Windsurfing is to kiteboarding what skiing is to snowboarding.

Snowboarding is easier than skiing and the learning curve is a lot steeper. In skiing, people spend their whole lives refining their technique, spending the odd morning with an instructor when they go up on a holiday. Snowboarders tend to have 2 or 3 lessons and the rest is up to you. By the end of 2 weeks good condition snowboarding you can generally ride powder and do black runs (if you push yourself)

When snowboarding started to go nuts, there were people pulling off massive moves, and things like the half pipe, and park were for the boarders. Then some guys took the technology from snowboards and applied it to skis (double parabolic edges, twin tips) Now you have these skiers pulling off massive aerials, working the park and half pipe, and generally ripping it.

I'm looking forward to see how kiteboarding/surfing technology passes back onto windsurfing, and what the poleys will come up with to raise the bar for the awesome kiters amongst us.

lostinlondon said...

I'm looking forward to see how kiteboarding/surfing technology passes back onto windsurfing, and what the poleys will come up with to raise the bar for the awesome kiters amongst us.

I was talking to one of the windusrfers the other day at the beach - and apparently Starboard (I think) is releasing a board that's made the same way as a kiteboard - So it will be like 1-2cm thick all over!!!

Maybe it was JP? No sure - anyway it was supposed to be for wave riding or high wind bump and jump conditions where you'd normally be riding a low volume sinker...

Check this out! (esp. the jump starting at 1:04)

Wether you pole dance or dangle (like me), if you don't have respect for watermen like this, then you need therapy....

btw, the audio is pretty good too, the song is "No more bad Tao".

Enjoy....

Hey Skid,
Yeah that jump at 1:04 is high, respect for that, and respect to hanging on to the boat and sail falling like an elephant sky diving.

But he dosent land it, none of them ever do if they get any decent air.
If they do land on their board they sink,cant land with power or speed and ride away clean.

Its a bit like doing a back flip on a dirt bike and landing in a lake...whats the use if you cant make it???

He might have got a bit of air, but he fell out of the sky like a rock and ate sh!t.
Bit like a jetski doing a jump off a wave.