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Mask by Craig Kolesky 1 1200x800 - What to watch for at King of The Air 2022
Mask by Craig Kolesky 1 450x450 - What to watch for at King of The Air 2022
THEKITEMAG ISSUE #49

What to watch for at King of The Air 2022

For a gentleman as invested in Big Air as our beloved Colin, the KOTA is the equivalent of Christmas morning to a seven-year-old. It’s the Super Bowl to an American, or the World Cup final to people that enjoy kicking inflatable pig bladders of a Saturday. Whilst it’s unlikely they’ll wheel out Beyonce or Snoop Dogg at half time for a musical number, kudos to Red Bull for consistently putting on a fine event for TEN FLAMING YEARS, which is without a doubt the pinnacle of the kite calendar. It’s clear Colin has an awkward tent pole forming in his (off-beige corduroy) pants already, and it’s not even November yet. With recent advances in Big Air trickery, this year is – without a doubt – going to cause him an absolute knee trembler.

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Airush Ultra Team Samuel Tome Gijs Wassenaar 20220204 STP20117 450x450 - A Material World
THEKITEMAG ISSUE #49

A Material World

The kite materials revolution is well and truly upon us. We thought it an interesting idea to round up some of the most active brands in the light materials world, and ask them a few awkward questions to try and achieve a broader picture of where this is leading for design and manufacturing industry wide. Ocean Rodeo, Airush, CORE, Duotone and Eleveight give us their honest insights…

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Young Guns Opening spread 450x450 - Young Guns
THEKITEMAG ISSUE #48

Young Guns

Naish Team Europe was established to find young riders with talent and help them on their path to becoming a pro rider. Adriano Gazzoli from Italy, Arne Thiebaut from Belgium, Nathan Texier from France, and Jinne Boer, Teun Spliethof and Timo Boersema from the Netherlands recently joined Big Air legend Stig Hoefnagel and freestyle wizard Louka Pitot in Leucate, for a week of fun, kiting and getting some tips-from-the-top for guaranteed kite-world domination!

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Wherever I Lay My Hat 1 450x450 - Wherever I Lay My Hat
THEKITEMAG ISSUE #48

Wherever I Lay My Hat

Where is home if you’re often on the road traveling to kite events? Camille and Capucine Delannoy, although originally from France, currently call Brazil home, as their family all moved out there when Camille was 12 and Capucine seven. But a recent trip to Maui has seen it steal a little piece of Camille’s heart, as he told our editor Sarah, and their current, temporary home is Tarifa. Celtia Rebolledo Heil caught up with Capucine there to find out more about her competition mindset and preparation for the GKA Big Air World Championships. [Note as we were going to press: she won!]

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Proven wrong Flysurfer 1 450x450 - Proven Wrong
THEKITEMAG ISSUE #48

Proven Wrong

Roderick Pijls recently signed with FLYSURFER, and for his first photoshoot with them, headed to the beautiful south west of England with the rest of the team – Olly Bridge, Johanna-Catharina Edin, Alina Shalin, Matias Lee, Megan Barnett, and Marketing Manager Ines Rodlauer. It may not have been boardshorts and bikini weather, but the turquoise water and head-high waves of Cornwall won Roderick over to the UK.

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DJI 0059 450x450 - Highs and Lows
THEKITEMAG ISSUE #48

Highs and Lows

Carl Ferreira from Cape Town was looking forward to his trip to beautiful Italy to meet up with the team from RRD and feed back into their kite development. He got some fun sessions in and plenty of espressos, but the trip didn’t quite end as he would have liked…

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Lost and found 1 450x450 - Lost and Found
THEKITEMAG ISSUE #48

Lost and Found

Joshua Emanuel made the most of a recent trip to Madagascar, where he helped judge at the country’s first kite festival, Festikite. He kited his heart out, explored beautiful beaches and forests with photographer Sacha,  enjoyed the generous hospitality of the locals, and ran into a few of Madagascar’s unique animals… Busy times then.

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DSC03015 450x450 - THE MISSION: FOLLOW THE WIND
THEKITEMAG ISSUE #47

THE MISSION: FOLLOW THE WIND

The Netherlands has spawned some of the world’s best kiters with its stormy winds. But when conditions weren’t playing ball, Evan Klijn, who came second in last year’s Big Air Kite League competition in Cape Town, jumped on a plane and headed to Tarifa, the intensely windy, southernmost point of Mainland Europe.

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38FA2518 C6DE 47FE BE2A EEF64C733271 copy 450x450 - Taxi!
THEKITEMAG ISSUE #47

Taxi!

Stig Hoefnagel heads to Cape Town most winters to make the most of the strong winds along the west coast. But sometimes a road trip is in order to experience a novelty flatwater spot and turn your preconceptions on their head. Stig and fellow Naish rider Cohan van Dijk headed to the south coast where the effects of South Africa’s divisive political legacy are still visible.

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Supertubos 9 OPENING SPREAD copy 450x450 - Threescore
THEKITEMAG ISSUE #47

Threescore

Portuguese wave legend Nuno ‘Stru’ Figueiredo lives in proximity to some of the most notable wave riding spots in Europe, including Nazaré whose formidable waves he was the first kitesurfer to ride. This February he scored three sessions in one day, at three different spots around Peniche, and luckily, being sponsored by Prolimit, had the luxury of a dry wetsuit for each session…

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ONZ 5704 copy 450x450 - The Island
THEKITEMAG ISSUE #47

The Island

Youri Zoon is a regular to Drepano, Greece, a favorite spot amongst freestylers for its butter-flat water behind a sand spit. This trip he also hit the road and headed south to some of the stunning beaches that have made Greece such a popular tourist destination over the years.

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Laci Kobulsky 450x450 - The Mission: Aiming High
THEKITEMAG ISSUE #47

The Mission: Aiming High

Posito Martinez recently visited Colombia for the first time to take part in the first GKA event ever held there, in Salinas del Rey. It’s fair to say he was an immediate fan, loving the strong wind, which is just what’s needed for training Big Air – his new favorite discipline…

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Rita Arnaus by Sebastian Stiphout 3 copy 450x450 - Arctic Monkeys
THEKITEMAG ISSUE #47

Arctic Monkeys

In February, Annabel van Westerop, Joshua Emanuel, Oswald Smith, Rita Arnaus and Youri Zoon joined the Pallas Kiteweek, an annual event bringing snowkiters together in Finland. They enjoyed everything Mother Nature threw at them, and ticked quite a few things off the bucket list, including the must-see-in-your-lifetime northern lights…

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