Legends in Sync

Can you walk us through how the idea for the synchronized loop came about?

Samu: When I came to Cape Town this year, I had in mind to do something different and unique, and I thought about doing a synchronized kiteloop. When I got a call from Harlem for a shoot and they told me that Lorenzo and Aaron were the riders, I thought it was the perfect opportunity to make it happen. It is impossible to have a better duo, considering all the history behind their careers.  I suggested to the guys to give it a try and they didn’t hesitate to say yes.

Aaron: Samu had just won the GKA ‘Photo of the Year’ and we talked about how to bag the award again for next year. What’s better than a short line loop? Maybe two synchronized? I was sure we could line it up.

Lorenzo: Before entering the water, the three of us chatted on the beach about how to pull it off. The conditions were perfect so we went for it and nailed it.

Samu, how do you feel having achieved this with Aaron and Lorenzo?

Honestly, this has been something really special for me. My work aside, I’ve always been a huge fan of kiting, and having the opportunity to do this with Aaron, who to me is the most complete rider in history and one of my favorites for everything he has achieved in his career, alongside Lorenzo, the rising star of the sport, as well as one of the people I get along with best, is just amazing. I couldn’t have asked for a better duo for this shot – Aaron, the GOAT, and Lorenzo, who is going to achieve everything he sets his mind to in his career. It’s something very hard to repeat. These photos have a lot of history behind them.

Tell us about the spot, Misty Cliffs.

Lorenzo: For me, Misty Cliffs is one of the best spots in the world when it’s working, and that day was just perfect – proper wind, big waves, and the background is simply amazing for getting epic videos and photos.

Samu: It’s one of the most beautiful places in the world for shooting water sports. It has a spectacular background and incredible light… We could hardly have done it better than in this setting.

And what about the gear set-up? 

Aaron: I was using an 8m Harlem Thrive with 14m lines.

Lorenzo: I was also riding the 8m Thrive, with 10m lines, the perfect setup for some short line loops.

And how difficult was it to time it so perfectly? 

Aaron: It was really hard to get the sync so perfect. You can’t just ride next to each other, you really have to calculate the distance and angle that you can loop together without tangling. In the end I decided to go slightly upwind and behind Lorenzo – with my lines being longer this meant the kites would be closer together in the shot at the critical time. This also meant I could track Lorenzo and control my loop to match his. Knowing how he rides I could anticipate when he would take off, allowing me to react quickly and jump almost at the same time. With the loop of the kite there is also a bit of margin so I could adjust my timing to make sure it matched in the air. It’s not really the case that you can both just send it and it works out. Maybe you could be lucky, but I found it actually took quite a lot of processing and calculation to line up the jump and loop at the same time.

Lorenzo: Yes it was really hard to get the perfect timing and difficult to get the right takeoff on the same wave, especially because Aaron needed to stay further upwind to avoid getting tangled. Mostly waves break at different times if you’re downwind and upwind.

How many attempts did you try?

Aaron: We probably tried around five times, the main risk of course getting tangling – this would mainly happen on the downloop after the loop. Luckily we know each other’s style and were able to match the loop, so it never really felt like it would happen.

Lorenzo: Yes we really had to ensure we didn’t get too close and had to loop the kite with perfect timing. At that height, getting tangled would be a big impact.

Samu, was it a challenge capturing the shots? 

It wasn’t my first time shooting at Misty Cliffs, I wanted to go there 100%. Getting the shot with the perfect alignment of the kites, both riders, and the landscape wasn’t easy at all… That spot is always filled with waves that don’t break in the same place every time, so it was tricky to align everything. But with Lorenzo and Aaron, nothing is really impossible. After several attempts, we got the perfect sequence, and I’m super happy that even though it wasn’t easy at all, we managed to get what we were aiming for.

Aaron, as a 5x World Champion who has shaped the sport as we see it today, how does it feel to see riders and team mates like Lorenzo push the sport even further? 

It’s always nice to see; for sure my position in the sport is changing as I grow older, and I love to ride with these younger guys as it motivates me to ride better. Now I am also much more open to help the next generations and with Lorenzo it is great to develop gear knowing that it really helps him push his limits and push the sport. He is super competitive and very focused and determined. He has the dream to dominate the sport and is really excited to kite nonstop.

Lorenzo, you’ve grown up watching Aaron’s riding – what’s it like to ride and do a trick together with someone who has shaped the sport? 

Growing up watching Aaron, and now being able to ride with him on the same team, is just an amazing feeling. Riding with him and having him as a teammate really helps me, thanks to all the experience he’s gained over all these years of kiting. He is a living legend in the world of kiting, and an incredibly humble and very professional person even after so many years. It was truly fortunate to be able to meet him. I learn so much from him every day that I am lucky enough to spend time with him.

Are there any tricks or styles from each other’s riding that you’d love to take into your own? 

Aaron: I believe riding the same gear already makes our styles come closer together a little bit. I think in some ways we are already similar, having the ability and consistency to replicate a trick time and time again. There is no one thing in particular but riding with him always inspires me to push myself and learn that next new trick.

Lorenzo: I really admire all the unhooking that Aaron can do and it is definitely something that I want to involve in my riding in the next few years especially all the kiteloop handlepasses.

You often compete in the same event. As teammates do you naturally push each other to go bigger, or is there still a bit of healthy competition between you?

Aaron: I think we are at such different stages of our careers that the dynamic is just different. I think he has so much confidence in his riding he has faith that he can beat anybody at any time. I still believe I have the ability to compete at the highest level although behind the scenes Lorenzo is 100% dedicated to winning and of course at my age there are other roles and responsibilities that take up a certain amount of that time.

Lorenzo: For sure being on the same team helps us push each other more in training and competitions, always wanting to improve and take something out of each other’s riding.

Aaron, you’re now involved in the product development at Harlem and the design of the latest kites like the Thrive. How does it feel to see it in the hands of Lorenzo pushing the limits of the sport on the gear you are developing?

It’s great, both for consumers and for me. I just love to have the opportunity to create the best gear possible, and there is nothing better than being totally at one and confident in your gear. We are working on amazing packages for the market at all levels and a focus is making sure that those kites are not only easy to use, but also able to extract amazing performance. This year we have some exciting new releases that I am really happy with; I know Lorenzo will be able to push himself with this gear and hopefully even have a bit of an advantage in competition because of it.

Can you give us more clues about the new gear?!

I would say first and foremost a kite has to be commercial – in the end a kite has to be user friendly and have performance. I am always pushing for the highest performance and we try to balance that with a kite that can also be pushed from all levels. Surprisingly sometimes that comes hand in hand. We have the PEAK, a new 5-strut Big Air machine coming out soon – we have already seen some amazing results from this one. We are currently tweaking the final designs with feedback from Lorenzo and I’m excited for the release of this one!

How do you see the sport evolving from here in terms of short lines? 

Aaron: It is always hard to tell, I see the level getting closer and closer together. Short lines are becoming popular and can become a big part of the sport although I am not sure it is the future of technical competitions.

Lorenzo: Short lines are synonymous with a low kite angle, and therefore extreme radicality. In the last two years, Big Air has increasingly favored a low kite, so there is a certain convergence between the two worlds. However, height will always make a difference, and at the moment they are still two disciplines that require separate competitions. It is certainly a fascinating world, still partly to be discovered in its possible variations. We will also have to wait and see whether the novelty effect, from which super loops benefit today, will pass, and how much long term appeal it will have.

Finally, if you had to describe each other’s riding in just three words, what would it be?!

Aaron: Calculated – Consistent – Fearless

Lorenzo: Style – Experience – Power