A few months ago we got a phone call from one of the editors at Men’s Journal. They were looking to do a story on fun things to do over labor day weekend and wanted to feature kiteboard lessons at Jetty Island. Jason provided them with an interview about our program and we eagerly awaited the magazine to hit the stands. Our friend Jim Stringfellow even got his photo of Josh Mlakar hitting a slider out at the Steady Jetty featured in the article. Here’s what it said:
“All of the universe’s learn-to-kiteboard elements are in perfect alignment in late August and early September on Jetty Island, an unpopulated sandbar a half-mile offshore from the Port of Everett. There’s wind steady as a blow-dryer, surprisingly warm shallow water, and a kiting school offering one-on-one sessions with a Jet Ski-mounted instructor who gets you upwind in addition to doling out the usual personal attention. The result? All the rush-inducing parts of kiting without the boring, hard part, so you get hooked immediately and progress quickly. Seattle Kiteboarding Center will set you up with a six-hour lesson and then let you demo gear the rest of the weekend to polish your new skills against the backdrop of bald eagles soaring and the shadows of Baker and Rainier looming.”
Don’t forget to snag a copy at your local magazine stand! Interested in learning how to fly those Slingshot kiteboarding kites you see on the beach? Check out our Seattle kiteboarding lessons program.
If someone becomes separated from their kite and is far out, they may need help getting back to the beach. Besides helping someone out, this can also be a lot of fun. During the Kiteboarding 4 Cancer weekend earlier in July, one of our buddies had a out-valve the failed after a hard crash. His kite quickly deflated into a soggy mess. It was hard to even spot him in the water without the big beacon of a kite to define him. Jason ended up dragging him in using a Slingshot kite that was big enough to carry them both to safety..
1. Ride up the kite downwind of them.
2. Tell them to put their board on and grab the back of your harness. (We like the Mystic Warrior harness which has a nice handle on the back to grab onto)
3. Once you are ready to go, tell them not to stand up on the board until you say so.
4. You will need more power than usual to pull two people out of the water. Aggressively dive the kite into the power zone.
5. As you direct the kite back up, tell the other rider to stand. This is the hardest step, because now there will be a lull in power until you dive the kite again.
6. You will probably need to head to head downwind a little to keep both riders going.
More advanced rescue techniques from the Kiteboarder Magazine. Read the full article here. It doesn’t matter whether you’re a seasoned kiteboarder or you’re out there for your first time after going through the whole lesson process, at some point you are going to drop your kite in the water. Truth be told, there are definitely kites out there on the market that relaunch better than others. For instance, the Best Kahoona V2 kite, and even the used kiteboarding kites, rolls over and relaunches in no time where some of the c-kites out there take a little more finesse and technique. If you come across someone in the water who can’t relaunch their kite on their own, follow these steps:
To launch a downed kite, first check with the rider and explain what you will do so they are ready. They may not want you to launch the kite for some reason, so make sure you communicate first.
1. Ride towards the kite, ready to grab the leading edge with one hand while you fly your kite with the other.
2. As you approach, slow down and grab the leading edge above the center of the kite. This will give you leverage to flip the kite up.
3. Power up your kite to help flip over the downed kite as you ride away.
4. As you ride away, let your hand slide down the leading edge as the kite launches. Keep your kite low and ride away as quickly as possible.
Slingshot sports just released the latest Slingshot kite to hit their line-up. The new Slingshot Rally represents the first “Open Delta C” kite which samples DNA from both the Fuel and RPM but with benefits of a delta shape. The delta shape gives a “pivot-like” turning speed, lots of low end and grunt. Our favorite features of delta kites are the super quick relaunch which makes it the perfect kite for wave riding. A delta shape also makes for tons of range which we need in our gusty fall and winter winds that will be here before we know it.
Thanks to a simple, three-strut design, the kite has a light weight feel and unmatched stability and upwind performance. Did we mention the jumps are especially lofty on this kite? We have a 14m Rally in the shop right now for a demo and couldn’t be more impressed with the kite.
The International Kitesurfing Association is petitioning to have the sport of kitesurf racing included in the 2016 Olympics that are slated to be held in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil. They have come up with a series of videos to show the ins and outs of kitesurf racing, and all the people involved, young and old. The sport uses the same layout and very similar rules to sailboat racing which is already included in the Olympics so we hope this won’t be too much of a stretch for the Olympic Committee to consider it.
We recently sponsored a really successful race series up at Jetty Island in Washington which is the same place where the teach lessons. The wind delivered and we were able to get about 6 races in on one day. The gear that was used ranged all over the board from slingshot kiteboarding kites to best kiteboarding kites. Some new, some old, surfboards and twin tips all made an appearance. Stay tuned for more of these videos to come.
Slinghot kiteboarding has always been known for just that: kiteboarding. We’ve built our shop around Slingshot kites from the beginning. But you might not know that Slingshot has been one of the fastest growing wakeboard companies on the market over the last few years. They brought innovative technology to the world of wakeboarding by incorporating flex into their decks, much like snowboards, for unparalleled pop. They also created binding reminiscent of snowboard bindings and quickly took the wakeboarding market by storm.
They’ve also come onto the scene this year with a wakesurfer called the Slingshot arcane. The industry was really hurting for more high performance, dialed-in wakesurfers and they came to the table to play ball. Best part: it doubles as a light wind machine for mushy waves when kitesurfing. Check out their latest video to see the Slingshot team in action.
I love the tutorials that Best kiteboarding puts out on their video page. Sure you could learn how to do some really technical wakestyle tricks like a Mobe 7 but let’s be honest. Those tricks are more for the pro rider than the average Jetty Island lawn mower. But if you want to start by adding a simple yet steezy new trick to your repertoire, consider a tail grab.
1. Come in with your kite at a 45 degree
2. Pull in on your back hand to send your kite up and past 12 o clock
3. On your way up, tuck your knees into your chest
4. Reach down with your back hand to grab the tail of your board.
5. On your way down, pull on your lead hand to steer the kite back in the direction you’re going
6. Bend your knees to absorb the shock as you land.
7. Point your board slightly downwind and ride away
If you’re just starting out and aren’t sure where to start with gear, there’s always the option of going with used kitesboarding kites which we have a ton of right now. For boards, you can’t go wrong with the Best Spark kiteboard in one of the larger sizes to make it easy to get up and planing in the beginning stages of learning.
Our buddy Nick (aka Sick Nick on PSkite) is our local guru when it comes to riding strapless. He’s been making these awesome videos to share his knowledge about strapess kitesurfing with all the noobs out there. In his latest video, he shows covers the Duck Tack transition. He recommends being able to nail a basic gybe before you tackle this more advanced maneuver. And if you’re wondering what the heck a duck tack is, it’s basically a transition that you can do without sacrificing any upwind ground, which is handy for getting out past breaking waves.
1. Bring your kite up high and edge hard upwind
2. Pull on your back hand
3. Position your stance further back than usual
4. Push hard on your back foot and turn the board directly into the wind.
5. You may need to sheet out your kite a bit
6. Send your kite gently in the opposite direction
7. Switch feet by shuffling, just like you would in a normal gybe
8. Send your kite aggressively now and point the board downwind so you don’t sink into the water (looping the kite will force you to commit to the maneuver)
HINT: Nail down each step before moving onto the next.
Certain kitesurfing kites will be easier than others for doing this manuever. A hybrid delta like the Best Kahoona V2 kite will sheet out nicely but still turn fast and loop if you want it to. Also, the Slingshot Arcane kitesurf board is one of our favorite directionals for riding strapless whether you’re attached to a kite or surfing in the big wake of a boat.
The Cabrinha Race Series at Jetty Island wrapped-up on Saturday with a huge success. We had planned on having both Saturday and Sunday to run the races in case the wind only cooperated for a short while each down. But lucky us, the wind couldn’t have been ANY better. It had to have been one of the best days of the whole summer on Saturday. The wind blew a steady 13mph from 1pm-8pm which allowed us to run all 6 races with plenty of time to spare. In fact, we didn’t hold the skippers meeting until 4:30 with races starting at 5:00.
Cabrinha came out in full force, showing up with a traveling RV full of their Youth Empire teamriders and racing legend Damien Leroy. Unfortunately, a slight back problem kept him from racing on Saturday which was probably better for everyones egos anyways. However, he was nice enough to hold a little race clinic for everyone and shared his racing strategy secrets with all of us.
Some of the other big names that showed up from Cabrinha were Melissa Gil, Matt Elsasser, and Matt Collins. They offered demos of all the latest Cabrinha kiteboarding kites like the Switchblade and Crossbow.
Hometown favorite Adam Vance took home the trophy. However, it wasn’t just fancy race boards with their CNC’d fins on the course. I saw everything from Best kiteboarding kites like the Kahoona to Slingshot RPMS. Big thanks to all the sponsors who helped make this happen particularly Cabrinha, the Port of Everett, the Everett Yacht Club, Transcend, Dakine and Hyperflex Kiteboarding. Everyone had a great time! We can’t wait to do more races next year now that we got all the kinks ironed out and learned how to run an organized race series.
Back in the day, 5-line kites were the norm since they were the key to easier relaunch and safety. But now, most all manufacturers have focused their efforts on perfecting SLE (supported leading edge), bow, and hybrid delta kites. Because the kites are able to relaunch efficiently, have more wind range, better depower, and improved safety, they are the obvious choice for consumers.
You’ll want to keep an eye on your bridle though and keep it in good shape. Otherwise if you neglect to maintain your bridle system and it breaks during a session, it could render your safety system useless and put your kite into a nasty spin. In this article from The Kiteboarder magazine, the kite repair pros at Airtime give some tips on maintaining your bridles.
-When pulleys get clogged with sand, it can be very abrasive on your lines so check the areas where your pulleys rub. The pulleys should glide effortlessly across the lines so make sure to keep them rinsed out and clean.
-If you have a used kiteboarding kite, you’ll also want to check the sheaths at the end of your lines to make sure the stitching isn’t pulling apart.
-Inspect the connection points where the bridle is secured to the leading edge. This area rubs on the ground and will get worn down easily.
-If your bridle is worn and needs replacement but only on a certain line, take it into your local shop and they should be able to make you a replacement spectra piece so you don’t have to buy a whole new bridle.
-It should go without saying but if any of your bridle or flying lines break, don’t just tie a knot because this can cause imbalance and can be dangerous.
Keep in mind that by inspecting your gear often, cleaning it, and replacing parts immediately if they are worn, you can greatly prolong the life of your Best kiteboarding kites or any other brand for that matter.
