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When I first started kiting, unhooked freestyle and strapless surf were king. Athletes were pushing the sport forward at an incredible pace. We started to wonder what it would be like if athletes from other sports took notice. Would world class surfers pick up a kite? What about wakeboarders or snowboarders? As things panned out, some did, but never quite on the level we hoped for. Tye is the rare example of a pro crossing over from another sport and excelling at kite. The only other pro snowbo …

Chris Bobryk is a Slingshot Rider and a former member of the NA Blend, the 2nd wave of wakestyle riders in the USA. In 2019 he's joining the MACkite team moving forward. You'll be seeing a lot more of him in future episodes. Follow the adventure on social: #ChrisBobryk Sponsors: Slingshot, Soflo, Brunati, MACkite Check out Chris' gear Gear Talk Chris's Kites: The RPM The RPM is one of the most unique kites available. Technically, it's an all-around kite. It has a good wind range and the rel …

Last time on Sessions, we were exploring Taiba, a small fishing village in the northeast of Brazil. We caught up with a couple riders to chat about gear. First we linked up with Lucas Arsenault from Cabrinha to chat about his transition from the  Chaos to the FX. We also did a bit of filming with Machu Lopes of Duotone. You can read up on their gear and catch their rider segments in part one. After spending a week riding and filming at the local lagoon, it was time to head south to the ki …

The Cabrinha Chaos vs. the FX The Cabrinha Chaos vs. the FX The northeast of Brazil has long been a destination for freestyle kiteboarders chasing perfect wind, flat water and warmer temperatures. It's just one of those locations where conditions always deliver. While it's not the easiest place to visit, it's well worth the effort. I've always had fond memories of Taiba as it's where I got my start with video and kiteboarding. Back in 2012 I left my career to help my good friend Chris Bobry …

Tucker Interviews MHL's Co-Founder & Head Engineer Nick Leason Hey Nick, Thanks for taking the time to talk with us today! No worries. Let's jump right into this. When did MHL start? We started in 2010. And when did you get on the Hydrofoil train? How did we get on the train…. The first composite foil out there for a commercial market was the Carafino. I met Carafino in 2008 and fell in love with hydrofoiling. I started learning and working on my own gear right away. It turn …

Tucker Talks Foils with Slingshot's Tony Logosz When was Slingshot founded? Slingshot was originally founded in 1999. Started in ‘95 and officially launched in ’99. So going on 18 years-ish. Wow, that is basically the entire lifespan of kiteboarding. When did you start to see Hydrofoil's becoming part of the sports Slingshot represents? When did you start designing your own products for that purpose? We were influenced by the original kite-skiing that started here in the Columbia Go …

Surf Hydrofoiling Video w/ Legendary Surfer "Twiggy" Okay, who does not enjoy watching kiting and surfing professionals out in the big blue, ripping it up? But,what do you do when there is no wind? Or, when there are no major waves? Enter surf hydrofoiling, a revolution in the foiling game and it is rocking the worlds of even the most legendary surfers, like Grant "Twiggy" Baker. F-One has set up Twiggy with a hydrofoiling set up, so he has the best of all watersport worlds.  "Foilin …

Gary Siskar Talks about Liquid Force Foiling Hey Gary, thanks for taking the time to talk with us today! When did Liquid Force get into the foil game? We got into the foil game because we fell in love with foiling...it is that simple. Short story for you: Brandon headed to Maui in 2013 to shoot and test future kites with Julien. Before the trip he bought, yes bought a hydrofoil, mounted it to a wake skate and set off on the trip. All of us sort of chuckled and wrote it off. Couple weeks later, …

An Interview with Nils Rosenblad from Naish Kiteboarding So Naish has been in the game for a long time. When did Naish start making gear? When did you join their design team? Robby has been making his own boards since forever - thinking late 80s - under the Naish name, but Naish as a standalone brand really started in the mid 90s with their windsurfing sails. I've been with them since 2005. And when did you guys start to develop your hydrofoil program? We started experimenting with them when Kai …

In this episode, Crystal meets with one of kiteboarding's hardest working riders, Colleen Carroll. She tells how she got her start in kiteboarding, what she is up to now and breaks down the 2018 North kiteboarding line up. Crystal rocking her Ion Jewel up in Squamish, BC. Thanks again, and see you next time on Chasing the Dream! *Written & produced by Ryan (Rygo) Goloversic and Crystal Veness Crystal Veness Originally from Canada, she now calls the entire world her playground and simultan …

The Chris Bobryk interview, Today, we are flying over to Ft. Lauderdale, Florida and heading over to Miami. Palm trees, sunshine, and blue skies... what's not to love?! We're going to check in with Chris Bobryk and get some tips on how to stay fit and in good shape as a kiter! He'll tell us a bit about how to stay healthy, prevent injury, and recover if you do find yourself injured. But first, it's time to slow down and relax. It was a hectic week in Las Vegas and LA, and a day of downtime, a …

Frances Osorio Rivera is many things. In the mosh-pit of life, she’s one of those people right smack dab in the middle of it. Screaming, yelling, laughing her ass off—and making sure you do too. She will not take one ounce of crap from anyone. Ever. And I would advise against crossing her—she’ll cut ya. Ha! Only kidding. Mostly. Frances is positive and determined. When you first meet her, you can see a depth in her eyes that suggest she can do absolutely whatever she put …

Let's Chat w/ Matt Aiken, founder of WMFG Nathan, our resident tweaker for all-things WMFG, was able to grab a snap into the life of Matt Aiken, founder of WMFG. You might have noticed the WMFG pumps that we've added to our packages. As a staff, we love what Matt and his crew have produced, and it is a great honor to be involved with people who love what they do and do it with passion and purpose. Kite pumps have been around for ages, and for the most part to the job quite well. When we first …

Jessie Richman Joins Ride Engine Photo credit: Ride Engine Here's the latest from Ride Engine's email blast... Few fits in the kiteboarding industry could be more appropriate and well-suited than Jesse Richman joining the ranks of  Ride Engine. As an innovative new brand, Ride Engine is focused on challenging the status quo and setting ourselves apart from the standards set by the industry. Jesse has been doing the same thing over his decade-long career as a professional athlete, and nothi …

What stood out the most to you this year, overall? Nate: I would say that the outstanding product was quite surprising to me. Nitro came up with a really solid deal - a no-compromise board/binding combo for $399. I took a bunch of laps on this setup and was very surprised with how well it handled a variety of conditions. Whether bombing groomers or taking park laps, the 2017 Nitro SFU is a solid combo for an insane price. RyGo: While I didn't get to ride this year as I was running a camera the …