Latest News, Blog & Videos
Kiteboarding: "Unhooked and Over 40"
If the calendar says you're past your "expiration date", but you're still feeling a bit spry, maybe you should try some basic unhooked tricks!
What is riding unhooked?
This means that you disconnect (or unhook) your control bar from your harness. Don't freak out—it's all about technique. Yes, you will be getting out of your comfort zone. Yes, you will be crashing more. Yes, it is totally worth it!
If you're a wakeboarder or a snowboarder, then riding unhooked is an obvious choice fo
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10th May 2018
The Story Behind "Sessions"
The Story Behind "Sessions"
Welcome to "Sessions"!I'm just a dude from a kite shop making videos and testing all the gear, one session at a time. A year ago, I started working with two talented individuals,
Blake Olsen and Crystal Veness. The goal was simple: put out the most thorough and relatable kiteboarding trick-tips online and produce the most informative and useful kiteboarding travel guide on YouTube.
One year later and we're working hard and having a lot of fun creating useful cont
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9th May 2018
Testing the 2018 North Evo with Danny Barnette
Sessions Blog - Testing the 2018 North Evo
For the 2018 North Evo, I really had to put in the work to get my review right. In most of my previous videos, I'd already had years of experience testing the gear. Demand was high for this review and I was struggling to get any real information on the kite. I decided to get as much time in on the kite as possible and take notes on my sessions. The problem was I only had a 12 meter and the conditions never seemed to line up. I had tested the kit
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8th May 2018
North Kiteboarding "Lake Baikal" Episode
So, let's go kiteboarding in...Siberia??
Lake Baikal, close to Russia and Mongolia, is the deepest lake in the world. Come follow along as North Kiteboarding team riders, Aaron Hadlow, Stefan Spiessberger, Craig Cunningham, Noe Font and Fran Bagnioli shred the gnar in a land real far...away.
The trip was planned to be an adventure but nobody expected this.
Apparently, there were broken-down vehicles, guys with gold teeth, windless weeks, and borderline starvation. Sounds awesome! Wait—w
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3rd May 2018
Kiteboarding Travel Guide: Cabarete - Destinations Ep02
Your one stop kiteboarding video travel guide.
Wind By Season
It's warn and windy most of the year but summer is the the best season to visit. Granted, even the winter months seem to work like clockwork. There's really not a bad time to visit.
Adventure scale
There are plenty of high end accommodations for kiters and non kiters alike. If Grey Goose and infinity pools are on your radar you can find it. On the other hand, if you'd prefer something a little more adven
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26th Apr 2018
Kiteboarding: Becoming Part of the Local Crew
I used to profess this simple concept back when I was a kiteboarding instructor and I know it to be true today. Kiteboarders are simple creatures. We like windy days, good people to share the stoke with, and a good feast afterward. Easy enough.
Hey, new guy—just show up with some pizza, introduce your self, and be humble—it'll be all good!"Seriously though—here's how you break into your local kiteboarding scene and be welcomed into the fold.
Decide which beach/area yo
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23rd Apr 2018
Kiteboarding Travel Guide: Progreso Mexico - Destinations Ep01
Welcome to destinations, your one stop kiteboarding video travel guide.
Wind By Season
It's warm and windy most of the year, but spring is the best season to visit. Progreso doesn't always work like clockwork, but it can be consistent! To give you some perspective, we visited in the winter and it was quite windy. In fact, we could have ridden every day had we not been so tired from adventuring. Touch base with Angel from Yuckite if you're planning a visit and he can give some insights
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11th Apr 2018
Yes, You Should Be Getting Your Kite Wet
Many years ago, pro rider Chris Bobryk and I were kiteboard instructors here at MACkite. Our lesson center was right on the sugar-sand beach of Pere Marquette Park, in Muskegon, Michigan.We would ride as much as we possibly could before and after our lessons and I can remember Chris just hucking himself constantly. He was sending it on every tack. He was absolutely consumed with progressing his kiteboarding ability and it paid off for him in his pro career. I, on the other hand, did not have pro
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27th Mar 2018
Kiteboarding Travel Bags Explained: North and ION
There are a lot of different travel bags out there for kiteboarding and kitesurfing. North offers the "Combi Bag" and "Team Bag Surf", while ION has the "Gearbag TEC". Here's the breakdown from Ben Skaggs, our North and ION Kiteboarding rep from Hood River, Oregon.North Combi BagColors: Black and BlueAvailable sizes: 140cm155cmSurfboards up to 5'6"Surfboards up to 6'2""This is a lightweight travel bag that uses the method of “use your gear and clothing as padding to save weight” for protecting y
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20th Mar 2018
The Cabrinha Drifter vs The Switchblade - Versus w/ Rygo Ep 20
So if you’ve watched the last few videos, you might have caught Freeride Kites vs Freestyle Kites where we talked about how most kites that undergo years of development slowly get so well rounded that they cross over into all-around territory. The Cabrinha Drifter is one of those kites. While it is a surf specific kite, it is a great contender as an all-around freeride kite. It’s even decent at unhooking.
So the first thing to consider would be the most obvious, and that is where t
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7th Mar 2018
Kiteboarding: 3 Tips for Riding More
As any dedicated wind-chaser knows, it can be challenging to balance work, life and kiteboarding. Sometimes, we just can't get enough time on the water.
Here are 3 simple tips to help you out!
Subscribe to Wind Alerts via iKitesurf.com.
Keep your gear with you at all times.
Communicate with your significant other.
The Alert
iKitesurf.com is one of the most important sites/apps for kiteboarders who want real-time wind data from around the world. Not only can you access wind speed, di
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6th Mar 2018
The 5 Best Kiteboards for Jumping and Big Air
So you’re looking to go big! One of the most fun aspects of kiteboarding is going all out at full speed and just sending it. On those days where the wind is so strong that the beach is empty except for a hand full of wind junkies.
Your heart is pounding, all you hear is the constant hum of the wind in your ears and the shouting of your friends as you set up.
Cars line up to watch the show, people venture out to the pier to see what's going on. It’s one of the most exciting and eye-
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28th Feb 2018
How to Kiteboard
7 Steps to Becoming a Kiteboarder
Have you seen someone kiteboarding while on vacation or at your local beach? Or maybe you saw a video on YouTube and were like, "what is that?" Your next thoughts were probably "how do they jump so high and land so soft", followed by "I want to do that!" For those of you that want to get started in the sport of kiteboarding but are not sure how, listed below are seven steps that will take you from watching on the beach to riding on the water.
1. Trainer kite
Th
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28th Feb 2018
2018 Liquid Force Legacy—The Freerider's Kiteboard
With so many freeride kiteboards on the market, it’s hard to choose between them all, right?The 2018 Liquid Force Legacy is one of those all-around freeride kiteboards that bridges the gap for a wide range of riding styles. Freeride, freestyle and waves. Even hook up some boots and get your wakestyle on! Big jumps? Yup.
FreerideFreestyleBig-AirWakestyleStokestyle (I just made that one up, but it fits!)Rider, Jason Slezak and shaper, Jimmy Redmon have combined their many years of kiteboarding and
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27th Feb 2018
Check out the all new WOO 3.0 session tracker
WOO 3.0 Snow Session Tracking
WOO isn't just for tracking your kiteboarding sessions, you can also use it while on the slopes with your Skis or Snowboard. Check out this great edit on how you can use your WOO 3.0 have fun with friends and post to your social networks. We will post all the Woo 3.0 release Videos here when they are released.
22nd Feb 2018