THEKITEMAG ISSUE #51

It feels like it’s been a long winter (at least it has here in the northern hemisphere), but, thankfully, summer is on its way and that means our thinking is turning to kiting in sufficiently warm and beautiful locations. And we’re here to help with that – TheKiteMag #51 comes with our 2023 Destination Guide – the definitive directory of the best kite resorts on the planet.

“The alarm rings, we gobble down an omelet, and off we go. We alternate between wave and flat spots, with the locals coming to appreciate the spectacle each time. One of the lasting memories will be this Big Air session in the port of Masirah, jumping between the fishing boats and the crowd watching the show on the pier. The police have to regulate traffic because there are too many people on the jetty – the whole town turns out to watch us.”

Paul Serin and other members of the top tier F-ONE crew head for the Omani desert. There are camels, there is sand… and there was a film.

“After sitting on the sidelines of Big Air competitions for years, the women finally took matters into their own hands by putting together their own competition and called it A Queen is Born. Ironically, it was held just a few days before KOTA just a little bit further up the beach. This grassroots competition was held out of the Mystic House in Cape Town, without permits but more than enough passion.”

The female Big Air scene has been steadily building in the background, and now (and not before time) it’s beginning to get the coverage it deserves, thanks to some high profile Big Air Kite League events. Kimmy Gustafson lays out the journey to date…

“After two days of storm the sun finally came back with perfect kite wind. We were on top of a big frozen lake, Lesjavri, the biggest lake on the plateau. With the wind blowing a steady 10 knots from behind us, we pumped our kites and cruised downwind, singing, laughing, and screaming with joy. It was magic.”

We head back up north to check in with Kari Schibevaag, fresh from one of her dream adventures: snowkiting on the Finnmark Plateau.

“My days at the pousada basically consisted of waking up, having breakfast with the crew, figuring out a plan for the day – which more often than not meant two sessions at the lagoon with a lunch break in the middle for the classic trip to the Açaí spot – and making sure I beat them all at ping pong whenever we had downtime. The morning session usually had stronger wind and the sunset session was the big kite weather that the crew loves.”

As the professional kiting scene descended on Brazil, one pousada more than most could lay claim to being the most talent-filled of all. And it didn’t just contain pro kiters… Talented photographer Andre Magarao tells the tale.

“The tragedy of Silke Gorldt, involving a kite tangle, in a competition in 2003 spurred the innovation of the Quick Release. Still to this day, she is the only kiting athlete to die in a competition. Naish were the first to market a push-away safety system (with patent). In 2006 the Iron Heart was released which was the first to be not cut and sewn and stolen from other sports. It was injection molded and it worked perfectly due to a brilliantly engineered pin. You can still see it everywhere today.”

This is a big one… the irrepressible Colin Colin Carroll lists his top 51 (it was supposed to be 50 – long story) moments in kiteboarding history. It’s an essential read.

“With the pivot to a more traditional style of job, there came a lot more responsibility, timelines, spreadsheets, budgets, and all the other fun stuff that comes with a “big boy” job. However, I found the work extremely engaging, and three years in I can confidently say I’m thriving in my newfound product-based role.”

When Brandon Scheid’s role changed from kite pro to product tester, it meant more hours spent in the office, but he still found time last year for sessions at Hood River and trips to Maui, Chile and Fiji…

“When you’re in the middle of nowhere, with little to no tourism, few English-speakers, and small Italian villages with small supermarkets and the cheapest good quality coffee, the ‘dolce vita’ is very nice. However, it does make it pretty hard to buy a new drone for all the shots we wanted to get…”

Alina Kornelli is joined by photographer Lukas Stiller as she winds down, post-competition, on a cruisy kite/road trip around Sardinia. However, a particular shot she had in mind didn’t quite come to pass…