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Hey guys, Kristen here with MACkite. I'm currently in Arizona picking up a new-to-us RV. I'm really enjoying it here, enjoying the desert scenery, the mountains, getting some good hiking in, and we're about to head to Florida. We want to get some videos out, and a good one that we wanted to touch base on is how to choose a board for the ladies or for your girlfriend. Let's get to it! Oftentimes I see ladies put on really, really small boards, and I think that we could benefit …

Foiling is here, and it is awesome. The feeling, almost indescribable. If one were to try, maybe the feeling of flying over Agrabah on a magic carpet would come close to capturing the magic. And, like anything worth doing, it comes with some risks. Riding several feet above the water, balancing on a board attached to what might as well be a katana… what could go wrong? The good news is with the proper safety gear the chance of bodily harm goes way down, meaning the chances of you living …

“Is wing foiling difficult to learn?” That’s the very first question most people ask before deciding whether it’s worth the effort or if they should scrap the idea and just live vicariously through a few YouTube videos of Kai Lenny doing superhuman things. While I can’t answer that question directly for you, I can shed some light on my experience learning to wing and the “do’s and don'ts” of the learning process. Like most people working at a kite shop in 2019 I saw one of the first wings …

How Many Liters of Volume Will Float Me?One question on every new winger’s mind is how many liters do I need in my wing board? Will it float me? Can I get away with a smaller size? Can I get one board to learn on that is small enough that I will never want to upgrade? 105L Wing Foil Boards and Up I’m an 185lb rider (add 5-10lbs with neoprene) that rides exclusively in freshwater. At 185lbs, what I have found is that a 120 liter board is buoyant enough to be very stable and easy to start o …

Many years ago, pro rider Chris Bobryk and I were kiteboard instructors here at MACkite. Our lesson center was right on the sugar-sand beach of Pere Marquette Park, in Muskegon, Michigan.We would ride as much as we possibly could before and after our lessons and I can remember Chris just hucking himself constantly. He was sending it on every tack. He was absolutely consumed with progressing his kiteboarding ability and it paid off for him in his pro career. I, on the other hand, did not have pro …

As any dedicated wind-chaser knows, it can be challenging to balance work, life and kiteboarding. Sometimes, we just can't get enough time on the water. Here are 3 simple tips to help you out! Subscribe to Wind Alerts via iKitesurf.com. Keep your gear with you at all times. Communicate with your significant other. The Alert iKitesurf.com is one of the most important sites/apps for kiteboarders who want real-time wind data from around the world. Not only can you access …

Differences in Hydrofoil SportsFoilboarding has recently exploded in popularity within the kiteboarding community. With a remarkably efficient design, hydrofoils allow riders to cross into that sub-10 knot threshold while still having a ton of fun. The same logic has been applied to surfing, SUP, windsurfing, and wakesurfing. Riding above the surface of the water, a foilboard gives you the illusion of what can only be described as floating. For kiteboarders in light wind areas, or other wave ri …

7 Steps to Becoming a Kiteboarder Have you seen someone kiteboarding while on vacation or at your local beach? Or maybe you saw a video on YouTube and were like, "what is that?" Your next thoughts were probably "how do they jump so high and land so soft", followed by "I want to do that!" For those of you that want to get started in the sport of kiteboarding but are not sure how, listed below are seven steps that will take you from watching on the beach to riding on the water. 1. Trainer kite …

MACkite Test Fest 2017 - Sunshine to beat the band, warm water, lots of beachgoers, and still no wind. On the other hand, with 2017 being the year that all of our brands decided to produce and bring out foils, the no-wind factor worked out darn near perfectly for us. With 3 watercraft on hand, we had loads of people up and shredding on the new foils. With the birth of almost 50 new foilers and plenty of additional experience for the veterans on the force, things are shaping up to be foil-friendl …

In this weeks episode I’ll be going to my sisters bachelorette party in vegas, then I’ll be making my way to interview my good friend Kara Mulder. Kara is a kiteboarder, the author of the flight attendant life and a digital nomad like myself. She has some amazing insights behind the community to be found in kiteboarding and travel. Before we get into the rules: A quick reminder, like driving it's always your responsibility to avoid a collision, even if you have the right away. You ca …

New kiteboarding locations can be intimidating. In this Vlog I'll be covering how to assess a new spot, as well as a few important reminders. These tips will be especially helpful if you're traveling to a location like Hood River, OR. A busy month  Speaking of the Hood, I've spent the last few weeks wrapping up some work in the Pacific North West. From Seattle to Squamish back down to Hood River. It's been eventful to say the least. Fortunately, I was able to get some time on the wat …

In this Vlog, we’re going to be covering how to pack your kiteboarding bag. The first thing to talk about when packing a kite bag is what kind of bag do you have or do you want. Why a golf bag?  A lot of people who are kiting will go with a golf bag or a bag that can be disguised as a golf bag. Namely, because airlines don't charge for those. Some airlines charge $200 for kiteboarding equipment, which seems very unreasonable. So the bag I chose is pretty simple, …

Thanks for checking out this post! This blog is a part of a larger series of electric-specific blogs. If you find yourself needing more information on electric bikes or electric skateboards, head on over to our new electric website, electricbikeplace.com. Electric Bike Place is all about having fun and experiencing biking and skating to its fullest. Learn more and visit our blog here... First Impressions of the M1 Electric Skateboard This past week we were fortunate enough to …

MACkite Talks 2017 Cabrinha Fireball Hey guys, it's Nathan from MACkite. We’re going to talk about the all-new 2017 Cabrinha Fireball system. The big question this year is going to be - ‘why to get a new Fireball system?’ We’ve been used to loops for years and they’ve worked very well for most situations, and now Cabrinha really threw a wrench in our entire plan for how we connect to our kites. Now, for the last however many years, we’ve been using a loop-and-hook system, and that’s been wor …

Summer Memories With RyGoUpdate about September - Pumpkin Spice Latte is now available! While one of us (read: me) is excited for this season, all of us around the shop are rather nostalgic of the summer days gone away. RyGo's summer was one of trying new things, enjoying MACkite as a full time employee, and experiencing cable riding. Read through as he reflects on his Michigan Summer.RyGo's Michigan Summer"This was my first summer as a full timer at MACkite. I have been instructing here for the …