Tangled Lines: Stijn Mul

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 those training sessions you learn a lot about how to position your body compared to the kite that is pulling you forward. I think that the body awareness is one thing that helps me a lot right now during my Big Air tricks. Another thing that I notice is that I used to preload pop with my freestyle session too. For those that don’t know the preload pop, it is a little bunny hop before you actually take off. This pop helps a lot with Big Air to get a little bit extra height during the jumps. The pop will ensure that the kite is more above you when you take off, this is why you can go higher. So for sure my freestyle background helps me with my Big Air practice, with rotations and pop mainly. The other part of improving in Big Air is having the balls to go for the tricks!

David Hastilow (Cabrinha Brand Manager)

Do you think your freestyle skills give you any advantage compared to riders who have only done Big Air?

I was hoping that freestyle would give me a bit of advantage for example with doing danglepasses in stronger winds. But nowadays the judges don’t score handlepass tricks as highly as a few years ago…

Zara Hoogenraad

Can you describe one of your most memorable sessions in kitesurfing.

My best session was back in the summer of 2021 when I traveled with my best friend and girlfriend to Drepano in Greece in my parents’ camper. We kited there every day, training freestyle tricks when the wind was light and Big Air moves when the wind picked up. In one session I landed a Heart Attack 7, this was one of the best feelings in the world. That session I was at the highest level as a freestyle athlete. I think that was a trick that sort of closed the freestyle chapter in my career.

Xavier Kain

You’re one of the founders of SpaceX Kitesurfing, how did you come up with the idea? What are your long-term goals with it and how do you make it a profitable business?

As a group of friends we used to do a lot of downwinders and would create a lot of videos together. We wanted to post those videos as a collaborative so we created a new Instagram account to post all the videos as a whole group. This was SpaceX Kitesurfing. All of a sudden we had 1,000 followers after about a year. Then we decided to create a little competition for fun, which turned out to be very popular, then started to grow more on the content side and were hosting more events. These two things are also the main income for SpaceX Kitesurfing. We are content creators that create videos for social media; through our sponsors we earn money in return for promoting the brands. The second way we want to make profit is by creating events that are easier to watch as a non-kiter – we would like to get more people involved in watching kite events and here also we get paid by sponsors. Right now we have partnered up with Apple and the Surfr app to create new software that fits perfectly inside a livestream with as many technical details as possible.

Lucas Gramstrup

What was the experience like being in King of the Air? And what was your strategy for that competition?

KOTA was for sure one of the best events I ever took part in. Since I host competitions myself, it was really cool to see the level of organization that Red Bull pulls off in Cape Town. To be part of the riders’ fleet of KOTA 2023 was a blast for my personal brand, I think being part of KOTA is a way for a rider to get taken seriously. Red Bull is doing a lot of training for the riders – an example is a social media coaching session – that was cool to see. Also the professionalism of the event itself and the experience of the people working there was cool to see. Compared to other events that was a standout.

My strategy for the competition itself was more serious than for other competitions. Back at home I trained in the gym pretty much every day, most of it training my core to be ready for those 40+ knots and getting the board back on. Another good thing is that I’d just participated in the Dutch Nationals Big Air hosted by SpaceX Kitesurfing, which was good practice and I finished third. I also participated in the Red Bull Megaloop a month before. So I knew what sort of tricks I was steady landing in the competitions and made a trick plan with my caddy Michiel Schipper, fellow Cabrinha team mate and astronaut of SpaceX Kitesurfing too. We came to the conclusion that my best performing tricks are those with a single loop with good height. So my game plan was to pull my favorite tricks at the most height possible.

TKM

How did the Red Bull Megaloop compare to KOTA – did you prefer one over the other?

To be honest, I preferred the Megaloop. This competition is at my home spot. I used to work in the exact beach club where the event is hosted. I love riding the Dutch storms and I am ready to fight for the title next year. Also the event format of Megaloop is sick – only one trick counts, so you either go big or you lose.

Deury Corniel

How did it feel working with the legendary Pat Goodman on your dream kite for Big Air, the Nitro?

I am so stoked to be able to create a kite that I really like, when I was younger this was one of the big dreams I had. Pat is such a legend, working together with him and the whole Cabrinha team is amazing. Pat is a good listener and a good talker – every week we have a phone call that is over an hour! About the Nitro, I think this is one of the best kites for mainstream kiters to practice Big Air tricks with and boost as high as possible. It jumps higher than any other kite that is also good in kiteloops. Cabrinha even made a custom SpaceX Nitro kite, I can’t ask for more.

Camdyn Kellett

Do you have a set training routine for all the different competitions, or do you approach each one differently, focusing on particular aspects that will be more beneficial?

My plan for now is to put more focus on training double loops. In the past I didn’t put enough focus on the doubles and preferred slamming big single loops, but now that Cabrinha and I are working on some new Big Air kites that are working out super nice for doubles too, I am ready to pay more attention towards double loops.

Michiel Schipper

If you could take one of the SpaceX Kitesurfing boys on a mission to Mars, who would it be?! 

AAAH f*ck, now I have to choose. Well, who else then but my Cabrinha astronaut buddy Michiel!

Nathalie Lambrecht

I’d love to know your best tip on how you balance your school studies with your work in SpaceX, while also competing and being a professional kite surfer!

That is a very good question. To be honest, the combination is almost impossible. I am running from A to B every day and there are times where I don’t get to sit on the couch for weeks. Covid actually made it possible and I think I had one of my best years during the pandemic. I was still able to travel here and there to kite spots, my studies were switched to online lessons, and all other social activities weren’t allowed. So I was abroad, kiting every day, and doing my studies and exams online. But now that I have finished my studies I can focus on three things: making SpaceX Kitesurfing big, pushing stinokiteboarding as an athlete, and enjoying time with my girlfriend, friends and family.

Lorenzo Casati

If you could pick one trick to do for the rest of your life, which one would it be?

Well I haven’t landed this trick yet, but if I could pick, then I would do a double loop board-off late back by the fin for the rest of my life.

Annelous Lammerts

Any new projects with SpaceX Kitesurfing that you can tell us about? 

I mentioned that we have partnered with the Surfr app. We are working out a platform together with them that will make kiteboarding competitions between friends a lot more accessible. I can’t say any more at the moment!

Giel Vlugt

If you could pick your dream podium for KOTA 2024, I would imagine you put yourself on the top spot. But which astronauts would you like standing next to you in second and third position, and why?

To be honest, I would have Jamie Overbeek and yourself with me on the 2024 KOTA podium. You are one of my best mates in the kiting scene and you know how to pull two of the most extreme kiteloops in a row “double G”. I think Jamie should be on the podium with us since he has the best Big Air style in the world. He trains every single day there is even a little breeze and I think he goes higher than anyone which is what makes a real king in the air!

Hendrick Lopes

Are you a fan of the strapless Big Air riders and would you ever try Big Air on a surfboard?

Really honestly, strapless Big Air looks like one of the coolest disciplines there is. But all the people doing strapless Big Air lose their board so often that I think I wouldn’t go for it. A few a few years ago I was trying kiteloops on a strapless board and had a lot of fun with it!

TKM

How do you reflect on the recent Lords of Tram event? What is the spot like – it looks pretty crazy!

It did not go too well for me. I crashed a few of my high-scoring tricks and I made a small mistake with my last trick attempt. The spot in Barcarès in France is really sick, you can jump super high because of the dense and uplifting wind. One downside is that the wind can be really gusty, which makes it hard to trust your kite during the kiteloop and harder to land your tricks. On a stormy day the wind can go over 60 knots in the gusts.

Zara Hoogenraad

What makes SpaceX Kitesurfing competitions stand out in the kiteboarding community?

I think what makes it stand out for me is that a group of rookies host a kiteboarding event for the first time with almost a better livestream than any other kiting event. All while spending the least amount of money…

Michiel Schipper

How do you still motivate yourself to train for competitions, when you see that the Italian boys are almost unbeatable?! [Editor’s note, this question was before the Lords of Tram event!]

I am motivated for kiteboarding events because I want to compete in an event. I might know that I am not going to win, but just being in the event and having the fun of a competition is already enough for me to train my ass off.

Stig Hoefnagel

When are we doing a 3Up 2Down?!

After this year’s success of 2Up 1Down, we should train Giel for next year’s Cape Town season to be able to hold down three flying astronauts.

Camdyn Kellett

The world of competition has been constantly changing in the last five years. If you had advice to give to an aspiring young kiter looking to get into competition, what advice would you give?

My advice is to travel to places where you can create the best video submission shots that match the location of the competition you would like to join. To get into competitions these days is so hard. You have to create very good shots that judges can score easily. Build a personal brand and rock on!

Jason van der Spuy

I guess it’s the same question that we’re all trying to solve – what’s your plan after your competitive career is over? Are you going to continue to build brands within the kiting industry or are you going to take on something completely different?

Good question. My strategy is to create a media and event company out of SpaceX. As a company I would love to have a team of mini astronauts that are SpaceX team riders. We have so many plans yet to work out. If I don’t have to train for kitesurfing as much anymore then we have our hands full with all the plans that are written down. I think when I am done with competing I will personally be a social media specialist who is valuable for brands by creating content. My studies was entrepreneurship, so I guess if SpaceX doesn’t work out I will find a way to create another company but then probably not in the kite scene.

Annelous Lammerts

What is still a big goal of yours as a professional kitesurfer?

As a professional kiter I would like to win one event in a Big Air competition. I would love to win the Red Bull Megaloop since this is hosted at my home spot. Besides competing, I want to keep having fun with kiteboarding, and the biggest goal of mine is to not get injured!