Featuring the biggest names and the very best content in kiteboarding. And here’s a taste of what’s in the latest issue…
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“The path to the island is known as the Death Acre and is one of the most dangerous coastal passages in the world. It’s essentially a narrow stretch of beach along the Namib desert, an area the locals have dubbed ‘Os Riscos’, The Risks. The beach is hemmed in by relentless shorebreak on one side and the biggest dunes on the planet on the other.”
When heading into a remote desert and kiting shark-infested waters to get to an abandoned ghost town, you’d hope nothing would go wrong, but Mystic’s trip to the island of Baía dos Tigres was far from plain sailing.
“I packed my bags and headed to the kiteboarding and wind sports mecca of North America: Hood River, Oregon. I’d heard great things about Hood River from fellow kiters and I knew it would be an excellent opportunity to ride in the kite park, compete, and connect with the Naish family, see their operations, and participate in video shoots.”
Park riding in Hood River was just the start of a memorable season of travel, exploration and riding progression for Leo Verrecchia. He also hit up Maui and Brazil, and captured it all in his film The Wind and the Wild.
“The beginning of 2024 looked anything but promising for me. In November 2023, I partially tore a ligament in my lower back. The recovery time was very uncertain and I struggled with a lot of pain. I didn’t tell anyone about my injury – I didn’t want to show weakness, especially not to my opponents.”
When athletes injure themselves they could allow the setback to hold them back, but Alessa Mensch saw it as part of her journey of growth, and fought hard to come back stronger and bag a spot on the podium.
“It’s amazing to hold this event here and show off the east coast where I grew up to all these guests. Mauritius is already a hub for kiting but a lot of kiters don’t know how good the east coast is – it’s windy, with turquoise flat water and even some waves in spots – so it’s great that people are finding out how much there is to explore here.” – Louka
Our Editor Sarah spent a few days kiting in beautiful Mauritius while lapping up the luxury of a premium resort and hanging out with ten top kite pros, including local Louka Pitot, at the third edition of the C Kite Festival.
“There are some really interesting characters and personalities in the kiteboarding fleet, and I hope we’re given the chance to see them for who they really are. What we are guaranteed to see, though, are some high-speed thrills and spills in what could provide one of the defining images of the 2024 Olympics…”
With kiteboarding appearing at the Olympic Games for the first time ever, find out who might be in with a chance of winning a medal in this article from sailing journalist Andy Rice.
“It was my first ever time in Italy and in some ways it felt similar to Greece so I loved that. The places we visited were beautiful. The crew from the Kite2Sail boat made everyone feel right at home and gave us an excellent experience, checking the wind constantly and moving to find the best conditions.”
Greek kiter George Kintis spends his summers teaching and practicing Big Air on the island of Paros. He was stoked to be invited on his first trip with the Eleveight crew, to spend a week on a Kite2Sail catamaran in Sardinia.
“The concentration needed for optimal performance in a 10-minute heat has become so much greater as the sport has developed. Before my heats at my home spot in Ponta Preta for example, many locals and friends will come to the beach to cheer me on, and come up to me, pat me on the shoulder and make small talk.”
We hear from Matchu Lopes about what he needs to do to block out distractions at competitions, and from his personal trainer and mental coach, Luis de Dios, about what else Matchu needs to do to succeed.
“Our journey has been filled with remarkable podium wins, groundbreaking rider achievements and innovative marketing campaigns. From Max Bo’s historic jump to our latest young talents, and from memorable trips to iconic campaigns, these experiences encapsulate the spirit and evolution of RRD over the past three decades.”
It’s been a massive 30 years since RRD’s first production collection, and as we love celebrating an anniversary, we caught up with brand founder Roberto Ricci to find out more about how these three decades have gone.
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