Waveriding is what all the cool kids have been up to on the water. For those of us who cant actually surf – using a strapless surfboard is tough, really tough in anything other than super low winds. A twin tip however is just a bit of a poor effort. Luckily kite companies are on it and are helping us out. This is the Flywave from Flyboards. It is basically twin tip construction, but directional. It can still be ridden backwards if need be. It is a great step into wave riding for those more accustomed to twin tips. On top of that the board just looks amazing.

Directionals are great for getting upwind on and holding an edge. All those extra fins make it track really well. Check all the videos of Robbie Naish. He is often on a directional board similar to this holding down tonnes of power then boosting big. The video below has Flysurfer team rider Gunnar Biniasch talking us through the main features of the Flywave.

If you like the look of it find out more info here: Flyboards Flywave 2010.

Insurance is just one of those things that it is probably just to pay up for. The “it will never happen to me” mentality always feels like it is paying off until stuff goes wrong. The key is to insure against big expensive stuff like your house burning down but not the smaller stuff like your washing machine dieing. Over a lifetime it is easy to replace a couple of washing machines and it to cost less than the premiums. Houses however – not so much.

In terms of kitesurfing insurance – it just makes sense. For £33 you get:

• £5 Million 3rd Party Liability Insurance
• Personal Accident cover
• Worldwide cover (with exceptions)
• Recognised by most landowners
• Policy from major insurance company – Zurich
• Cover – flying any kite on water or land, kitesurfing, kitelandboarding , snowkiting, buggying and powerkiting
• The correct insurance to compete in any BKSA approved event
• Membership is open to any nationality, not just British
• Get a membership card and joining pack (including stickers and harness tag)
• The right to vote at AGM meetings
• Regular newsletters via e-mail

Ok so some of that isnt amazing. The BKSA so some good stuff with the money though. Some of that includes:

• Access – keeping the beaches open
• Education of sport to all – councils, national bodies
• School Inspections / Standards
• Instructor Training
• Supporting local Clubs
• Events – running the British championships
• Juniors – supporting youth development
• Website – A huge resource for new riders
• Promotional material – Guide to ride and more
• Advertising
• Beach signage

The event series deserves special mention as do the youth training camps. These really add value to our sport so are worth supporting. All in all – just get some insurance. When getting dragged around by a massive kite often on crowded beaches it just makes sense.

This is one of those things which some people find hard to get their head round. Once you have used a Flysurfer a few times you will just do this without thinking. In many ways it is not so different to how you deal with a pump up kite. It is actually easier and way safer to self launch. Landing is pretty much the same as with an LEI. You lower the kite and have someone grab the lower tip. The complication comes when the person isn’t sure what to do once they have grabbed it. They know how to turn an LEI into the wind and sand it down but foils of course go all floppy. You can however just run over and deal with it yourself at this point though. The key is in learning how to sand your kite down in a way that wont lead to tangles in the bridle. Watch this video from FS team rider Gunnar Biniasch for a complete how-to on launching and landing Flysurfers.

1. it will double your time on the water
2. it makes sub 15mph days really fun
3. the float is insane when landboarding off hills especially
4. it packs down really small making it great for travelling
5. the deluxe graphics make this one of the best looking kites ever
6. it is cool to have the biggest kite in the sky
7. no need to pump / remember to bring a pump
8. you wont waste as much fuel driving to the beach only to find there isnt enough wind
9. the steady smooth power makes it great for practising wake style moves
10. old skool moves are making a come back!

Check out the Flysurfer Speed 3

I have always liked KiteWorld. It is a pretty magazine. The photos are always amazing and there are always at least a couple of genuinely interesting articles in there. You can also see the 2010 Flyboards Flyradical on the cover.

In this issue I enjoyed reading more about Will Milne’s progress. Will is a cool guy who started off taking photos for KiteWorld. He then progressed to being a cameraman and editing video for Fat Sand. Now he is touring the World with Aaron Hadlow and Ruben Lenten documenting everything they do.

The other articles that caught my eye were an interview / mini biography of Litewave Dave and an article about a girl who randomly ended up running a cafe for kiters in Cabarete.

The Flydoor XL was also on test. This is our ultimate low wind kitesurf board. I can get going in next to nothing on one of these paired with this summers top kite the Flysurfer Speed 3.

After looking back on the work we did with the KiteFreeStyle TV series and reminiscing we have decided to pull our socks up and get ourselves back into gear. Stuff has been pretty hectic over the last couple of years. Mark has relocated to the West Country from hectic London town. He also spent all winter away in South Africa and Western Australia. Kiting every day in perfect conditions for a couple of months makes it easy to skip borderline and average sessions in the UK. I (Tom) have just been busy working away and taking things a bit easier. Less of the leaving work on Friday and driving all night to get somewhere in Europe for an event, then getting back late on Sunday and barely having a couple of hours sleep before having to get back to work.

The fire is back though. We are living, thinking and breathing kiting once more. Obviously there are still other interests to keep ones life balanced. Some of the old interests like longboarding and mountainboarding are still very much alive. A couple of new ones too such as paragliding and stand up paddleboarding (SUP). Along side that like all good kiters there is some van love plus some nerdy technogadget love.

KiteFreeStyle is now back with a twist. Video is still a big thing for us. We will be bringing some more videos and collating all the old ones. Travel will still be a major focus – as kiters we love hitting up new spots and taking in a bit of culture. Plus the people you meet are always funny in some way or another. We now have an online shop. We fly a lot of kit, and know all about it. We are going to sell the stuff we use and recommend.

See you on a beach sometime

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