So, what about you, when<br />

will it be scary for you?<br />

Once all the channels start closing,<br />

it becomes very scary because<br />

I know that if something<br />

goes wrong there is no way for<br />

anyone to rescue me and it´s


98<br />

ITW<br />

Willow-River: Here's the One-Eye's story


impossible for me to get back to<br />

the beach against the current. So<br />

that´s why I don't really go out<br />

on days when it is bigger than 7<br />

meters unless there is a safety<br />

boat.<br />

Your hardest wipeout so<br />

far?<br />

To be honest I haven't had too<br />

many bad washings. For sure I<br />

have had a couple of gnarly wipeouts<br />

where I dropped my kite<br />

in the waves, but I always keep<br />

myself as calm as possible and<br />

everything goes quite smoothly.<br />

The problem starts as soon as<br />

you start panicking. If you panic,<br />

it will be a washing that you will<br />

remember for a long time.<br />

What are the differences<br />

of the swell directions?<br />

The best swell direction for One<br />

Eye is south or slightly southsouth-west.<br />

If the swell is completely<br />

west, One Eye gets super<br />

fast and becomes a bit of a close<br />

out.<br />

Does the quite offshore<br />

wind still allow for really<br />

round turns?<br />

Yes, on the days the wind gets<br />

really easterly, it can be quite<br />

hard to do round turns, especially<br />

backside. But generally, with<br />

south easterly wind, it creates<br />

the perfect side-offshore breeze<br />

to go full power into your turns.<br />

When the wind turns more<br />

from the east (northeast?),<br />

then?<br />

Yes, good question, when the<br />

wind turns Easterly, it becomes<br />

more off-shore on One Eye and<br />

there are more chances of the<br />

wind dropping because of the<br />

mountain. The more Southerly it<br />

becomes the more is side-shore.<br />

Do you know a faster wave<br />

on this planet? Ponta Preta<br />

in Cape Verde maybe?<br />

Hookipa on Maui?<br />

No, I think out of all the waves<br />

and places I have traveled to, One<br />

Eye has to be the fastest wave I<br />

have ridden so far. And, by the<br />

way, the longest and cleanest as<br />

well.


100<br />

ITW<br />

Willow-River: Here's the One-Eye's story<br />

Tell us something about<br />

rain fronts in Le Morne.<br />

What kind of influences<br />

have clouds with eventually<br />

rain showers on the<br />

conditions?<br />

Good and important question.<br />

Usually if you see rain or even<br />

big dark clouds in the area, make<br />

sure you head inside the lagoon<br />

and back to the beach as the wind<br />

can die off if it starts to rain. And<br />

“die” means “die” within a minute!<br />

You have talked about it already:<br />

when are the rescue<br />

boats out of place, does it<br />

mean it cannot go out for<br />

backup?<br />

It´s important! When the swell<br />

gets around 4 or 5 meters, all the<br />

channels start closing out and no<br />

boats can go out to rescue people.<br />

How much misfortune<br />

happens at this spot. How<br />

many accidents take place<br />

out there in One Eye? And<br />

of what kind?<br />

Well, if we talk about serious cases<br />

of people getting injured or<br />

going missing ... not many at all.<br />

But for sure One Eye likes to eat a<br />

couple kites for lunch.<br />

Is the formula "we rent a<br />

boat that goes out with us<br />

and stays at the spot - for<br />

our own safety” a solution?<br />

Yes, sometimes we rent a boat if<br />

it´s a really big day for safety reasons.<br />

But usually on big days we<br />

would rent a boat anyways to get<br />

some shots!<br />

So, make sure if you see it´s really<br />

big, rather stay inside the lagoon<br />

because it´s not worth the<br />

risk!<br />

The rescue boats cannot<br />

go out anymore, you drop<br />

the kite in One Eye, what<br />

options do you have? How<br />

do you handle this situation?<br />

When I drop my kite, the first


102<br />

ITW<br />

Willow-River: Here's the One-Eye's story


thing I’ll do is to pull my safety<br />

and release my kite. Then, I would<br />

try swim away from my lines and<br />

only keep the kite attached to<br />

my safety leash. Then once the<br />

waves have pushed me inside the<br />

lagoon, I would check to see if my<br />

kite is fine and then try to recover<br />

and relaunch it. But just remember,<br />

the first thing you must do<br />

if you drop the kite in the waves<br />

is to release it as fast as you can<br />

and swim away from your lines.<br />

This will save you (and your kite)!<br />

In addition, let's take a<br />

look at the other wave<br />

spots on your home island.<br />

Manawa!<br />

Manawa is a much more chilled<br />

wave. If you can wave ride, it´s<br />

a wave you should definitely try<br />

out before going out to One Eye.<br />

It´s really slow and smooth with<br />

big open walls. It´s the best wave<br />

to get your first proper feeling of<br />

kitesurfing.<br />

Chameau?<br />

Hmm, Chameau is actually just<br />

the initial part of One Eye. It´s the<br />

same wave with a different name!<br />

And we dip even deeper. For the<br />

filming of the new CORE “NEXUS”<br />

kites, you were traveling in the<br />

south of the island and experienced<br />

the "Big Day" of the year.<br />

During the filming for the new<br />

NEXUS, we traveled all over the<br />

island to find some unknown<br />

places that no one really goes to.<br />

We manage to score a couple of<br />

great days and one or two really<br />

big days with some solid barrels.<br />

All the time that we spent hunting<br />

for the perfect wave ending<br />

up paying off quite nicely! So, we<br />

have definitely other good waves<br />

on the island – besides One-Eye.


104<br />

ITW<br />

Jeremy Burlando, 12 years of talent in every kite discipline<br />

12 YEARS OF TALENT IN EVERY KITE DISCIPLINE


Junior World Champion, at 12 Jeremy Burlando’s already been around the world,<br />

speaks 5 languages and trains on every windy day. In the water he’s a multi-discipline<br />

phenomenon, so much so that Core immediately offered him a contract<br />

as Canary rider when they saw him and after few months welcomed him as<br />

<strong>International</strong> Core rider. A dream for many, true already for him.<br />

Born in Venice on 18th July 2005, Jeremy’s been living in El Medano for a year<br />

(Tenerife, Canary Islands), with his dad Michele, mentor and coach, with whom<br />

he started practising wakeboarding at 7. Jeremy has clear ideas: become world<br />

champion and live out of kitesurfing emulating his idols, Hadlow, Pasteur, Whaley,<br />

etc. <strong>Kitesoul</strong> met him in Marsala, Italy, during the first stop of the Italian<br />

Freestyle Championship 2018 and asked him few questions to get to know him<br />

better.


106<br />

ITW<br />

Jeremy Burlando, 12 years of talent in every kite discipline<br />

Jeremy, which discipline do you feel the most at the moment?<br />

Well, Freestyle is definitely my discipline, but I surely don't dislike Big<br />

Air either. I've had the opportunity to meet very talented riders and in<br />

El Medano, where I live, there are the right conditions for improving in<br />

this spectacular discipline.<br />

Which is your Big Air equipment?<br />

I always await about 35-40 knots of wind to start using my 5m or 7m<br />

GTS and the twintip board Carved Imperator 6, in my opinion an amazing<br />

equipment combination for Big Air.<br />

What is your highest jump till now?<br />

On a South wind day at Tajita beach at El Medano with a right-hand<br />

kicker on which I’m used to jump I recorded 18 meters.<br />

What are your other manoeuvres apart from jumping high?<br />

Well, it depends on the moment, I normally invent them once I’m up<br />

in the air. But I normally pull Megaloops rotation board-off, and while<br />

landing perhaps also a Handle Pass. It all depends on the wind conditions.<br />

Given your young age, what do you feel at such height?<br />

Peace and relax. It comes easy, I don’t really think about it, I simply<br />

rely on myself and the Core equipment.


108<br />

ITW<br />

Jeremy Burlando, 12 years of talent in every kite discipline<br />

12 YEARS OF TALENT IN EVERY KITE DISCIPLINE


How do you feel with the German Brand?<br />

Very well. They are professionals, I had the honour of meeting every<br />

crew member with whom I have a fresh and genuine relationship. If<br />

there is anything I need, they’ll do anything to meet my request. I’ve<br />

tried the Nexus and it’s exceptional: a mix between the Section and<br />

the GTS. I must request it in size 6 and 10 so that I can concentrate on<br />

the three disciplines, although the Impact remains my favourite for<br />

Freestyle.<br />

How about the third discipline?<br />

Do you mean Strapless? Wind permitting, I always use my Core 720<br />

which is fun on waves and it’s a board that allows to do anything especially<br />

for its lightness.<br />

When will you start in Big Air competitions?<br />

Good question. The first will be on Gran Canaria on 15th and 16th<br />

June. Then I’d like to participate in the Megaloop Challenge organized<br />

by Ruben Lenten in Holland and then in the King of the Air in South<br />

Africa, but I must still wait another 4 years to be 16! I know the tour<br />

started this year and I’d like to go but I can't... Pity! But I will definitely<br />

drop by, although not for competing, just to see and understand what<br />

I can do!<br />

Let's talk about TT:R, another discipline that you occasionally practice...<br />

Sure, now it's in the Olympics and therefore I’m training for it. I don't<br />

find it difficult. Starting this year, I’ll also focus on this discipline to<br />

participate in the Olympic Games in Paris in 2024, if the Italian Sailing<br />

Federation wants me, else I will go as a Spanish national. Right now,<br />

I’m having fun, I will carry on this way and then we'll see.


110<br />

ITW<br />

Jeremy Burlando, 12 years of talent in every kite discipline<br />

We saw you here at the Stagnone of Marsala, congratulations. How did<br />

it go?<br />

Thanks, it was my first experience in Italy. I finished third among the<br />

Under 18 and ninth in the overall ranking, not bad. I’m satisfied, I<br />

couldn't believe it. I now proceed to the second stop of the Italian<br />

Freestyle Championship at Lake Garda, hopefully I'll get on the podium.


Follow Jeremy on Facebook as Jeremy Burlando Kiter and at www.jeremyburlando.com


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114<br />

EXPERIENCE<br />

Here is KiteBuddy! I show you how a kite shop can be successful<br />

HERE IS KITEBUDDY!<br />

I SHOW YOU HOW A KITE SHOP CAN BE SUCCESSFUL<br />

Those who follow kitesurfing on the web quite likely<br />

already bumped into one of his hilarious videos. We<br />

are talking about KiteBuddy alias Dorian Cie, a German<br />

guy to whom this sport changed his life. From being<br />

an engineer to now being the owner of kite shop that<br />

he’s been running since 2012. Key to his popularity is a<br />

video channel on which KiteBuddy offers tutorials, spot<br />

and gear reviews, holidays and anything of his life to<br />

do with kitesurfing with a genuine, fun approach like a<br />

true enthusiast. We met him in Cape Verde and surely<br />

interviewed him.


Dorian, when did you start kiting and how did you<br />

get the idea of the kite shop?<br />

It was 2012. It was April and very cold in Germany<br />

and I was the first student of that season in the<br />

water to take kitesurfing lessons. The good thing<br />

was that I was all alone. I remember that special<br />

moment the instructor gave me the kite control bar<br />

and I felt like I was going to do this sport my whole<br />

life, there would be nothing else in my life except<br />

kitesurfing. I couldn't ride upwind at that moment,<br />

I had a seat harness and I took the decision to start<br />

my own kitesurf business. So, after two years I quit<br />

my job and opened my kite shop. It was quite amazing<br />

to me spend my all days not just kiting but also<br />

learning about the products, the kite industry, how<br />

to run a business like this. I had less money than I<br />

use to have as an engineer, but I felt happier than<br />

before. I put all my money into this business, I sold<br />

everything I had before, and I had to move back<br />

to my parents' house sleeping on the couch. But I<br />

didn't put just my money into it, also my heart and<br />

soul. It was good and after two years I opened my


116<br />

EXPERIENCE<br />

Here is KiteBuddy! I show you how a kite shop can be successful<br />

second shop, a bigger one and started hiring people<br />

to work with me.<br />

It is always amazing to see how kitesurf can change<br />

your life. The interesting thing about your business<br />

is that you don't just consider yourself a shop seller,<br />

but you want to add something more. Can you explain<br />

how you decided to start making videos?<br />

I just felt that I had to offer something useful to my<br />

customers, good equipment of course but also my<br />

personal experience with this sport, for example<br />

important topics for safety in the water explaining<br />

how to self rescue in case of emergency. My main<br />

motivation was to let the German kitesurf community<br />

grow and get a higher level of riding with my<br />

videos. For me it was important also my approach<br />

to that as a no pro rider, but just as a normal passionate<br />

rider. The reason why people is so connected<br />

to my videos is that I'm not a professional kiter<br />

and they feel my same way. Maybe I'm just the only<br />

person on YouTube that shows the real thing, the<br />

good and the bad about learning and they see the<br />

all process of getting to a higher level.<br />

Why did you choose that name, KiteBuddy for your<br />

video channel?<br />

That's a funny story. We saw the movie Ted directed<br />

by Seth MacFarlane, an American buddy comedy<br />

that talks about this small bear which is always<br />

smoking weed and being upset by the bad weather.<br />

I had the shop at that time but with no name<br />

and I decided to call it KiteBuddy and registered a<br />

web domain but with the wrong name kitebuddie.<br />

I had to change it then. It's a very lucky and good<br />

name, because people start to recognize me as the<br />

KiteBuddy of the videos.<br />

What kind of videos do you shoot and put on your<br />

video channel? They’re not just tutorials...<br />

I share everything I do connected with kitesurf. So,<br />

tutorials of course, do-it-yourself videos, but also<br />

kite spots reviews, vlogs about my holidays, product<br />

focus reviews, unboxing products, etc. Many<br />

people come to my shop and ask me to shoot videos<br />

about the products with my personal point of<br />

view about it, that is always complete, critic and<br />

neutral. It could be studio videos or on the beach.<br />

I also share my working days, what happens to me,<br />

the ups and downs.<br />

Do you have any good feedbacks from the kite brands<br />

of the industry about your activity?<br />

It didn't happen straight away, it was a long road<br />

for me, but now some brands start to consider me<br />

and appreciate my job and support me. Core Kites<br />

for example is going to launch the new Nexus kite


in Germany and its first presentation event will be<br />

with my shop and at my home spot. Other brands let<br />

me do testing events all year round. They know my<br />

human approach, for me it's not about how many<br />

times their name comes in the video, it’s about telling<br />

the real thing and my personal impressions. I'm<br />

not payed for making videos and that's the difference<br />

with other stuff like that.


118<br />

EXPERIENCE<br />

Here is KiteBuddy! I show you how a kite shop can be successful<br />

You put the human factor into your business. Nowadays<br />

all the products are pretty good and quite similar<br />

and what makes difference from a shop to another<br />

is the people you can trust behind the desk...<br />

Is that right?<br />

Yeah, it's pretty much that way. People need to<br />

trust the sellers and they appreciate that I always<br />

tell the whole story about the products, what I like,<br />

what I don't. I personally use every product from<br />

my shop, so customers also receive firsthand experience<br />

comments from me. They consider me a<br />

good tester because I'm not a professional, just an<br />

enthusiast just like them.<br />

Are you happy today? Do you miss your past career<br />

as an engineer?<br />

I have much less money and I work much more, but<br />

I do what I love all day long.<br />

WWW.KITE-BUDDY.DE


HERE IS KITEBUDDY!<br />

I SHOW YOU HOW A KITE SHOP CAN BE SUCCESSFUL


122<br />

SAILING & KITESURFING<br />

Kiters wind hunting along the beautiful Sinis coast<br />

Kiters wind hunting<br />

along the beautiful Sinis<br />

coast<br />

Put together the passion for sea and wind, the joy of sailing and<br />

the love for water sports in one only experience to fully enjoy<br />

the enchanting and wild nature of the Sardinian West coast. This<br />

is the objective of the tourist offer that sees as protagonists the<br />

charter company Sa Mora Sail, owned by Alessandro Dessì, the<br />

team of the Kite'n'Di kitesurfing and Sup school owned by Mio<br />

and Enrico Tiana and the two F-One pro-riders Enrico Giordano<br />

and Luca Marcis. Together, to make you unveil these unspoilt<br />

coastlines, especially the waters of the Marine Protected Area<br />

of the Peninsula of Sinis and allow you to combine nature and<br />

water-sports during your holidays.<br />

Text: David Ingiosi<br />

Photo: Roberta Pala e Daniela Meloni


This dream came true a few weeks<br />

ago when the entire team tested<br />

the format of this experience by<br />

sailing aboard Sula, a 14-meter<br />

Bavaria cabin cruiser with sloop<br />

rig, heading the island of Mal di<br />

Ventre.<br />

"We sailed along the two Kiters,<br />

Enrico Giordano and Enrico Tiana,<br />

who rode with their fast hydrofoils<br />

around the boat heading<br />

Cala Saline beach on the island of<br />

the Marine Protected Area - says<br />

Alessandro Dessì - Once at Cala<br />

Saline the seagulls welcomed us<br />

circling above the boat, in a crystal-clear<br />

sea that only the granite<br />

seabed of the island can offer.<br />

EXPLORING THE COAST ON A<br />

SUP<br />

The SUP instructors, went into<br />

raptures over that amazing view,<br />

set up boards and paddles to start<br />

exploring these unspoilt beaches<br />

with their families and friends.<br />

Meanwhile, aboard everyone enjoyed<br />

an aperitif, followed by<br />

lunch, savouring local wines, car-


124<br />

SAILING & KITESURFING<br />

Kiters wind hunting along the beautiful Sinis coast<br />

ried away by the Lentisk perfume<br />

in the breeze.<br />

With the afternoon thermal<br />

winds, we started our sailing back<br />

home, some of us on a kiteboard<br />

and some others more comfortably<br />

aboard the Sula towards the<br />

bay of Putzu Idu, accompanied<br />

by the music of the wind on the<br />

sails and by the applause of the<br />

sea on the hull".<br />

"This dirty job someone has to<br />

do it ...", we ironically repeated<br />

during the beautiful day spent on<br />

the sailboat of our friend Alessandro<br />

- says Enrico Giordano. It<br />

was an unparalleled experience<br />

that we can now offer to those<br />

who wish to combine sailing with<br />

water-sports. Early in the morning<br />

the 10 of us boarded the<br />

spectacular Bavaria cabin cruiser<br />

and set sail from the turquoise<br />

bay of Putzu Idu, heading the<br />

island of Mal di Ventre, about 4<br />

miles from the coast.<br />

ON A SAILING BOAT SUR-<br />

ROUNDED BY HYDROFOILS<br />

Just enough time to hoist the<br />

mainsail and genoa and enjoy<br />

the wonderful feeling of turning<br />

the engine off, and start sailing,<br />

that Enrico Tiana and myself took<br />

advantage of the breeze to inflate<br />

the F-One 13 Breeze and the<br />

11 Bandit on the tender hooked<br />

to the boat and jump in the water


with the hydrofoils.<br />

Once reached the island of Mal di<br />

Ventre, we whooshed on the astonishing<br />

crystal-clear water enjoying<br />

the amazing view. Just as<br />

I felt a little peckish I decided to<br />

park my equipment on the beach<br />

of Cala Saline, I made use of a<br />

SUP lift by the good friend Miguel<br />

and got back aboard for lunch.<br />

Spaghetti with cherry tomatoes,<br />

beer and some fruit. A nap would<br />

have been nice, but time flies and<br />

the Stand-Up-Paddling group set<br />

off to scout around. The SUP is<br />

perfect to stroll up exploring.<br />

And the inflatable models are<br />

ideal to be stowed on a sailing<br />

boat. The activities to do on such<br />

trips, above and under the water,<br />

are endless. Just need to choose<br />

yours!<br />

The light Mistral breeze was still<br />

on when Enrico and myself decided<br />

to return by hydrofoil, but only<br />

hundred metres on and boom<br />

... doldrums! And all the memories<br />

of the tour around Sardinia,<br />

alias Kite Around Sardinia, with<br />

my friend Luca Marcis, strongly<br />

popped back up. Retrieve the bar<br />

and wait for someone to come<br />

and get you, alone and in silence<br />

in the middle of the sea ... how<br />

fulfilling!<br />

DREAM DAYS SAILING AND KIT-<br />

ING<br />

The test day was a success. Us<br />

of Kite Around Sardinia together<br />

with the captain of the Bavaria<br />

Alessandro Dessì, will offer a full<br />

sailing and kitesurfing package<br />

for non-beginners that want to<br />

spend some amazing days on the<br />

Sardinian West coast. Alessandro<br />

can cover routes of several miles<br />

and offer a sailing trip of few<br />

days similar to the one Luca and<br />

myself did last year. Only this<br />

time, we won't disembark, we’ll<br />

stay aboard!".


126<br />

SAILING & KITESURFING<br />

Kiters wind hunting along the beautiful Sinis coast<br />

A MUST LIVE EXPERIENCE<br />

"We’re always looking for new<br />

inspirations and eager to share<br />

our passions - explains Enrico Tiana<br />

- that's why at our school we<br />

offer a set of services aimed at<br />

providing unforgettable experiences.<br />

Stand Up Paddling lessons<br />

with visits in the Marine Protected<br />

Area of the Peninsula of Sinis,<br />

with crystal-clear waters, breathtaking<br />

sunsets and picturesque<br />

glimpes of archaeological sites.<br />

Kitesurfing lessons often chaperoned<br />

by dolphins wandering<br />

around, surrounded by unspoilt<br />

landscapes. For the more experienced,<br />

we offer a boat-lift service<br />

for kitesurfing within the Gulf<br />

of Oristano without necessarily<br />

lauching from the beach and we<br />

organize long distances along the<br />

Sinis Coast.<br />

We recently perfected a format<br />

that offers the opportunity to experience<br />

kitesurfing and SUPing<br />

in a magical and unspoilt location:<br />

the island of Mal di Ventre.<br />

We'll reach the island through a<br />

fantastic sailing journey of about<br />

an hour aboard a comfortable<br />

sailing boat. Then we'll be kitesurfing<br />

and SUPing by offering a<br />

package of customizable lessons,<br />

visits around the island and will<br />

provide an utter assistance service.<br />

Needless to say, the sports<br />

activities will be combined with


tasty meals aboard, accompanied<br />

by good wine and cool refreshing<br />

beers... In short, the kitesurfing<br />

and SUPing experience with<br />

Kite'n'Di at the island of Mal di<br />

Ventre is definitely one of the 100<br />

must-do-things in a rider’s life!".


128<br />

SAILING & KITESURFING<br />

Kiters wind hunting along the beautiful Sinis coast<br />

Kiters wind hunting<br />

along the beautiful Sinis<br />

coast<br />

For those who wish to live this sea, sailing and kiting experience,<br />

please contact the editorial staff of <strong>Kitesoul</strong> at:<br />

david.ingiosi@kitesoul.com


130<br />

PHOTO CONTEST<br />

One Shot Kitesurfing in Salento – Winter <strong>Edition</strong>: here are the winners!<br />

ONE SHOT KITESURFING IN SALENTO<br />

Winter <strong>Edition</strong>: here are the winners!<br />

C A T E G O R Y A ,<br />

1° Emiliano Peluso 2° Emanue<br />

Last 12th May at Le Dune Suite<br />

Hotel in Porto Cesareo (LECCE) it<br />

was held the award ceremony of<br />

the photo contest One Shot Kitesurfing<br />

in Salento - Winter <strong>Edition</strong>,<br />

second edition of this event<br />

organized by the "Salento Bats"<br />

Association and open to whoever<br />

wished to try to tell in a shot<br />

the Salento winter sea through<br />

the colours of kitesurfing. A creative<br />

initiative to bring together<br />

the love for photography and the<br />

passion for kitesurfing, with the<br />

aim of telling and enhance the<br />

charm of an incomparable scenario<br />

like the one of Salento, in<br />

Puglia, one of the most evocative<br />

coasts in the Mediterranean.<br />

The best shots were selected<br />

among hundreds of received photos<br />

and were awarded by a jury<br />

of photographers and journalists<br />

among which also <strong>Kitesoul</strong> <strong>Magazine</strong>.<br />

The victory went to Emiliano<br />

Peluso, Emanule Pezzuto and<br />

Daniele D'Addario, respectively


" P H O T O G R A P H E R S "<br />

le Pezzuto<br />

3° Daniele D'Addario<br />

first, second and third place for<br />

category A, "Photographers".<br />

This year the new category "Photo-amateurs"<br />

awarded the first<br />

place to Emanuela Mazzotta, followed<br />

by Alessandro Quarta and<br />

Pamela Margarito.<br />

"In each shot we found an exciting<br />

photographic tale, in every<br />

framing the attempt, unique and<br />

very personal, to discover with<br />

fresh eyes our Salento in wintertime<br />

- explained the Salento<br />

Bats President, Emanuele Rosafio<br />

- Photography won once again,<br />

proving to be a valuable tool for<br />

interaction, interchange and social<br />

growth, the best way to discover<br />

our territory, spread the<br />

culture of eco-friendly sports<br />

such as kitesurfing, create a network<br />

and strengthen our Community!”.


132<br />

PHOTO CONTEST<br />

One Shot Kitesurfing in Salento – Winter <strong>Edition</strong>: here are the winners!<br />

C A T E G O R Y B -<br />

1° Emanuela Mazzotta 2° Alessand<br />

Those who wish to enter next editions<br />

of the competition can send<br />

their shots to the e-mail address<br />

salentobats@yahoo.com. Contest<br />

rules and details are available<br />

at salentobats.blogspot.it and<br />

on Facebook page Associazione<br />

"Salento Bats". Fair winds and<br />

good photographs everybody!


P H O T O - A M A T E U R S<br />

ro Quarta<br />

3° Pamela Margarito<br />

www.facebook.com/salentobats<br />

http://salentobats.blogspot.it


134<br />

LEARN HOW TO KITESURF<br />

I do the "walk of shame" and I don't give a damn<br />

I DO THE<br />

Walk of Shame<br />

AND I DON'T GIVE A DAMN<br />

When you are still unable to ride upwind with your kitesurf<br />

you'll drift downwind. To return to the starting point there is<br />

no other solution than doing the so-called "walk of shame" as<br />

it's ironically called. Well, we've all been there...<br />

The so-called "walk of shame",<br />

to regain the water lost after you<br />

drifted downwind too much during<br />

a kite session, is one of the<br />

oldest taboos in this sport. But us<br />

riders have all been there and it<br />

will always be an inevitable experience<br />

for those who start practicing<br />

this discipline. What is it<br />

exactly? When you are a beginner<br />

and start kiting, by the end of a 6<br />

hour-basic course, you learn the<br />

waterstart and the riding downwind<br />

basic technique, that means<br />

you can only ride more or less in<br />

the same direction of the wind,<br />

that is riding on a broad reach.<br />

Since you are not yet able to<br />

ride upwind on the board, that<br />

is windward, at some stage you<br />

must inevitably stop, and get<br />

back walking with the kite still flying<br />

and holding the board underarm<br />

to get back to the beach or<br />

starting point. In short, if you still<br />

cannot ride upwind, there is no<br />

other way but the walk of shame!<br />

Drift<br />

downwind<br />

means you<br />

rode anyway<br />

Well, there is nothing to be<br />

ashamed of. In fact, walk to the<br />

wind is the fastest and safier way<br />

to start kitesurfing. Nevertheless,<br />

every walk means that you rode,<br />

perhaps for hundreds of meters,<br />

you have familiarized with your<br />

kite control, your stance and the<br />

weight distribution. Of course,<br />

not everything is perfect yet and<br />

you need to practice, but it's<br />

thanks to the possibility to walk<br />

back that you can start all over<br />

again and improve every time.<br />

In fact, you shouldn’t rush things<br />

up, but relax and take your time<br />

to perfect your upwind riding<br />

and above all ignore what others<br />

might think. Your only goal is<br />

having fun, learning and avoiding<br />

getting in tricky situations.


The walk of<br />

shame belongs<br />

to the kitesurfing<br />

learning-process<br />

If you just can't walk with the kite<br />

at 45 degrees at 11 or 1 o'clock,<br />

you can deflate it, wrap up the<br />

inevitably for everyone, beginners<br />

and pro-riders.<br />

bar and safely get back to the<br />

spot from where you've entered<br />

the water. Get set up and start<br />

your session over again.<br />

There will always be someone<br />

that will laugh at you or look at<br />

you with pity, but don't worry,<br />

any expert rider knows that the<br />

walk of shame is part of the kitesurfing<br />

learning-process.<br />

But there's more to it. There are<br />

times when even experienced<br />

kiters may have to do the walk<br />

of shame. For example, because<br />

of swimmers or the presence of<br />

boats, rocks, piers or any other<br />

obstacle impeding them to go upwind<br />

on the board. Lastly, if the<br />

wind drops and there's no way to<br />

ride, the walk of shame is


136<br />

LEARN HOW TO KITESURF<br />

I do the "walk of shame" and I don't give a damn<br />

Useful to<br />

everybody,<br />

beginners and<br />

experts<br />

To be done properly the walk of<br />

shame requires some skills. You<br />

must be able to walk with the kite<br />

kept stable at 45 degrees, controlling<br />

the bar with one hand because<br />

the other one is holding the<br />

board. It can be more or less tiring,<br />

depending on the distance to<br />

cover and the wind direction with<br />

respect to the shore. If you realize<br />

that the wind is too strong, gusty<br />

or you simply cannot control your<br />

kite, land it, deflate it, wrap up<br />

the bar, shove everything in your<br />

harness, which in the meantime<br />

you took off, and get back. Walking<br />

tall...


"Sailing is human,<br />

surfing is diabolic"


138<br />

LEARN HOW TO KITESURF<br />

I do the "walk of shame" and I don't give a damn<br />

You can spot the illustrated adventures of Kiter Soze printed on themed<br />

t-shirts purchasable at https://kitersoze.threadless.com.<br />

https://kitersoze.threadless.com.


140<br />

EXPERIENCES<br />

Why yoga might help you be a better kiter<br />

Why yoga might help you be<br />

a better kiter<br />

Kitesurfing as a sport carries great physical and mental benefits,<br />

but it’s also a discipline that challenges your body, stresses muscles<br />

and tendons and necessitates total concentration and coordination.<br />

Practising yoga, as proved by many professional riders,<br />

can be a great way to relax your body and mind, get restored,<br />

increase one's own perception and have a more intimate and deep<br />

connection with nature.<br />

Kitesurfing is a sport that creates<br />

huge benefits to body and mind.<br />

It increases self-confidence, improves<br />

self-esteem, allows to<br />

take on your own limits and deep<br />

in nature, but most of all it gives<br />

an overall well-being feeling.<br />

On the other hand, it is a discipline<br />

that can be quite challenging<br />

for the muscles, tendons and<br />

our stamina. When in the water<br />

we must stay focused and every<br />

movement we make takes a high<br />

concentration level, especially if<br />

we try to learn a new manoeuvre<br />

or trick. Good kiters must be in<br />

good physical shape, train the<br />

muscles of legs, back and arms,<br />

that's both to get more power<br />

during some manoeuvres, prevent<br />

possible injuries and quickly<br />

recover from any accidents.<br />

That's body wise. But how do we<br />

train our mind? Yoga can be a<br />

great way to keep both trained.<br />

Let's see how this ancient and yet<br />

enormously popular art can have<br />

a positive impact on our performance<br />

and generally improve us<br />

as kiters.


Body elasticity is key to kitesurfing<br />

Kitesurfing is a sport that generates<br />

tension to our body. When<br />

we do fitness exercises or go to<br />

the gym to train for sessions, all<br />

we do is add more tension and<br />

this shouldn't be our goal. Something<br />

we all know as sports-people,<br />

kiters included, is that before<br />

a session we should do some<br />

warm-up for our muscles so<br />

to prevent strains and sprains.<br />

What is also important it’s improving<br />

our flexibility, especially<br />

to perform manoeuvres, jumps,<br />

rotations even just simple board<br />

grabs. It's no news that one of<br />

the positive effects of yoga is the<br />

improvement of body flexibility.<br />

It's like having a power steering<br />

on your back.<br />

During a yoga session, participants<br />

learn how to properly use<br />

their body and increase their<br />

physical awareness. The aim is to<br />

decompress the spine and relieve<br />

tension off all muscles, focusing<br />

and relaxing with the help of a<br />

controlled and deep breathing.<br />

In addition to our body well-being,<br />

yoga improves our mind one<br />

too, essential to get the most out<br />

of our physical performances.<br />

Body and mind must walk hand<br />

in hand. While kitesurfing we<br />

have an adrenaline-filled breath,<br />

whereas a deeper and more relaxed<br />

breathing would greatly<br />

help avoid wasting energy and<br />

better use our muscles. Yoga also<br />

allows to better and more deeply<br />

connect with the sea, nature and<br />

the surrounding environment.


142<br />

EXPERIENCES<br />

Why yoga might help you be a better kiter<br />

Immediate yoga benefits for body and mind<br />

Some may already know, probably<br />

not from personal experience,<br />

many concepts and benefits<br />

of yoga but are too lazy to<br />

start practising it or else believe<br />

it takes too much time to learn<br />

the technique, positions and<br />

meditation. But that's a legend.<br />

Truth is that yoga well-being is<br />

almost immediate and increases<br />

with practice. As a matter of<br />

fact, the effects of this discipline<br />

immediately act on the nervous<br />

system since the very first sessions.<br />

The first to discover the yoga<br />

benefits on kitesurfing were the<br />

pro riders who practice this sport<br />

at high levels of concentration as<br />

well as of fatigue and physical<br />

strain. Ruben Lenten says how<br />

he felt incredibly better once he<br />

started practicing yoga regularly.<br />

Like him, many others, for example<br />

the Italian champion Francesca<br />

Bagnoli. But enthusiasts can<br />

also improve their physical and<br />

mental well-being thanks to this<br />

discipline. In fact, more and more<br />

frequently kitesurfing courses or<br />

trips as well as sessions come<br />

with yoga teachers who during<br />

the day organize relaxing and invigorating<br />

sessions for every participant.<br />

Kiters who would like to approach<br />

yoga and improve their<br />

performances in the water but<br />

also ashore, should ideally join a<br />

course, find a good teacher and<br />

simply start practising this noble<br />

art.


Why yoga might help you be<br />

a better kiter


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This clean design removes flapping straps and protruding buckles.<br />

STRONG • STABLE • CLEAN<br />

Lock-in with the BarLoc ® system.<br />

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SAILING AROUND TH<br />

146<br />

KITE TRIPS<br />

Sailing around the Grenadines with Julien Leleu


E GRENADINES with Julien Leleu<br />

I went for a 10-day kitesurf coaching mission sailing around the Grenadines.<br />

We arrived in Martinique and rented out a big 52-foot catamaran<br />

to take a cool group of people around the Caribbean for an epic<br />

kitesurf experience.<br />

We started our journey in the evening and sailed for 12 hours from<br />

Martinique to reach the Grenadines. Sailing into the Grenadines, we<br />

witnessed the most amazing sunrise, a great welcoming and the perfect<br />

way to start the trip.<br />

The first day we kited in Turtle Bay with crystal blue waters like I have<br />

never seen before. This day was all about checking out the skill of all<br />

the riders and getting everyone excited for the awesome time ahead.<br />

Local fishermen with long dreadlocks would come every day to offer<br />

what they had caught in the day, super fresh tuna or lobster was always<br />

on the menu.<br />

We had an amazing hostess that would prepare everything to perfec-


148<br />

KITE TRIPS<br />

Sailing around the Grenadines with Julien Leleu


tion as we got off the water for a little break. At night the best cocktails<br />

were served, and the vibes were always good.<br />

In the evenings I would show them all the videos and photos that we<br />

got throughout the day and give a little advice on how they could improve.<br />

We would move from spot to spot every day to find the best<br />

places to kite, snorkel, and hike, everyone was loving it!<br />

We were blessed with a perfect 18-20 knots of wind everyday which<br />

was also great for me to test out our new freestyle kite, the RRD Obsession<br />

MK11.<br />

To be honest, I have traveled to lots of different kitesurf destinations<br />

in my life, but this trip was really special and a mind-blowing experience<br />

for me - the raw beauty of the island combined with the great<br />

vibes from everyone was really amazing.


150<br />

KITE TRIPS<br />

Sailing around the Grenadines with Julien Leleu<br />

As this all sounds so great (which it was), there was however a lot of<br />

work involved during the trip such as editing all the videos and photos,<br />

coaching all the students, plus some additional work became a bit<br />

tiring after a few days, none the less, the vibes were still awesome!<br />

After a perfect 10 days of kiting, it was time to head back to Martinique.<br />

Big swells hitting on us on the way back made the trip a bit more interesting<br />

with some of the clients getting sick and me having to edit<br />

videos at the same time was quite a tricky experience, however I’m<br />

glad they still came out great ha-ha!<br />

Overall it was a really amazing experience for everyone and a trip I'll<br />

never forget!<br />

Also managed to make this little POV edit from my sessions in between<br />

coaching. Enjoy!


NEW BOARDSHORTS COLLECTION SPRING/SUMMER 2018<br />

''<br />

Find all our boardshorts on www.manera.com


''<br />

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S T A Y<br />

S A L T Y


154<br />

PRODUCT FOCUS<br />

RRD<br />

Product focus<br />

SHIELD HARNESS<br />

KITE WAIST HIGH-END<br />

www.robertoriccidesigns.com<br />

Testo & Foto: RRD Courtesy<br />

FEATURES<br />

• Carbon outer support shield<br />

• Pre-shaped inner and outer – Natural/Curved<br />

• Unibelt bar stabilizer<br />

• Push release spreaderbar<br />

• Kite hook<br />

• Safety Knife<br />

• Key loop and pocket<br />

• EVA Grip inside<br />

• Tender Neoprene inside<br />

• Handle pass leash connectors<br />

The all-new premium Shield<br />

harness introduces our low profile<br />

carbon outer shield, which<br />

is made with the stiffest and<br />

lightest material that gives the<br />

most support without sacrificing<br />

weight, for maximum back<br />

support and performance, during<br />

long or powerful sessions.<br />

The lightweight carbon material<br />

doesn’t absorb water, so it<br />

stays light. The naturally curved<br />

back and pre-shape gives you<br />

superior back support without<br />

losing freedom of movement<br />

and performance on the water.<br />

The Unibelt bar stabilizer is an<br />

exclusive feature to the Shield<br />

harness. It simplifies the belt<br />

and closure construction and<br />

locks the bar into place, to eliminate<br />

ride-up of the hook. The<br />

Unibelt can easily be converted<br />

to a wave harness by installing<br />

the aftermarket shield specific<br />

rope bar conversion kit.


Product focus<br />

STARK HARNESS<br />

KITE WAIST ADAPTIVE<br />

FEATURES<br />

• Pre-shaped internal plate – Natural<br />

• Spreaderbar stabilizer wings<br />

• Push release spreaderbar<br />

• Kite hook<br />

• Velcro tension belt<br />

• Key loop and pocket<br />

• Tender Neoprene inside<br />

• Handle pass leash connectors<br />

• Lo-wear webbing straps<br />

The Stark is a more flexible<br />

harness. The softer, natural<br />

pre-shaped inner plate and neoprene<br />

inside make the harness<br />

adapt to your body. The freedom<br />

of movement, flex and softness<br />

it creates, is most appreciated<br />

in less powered, shorter or fun<br />

freeride sessions.


156<br />

PRODUCT FOCUS<br />

RRD<br />

Product focus<br />

THRIVE HARNESS<br />

KITE WAIST CURVED BACK<br />

FEATURES<br />

• Moulded EVA outer<br />

• Pre-shaped internal plate -Curved<br />

• Spreaderbar stabilizer wings<br />

• Push release spreaderbar<br />

• Kite hook<br />

• Velcro tension belt<br />

• Safety Knife<br />

• Key loop and pocket<br />

• EVA Grip inside<br />

• Tender Neoprene inside<br />

• Handle pass leash connectors<br />

• Lo-wear webbing straps<br />

The Thrive harness has a more<br />

vertically curved shape. This<br />

makes it the choice for users<br />

with a more curved lower back<br />

or riders that prefer a more<br />

upright riding position, like<br />

free-riding and down the line<br />

wave riding. The new padded<br />

spreaderbar with stabilizer wings<br />

locks the bar in place and eliminates<br />

the hook riding up and<br />

protects your ribs.


158<br />

PRODUCT FOCUS<br />

Naish<br />

Product focus<br />

Naish BOXER<br />

www.naishkites.com<br />

Text & Photos: Naish Courtesy<br />

Blending efficiency and innovation,<br />

this forgiving kite is incredibly<br />

versatile. Designed primarily<br />

for foiling, the Boxer has<br />

proven to be so adaptable and<br />

accessible, it appeals to all skillsets<br />

and riding styles.<br />

A single luff strut marries the<br />

best characteristics of strutless<br />

and strutted kite designs.<br />

The strut’s relaxed connection<br />

to the canopy creates a dynamic<br />

structure, which allows the<br />

canopy to freely expand and<br />

contract, while maintaining<br />

the strength of a strutted framework<br />

to handle heavier loads<br />

with ease.<br />

An outstanding underpowered<br />

kite, the Boxer is incredibly easy<br />

to relaunch, light to the touch,<br />

responsive but gentle. Very<br />

easy to sheet in and go, this kite<br />

is quick, easy to control and generates<br />

power quickly. It’s light<br />

and lively feel at the fingertips<br />

makes it approachable and forgiving.<br />

SIZES: 3.5, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11, 12, 14, 16<br />

KEY FEATURES<br />

• Quad-Tex Ripstop Fabric = Most advanced kite canopy on the<br />

market<br />

• Shark Teeth Trailing Edge = Reduces weight while minimizing &<br />

dispersing canopy flutter<br />

• Super Easy Relaunch<br />

• Super Easy Sheet-in-and-Go<br />

• Quick Response to Bar Movements<br />

• Single Luff Strut<br />

• Low-end Power<br />

• Light to the Tough + Easy to Control<br />

• Easy Jumping<br />

• Great Underpowered Performance


NEW FOR 2018/19:<br />

• Reduced Weight = Quad-Tex enables the removal of the Dacron<br />

reinforcement layer at each strut, resulting in a further reduction<br />

in overall weight<br />

• Shark Teeth Trailing Edge = Larger and more effective<br />

• Bridles, wing tip shape & leading edge diameter have been worked<br />

to deliver consistent performance from size to size<br />

• Bladder Lock = Secures bladders ends and prevents slippage<br />

• HT Plus = Strong, high-tensile thread fortifies the leading edge


160<br />

PRODUCT FOCUS<br />

Cabrinha<br />

Product focus<br />

DOUBLE AGENT<br />

HYDROFOIL/SURF SKATE<br />

WWW.CABRINHA.COM<br />

Text & Photo: Cabrinha Courtesy<br />

One board, two faces. A performance<br />

hydrofoil board that’s<br />

incredibly easy to ride. Quickly<br />

converts into a fun surf skate.<br />

Cabrinha’s 2018 foil board program<br />

now offers 3 different<br />

mast sizes to suit a wide range<br />

of conditions and ability levels:<br />

40cm - Ideally suited for shallow<br />

water and riders seeking a<br />

confidence inspiring entry into<br />

foil boarding.<br />

60cm - A great option for progressing<br />

riders that want a<br />

stable and user-friendly ride<br />

while still offering portability<br />

and durability in a solid all-around<br />

length.<br />

85cm - An extremely smooth<br />

and stable ride in everything<br />

from flat water to the largest<br />

choppy conditions. The longer<br />

length increases the upwind<br />

ability of the kite to maximize


FEATURES & BENEFITS<br />

Fun multi use board: foil / surf skate / wake surf<br />

Easy to use and progress Lively and Responsive<br />

shape<br />

Works well in a wide range of conditions<br />

Compatible with our modular foil system<br />

Board sold with deckpad, three (3) footstraps, four<br />

(4) TT Fins (2x 30mm, 2x 50mm) and mounting hardware.<br />

SIZES:<br />

Board Sizes: 135cm / 145cm<br />

Mast Sizes: 40cm / 60cm / 85cm<br />

potential of the ride in all conditions.<br />

All 3 sizes are universally compatible<br />

with the Cabrinha Double<br />

Agent foil kit.


NEXT ISSUE AUGUST - SEPTEMBER OUT ON THE 2 TH OF AGUST 2018

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