Doing justice to the very best dispatches from the very best kiteboarders in the world, TheKiteMag returns with ever-alluring tales from the four corners of our windy, blue planet, as well as all the latest news and reviews on the finest of toys! In this issue: Keahi and friends take on big Backyards, Victor Hays and Andre Magarao size up Greece against Brazil, Roderick Pijls and Jalou Langeree press reset on a Mauritius trip and turn up the goods, RRD drill down on their 2018 range, Naish give us a peek under the hood, Airush share their eco visions, Eric Rienstra proves he's a big Game of Thrones fan and we break out the big rubbers for our Winter Wetsuit Buyer's Guide. All of this plus pages and pages more of the best photography we can muster.
Here's a little looksee…
“Walking down the beach, the first thing I saw was a solid eight foot set clearing the lineup. The last remaining surfers were relegated to the beach and it was on… I decided to keep that first set quiet from Moona as she pumped up and she joined us for a few bombs before the swell started to jack even more and it was time for her to call it a day.
In fact, it was almost too big…”
You know that when North Shore paddle surfers call it a day, early in the day, something's up. And it was… namely the swell. Keahi de Aboitiz, however, rose to the challenge. We hear the stories from the all-time Oahu session from Keahi, Moona Whyte and James Boulding.
“The first spot is a two hour drive from Patras and gave us the kind of conditions you can usually only dream of, with a huge sandbar which the wind came across – either from the east or the west. We got east wind mainly and as the locals said “it’s not the best conditions” but for us it was perfect, with perfect right and left foot tricks and many photo angle possibilities for Andre.”
Victor Hays, curious to find world-class spots in his European back yard, expounds the similarities (and even some tangible benefits) that Greece has on Brazil. He took photographer Andre Magarao along for the ride…
“The next day we woke up in a place that you could definitely call ‘paradise’. Crystal clear water, perfect peeling waves on the outside, palm trees and white sandy beaches. Nico explained that the ‘secret spot’ was a mile or so downwind, so after the ‘petit déjeuner’ we rigged up and set off. I was stoked to be heading to a right hander as Jalou always drags me to lefts!”
When the illustrious Mauritius super-spot One Eye fails to come up with the goods, Roderick Pijls and Jalou Langeree roll the dice, pack up and head elsewhere. Turns out it was the best call they could have made…
“The priority of RRD in 2018 has been to rethink the whole collection set up, in the sense that we really wanted to have a line of products that would reflect the same principle the company has had for a few years, which is represented in the kite range where the names reflect the feelings that you have when you start kiteboarding, so that emotional connection, which is the Emotion, then the Vision, the Passion, the Obsession and the Religion…”
We interview Roberto Ricci (while he was driving his boat to Sardinia) to get the full lowdown on the RRD range for 2018. There's a lot to know, and a lot to get very amped about…
“A house boat with a pool on top with deployable kickers to gap up to the pool and rails going down the other side. The pool would have a glass bottom so people inside can look up and see the riders go over them. The whole thing would sail with a massive kite, with an electric motor only for emergencies. Or a kite powered barge with the top deck fully soiled out for growing food and inside divide it into a small motel for all the homies, with a club and skate ramps everywhere instead of stairs so you never have to walk anywhere. That would do me.”
Nomadic kiteboarding ambassador and sometime bush-dweller Eric Rienstra responds to just one of the many questions put to him by his professional peers in our Tangled Lines section…
Whether we like it or not, winter in the Northern Hemisphere is but a corner or two away. But don't be scared! Winter wetsuit tech is the best it has ever been, and we have the best of the lot in our Winter Wetsuit Buyer's Guide.
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