Innehållsförteckning för #54 från TheKiteMag

Carl Ferreira gives us a quick round up of his time in Italy and Spain earlier this year. It was all going well until sadly he had a déjà vu of last year’s trip and once again had to head home early due to an injury. Fear not though, he’s already on the road to recovery. Better luck next year… May 2023 came round and I was off to Europe again to escape the winter cold of Cape Town. I started off in Italy, at the RRD HQ in Grossetto, working on some new projects and developments with the team, and getting some sessions in with Roberto. We kited on Italy’s west coast at RRD’s local spot, Castiglione della Pescaia, and I spent some time hanging out at the local…

The right-hand point-break at Dakhla Westpoint, on the edge of the Sahara Desert, was the setting for the fourth of five Kite-Surf stops on this year’s Qatar Airways GKA Kite World Tour, as well as for the GWA Wingfoil World Tour. North-westerly swells wrap around the point producing a long right-handed break with hollow sections that run into the sandy bay. The northerly breezes can be tricky under the point, but punchy and strong on the inside towards the beach. Westpoint is on the end of a long promontory at the head of Dakhla’s shallow, flatwater lagoon, which gets breezes of 20 to 30 knots nearly all year round. 28 men and 12 women from 13 countries – including five Moroccans – traveled from around the world to the remote…

WHAT MAKES THIS NEW KITE SO EFFECTIVE FOR BIG AIR? The main advantage of the XR Pro lies in its exceptional rigidity thanks to the Aluula five-strut airframe. The ultra-stiff Aluula material allowed Frank Ilfrich’s development team to achieve even thinner leading edge and strut diameters compared to the XR8. A thinner diameter means less air resistance, translating to fast kite speed. Combined with the ultra-stable five-strut frame, the XR Pro allows hardly any deformation and transmits every steering impulse. This not only makes the XR Pro more direct and controllable, but also gives it outstanding stability in the high-end for even more performance. Another advantage of Aluula is its lower weight which makes the XR Pro 10% lighter than the XR8 across all sizes. HAS MANUFACTURING WITH ALUULA BEEN…

Foiling has grown beyond the imagination of what we once thought was possible, and with that growth came the unimaginable limits the sport has redefined. It’s not hard to find yourself asking what is next. When it comes to freeride foiling, the team at Slingshot had the answer. The UFO V3 is a strutless kite designed in collaboration with Fred Hope. The third edition of the UFO has pushed the limits once again with its latest lightweight construction. There were zero compromises when it came to the performance of this kite. We were blown away that the 6m weighs a jaw-dropping 1.5kgs, thanks to a 25% weight reduction in the DLE 140 leading edge from the DP 175 version. The V3 sports a streamlined premium bridle that sees another 25%…

Evolution of a sport can only be gifted to those who are willing to think differently, to those who stray from what everyone else is doing. The evocative Polish brand, Nobile has earned its name by not following the usual rules. It has challenged the mainstream brands by creating standout products that go blow to blow with some of the biggest names in our sport. The NHP Carbon Split board is definitely one of those products that has made waves in the industry. The NHP Carbon Split borrows the most advanced technology from Nobile’s premium freeride board, the NHP Carbon – the only difference is the Split – it comes apart in two pieces and packs down into a travel friendly version that can fit into your regular hold luggage,…

As someone who has been around kiting for the last 15 years, the shapes and styles of the kites I have flown never cease to amaze me. The Airwave Alma came as somewhat of a surprise, to be honest, as I purposely avoided all things foil kite in the past. The fear of spending countless hours untangling bridles was one of the many false truths that kept me on the straight and narrow of leading-edge inflatable kites. That being said, the first thing that struck me about the Alma was its unconventional design, a hybrid single-skin configuration with closed cells up front and a single surface at the back, which sets it apart from anything I’ve encountered before. It positions itself perfectly as the middleman between the world of foil…

Kaimar Halliste recently broke the WOO World Record for longest hangtime, as well as joining the revered 30m club. We found out more about the achievements and the kite he used. I broke the WOO record using Eleveight’s XS kite. I love this kite because it’s super good for boosting and it offers massive airtime – perfect for airstyle and going large. The name of the kite – Extreme Series – speaks volumes about it. I’ve been using the XS for three years. Before that I used the RS. I still use the RS sometimes, usually for learning new tricks like double loops because it’s an easier kite to fly and a little bit faster and more forgiving if I make mistakes. I use the XS when the wind is…

HI TEAM, GIVE US AN INTRO TO YOUR 23/24 RANGE. Over the last few years, we have worked extensively to test the market response on key changes to the constructions in the kites, along with extensive testing and refinement on key new materials. From these results and the ongoing input of our rider and customers, we have made significant changes to the kite offering. Along with the completely redesigned board range over the last few years, with a few additions for this season, we can now offer you our most refined and structured product range ever. We will continue to drive this concept of deeper development, with longer product life cycles into the future. SO WHAT ARE THE MOST NOTABLE UPDATES TO THE RANGE FOR THIS YEAR? We have reduced…

HAS THE DESIGN INTENTION FOR THE FS CHANGED OVER THE YEARS? The FS is our powerhouse kite for advanced freestyle and Big Air action. Over the last seven years, the main DNA remained the same as an open C-kite with five struts, but we received a lot of feedback from our team riders and all this went into the kite development. Many incremental changes have evolved the FS, and it’s become faster over the years and we added some useful trim options too. However, the intended use did not change at all as our pure freestyle weapon, made for unhooked tricks and high-level progressive riding. We have a very loyal customer base who love the kite for its powerful performance, and we want to serve them with the best product…

I think we all remember the moment we got pulled out of the water for the first time, the ultimate rush of looking down and noticing that we were actually standing up on a kiteboard. It’s a memory etched in every rider’s soul. The Gonzales reignited that forgotten memory of falling in love with kiting, that pure pleasure and drive for a sport that changed our lives completely. A sense of pure joy. We generally find that boards directed at beginner riders lack the excitement that intermediate/advanced boards incorporate, but the Gonzales is definitely an exception to that rule. Duotone truly understands how important it is to embrace simplicity when it comes to creating the ultimate freeride experience, and even though the Gonzales leans towards the entry-level side approach, the…

The world of kiting is constantly evolving and with it, a new generation of riders have been born that demand a kite that can perform to a wide range of conditions. Duotone, a brand synonymous with innovation and quality, have a star-studded team with the likes of 5x World Champ Aaron Hadlow, 2x World Champ Andrea Principi (brah brah brah) and World Champ Liam Whaley – to mention a few – who have all taken the Evo to the top step of podiums in recent years, from the GKA Big Air World Champs to the recent Red Bull Megaloop. Whilst the construction of the kite may vary across the Evo construction range, the DNA of the kite remains the same. The Evo sets a new benchmark in versatility and performance,…

North are a brand rarely accused of resting on their laurels, and whilst Orbit stands as an already well-proven and widely revered Big Air kite, there’s always potential for improvement, particularly with the rapid-style tangent competition Big Air is taking at the moment with multiple loops in both directions. North have plenty of high profile riders in all the various Big Air competitions and it’s clear this is a factor that’s motivated them to produce a tool specifically for the task, with sizing in one meter increments between 6m and 11m, unapologetically aimed for a comp quiver. So, let’s explore the technicalities – first up we’ve got the almost obligatory air frame material update, with North employing N-Max material with a modest 13% weight saving but more notably, increased stiffness…

We had the great pleasure of meeting up with professional photographer Harry Winnington on Rhodos, Greece during our holidays this summer. Photoshoots are always a process, with many things to be considered and if needed adjusted during the photo session. Together with Harry’s experience and input, and our implementation, we have put together a winning formula of how to get the best results for your kite photos even if you don’t have a camera that’s worth $10k+! Let’s look at camera and shooting equipment, location, time of day, trick selection and posture during the trick, distance to the photographer, and creativity. CAMERA People who own a fancy expensive camera usually know how to set it up for sport photography and the given light conditions. We are not going into camera…

WHAT’S PROMPTED THIS RETHINK OF THE PLATFORM, AND WHAT WERE THE MOST SIGNIFICANT DESIGN OBJECTIVES? It was time! We felt the wave-riding category had lost its roots with all the freestyle jumping and needed more focus on good down-the-line wave-oriented kites. We wanted to bring back that aspect of a freeriding wave kite, without losing the strapless freestyle side. The design objective was ultimate drift with powerful boosting and a responsive and smooth feel. FOR THE AVERAGE RIDER WHAT ARE THE MOST TANGIBLE CHANGES IN FEELING FOR THE CARVE THIS SEASON? 2024 Carve riders will instantly feel the lighter bar pressure, longer and smoother depower stroke, and finger touch responsiveness in steering. Strapless freestyle riders will feel the added boost of the kite, and surfers will notice how well-behaved the…

GIVE US A RUNDOWN OF YOUR 2024 BOARD RANGE. The 2024 Nobile Kiteboarding “Inspired by the Ocean” collection consists of a range of boards that has something for all riders and all conditions. The Nobile High Performance Series includes the NHP, NHP Carbon, and women’s NHP WMN model, featuring a new symmetric shape. Additionally, there are split board versions of these boards. These boards are our flagship twintips, designed for intermediate and advanced riders, and they perform well in all weather conditions and most importantly are the best solution for traveling. The NT5 is designed as a solution for lightwind conditions with a touch of freeride and performance attributes. Thanks to a flatter rocker it will be your best choice for a lighter wind session. Another model is the Flying…

Let’s be honest, in the past few years our world of kiting has rapidly changed its focus to predominantly the discipline of Big Air, and who can blame us? Nothing grabs the public’s attention more than someone like Stijn Koster throwing himself as high into the air as possible, in an attempt totake the latest WOO World Recordin some of the wildest storm sessions ever recorded. If you needed any more proof that Eleveight was serious about creating extreme freeride kites, let’s not forget he currently sits at number three on the WOO Leaderboard with a jump height of 35.8m. We tested a 9m Eleveight XS in some rather adrenaline-filled sessions. Eleveight has recently introduced their fourth generation of the XS Extreme Freeride kite and we were blown away by…

WHAT ARE YOUR FIRST RECOLLECTIONS OF THE BEACH? Orient Bay Beach is a very special place for me. It’s where I started every water sport I do today. My dad owns a kite school there, so right from a very young age, it has always been my playground and a place that allows me to get on the water in all different types of conditions. CAN YOU REMEMBER YOUR FIRST SESSIONS? When I was six years old, I wanted to learn kiting, but I was just too light. For two years, I rode a 5m Switchblade with 10m lines and a skim board. The first day I jumped on a twintip, it just felt so much better to have a board with fins and control. I was absolutely hooked. WHO…