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Surf foiling has been on my radar for a while now. I took the winter to work on my surfing skills so I could get into some rolling waves on less than ideal days. I learned a lot from Ewan and he actually changed the way I might approach picking a wing setup. Recently, the novelty of pumping and connecting waves has caught everyone's attention. Riding high aspect foils is a great way to make this process easier to learn, but it can be a double-edged sword. On one hand, you can pump and …

Choosing a wetsuit can be as easy or complicated as you like. Last fall I did a video on choosing one for a colder climate. I covered my strategy, the pros and cons of different thicknesses, and how to pick if you are on a budget. Having spent a winter living in Florida, I wanted to share my thoughts on the best way to stay warm and save a buck if you need to. Now, obviously, if you live somewhere very tropical, a Neo top is all you will need! If you're somewhere like Florida with some fluct …

The Cabrinha Switchblade has been around longer than most have been kiteboarding. It went though a good deal of research and design up until about 2016. Built by legendary designer Pat Goodman, it's still one of the best kites out there, in my opinion. The past 5 years have seen a huge change in the market. Riders demand lighter, faster kites aimed at big air. The thing is, for some, the Switchblade is still an amazing choice. It's not the fastest kite—it's not the lightest kite. It is …

Kiteboarding is amazing because it's so accessible to just about everyone. Now, if you want to take your kiting to another level, learn new tricks, ride longer, rider harder, and have less chance of injury, you need to consider fitness.We've had a few requests for some videos on this topic, particularly on how to tailor your training towards a specific discipline. In my opinion, the best training program is the one you will stick to. Ideally, it would be a well thought out program designed …

The Eleveight OS is another one-strut option designed for foil enthusiasts and light wind waveriders. The simple design is fast and, like all one-strut kites, it's extremely lightweight. The swept wing tips are designed to relaunch in light wind as well. This is a bit of a must for light wind hydrofoilers pushing threshold winds to the limit. My least favorite aspect of foiling, personally, is swimming back. On the Hydrofoil The OS is drifty, fast and powerful. The range is quite good fo …

The Formula V1 kiteboard is an exciting addition to Slingshot's lineup. Their kiteboards have long been known to be heavy duty and provide a distinct damp feel on the water. The Formula couldn't be further from the rest of their kiteboards: extremely light and snappy with a race car like feel. The Formula V1 is a completely different animal. A Kiteboard with Speed and Snap The Formula V1 kiteboard is so snappy and poppy you just want to jump as soon as it hits the water. I hate making …

The Slingshot Asylum is the board I was using when I first started progressing in kiteboarding. If you watch older reviews, you know I used to rave on Slingshot kiteboards. In recent years I've branched out and covered many other brands, but I always seem to come back to Slingshot. They have been making kiteboards and wakeboards for over 20 years! Needless to say, they know how to build them properly. The Asylum is a freestyle board in the range, but that shouldn't scare big air riders or …

The Contra One Strut is a new kite for 2021. I find it funny that Cabrinha chose the name Contra as this kite feels quite different from the original 3-strut light wind specific Contra kite. The Contra One Strut feels and performs like most one strut kites with the typical Cabrinha bar feel. It's fast, pivotal, and simple. The one area where I found the Contra One Strut stands out is its stability and high wind performance. I had heard the kite was actually fun and performance-minded in s …

The North Fix boots are kite specific and a good option for kiteboarder looking to add some power to their riding,  They have a clean simple look that can be seen throughout the entire North Kiteboarding lineup. I had the chance to demo a pair for most of the winter and I was able to log loads of sessions in with these on the kite and in the cable park.  Here are my thoughts.  Flex The Flexibility on these are perfect for kite. The are stiff and supportive on the ankle with a …

One of the most common requests I get is to compare the Cabrinha Moto vs. the Duotone Evo. I was always hesitant to do this comparison because, while there are overlapping elements, these kites are aimed at different disciplines and different kitesurfers. Like the Evo, the Moto is Cabrinha's all-around, 3-strut freeride kite. Where it differs is that it was designed for the waves and hydrofoiling. This means the Moto is going to have some wave characteristics. For example, the Mot …

The backroll is possibly the most popular trick in kiteboarding. It's usually the first move everyone learns. From there people progress to the back to toeside or the double backroll. The back to wrapped, however, is by far the most stylish and technical first variation where one can pair a roll with a flat rotation. Usually this trick is done by unhooked freestyle riders, but it can be done hooked in easily enough and will make you stand out on the water!Step One - Kite Low This is a recurri …

All-Around Kites Freeride kites, sometimes called all-around or do-it-all kites, are a popular choice, especially for new kiteboarders who do not quite know what they want out of the sport yet. They are balanced right in the middle to do most everything. They are a jack-of-all-trades and master of none.Wave Kites The thing is, with modern gear, even specialty kites are technically all-around kites that excel in one particular area. That means if you live to surf waves, a wave kite will be sig …

Mistake One With social media on the rise, I've noticed a lot of misinformation being circulated in kite groups, especially when a new rider asks questions. The most common myths I've seen in this arena are that kiteboarding is 90% learning the kite and 10% the board, or that skills from other sports like wakeboarding or surfing do not matter. While these statements are not entirely wrong, they're out of context. Even I've told students that kite control needs to come first. When you are a ra …

Step One - Kite Basics First you need to know how to do a proper air transition. Your kite will be at 12 for the entire trick. Once you complete both bankrolls, you send the kite hard in the opposite direction. You want to come into this one with low to medium speed. If you have too much speed it will be difficult to stop your momentum and go the other way. Step Two - The Rotations The first rotation will be a flat 360 similar to your first backerolls. Your feet are underneath you and you …

The Nebula comes stock with the 2021 Horizon foil set. At 4'2 with a pulled-in nose and tail, the board is light weight and allows for super tight turns and efficient pumping. The board has a compression mold, making for a durable shell that will last on those long, sunny summer days. The board has good concave that allows you to lock your feet in and have more control, especially while learning in those bucking situations where you might not have perfect control of the foil. The t …