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You've take a kiteboarding lesson and mastered the Waterstart that's awesome! However, there is one little problem... How do you go back the other way? Fear not, I've broken down the kiteboarding transition into five easy steps. The next time you hit the water give these a try and see if they help! Step one Practice on the beach with a trainer kite. Visualization goes a long way with learning anything. If you can get your hands on it that's even better. I recommend taking a day or two m …

Spring is here and we all know what that means. Warm weather, wind and good times with good friends. We’re officially kicking off our kiteboarding lesson season for 2017. This marks our 16th year teaching kiteboarding. In that time the gear, as well as the sport have changed drastically. With all that change there still remains one universal truth for new kiteboarders. That is the thirty hour rule. Ten hours on the kite, ten hours on the board and ten hours to put it all together. Now, we …

In this episode we're going to be talking about what kiteboarding is, how you can get started, and how learning to kiteboard will impact your life and your travels.  What is kiteboarding  Kiting brings together a lot of different sports. From board sports, to watersports, to knowledge of wind. So if you're a snowboarder, a wakeboarder, a sailer, a para sailer, a surfer or even a skateboarder, you absolutely have what it takes to become a kite boarder. Even if you are none of those th …

With so many friends coming to visit recently, I haven't been working nearly as much as I should. The last week I've mostly logged a lot of hours at work. That said, I thought I would talk about a really fun event that takes place in Key West. The Havana Classic, a Hobie cat race from Key West to Havana Cuba. Last year a few close friends and myself followed the racers quite a ways out. We didn't make all the way to Cuba but it was an incredible experience non the less. One of my long term goal …

My name is Crystal Veness, and I’m living the dream. I’ve been traveling full time for more than two years, with no home base and nothing but a kite bag, a carry-on suitcase, and a backpack in tow. This journey has spanned 5 continents, 19 countries, and created more than 1,000,000 memories, and the journey continues today. I’ll be honest, my bank account isn’t exactly growing, but I have accumulated an indescribable wealth of experiences, wonderful connections, and sk …

Get your pump on The WMFG is the largest pump we've ever seen. Chances are if you need this pump, you need everything to be fast!  Well, I have great news. Every Monday morning you can catch brief, cheeky and fun gear reviews from our very own Jake M.  

Aaron's Journey Being the "New Foil-Guy" April 20th, 2017 Sitting on the sidelines watching everybody else having all the fun is NOT fun. No matter what it’s about. Those goofy guys with their kite foiling boards. Who do they think they are, out there having all of the fun? I’m over it—can’t watch one second longer. I’m diving in now! Committing to learning something new can be challenging. Plus, no relatively experienced kiteboarder or kitesurfer wants to revisit t …

How to do a transition on your foilboard! It's Friday so you know what that means. Another episode of Ride with Blake. The last week was incurably fun as some old friends from MACkite came to visit. Ryan (Rygo) Goloversic, Steve Lee and Chris Bobryk. There is nothing like kiteboarding with friends and having some adventures. Like when we helped some F-16 pilots get a session and they were quick to reciprocate by letting us fly in their in single engine plane. It's amazing what life will bring …

Let's Chat: Aaron's Spring Kiteboarding Check List For those of us that don’t live in the tropics, you’ve probably been tweaked, out of your mind, waiting for the weather to warm up so you can go kiteboarding. Hopefully, you’ve already had opportunities to get on the water before now. And hopefully, you put your gear away neat and dry at the end of last season.    Just to be sure that everything is in top shape, I recommend that you take your kites out and pump t …

Robby Naish & Damien Girardin Talk Naish Kite Tech With all the kites on the market and so many kites be marketed as fast turning, easy relaunch, good power, it can get confusing as to why one kite is actually different than another. Most of us don’t truly understand the differences that go into making a freestyle kite great for that particular discipline or a wave kite great for wave riding. Thanks to Robby and Damien for sitting down and walking through some of these specific differe …

Let's Chat: Tucker's Explanation on How to Get Into A Front Zip Wetsuit Getting into front zip wetsuits is all about technique. I can get into my front zip 6mm just as quickly and easily as my 3mm back zip wetsuit (maybe faster since I can find the zipper easier). Even if it takes you a little longer until you get the hang of it, the benefits of front zip suit far outweigh the negatives. Back zips leach cold water in and warm water out, they also limit the stretch of the suit.&nbs …

Hey folks! In the latest installment of MACkite’s Ride With Blake series, Blake Olsen chats about how to ride upwind - a critical skill in the learning process of kiteboarding for beginners. Blake: Today’s lesson is on how to ride upwind. Once you get your first start, you end up going back and forth on the beach and you end up walking back up the beach, and that’s all part of the learning process. Everyone’s got to do it, so don’t worry about the walk of shame - w …

The Back roll hand drag is possibly the most stylish way to transition The last week in Key west has been epic. Exploring the islands with my kite, paddle boarding the mangroves and snorkeling the reef. The abundance of wildlife in the ocean never ceases to amaze me! For this week's blog I thought I would share five steps to nailing your first back roll hand drag transition. This is one of the most stylish ways you can transition with your kite. Like most kiteboarding tricks, th …

Traveling with Kite Gear Spring break is right around the corner! Hopefully, you have you planned your trip, packed your bags and are ready for some good times on the water. Quick question—how much are you planning to spend on travelling with your kiteboarding gear? Although there are creative ways to get around paying extra for your kite gear, It’s always a good idea to consult your airline’s policy on baggage fees beforehand. That way, at least you’re prepared for the w …

The Dakine Option spreader bar is an awesome option for kiteboarders looking for more freedom in their riding. The option spreader bar is a new offering on the market that combines the benefits of a rope slider bar and a hook. You will have the option to choose between the two.  Riding with the hook  Using the hook is similar to a traditional hook and will work very much the same way. The only real difference here that that it will rotate up and down. You can also remove a nylon stra …