Indholdsfortegnelse for #59 i TheKiteMag

scan to watch Lo Stagnone in Sicily has become one of the top kiting destinations in Europe. Its popularity extends not only after the summer season at our home spots is over – making it a great option for us – but also throughout the entire summer. Steady daily winds combined with the endless flat, shallow lagoons create the perfect conditions for both beginners and freestyle enthusiasts. Breathtaking landscapes, stunning sunsets and amazing Italian food complete the dream holiday destination that Sicily is. Our annual product photoshoot is always a great opportunity to meet up with the team, strengthen team spirit and spend quality time together on the water. However, it also involves a lot of hard work – endlessly waiting for the right wind, weather conditions and perfect light,…

The Qatar Airways GKA Kite Park League World Championships in Hood River marked the long-awaited integration and sanctioning with the GKA Kite World Tour and World Sailing. It was also the first GKA World Championship to take place in the USA, which feels appropriate given the prevalence of park events compared to other expression disciplines in the country. Despite being arguably the smallest niche within the greater kiting world, park riders have been fiercely loyal to the cause since day one, putting in the time and effort it takes to build and set up features all over the world. By 2016 there were more than five events taking place around the world each year so the riders formed a union and created the KPL Championship. Things were going steady until…

1 // Cabrinha Moto X Design Works This new Moto X has taken not only Big Air to a new level, but also recreational freeriding. Whether you want a kite to use in a larger wind range, want to jump higher than your friends, or compete on the world Big Air circuit, the new threestrut Design Works Moto X, featuring Aluula and with a lean aerofoil for increased speed and stability, is the next generation kite to get you there. 2 // RRD Barracuda Pro The Barracuda Pro is very fast, grips the water, and delivers an abundance of hold in the most extreme conditions. It’s a well-rounded, do-it-all, high-end performance board that is easy to ride and comfortable both in light or strong winds. Developed in Cape Town, the…

What if I told you that everything you know about kiting in Cape Town is only half true. Even those of you who have come season-after-season to The Mother City in its summer months still have no idea. It’s sort of a local secret, but I feel like it’s time to let the world in on the truth: there’s a whole other side to this magical place that will blow your mind. I have always preferred the winter season in Cape Town for kiting rather than the summer season. Don’t get me wrong, the summer season is world class with a bunch of spots to kite. It’s just that it gets really busy and, apart from the nuclear wind from time to time, I get the feeling that it misses…

The Qatar Airways GKA Kite World Tour returned to the northern German island of Sylt for the second stop of the Kite-Surf discipline in late August. The rugged North Sea coast at Westerland’s Brandenburger Strand provided a picture postcard backdrop for the event. The Sylt stop came after a break of six months on the Kite-Surf tour, which opened in Cape Verde’s Ponta Preta break in February. Sylt is a different proposition and was fought out in Kite-Surf’s mixed format of strapless freestyle and wave riding. With winds that hit almost 50 knots during the competition window, the emphasis was on the strapless freestyle element, which played to some riders’ strengths more than others. The absence of the US’s Moona Whyte, reigning world champion and winner of the first stop,…

For the past two years, I’ve taken my career very seriously. Since then, I’ve made major progress, achieved dreams and earned respect. In the years before, people kept speculating about when I would break through. Last year, I showed that I could and made a lot of people proud. But unfortunately I had a setback last year with a meniscus injury. It happened while kiting, but not even during a landing or takeoff – I wanted to turn in a wave and it snapped on my straightened leg. My knee buckled and I had to ride back 300 meters, which was very painful. It was a blow to end a good year like that. However, it gave me more motivation to come back and do more. Sometimes, if I get…

Over the last few seasons I have set myself the task to really start to explore places slightly closer to home. Home for me is the Isle of Wight, a small island on Britain’s south coast that is naturally graced with some for the best water sports conditions that this part of the world has to offer. If there is one thing that the era of Covid taught us, it is there is more than meets the eye at your home spots. Now with the added addition of ‘foil goggles’ and the never-ending thrill of the storm chase, there are so many more spots that are open to us… and with the right tools for the job, nothing that can’t be shredded… After a period of seemingly strange goings on…

I am from São Paulo, Brazil but studied at the Madrid School of Photography. I have been a professional photographer for 16 years, nine of which have been dedicated to kitesurfing photography. In 2015, the good winds took me to Barra Grande, in Piauí, where I formed a partnership with Ariosto Ibiapina, owner of the BGK pousada there. Capturing the details and emotions expressed by the freedom the sport provides was the aim of the project, making the client’s experience unique and even more enchanting. It is a partnership that has now been renewed for six seasons. The project was also embraced by José Sampaio, owner of the FeelViana Hotel on Cabedelo Beach in Viana do Castelo, and I’ve now spent three seasons there. In the strong wind and cold…

TKM YOU RECENTLY SENT US PHOTOS OF A VIDEO SHOOT YOU DID ON A VIRGIN CRUISE SHIP. WHAT THE DEVIL WAS THIS ALL ABOUT?! Yeah it was quite something and was three years in the making. It looks pretty simple but dealing with big multi-national corporations is tricky. Especially when you are trying to jump off the top deck of a cruise ship full of paying passengers… Red Bull really made this project happen and without them I wouldn’t have had a clue how to even go about doing something like this. It was an amazing project and I was pretty relieved when I finally put that board down on the water. XANDER RAITH HAVE YOU EVER CONSIDERED FILMING FOR A FULL-LENGTH KITE MOVIE? YOU ARE INCREDIBLY WELL KNOWN FOR…

About four years ago I saw Janek and Mike travel to Oman. It looked like a crazy adventure with remote spots – the ultimate escape where kiting is the main priority and adventure awaits – so I knew I needed to visit. This year marked our third visit there, to Masirah Island, an island an hour and a half away from the mainland by ferry. Masirah is a relatively small island with very few tourists, but an absolutely beautiful place with wind almost every single day – just like Brazil in that aspect, but nowhere near as crowded with kiters and tourists. The shots we took with Ahmed show some of Masirah’s spots – fishing harbors, white beaches with blue water, and mangrove spots with beautiful flat water and abandoned…

The Qatar Airways GKA Kite World Tour season-opener in Freestyle returned to the northern French port of Dunkerque for the second successive year. The first event of a scheduled three came after a break of almost nine months, and was welcomed by the fans who lined Dunkerque’s historic strand. Reigning world champions, the Brazilian duo of Bruna Kajiya and Carlos Mario, were eager to open the defense of their titles. Kajiya, at 37 the most senior woman on the tour, won in Dunkerque last year. Mario got a joint four-way first place after the final was halted when the wind dropped out. Kajiya ultimately took a fourth world title last season, while Mario made it five. Both recognized the importance of a good start in Dunkerque. With just three stops…

DEDICATED TO DAD My whole life gravitates around this incredible sport that we share. Dad was the first guy in the northwest of England to start kiting in 1998. He was out windsurfing in Rhosneigr, North Wales when he saw the first kitesurfing demo in the UK. He tried his best not to look at the demo because he knew he would instantly want to buy a kite. As soon as he came in from his windsurf session he bought a kite anyway! He started teaching himself to kitesurf with a 5m Wipika although he never really had enough wind for it. He then bought a 22m kite and was constantly overpowered with it! It was the beginning of the sport, you had to figure it out on your own,…

At the beginning of 2024, I decided to stop competing on the world tour, both in Big Air and freestyle competitions. However, since joining the Eleveight team – which I’m stoked about – my new gear, in only a short period of time, has completely changed my mind! After experiencing the performance of the latest XS model, I am thinking of rejoining the Big Air competitions. If I am going to start competing again it’s good to visit different spots and get to practice in different conditions. So I am grateful that I recently got to do some traveling. I have just spent a couple of months in Turkey. My girlfriend lives with me in the Dominican Republic but she is originally from Turkey so we went there to visit…

Living in a motorhome is about embracing simplicity. My living space may be small, but the world outside my door is boundless. My backyard isn’t confined to one place – it’s the stretch of white sand beaches I find myself drawn to, where the wind creates perfect kiting conditions. I can wake up, grab my gear, and be on the water in minutes. Some days, I’m completely alone, with nothing but the sound of the waves and the tug of the wind in my kite. Other days, I’m surrounded by friends, sharing the thrill of the perfect session. When the wind dies down, the adventure doesn’t stop. I pull out my hydrofoil or SUP and glide across the water, watching the sun dip below the horizon. There’s something magical about…