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This week we're going to cover a popular trick that everyone wants to learn: the Darkslide! We've done a few videos on this, but I wanted to do a concise and to-the-point tutorial focused on doing the trick via bar feedback. You'll want to try this one with a little bit of power, but not overpowered. You can be a little underpowered, but you will have to go fast. Come in with decent speed and start to send the kite up like you would for a small jump. Pay attention to your bar. Right when y …

This week we'll be breaking down your first time in the water with a powerkite! Step One - Body Drag Downwind This is a fun and easy step. You'll be in the water without a board and letting the kite simply pull you downwind. Move the kite back and forth across the wind window. This is going to give you a good understanding of kite control in the water and get you used to the pull of the kite. Start to incorporate a figure 8 motion with your kite. These will generate more pull and simulate do …

This is the first blog of the ultimate beginner guide. This is a series meant to be used as a companion to actual kitesurfing lessons. So give this a watch before, during and after your lesson with a certified school. Do not attempt to use this as your sole source of lessons. We've left a great deal out and nothing beats real professional instruction. You will save yourself time, and most importantly you'll be keeping yourself safe and the local beaches in your area open to kiteboarding! Tod …

Is it an airplane, jet, or weather balloon? To many conspiracists’ delight, what we are looking at is a real UFO. Rather than an “Unidentified Flying Object” that you would see at Area 51, we are looking at Slingshots strutless kite known as the “Unlimited Foiling Object.” This is Slingshot’s only strutless kite in their lineup, and one of the few strutless kites in the market today. Due to the fact that it is so light and completely dedicated to foiling, it …

Strut-less kites require some special techniques and finesse to re-launch.  This quick walk through experience will help you explore some options for re-launch if you are struggling.  As we have said before, we recommend playing with these kites in shallow water before embarking on any offshore routes so you can get comfortable and experienced with their re-launch. Malcolm Crennell,  an experienced foiler passed his thoughts along to us and we thought it was well written and true …

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 …

Do a pros and cons right away in the description.... to add to the conversation  This video has been done before but its a topic that comes up daily here so I thought it would merit a fresh video for the year. I’ll try to get as detailed as possible with the differences, what you can expect, why you might like either and which I prefer. Reno Romeu using the standard Trust bar Line Lengths and Bar Widths The Click bar comes with adjustable line lengths thanks to stock removable …

Today we are going to go over how to do a toeside butterslide kiteloop transition. This trick is a fun and easy one that doesn’t take much risk. A butter slide is when you weight the back of your board as you ride through the water. It’s done by hopping off of your heelside edge, spinning to toeside and weighing the nose of your board. This works best in flat water so that you can hold a steady edge. It’s natural to spin this around into toeside and then you are ready to m …

We’ve had a lot of requests for a video on my favorite boots and the difference between boots and straps. The truth is kiteboarding is a diverse sport and what works for one person might not be best for another. Boots and straps have their place and are here to stay. It’s funny, in the early days, the first kiteboarders were actually wearing wakeboarding boots and building features. Just check out films like Auotofocus with Andre Philip and Jason Slezac. Or google Lou Wainman from the earl …

This is part two of the master your kite and board videos. Last week, I covered a new angle on how to control your kite with the edge of your board. I’m going to expand on this now, and help you really get control of your board and riding position. Kiteboarding is funny because unlike other board sports we have a lot more going on with controlling the kite. The thing is, It seems like a lot of kiteboarders never learn how to ride a board properly and it actually holds back their p …

Today, we’re going to do one of the most important videos we’ve ever done. 3 tips to master kite control. This is part one of two, I’m going to do a second video on advanced kiteboard skills to expand on this next. We're lucky to live in a time where all kites are really user friendly but it came at a cost. It seems like most new kiteboarders don’t know how to control their kite with their edge. Riding in a boarding stance is important In the early days of kiteboardin …

Today we are going to cover a Darkslide Kiteloop Transition. This is an advanced trick and is similar to the hand drag and the 360 video we did in this playlist. In the sense that you will be sending the kite from one side of the wind window to the other for lift and then looping the kite at the edge of the window followed by a second half loop to transition. PDF available Step One - Small Send & Pop Come into this trick with a light pop and be subtle with sending the kite. You don&r …

Muskegon Michigan, a very special place for me as it's where grew up and learned to kite. It's always amazing to come back and share sessions with all my old friends. When the conditions line up the sessions are all time! The flat water in Muskegon Pier for free-style and endless amounts of fun on the dunes; I always have the best time and have a hardest time leaving. Thanks to all the homies that made it so fun! Marc Hoeksema, Blake Olsen, Tye Kowalski, Sarah Dunick, Ryan Goloversic ext. …

Being locked down the past few weeks with no access to the beaches I’ve been dreaming of early this year in the Kite park in Hatteras and the Hood Rider Slider Project. Not to mention the good times with the Kite Park League homies. Shots by: Knot Future, Alexander Hughes, Ewan Jaspan, Vincent Bergeron, Brian Wennersten, James Ropner, Rian Osmond, Sarah Dunick, Karolina Winkowska …