I’m on It: North Atmos Carbon

Winning a Big Air Kite League event with my new gear feels amazing – off to a good start I thought to myself! With all the hard work I have put into kiting this feels like a big reward and a lot of motivation to achieve more.

Competing in King of the Air just before that was one of my biggest dreams – though I think that counts for all the young guns – I had my flow and landed what I needed to land. The semifinal against the winner was tough, but next year I will try and be stronger.

North Kiteboarding has gone stratospheric despite not having been on the market for long. Seeing that happen, they totally grabbed my attention. Now that I’ve joined North, it feels like a big achievement and one step up in my career. There are lots of things that North makes me excited about.

I am already amazed by the gear and the teamwork we have together. To be honest, I was afraid of having to get used to my new gear just before BAKL. But after my first strong wind session, it brought me more than I would have expected.

I used the Orbit and Atmos Carbon for the BAKL event. The Atmos Carbon is a premium carbon performance board that has a dynamic ride with powerful upwind edging to get as much line tension as possible. I look for a strong upwind edge in a twintip because the more upwind I ride the more power my kite generates.

I also like a good amount of grip – your board must not slip away when edging but you still want your board to be playful. I prefer a stiff board that is a size smaller than usual so I can take off with a lot of aggression.

The Atmos Carbon has a medium flex and rocker to keep the board fast and solid on the water. On the tips of the board, there is a quad channel contour shape that absorbs impact by breaking the water surface tension and creating a predictable landing. 

The season in Cape Town has been great. Every year I stay longer and longer. I am getting to know this county better than my homeland Holland! I had an awesome 40+ knots day when I had just swapped to using the Orbit. I had pumped my 9m but was worried I would have way too much power. I decided to just go for it and I really got to know my kite and gained trust in it in that session.

I had an awesome time shooting for my introduction video with North. Kyle Cabano and I went around the whole Cape to collect footage. We did mountain biking, cliff jumps and car drifting on a muddy track. It was great getting to know Kyle while on the road. I enjoy meeting people and love to have friends in my book!

Now I am looking forward to another exciting year of competing in all the upcoming Big Air competitions on my North gear. I will be traveling to the competition spots to train beforehand. ■