Tony Cohn and Brendan Kerr kiteboarding in the Dominican Republic.
Wind and Waves Festival 2012
On July - 5 - 2012
Must be tough for all windsurfers out there watching the kiteboarders jumping skyhigh and making crazy tricks making windsurfing looking nerdy and super boring. On top of that the windsurfers are now being kicked out from the Olympics in favor of the kiteboarders… talk about being put in the shadow behind the kiteboarders ;)
Joking aside, vindsurfing can pretty cool as well! Check out these maniacs that are windsurfing in 20 knots in Gran Canaria, guess that’s the wind speed necessary to perform a double backloop with a windsurfing sail :)
And now a video that has nothing to with kitesurfing or windsurfing whatsoever. Just a great tune from The Naked And Famous – Punching In A Dream, a tune that goes on repeat in my sound system right now. Actually the same song that is used in one of all videos with Youri Zoon – The Ultimate Reward
Naish Kiteboarding in Maui
On July - 4 - 2012
Here is a really nice video with some of the best riders in the Naish team. Watching Shawn Richman, Jesse Richman and Kai Lenny in this video is truly inspiring! Impressive to see them pull of those crazy tricks and watching Kai Lenny ride the monster waves in Maui is always a plessure!
Mario Rodwald – PKRA 2012
On June - 27 - 2012
This video features Mario Rodwald during the PKRA 2012 competition in Adicora, Venezuela. Mario has been kiting for 11 years, he started when he was 10 years old! So, this 21 year old boy is pretty good by now, perhaps a new Youri Zoon… Mario took the 2:nd place in the PKRA in Venezuela, beating Alex Pastor!
Christian Winkenjohann Kiteboarding in Greece
On June - 25 - 2012
Christian is another example that shows that it´s fully possible to start kiteboarding again after an injury. Christian broke his hand back in April, but he is now back in action again! Watch him in this video doing kiteloops, darkslides with his Flexifoil Hadlow ID.
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Kiteboarding somewhere…
On June - 24 - 2012
Found this nice clip with one guy that is kiteboarding in somewhere. He is not at the same level as Youri Zoon, but still at an quite advanced level. The choice of music gives this clip a higher rating =)
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Kiteboarding – a new olympic sport!
On June - 21 - 2012
In the last 20 years kiteboarding has gone from almost nothing to a big deal, so big that Kiteboarding probably will go to the Olympics in 2016! It´s said in this small documentary from CNN that Windsurfing has to go out of the Olympics if Kiteboarding is voted in. A pity for all wind surfers, but I think the majority of us will be happy with this decison :)
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Reno Romeu in Rio de Janeiro
On June - 21 - 2012
Reno Romeu kiteboarding at his home spot Barra da Tijuca in Rio de Janeiro.
The video is not bad, but the shoter Andre Magarao obviously has a pretty bad taste when it comes to music. I think the natural choice of song to this video of course should have been Solid Sessions – Janeiro!
Ikon Kiteboarding
On June - 18 - 2012
Already in the end of the winter 2011 a new snowkiting freeride brand was born – IKON Kiteboarding. IKON got quite some attention over the world, but the reviews have been absent. Luckily we got a hold of the collection of IKON’s snowkites. Said to be a snowkite, you can still ride it in water, so the following review is based on tests with IKON’s snowkite, but performed on land and water.
At a glance
Unlike many reviews out there on the net, we will not glorify this kite in our review. The kite itself comes in a backpack, which should be standard nowadays for brands that want to play the market. The bag is equipped with compression strap and the kite is perfectly seated in the bag which is almost as ergonomically designed as any mountain back pack.
When it comes to the materials IKON is excellently prepared. Every single piece of the kite and the bar seems to have been manufactured into perfection. Everything is elaborated in detail. The kite is equipped with dacron and reinforcements in the exposts parts. The seams are well done and can compete with the best brands on the market. A little surprise awaits inside the chambers. All ribs which divide the chambers have stitched belts around and crossover the ribs. This stiffens up the whole kite and make the chambers stronger. As a snowkiter or foil kite rider you might know that ruptured internal ribs is quite common and leads to annoying subsequent repairments. In the IKON kite all ribs are reinforced for maximum durability.
Another nice thing with this kite is the HC lines that are oversized, so you do not have to worry about them to much in case you´re flying the kite through sharp ice plates.
The control bar
The bar is made from aluminum, very sturdy and solid, well designed and tested for a long time, where security has been a primary thing to focus at. The ends of the bar are fitted with rubber bands to secure the lines once you have wrapped them up. the bar has an ergonomically profiled surface to make it comfortable for your fingers and of course the left side of the bar is red. Holding the bar up side down and you´ll be notified by a prohibition sign :)
The depower over the control bar is solved by pulling a red strap and vice versa a black strap to turn it back to full power.
The quick release is solved by the the classic red molded piece on the chickenloop, very similar to the system used by Liquid Force. Pull the trigger and the kite falls down. Everything is simple and very effective.
Flight characteristics
Start – to start a kite with an open chamber is a piece of cake. Attract the frontlines and the kite flies up immediately. No trouble with self inflating chambers. Start and go!
After the first maneuvers directly overhead you immediately feel the great stability delivered by the IKON kite. You can do whatever you want. I tried to push it over my head in an attempt to front stall the kite, but the Ikon completely mastered everything wonderfully.
Another thing that impressed me is the accuracy while flying the kite near the water. The precise and intuitive control is literally addictive issues. I was a little concerned about driving on the water, because every inaccuracy would mean drowning the kite and fill its chambers with water. With the Ikon I could bring the kite down to a few centimeter from the surface. The Ikon passes nicely through the whole wind window with a contant speed that generates power. No stress, no flicker in gusts, light, medium bar pressure, over all a very friendly kite. Literally there is a comparison – IKON is according to my first experience of such quality and performance as the Slingshot chamber kites. Accurate, stable and an amazingly HC kite, which at first glance made it something that would last.
Jumps
Here the Ikon literally thrives. With a narrower profile and a strong lift the ikon will bring you great heights and keep you there as long as possible. With the mandatory and precise control you know exactly where the kite is, therefore allowing you to jump safely.
IKON and its internal reinforcement ribs, which prevents ruptures when crashing.
RAFAL 12 square meters is exactly what the designers describe it as, a kite for light wind conditions. The kite starts to generate power in just 2-3 m/s which is sufficient power for you to ride on snowy plains. With growing wind power the kite behaves quite smoothly and to ride with it is extremely pleasant.
PATROL 10 square meters is a kite that can be used in most of wind conditions. The PATROL is obviously faster than the RAFAL. Thus it is easier to maneuver and to get him to jump in the greater speed. Overall great stability and precision control.
If you´re into high mountain freeriding you might wanna get a reliable workhorse that won’t let you down either in weaker or stronger winds. Both the RAFAL and the PATROL have a tremendous stability which also suit unhooked riders who don’t want to ride their inflatable pets in the winter. Either way Ikon’s foil kites are worth a try. At present, these kites have an unrivaled price / performance ratio.
KITE TYPE: foil kite/chamber, snowkite
YEAR: 2012
BRAND: Ikon
SIZE: 4m2, 6m2, 8m2, 10m2, 12 m2
PULLEY: 12 m2 and 10 m2 dual system
DOUBLE SAFETY: YES
COLOUR: Black and White
LINE LENGTH: 25m
COLORED LINES: Yes
BAR SETUP: 4 lines, 45 cm or 55 cm bar length
DEPOWER: Strap with protection
IKON pack – control bar with lines, kite folded and tightened with strap, backpack.
A few hints and warnings.
When depowering the kite, make sure your kite is left in the sky with some power in it, else you might front stall it.
Ikon is so stable that you do not have to worry přelítávání kit from over 12 hrs Feel free to let the kite přelítnoun and he will be in a strong profile back to normal windows. No folding.
After your first kite session, pack the kite without disconnecting the lines. Next session, avoid tangled lines and pack up the stuff in no times.
RAFAL 12 has a comparable performance with the same kite design in size from 13 to 14 m2.
PATROL 10 has a comparable performance with the same kite design in size from 11 to 12 m2
ATTENTION! Flying with the ikon becomes addictive from the first matter of minutes :)
Do not be fooled by lower-priced kites. Ikon uses a different sales system, so the final price for the customer will be lower. Get the highest quality product for your money.
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Kiteboarding somewhere…
On June - 12 - 2012
I have no idea where this video is shot, but it´s a pretty good one! Not just the usual stuff we see, but some nice scenery, under water shoots etc… watch it!
Best Kiteboarding – big boosts and boobs
On June - 11 - 2012
I have always liked Best Kiteboarding even though I never tried any of their kites. It´s not that I find their kites particularly well designed or that Best has the best team riders. Best has captured my interest in another way… I´m of course thinking of the super hot girls that always are posing in tight tops whenever Best is having some kind of event! However, that´s not all. Over the years, Best has had some really awesome team riders, I´m thinking of Andy Hurdman and Shannon! This post is dedicated to the old good days when Big Air was spectacular and when the girls were… girls! :)
- This video is from 2003, so the quality is not the best, but still a good video!
- Shannon Best jumping sky high in Hood River
- Andy Hurdman
- And what we all associate with Best Kiteboarding, super hot girls in wet T-shirts :P
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Sam Light Kiteboarding in Turkey
On June - 10 - 2012
Shit coffee, shit tea, really good kitesurfing and amazing wake boarding. The people are nice and friendly, yet they have a different culture. A place that is worth a visit!
That´s the information we get from Sam Light in this video, a pretty cool video, hopefully you´ll like it better than all the other crap on vimeo and youtube that have been posted recently :)
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Kiteboarding in Hatteras
On June - 8 - 2012
It´s been a while since someone uploaded a decent video on vimeo. So I´m happy that some Victoria kiters made this nice video from their trip to Cape Hatteras in North Carolina. Nice shooting in a great scenery along with some cool tricks, that’s all that is needed to make a quality video to share with kiters all around the globe :)
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Alex Pastor – Follow Your Passion
On May - 29 - 2012
Alex Pastor, team rider for Airush and also one of the best riders in the world. Videos with Alex are usually of good quality and the last two are not an exception. Here is “Follow Your Passion” Part 1 and 2, shot in Uruau, Ceara, Brazil. Enjoy!
