Kiteworld Magazine

When I was covering a GKA Kite World Tour event at Sotavento two years ago, I sat on the judges tower after everyone had left at the end of the day and watched Airton Cozzolino and Matchu Lopes tear a small shorebreak to bits. They were best of frien

After the GKA Kite World Cup Morocco, Airton Cozzolino (CV) and Carla Herrera-Oria (ESP) were confirmed World Champions with one round still to go in Brazil (as we go to print). Their consistent domination throughout this year’s tour stops means they

Airush’s completely redesigned quick release IQR system allows for a singlehanded release and easy reset. Click in and go: Airush have kept it simple on the outside but what lies within is a complex engineering design that enables the release to know

The first World Beach Games, tipped as ‘The Olympics for Beach Sports’ took place in Doha, where 40 selected men and women used registered Formula Kite equipment to contest numerous close races over the course of the week. Despite the 40 degree air t

Time to fess up. It’s true that although we’re pretty close, we’re not perfect (well, the editorial team isn’t anyway. The accounts and marketing team like the sound of their own drum beat, though...) Firstly, we’re sorry for our part in the negative

This is a busy time of year for the guys at RedBull ZA - sifting through the copious 2020 KOTA video entries to determine which 14 lucky riders will get a place in the qualifiers. These 14 riders will be accompanied by the four satellite competition

Mees called me up one night in late July and asked if I could join him the following day as the weather was going to be perfect for shots. I picked him up after work and we drove from the city to the 2nd Maasvlakte, which is a familiar spot in the ki

Pete Cabrinha, Laird Hamilton, Kai Lenny, Dave Kalama, Robby Naish, Paige Alms, Albee Layer, Dakine Hawaii, Cabrinha, Naish, Jaws, Honolulu Bay, Ho’okipa and Kite Beach... These are but a few of the internationally known names of athletes, brands and

After last issue’s ‘Foil or Tube Kite’ commentary, I’m going to swiftly move on to another hot topic in kiteboarding – whether thou shalt ride waves strapped or strapless. It’s another question that seems to induce certain factions of the kiteboardin

The rotor blades reverberated with a familiar ‘whop-whopwhop’ as the helicopter touched down on the dull, grey, frozen surface. Polar guide Carl Alvey bundled out with his two clients as snow crystals filled the air, blasted into a frenzy by the down

Born in 1994, Airton is now 25, but was just nine when he first held a kite. When an Italian guy who owned a kite school in Cape Verde came into his life in 2004, Airton’s future pathway opportunities changed. Libero saw a kid rich with talent and en

If you’re looking for smooth, comfortable progression, you’ve found the right location. You’ve probably seen alluring action videos from many pro riders and teams that were shot here, but the TCI’s (Turks and Caicos Islands) are especially ideal for

Although she also loves to kite in the water, Marie-Eve Mayrand chooses to live in Calgary in Canada because of the winter snowkite opportunities. She has managed to develop a flexible, remote-working lifestyle and frequently frees up time to visit t

Fast forward six months after documenting my first week as a fledgling foiler... and I am afraid to say that very little progression had occurred. Why? Well, I got stuck pondering what foil set-up to buy and it seems I wasn’t yet confident enough to

As with other extreme races, one of the hardest decisions to make for VAKE was choosing the right kites to pack. They add to the weight of the sled, so it’s important to choose strategically while staying light. This was difficult as I was so used to

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The Element footstraps are the nuts. If you’re looking for an after-market upgrade for your favourite board, these are very adjustable: the straps themselves have a huge range of tightness and the attachment to the board offers lots of possible angle

I built every part of the conversion myself — you can teach yourself anything on YouTube! I literally started with no knowledge but went from zero to hero, learning isolation, carpet lining, carpentry and electrics. In my experience you need to be pr

Do you consider yourself a relatively skilled kiteboarder? Are you ready for some new moves but not really sure where to start? Here are ten of our favourite tricks that look and feel great, but are surprisingly easy and achievable: The simple back

This is one of the first moves I learned on a strapless board and it’s a trick that I still love to do. Getting this move cracked is also useful because you can then switch from heelside to toeside just before you hit a lip or when you want to find a