Issue #32 is here!
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THE PHOTGRAPHERS
“I quite like to do this type of thing. It’s a little easier with skateboarding but to be honest when I do it with flashes it does takes a few tries to hide the light source behind the rider. It’s much easier with the sun because you can just click when the rider’s shadow gets to you. Here is Karolina (Winkowska) well placed in front of the sun.”
At the risk of giving up a lot of their well-honed secrets, we get some select cuts and backstories from two of the best kite photographers in the business, Andre Magarao and Ydwer van der Heide.
HEAD IN THE CLOUDS
“From the moment I saw it, I could see this wave was different. It pushed really wide and doubled up with a huge lump in front of me right on the shallowest part of the reef. As the water started drawing off the bottom, I knew it was the one. I faded, set my line, then just stood there in disbelief at how wide the thing threw…”
Keahi de Aboitiz has changed up his normal tour routine and now searches for big red blobs on radar screens and then goes chasing…Just such a blob showed up and was making for Fiji. So, so did Keahi, and was joined by Moona Whyte and Beau Pilgrim.
TELL ME ABOUT IT
We have the biggest haul yet for Tell Me About It this issue, with all the key inside knowledge from the brands themselves for the OCEAN RODEO SMOOTHY (pictured), the FLYSURFER STOKE, the F-ONE HALO, the GIN MARABOU and the CORE XR6.
HARNESS BUYER'S GUIDE
Probably the most integral bit of kiteboarding kit (beyond the kite and the board) is the bit that wraps itself around a pretty important part of the human body: the harness. So with the new summer season upon us, no better time to say “I take my spine and torso seriously!” than now, and go invest in a top-notch new harness.
THE OLYMPIC COUNTDOWN BEGINS
“The format we are currently finetuning is a relay. We ran the format at the World Championships last month and it was super exciting. We had 22 teams from 12 countries and four continents, and the feedback from competitors and coaches (even the ones that did not participate or were sceptical) was overwhelmingly positive. Racing in a team opens up completely new aspects of the sport.” – Markus Schwendtner
The 2024 Olympics might seem a way off to most of us (we've got the 2020 Games in Japan between now and then) but for anyone involved in preparing potential Olympians, the clock is already ticking. We speak to three key people involved in the build up: IKA Class Manager Markus Schwendtner, experienced kite racer Steph Bridge, and former Olympian and trainer, Stevie Morrison.
THE BIG PICTURE
“AK represents a group of creative and technically minded makers and riders with a love for watersports. We develop all of our components and accessories from scratch in an effort to optimize every aspect of the design and deliver a product that is not only durable but also user-friendly, highly functional and well styled.”
Airush's Clinton Filen fills us in on all the goings on over at Airush HQ, and not least the latest product offerings from their new sister hardware brand, AK Durable Supply Co.
UNDER THE HOOD: PLKB
“If you know where the Netherlands are, then you probably know that it can get stormy, rainy and quite cold. However, it’s also the land of kite champions and thanks to the rough conditions that people are usually subjected to, they grow and evolve into the best they can be. Being Dutch has its perks…”
No company has more lineage in the sport than Peter Lynn Kiteboarding do, and just recently they decided to undergo somewhat of a rebrand and a refocus. We hear about their past, and take a look into their future…
MY BEACH: WILLOW-RIVER TONKIN
“The morning starts off with the sun shining between Le Morne mountain and the hills of Baie du Cap, lighting up the faces of One Eye with not a single cloud in sight. The slight offshore breeze during the early morning hours creates the most perfect conditions for a surf… During the later hours of the morning the trade winds start to kick in and by midday, the conditions are usually all time.”
Not many know Le Morne as well as Willow-River Tonkin does, being as the hot and hallowed shores have been his playground since he can remember. He gives us the full lowdown on the spot, and fills us in on where to find the best fried noodles post-kite…
