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Mirror.Me Embed Code works great! Looks nice on a black background..

now I just need to backfill from Feb - May with all the MaiTai coverage! Too busy to post recently!

Snowkite Utah 2011 - Strawberry River / Park City

35 minutes south of Park City, Utah....

Kiteboarders of Silicon Valley - Forbes.com

Forbes did a fun piece, including a slideshow, highlighting the rapidly increasing popularity of the sport amongst Silicon Valley techno nerds like myself...



By Kym McNicholas: Silicon Valley's elite entrepreneurs don't meet up on the links--they ride the wind and waves. Google cofounder Sergey Brin has many impressive achievements, but a little-known one might matter to the mogul the most: To kiteboard--surfing across the water, pulled by the wind against a large kite.. (read the rest by clicking on the picture above).

Aussie Kite Spots - in and around Perth

Perth offers a wide variety of fun kite terrain, ranging from river spots in the city, super charged wave spots on the coast, and combo ocean / bay spots near Margaret River and Augusta. The slide show provides GPS traces of 4 spots, starting from a wide zoom and moving in to provide visibility into the launch angles and wind lines on the water. First is Leighton Beach, just outside Fremantle (SE of Perth), Second is Melville Beach in the city of Perth, Third is Finders Bay in Augusta, and fourth is Wedge Island north of Perth (just south of Cervantes). Enjoy!

Ben Meyer's new AXON Boards - a test drive

Tried out Ben's Rhythm 133 just before Labor Day. Awesome, and stoked!!! Ben has an entire new line of twin tips and surf boards.



Ben Meyer introduced his new line of wake style and surf boards at MaiTai 2010. Ordered a Rhythm 133 for me and a Maya 130 for Michelle. Rode 'em. They PERFORM!

Int'l Kiteboard Association - Rio 2006 Olympic Campaign

I'm truly excited to be part of the effort by the IKA
International Kiteboard Association campaign to help bring kiteboarding into the mainstream - as an olympic sport.



I'm also EXTREMELY honored to be included in a group with friends and heroes, in both sport and business, to help with this effort. The ambassador group includes a number of Olympic medalists (Michael Gebhart, Vitali & Vladimir Klitschko), current and past kiteboarding champions (Kristin Boese, Steph Bridge, Bruno Srkoa)as well as business (and life) legends such as Richard Bransen and Neil Pryde....IKA Olympic Ambassadors

Sessions - with Susi Mai. Covering MaiTai 2010

It's been fun teaming up with Susi these past years to put this trip together. She's evolved and grown a lot from her days as a competitition turing only kiter. Here's her persective on MaiTai;

Forbes.com Covers MaiTai 2010

Forbes reporter (and former pro water skiier) Kym McNicholas came out to Maui to cover the tech networking at MaiTai 2010. Title: Kiteboarding: The New Golf...

Posted by Kym McNicholas
It’s a sport that attracts adrenaline junkies and risk takers– and venture capitalists and entrepreneurs definitely fit that profile. So it’s no surprise that kiteboarding is fast becoming the new golf in Silicon Valley.

It’s never been more evident than at this year’s MaiTai Kite Camp and networking event in Maui.... (read the rest here: Forbes.com on MaiTai)

As We Head Off to Maui

This is a CLASSIC - UPWIND, the Launch of Kiteboarding - Produced by RED BULL. I have decided to post it here as we head off to Maui for this year's MaiTai. Many of the folks that helped create the sport and many of the early riders are in this video. You have to install the player to watch it, but I have the video on a continuous loop streaming off one of my PC's at home. If it resets, I wont be able to turn it on til I am back from Maui :-)



IN this video, there are great interviews of Pete Cabrinha, Robby Naish, and other key figures that made this sport happen. I think it was produced just after I started kiting. You will see cameos from riders on our trip - Jesse at 10 years old, Shawn entering his teens, and Susi at her first competition on Maui!! How fun!

Getting Psyched for Snowkiting

Annual trip coming up to hit the treeline at Syline Ridge, Utah in Feb. While this video is NOT from Skyline, (or nearby powder mountain) it's inspirational so im posting it here so I can find it later. This area is Silvaplana in Switzerland.

Year End Summary - KPWT 2009 Events Summary


A summary of the year's events - locations, riders, THE WORKS!! Lots of info here on places to kite around teh world to save for future reference.

Kpwt Press Kit 2009

Race Results - First Ever Kiteboarding World Cup in San Francisco

Congrats to #1 Sean Farley (North Kites) who has been incredibly consistent and tough to beat for several years now; also to friends (and Ozone Team Riders) Chip Wasson (2nd) and Johnny Heinekin (3rd) who were riding Chip's radical new fin designs - with great results. Lastly a congrats to my Cabrinha Team team mates - Bruno Sroka and Jesse Richman - who were in the top 6.

Kiteboard Worlds Results GOLD

For WHEN this happens to YOU!

One of these 'when and not if ' experiences. Rib cage hurts. How severe is it? Can I still kite? What should I do? A weekend before big races in SF, I tore my rib cage on a "splat landing", attempting a double backroll kiteloop (at least I think that was what I tried) doing a photo shoot for an upcoming article in the October issue of The Kiteboarder Magazine.

For future reference, here is a great guide to healing ribs: Care of Rib Injuries
In my case it took a solid 6 weeks to fully heal - I split the cartlidge between ribs 6,7 + split cartlidge where rib 7 meets the sternum, tore the nerve along rib 6, and sprained the ligament where rib 6 meets the spine in back. The guide, time, and lots of situps before, and after got me back on the water in 3 weeks. In my next life I want to have the healing powers of Wolverine in the X-Men.

KPWT Tarifa, Spain (plus a visit to Morocco)

Had a chance to jet out to the Kiteboard Pro World Tour in Tarifa Spain over 4th of July Holiday. The competition was held in "ok" conditions, with steady wind, albeit on the lighter side. Our pal Jesse Richman (2008's #1 overall) managed to win the kiteloop competition, and placed 4th in course racing and 9th in freestyle. I met up with Cabrinha riders Cam Dietrich and Susi Mai for a one day detour to Tangiers, Morocco.

The KPWT event was followed by a media event built around Cabrinha's new products - their 10th generation of product, featuring the new Nomad kites. Very appropriate name for a line of kites - as Pete Cabrinha says, all of us who kite, are in a way, Nomads....

MAI TAI Kite Camp 2009 - Susi Mai and Bill Tai, back on MAUI!

MaiTai 2009 -- What a BLAST! Hard to believe this is year 7 for KiteCamp in its various forms, and something like year 11 including prior versions built around windsurfing. Kym McNicholas of Forbes.com came out to cover it this year.

If I can get caught up ill post some great pictures from the attendees. I have to start with this awesome retro picture, part of a set by Christopher Michel. Somewhere amongst the 80 or so participants this year maybe Chris will find a match wrt to his eye for a great shot.



What an action packed week on Maui. Susi Mai and I want to give special thanks to all the help and participation by our special guests -- Robby Naish, Pete Cabrinha, Shannon Best, Shawn and Jesse Richman, Cameron Dietrich, Andy Church and the Naish crew -- Coach Hughes, Jon Malmberg, Nitsan, Damien for participating and making it all happen. Many thanks also to Neil and the crew from Neil Pryde / Cabrinha -- Keven Ozee, Steve Gunn, Kent Marinkovic, David Hastilow and of course Alma Tassi!! More soon!

Midnight Metal Works - Ethan Kerber when not Kiting

I first got to know Ethan Kerber on one of those whacky days that separates the crazy & addicted from the sane. A storm was blowing through town and winds were whipping up into the mid 30's and touching 40 Mph. Nuts!! There were only a few of us nut cases out there, and as the heaviest guy around, Ethan held me down as I attempted to launch a 9 meter kite - an attempt that did not end well - for a moment we were 350 lbs of flying meat on a string (on land, flying toward rocks.)

From 2009 04 29 Kerber Art

I see Ethan at the beach often, but not when it's blowing near 40 anymore. He takes the edge off on those days by bending metal - literally - in his art studio. Ethan bends, shapes, and welds metal into beautiful works of art at in SOMA at Midnight Metal Works. These pictures are from a public art project he has been working on for the past couple years that will be permanently installed in Washington DC, about 10 blocks from the White House. It will be in the Mount Vernon Triangle neighborhood - across the street from the convention center. Its a 25 foot sculpture that will ornament the new City Vista development. I will soon post a google maps link to the exact location...

20 Miles of Kiting at Skyline Ridge, Utah

After kiting on the snow at Avalance Beacon Training Park (dense short traverses on the upper right of the map) for a bit, a group of us (Kafka, Gershenberg, Gibson and I) kited up wind (to the left) and up the ridge (bottom left). Caution - super blustry winds up there. I felt fully powered down on the flats on my Switchblade 12, and up top the wind was definitly gusting into the 30s! Great place with a lot of variety in terrain, wind and snow.

A Jump Lesson with Jeff Kafka - Snowkiting Utah

Amazing Overhead Shot - Kiting over a Whale
This picture speaks for itself - what an amazing shot, and what an amazing feeling imagining this moment.

NEW SPEED RECORDS!!

from Tyrone Rawlins --

The 2008 Luderitz Speed Challenge was nothing less than spectacular. With months of preparations getting the strip ready, it was all worth while as every session delivered results as new records kept being set. History was made when Sebastien Cattelan became the first sailor to break the 50 knot barrier. But the racing continued with faster times being recorded with every run.Records broken on this event (all subject to WSSRC ratification)
Alexandre Caizergues, French and World Outright: 50.57 knots
Robert Douglas, US Outright: 50.54 knots
Grant Ross, South African Outright: 48.79 knots
Rolf van der Vlugt, Dutch Outrigh: 47.46 knots
Sjoukje Bredenkamp, South African and World Outright Women: 45,20 knots
Juergen Geiger, Namibian Outright: 44.90 knots
David Williams, British Outright: 44.78 knots
Charlotte Consorti, French Outright Women: 44.74 knots
Bjorn Dunkerbeck, Spanish Outright: 44.74 knots
Jernej Privsek, Slovenian Outright: 43.42 knots
Marc Avela, Spanish Kiteboarding: 42.76 knots
Christian Barret, Belgium Outright: 40.87 knots
Katja Roose, Dutch Outright Women: 39.58 knots
Jemma Grobbelaar, British Outright Women: 38.1 knots
Get the full story in the Nov/Dec issue of GUST magazine...

getting ready to KITE THE LOBBY

Looking forward to David Hornick's Lobby Conference in a few weeks. David has each of us do an introductory video as a way to get to know each other - I turned mine into a time capsule given the extraordinary things that are happening in the credit markets these days, as the issues surrounding the financial markets are definitely on my mind, even more than kiting given the season is over around here. While the beginning of this clip is not about kiting, I do in fact touch on our sport as there is NO possible way for me to introduce myself without a kite in hand.

Pentax Optio W30 - Filming Kiteloops

My Pentax Optio W20 is now at the bottom of the ocean somewhere off Kite Beach. So I replaced it with the w30. When filming with the camera mounted on a kite - 2 changes to note : SET the focus on 'infinity' - the default autofocus will lock in on a shorter distance when launching and the video will end up fuzzy if you don't. Separately, if trying stunts, the centrifugal force on the camera (if its in a case) will power off the camera unless you protect the shutter button (see picture).

Here are some kite loops filmed with the w30. video's clear compared to my pentax video of Las Terrenas below filmed on autofocus.

WATERPROOF H20 Audio IPOD Shuffle + AquaPac Ear Buds!

GREAT combination. H20 Audio sent me their new waterproof IPOD Shuffle casing to try out. It comes with a "swim belt" that is intended for a swimmer's body - it fits perfectly mounted on a Cabrinha waist harness.
The "pull cord" designed for the customer to unmount the IPOD doubles as a safety when the swimbelt is fed through the loop as shown in the picture.
I tried several headsets, and the one with the best sound quality comes from Aquapac. Aquapac makes a 100% waterproof set of ear buds that fit snugly, and thus provide wonderful sound quality... here are pictures of the combo mounted on a waist harness.

Susi's Cabarete

Over 4th of July holiday, Susi took me to her favorite kite spots in the Dominican. Far better than anything I could ever write to describe the Dominican Republic is this clip. This is a chapter from a kiting video called Catalyst, shot by Elliot Leboe. This is Susi's chapter on the D.R... "SOUL". She nails it with her description.