Kite 2012

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.”

As you may have noticed 2012 is not longer present and this site is now put in the archive. Instead a new ste is launched! The name of it should be fairly easy to guess… it is of course kite2013!

Kite2013 is different in a way that me myself will contribute with videos and photos that I have made by my own and I´ll do my best to deliver videos that are worth watching! I also run a personal blog on kite2013 where I write about my travels and stuff, so very welcome to join a new great kite year!

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Dimitri Maramenides delivers again! Epic Attack 4 is probably the best kitesurfing video published in year 2012! This video is almost 10 minutes long, but it will keep your eyes glued to the screen while your jaw drops to the floor!

Navis Boards is a small company in Sweden that has challenged the big dragons on the kiteboard market. The boards from Navis Boards stand out from the crowd in two ways that are obvious at the first glance. The boards alone are handmade and made purely from environmentally friendly materials which give them their nice woodish look. So what about the performance then? I have already been riding the board named “Bolt” for some time. An allround medium sized board that is suitable for the beginner as well as the intermediate rider, a compromise between a lightwind board and a freestyle board. “Foucan” on the other hand is a board aimed for the more advanced rider that prefer a smaller and stiffer board that allows him to perform tricks with ease. You might have you heard the name Foucan from the somewhat odd sport named Le-Parkour. In this field Foucan is the name of a guy that is known for his outstanding skills in Le-Parkour, hence “Foucan” is a board designed with this guy in mind, a board for the one that likes to have fun on the water while jumping around and performing tricks. Anyway, let´s take a closer look on the characteristics and performances of the “Foucan”!

Flexibility

The Foucan is a stiff board. Not super stiff, but stiff enough to make it easy to achieve good pop, great for unhooked tricks and all kind of tricks, such as the backroll, where you need to set yourself in a rotation. Foucan is designed with Navis Boards new unique “spring technology” which further improves the pop force. This technology can be seen as the black arcs on the board. These arcs are working both as reinforcement for the board while providing the board with extra spring effect.

Upwind abilities

The size of the Foucan is 132×41 (136×42 is also available). Shorter boards are not known to make it easier to go upwind, but the width of the board weigh up its shorter length and it can be compared to a 135×40 board if you just look at the area of the board. In other words, the upwind abilities are actually pretty good, especially in strong wind where you really can carve the board deep in the water and achieve a good amount of resistance.

Chop/Waves

The Foucan is designed to be used in flat and choppy water. The rocker of the board is slightly curved which comes handy once you hit choppy water. The Foucan also performs well in waves with fine comfort compared to some other boards. Ride in high speed and the board tends to spray some water in small waves. This is however not a major problem, just approach the waves in a sharper angle with more pressure on the back foot and you’ll more or less solve this little issue.

Jumping

To jump with the Foucan is a pleasure. The light weight (2.55kg for the 132×41 board) and short length of the board makes it easy to stay balanced in the air, so you can say goodbye to unwanted rotations in the air. The stiffness of the board also helps you to explode up from the water during the takeoff.

Stability & Grip

The width of the board improve the stability when you´re landing a trick or when you´re going downwind. The tips of the board are thinner than the center of the board which also makes them a bit more flexible which is nice when you land tricks and jumps since the tips act as shock absorbers. The “liquid super strong rails” are a bit rounded (this can be customized upon request), but sharp enough to deliver good grip during turns. The new dual concave rocker further increase the stability and board control.

Conclusion

“Foucan” is a board designed primarily for the intermediate to advanced freestyle rider. At the same time, the board characteristics such as the light weight, the small size and the flex make it an excellent board for old school tricks.  Ride the “Foucan” in medium to strong wind and flat water to fully take advantageous of its high performance characteristics. The price for the board with fins, pads and board handle included is €505.00. This equals approximately $630, about the same price level as the cheapest factory made boards on the market. Considering that “Foucan” is handmade with excellent board properties with a really nice finish make this board very affordable!

Click on this link for another small review about Navis Boards.

Davi is only 3 years old and already a kitesurfer! Davi is able to kitesurf equipped with a small trainer kite and a surf board which is pretty amazing! Normally kiteschools don’t teach students younger than 12 years old according to the IKO standards. Teaching kids in this age can be a nightmare, not only since they are unmature, but also without fully developed body feeling and mind and lack of respect for the kite and safety. However, some kids develop skills in an early age which is a big advantage since it’s much easier to learn advanced tricks in a young age while your body still is strong and healthy. Just remember when you were young and climbed in trees like a monkey, jumped from roofs and dived from cliff at 10 meter high without fear for braking your legs and back. Then when you reach 30+ jumping from a chair to the floor is simply not something you do without taking a potential risk of fucking up your knees or even break something.

So imagine if this young talent Davi gets the possibility to continue kitesurf and develop his skills… I think this kid might become a new champ when he reach an older age!
A problem though is that Davi comes from a poor family and for his father to afford a real kite equipment is simply not possible… But there is a fund to which you can make a small donation:
https://www.vakinha.com.br/VaquinhaP.aspx?e=161509
So let’s raise some money so we can enjoy this young talents struggle to becoming a new world kitesurfing champ!

RRD Obsession 2012 is a 4-line high performance freestyle kite with 5 struts. The Obsession has a strong durable construction with full dacron wingtips and reinforcements at the exposed parts such as the strut ends as well as the cross stitched Leading Edge. The kite has a great stability and a fast turning speed. In fact the shape of the kite has been reamped in order to improve the turning speed for the bigger sizes and a bit slowed down for the smaller sizes. The bar pressure is light, so you can ride all day long with out fucking up your elbows or getting pain in your underarms. The Obsession is an exceptional kite for unhooked tricks and it is perfectly trimmed even when fully powered. It flies with lots of forward speed and massive pops. The construction also allow the rider to jump high and enjoy a great hang time. Water relaunch is easy and the safety system works flawlessly. Nuff said, watch the movie and see the Obsession in action!

Looking for a great Kiteboarding holidays? Amazing Scuba diving for no wind days? Crazy night life or relaxing family Resorts?
Welcome to the unmatchable Carribean destination: Playa del Carmen.

Playa Del Carmen is right in the middle of The Riviera Maya, also known as the Mayan Riviera,  a tourism district following the coastal Highway 307 which parallels the Caribbean coastline of the Mexican state of Quintana Roo, located on the eastern portion of the Yucatan peninsula.

Originally a small fishing town, Playa del Carmen, or just “Playa” as called by the Locals, became a world famous Scuba Diving destination right on top of the second longest barrier reef system in the world and  rapidly  developped over the past few  years with many new luxury residential condominium buildings, restaurants, boutiques and entertainment venues.

This is the place for sailing, Jet skiing, snorkeling,scuba diving , swimming in cenotes, swimming with dolphins, zip lining, horse riding, guided jungle tours and recently KITEBOARDING.

KITESURFING SPOTS in Playa del Carmen area:

SANDOS PLAYACAR RESORT/PDC KITEBOARDING SCHOOL:

The beach of the Sandos Playacar Resort in playacar Hotel Zone is the main Kiteboarding Spot in the Area and also the only Authorized Kite beach and School of Playa del Carmen.
Starting from the Sandos Playacar Resort toward south, you will find a designated  mile long white sandy Kiteboarding  beach with no rocks, no obstacles and a lot of space to rig and launch/Land your Kites.

Right on spot is PDC KITEBOARDING SCHOOL, the only Authorized kiteboarding School of Playa del Carmen, which offers IKO beginner courses with International certifications, Equipment rental and supervision, Equipment sale and Demos.

The staff is very friendly and speaks up to 6 different languages.

On site you will find toilets, Shower and fresh water tank to rinse your gear off.
The Resort offers 12% discount on your online Resort booking if you come for Kiteboarding. Ask PDC Kiteboarding to get the “Promotional Code”.
WHEN TO COME:

The Wind season is from October till the end of May ( Sometime mid June). You should be able to ride 4/5 days a week during this period.

Windguru forecast: https://www.windguru.cz/es/index.php?sc=133819

Wind is usually from 13 to 22 Knots on the Caribbean coast and works with NE, E, SE and S.
NE wind is usually the best as it is a bit colder, denser and pulls much more.
When the wind turns North (Called here “El Norte”), it blows from 25 to 35+ knots, and then you need to go to Isla Blanca Lagoon north of Cancun(ask PDC Kiteboarding about Lagoon excursion).

 

ACCOMODATION IN Playa Del Carmen FOR KITEBOARDERS:

• If you are coming to learn and take your IKO certification course, if you like All inclusive Resorts, if you to have your family doing their own activities few feet away from the Kite area or if you just want to be as closed as possible from the Kiteboarding School and spot, the best option for you is to stay at the Sandos Playacar Resort which is right next to the spot.

Also, as a Kiteboarder, you can get 12 % of your All Inclusive Resort booking with the special promotional code. Get in touch with pdckiteboarding@gmail.com to get the code.

• If you prefer small hotels downtown (only 7min by taxi to get to the Kite school/spot), there are hundreds of them right in the center of PDC.

Have a look at “La rana Cansada”, https://www.ranacansada.com/.

KITEBOARDING SCHOOL IN PLAYA DEL CARMEN:

PDC KITEBOARDING, www.pdckiteboarding.com.

Info at pdckiteboarding@gmail.com.

FLIGHT INFORMATION:

From Europe the cheapest is to fly from Brussels Airport, Belgium with www.jetairfly.com , straight to Cancun.
Plenty of flights from USA and CANADA.

Another nice video from BEST filmed in Portugal. The whole BEST team gathered to fine tune the final parts for the 2013 collection of kites and boards.

Naish has really put a lot of effort into their promo videos for their kiteboarding gear 2013. We´re not talking about just one video, but a whole bunch of them! The Park, The Torch, The Ride, every model has its own promo video as well as the boards and the new light wind kite, Naish Fly.

Gear Preview for the 2013 Collection

The 2013 Park


2013 Naish Torch

2013 Naish Ride

2013 Naish Fly

For further information about Naish Kites, check out Naish Kitesurf.

Dimitri Maramenides is back with a new kickass video! Dimitri delivers as usual with some insane old school tricks, backrool kiteloops and other crazy tricks that for an intermediate rider you and me probably would end with a broken rib or two :P

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

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.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Related External Links

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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

 

Related External Links

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Ruben Lenten rides the Fuel. Youri Zoon rides the RPM. Wy aren’t both of them on the same kite? We all know that the Fuel is a pure C-kite and that the RPM is a Hybrid C-kite. Is that the only difference between the two? Of course not! We decided to dig deeper into this matter to once for all stake out the differences between the Fuel and the RPM. Not only did we we try the two kites our selfes, but letting a group of Slingshot riders give us their feedback on the two models.

The Fuel

As we´ve seen in numerous videos on the net many riders that are into insane kiteloops ride with the Fuel. The reason is that the Fuel turns a little more open which creates a lot of energy while you loop it into the powerzone. However the performances of the Fuel also depends on the settings you choose, you can choose between wake and freestyle.
The wake setting means more low-end power and grunt. The kite will turn slower, have less depower, pull more during turns and it will deliver a higher bar pressure. The freestyle setting is basically the opposite. These settings are usually found on most kites and it´s nothing special really. The closer you attach the front lines to the wing tips the deeper the kite sits in the wind window which will change its properties a bit.

The Fuel will give you a bit more load and pop perfomance. The kite is also less sensitive to slack in the lines. People that are into mobes normally prefer the Fuel before the RPM for these reasons. Another great advantage with the Fuel is that you don’t have to trim the kite when you perform unhooked tricks.

Gust handling. The Fuel is not really known for its great ability to handle gusty wind. Flying a Fuel in gusty conditions is fully possible, but it will drain a lot more of your energy since the kite will put more strain on your body compared to the RPM that has the ability to absorb gusts in a better way. Flying an RPM for 2-3 hours in gusty conditions is like flying a Fuel for 1 hour, that’s how tiring it is to fly the Fuel when it´s gusty. In smooth constant wind conditions the Fuel is a killer.

Other drawbacks with the Fuel is the less wind range and the water relaunch is easier with the RPM. However, for being a c-kite the water relaunch is very good!

The RPM

Like the Fuel, the RPM can be tuned to fit your desired style by changing the settings. Attach the front lines to the wake setting and set the rear lines to the slower setting and you´ll end up with a RPM that almost has exactly the same characteristics as the Fuel. The bar pressure is about the same, the RPM is somewhat faster and turns a little more closely.

The RPM may advantageously be flown when it´s gusty and it´s more forgiving than the Fuel. The depower is better and so is the wind range. During jumps the RPM will give you a longer hang time. One can say that the RPM is a more versatile kite than the Fuel. If the Fuel and the RPM were brothers, the RPM would definitely be the little brother, a less extreme version of Fuel, the big brother.

Conclusion

Selecting between the Fuel and the RPM is not an easy task. It´s of course  a question about your riding style. If you´re into mobes and freaked out kiteloops, then go for the Fuel. Are you looking for a more versatile all-round kite, then the RPM might be your first choice. However, another probably even more important factor when choosing between the Fuel and the RPM is your local wind conditions. Are you spoiled with solid constant condition, then the Fuel should definitely be your first choice! But the Fuel will kick your ass in gusty conditions, so you might feel more comfortable with the RPM. It is not surprising that many riders have a quiver of RPM’s mixed with one or two Fuels to be used when the conditions are right.

Both the RPM and the Fuel are great kites and you can’t really go wrong with any of them, but remember to keep your local conditions in mind since this will greatly effect your buying decision.

For further information and reviews about the RPM and the Fuel, check out www.slingshotfuelkite.com

Related External Links

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