Pimp Yo Kite - The Kiteboarder Magazine

Caicos is becoming a popular Caribbean destination. Lens: Jesse Anderson
KITEHOUSE OPENS ANOTHER LOCATION
Due to open early 2007 for experienced kiters
only, The Kitehouse is expanding to the Turks
and Caicos. The tropical islands are just 575
miles southeast of Miami and cover 19 square
miles of the Atlantic Ocean. Boasting shallow
turquoise water and consistent trade winds, the
new venue is still in the construction phase, but
till then there is ample accommodations available
at several Grace Bay hotels. Kitehouse trained
representative and local kiter Andrew Harper is
available to show you around the island’s various
kiteboarding venues and can arrange offshore
surf kiting with motor boat service. In addition,
you can demo the latest 07’ gear from Cabrinha.
STAY ON YOUR GAME THIS WINTER
What do Laird Hamilton, Gerry Lopez and Dave
Kalama do to train when they can’t surf? They
use the Surf Ball, a fun, highly effective training
system that helps you develop balance, agility
and strength. It will wear you out and increase
you heartbeat to levels never expected in a very
short time and is also great for developing lower
body strength. Check out www.surfball.net.
OP clothing just added Cabrinha’s Cameron
Dietrich to its surf team. OP’s Gary Siskar, a
new, avid kitesurfer himself, said Cam’s passion
to push the sport of kite SURFING is what
made him a perfect fit with the company. Cam’s
sponsorship also led OP to Reo Stevens, another
ripper who murders the surf with style. Siskar
said that only time will tell, but he foresees the
day when traditional surfers will be shoving a kite
or two in their board bags when traveling.
OzoneTravel.com- a kiteboarding travel company
offering holidays in Cabarete, Brazil, The Bahamas,
Mexico, St. Lucia and Key West, as well as
yacht-based holidays, including the Best Odyssey,
is opening a new division dedicated to west
coast kiteboarders in North America. OzoneTrav-
The inventor’s
daughter working
on her form.
Lens: Courtesy
of Surfball
OCEAN PACIFIC ADDS KITERS TO TEAM
Cameron joins the OP team in the company of
WCT Veteran Taylor Knox and world-champion
longboarder Joel Tudor.
OZONE TRAVEL EXPANDS TO WEST
elWest will offer holidays in Mexico and Hawaii,
in addition to Ozone’s standard fare. Packages
will be convenient for all west-coasters, and
those including air will match the schedule of
both charter and commercial flights.
Email christie@ozonetravel.com for more info.
Hua Hin. Lens: Jessie Hassell
Kite Adventures is offering one-of-a-kind,
10-day tours to Thailand. They incorporate
both the city and beach so you truly get
the Thai experience. Tours are geared for
beginner/intermediate kiters who want to
improve their skills on the water. Our tour is
also great for people who want to learn how
to kite, or if you want to bring a friend who
doesn’t kite, this is a non-kiter friendly tour.
$1299 per person/ double occupancy. Contact
Jessie@kiteadventures.com for more info-
Kitegirl Mira Kwon. Lens: Jim Semlor
Many of you have admired art director Jim
Semlor’s design and photographic talents in
The Kiteboarder Magazine. After more than
15 years as a professional photographer, Jim
has now opened his own gallery in downtown
Hood River. On display are many of his
lifestyle portraits including several kiteboarding
personalities and images. Check out Jim’s
work at www.semlorimages.com or stop by
the gallery on State Street, across from the
police station.
Hurricane John scored a direct hit on La
Ventana, Baja Mexico, packing 100+ mph
winds and very heavy rainfall to usher in the
month of September. Widespread flooding
and wind related damage was commonplace
and the main highway was washed out in a
number of places, power lines were downed,
and water service was disrupted because
of ruptured water pipes that run along side the
Tonia Farman co-founded the WKA and has spent countless hours encouraging women to try kiting.
Lens: Greg Gnecco
WOMEN TURN OUT IN FORCE FOR CLINIC
The Women’s Kiteboarding Association put
on their Women’s Free Trainer Kite Clinic to
a packed house at the Hood River Marina in
August. Hosted by the WKA, Dakine, and Gorge
kite schools, Kite the Gorge and Big Winds Kiteboarding,
the event drew 30 women from as far
as British Columbia and Idaho. The Kiteboarder’s
publisher Marina Chang helped out the clinic
which included teaching trainer kite skills, gear
and safety demos, and a sponsor giveaway of
kites, harnesses, and apparel. For info see
womenskiteboarding.com
BEST ODYSSEY READY TO SET SAIL
The Best Odyssey, a five year kitesurfing expedition
scheduled to set sail in early 2007, has just
added another option for those that cannot commit
to a full share. Shares can now be divided
between up to 10 people for as little as $2700
per person, plus you will have part ownership
of the boat and get a return on your investment
when it sells at the end of its journey. Comparable10-day
trips can cost upward of $5000
each! Invest in the vacation of a lifetime and
experience a truly unique adventure. See www.
offshoreodysseys.com for full details.
This year’s snowkiting season is shaping up to
be bigger and better than ever. The major events
will offer bigger cash prizes and more freeride
demos and kitercross/winduro type are planned.
Major Events
Montana Snowkite Rodeo –
Georgetown Lake: Feb 17-19
Kitestorm - Burlington, VT: Feb 24-25
US Open Snowkite Masters –
Skyline, UT: March 3-4
French Polyensia will be one of many stops
on tour. Lens: Paul Javier
SNOWKITE SEASON GEARS UP
Ozone Snowkite Freeride Tour
Backcountry Opener - Skyline, UT: Dec 2-3
Snowkite Freeride - Kirkwood, CA: Dec 9-10
Snowkite Rally - Anaconda, MT: Dec16-17
Telefest and Snowkite Freeride -
Lake Gogebic, MI: Jan 13-14
Snowkite Freeride -
Lake Winnipesauke, NH: Jan 13-14
Snowkite Freeride - Hill City, ID: March 10-11
Cascades Snowkite Tour (CA to WA): March 17-25
North Dakota Wind Power Challenge (ride across the
state): All season
Hurricane John beating La Ventana.
highway. Local resident Don Gregorio says
that this was the most severe storm at La
Ventana since 1941. In the aftermath of the
storm the clean up commenced almost immediately,
as utility trucks from mainland Mexico
were ferried across the Sea of Cortez to restore
power quickly. Most of the local resorts
should be operating as usual for the upcoming
season, as the majority of the damage was
downed palapas, cabanas, and soil erosion
that are a messy problem but relatively easy
to repair. Check with the resorts directly for
status reports, or email info@captainkirks.
com for more info.
Many seasoned travelers to La Ventana have
opted to fly in to Cabo San Lucas, a 3-hour
drive to the area, due to spotty service from
the Mexican airlines. Travel to La Ventana just
got a little better as traditional carriers have
added service to La Paz, just 45 minutes
away. Effective October 30, Alaska will offer
direct flights from LAX and Delta will start the
service on December 15.
Kiters worldwide are starting to catch on to the
concept of the Time Manager, a simple line
management tool that is so easy and handy
to use, it’s almost too good to be true! The
compact tool which can easily fit in the pocket
of your boardshorts makes it possible so you
never have to deal with line tangles or spend
time laying out and checking your lines ever
again. The Time Manager retails for $20. A
great stocking stuffer for the holidays, check
out kitelauncher.com.
KiteRelease, a new patent pending spreader
bar that uses the concept of ‘safety on
demand’, has delayed production to fine
tune the product. Founded by kiteboarders
dedicated to preventing unnecessary tragedy
while improving the overall kiteboarding experience,
the KiteRelease will now be available
in December. For more info, see KiteRelease.
com.
Powerline Sports is pleased to announce
that Kevin Koski has signed on as both a
store manager and lead PASA instructor
for their new location in Long Branch, NJ. The
new store is focused on riding locations in the
greater Sandy Hook area which also offers
New York City some of the best riding
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