Innehållsförteckning för #57 från TheKiteMag

Have you ever wondered what goes on in the minds of participants at competitions? Describing all the emotions and thoughts I experienced before, during and after the Lords of Tram GKA Big Air Kite World Cup is hard. However, I will try describing a fraction of the million thoughts and feelings racing through me. Competition mornings? They come with butterflies in your belly, a synonym for a nervous stomach (I like how it sounds with butterflies). It shows that I am doing something that means a lot to me, which is the beauty of all this – I am doing something I genuinely care about. I remind myself to take deep breaths – breathe in for four seconds, hold for four seconds and breathe out for four seconds. I have…

FIRST UP, GIVE US A LITTLE BACK-GROUND ON THE BRAND – WHERE ARE YOU BASED AND WHEN WAS THE BRAND ESTABLISHED? Soöruz was founded in 1999, by two water sports enthusiasts, Yann Dalibot and Matthieu Barat, in France. Specializing in surf and water sports equipment, Soöruz is dedicated to designing and crafting high-quality products through collaborative innovation, enabling you to fully embrace your passion. We continually collaborate directly with our riders to innovate and adapt our products to meet their evolving needs. Our product development takes place in our headquarters in La Rochelle, France. Here, we work on the designs and the improvements of our products to ensure quality products. Early on, we also prioritized environmental considerations in the development of our wetsuits. TELL US WHAT YOU’VE BEEN DOING WITH…

THE XS HAS ALWAYS BEEN THE BOOSTING KITE IN THE STABLE. HOW LONG HAS IT BEEN IN THE LINEUP NOW AND WHAT FUNDAMENTAL CHARACTERISTICS MAKE IT SO POPULAR FOR THIS? We’re now running the fifth version of the XS! Six years ago we realized the rising trend in Big Air and started to develop a kite with the ability to boost high with raw power like in the old days. The first XS was born, but over the years we have refined it while keeping the DNA and core characteristics the same. The platform is a five-strut delta hybrid design which offers great shape stability and a ton of grunty power. The high-aspect ratio and the medium sweep in the wing tips are the base for its extra-long hang-time as…

CORE Badger SURFBOARD Whilst CORE kites is based on Fehrman island in the Baltic sea which isn’t renowned for world-class wave conditions, their team riders and R&D team are well traveled and far reaching, with most of the c(C)ore team spending generous time in Mauritius, Namibia and many other key wave-kiting locations, and as a consequence their attention to the noble surfboard discipline is razor sharp. The Badger arrives in three sizes, 4’11, 5’2 and 5’5, catering for a comprehensive range of weights and heights, and is aimed at smaller waves and freestyle riding. Perhaps they’ve designed a new board for home shores. In terms of shape, we’re looking at a compact fishy outline with a modernistic squared off take on a traditional fish tail. The rocker line is relatively…

DIMENSIONS: 136X40.5CM //RIDER WEIGHT: 73kg // RIDER HEIGHT: 181cm CORE recently added a brand-new twintip to their range, the Era. Designed for the joy of freeriding and riders of all levels, it marks a breakthrough in sustainable board design. Zara tells us why she’s loving it for fun, relaxed sessions. If you love freeriding and seek a board that promises fun without complication, the CORE Era could be for you. It’s designed for all levels including beginners as it is quite forgiving and easy to control, especially in different water conditions. I really enjoy how the Era feels when I ride it. It’s light and easy to move around, which makes it super fun to use. At the same time, the Era offers a fantastic glide even in choppy conditions…

As kiters, we’re always on the lookout for the next thrilling destination, and in the case of snowkiting, where wind and snow collide to create the perfect playground. Hardangervidda, northern Europe’s largest high mountain plateau, has long been hailed as a mecca for snowkiting enthusiasts. With its vast snow-covered expanses and endless possibilities for exploration, it’s no wonder this place holds a special allure for adventurers like us. However, recent developments have cast a shadow over the future of kiting on Hardangervidda. As Norway’s largest wild reindeer area, the plateau is home to a delicate ecosystem that must be protected for future generations. There’s talk of potential bans on snowkiting and skiing, as authorities grapple with the need to balance recreation with conservation. The prospect of such restrictions is undoubtedly…

Shooting photos always makes me very excited because you can express your style, creativity, and even your way of thinking in a photo. Sometimes this comes naturally and easily, like when you learn a new trick and capture it on camera, or when you travel to a stunning location and let the surroundings do the work for you. Unfortunately, that wasn’t the case this time. I was given a new kite from the Naish Nvision lineup called Psycho, a five-strut Big Air machine. Naish asked me to shoot some photos with the new Psycho while I was in Cape Town, so I reached out to Andy Troy, a talented photographer who has been capturing some of the best photos in the kite scene over the years. All the ingredients were…

ONE-STRUT KITES ARE OFTEN AIMED PRIMARILY FOR FOILING. IS THIS YOUR INTENTION – WHO WILL WANT TO RIDE IT? We are delighted to add another LEI kite to our product line and are super happy with the outcome. We have chosen a different approach and mainly built it for kiteboarding rather than foiling. It’s a very good progression kite and the first choice for traveling to your favorite surf spots. TALK TO US ABOUT THE FLYING CHARACTERISTICS? You can expect excellent power delivery in light wind, combined with great kite feedback over the wind range. It sits calm and stable in the wind window and really benefits from its light weight. Therefore, it drifts amazingly and is backstall resistant. You will easily reengage with the kite after loops and be…

Stijn (Stino) Mul has competed in some of the most prestigious competitions in kiteboarding, from Red Bull King of the Air to Red Bull Megaloop, as well as currently being a part of the GKA Kite World Tour and one of the founders of SpaceX Kitesurfing. We put him under examination from his fellow Cabrinha team riders and Big Air compadres. LUCAS ARSENAULT You had a strong freestyle background prior to focusing on the Big Air discipline. How helpful is the freestyle game to improve your Big Air, do the skills translate from one to the other? Back in the day I indeed used to do freestyle. I was practicing double handlepasses and every year I would travel to places with 20 knots of steady wind and flat water. During…

TELL US ABOUT YOUR FIRST KITE SESSION. I saw my friend Gabriele Garofalo kiting in winter 2010. He was doing kiteloops because the wind was strong, then after an hour the wind dropped and he switched to doing freestyle tricks. From that day I fell in love with kiting. Later that winter I persuaded Gabriele to let me try; he kept saying that it was too cold to learn and I needed to wait for summer, but I insisted on trying anyway. We went to the beach and I started playing with the kite on the sand. After a bit I said I wanted to go in the water. He looked at me like I was crazy because I didn’t have a wetsuit. He took me into the water anyway…

THIBAULT, YOU DIDN’T COMPETE AT LORDS OF TRAM AGAINST MARTIN, BUT YOU WILL BE SOON, RIGHT? Yes. Having been a competitor at Lords of Tram for the first four years, this year I had the honor of expressing my passion for Big Air in a whole new way as a commentator for the event, hence the hat! This experience left me speechless in every sense of the word. I have decided to devote myself entirely to my Big Air passion and have been selected for the Pro Division 1 section of the Full Power Tarifa event. I’ll be competing alongside the same kite legends whose exploits I commentated on at Lords of Tram this year, as well as the Eleveight young guns Martin, Omar and Luca, who are sending it…

SO, WHAT DOES THE PSYCHO NVISION BRING TO THE PARTY?! The Psycho is our Big Air kite in the Nvision range to sit at the top of the Big Air game. It is 100% dedicated to jumping and looping, giving riders of any level confidence to progress their riding. We basically decided we needed a five-strut, performance Big Air kite in the lineup. It was highly requested by our network of industry experts and working it in with our Aluula partnership, we were able to create something that goes bigger than anything we’ve made before. WOULD THE AVERAGE RIDER GET ON WITH THE PSYCHO OR IS IT FOR ADVANCED RIDERS ONLY? Initially the kite was targeted towards our team riders and others pushing the limits of Big Air, but creating…

ION CLUB //PROVIDER ION CLUB 01 PROVIDER CAN YOU SUMMARIZE WHAT YOU DO? Windsurfing, kitesurfing, surfing, and now wing foiling are the sources of our total commitment! The extraordinary and inspiring places where our ION CLUB centers are located promise to be the backdrop for the most exciting days of your year. Our professional and specialised skills motivate and bring our guests to the next level. These qualities are underpinned by the fact that we use the latest equipment and operate at only the very best spots on the planet. Our guests can always find the latest 2024 equipment for rental and qualified instructors for lessons no matter your level: beginner, intermediate, or advanced. WHERE ARE YOU BASED, AND WHEN WERE YOU ESTABLISHED? We were established in 1985. We are still…