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“There was always something happening, but there was never quite the pressure you feel at a traditional competition. People were there to ride, hang out, talk, watch other people ride, and have a good time. That’s probably the biggest difference between the Marina Meltdown and a normal competition. It feels more like a trip with your friends than a competition.”
Marina Meltdown, a kite festival held at the Hood River Marina, stands out for being more than just a standard competition. Photographer Andre Magarao tells us all that went down.
“Eight days on the Lofoten Islands taught us that some of the best moments happen exactly when you stop following the sensible plan. We had come to northern Norway to shoot ION’s upcoming Fall/Winter collection, athletes, photographers, filmmakers and crew arriving from different corners of Europe. Like every trip, there was a plan. Like every good trip, reality had other ideas…”
Norway’s stunning Lofoten Islands were set to be the location for ION’s latest photoshoot. It sounded simple on paper, but the weather gods – and baggage handlers – had other ideas…
“I did not arrive in Peru at 100 percent, mentally. I had been going through a period of burnout, and I had hoped I would turn up full of energy and ready to make the most of every session. That was not really the case. Even after sleeping for hours, I often felt exhausted. The motivation was there, but not always the energy. Still, there was one thing that kept pulling me forward: the waves…”
After more than ten years of dreaming about Peru’s endless lefts, Julia Castro finally made the trip, and discovered much more than just perfect waves: a home away from home.
“I’d had three pretty sleepless nights, definitely not the best food or preparation, and I was exhausted. But this was the first-ever women’s division at Cold Hawaii, so I had to be ready to go for it. I was so tired throughout the whole competition day, but for some reason the moment my heat started, the energy just came from nowhere. For those few minutes on the water, everything switched on.”
When the green light was announced for the Cold Hawaii Big Air comp, riders had to mobilize quickly. Nathalie Lambrecht went on to win despite a hectic mission to get there.
“If I could give my younger self one piece of advice, it wouldn’t be to take more risks. I always was pretty good at that. It would be to worry less. I don’t regret moving across the world. I don’t regret chasing wind, waves and an unconventional life. What I do regret is how much time I spent worrying about losing it. Maybe that’s one of the things age has taught me.”
As Gabi Steindl turned 50 on her annual pilgrimage to Western Australia, she had time to not only catch some awesome swell, but also to reflect on her long career as a kitesurfer.
“Testing is all important, and being able to ride all disciplines of kiting at a high level means that I feel confident in my testing and own feedback. I know what riders want in their kite, be it wave, freestyle, Big Air, foil, as I can push it to fairly high levels all around. I have also just spent so much of my life with a kite in my hands that I feel really in tune with the gear.”
As Head Kite Designer at Naish, Ewan Jaspan is a busy man, but he made time in his testing schedule to tell us about life as a new dad and the latest version of the Psycho NVision.
“We bought the boat in France and started our journey around the world. We were supposed to travel for five years, but after five years we had only made it halfway around the world! Then Covid happened and we ended up “stuck” in New Caledonia, because the borders were closed. We definitely didn’t complain about that though and fell in love with the place.”
Growing up on a boat in New Caledonia means Phoebe Rocher gets to spend plenty of time on the water, helping propel her to the podium. We threw some questions at the rising star.
“We wanted to take what already works across the Airush range and push it further through improved performance, durability and ease of use. The main focus was an obsessive level of refinement. The common thread is making the equipment work better for each rider, whether that means more control, better response, easier progression or simply gear that lasts longer.”
With Airush Kiteboarding’s 26-27 collection hitting the shelves, we caught up with Alex Pastor, current Airush CEO and product developer, to find out what they’ve been working on.
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