Luis’s Peralta is a kiteboarder from Cabarete that you don’t hear so much from in the kite world. However, Luis is a great kiteboarder that really deserves some credit, just look at his crazy triple handle pass in this video!
Archive for February, 2012
Luis Peraltas Triple Handle Pass
On February - 9 - 2012
Brad Symington Megaloop
On February - 8 - 2012
Brad Symington doing some insane mega loops! The video is good from an educational point of view, since you can see how the loops are performed. The kite Brad is looping like crazy is a Naish Torch.
If you look in the background on the video you´ll see the crane that Nick Jacobsen jumped from :)
Kitesurfing and exotic fruit
On February - 8 - 2012
Today delivered a pretty strong wind, which means that lots of kitesurfers are crowding in the water and on the beach at Bulabong in Boracay. I had a good kite session =) Others had not…
Kites flappering in the palms on Bulabong is a very common view. I´ve seen people crash their kites in the palms almost every day I´ve been at the beach and it´s not like I´m constantly overlooking the beach. Havn’t yet figured out why som many kiteboarders put their kites in the palms. I guess they are either beginners or simply not careful when they land their kites. I´ll investigate =)
There are lots of exotic fruits in the Philippines. One of my favourite fruits is mango! I eat perfect mangos almost daily, but here are other fruits as well, for instance the super delicious cherimoya! Cherimoyas comes in different varieties depending on where in the world they come from. The absolutely best I ever tasted is the one that you find in South America, but the sort they have in the Philippines is also unbelievable tasty!
I also found a big fat worm today, check the size of this monster!
Geckos are also seen everywhere when it gets dark =)
Laters!
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GIN Kites
On February - 8 - 2012
GIN Kiteboarding is a Swiss company that produced kites since 2005. Designer Robert Graham, who is responsible for kite development has worked with GIN Gliders in the late 80’s. GIN is positioning itself as a brand with a focus on quality, function and long-term applicable innovations that create added value in kite surfing experience. You can tell by the kites, control bars and even bags.
At the end of January, I tested a late prototype of ZULU III 11m2 and an old 12m2 Nasca II and both of them feel very nice to play with and they are of good quality and with details of high quality. I also tested the snowkites ESKIMO INUIT 8m2 and 10m2, and these feel good, very responsive and makes a convincing impression regarding the quality and detail work.
Some more info on GIN Kite Board products:
Tubekites:
ZULU III
The ZULU 3 is the thrid version of the Zulu kite. A well balanced shape that comes from the precise construction of all parts of the kite. The Zulu III has a great stability with C-kite performances.
GURU
Guru is Gin’s new kite that will be released in March 2012. This kite will come in the following sizes, 4, 6, 8, 10, 12 and 14.
A small promo video:
Nasca II
Nasca II is one of previous models from Gin that isn’t manufactured anymore. It is a 5 line kite with smooth and comfortable handling, it has speed and constant traction. It´s a fast turning kite!
For more info about Gin Kites, check out Gin Kiteboarding
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Peter Müller megaloop on snow
On February - 7 - 2012
Here is Peter Müller doing a megaloop on snow. The megaloop is recorded in slowmotion and with 1000 fps, so you can pretty much see all that is going on in the air.
How to make your kite last longer
On February - 7 - 2012
How to make your kite last longer
I wish that I could have read these tips right when I started my kitesurfing career, so that I wouldn’t have had to learn them all myself by wasting my own kites. Anyway, I still think it doesn’t hurt to get reminded about how to treat your kites for maximum endurance even though you´re an experienced rider. Feel free to add more tips!
So here are my 10 top tips for anyone who wants to keep his beloved kite happy and in good condition for a looong time!
1. Sand. Sand is every kite’s worst enemy. Before packing together your kite, make sure to remove all or at least as much as possible of the sand from the kite. Sand wears out materials, increases the risk of occurrence of holes and tears up the canopy and other fabric material
2. Do not pack down a wet kite. To wash your kite is not always necessary (but certainly not wrong). But if you wash your after each session, make sure it dries properly before packing it down. To pack down a wet kite is usually not a problem as long as you pack it up again shortly after. Beware though that it doesn’t take many days for a wet kite to get discolored (some kites are more sensible than other to discoloration) and in the long run start mold and smell bad.
3. Rig and pump the kite as close to the water as possible. By walking with an inflated kite over a long distance you increase the risk of scratching your kite on the ground and the lines might get stuck in branches, stones, bushes etc.
4. The Pump. When packing down your pump, get in the habit to remove the hose. By constantly letting the hose stay connected to the pump you´ll quickly end up having bendings and after a while even holes in the hose.
5. The control bar and the lines. Keep your lines free from knots and always wash your bar in fresh water if you´ve been kiting in salt water. A knot on a line decrease its strength by more than 50%, which increases the risk that you snap it when you least want it to happen. The reason to why you should wash the control bar (and the lines) in fresh water is because salt water breakes down the lines over time.
6. Avoid launching the kite yourself. Launching a kite by letting it “walk” along the ground wears it more than necessary. If you do a self-launch, use a “dogbone” or walk out in the water and launch the kite from there.
7. Avoid twisting the bladder. Make sure that the kite is flat and completely rolled out before you start pumping it. To let the kite “roll up” by itself when you pump, you might if you´re unlucky, twist the bladder inside the tube. Also, do not stick the nozzle of the pump to deep in the valve since this can stretch out the valve opening.
8. Use your kitebag. Always pack down your kite in its bag when you´re about to transport it. Do not just throw it into the trunk on your car where board fins and other sharp objects easily can make cuts your kite.
9. Beware for waves. If you’ve dropped your kite in the water where it gets awash with waves, let it go. This is of course nothing you want to do if not absolutely necessary, but be aware that big breaking waves can stretch out the canopy or even rip your kite apart.
10. Sun and wind. Do not leave your kite to flutter in the wind and do not leave it in the sun longer than necessary. Too much sun makes the material brittle and the colors get bleached. Letting the canopy fluttering in the wind will wear the canopy in the long run.
11. If you notice that a line, pigtail, bridle, chicken loop or whatever is getting a bit worn out, replace it! To snap a line or break a bridle out in the sea can lead to much worse damage on your kite as it might start looping and only God knows where deathloops will end.
Some of these points may be difficult to follow to the letter. This is however not the idea, but by keeping these small tips in mind you will hopefully be able to keep your kite in a better condition and prevent it to get exposed to unnecessary wear.
Happy kiting!
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Boracay White Beach
On February - 6 - 2012
Took a day of yesterday, i.e. I didn’t go kiteboarding. Instead I decided to check out the White Beach. The White Beach is a paradise for sunbathers! Clear water, white sand, plenty of space, coconut palms and refreshening drinks and food are always within reach. This beach pretty much fulfil all criteria to be called a perfect beach!
Unfortunately I don’t belong to those that value a whole day on the beach, I get bored quite quickly from laying in the sand letting the sun’s insidious rays burn my body. But I don’t mind a nice beach walk, so I walked to the end of the beach where I turned to walk back.
On my way back I passed two small girls, maybe 4-5 years old, dragging sacks filled with bottles and cans in the sweat of their brow. I asked them if they wanted help with carriage of the sacks. For a moment they hesitated, probably cause they were afraid that I would steal their cans and bottles, but their hesitation turned into joy as soon as they understood that I actually offered myself to carry their heavy loads. So I took both sacks in one hand and started walk along the beach with the two girls running along my side, I guess it was that day’s good deed =)
By the way, I have stopped updating every day as you may have noticed. I think I was a bit to naive when I though that I would manage to update this site with a new post everyday… That´s why I stopped putting the days number in the titles =P
Anyway, today has been another good kitesurfing day! I also made a new friend on my way to the beach! Check him out! =)
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Boracay – a day on Bulabong Beach
On February - 5 - 2012
Spent most of the Saturday on Bulabong beach. Had three kite sessions during the day =) Took some photos that will give you a pretty good insight in the daily life on Bulabong beach.
Bought some tuna later on the day that Trindad grilled for me, was damn good! Bought another kilo of fresh tuna this morning, can you guess the price??
Sensi Graves Bikinis
On February - 4 - 2012
Sensi Graves is a full time kiteboarder that constantly was looking for a swimsuit that could perform on the same high level as she do in the water, but nowhere could she find a swimsuit or bikini that hold things in place yet sexy and comfortable. After countless of slip-ups and tops lost in the water she decided to design her own suit with the functionality and that is required if you kiteboard while still remanining a sensual and chick look. The result was Sensi Bikinis!
Sensi’s collection of swimsuits and bikinis are feminine, strong, supportive and comes in a design that goes well along with the fun and action that kiteboarding can be associated with.
Sensi’s bikins are made to make things stay in place so that you can concentrate on the kiteboarding rather than constantly pulling down your bikini bottom peace over your caudal half or adjusting the bra.
Sensi’s bikinis are actually so nice that you don’t really have to be a kitesurfer to look sexy in them! Here is a small selection of Sensi’s collection.
Sensis full collection of bikins can be found at www.sensibikinis.com
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Boracay – Day 7 – Fiesta in Sebaste
On February - 3 - 2012
Today was spent in true philippine style! Japs was going to a “festival” in a small place called Sebaste and I thought it could be interesting to see what the whole thing was all about.
We left early in the morning. Tricycle to the the hardbour in Boracay. Boat to Caticlan and Jeep and bus to Sebaste. At a glance, the public transport in the Philippines seems to be quite unorganized. No time tabels are seen, at least not any visible. There are no bus stops. And no one seems to follow any traffic rules. But somehow you always get transported where you want and it´s amazing how smooth everything goes, it´s like someone already has planned your travel.
Another major difference when it comes public transportation is the absence of security. It´s for example totally ok to climb up on the roof of a jeep and sit there while it’s running through the countryside. Just make sure that you have something to hold on to when there is a sharp turn, a fast acceleration or a sudden stop =)
Anyway, we arrived safely to Sebaste where Japs apperantly have tons of cousins, nephews, brothers etc… One of his relatives is running a business there which I think is doing pretty good. He had arranged a great buffet with philippine dishes. Didn’t dare to try the gastric stew or anything from the bowl that was filled with pig snouts and other strange things. But the other dishes I tried was very tasty! Especially the whole grilled pig, I think it was the most delicious pig I ever tasted!
The festival itself was more or less just rows of stalls where the vendors where selling their stuff, but still nice to walk around and just enjoy the friendly atmosphere.
Also had time to walk up in the mountains to watch the beautiful scenery before we headed back to Boracay. Arrived back in Boracay in time for a nice afternoon kite session =)
Luke Whiteside in Perth
On February - 2 - 2012
Luke Whiteside is working on a new production that will be released in April 2012. Here is a small teaser.
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Hannah Whitley in Brazil
On February - 1 - 2012
Hannah has currently been training in a windy and sunny kitespot in Brazil. In this video is she pulling of unhooked tricks like never before, check her out!
And some nice photos of Hannah!
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Boracay Day 6 – Wildlife
On February - 1 - 2012
Didn’t really do anything worth mentioning today. Been spending more or less the whole day studying and I don´t wanna bore you with going into details on that . There was no wind today so it was a perfect day for studies anyway =)
Took some photos of the wildlife here on Boracay on my way to one of the resorts where they have WiFi. It´s not that exciting as you can see…
