Innehållsförteckning för #55 från TheKiteMag

I had been holding fire on composing my editorial for this issue in the hope that the King of the Air had run a bit earlier in the waiting period and I could draw on that for some inspirational editorial insights. But this being the ‘old school’ world of publishing, I can hear the print presses clattering in the background (note: I can’t really) and the delivery vans revving their engines in anticipation (again, I can’t really) and KOTA Day One begins in around three hours… There are many advantages to the world of print (in short: photos look better; opinions are properly formed; it doesn’t disappear from your feed tomorrow, and of course TheKiteMag is the perfect and timeless snapshot of where the sport is now. Oh, and it…

Our journey kicked off one morning, fueled by an optimistic forecast for Dakhla that I had been closely monitoring the week prior. The conditions looked promising, prompting me to swiftly book flights for myself and Joeri Bijlsma, the dedicated filmmaker accompanying me to capture content for my social media channels. Booking our flights on the fly, we were en route to the airport by 1pm. Our journey included a stopover in Casablanca before reaching Dakhla at midnight. Upon arrival, however, we faced the first hiccup – my boardbags hadn’t made it onto the same flight. The ensuing hassle involved engaging with Royal Air Maroc’s crew at the airport, who, unfortunately, had no information about the whereabouts of the boardbags. Thus, the nightmare began. The following morning, with no sign of…

FREESTYLE-KITE WORLD CUP 01 CAUIPE LAGOON 28 men and 14 women from 18 nations took part in the Freestyle discipline, many of whom had been training hard in Cauipe before the event. Cauipe’s famous butter-flat lagoon and consistent strong breezes helped the athletes to push their limits and the boundaries, coming into the competition with an arsenal of new and improved tricks. Big opening performances from some athletes returning to the tour served notice that there would be no easy victories for the top ranked riders. The final epic day served up some of the most mind-blowing Freestyle competition ever witnessed, with home favorite Bruna Kajiya taking the narrowest of wins and France’s Arthur Guillebert coming out on top on the men’s side. 02 FRANCESCA BAGNOLI 03 KAROLINA WINKOWSKA 04 MIKAILI SOL…

“Watch out, Abo, here comes a wide set!” More focused on his handline than the massive swell lines rolling in, Abo my Fijian longboat driver instantly kicked the trusty Yamaha 40 outboard into gear. The vibe in the channel was electric, a mix of excitement, stoke and fear. Us and the other boats all chocker block with spectators, camera people and surfers sped towards the horizon into safer waters. Heaving, spitting and barreling so hard, the legendary Cloudbreak was going off its brain. A whole bus could have fit into some of the pits we were seeing. Only a few hardcore local big wave chargers were out with a handful of top pro surfers who had flown in for this swell. With it looking like the wind would not come…

Ilha do Guajiru, a hidden gem nestled along the northeastern coast of Brazil, is a tropical paradise renowned for its tranquil waters, endless sandy beaches, and, most importantly, consistent winds. With the trade winds blowing between 15 and 25 knots, Ilha do Guajiru offers ideal conditions for kiting enthusiasts. The lagoon, protected by the barrier reef, provides a safe and vast area for riders to explore, practice new tricks, and push their limits. There is also an epic downwinder through the mangroves which is something you have to experience, plus a secret flat-water spot at the top of the lagoon. One of my favorite things about Ilha do Guajiru is the convenience as you can stay right at the lagoon. I love to stay at Bambu Blu, it’s a slice…

HOW DOES THE RS+ DIFFER TO YOUR LONG-STANDING RS MODEL? The DNA of the RS+ shares the same core concept with the RS, but for the Plus model, we’ve used superior Dynea Tex material to achieve our most premium top performance as well as XT Light in the struts. The RS+ is packed with hi-tech design aspects resulting in a kite that’s light, direct and powerful. The integrated technology has pimped the RS+ beyond the RS capabilities, making it the top choice for freeriders. WHAT HAS FEEDBACK FROM YOUR CUSTOMERS AND RIDERS BEEN LIKE SINCE THE RS+ HIT THE MARKET? We are proud of having a very close network that is highly tuned to user needs, and we are always seeking opinions from customers and riders as they form the…

1 //Airush Lithium Team The Lithium Team is the ultimate all-rounder for foil, freeride and surf, defining the future of minimalistic, lightweight performance. It is a more responsive, faster and lighter version of the Lithium, featuring Airush’s Load Frame and Ho’okipa Ultra PE material for a thinner leading edge and reduced drag, making it an efficient, stable and versatile product. 2 //CORE Badger The compact Badger bridges the gap between CORE’s 720 and Ripper. With a lot of volume in the nose, and a fish tail, the Badger was developed for surfing in small swell and is also well suited for steezy freestyle moves. The brandnew construction of an XPS core and Glass-Soric sandwich is impregnated by infusion, a unique method for maximum board strength and minimum weight. 3 //North…

Andre: Another Brazil season comes to an end. As always it’s been an awesome one, but a bit of a different one for me because now I have a number of jobs shooting other sports that end up being around the same time. So I definitely didn’t get to stay in Brazil for as long as I would have liked. I still managed to see some old friends and shoot at my favorite spots with some incredible riders that have also become great friends throughout the years. I didn’t get to many places, I mainly spent my time in Taiba shooting freestyle and park. It’s crazy to see where freestyle is right now – the level is so high. There are so many good riders and so many different styles.…

Sertões is a name synonymous with Brazil’s (you’ve guessed it…) biggest “petrol-head” rally, and this is where you can find the roots of the XP Sertões Kitesurf event. The Rally dos Sertões began in 1993 and has grown exponentially to now welcome competitors from across the rallying world, competing in categories of Car, ATV, Quad and Motor-cycle over a brutal nine-day event (with competitors, support teams and organizers numbering over 2000). This year the event covered 3800 kilometers across some of Brazil’s toughest terrain… Its reputation and popularity is built on its 10/10 difficulty rating: it’s as tough as it gets in the rallying world. So when it came to expanding the Sertões ‘rally’ franchise into the water, it had to be true to this philosophy and be the toughest…

WELCOME TO THE BIG AIR GAME! WHY HAVE YOU RELEASED THIS BRAND-NEW KITE? We want to win competitions and give our riders the chance to get the best out of themselves. In addition to dominating the Olympic Formula Kite Racing format, we have decided to build Big Air as a second pillar. FLYSURFER has a long history of successful performance products that have dominated the market in the lightwind segment. Our ambition to break this narrative and usher in a new era led to the ERA project decision. Now is the time to inspire enthusiasm among the next generation of kiters. THERE MUST HAVE BEEN A LOT TO THINK ABOUT WITH THE DEVELOPMENT PROCESS AS THE DEMANDS ON A BIG AIR KITE ARE VERY DIFFERENT TO YOUR RACING KITES. Yes,…

Let’s start with the obvious, the wind. The prevailing wind direction in the UK is a southwesterly. This provides the mainly south-facing south coast a clean wind from the right, with good swell from the Atlantic. From 20 years of kiting around the world, I can safely say finding starboard Big Air conditions with great kickers is a rarity. Only in Taiwan have I found similar conditions. For Big Air, there is no doubt that the best conditions are in autumn and winter. It is possible to get strong summer low-pressure storms but they are more frequent in winter time and because of that the swell is more present. I am often asked what sort of wind speeds we get at home; I think it surprises people when I’m serious…

Arthur: I was very excited to go to Pallas because it was a crazy new experience in a new country for me. I had already done a bit of snowkiting before in France, but in the mountains, and never in such wide-open unspoiled spots. The week was really amazing and super well-structured so we got to see and do so much. The backdrop of the surrounding nature is incredible and we had enough wind for kiting every day. The highlight was the expedition to a faraway mountain lodge where we spent the night in nature – it was super nice. It was really great to spend time with the team and there was a very good atmosphere between us. We ate all our meals together, went kiting straight from the…

Growing up introducing myself to older people (especially middle-aged dads) they would always make the same joke about my name: “Ah so you are the guy underneath that helmet.” Or they would say they’d always wanted to know who the real Stig was and now they finally knew. I never really understood, but even as a seven-year-old, if a lot of different people keep on joking or giving compliments about your name, you start to wonder who this other “Stig” is that they are talking about. So after dozens of these comments, I went to my mom and asked her who this Stig is that everyone mentions when they hear my name. She told me that there is a very fast driver who drives around in cool cars. No one…

Early March can be a tricky time to find consistent wind at most kite destinations, but when you’re governed by launch dates for an entire new season collection and rebrand, the Philippines is one of your best bets. The dominant “Amihan” trade winds blow constant side-onshore wind between 15 to 25 knots from November to April, with a beautiful warmth, not too hot in the day and not too cold at night. “It’s as if someone left a fan on, in a fixed setting in a warm room for 17 days,” says Brand Director Mike Raper. “With thousands of islands to explore, we were spoilt for choice – and by the end of the shoot, exhausted by the chase!” “Heading back to the spot Mike discovered many years ago while…