Kite 2012

 

---

 

Salinas Bay is located in the far northwest corner of Guanacaste Province in Costa Rica. It is a remote location that’s often windy with gorgeous untouched beaches not to mention the beautiful scenery. It’s a great place to go to experience the island life, it’s a place where you can be at peace or be the adrenaline junkie that you are. Salinas bay is the go-to place for wind surfers and kiters alike.

It doesn’t matter whether you’re a beginner or if you can own the air in your sleep, there’s a place for you to surf in Salinas Bay. It also doesn’t hurt if you know a great kite school that’ll cater to your needs and has programs for your specific skill set. Costa Kite has created programs for every level of kiters, they are committed to help you get the most out of your kiting vacation. All their instructors are IKO (International Kiteboarding Organization) certified and their gears are always up to date. They’ll make sure all your lessons are fun and safe. It’s always good to try something new when you’re on vacation but at all times, you should put safety as your number one priority; Making sure you have all the right gear and using the proper techniques will do just that.

Salinas Bay has constant winds from November to March, this makes it a great place to visit specially for kite boarders and wind surfers. The things you can do while you’re there is not limited to just that though, you can also go hiking, biking, kayaking, fishing, go on boat tours and a lot more. There’s always a lot of things to do when you go on a trip so it’s a good idea if you plan ahead to maximize your time. OR you can just lay on the beach, relax and enjoy the beauty of Costa Rica.

**If you want to inquire, book, or know more about kiting in Salinas Bay, click here.

When we hear ‘Tahiti’, it’s like our mind automatically relaxes and we envision paradise. And that’s actually not far from the truth because of it’s spectacular view, it truly is a magical place. Tahiti is the largest island in the windward group of French Polynesia. The island is located in the archipelago of the Society Islands in the central Southern Pacific Ocean, and is divided into two parts: The bigger, northwestern part Tahiti Nui and the smaller, southeastern part Tahiti Iti. It is composed of 118 islands with rugged mountain peaks, coral reefs, blue lagoons, white sand beaches and luxurious resorts, there’s definitely something for everyone.

The most popular place for kitesurfing is Motu Martin (a good spot for beginners) which is not far from Papenoo wherein you can find waves for all levels. Taapuna is also a good place to visit since it’s a large lagoon with great free ride conditions. If you’re looking for a challenge then head over to Sapinus and Maraa, both of which are for more experienced kiters. Teahupoo, despite its beauty, is known for being one of the most notorious spots world wide. Baie Phaeton and Vairao are two of the more beautiful places you can kite, the former offers easy-going conditions in a shallow lagoon and the latter is ideal for wave riders.

We stumbled upon a video made by F-ONE KITES and I have to say that they captured the essence of Tahiti on video, of course there’s no substitute for the real thing but this one comes in a close second. In the beginning of the video it was peaceful and as it went on they showed how the kiters lose themselves completely in the sport, how they become one with everything. The second part of which shows the friendships and the bond that’s formed when you’re with people who have the same passion. Even if you’re not a rider, you’d definitely appreciate all the work they put into it and their love for the sport shines through.

 

Watch the video and see for yourself!

“Once again the F-ONE team went off to discover new landscapes and live an extraordinary adventure.

Raphaël SALLES put on his captain’s hat for the time of a far-off journey to meet his Tahitian team and experience the magic surrounding their idyllic islands. Accompanied by his faithful sidekicks as well as newcomers, they went on to board two catamarans for 25 days of pure happiness in another world.
Tahiti is well and truly as you can imagine: wild, powerful, with the force of the ocean being ever-present and where sharing and wisdom are common values within a whole people.

Riders : Mitu MONTEIRO, Poenaiki RAIOHA, Robinson HILARIO, Micka FERNANDEZ, Marie SWITALA, Aude LIONET CHANFOUR, Alexandre CAIZERGUES, Filippe FERREIRA, Manutea MONNIER, Rémi QUIQUE, Patrice CHANZY, Raphaël SALLES.”

“Once word went out and the sport started to blow, that’s when Red Bull approached us with doing an event and that’s when we came up with the name ‘King of the Air’ and it stuck because at that time it was all about getting big air and the wow factor”  -Joe Keuhi

The first Red Bull King of the Air competition was held at Ho’okipa in Maui around year 2000 and at that time there were only a number of kiters who joined. It was still part of kite surfing’s experimental stage where in everything was so new, unexplored and yet to be tested. As the years progressed so did the equipment and the number of followers. Now kite surfing is considered the fastest growing water sport with 1.5million surfers and counting.

2015 can’t come any faster -at least that’s what kiters all over the world are thinking. Red Bull’s King of the Air competition is coming up and we’re all excited! It’s South Africa’s biggest kite competition where 24  kiters  (top 12 from the previous year and the other 12 from video submissions -8 of which will be picked according to online rankings and 4 from coming from the event committee) compete for the title. It will be held at Cape Town, Big Bay, Blouberg on Jan. 31 to Feb. 15, 2015 and all you need to do is upload a minute long video of you doing some sick air moves. Fill out the application form and you’re done! view the full mechanics here.

Last year’s jump records were:

1. Tom Hebert – 25.04m

2. Andris Fourie – 23.33m

3. Kevin Langeree – 21.55m

4. Jerrie Van De Kop – 21.41m

5. Billy Parker – 20.22m

6. Reno Romeo – 18.89m

7. Luke McGillewie – 18.51m

8. Jesse Richman – 17.83m

9. Gianni Aragno – 17.58m

10. Graham Howes – 17.30m

Final Result:

1. Kevin Langeree (NED)

2. Ruben Lenten (NED)

3. Steven Akkersdijk (NED)

4. Andries Fourie (RSA)

5. Aaron Hadlow (GBR)

5. Jesse Richman (USA)

7. Tom Herbert (FRA)

7. Billy Parker (USA)

Although not everything is fun and games. Extreme sports have their risks and with the added pressure of competing against other kiters. There have been some incidents and one of the more popular one is when Tom Herbert came down too hard from a big jump (at least 25meters in the air) and crashed. In an interview with North Kiteboarding he said “I arrived late to the kicker which put me off balance straight away. At 25 meters high and mid rotation I saw that my kite was pointing down towards the water. I lost all orientation and had very little control. I tried to correct it and get it right but it was too late.”. According to African Extreme there were other two rumoured injuries, one by Jessie Richman (King of the Air 2013) who was said to have had anything from a torn ACL to a bad fracture, the other one would be Oswald Smith, and this would be more of a rumour than anything, was said to have had difficulties moving his head to either side. Accidents and injuries are a part of it all, especially when you want to achieve something great.

 

 Check out some of this year’s wild card:

https://vimeo.com/109142802

Visit the Red Bull site for more!