Latest News, Blog & Videos
David's Top 5 Kiteboarding Accessories for the Daily Shred
We all know about the basic gear you need to get out for your session: a kite, a board, a harness, and a wetsuit if it's chilly, but what else might you want out there, and how essential is it? Dave is here to share his top 5 items that he uses for most, if not all, sessions.Sunscreen
This one is a must. Even if you're in a full wetty, you'll still want to protect your face, as well as your hands and feet if you're not using gloves and boots. Some people like the zinc ones because of the
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29th Jan 2025
Is Kiteboarding the Same as Kitesurfing?
Let's dial-in a common mix-up that's as persistent as it is puzzling—the difference between kiteboarding and kitesurfing. Yes, they both involve harnessing the power of the wind with a kite, but that’s pretty much where the similarities end. So, let’s dive in and untangle it.
What’s in a Name?Kiteboarding | The All-Rounder
First up, let's talk about kiteboarding. This sport typically involves a twin-tip kiteboard, which is somewhat similar in appearance to a wakeboard. It's designed to be rid
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9th May 2024
Kiteboarding | How to Go Upwind Through Technique and Understanding
Kiteboarding is an exhilarating sport that combines aspects of wakeboarding, snowboarding, windsurfing, surfing, paragliding, skateboarding, and sailing into one high-octane activity. One key skill that every kiteboarder needs to master is the ability to go upwind.
While going downwind is straightforward, moving against the wind presents a unique challenge. This blog will guide you through the fundamental steps to successfully kiteboarding upwind.
Understanding the Concept of Upwind
Upwind r
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22nd Jun 2023
Kiteboarding Basics: Pre-Load And Pop
Yeah, what's up guys? I'm Rygo.
I'm Ewan.
And we're down here in Brazil. We got some clips when we were in Hood River. I didn't film these, Brad Strom--thank you, Brad--filmed these, and we've had a lot of you asking about the pre-load and pop, and Ewan's a big air guy, so I was hoping you could explain this trick for everybody out there and your thoughts on it.
Yeah, so it's something that I used to do a lot more in my freestyle, especially in light wind. For those of you who don't kn
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17th May 2023
28 Fun Tricks for Beginner and Intermediate Kiteboarders
Today we have a 28 trick list, from beginner to intermediate, so you can get an idea in your head of different things to go out and try in your next session, and just go have fun. Enjoy!
Jumping Beach StartStraight AirJump with GrabHeelside to Toeside PopToeside to Heelside PopButterslideDownloop TransitionOne-footed StartSent BackrollSent Backroll with GrabPowered BackrollPowered Backroll to Toeside with GrabPowered FrontrollPowered Frontroll with GrabSent FrontrollSent Frontroll with Gra
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17th May 2023
Kite Basics: How to Assemble Your New Kiteboard
Tools RequiredThe only tool you should need to assemble your board is a #3 Phillips screwdriver.FinsAt each end of the board are two sets of holes for your fins. Drop the screws in from the top of the board and attach them to your fins on the bottom. The narrower, tapered end of each fin should point toward the middle of the board.HandleYour handle attaches to the top of the board, right in the center. Line the handle up with the holes, then drop in the screws from the top.FootstrapsAttach
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10th May 2023
Kitesurfing Lesson: 5 Tips to Ride Upwind
This is Blake from MACkite here with 5 tips to help you ride upwind.Tip 1 - Twist Your Body UpwindTwist your shoulders and lean back over your back foot. This weights your back foot rather than both of your knees. This lets you get a stronger and harder edge.Twist and lean back, looking upwind. Twist with your shoulders and your hips, with your feet, and even point your toes upwind, and all of those little things together will make it so much easier for you. If you instead close your should
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9th May 2023
The Most Important Part of Kiteboarding: How to Fall
Blake from MACkite here. It's good to be back! I'm recovering from a torn ACL surgery, and just being able to walk is so incredible. So I figured... why not teach you one of the most important things in kiteboarding, which in my opinion is how to fall.Get StrongI have a lot of experience in falling; I've been injured a lot. Throughout the years of teaching myself how to kiteboard and do all of my own tricks, I have had to learn how to fall through trial and error. Now I've got it down to wh
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3rd May 2023
Choosing Your First Kiteboard
Today we are talking about choosing your first kiteboard. I'm going to go through what I think the best flow is, then I'm going to delve a little bit into the philosophy, and finally we're going to figure out which is the right direction for you.Start with a Basic Board and Upgrade as You ProgressGenerally, I think the best way to get started is to pick a very big and basic board. You don't need a lot of bells and whistles while you're figuring out how to water start, ride, do your first up
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28th Feb 2023
The Benefits of Learning to Kiteboard in Lighter vs. Moderate Winds
Welcome back to MACkite. This is Jake, and today we are talking about whether it's better to learn in lighter winds or heavier winds. Of course, this is just my personal experience and, being here in Michigan, we probably experience more light winds than heavy winds, so that's going to impact my answer slightly.My personal thought is that light wind is a better environment for learning to kite. I think it's probably easier to learn in heavier winds, but that doesn't necessarily translate t
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21st Feb 2023
Should You Take a Kite Lesson?
Welcome back to MACkite. This is Jake, and today we are answering the question about whether you should take a lesson before getting into kiteboarding. Honestly, I think the answer is "yes", but I'm going to talk a little bit about my personal experience, why I think that answer is yes, and I'll also go over the steps that you should take to have a safe and successful kiteboarding journey if you don't take a lesson.My Experience When Learning to KiteboardTo be honest, when I got started wit
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15th Feb 2023
Get Ready To Ride! Learn The Essential Steps For a Smooth Kiteboarding Water Start
This blog post provides an in-depth look at the five key steps necessary to learn how to water start when kiteboarding or kitesurfing. The first step is to get comfortable with the kite, learning how to launch and land it, as well as understanding its wind window. The second step involves compressing your body into a smaller package, which involves using the power of the kite to pull you through the water and upwind. Step three is getting onto the board, where you will need to carefully balan
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29th Dec 2022
Learn How to Kiteboard Upwind With These 5 Beginner Tips
Kiteboarding Upwind Is Your First Beginner Milestone
If you’re a beginner kiteboarder, going upwind means not walking back up the beach after each ride. If you’re jumping, you need to march upwind easily because every flight takes you downwind fast.
Back in the stone age, with 2-line kites, riders would pressure their back foot edging hard to slow their board speed allowing the kite to move to the edge of the window so they could ride upwind. We even used the pickle fork tail like ski brake
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30th Aug 2022
Your Third Kiteboarding Trick After Learning How to Jump
Hey, what's up guys? I'm Rygo and I'm in Hatteras with Lucas, and we're back for Part Three of our "Fundamentals: Progressive Jump with Style" playlist. That's a mouthful, but the whole idea is that we're helping you transition from the first video to the last video. We're breaking down basic grabs, helping you build air awareness, and whatever your discipline and whatever your level, these are easy things that you can practice to step up your riding and look better on the water. Even for
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27th Jun 2022
Your Second Kiteboarding Trick After Learning How to Jump
Hey, what's up guys? I'm Rygo.
Hey, I'm Lucas.
We're coming back with our second video on our Fundamentals: Jumping with Style playlist and we started with the tail grab. Now it's time for round two, so we're going to talk about a stalefish grab. It's pretty similar, but there are some slight differences with what you're doing with your body. These are things for you to think about because we want to help you transition into being a more stylish rider by taking the most basic things and
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27th Jun 2022