THEKITEMAG ISSUE #54

“We had 15 minutes to board and customs was not letting him through. I decided to head for the boarding gate as it was pointless both of us missing the flight. I started to run, scenarios racing through my head like, if he doesn’t get through, his bags won’t be on the plane, meaning half my gear won’t arrive…”

The wave at Skeleton Bay, Namibia rarely works and then only for a few days. So when Joshua Emanuel and Lorenzo Valenti heard rumor that it was about to go down, they dropped everything and missioned hard to get there.

“There were no signs on the beach that we were not allowed to drive there or kite there, so good to go. At least, that’s what we assumed… Just as we were all set up and ready to go, someone came speeding up on his quad… It turned out to be ‘the angry farmer’, the name we gave him, and which he kept all week.”

Prolimit headed to Ireland to shoot their winter collection with team riders Stig Hoefnagel and Jeanne Vanderick. Most of the locals were super friendly, but there was one exception…

“Think Mauritius and you tend to think of one spot: Le Morne. It steals the headlines for good reason, with One Eye being the headline-grabbing jewel in the crown. But actually you have a whole lot of options, not least of which is to head to the east of the island and to the perfect beaches there which – it turns out – also have insane flatwater spots, but with a few less other kiters to contend with…”

Our editor-in-chief Alex Hapgood headed to a lesser known and quieter spot on the east coast of Mauritius to cover the C Kite Festival held there.

“These gusty conditions posed a challenge to the original shooting plan and the team had to get smart and try and think outside the box. As true adventurers, we adapted swiftly, donned our adventure hats, and embarked on an island-wide exploration to find off-the-beaten-path shooting locations with more constant wind and less crowds.”

The Slingshot team circumnavigated the tropical island of Aruba countless times to bag the shots they needed. And they had a lot of fun in the process…

“It was all looking very promising until five minutes into the session when the rain returned with a vengeance, and it started to pour down harder than ever before. We did not give up and continued kiting through it, trying to film as much as possible, but soon enough we had to accept that it had to be declared a failed mission.”

Jason van der Spuy and Alessa Mensch’s trip to Ireland for the Brunotti photoshoot had moments of complete chaos. But there were also moments of utter beauty.

“I first visited Nepal as an altitude doctor, then a few years later, in 2013, went back to become the youngest Brazilian woman to reach the top of Mount Everest, taking the South Face route in Nepal. In 2017, I conquered Mount Everest once again, this time via the North Face on the Chinese side, making me the first Latin American woman to summit the world’s highest peak from both sides.”

When Karina Oliani isn’t breaking world records or devoting herself to humanitarian work, she likes to kite Brazil’s northeast coast, and the beautiful lagoons of Lençóis Maranhenses are a particular favorite.

“It was my first time visiting this amazing location, and there were good vibes from the crew and great freestyle conditions. For sure I’ll be back. Unfortunately, like last year, there was a bitter ending to the trip – I injured my arm during a freestyle session in Sardinia and had to fly back home early for the operation and recovery.”

Carl Ferreira was enjoying his trip to Europe to meet up with the RRD crew until he had a déjà vu of last year’s trip and once again had to head home early due to an injury.

“Orient Bay Beach is a very special place for me. It’s where I started every water sport I do today. My dad owns a kite school there, so right from a very young age, it has always been my playground and a place that allows me to get on the water in all different types of conditions.”

If you’re looking to book your next kite holiday to a tropical destination with turquoise water, then you’ll want to read all about the beautiful beach in the Caribbean that Theo Demanez hails from.