Recent features from the print magazine...
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Ewan Jaspan has transitioned from talented – largely park – rider to Kite Designer at Naish while still managing to consistently claim podium places and rank as World Champion. It was time to put him under the microscope with questions from his fellow Naish team riders and park competitors. He’s come back with some great insights into his career and the industry, and a wise word of advice or two. Thanks Ewan!
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Most of us know it’s important to wear sunscreen when we’re kiting, and those of us who also ski or snowboard will usually wear sunscreen and goggles or sunglasses when on the snow. But it’s not that common to see kiters wearing eye protection while on the water, and this is something the recently founded, non-profit organization SkinEye wants to address. To help promote the importance of wearing eye and skin protection when kiting, they set themselves the challenge of achieving the fastest ever tandem kite run… At the Prince of Speed 2024 Farrel Cup in Gruissan, southern France, SkinEye President Yann Derrien and Salim Ejnaini did just that, achieving 30.9 knots along a 500m run. We spoke to Salim, who is registered blind, having had eye cancer as a child. Given only a 10% chance of surviving to the age of 10, he is now 32 years old and has just started kitesurfing, and it sounds like his tandem achievement is just the beginning of his kite journey…
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You know how it is when you and a friend decide to do a downwinder. You leave a car further down the coast, jump in together and let the stoke build as you head up to that starting point. There is something so satisfying knowing that every kilometer you are driving back up the coast is time you can spend cruising downwind. No checking where you are on the beach; no long tacks back out to sea, no stress when you realize you have ridden a wave for way longer than you had planned to… It feels a little like beating the system… Well. Imagine that feeling but, rather than having 15 or 20 kilometers of downwind-only water awaiting you, you’ve got over 300km. In fact, the drive back from the end of the Sertões downwinder to the start takes over five hours… Welcome to the largest long-distance kitesurf rally on the planet: welcome to the Sertões Kite Rally.
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We’ve known James Boulding since he was knee high to a grasshopper and have watched him grow from accomplished rider to talented photographer to Marketing Manager at Cabrinha, perhaps the industry’s only Marketing Manager who also takes the majority of their brand’s publicity photos. As a side hustle he’s also a mean barista and cocker spaniel whisperer… Here he reflects on some of his recent snaps from Cabrinha’s photoshoot in Fuerteventura for their 2025 product launch.
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It’s been that time of year again when the industry’s top freestyle and park riders head to Taiba, Brazil to bang out their best moves. Photographer Andre Magarao was there as ever to capture their sessions on camera. We hear from Andre and riders Gianmaria Coccoluto, Lucas Muzio, Matteo Dorotini, Maxime Chabloz, Noè Font and Ramiro Gallart about how the season went down…
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Having recently celebrated its 10th birthday, the Kite Park League took its Team Battle format, a team-oriented video-style contest, to Taiba, Brazil. Over the course of a week, four teams went head-to-head to showcase the best of progressive kiteboarding. We’ll let competitor Xander Raith explain more…
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Antoine Ollivier, who hails from New Caledonia, is a 2x French Champion and the 2023 GKA Junior World Champion. We thought we’d find out more about him and the gear he rides. Photos Kerli Halliste
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There’s a new kid on the block… Germany-based brand AOUA. We chatted to founder Jan Alexander Rudolph about how the brand started, what makes them stand out from existing brands, and how their current range is looking.
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Harlem have added some brand-new additions to their range, the Peak kite – a Big Air machine – and the Ascent twintip. Aaron Hadlow gave us the lowdown on the new gear. Photos Andy Troy and Craig Kolesky
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It’s been five years since kiting legend Kevin Langeree and designer Damien Girardin fused their talents – and their surnames – and launched their brand Reedin. We caught up with Damien about how the first half decade has gone, and about their latest product launches, including an exciting new lightwind model. Photos Andy Troy
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How do you become Kite-Surf World Champion after only two years on the World Tour?! Well, living right on the coast is a good start, then a few formative years of ripping at wakeboarding plus trips to places like Indonesia with its world-class waves isn’t gonna hurt. Gabriel Benetton is currently at the top of his game and giving his fellow competitors a run for their money…
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Nine years ago I made a decision that would change my life forever. I traded a traditional home for a life on four wheels. At the time, it seemed like an unconventional choice, and perhaps even a bit extreme. But as soon as I parked my motorhome by the ocean for the first time, I knew I had found my version of freedom. The feeling of stepping out of a small, cozy space into an expansive world of endless possibilities is something words struggle to capture.
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André Hänni Tortorelli is a Brazilian photographer who has captured numerous pros as well as regular kiters, mainly in Brazil and Portugal. He sent us some of his favorite shots so we thought we’d find out more about him…
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