Innehållsförteckning för #45 från TheKiteMag

As an organization, we’re starting to get more than a little worried about Colin’s obsession with Marc Jacobs. After the previously published 3000 word ode to MJ, and more recently stalking him across the equator to KOTA in Cape Town (masquerading as Tom Bridge’s fluffer as usual), we probably need to have a frank chat with Marc regarding how close Colin can get before it inevitably becomes awkward, and the words ‘restraining order’ are mentioned. As we all know, Colin can see deep into the mists of the future, and to be fair to his rubbery chops, he saw Marcy J’s landslide victory coming from a mile off. Rather worryingly, this validates his ninja-level kite punditry even further, but it’s clear this foresight is gleaned from calculated research, with the…

SO LET’S START FROM THE BEGINNING… HOW DID FLYSURFER COME ABOUT AND WHO WERE THE FOUNDERS? The FLYSURFER brand was originally founded by Armin Harich and his then colleague Ralf Grösel, and at the same time Arne Wehrlin and Manfred Kistler started Paramarine. Back then, Thomas Allertseder produced lines. They met by chance at BOOT Düsseldorf Boat Show and first started a conversation there. Since they already knew each other from paragliding and were similarly motivated, they decided to found a joint company called Skywalk Gmbh & Co KG. They were able to save costs on development, fabrics, overheads and so on. Armin is at heart a developer through and through, and that was exactly what drove them – they just wanted to try things out, change things, and develop…

SO, WHAT’S HAPPENING AT GIN HQ? Gin Kiteboarding was born in Switzerland. Today, it is evolving to a new strategic shift, with a whole new vision. We rely on our history of ram air kites to focus on development, quality and innovation. We want to change the way people enjoy the outdoors, from the mountain to the ocean. Flymaax has joined the team so we could continue with the same dynamic, and today, our company focuses on two main areas: firstly the historical knowledge that Gin Kiteboarding brings to freeride performance and innovation, and secondly the competition and race knowledge of Flymaax. This has now become Gin Flymaax Kiteboarding, GF. TELL US ABOUT THE SPIRIT. WHAT DISCIPLINES AND RIDER LEVEL IS IT DESIGNED FOR? The Spirit is a versatile, all-terrain,…

WAVE KITE The wave-specific BANDITS now enters its third version from the French watersports megabrand. We’re presented with a familiar three-strut platform from the previous generation crafted from long proven Teijin materials for both the D2 ripstop and Dacron. Build-wise, this year’s main revisions are with leading edge segmentation, which now sits at the pleasantly round number of 24, providing a smoother more tailored profile. The leading edge diameter has also been fettled to further improve maneuverability. The trailing edge design has been developed further from the S2 with a second band of ripstop paneling oriented intelligently across the direction of load, to minimize deformation. Beautifully crafted new stainless pulleys have been implemented with a low friction slider, eliminating the moving parts and potential long-term wear on the bridle which…

RIDER JANEK GRZEGORZEWSKI PHOTO THOMAS BURBLIES LOCATION WITSAND, SOUTH AFRICA TKM: It’s been quite the year from Janek who has – it’s fair to say – made a pretty big impression on the kiteboarding scene. When he’s not winning BAKL events or getting the highest score in KOTA he’s scoring some pretty stunning shots like this one… RIDER DANIEL REY PHOTO LUKAS PITSCH LOCATION LAKE URI, SWITZERLAND LP: This is what a kite competition in Switzerland looks like – Daniel Rey on fire during the finals of the SKA Freestyle Swiss Series at Lake Uri. RIDER RODERICK PIJLS PHOTO CAT YDE LOCATION DENMARK RP: I’ve always wanted to visit Denmark’s Cold Hawaii, Klitmøller, and its surroundings. People have told me that it is the best spot in northern Europe for…

GKA competitor, Kiko Roig Torres from Spain, has never been a fan of straps, and so has fully embraced the world of strapless freestyle, taking his Cypher board along for the ride. I have been riding the Cypher since the first time I came to Cape Town, which was almost two years ago. It is awesome for strapless freestyle. The first Cypher I used was a prototype. I rode the AMP before that and I loved this board too. The AMP is the perfect board for small waves and is also good for strapless freestyle, but the Cypher just makes everything easier when it comes to the freestyle part. The Cypher is optimized to be stable at speed with its flatter rocker, compact outline, and parallel rails. This makes it…

“I was able to access beaches that never before were thought to be kiteable - it was a surreal experience.” This was just what the (Cape) doctor ordered: an epic start to the season after a difficult last season with lockdowns and closed beaches. I’ve been able to get out and make the most of some excellent wave riding conditions at the classic kiting beaches of Blouberg and Big Bay. With Red Bull King of the Air being right at the start of it all, it has been very busy, very early, which is a good thing given the impact of the pandemic to tourism and livelihoods last season. The conditions have also played their part with nuking south-easterly winds for days on end. Recently I managed to sneak in…

GKA KITE-SURF WORLD CUP DAKHLA The pressure for the Kite-Surf World Cup was high in Dakhla after a lack of wind at the previous event in Denmark meant no result was achieved. So it all came down to the results in Dakhla… The top contenders left nothing to chance, with the World Titles hanging closer than ever.…

AS WELL AS THE KOTA PODIUM PLACE IN NOVEMBER, THE PIVOT TOOK THE WIN AT THE BIG AIR KITE LEAGUE EARLIER THIS YEAR. IS IT ONLY BIG AIR RIDERS THAT WILL WANT TO USE IT? The beauty of the Pivot is that it is so intuitive and easy to use, that it excels in many categories. As well as Big Air it is a great kite for wave-riding, especially if you like to move your kite around, plus the low end is excellent allowing you to get away with a smaller kite size. Freeriding is also fun with the Pivot because of the linear progression of power and the direct bar feel — it lets you know just where your kite is and this helps give you confidence to progress…

OTHER THAN ARTHUR WHO WOULD YOU RECOMMEND THE XS FOR? The name XS stands for Extreme Freeride Series. When we developed the kite DNA we wanted to focus on raw power with a lot of grunt made for extreme loops and a massive hangtime. Peter Stiewe, our Kite Designer, describes the XS as a modern interpretation of a high-performance old-school kite, fine-tuned for extreme big airs. But the XS is more than a weapon for adrenaline junkies. The fantastic low end, the easy upwind travel and the very reactive handling make the kite a very versatile freerider too. WHAT ARE THE TECHNICAL FEATURES OF THE XS THAT MAKE IT A WINNING KITE? For the XS we focused on a delta hybrid design with five struts with a very solid frame.…

Anyone that’s visited the coast of the Netherlands through the winter months knows to wrap up warm, particularly when that biting northerly airflow heads down from Scandinavia. Prolimit’s Dutch HQ is the perfect proving ground for the more extreme end of cold-water wetsuits, which is where this 6/4mm Vapor comes into its own. Externally, the suit is stealthy in appearance and doesn’t appear like the suit of armor as some 6mm suits style themselves. There’s a light tweedy texture to the outer neoprene, which enhances its aesthetic and gives it a premium appearance. Entry and exit are a simple and dignified process due to the high level of flexibility in the suit. The entry collar isn’t massive to help prevent flushing, but you can slip both in and out with…

ALL-ROUNDER TEST The Spirit is an all new kite from Gin Kiteboarding, who are in the midst of something of a relaunch and have a few releases penciled in over the next few months… The Spirit enters the line up as an all-round foil kite that is easy to fly and will feel comparable to an inflatable kite. There is a clear market for kites with this approach now as riders appreciate that they can have the significant pluses of a foil kite without compromising on performance. Gin Kiteboarding benefits from the experience of the highly respected Gin paragliders with their high-end competition paraglider range, and the experience of the Gin R&D team no doubt transfer well into the world of kites. The Spirit is a closed-cell foil kite designed…

From her very first lesson, where she went zero to hero in a day, Michaela has excelled at kiting. Going pro has always been the dream, but choosing a discipline was hard. First, she considered freestyle, where there were lots of female role models. Next, she considered park riding because that was also a place where there were women tearing it up. But neither felt perfectly at home for her. “Big Air was something that I saw the boys doing and I thought it was really cool. I wanted to do it but I genuinely didn’t think girls could do Big Air. I was working at Floras Lake, in Oregon, and local pro Reed Brady and I were chatting. I told him, ‘I want to loop but girls can’t do…

KEAHI DE ABOITIZ I’ve always been impressed with your stoke and dedication towards everything you do within the sport of kitesurfing and it’s been awesome to share a couple of great trips together over the years. How did it all start, how did you first get into the sport? When I started kiting, most people had never even heard of it. I can clearly remember the first time I saw a kite here in Sal, wondering to myself, “Will it be fun?” A friend of mine then acquired a book of theory and a kite… Of course I refused to read the book, so he did the reading and I did the practicing! It was definitely fun, but at the time safety was far from what we know nowadays –…

“Leucate is famous for the Tramontana wind, a hardcore wind that blows offshore all year round.” WHAT ARE YOUR FIRST RECOLLECTIONS OF THE BEACH? My first memory is in my childhood when my brother ate the sand like a cake for four hours! CAN YOU REMEMBER ANY OF YOUR FIRST SESSIONS? Of course – I had that famous first edgy feeling where you’re determined to learn and you don’t stop despite the obstacles in front of you, because you’re just so excited to get there… WHO ELSE DID YOU RIDE THERE WITH? There are too many to mention, the spot is full of friends! CAN YOU TALK US THROUGH THE TYPICAL CONDITIONS? Leucate is famous for the Tramontana wind, a hardcore wind that blows offshore all year round. So we…

For many years the kitesurf industry has been chasing the wind to whichever continent works best for each season. One of the most known locations for the second half of the year is northern Brazil. Cumbuco has developed from a local fishing village to a prominent kitesurf capital of the world. Thanks to the super consistent trade winds, it offers one of the most promising locations for training, photo shoots and holidays. For over 10 years I’ve been visiting this country, and this year I decided to stay not just in Cumbuco and Taiba, but also to wander and explore the entire Brazilian coastline further north. Together with a couple of friends and our photographer Arnaud from fly.media.productions, we got ourselves a 4x4 and drove up the coast. Our first…

IN THIS AGE OF THROWAWAY CULTURE, WHAT ARE YOU DOING AT CRAZYFLY TO INCREASE THE LIFESPAN OF YOUR PRODUCTS? We have always been focused on quality, which could mean different things, but definitely a big part of our quality is focusing on the durability of our products. The longer a product lasts, the less waste is created. We are the first and only brand to have a three-year warranty on kites and boards and I believe this shows our confidence in the durability of the products we build in our own factory. We are constantly on the lookout for innovative materials and technologies that can help improve the durability of our products. Our designers love this part of the job and never stop seeking new materials and construction techniques to…

WHAT DOES THE MACHINE BRING TO THE PARTY AND WHY WOULD WE WANT TO RIDE IT? We are very excited about the Machine joining the party! It’s a high-performance, high-flying, Big Air, freeride rocket. It’s our best Big Air kite to date, taking you to new heights. It is designed to perform at the highest level for team riders, whilst being a super easy to use freeride kite. TALK US THROUGH THE SHAPE AND CONSTRUCTION THAT MAKE THE MACHINE SUCH A BIG AIR BEAST. The Machine has an all-new geometry that provides insane upward propulsion. It has a highly efficient aspect ratio that is tuned for quick reaction speed and turning. We designed the kite with the cleanest, most simplistic canopy possible to decrease the kite’s overall weight for maximum…

ALL-ROUNDER TEST After many years out of the lineup, the Rise has returned to the OR stable and has been given the ALUULA treatment… With the recent acquisition of Giel Vlugt to the Ocean Rodeo team, and his high-level riding at recent Big Air events that set the world stage for technical ‘high’ riding, Ocean Rodeo have designed a kite that now not only needs to boost and float, but also needs to loop with vigor and consistency to enable those exceptionally high-risk and technical moves to rack up the KOTA points. With Ocean Rodeo’s close partnership with the latest lightweight frame material ALUULA, this was a logical platform to build from, and required a lot of changes with seaming and manufacturing, so the development period when applying this to…

ALL-ROUNDER TEST The Airush Lithium is a kite model now stretching back well over a decade and with an extensive back catalogue of iterations to rival Paul McCartney. The V13 heralds a ground-up rebuild rather than a refresh and tweak. The design intention is the same as ever – a versatile and universal freeride kite with enough performance to keep the more seasoned rider excited, but this year’s has been augmented to cater for current market trends, including hydrofoil use. The Lithium is built on a three-strut platform, and shape-wise we’re looking at a flattish arc and mid-depth profile in the center of the canopy. There are elongated and swept wingtips that extend quite a way backwards, which is something of an Airush signature, having just spent time on the…

ALL-ROUNDER TEST Having had an organic growth plan since their inception, Eleveight have evolved into one of the most respected kite brands: nothing is released on a whim and their line up is well conceived and covers all bases… The brand now has seven kites in their line up and this, the RS, is at the heart of it. Now into its fifth iteration the RS is the ‘crossover freeride’ in the family. We’d put it into the Performance Freeride category of our Ultimate Test. For us it is one of the most exciting areas of kite development in recent times with most brands now acknowledging that a lot of riders want a kite that can perform well but that isn’t going to scare the bejesus out of you. And…