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THE BUSINESS OF WIND

You probably have no idea who Buck Lyons is, but if you’re reading this magazine you probably spend way too much of your time checking and rechecking your local wind conditions on iKitesurf.com. Ikitesurf is a part of WeatherFlow, a company founded by Buck in 1999. A decade earlier he had walked away from a traditional business career to start Vela, a windsports resort company catering to windsurfers and kiteboarders. Buck sat down with us to talk about the history of Vela and WeatherFlow and filled us in on recent and upcoming changes at both companies.

The Buck Lyons InterviewBy Paul Lang

71

You have probably never heard of Buck Lyons, but you most likely use something he helped create. Photo Paul Lang

72

When and why did Vela get started?

who wouldn’t think that would be a

the experience being much better for

centers in front of existing hotels. These

instead of building our own resorts.

What was the reaction of people

around you when you said you were

leaving the business world to start

a windsurfing resort? A lot of people

Where was the first Vela center? From

this concept. Los Barriles has seen a lot

How did you decide on places to

develop Vela centers? We looked at

wind maps and listened to people who

for the most part it’s been in places

certain extent, Brazil has been like that.

the conditions are so good people are

willing to put in the effort to get there.

is another example. That spot is in the

middle of nowhere, but it’s special enough

How difficult has it been to operate a

business in multiple countries? Where

experience.

What was your view on kiteboarding

when you first saw it?

Roeseler on waterskis in the Gorge and

some managers put up a little resistance

to experience the feeling of being pulled

back in the water soon.

Why would a kiteboarder book their

vacation through Vela instead of

on their own? Vela resort centers

want to take lessons. Our booking and

the best price is to book through Vela,

but some people want to book the hotel

on their own. We’re indifferent to how

Vela catalog that promotes Cabarete and

This station in Jacksonville, Florida, is designed to survive and record weather data as a hurricane makes landfall. Photo Courtesy WeatherFlow

73

booked through us or not. The chance of

is high. The whole point is to get people

Have you seen more kiteboarders

considering renting gear because

of baggage fees? We are seeing more

snowboarding where most people bring

their own gear, but there’s still a large

What’s your favorite Vela center? The

places has its thing that makes it special.

the camp there looks like something out of

Mad Max

I understand Vela just went through a

major change. What does this mean

for the company? The Vela brand

the owners of Cabrinha. Karl Williams,

brand manager, so the changes won’t be

gear for experienced riders to demo. We

expect there will be more Vela franchises

helped pioneer kiteboarding in Cabarete

force behind growth in our business and

excited about Vela’s future and are looking

forward to expanding the number of

You also founded WeatherFlow,

the company behind iKitesurf. How

did that start?

of a business that isn’t in the process of

a founder or consultant and one of the

in 1999.

founder, realized people would want wind

super hard worker, but he knew he wasn’t

the person to take the business to the

going to be part of it. At the beginning

we absorbed Call of the Wind and Wind

Both Jim and Phil Atkinson (the founder

WeatherFlow and Phil is still the technical

and is still a partner in charge of all our

The original goal of WeatherFlow was

to create a series of internet portals for

outdoor sports. One of the things that

Buck spending a little time away from the office in Punta San Carlos, Baja. Photo Clark Merritt

The Vela Cabarete crew circa 1995. Photo Silvan Wick/Vela Archives

Photo Paul Lang

74

condition reports. The craziness of the

crash kind of put a damper on our

original business plan. We had an elegant

kiteboarders. We realized we had a great

deal of expertise and decided to use it

to pursue opportunities with businesses

of us are also geeks who like data and

going but it’s been a great success and

our consumer websites. While it’s a small

real participants, enough new people are

What are some of the projects

WeatherFlow has worked on? We

the coastal zone that helps them forecast

that fuels meteorological models. What

compared to them installing more weather

that compliments theirs.

What are the challenges of

maintaining a network of weather

stations?

up. For us to reach an uptime that would

higher, and that isn’t going to happen.

network. Keeping the network up isn’t

thank the team at WeatherFlow for the

How large is the WeatherFlow

network?

weather stations we gather information

stations that we own. Some of these are

a column of air more than 200 meters

data about hurricanes. You hear about a

hurricane’s wind speeds on the news, but

WeatherFlow recently launched

WindAlert and I think some people

are confused about how it fits in with

the other brands.

iWindsurf. The content is different on the

two sites and it will get more different

technological direction we thought was

going to be much better, but it needed to

anticipated, but what we expect to see in

the future is that the best things about

WindAlert will be integrated into the

other sites without getting rid of the best

things about those sites.

iKitesurf has almost become famous

because of how little the site has

changed over the years. The home

page still features a photo of

Teiva Joyex on a 2-line kite.

illustration of what we’re working on.

of the oddities on the site. Part of the

on all aspects of WeatherFlow, including

Buck enjoys a little time with his daughters in Aruba. Photo Rahel Lyons

If you’ve been around long enough you probably had one of the pagers featured in this old advertisement.

7575757575775755757777755757775757575757557575755775755757757577577577577555575777775555

1212

Kiteboarding feature parks like the one in Hood River are fast becoming a widely accepted part of our sport. Photo Paul Lang

1313

Over the past decade the kiteboarding park movement has grown from a fringe aspect of the sport to the point where two of the main North American kiteboarding competitions (The REAL Triple-S and the Ro-Sham Throwdown) are centered around parkstyle riding. Whether you like this style of riding or not you have to admit that it’s growing and is having a real impact on the sport in terms of being able to attract more young riders into kiteboarding.

THE FEATURE

FEATURE

By Paul Lang

14

Many people think wake and parkstyle kiteboarding

is something new, but the truth is that it’s been

around since the very early days of the sport. As

REAL Kiteboarding’s Trip Forman said, “We’ve been

doing this since the first time boots were popular.” The

feeling is that rails and kickers are fast becoming a

widely accepted part of kiteboarding and we thought

it was a good time to talk to a few people about the

history of the parkstyle movement within kiteboarding

and where they feel it’s headed.

Longtime pro rider Jason Slezak was just starting his

kiteboarding career when REAL Co-Founders Matt

Nuzzo and Trip Forman sat him down to ask what

his plan was. “It all started when Matt and Trip asked

me what I wanted to do in kiteboarding,” said Jason.

“Coming from snowboarding and skateboarding I liked

riding rails and that part of kiteboarding really didn’t

exist yet. They agreed to help support it as much as

they could. In the early days that was easy. All we

needed were some 2x4s, PVC pipes, screws, and

a place to build it. At the same time Lou Wainman,

Elliot Leboe, and Mauricio Abreu were building stuff in

Maui, but Maui’s a really poor location to try to have

features in the water. Hatteras was a prime location

and we started inviting people there.” According to

Trip the first feature was “basically just two sawhorses

with a PVC pipe on top. It was probably only 10’ long.

Over the last 11 years they’ve just been getting bigger

and better through trial and error.”

On the opposite side of the country in 2003, Joby

Cook was working for a kite school in Hood River and

built a 40’ long flat rail and a kicker. Before anyone

had a chance to hit the kicker they found out that

having a park would entail more than just building

something and putting it in the river. “The first time

we towed the kicker out the Sheriff came up to us,”

said Joby. “He asked, ‘You’ve got a permit for that

thing, right?’ We were like, ‘What permit?’ Luckily

we had someone that went through the permitting

process but that lapsed after two years.” A few years

later Joby and Forrest Rae created The Slider Project

(www.sliderproject.com) for the purpose of organizing

the scene in Hood River as a unified group. “It gave

us the opportunity to work with the Port of Hood

River,” said Joby. “By coordinating with them we also

coordinated with the Oregon Department of State

Lands and the Hood River Sheriff’s Office, so we’ve

been able to get everyone’s blessing.”

Trip Forman also went through permitting challenges

on the East Coast. “In order to put our park in the

sound here we had to get a CAMA (Coastal Area

Management Act) Major Permit,” said Trip. “It’s the

same permit you need if you want to build a large

commercial marina. Both CAMA and the Coast Guard

require us to show architectural drawings and the

footprint of each feature and we have to tell them

what anchors we are using. We had to get the bottom

of the sound surveyed by a CAMA Environmental

Scientist. It was a major deal to get the permit. It’s all

doable though and anyone should be able to figure

out how to do it in their area, but it’s a lot more

complicated than just building something and putting

it in the water. Jason and Sam Bell have been our

REAL Slider Park Rangers and have been responsible

for pushing it forward.”

Coming from snowboarding and skateboarding I liked riding rails and that part of kiteboarding really didn’t exist yet…

“”

Modern features are now constructed from welded HDPE plastic. Photo Nate Appel

The infamous REAL Camel Toe. Photo Courtesy REAL Kiteboarding

Evan Netsch on one of the new all-plastic features at REAL. Photo Nate Appel

15

Not all parks have to be permanent or go through

a long and complicated permitting process. With

Konnect Parks (www.konnectparks.com) Matt Sexton

is able to set up a feature while avoiding the local

authorities in Florida. “The system is three 16’ sections

that can be set up in any configuration up to 48’

long. It can get boring riding flat water trying to do

freestyle all the time. For me to be able to bring out a

legit rail park that we can set up in 20 minutes really

diversified our riding and has made it a lot more fun

as we’re switching it up all the time. We can put it out

for the day and then take it down so we don’t get the

park rangers or any other authorities mad at us.”

According to Slezak a lot of other kiteboarders at

the beginning didn’t quite understand why anyone

would be interested in building and hitting features

while being pulled by a kite. “I remember when the

board off freestyle movement was really big,” he said.

“People just looked at us confused as to why we

would want to kite onto a solid object. We just all had

fun doing it and wanted to introduce this element to

kiteboarding. Personally it was something I wanted to

see it in the sport.”

From the early days until now the features themselves

have evolved along with the abilities of the riders. “We

started with PVC pipes and triangles of wood,” said

Trip. “Then things went to being framed with wood

with plywood sheathing topped with vinyl fencing or

Trex decking on top. The Red Bull Fun Box was the

first really big feature we did and it was literally as big

as the original building at REAL. It was almost just like

building a house. The John Wayne Cancer Foundation

Rail was the first one built with an aluminum frame

and HDPE sheathing. It was so much better than

everything else in the park that it became the only

thing people would ride. This year Joby came out and

we rebuilt the entire park out of welded HDPE after

losing everything in Hurricane Irene. The new features

Tom Court on the Liquid Force Dance Floor. Photo Paul Lang

16

are all plastic and as sturdy as anything we’ve ever built. They

won’t warp or rot and the whole park can break down into

pieces in case we have another big storm.” Jason said, “Now

Joby designs features on the computer, but everything used

to literally come from sketches on napkins we would draw up

over a few beers. It was all trial and error. We would spend

weeks building something, put it in the water, and realize right

away that it was too steep.”

In 2004 the crew at REAL built the infamous Camel Toe rail,

which Jason broke three ribs and cracked a vertebrae on

when he plowed into one of the uprights. “The Camel Toe was

way before its time in terms of degree of difficulty,” said Trip.

According to Jason the rail that literally broke his back was

gnarly for a few reasons. “A big part of it was money,” he said.

“It was a really spontaneous thing. A bunch of guys including

Jeff Tobias, Stav Niarchos, Sam Bell, Moe Goold, Andre Phillip,

and Bertrand Fleury came together and we all pitched in and

put it together. It only cost a few hundred dollars compared

to something like the Liquid Force Dance Floor that cost

thousands. Part of why it was gnarly was because it was

cheaper that way, but it was also because we wanted to show

that we could hit something narrow and sketchy. I got hurt on

it and that can happen in any board sport, but people getting

hurt doesn’t really make it welcoming or encourage less

confident riders to give it a try. If you look at the things that

are being built now, what we want is more acceptance. We

want people to get out and try it. It’s about having something

for people to start on so they can start progressing. With

something like the Dance Floor, even if you slide all the way

across on your back, you’re just going to fall in the water and

laugh. You’ll either try it again or you won’t but you’ll know

whether it’s for you or not.”

With the addition of safer and easier features like the Dance

Floor, Joby has seen more riders open up to the possibility

of riding in the park. “It’s like that movie Field of Dreams:

If you build it they will come,” he said. “We’ve got 10-year

old kids out there hitting features for the first time and

we’ve got 50-year old dads out there shredding with their

kids. The Dance Floor kind of opened the park up to people

who maybe wanted to get into it but were a little scared

to. That feature is super easy, super forgiving, and easy to

learn. It’s all about having an entry point for people to get

started, especially the kids. If you look at today’s kids who

are interested in things like skating and snowboarding I

think they could be interested in kiteboarding for the same

reasons. If you make it viable and accessible to them they’ll

get into it and their friends will follow. It could create a

crowd that starts hitting rails from a young age and that’s

when we’ll start seeing crazy progression.”

The park in Hood River is open to the public and anyone is

welcome to show up and ride. It’s free and you don’t need to

sign a waiver, but that doesn’t mean that it should be taken

for granted. “The park is here for everyone to enjoy,” said

Joby. “Being that it’s a community effort, don’t be the guy

who comes in and complains that something isn’t at the right

angle. Get a crew together, ask us what needs to happen, and

go take care of it. If you go to a skate park and the bowl is full

of dirt and leaves, you don’t complain to all the other skaters,

you go grab a broom and sweep it out.”

Recently Trip has begun to see a shift in the customers at

REAL. “The traditional big part of the kiteboarding market

has been people from ages 25 to 55,” he said. “Now there

are a lot of kids as young as eight that are learning and

these kids have entirely different goals compared to the

Eric Rienstra hits the Slingshot Kicker in Hood River. Photo Paul Lang

Construction of the Camel Toe. Photo Courtesy REAL Kiteboarding

Sensi Graves on the LF Dance Floor in Hood River. Photo Paul Lang

17

older students. They just want to learn how to go,

how to jump, and how to hit rails. For them this

aspect of kiteboarding is the sport and is why they

want to learn.” Jason recently relocated to Hood

River and is seeing something similar there. “Now

you’ll find teenagers and 20-year old girls wearing

helmets and charging in the park,” he said. “There

are people of all different age groups and it’s been

really accepted here. People are actually coming to

Hood River just to ride the park.”

Jason also brought up the point that the growth

and acceptance of features is something

that is not just happening in kiteboarding

but is happening across all action sports. “As

kiteboarding has evolved we’ve also seen the

evolution of snow parks, mountain bike parks with

features everywhere, and the creation of way

more skate parks,” he said. “The progression of

action sports in general has gone that way and

it just happened to coincide with kiteboarding’s

inception and growth. That progression has really

helped the wakestyle/parkstyle movement in

kiteboarding. Look at cable parks over the last

few years. Within the lifetime of kiteboarding

they’ve gone from having a few awkward

kickers to having parks full of safe and creative

welded plastic features. There are kids now who

snowboard, skate, and kite and they ride parks

in all of those sports. It’s the norm and it doesn’t

seem awkward or weird to them. This is where

action sports are going and it’s helping to push

this side of kiteboarding.”

26

f a r f r o m h o m e

About a year ago my wife and I relocated from

the near-windless city of San Diego to Santa

Barbara. The reason for our move had nothing

to do with a desire to live in a windier area – my

wife was offered a job here shortly after finishing

graduate school. Knowing that California’s

Central Coast is a windy area, I didn’t put up

a fight when we talked about relocating. As a

result, for the past year my main kite has been

a 9m as opposed to the 15m that seemed to be

the only kite I was ever able to ride in San Diego.

Now living in Florida, Rob “Corky” Cullen had

been one of the first to learn to kiteboard in

Santa Barbara. “I started in July of 1999 as

the surf in SB is pretty nonexistent during the

summer and the wind at Jalama gets weird for

windsurfing.” Corky said. “Peter Trow was the first

guy with a kite in SB, first riding a 5m Wipika and

then a hot pink 8.5m. My friend Jeff Logosz sold

me a 4.9m Flexifoil Blade (a two-line foil kite)

with 40m lines and that was the kite I learned

on. It was basically me and Pete that summer at

Leadbetter Beach. Eventually we were both on

Blades as the foil kites totally outperformed the

existing inflatable kites in 10-20 mph. And oh

yea, we swam a lot that summer!”

( (Words and Photos by Paul Lang

Trusted Waters plays an intimate show at the FCD surf shop.

27

Fletcher Chouinard at Jalama.

28

Jalama.

29

esides being a relatively windy place

on its own, this area is also close to

other world-class riding spots. Ventura’s

C-Street is located a mere 30 minutes to

the south and the infamous and remote-

feeling spot of Jalama is just an hour to

the north. Between those two spots are numerous

other great places to ride that are lesser known

but can be amazing when the conditions are right.

Having become used to the madness that is the scene

on many Southern California beaches, it’s been a

pleasant surprise to find that it’s not unusual to find

completely empty sections of beach on the Central

Coast. A few spots can involve a 10-15 minute walk

from the car to the beach but the reward is worth it.

Imagine cresting a small hill to find 20 knots of wind

and endless empty waves that you only have to share

with a small group of riders. That dream-like scenario

in not uncommon here.

Early in the fall I was contacted by Liquid Force’s

Gary Siskar who let me know that the LF crew would

be passing through the Central Coast while on a

demo tour. They were going to be spending some

extra time in the area and were planning a party at

the FCD surf shop in Ventura to celebrate their new

partnership with Fletcher Chouinard, a well-known

surfboard shaper who shaped one of their 2012

kitesurf boards. The demo vehicle for the tour would

be the recently-revamped Liquid Force minibus, an

impossible-to-miss vehicle that can hold a ridiculous

amount of gear. For them, the trip was off to an

entertaining start when a few wrong turns led to

Greg “Tekko” Gnecco having to crawl out of the bus.

Just a few days before leaving Hood River, an epic

mountain bike crash had left Tekko with a set of

painfully cracked ribs. While navigating by iPhone

through Portland, mobile technology came up a bit

short and the bus found itself wandering through

town looking for the freeway south. Phone in hand,

Tekko gave directions at each intersection until

they came to a T. Waiting for instructions, Gary

said, “Which way do we go? Right or left?” At this

point, the phone decided to not cooperate with the

situation. “I don’t know, the phone says go straight,”

said Tekko. This conversation quickly devolved into a

laugh fest, with Tekko crying out in pain with every

chuckle due to his injury. Cries of “Stop laughing, it

hurts!” only caused more giggles. To get away from

the laughter, Tekko swung open the door and literally

crawled away from the bus to get some relief.

After composing themselves and finding the freeway,

the demo tour was on. A few days later they called

me up to let me know they were in the Pismo Beach

area. About an hour later we converged at Jalama,

one of the most consistently windy locations on the

coast of California. At the end of a 14-mile windy,

narrow road, Jalama is one of the most remote-

feeling coastal spots I’ve ever been to in California.

Somewhere along the road to the beach cell phone

coverage disappears, giving you a forced break from

30

the world of constant updates, emails, and phone calls.

Located near Point Conception, a piece of the coast jutting

far out into the Pacific Ocean, Jalama is well-positioned to

catch wind and waves. The waves here are actually among

the heaviest in California and can break in fairly shallow

water. In the windsurfing days Jalama was a notorious spot

to break gear as masts would easily end up pile driven

into the sand if you found yourself struggling in the shore

pound. In short, Jalama is remote, cold, windy, gusty, and

one hell of a fun place to ride when it’s on.

I arrived at the county park at Jalama and met up with

Siskar, Tekko, and Jason Slezak. With Tekko’s mountain

biking injury and my lingering Sherman Island limbo knee

injury both of us were limited to beach duty. Dark clouds

on the horizon told us that changing weather was coming,

but Siskar and Slezak both got out on 9m kites. The wind

was up and down and Siskar decided to come in and

pump up a larger kite. From further down the beach, I was

surprised to see that he was pumping up a 15m when

Jason was still making a 9m work. I walked up to Gary

as he finished pumping and asked, “15 huh?” He gave

me an odd look and said, “Nope, 12 meter.” I took a step

back to look at the wingtip again, thinking I’d seen the

number wrong. Nope, it definitely says 15. Gary looked at

the wingtip and threw up his hands. “I thought this thing

was taking forever to pump up for a 12!” he said. The wind

conditions were getting worse by the minute so Siskar

decided to quit while he was ahead. Amazingly, Sleezy J

was still making it look easy on a 9m kite in light and very

gusty conditions. After catching a few last waves, Slezak

came in and we packed up and got on the road just as

raindrops began to fall.

After making plans to head wherever conditions looked

best on the next day, I headed back home to Santa

Barbara while the bus went on to Ventura to spend the

night. The next day proved to be a beautiful fall California

day, but unfortunately the wind never filled in anywhere

in the area. Early in the afternoon we decided to head

to C-Street for a quick surf session where we met up

with Teddy Lyons, a young up and comer who recently

moved to the area from New Jersey. We were also joined

by Tonia Farman, Tekko’s wife who was on her way back

to Hood River. One of the great things about this area is

its versatility. If the conditions aren’t well-suited for one

sport, they’re bound to be good for another. Stuck on

land I stood out on the point and took photos before we

went just down the road to the FCD surf shop to catch

the premier of Keith Malloy’s Come Hell or High Water

next door at Patagonia. Come Hell or High Water is a

Bear Karry takes a break. Sunset surf session in Ventura.

31

East Coast transplant Teddy Lyons at C-Street.

Ian Alldredge and Bear Karry at Jalama.

32

film about body surfing, so I didn’t have really high

expectations for it. However, the few hundred people

in the Patagonia parking lot gave me the sense that I

might be in for a surprise. A few minutes into the film

I found myself standing there with my mouth open

as I realized I had no idea what was possible when

body surfing. If you spend any time in the ocean, you

will enjoy this movie. The plan for the next day was

already in place as a Liquid Force demo had been

scheduled at C-Street. I gave Teddy a ride home,

went to bed, and then headed right back to Ventura

the next morning.

Upon arriving at C-Street, we joined the Ventura

Kiteboarding Association’s beach cleanup. We were

each issued a garbage bag and then wandered up

the beach to find some trash. Adjacent to C-Street is

where the Ventura River meets the ocean, so there

was a fair amount of plastic and trash we picked out

of the brush along the river’s path. The beach and

kiteboarding launch area at C-Street is in the process

of being renovated with the first phase of the project

having only recently been finished. The previous bike

path and parking lot were eroding and falling into the

ocean, so the parking lot was moved inland, making

the main launching and landing area much larger.

Future plans include vegetated sand dunes as part

of an effort to help return the beach to its natural

state, but for the time being the beach is wide open

and perfect for kiteboarders. Liquid Force designer

Julien Fillion joined the crew with the rest of Trusted

Waters, his Montreal-based band, in tow. The day

started with light wind giving everyone who was so

inclined the chance to grab a surf session. By early

afternoon the wind came up enough for riders to get

out on large kites and a few hours later riders were

33

on 12m and even a few 9m kites. The wind stayed up until the sun began to set, giving

riders plenty of time to try some new gear. After hastily packing the bus, the demo party

moved over to FCD for beer, pizza, and a live show by Trusted Waters. The party continued

late into the night, but I graciously (and gladly) bowed out of the late-night festivities to

take Teddy back up to Santa Barbara. Apparently, the late night/early morning activities

included an impromptu jam session that took place in a shipping container set up as a

band practice space. Rumor has it that much loud noise was made.

The next day found us checking wind sensors over and over to no avail. The lack of wind

created another fine beach and paddle surfing day, first at C-Street and then in front of

Fletcher Chouinard’s house for a sunset surf. Here I loaded my camera into its housing,

dug out my fins, and swam out to grab a few images of the beautiful evening. For me this

was a big milestone as it was my first time back in the ocean since injuring my knee three

months earlier. It’s amazing how fulfilling a simple swim in the ocean can be after having

to spend so much time on dry land. Back on shore, we barbequed at Fletcher’s house and

talked about what we thought the weather would do on the next day. There was only one

day left before the Liquid Force bus left town and we had not yet seen the type of conditions

that really make the Central Coast a special place. A simple look at a swell forecast told us

Jason Slezak fuels up before his solo sunset session.

34

Ian Alldredge feeling at home on the Central Coast.

35

that the waves were predicted to ramp up the next day. After

much back and forth and both well-informed and ill-informed

input, we decided to wait until the next morning to make the

call about where to ride.

By mid morning the next day Jalama was showing signs

of being the best bet for wind. With Jalama, it’s always

important to be really sure about the wind before you go

as it’s basically an all-day commitment when you head

out there. With the lack of cell phone coverage there’s no

logging on to ikitesurf to check other spots or waiting for

phone calls and text messages from your buddies telling

you where the wind is going off. This might be one of the

best aspects of Jalama. Leaving the grid for a few hours

forces you to slow down and accept the conditions in front

of you. There’s no turning around and racing off to check

the next spot because that’s over an hour away and you

have no way of knowing if it’s any better there. Here, you

take a deep breath and go eat a world famous Jalama

Burger at the small Jalama Beach Store and Grill if there’s

nothing else to do while you wait for the wind to show up.

Luckily, there would be no waiting around for the wind to

show up today. I arrived with Airborne Kiteboarding’s Mike

Sysavat and we met up with the Liquid Force crew, Fletcher

and Jason McCaffrey from Patagonia, Ian Alldredge,

Bear Karry, and Teddy Lyons. The wind was up, but the

forecasted swell was nowhere to be seen with the waves

only being about waist high. Eight to 9m kites were quickly

rigged and launched. Everyone was disappointed with the

small waves after imagining the head-high plus sets that

were forecasted, but the small yet fun conditions still kept

everyone satisfied.

As the day wore on, the swell that had all but been written

off started to arrive. Over a few hours, the conditions

morphed from small and fun to big and intense. The change

was so dramatic that anyone looking at the photos would

not believe that the early afternoon and late afternoon

images were all taken on the same day. After a short break

to refuel with Jalama burgers and fries, the show was back

on. Ian and Bear have put an insane amount of time in at

Jalama over the past year and it showed in the way they

rode when the waves came up. Teddy later admitted that

these had been the largest waves he’d ever ridden. As the

sun sank low in the sky, everyone came in off the water. Not

finished yet, Slezak stuffed a few bites of a leftover burger

down his throat, warmed himself up for a few minutes, and

headed back out for a solo sunset session, staying out until

the sun was down and the moon was up.

More than satisfied with the day’s events, everyone packed

up and headed out on the twisty Jalama road back towards

Santa Barbara. The Liquid Force bus would keep heading

south out of the area to continue the demo tour, but the

rest of us weren’t going anywhere. For those passing

through town the last few days had been a special treat to

get a glimpse into what the area has to offer. For the rest of

us this is home.

TO SEE A 360° TOUR OF THE LIQUID FORCE C-STREET DEMO VISIT http://www.tourwrist.com/tours/22593 OR SCAN THE CODE.

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Words and Photos by Paul Lang

ver the past few years, the course racing discipline of kiteboarding has been slowly gaining momentum. Whether you are a fan of this aspect of our sport or not, you have to admit that it’s

here to stay. Some people are pushing hard to promote kiteboarding course racing and there is a movement to get some form of kite racing (course racing or slalom) into the Olympics. While a group of dedicated kiteboarders has been heavily focused on the progression and promotion of kite racing, it seems like the rest of the kiteboarding world is split on what they think about it.

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Is this the future of kiteboarding?

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Some kiteboarders are really excited to see this aspect of kiteboarding gain

momentum. The people promoting kite racing say that racing is the only fair

way to compete. There are no judges and the fastest rider gets first place, no

questions asked. They also like to talk about the fact that racing is a great

equalizer. Riders who have no chance of competing in a freestyle competition

can go out and race against the top racers in the world. Another thing kite

racing has going for it is the minimal amount of wind it takes to have a fair

race. While it can take a minimum of 20 knots or so to have an exciting

freestyle heat, I have seen legitimate course races happen in as little as five

knots of wind.

There’s also a crowd of kiteboarders that don’t like what they see when they

look at course racing. Their main complaints seem to be that it’s expensive

(the top boards with fins can cost more than $2,000) and doesn’t do a good

job of promoting the sport of kiteboarding. A complaint I often hear some

version of is “With all the things that are possible to do behind a kite, do we

really want the world to see kiteboarding as a bunch of people chasing each

other around buoys?”

I find myself fitting into a third group who doesn’t quite know what to think

yet. I had a very strong sailing background before I learned to kiteboard and

have always looked at kite racing with some interest. However, I’ve been

covering events since the beginning of kite racing and it felt like every time

I went to a racing event the boards had radically changed compared to the

ones I had seen previously. I never started racing because I never felt like I

had enough time and money to play the gear evolution game.

During the 2012 La Ventana Classic, many of the world’s top racers showed

up to compete. One at a time, we pulled aside a handful of them, put them

in front of a camera, and asked questions about the direction of racing and

what they thought it means for kiteboarding.

Why do you race? When asked why they race,

one thing seemed constant: they race because it’s

something they love to do. “When the St. Francis

Yacht Club in San Francisco announced the first

Kite Racing World Championships, I was like a

kid in a candy store,” said Adam Koch, who raced

sailboats from a young age. Adam was also a very

early pro kiteboarder who dropped off the radar

for a few years only to reappear as a top-level

racer. “This gave me the platform I needed to

apply all the sailing skills I learned as a kid. Kite

racing is sailing and I love sailing.”

Bryan Lake is well known for his strapless

skimboard skills, but has quickly climbed the

rankings in kite racing, finishing third at last year’s

World Championships. “It’s all about competition,”

said Bryan. “You can go out and ride your

skimboard everyday and be so free and have so

much fun, but there’s no competition for that.

Then there’s racing and there’s nothing more cut

and dry than getting first place or last place. I’m

just really competitive. I grew up racing sailboats

and now that sailing game has evolved into our

kiting game. It’s a pretty fun game to play when

you’re going 20 knots.”

Current World Champion Johnny Heineken said,

“It’s everything about sailing that I love without

the logistics of getting a boat to the other side

of the world. It’s so easy and simple. Some

Adam Koch

Johnny Heineken

Bryan Lake AKA Bernie

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Julien Kerneur blasts downwind.

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people think it’s gear intensive, but it’s so mellow

compared to racing a high performance sailboat.

We’re going just as fast and having as much fun as

them without all the boat work. You can put your

gear in a travel bag and go from event to event.”

“It’s endless. You can ride pretty much all the

time,” said longtime pro rider Damien LeRoy. “Even

in five knots of wind you can go out with your

buddies and just have a good time.” Rob Douglas,

who holds the outright sailing speed record was

also in La Ventana competing on the race course.

“Any time on the water is good,” he said. “You can

learn from each discipline and apply it to your

own. With course racing, you can experience a lot

of power in 15 knots of wind. It’s good training that

I can apply to speed sailing.”

What do you have to say to people who

don’t like racing? It’s clear there are a lot of

kiteboarders who don’t have any interest in racing

and don’t like seeing it promoted. In response to

those people, Damien said, “You know, our sport is

so unique. We have freestyle, course racing, wave

riding, we have all these aspects of kiteboarding.

If you have all the wave guys pushing wave riding,

freestyle guys pushing freestyle, and racing guys

pushing racing, the sport is going to just keep

growing. I hope companies and designers don’t just

focus on one thing. Some people only want to ride

waves. Some people just want to cruise. Everybody

likes their own thing.”

“You do what you know and you think it’s the

best,” said Johnny. “We kind of think the same

way with racing. But the thing it does is it opens

up so many more places and so many more

days to kiting. If people in Southern California

figured out that you can have fun when it isn’t

even possible to ride a twin tip, they might think

differently.” Bryan Lake’s response is sure to

get a few people’s blood boiling. “It’s kind of like

freestyle motocross versus racing,” he said. “You

know, tricks are for kids. If you want to come

play with the big dogs, come join the race fleet.”

What about the gear? Is it still rapidly

evolving? Many kiteboarders are intimidated

by the idea of having to always be testing and

buying new gear to stay competitive, but everyone

we talked to was in agreement that the rapid

evolution phase of course racing is over. “The

equipment race is over,” said Adam. “It’s done.

The boards might not change for two years. We’re

honing in on what we’re doing. Now, if Johnny

and I are neck and neck, it comes down to who

got their back foot in the strap first, not the gear

we have.” Everyone else had a similar response.

“Everybody is really close right now,” said Damien.

“Fins from last year are still really competitive.

There’s always room for improvement, but I think

you can buy something right now and it will still be

competitive in five years.”

Paolo Rista, Fin Designer for Rista Fins (http://ristafins.com), agrees the evolution of gear is

reaching a plateau. He said, “The good news is

that we’re at that point where a brand new fin

today will still be very competitive next season. Now it’s becoming more of a

question of whether a fin is the right size for that rider’s weight or for that

particular board. That’s a healthy progression for the sport.”

What does kite racing bring to the sport of kiteboarding? One of

the obvious benefits of kite racing is that it has pushed the light wind limit

for kiteboarding ridiculously low. Currently based in San Diego, Bryan said,

“Basically a race board allows me to ride every single day. You only need

seven knots of wind and you can get that anywhere.” Rob Whittall, Kite

Designer for Ozone, said, “There’s no other aspect of kiteboarding that can

perform in ten knots of wind. As a showcase of the sport, it’s brilliant. I think

it’s just going to keep getting bigger and bigger.”

Johnny sees the potential for racing to draw a lot more people into

kiteboarding. “You know, I think the kiteboarding industry doesn’t realize that

there’s a big potential market out there in terms of sailors who might want to

kiteboard.” Paolo mentioned the sense of community that comes from racing.

“Racing is a wonderful way to become part of a new community,” he said.

“You’re very connected to the other people on the water. That’s the key. That

link gives you a good feeling when you come in off the water.”

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What about the Olympics? “It seems like the

only way it’s going to happen is if we’re a sailing

class,” said Johnny. “If that part of the sport were

to go Olympic, that doesn’t mean it has to be the

face of the sport. It won’t be the only discipline out

there and it won’t have to dictate how the whole

sport functions. I think any mainstream visibility

we can get will be good. Kiteboarding is on the

verge of becoming very accessible, but not many

people know they can just take lessons for two

days and become a kiteboarder.”

Adam seemed a little conflicted about the idea

of kiteboarding being in the Olympics because he

doesn’t like to see the sport becoming political.

“When I first heard about the possibility of getting

kiteboarding into the Olympics, I was all for it,”

he said. “What child doesn’t want to have a gold

medal? But when I hear about the politics and the

details of it, I start to wonder if it is healthy for our

sport. On the other hand, what if it blows four knots? Trying to do a freestyle

competition in those conditions isn’t going to make the sport look good.”

What does the sailing world think about kite racing? Most of the

top kite racers raced sailboats before learning to kiteboard. While many

kiteboarders see course racing as an expensive form of the sport, most riders

we talked to see it as a very cheap form of high-performance sailing. “From

what I see, a lot of sailors are learning to kiteboard because of course racing,”

said Adam. “Instead of racing on a million dollar sailboat, they can spend

$5,000 and have the latest, most awesome racing equipment. It’s allowing

them to take a sport they’ve been doing for a long time and are passionate

about and increase the speed and level of the game they play. Everyone’s

complaining about not enough money in the sport and not enough sponsor

dollars and this is a chance to bring a lot more money into kiteboarding.”

Rob Douglas, who also grew up sailing, said, “Financially it’s the most easily

accessible form of sailing. If you look at kiteboarding as a class of sailing and

look at what it can do, from the snow to the dirt, to the speed course, to the

waves, to flat water, it’s the pinnacle of sailing to me.” Bryan said, “People

who know me through sailing are contacting me. They’re saying, ‘We want to

All the racers we talked to feel the period of rapid gear evolution is over.

42

get into that, that looks so cool. We want to race.’ Right now, we’re the most

high-performance kind of sailing there is.” Damien didn’t grow up sailing, but

he said, “We’ll go jump in the starting line with other sailboats and they’ll just

be like, ‘What am I doing on this thing when I could be on that kiteboard?’ I

see a lot of sailors learning to kiteboard because of course racing.”

What do retailers think? We also talked to Evan Mavridoglou, who has a

retail shop in the San Francisco Bay Area (Live2Kite, http://live2kite.com).

He sees course racing as a small but growing segment of kiteboarding.

“2012 is the first year we’ve seen kite racing clubs ordering boards. Ten to

fifteen-rider teams are ordering race boards from us, showing that racing

against friends is a fun and growing activity among kiters.” He also sees the

perplexed look from kiteboarders when they see a course board for the first

time. “Let’s face it - they look intimidating,” he said. “The most recent racing

kiteboards look insane to the untrained eye. The fins are flesh-cutting sharp

and positioned in ways that an average kiter can’t relate to. The 2012 IKA-

registered boards are 180cm long by 70cm wide and two to three inches

thick! These are not your regular daily twin tip boards.”

What should people do who are interested in racing? The racers we

talked to all recommend finding a board to borrow or a used board to

purchase to get into racing. “I can understand people don’t want to go order a

race board because they want to try it,” said Johnny. “I think you pretty much

need to have a friend with a board to get started. If you can get a fleet of

five guys in your area to do it, you can do simple pick-up races, have fun, and

go drink beer afterward. It’s great.” Adam suggests that you can take steps

towards racing without having to buy new gear. “If you want to learn how to

race, first learn how to tack with the equipment you have. Don’t feel like you

have to have the latest gear. Whether you’re in first or last place, you’re still

racing against the guy next to you. That’s what is so beautiful about sailing.”

“I’d recommend getting a used board and just getting out on the water,”

said Bryan. “Learn how to tack and jibe and

experience how these boards feel when they’re

going full speed. Don’t quit and try to ride that

board as fast as you can.”

What does it all mean? Before conducting

these interviews, I didn’t quite know what to

think about racing. Now, I see it as a small yet

growing segment of kiteboarding being driven

by a passionate group of riders. I’ve also realized

that the growth of racing doesn’t have to harm

any other kiteboarding disciplines. There’s room

for every part of the sport to grow in its own

way and if racing can bring more people and

more money to kiteboarding, that could be a

very good thing. Does it mean I’m going to quit

riding waves and focus on racing? Nope, but it’s

peaked my interest enough to get a race board.

Thanks to Damien LeRoy, I’ve got a used one

on the way. I’ll wait until I give it a try to decide

what I really think it.

To watch the Kite Racer Interview videos, go to http://thekiteboarder.com/2012/03/kite-racer-interviews or scan the code.

Johnny Heineken and Bryan Lake enjoy a close race.

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