Innehållsförteckning för #53 från TheKiteMag

I write this having just got off the water in Mauritius, having been traveling for 72 hours to get here (okay, this included a relatively debaucherous 24 hours seeing the Red Hot Chili Peppers in Lisbon en route). Once again, I am left marveling at the healing power of getting in the water and engaging in a wind powered activity… Having had a long few days, three hours’ sketchy sleep on the plane, and with no idea what time it is, I was barely able to remember how to put my gear together, yet – two hours later – the reset button has been pressed. I feel “whole” again. So, I thought I’d get a nice waffly editorial together while I am riding my endorphin high… For sure other sports…

With a massive area of 2.6 million km2 (ten times larger than the UK) and some of Australia’s most archetypal landscapes, Western Australia (aka WA) is the home of the iconic road trip. Remote and vast get completely new meanings here in Australia’s largest state. Some 1,200km north of the capital Perth – the most isolated city in the world – the World-Heritage-listed Ningaloo Reef is a sparkling gem in WA’s crown. With a length of 260km and home to around 300 species of coral and 500 species of fish, it is one the largest fringing coral reefs in the world. Interestingly it is also only one of two coral reefs in the world that have formed on the western edge of any continent. My Landcruiser was bursting at the…

The 2023 GKA Big Air Worlds were due to take place in Tarifa, with a window of three weeks from May to June. But the famous, strong Levante wind that makes Tarifa such a draw for kitesurfers had been uncharacteristically elusive for more than a month and organizers were concerned that the event could have been a bust. A week into the competition window though, the wind turned and a “light” Levante of 20 knots, building to 26 knots, allowed the first of the 60 athletes to take to the water. That honor fell to the Hydrofoil riders whose efficiency allows them to compete in lighter winds. The women’s Surfboard action also took to the water on the opening day. Then, during a break of several days when the Levante…

It was a stop-start affair for the women’s Surfboard event, but it eventually shifted into high-gear as the sun began to sink and the wind picked up. Camille Losserand, last year’s runner-up, rode out of her skin in the final. She carefully built her heat by putting some solid scores on the board before cutting loose. The Tarifa local was in a class of her own and easily did enough to take the win before her adoring supporters and family. Reigning world champion, the French 17-year-old Capucine Delannoy, put some good scores on the board. But in the face of Losserand’s onslaught she didn’t seem to have any answers. Under pressure to come up with something she crashed some tricks and handed the win to Losserand. The men’s Surfboard contest…

1 // Slingshot UFO V2 The lightweight strutless design of the UFO has been further enhanced in the V2 by implementing space-age materials that make it even lighter and higher performing. Riders will feel less drag through the air and can now foil in even less wind. The leading edge is now 25% lighter, there’s a new streamlined bridle system, and the new extended size range allows riders to build a full UFO quiver to suit their rider weight and their local conditions. 2 // Airush Team Foil If you’re looking for a compact carbon solution for your foiling adventures, the Team Foil board is an extremely fun and skatey board for advanced freeriders riding strapped or strapless. Constructed using ultra-light and durable Carbon Innegra, the refined bottom shape features…

I started kiting thanks to my parents who have a kite school where I live in Tuscany, Italy. When I was little I saw them jumping and I wanted to do the same thing. When I was 11 years old, my mother finally allowed me to try the board. She is also very good at kiting, and does kiteloops, board-offs and huge jumps. I fell in love with the sport from the first second I got a kite in my hand. It was truly a wonderful sensation and I realized that I had found my sport. Before that I had done many sports, the main ones I did for many years were skiing and rugby. I also did two years of acrobatic gymnastics. I’m a person who likes adrenaline – if…

FIRSTLY, CAN YOU TELL US WHAT STYLE OF RIDER YOU’VE PRODUCED THE ALMA FOR? The Alma is intended to perform in every style and all conditions, but it really shines the most when hydrofoiling in moderate to strong winds. Thanks to a tight loop, smooth power generation, great drift and good upwind/downwind performance, the Alma really transformed my foiling style. It suits hydrofoil freestyle “carving” riders particularly well, with or without straps. It has good Big Air freestyle capabilities and sizes 4 and 6m are really good for megaloops, maybe even doubles! Finally, the easy relaunch, clear bar feedback, strong materials and lightweight design make it a good kite for beginners learning to kitesurf or twintip riders learning to hydrofoil. TALK US THROUGH ITS UNIQUE TECHNOLOGY AND WHY YOU’RE SO…

RIDER CAMDYN KELLETT PHOTO ANDREW KELLETT LOCATION CAPE TOWN CK: They don’t call it the Cape of Storms for nothing! This winter in Cape Town has been the wettest and stormiest in 40 years, and for two weeks last month we were hit by more than six cold fronts bringing 30+ knot conditions nearly every time. Even though the air temperature drops in winter, the water temperature becomes a lot warmer so even when it’s miserable and cold it isn’t that bad! This has been my most consistent off season so far and I’m stoked to be scoring so many sessions. RIDER TIM WALSH PHOTO AMANDA CANTOR LOCATION MAUI TKM: It’s the full “maximum water displacement” hack here from Tim… That’s a big chunk of Pacific Ocean potentially ending up…

RIDER WEIGHT: 73kg // RIDER HEIGHT: 181cm Dutch rider Zara Hoogenraad recently came third in the GKA Big Air Twin-Tip competition in Tarifa. We found out more about the kite that helped catapult her to the podium, the CORE XR8. The GKA Tarifa competition was an absolute blast! I had an amazing time riding alongside incredibly talented girls. We had so much fun and supported each other throughout. It was a celebration of friendship, empowerment and the joy of kiteboarding. The experience left me inspired and motivated to keep pushing more and more. I used the CORE XR8 for the event. A competition kite needs to have certain characteristics to help me succeed. It should consistently catch me after the loop, be reliable, provide a good boost and hangtime, and…

My goal is to make people dream about kitesurfing, as I have done since the beginning. I want to produce beautiful videos and through them continue to challenge myself. To now be welcomed by the Eleveight team and have the trust of the crew is a testament to all that time I’ve spent on the water, all that training (and all those broken ribs !) and I want to celebrate it. As a kiter living in the south of France, I am naturally into big conditions. Since the Lords of Tram competition, I’ve been lucky to meet some of the best Big Air riders in the world. I met Arthur and Jojo many years ago at our local spot, but now I am part of the official team, it has…

The women’s Rider of the Year was Mikaili Sol for the second year in a row, with Italy’s Gianmaria Coccoluto taking the men’s Rider of the Year award. In 2022, he realized his dream when he won his first world title despite being the oldest man on the Freestyle tour. Women’s Move of the Year went to Dutch Zara Hoogenraad for a kiteloop late backroll that she landed at this year’s Lords of Tram in nuking winds. Andrea Principi won the men’s Move of the Year for a mind-blowing double backroll, double kiteloop, board-off flip, late front one foot, also in France. The Rookie of the Year prize went to the young Brazilian kitesurfer, Gabriel Benetton, who has been pushing hard in the waves and strapless kitesurf. The Social Contribution…

Trying to step away from the usual was the biggest goal. In the past I tried to change my perspective every year but sticking with what you’re good at is so easy, it stops you from learning. Getting the same angle and the same perspective didn’t cut it for me anymore. “It’s absolutely not the same anymore. But that doesn’t mean it can’t be awesome or I can’t have an awesome life,” says Ydwer, grinning as he shifts in his wheelchair. He clumsily reaches out to take a bite of his pizza while cracking a joke about the mess his girlfriend might have to clean up after. The camera was pointed at his shoulder for most of the video interview. Which was fine because that’s kinda how things are in Ydwer’s…

It’s been a dream come true joining Cabrinha. I’ve always been a fan of Keahi de Aboitiz and his movies with Cabrinha, traveling and getting barreled in perfect locations. Even though he just announced his end with Cabrinha, I’m looking forward to meeting him and going for a ride with him one day. The first time I got to test a Cabrinha kite, the Drifter, was last winter in the waves of Ponta Preta, Cape Verde and I completely fell in love. Now I was able to test it in the famous Levante of Tarifa and it didn’t disappoint. The kite is always in the perfect place, and has good lift and hang time. I also love the Method as a strapless freestyle board, the Flare for medium onshore waves…

We’re not going to beat round the bush on this one – the Mystic Stealth has been our go-to harness for kite testing over the last couple of years and has gone unsurpassed in my mind as an exceptionally lightweight hardshell, supportive and snug-fitting carbon battle belt which works for all string-propelled eventualities. When we got wind that there was going to be a revised version released, quite frankly we were a bit worried as we weren’t exactly sure how they’d improve on it. Thankfully, to our delight, the design revisions have been expertly curated and implemented as you’d expect from the old Dutch masters. First of all, the most noticeable difference is that the backplate got a little smaller in height, maybe 15mm on our size medium. This allows…

MANUEL SELMAN You’ve been involved with Slingshot for many years – a super successful team rider, team manager, testing, developing, content creating – you’ve done it all… what’s your role now? And what else would you like to accomplish? Thanks for the kind words! Anything to keep the dream alive haha! I wear many hats for Slingshot, over the years I realized I enjoy producing content and I’m good at it, everything from planning shoots, filming, editing, riding in the shoots and working with media personnel. That skillset is valuable to kite companies as creating content for wind sports is not easy. My roles for Slingshot at the moment are social media management, media production and publishing. One of my personal goals is to accomplish more adventurous foiling missions and…

In March 2022, I broke my pectoralis tendon and underwent surgery to repair it. For the following few months I was off the water, going to physio and the gym every day, with only one goal in my mind – to get back into shape as soon as possible to be able to do what I love most again: being on the water. After three months of really good progression, my doctor allowed me to start kiting and winging slowly. I was so happy to ride again, it made me feel alive once more. I kept my effort going and in July, my doctor told me my shoulder was back to 100%, so I had the green light to freestyle and send it hard again. Together with Arthur, we thought…

Charles Brodel showed his complete mastery of the breath-taking Hydrofoil discipline. He landed his fourth Hydrofoil title and second consecutive world championship crown. This year his commitment and consistency put big scores on the board and he swept aside all-comers with his mind-blowing kiteloops, boards-offs and rotations to take the crown. Only the Dutch teenager Jamie Overbeek came close to troubling the Frenchman. 17-year-old Overbeek lost out in the thrilling four-man final by little more than one point, taking the second podium step for the second successive year. 1 Charles Brodel (FRA) 2 Jamie Overbeek (NED) 3 Joselito del Rosario (DOM)…

The Kite Park League is at it again, thriving and continuing the progression of park riding. In a seamless yet innovative transition, the KPL carried the momentum from the first stop of the tour in Argentina and set the bar high for the second stop on the beautiful Mediterranean coastline of Lo Stagnone di Marsala, Sicily. In an effort to deliver the riders a world-class park while maintaining the KPL’s premier event status, KPL staff, contractors, legal team, and media personnel arrived in Sicily a month in advance to prepare for the event. The leg work that goes into organizing and hosting an event of such caliber is overwhelmingly consuming, yet the undertaking is well worth the labor and allows the KPL to continuously set the industry standard. Although the…

Renowned for rough windswept seas and sinking ships, the ‘Cape of Storms’, as it was known by seafarers, has wrecked a total of 26 ships that can still be seen strewn along the rocky peninsula. The first modern rounding of the Cape was done in 1487 by Portuguese explorer Bartolomeu Dias and his crew in an attempt to establish direct trade relations with the far east. Dias called the Cape ‘Cabo das Tormentas’, the original name for the Cape, which directly translated means Cape of Storms. Growing up around Cape Town, even before being a kiter, I was aware of the rough ocean conditions induced by the gale-force winds in the summer and battered by Southern Ocean storms during the winter months. Tales of shipwrecked sailors and explorers were great…

After all the good stories and fun videos from last year’s trip to Leucate, the new team was more excited than ever to experience the Naish Team Europe vibe for themselves. Buzzing with anticipation for their long-awaited trip, Jeanne Vanderick from Belgium, Julian Meijvogel from the Netherlands, Mathys Rumelioglu from France, Nais Balbinot from Italy and Noel Grassl from Austria headed to the airport. Naish international rider Stig Hoefnagel, part of Naish Team Europe back in the days when it was established, accompanied the excited young riders to share his experience of being a pro rider and how to make it in the industry. We were invited by ‘Habitas Caravan Dakhla’, a new Naish center located at the lagoon of Dakhla. After a pretty short night thanks to a late…