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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 …

Hey guys, for this video we're going to cover a new angle on a basic freeride trick. I've done frontroll and backroll videos before, but I wanted to take the angle of a brand new rider attempting their very first backroll. The Light Wind Pop Learning to Backroll in Light Wind I've always advocated that it's best to learn new tricks in light wind because the falls are super chill and it's easier to build muscle memory. Thing is, with the exception of our kite loop tutorials, I rarely film anyt …

Recently I was tasked with reviewing the ocean Rodeo Flite Aluula 17m. The kite flew so different that it really got me thinking about how different size kites fly and what I’ve come to expect over the years. For this blog, I’ll break down the general characteristics of kites in a size range, conditions and the disciplines they are good for. I’ll also break down techniques for flying these kites and the best use of your time on the water. The 15m North Reach is a faster fun b …

This video is for riders who can jump bit would like to go higher. It was fun speaking with Shaun because in a way we both kiteboard but we’re practicing completely different sports. Big air riders do things very differently and they have one goal. Go high and loop the kite! You need to be proficient with the basics and a solid free rider before going for maximum height. That said, Shaun had some great tips to help you take your jumps to new heights. Load those lines up with the bar all …

Whats up guys, this week, I’m going to cover a fun and easier kiteloop based trick. With hooked in kiteboarding there’s three things that take a trick to the next level, a loop, a rotation and a grab. Moving past down all the download variations, the Bankroll Nose grab kite loop is probably the easiest powered loop trick. Its a little intense but one you can start underpowered and work your way up! Let’s get to it. Get simple Backroll kiteloops dialed first Before attempting …

In this video, we break down the five fundamental steps to jumping. Whether it's your first time jumping or you already know what you're doing, these steps will help you jump the right way without having too many falls. I remember learning to jump for the first couple of years and rarely having a consistent landing. Now that I know how to land most of my jumps, here's the easiest way I could think to break it down! Step one: Send the kite with the bar sheeted out. Sending the kite with the ba …

After years of riding, I've made a lot of mistakes along the way. The funny thing about kitesurfing is no one wants to show themselves riding bad or crashing. It occurred to me I can think of hundreds of mistakes I've made along the way. I'll be dropping these mistake videos along the way and I may even start intentional filming the right way vs the wrong way in future videos. This is going to be a fun one so lets dive right into it.  Mistake One - Riding Overpowered Kitesurfers often rid …

This video has been on my mind forever. I know it's going to drive some of you crazy but it must be said. Different Rules of Navigation should be observed in flat water spots. Like a slick behind a sandbar, an island or a jetty. A buddy of mine Leo Chen put it best. It's not about possession of the spot. It's about thoughtful use of a rare resource. Flat water is hard to come by and sought after for riders who are pushing their progression on the water. Love or hate this idea, I think we can al …

Today we are going over toeside to heelside transitions. Before trying this, you should know how to ride toeside and make a transition. Always remember to visualize a trick before trying it. Get these 5 easy steps in your head and see yourself doing it before going out and giving it a try! Step One: Send Kite Send the kite slowly across the wind window with the bar sheeted out, keep your hands in the middle of the bar. Step Two: Follow the Kite Twist with your shoulder and hips following the …

Step One - Park your Kite Park the kite around a 45 degree angle. This applies whether you are going to your right or left. Keep the kite stable partially sheeted out. Park it high but not too high. If the kite is near noon, It will pull you off your edge. Step Two - Edge and Twist Twist into the wind so that your chest is facing upwind. While doing this, engage your heel edge and shift your feet so that your toeside edge is now digging in. As you twist you should naturally feel the need to e …

The Frontroll Kiteloop is one of the most exciting and scary tricks in kiteboarding. The key to learning this move is to start doing kiteloops… a lot of them! Thing is, those are kind of intimidating too! The trick to learning this is to start in extremely light winds. I'm talking about the kind of conditions where you're riding and the wind gets so light you can kind of stay upwind, you can kind of jump and you're ready to put up a bigger kite or get off the water. When this happens, yo …

Kiteboarders are obsessed with getting more air, more height and more power into their tricks. At the end of the day, there are no shortcuts to improving skill on the water, only practice. That said, there are some things you can do that over time are going to have a huge impact on your riding and your pop. Tip One - Ride Finless Take the next 2 - 4 months and commit to riding without fins on your twintip. At first, everything is going to be more difficult. You'll find that you can't stay upwin …

The Raley to Blind is a critical step in your unhooked freestyle journey. It's typically the first fundamental move to be paired with a rotation. In our “Unhooked Fundamentals” playlist, I hammered home the point that all advanced moves are combinations of the fundamentals. This lower intermediate move is the first progression towards the Blind Judge, the Blind Judge 3, 5 and beyond. Once you get comfortable landing this to blind, you can pair the rotation with the Backroll and the …

This one is for those of you that know how to do basic front roll but want to take it to the next level. This is going to be a shorter one, but we'll cover a lot of ground. So first things first: you should know how to do a basic front roll. This can be with a sent jump or with the load and pop method. Once you are airborne, look over your back shoulder and pull your front knee into your chest. As you come around for the roll, pay attention to the axis of your rotation. Are you doing more o …

The goal of this video is to inspire you to try some more transitions and mix up your kiteboarding. You can really add a lot of flow and energy to your riding by mixing in very basic tricks into every transition. This week, I'll break down three of my favorite transitions from beginner to intermediate. Transition One - Beginner Half Loaded Melon to Toeside with a Downloop This is a mouthful but it's super simple. You can do it hooked in or unhooked for extra style. Just get a bit of speed …