Indholdsfortegnelse for #58 i TheKiteMag

As the final of this year’s GKA Big Air tour in Gran Canaria played out I was once again struck by how insane this kitesurfing sport of ours is… Big Air was what initially defined kitesurfing and it was what set it apart from everything else in the wind sports stable. Sure, kiting might have looked a bit more complicated and kookier and a bit less slick than windsurfing when it came to a pedal-to-the-metal drag race, but when it came to taking to the air, well, our many-sailed windsurfing friends were left with their fins a few feet above the water while – even at the very beginning of the century – kites were being truly ‘sent’ and riders were being truly launched into the stratosphere… It was new…

If you haven’t been to the famous Tarifa and don’t know anything about it, it is one of Europe’s most consistently windy spots, receiving either the Levante or Poniente winds, which blow from opposite directions. Over the course of the year there are probably more days with Levante than with Poniente, and strong Levante days can get up to 60 knots! With Levante wind there are many options to kite at, but most pros go to Balneario near the old town. It is initially quite a difficult spot to ride, quite demanding and requires a certain level – the wind is offshore and the spot is quite small, so it doesn’t take many riders to fill it up. On the best days the waves roll in and form the perfect…

Tarifa’s Balneario spot set the stage for the adrenaline-fueled spectacle that is Full Power Tarifa. Perched on the edge of the European continent, this competition has carved out a legendary status over the past five years, renowned for its ferocious Levante winds, vertical kickers, and an elite roster of the world’s best kiters. Year after year, Full Power Tarifa has delivered jaw-dropping action and awe-inspiring athleticism and progression, becoming a calendar highlight for any Big Air fan. More than 50k followers joined in for the event on social media and the YouTube livestream. With Tarifa being a second home for many elite Big Air athletes, each rider had extra incentive to be crowned the official Full Power Champion. In the end it was Jeremy Burlando who took the win for…

scan to watch My overseas travels began last summer in August when I decided to immerse myself in the kite park scene. I packed my bags and headed to the kiteboarding and wind sports mecca of North America: Hood River, Oregon. I’d heard great things about Hood River from fellow kiters and I knew it would be an excellent opportunity to ride in the kite park, compete and connect with the Naish family, see their operations, and participate in video shoots. Upon arrival, I was pleasantly surprised by the welcoming and friendly community. They were eager to share the ins and outs of the kite spots, local attractions and activities. Hood River truly lives up to its reputation; despite its small size, the town is vibrant and is the perfect…

When I decided to become a doctor, I wasn’t quite sure I would be happy as one. Mainly because doctors spend most of their time indoors, and I am a very outdoorsy person. I could never settle for being inside for so long. So, I decided to study Wilderness Medicine and became the first South American doctor to earn a Fellowship in Expedition Medicine. This led me to start the Dharma Institute, an NGO dedicated to bringing specialized medical care to the most remote and inhospitable regions of Brazil and the world. Today, I’m inviting you to join a truly remarkable expedition that transforms lives and profoundly impacts coastal communities. Let me share how we’ve inspired many kitesurfing doctors to drive social change in underserved communities. In 2019, as the…

RIDER STIJN MUL PHOTO JAMES BOULDING LOCATION MYKONOS TKM: If you're going to test a new kite then you might as well do it right… Here’s Stino going big on the all new Moto X Design Works.. RIDER SHAHAR TSABARY PHOTO THOMAS BURBLIES LOCATION TARIFA ST: What an incredible session, my first on the 8m Pace Pro. The CORE crew gathered for a photoshoot in Tarifa for the new kite’s global launch. It felt like a dream to me, being on a mission with all the legends like Giel, Josh, Zara, Jasmine and Yücel. The forecast predicted strong winds, so we decided to wake up at 6am and start kiting straight away. We all warmed up together and entered the water at Balneario before sunrise. My first jump on the…

LUIS, CAN YOU INTRODUCE YOURSELF? I studied sports science and have worked with successful top athletes over the last 20 years such as twins Daida and Iballa Moreno (multiple world champions in windsurfing and SUP), various snowboard professionals in boardercross, and Ariel Corniel from the Dominican Republic. And for 15 years now, I have also been training Duotone athletes like James Carew and Matchu. My work with Matchu has intensified over the last few years. During our time together in Tarifa, I’ll advise him how to train and work on his strengths and weaknesses. We have been training his legs for years and they have become a very strong part of him. BUT THIS WORK WITH HIM DOESN’T JUST CONSIST OF TIME IN THE GYM, RIGHT? Yes, working with him…

1 // North Reach 2024 The 2024 Reach’s revised arc shape, improved canopy tension and use of lighter weight materials have produced a significant improvement in speed and response from this do-it-all ‘desert-is-land kite’ – still nimble and easy to ride, but now with a cleaner profile entry and smoother more aerodynamic shape. 2 // Naish RPT The new user-friendly RPT, based on proven freeride designs, has gained a huge boost in performance with a new bottom shape, Keel Lock Spine, and improved rocker, which reduce sideway slipping, making water starts effortless and upwind edging second nature. For those lightwind days, it’s also available in 152 and 162cm with asymmetric shaping and without the Keel Lock Spine. 3 // Cabrinha Vapor Apex With a focus towards Big Air kiting, the…

The beginning of 2024 looked anything but promising for me. In November 2023, I partially tore a ligament in my lower back. The recovery time was very uncertain and I struggled with a lot of pain. I didn’t tell anyone about my injury – I didn’t want to show weakness, especially not to my opponents. However, as time has gone on, I no longer think this way. I now see my back injury not as a weakness but a part of my journey of growth. In fact, I have come out stronger than before and learned to shift my priorities. Every winner has to learn how to lose at some point. It’s how we deal with setbacks and obstacles that defines us as athletes. That being said, I was full…

New product launches are always exciting times for any brand and their customers – polished imagery and video is released of flashy new kites, featuring fresh graphics and shiny materials, being put through their paces by excited team riders frothing on any extra performance gains they can find due to new design philosophies, materials or a combination. Cue the Moto X Design Works kite and Vapor APEX twintip from Cabrinha, two products that have just launched focused at the Big Air sector in kiteboarding. The Moto X Design Works is the latest evolution of the Moto X, a freeride kite that is now front and center of Cabrinha’s freeride offering. Its three-strut platform offers exceptional versatility and ease of use, with agile light steering allowing riders to really maximize their…

The race for the Big Air world title was perfectly poised for a thriller at the closing stop in the Canaries in mid-July. The Qatar Airways GKA Big Air Kite World Championships would crown the 2024 winners after battles in a new and untested spot on the calendar at Gran Canaria’s Salinas de Tenefé. There were safety questions about the rocky entry, which proved unfounded, but winds of more than 40 knots were almost a statistical certainty. The decision earlier by reigning Big Air world champion, Mikaili Sol, to step back for a time, along with the late injury withdrawal of the men’s title holder, Andrea Principi, guaranteed two new athletes would be crowned. When top-seeded Swede Nathalie Lambrecht also pulled out with injury, calling the eventual winners became even…

scan to watch Graham’s words hung in the air as we huddled in a Luanda hotel, where our journey began. “In my head, I was already saying that if this trip is too dangerous, I’m not doing it,” he admitted. A local had told us that Baía dos Tigres had waters infested with tiger sharks, the same waters we’d planned to cross by kite. Though just a rumor, the other things we’d heard didn’t help… winds that mimic the howls of beasts, sighting of hyenas and packs of wild dogs mistaken for tigers… “I’d never heard of the place before, and when we found out more about it, it got scarier by the day,” Ozzie said. Not to mention the total insanity of getting to Baía dos Tigres itself. Rarely…

When I first heard that Mauritius was good for kiting I immediately felt it was somewhere I had to visit. I have since found out that my 10x great grandmother was sent there, pretty much as a slave, over 300 years ago, enduring a harsh sea crossing from South Africa, so maybe the island is in my blood. For one reason or another I didn’t actually manage to visit for another 12 years, and when I did it was Le Morne that I headed to. While it is a beautiful spot and I loved shredding the waves of Manawa (I chickened out on One Eye), I did find it busy. I also managed to get into a fight with a metal pole at the hotel children’s play area on the…