09 March 2023
Nova '23 | A Ground-up Redesign
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![Podcast: North Foiling - Mike Raper]()
26 March 2023
Podcast: North Foiling - Mike Raper
In this weeks The General Foiling Podcast, Freddie and Liam chat to Mike Raper - Brand Manager and Co-founder at North Kiteboarding and North Foils, all the way over in Auckland, NZ. Mikes been around the watersports industry for a very long time and has held numerous senior positions within it - initially with the Pryde Group and Cabrinha Kites, and now running the ever successful North Kiteboarding and North Foils. Liam and I both enjoyed Mikes interview on the Progression Project back in October 2022, and jumped at the chance to have a chin wag with him - although both very conscious that our interview would likely be quite a different style! For anyone who wants to know more about Mikes early days in the Industry and how he got his start, we urge you to go and listen to the episode - it's a banger.
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![GWA Wingfoil World Cup New Zealand Recap: Bowien van der Linden 3rd]()
14 March 2023
GWA Wingfoil World Cup New Zealand Recap: Bowien van der Linden 3rd
There was a light breeze for the final of the GWA Wingfoil World Cup in New Zealand where we managed to complete men’s elimination 5, and women’s eliminations 12 and 13.
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![Reconnect. The Documentary.]()
11 December 2022
Reconnect. The Documentary.
Tune in this weekend for Jalou's new documentary, RECONNECT. Streaming free at northkb.com/reconnect for just 48 hours.
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![Tom Bridge rocks the Boat]()
24 November 2022
Tom Bridge rocks the Boat
Colin Carroll watched Tom Bridge's return to competitive kiteboarding after a 6-year hiatus in disbelief. 3 heats. 6 tricks that had never-been-done. Not one of them scored above 7.0. Everyone, from judges to opponents, was willing him to conform. But he didn’t.
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![Bruna Kajiya wins 2022 Vice World Champion title in Brazil]()
15 November 2022
Bruna Kajiya wins 2022 Vice World Champion title in Brazil
Three-time World Champion, Bruna Kajiya, placed 2nd in the GKA Freestyle Championships in Taiba, Brazil, for an overall Women Runners-Up podium finish to the 2022 season. Following earlier events in Salinas del Rey, and Neom, Sauda Arabia, the Copa Kitley GKA Freestyle-Kite World Cup Brazil was one of the most hotly contested and thrilling encounter ever seen in kiteboarding between the world's top riders at what is most likely the best freestyle spot in the world. Over the course of three days of action we saw world-first manoeuvres dropped in competition for the first time, while the general level of riding at this event was at a jaw dropping level throughout. Maxime Chabloz summed up best how the butter flat water and smooth 18-22 knot wind conditions made for the ultimate throwdown: "The level is insane. There's nothing affecting a rider's performance except their own skills. It's just so good." According to GKA commentary by Jim Gaunt, Bruna still had an outside chance of reclaiming the world championship at this event if the first place champion Mikaili Sol had finished in fourth position or below. At 35, Bruna is the veteran of the women's fleet, but is widely acknowledged as the rider who inspired more female participation in this discipline when she became the first woman to land a backside 315 in 2016. Showing all the grit and composure that has propelled her to previous success, the Brazilian dug deep during another tight battle in the final against Rita Arnaus, pulling out a signature sweet back mobe under pressure on the final trick to overtake the Spaniard and take second. Next event for the Freestylers is the opening round of the 2023 season at Fuwairit Kite Beach resort, Doha, Qatar from 31st January - 4th February. Photos: Svetlana RomantsovaWords: Jim GauntRead more GKA News from the GKA Kite World Tour here
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![The Prince's Portrait]()
08 November 2022
The Prince's Portrait
The making of a King. What actually happened at the 2021 Red Bull King Of The Air? Shot and edited by Colin Colin Carroll, this documentary follows the rise of Marc Jacobs to the most esteemed title in Kiteboarding.
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![The Progression Project Podcast Erik Antonson]()
19 October 2022
The Progression Project
Listen to head of North Foils, Mike Raper, on the Progression Project Podcast with host Erik Antonson.
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![Capucine Delannoy Crowned The Queen of the desert at The GKA Kite World Tour, Dakhla 2022]()
10 October 2022
Capucine Delannoy Crowned The Queen of the desert at The GKA Kite World Tour, Dakhla 2022
GKA Kite World Tour, Dakhla 2022 was certainly one for the history books! Capucine Delannoy (FRA) took yet another win at the first Kite-Surf tour stop of the year. The young and hungry North rider powered through the event knocking down everything in her path. Capucine demonstrated elegant wave riding with a sense of power when ripping through every turn.
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![Being King. By Colin Colin Carroll]()
29 September 2022
Being King. By Colin Colin Carroll
A Big Air World Championship documentary featuring Jesse Richman, Marc Jacobs, Janek Grzegorzewski, Giel Vlugt, Nick Jacobsen, Tom Bridge, Andrea Principi and Lorenzo Casati following the action at the GKA World Tour in Tarifa 2022. View our Big Air collection here.Watch the North Men's GKA Edit here.Read about Capucine, Karlie & Bruna's experience at the GKA here.
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![Fully Focused with Jesse Richman]()
08 August 2022
Fully Focused with Jesse Richman
"We can’t be sure how high up Jesse was, but it looks like he was fully Focused, Flexing his muscles, and Reaching for the sky... what a Navigator... Mmm, in case you’re wondering what the h*ll we’re talking about, that will be his board, bindings, kite and bar..." - The Kite MagDiscover Jesse's set up here. See more from The Kite Mag here.
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![Tarifa GKA Recap: North Men's Team]()
05 August 2022
Tarifa GKA Recap: North Men's Team
Did you tune into the Biggest Big Air Event of the Year? Get your fix with our GKA Big Air Men's Recap video with Jesse Richman, Camille Delannoy Luca Ceruti, Nick Jacobsen and Marc Jacobs.
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![Cape Town Storm Chase with Graham Howes]()
04 August 2022
Cape Town Storm Chase with Graham Howes
With 4.5m Swell and 55 knots winds, Graham Howes and his crew decided to hit a big wave surf sport in Cape Town.With off shore winds, lots of rain, and some big rouge sets coming through. Next stop is Antarctica... "The Boys just landed back home in Cape Town from Tarifa, Spain after the GKA world championships, and they were treated by one of the biggest storms of the season" - Graham Howes
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![Chucho Nonnot Joins North Foils]()
27 July 2022
Chucho Nonnot Joins North Foils
Foiling prodigy and latest signing to the North Foils team, Chucho Nonnot’s enthusiasm for adventure and foiling is catching. "Adventure is what life is all about. I'm excited to see what the future holds for us in this rapidly growing sport. One thing is for sure, wherever I go the foiling gear will come with me.”
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![Wherever I Lay My Hat : The Kite Mag #48]()
26 July 2022
Wherever I Lay My Hat : The Kite Mag #48
Kitesurfing nomad Capucine Delannoy, along with her brother Camille, discuss the upsides and downsides of a life spent chasing the wind, and how competitions feed into their drifting lifestyle…
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![Gunnar Biniasch wins the fourth stop of the Spanish Wing Foil Cup]()
13 July 2022
Gunnar Biniasch wins the fourth stop of the Spanish Wing Foil Cup
"We had some pretty nice conditions at the two-day event in Palma de Mallorca." Riding the 7m Nova Wing and 4'8 Seek for all 12 races over two days.
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![New kid on the block]()
08 July 2022
New kid on the block
The young South African taking the scene by storm. "I don't remember a more meteoric rise in Big Air." - Adrian Kerr, Kitesurf 365.
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![Playing by your own rules with Marley Franco]()
29 May 2022
Playing by your own rules with Marley Franco
Ever wondered what it's like to live the Grom Dream, like Maui local Marley Franco?
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![Never bored with Marley Franco]()
29 May 2022
Never bored with Marley Franco
Cut loose from the chores and bores of daily life, and chase that feeling with Marley Franco.
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![Welcome to Team North Karlie Thoma!]()
01 May 2022
Welcome to Team North Karlie Thoma!
"What do I love most about kiting? The flying part. I like being in the air. It's an expression of myself. I feel like I don't really have a lot of words, or I can't explain things sometimes, which frustrates me a bunch. But through these sports, I can express myself without words. I'm showing everyone what they need to see." - Karlie Thoma. Living outside the box North welcomed self-confessed daredevil Karlie Thoma to the team after her first photoshoot on Maui with Jesse Richman, Annabel Van Westerop and Marley Franco. "I like doing things that are scary because it puts me in the moment more. I'm not sure where that comes from. I think I've been like this since I was a kid, a daredevil, doing intense stuff. I don't really feel very present in my day to day - I feel more focused when I'm surfing or doing a crazy mega loop; I'm very dialled-in. More so than in my normal life. And when I put myself into 'scary' situations, I am super-humbled. When I fall, then come up, I'm like: "Holy, I'm good. I'm alive; this is great.” "In the last five years, it's just been injury-surgery, injury-surgery, or double surgeries. So right now, I finally feel like I'm coming back like I'm injury-free. It's been a long time coming to get to where I'm at now." "I don't really believe [being a pro-kiter] is my reality yet. I know it is on paper, but I'm still trying to accept it. I was so young when I started kiting, I didn't know how to take it to the next level, and my family wasn't really involved in it, so it was kind of like a hobby. When I was 19, I got my real estate license. I thought I would just work a regular job for myself and make money. Being a professional athlete wasn't even a consideration. I thought it was long gone. "I am a free-rider. I just want to progress, keeping everything interesting, exciting and fun. I'm not sure if I can push to the level that they're going at King of the Air, considering that I don't really want to die or get to a point where my limbs give out! I'm taking it super slow. I just want to get better at Big Air on my own terms and safely send it as much as possible." Karlie’s newest trick is a front roll – fish pull – megaloop, but she’s up for any big jumps with a loop. When learning or mastering a trick, she tries to visualise beforehand. “Then I try it, then I get really, really slammed in the water! It helps when someone takes a video because I can see whether I've been taking off too early, sending the kite too late, or the rotation needs to be a little later. So just kind of like dialling all that in together.” The 24-year-old grew up in Maui – just one beach from Jesse Richman. She spent most of her adolescence down at Old Man's, blasting around on her kiteboard every day after school. "I'm super grateful to have grown up here on Maui, with the conditions that I have here - wind and waves all year round, and the people that I'm surrounded by." At first glance, you'd think she was another uber-talented local Hawaiian kid, with the ocean running in her veins. But unlike many of her generation on Maui, Karlie's parents weren't into water sports or windsurfing. "My Dad's from Germany, and my Mom's from the Philippines. With those two different cultures, being in the US and, more specifically, Maui, it was quite an interesting upbringing. Mostly, people think I'm Hawaiian, but I'm not." When Karlie was eight years old, her Dad rented a room in their house to a couple of Swiss kitesurfers for the summer. "I think I went with them to the beach one day, and I was like ", whoa, this is so cool! I wanna learn! So they did some sort of exchange with my Dad, teaching me to kite in return for a discounted rate to stay. We went right away to the local shop because I needed a super small kite - I was tiny. So, we got a 3m kite, and then I basically spent all my time at the beach. I was the only kid on the scene – Jesse was super close, like right around the corner, but you kind of just stay in your zone. All the kids surf around here, but kiting wasn't really a bit thing back then – even now, there's not a lot of young kids doing it, so I was surrounded by like 30-year olds and up. That was my squad." Her passion for surfing started when she was around 16. "I love it so much! Many more variables go into getting better as a surfer, like if the swells are hitting correctly or if your equipment isn't good, or people burn you on waves. Kiting is super consistent, and you can really take it to where you wanna go. But the further I wanna go, the more taxing it could be on my body. "I think it's sort of like everyone's dream to start surfing with a kite. I've spent a couple of winters on the North Shore, but I'm still trying to perfect things - like where to park the kite when I'm going down the line. I haven't found it similar to surfing in any way, but once those two things connect, I think it'll be more fun. Definitely, this winter, I'll be out there! Karlie’s advice for other girls who are into kiting or watersports or want to be is that you must be persistent and really want it. “The progression doesn't come without it. It's not like a soccer ball – you kick, and it's done. You need to really want to do it.” Karlie knows a thing or two about tenacity, having undergone four shoulder surgeries after dislocating her shoulder. "My first set of surgeries was to repair the tendons, but they ended up tearing again. In the second round of surgeries, I had a bone block. I have screws in my shoulder, so now, physically, it can't dislocate anymore. But I definitely have some fear around it still. Also, between those shoulder surgeries, I punctured through my knee cap. I was in physical therapy for three weeks, trying to bend it and learn how to walk again. That was a little setback. But right now, I think I'm the best that I've ever been in my whole, like 14, 15 years of kiting, despite all the injuries and surgeries. I don't know what switched in my brain." Underlying her desire to overcome fear and keep going is a strong belief in herself. "I know I can do it. My fear is not being able to do it. It's kind of like a double-edged sword because I'm scared that my body will give out; I'm going to get hurt again, and I physically won't be able to do these things. But then also I know I'm capable of getting to where I wanna go (if my body will hold up). I like getting better at things - I feel like that's my purpose." Karlie believes the ocean is a form of therapy and being engaged in what you do helps put her "in the moment". Neuroscientists have called this a "flow state" or "blue mind", and it has been shown to have incredible effects on our wellbeing. At this moment in time – with the pandemic and so many people struggling with their mental health, it seems more relevant than ever for us to be turning to the ocean as a form of therapy. “The pandemic didn't really affect Hawaii so much. I think there was a lockdown at the beginning of it in March for like two weeks. But after that, everything slowly opened up. For me personally, I haven't really felt affected by it. I stayed on the same program that I've been on for a long time, other than, you know, going to the store with the mask on. I can't imagine what some people are going through out there. I know it has changed a lot for people around the world. I've been seeing many more people on the ocean, and definitely a lot more people coming to Hawaii and realizing that there's more to life than a concrete jungle. It makes me super happy that people are going in more of that direction now, like taking life more down the organic route. Keep an eye out for Karlie at her new spot at home in Maui, Pro Pool, when it's blowing 25knots +, or on her latest blog-style video series on YouTube where she'll focus on kiting, surfing and being as active as possible while documenting the process."
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![Nick Jacobsen - daring greatly.]()
03 November 2021
Nick Jacobsen - daring greatly.
Big Air is not a sport for the faint-hearted. You're alone in the sky in massive conditions, relying on just your skills and your kite. North Team Rider Nick Jacobsen is well known for his 'daredevil' antics. As a successful extreme athlete, he has developed a healthy methodology for managing and overcoming fear. We talk to the Danish pro-kiter as he celebrates his third Big Air season launch with North about how he tackles fear and what it takes to stay at the top of your game for more than six years. Everything you want, is on the other side of fear. "Every time there is fear, you should listen to it. And you can either make it shut up, or you can challenge it in a way that feels right." Red Bull performance coach Gary Grinham says, "fear causes a negative mindset. It instils in you elements of doubt, reluctance and lack of trust". Nick comes into the game well prepared to eliminate that mindset - for him, risk assessment and visualisation is important. "If I don't see it happening, then it's not going to happen. I trust my equipment 100%. There are so many factors that could go wrong, but being with a brand like North eliminates that thought. If I know I've done my homework, then it's down to trusting my own skillset, trying to visualise what I have to do. "I wouldn't go somewhere in the world and say, "that's a cool building. Let me take the lift up with my gear and jump off it". I would never do that. I'd take the lift without my gear, but with my notebook. I'd try and calculate as much as possible, then team up with my friend, who is good at analysing wind conditions. That's the process I usually go through. I'm incredibly nerdy with the stuff that I do, and I know the risks. "But I think the fear that comes from your surroundings is different to the fear that comes from within. I had to study this quite a bit to understand how my brain worked, and my conclusion was that every time there is fear, you should listen to it. And you can either make it shut up, or you can challenge it in a way that feels right. "I always get frightened when I'm standing on top of a building, so I'll take it in for about a minute, sit with it, then review it. Ask what it is, where it comes from, is this a type of fear I've had before, or is it a new type of fear? If it's a new type of fear, I won't jump. I'd need to examine it and figure out what and where this fear actually comes from. "I've only met with fear like this a few times. Then I've put my kite down, looked at it multiple times, teamed up with people in that field who know how to analyse wind near buildings, near trees, you know, updrafts or whatever might be. Once I have the knowledge, I'll go back to it." This kind of rationalisation, defined by Dr Pippa Grange in her book Fear Less as "using logic and statistics to take yourself out of your fear", is a common technique used by Nick and other kiters to overcome fear. "Everything is very planned, even though it doesn't look like it. I like putting stuff online that provokes and makes people think that I'm crazy. But I would never do something that didn't FEEL right. "I know it can seem crazy when you list what I’ve jumped with a kite, but I take great honour in being in control and assessing the origin of the occasional fear, so when I do it - It never feels crazy. "I've gotten a bunch of email and Instagram messages from parents – they're like; 'you shouldn't do this, it's crazy, and you're not even wearing a helmet! My son looks up to you, and now he wants to jump off things.' "I try to put myself in their shoes, but it's difficult for me. When I look at Travis Pastrana, I'm like, HOLY BANANAS, I will never try and do something like that in my whole life because I know my limits. I can't even do a wheelie on a dirt bike, so why the hell would I try to do a double backflip? If you don't know your limits, that's when it goes wrong." In 19 years of kiting, Nick's only broken an ankle and a finger. "I don't know if I've been lucky, but if anything happens to me during those "crazy" acts, then it would be pretty fatal. You wouldn't just break an ankle. But I do the risk assessments and calculate everything well. I think I'm the opposite of crazy. But that's the brand side of being Nick Jacobsen. "When I get home and cook dinner for my girls, my girlfriend Marie, and her 8yo daughter (who has to be in bed by 8.30pm), I'm so different to that maniac flying around on a kiteboard. If you can't compartmentalise those different aspects in your life, then it becomes a maze, where you don't know what's up, what's down. Without structure in my life on a day-to-day basis, I sort of lose myself. Before I met Marie, I was just this single professional kiteboarder flying around. I didn't have any responsibilities other than being sponsored by people and having deadlines to meet. But now, this is actually a job; it's not only passion. It's what puts food on the table and fills my car up with gas. Taking all these things slightly more seriously really helped me a lot. Nick lives on the beach, in a small village just north of Copenhagen, close to his Mama's house. He and Marie are expecting a baby boy in December. "I think it's going to change a lot of things – hopefully not all the good things, but I think not. Already my relationship with Marie's daughter has changed me – but only in a better way. I talk to Jesse a lot about it, and I can't wait. I think it's going to be such a positive anchor in my life. But I think I will ask myself twice, no, ten times before I actually do stuff." What scares Nick most? Losing control of something he thought he had control of. "When I'm taken by surprise, like 'holy shit, I didn't think about this," - that really scares me, because the consequences, the things that could go wrong, are things I haven't thought about. Underneath that is the idea of other people looking at me and telling me, "I told you so". You shouldn't have done this. Usually, I don't give a shit what people think of me, but if something goes wrong, then how the hell do I justify my next big stunt? I would lose respect from people I work with, friends who trusted me and my ability to do what I do." Nick's words describe some universally human fears. If you peel the layers back, three big ones come to mind – the fear of not being loved, failure, and not being 'enough'. Nick's ability to overcome these fears as an athlete has helped him prepare for other challenges in life. "I think being able to lean against something you're good at can really help you, but only for a short time. In the summertime, when we're out kiting every day, you feel 100%. But when you're at home the whole winter like, during Corona, you don't get to travel. It's cold, raining, you don't get to kite and get filled up with adrenalin. As extreme athletes, we need that in our lives. "During Corona, my girlfriend told me: "Man, I don't know what you've turned into, but please do something". So, I started working out. Not like pushing iron, but I started indoor rowing. It's really boring, but it gives me what I need. "My alarm goes off every morning at 5.21am, and I sit up in bed (not that I want to). Then I put on my training shirt, shorts, and shoes, grab my yoga mat and go. If I don't do that every morning, I can really feel the difference in my day. "I row every morning from 6am-7am, then I come home, drive Marie's daughter to school, and eat breakfast. I experimented with not doing it for a month, just to see if it was this or a third party that was putting me in such a good headspace. But it was exercise, and it was me getting out there and pushing myself cardio-wise. There were stages when I'd think: "I can't go any further because that's not what my body wants," but I'd row another 2km to see what happens. I would want to scream, puke, and run from all my responsibilities – it was so far out that I would rather die than have the feeling I was having at that moment. But a minute later, when you regain control of your breathing and your muscle tension, you're taken to a different place. For me personally, it really helps to just go there. Move my body. Do something. "Every Thursday, there's no rowing class, but I wake up at the same time, go for a run, go for a swim, or Marie and I will go for a walk in the forest or something. It feels good. I mean, holy bananas, I went to a party until 4am a few weeks ago and felt terrible for four days after. It was such a shock to my body. It was crazy fun," Nick admits, "but you know, I'm ok with not doing that again". Nick with close mate Graham Howes, in Capetown. Photo Craig Kolesky.
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![Is depression & anxiety the new normal? Graham Howes speaks up.]()
13 September 2021
Is depression & anxiety the new normal? Graham Howes speaks up.
"I had my 1st panic attack while kiting on a long downwinder. It felt like someone had stuck their fist down my throat, I couldn’t breathe or get air into my lungs, my heart was pounding through my wetsuit. I thought I was having a heart attack. I had to somehow hold it together for another 3 kilometres to get to where my car was parked, every minute felt eternity. It was the scariest moment of my life. Depression had now taken from me, what I loved the most: The Ocean, my happy place." Read here about Professional Kiter Graham Howes struggle with mental illness and his proposed call to action - be part of the conversation. By Graham Howes - Professional Athlete, Artist and Dirty Habits Founder. When I was diagnosed with Major Depression in July 2019 my life changed forever... It was one of the biggest turning points of my life. After years of confusion, anger, frustration and in a very, very dark place, I could finally make sense of why my mind had turned on me. A mind that had always been so powerful, so creative, so great had just stopped functioning. It&rsquo's incredibly scary when something we rely on, something that controls every aspect of your life, your health, relationships, skills, your wellbeing, all of a sudden fails you. I fought it for so long, trying to figure it out until it fully exhausted my every being and left me crippled on a couch with the blinds shut for 2 weeks. I was so fortunate to have my incredible fiance, Candace, in my life at that point, otherwise who knows if I would be here to share this story. She supported me throughout the episode and at the darkest of days, she finally dragged me to a psychologist, who sent me straight to a psychiatrist, and the words that he said shook my world: ‘You are suffering from major depression.’ At that point, those were ironically the best words I could’ve heard at the moment. It was as though I had been forced to build a 10,000 piece puzzle, but the puzzle was upside down, and there was just 10,000 grey, oddly shaped pieces in front of me. However with this new information, the puzzle was flipped, and now I still had a mess of 10,000 pieces in front of me, but now there was some colour, and I could slowly, piece by piece, begin seeing a picture. I had a long road ahead of me but with a bit of hope. When I got home, I scraped together all the energy and physical power my overweight, slow body could (I was over 90kg’s by this point, I’m 79kg’s today) just to open my laptop, and start to research this and try to beat it by educating myself. The Doc tried to put me on medication, but I was too stubborn: ‘ I’m not weak, I have been through much worse than this in the past, and I managed, I’m a survivor.” I would spend the next month trying to muscle my way through it, with this new information I could take back control of my mind, or so I thought. After weeks of reading self-help books, trying meditation, changing my diet, quitting booze, talking, writing, even ice baths... you name it, I tried it. And then before I knew it, I was back on that couch in the dark with curtains shut! I hadn’t surfed or kiteboarded in over a month, I had zero physical energy or motivation. But I wasn’t ready to throw in the towel. So in one last attempt, I scraped myself off the couch and forced myself to go kite, back to my happy place, the place that fixed everything, the ocean. Where, when I’m in my flow... and nothing else matters. Or so it did in the past... I had my 1st panic attack while kiting on a long downwinder. It felt like someone had stuck their fist down my throat, I couldn’t breathe or get air into my lungs, my heart was pounding through my wetsuit. I thought I was having a heart attack. I had to somehow hold it together for another 3 Kilometers to get to where my car was parked, every minute felt eternity. It was the scariest moment of my life. Depression had now taken from me, what I loved the most. The Ocean, my happy place. Graham Howes Wave Riding - photo by Samuel Cardenas "The miserable truth is that suicide, depression, and other mental illness only end up in the media when that athlete's silent and lonely dark road ends in their death." I started to google other extreme sports athletes who suffer from depression or anxiety or any mental illness. ‘No search results found’. This does not exist in our world. Well I lie, it does... “Andy Irons, dies alone in a hotel room after suffering silently with bipolar”. “Sunny Garcia (World Champion surfer) in a coma after a failed attempt at suicide after suffering from depression”, “XGames Gold Medalist, Dave Mirra dies of suspected suicide’ the list goes on and on. The miserable truth is that suicide, depression, and other mental illness only end up in the media when that athlete's silent and lonely dark road ends in their death. And then, for the few weeks that follow, everyone talks and posts about it, saying “how terribly sad it is”, and that the person seemed “so happy, and shared so much love and made a huge difference in people’s lives” and that they are all “shocked by this sudden passing”’. "The truth is, statistically, as a male in my 30’s, suicide is the most likely thing to kill me…Read that again, shocking right?" - Graham Howes. Photo by Ydwer. Strange as it may sound, but I have a good idea of how my obituary would sound, I’ve written it in my head many times, “Graham was such a happy, positive influence and created a culture that has brought so many people together, and inspired people to live their best lives, this is such a shock to the community and his friends, we had no idea he was suffering”. Okay, that's a bit morbid, but you get the picture. The truth is, statistically, as a male in my 30’s, suicide is the most likely thing to kill me…Read that again, shocking right? It is the leading cause of death to men in their 30’s. More than cancer, AIDS, Corona. And yet everyone is so chicken shit to talk about it. “It will make me seem weak, I can’t show vulnerability”, “it’s too uncomfortable to ask my mate how he is really doing?” I get it, those things are all true, it’s taken me years to grow the balls to talk about this. But that’s because we, as a society and culture, have made it that way. And I have contributed to that virus for years. Making videos that are ‘cool’, hardcore and masculine, curating content around our perfect lives that are a lie. And I probably will continue because that’s what the world feeds off. And... it sells! Not only do my sponsors pay me to showcase this dream life, but Dirty Habits, the brand I created and run, makes sales that pays my employee’s salaries, because people buy into this lifestyle. "We also have this unhealthy culture around success which is achieved through drive, through power, through winning, through glorification of one’s self. It’s hard to be competitive and successful while showing empathy and vulnerability." - Graham Howes, Photo by Craig Howes. I mean don’t get me wrong, this is a very important aspect in the world, inspiring people to chase their dreams, to work hard and get through their struggles, their jobs, to give people a taste of this life, to strive for greatness, helping people keep their dreams alive, giving people an virtual escape from their situation. And very importantly, it is also making people laugh, smile and feel joy. I value that and I will continue to do that as it is my passion, It is what gets me out of bed in the morning, literally! But can’t we find some balance, and what is that balance exactly? It’s also important to understand that for people who have never experienced mental illness, have absolutely no idea how to digest or engage in this, and it’s unfair of us to expect them to understand such a foreign emotion. However, when you look at the stats, you’ll notice straight away that a large percent of the population is ‘unhinged’ in one way or another, which gives us power in numbers. So if we all (the unhinged) make an effort to destigmatize and demystify mental health, and find a new language for it, that is not so philosophical and artsy, can start a movement that can better the lives of those around us and maybe even saves the lives of our brothers and sisters. I can guarantee you that someone in your immediate family or friend circle is suffering, after all 1 in 4 men have a mental illness. 600 000 Million worldwide. "The results were even more morbid, and filled with headlines containing the words “Suicide, Overdose, Addiction, Demise” - Graham Howes, Photo by Paul Ganse. I broadened my google search from ‘depression in extreme sports” to “depression in athletes” and although the results were even more morbid, and filled with headlines containing the words “Suicide, Overdose, Addiction, Demise” I found some hope. “Michael Phelps (Olympic Gold Medalist) opens up about suicide and his ongoing struggle with depression”. It turns out he also contemplated his obituary. I got stuck into the articles and interviews he has done trying to create awareness about this epidemic, which lead me to NBA All-Star players Kevin Love and DeMar DeRozan, who are now advocates for creating awareness around mental health. “One common misconception of professional athletes is that we're superhuman. It's hard to see inside. No one really gets a direct look into our daily lives and what we deal with on a daily basis away from the court. We have the same struggles that anybody has. Everyone is going through something that we can’t see” - Kevin Love. "My deepest darkest secret and being vulnerable to the judgmental, cruel world social media makes" - Graham Howes, Photo by Ydwer. This is an open letter, it doesn't really have a point or a solution, there is, unfortunately, no call-to-action yet. I dream of setting up a foundation one day that can have an influence on the youth. But for now, all I know is that I cannot and will not ignore or stay silent about this, I also cannot contribute toward this virus. Does that mean I know what the next step is? Unfortunately not. I am fortunate enough to have people around me who I now can talk to about this. Am I fixed? Far from it, my journey has just begun. Is this public announcement serving my selfish needs? Maybe… If admitting my deepest darkest secret and being vulnerable to the judgmental, cruel world of social media makes me feel a bit lighter... and if showing people a side of me that I'm embarrassed by, makes me feel a bit less of a fraud. Then yes, maybe I have something to gain, but don't we all deserve to be a little happier, a little less lonely? And by no means am I doing this for attention, or pity or to be treated any different, that's the last thing I need. My only hope is that someone reading this can relate to it, and know that they are never alone, and they don’t need to struggle through this with shame, or fear. I also hope that those who are in denial, just as I have been for years, thinking that “I’m stronger than this”, or “I can beat this alone”, you aren’t and you won’t. If you have a toothache, do you not see the dentist? If you have a knee injury, do you not go to the doctor? We need to start caring for our minds, as well as our bodies. Just as we need to realize as a culture, mental health is as important as physical health. After all, if someone were diagnosed with cancer or had a heart attack, their friends and community would rally together to help, to be there, they might even set up a go-fund-me page to assist with the medical bills or to improve their quality of life… should we not provide the same support for an illness of the brain? What does my future hold for me? Well, hopefully I’ll be making less videos about drinking beer, partying and arses, and hopefully, use Dirty Habits as a platform for athletes and leaders to talk about real shit. Life changing shit. And inspire change and growth. Maybe talking openly about this topic might inspire someone just as Michael Phelps inspired me, to be brave. Maybe that person may be a role model to younger kids, maybe, just maybe, my obituary could instead read “Graham, gave me the courage to ask my friend how he really is doing” And for now, I’m gonna put my laptop away, turn off my phone, put on some good music and go back to my beautiful puzzle. People don’t fake depression, they fake being ok. - Graham Howes, Photo by Ydwer. Remember that and be kind. *Disclaimer - this may come across as I’m writing to a male audience, well Instagram says my audience is 96% male, and secondly, from research, I found that this stigma is more of a problem amongst men, women tend to feel more comfortable being emotional and talking about their feelings. Not to say they don’t suffer as much, It’s just easier for me to talk to men who can relate to my story. I also have zero education or professional knowledge about this topic, it is only my experience that I can share, everyone’s story is unique, and true to them. Want to see more content like this from Graham and other Athletes? Subscribe & follow Dirty Habits Instagram: @dirtyhabitstv Graham Howes Instagram: @grahamhowes Get in Contact: dirty@dirtyhabits.com Join the Conversation: Mental Health in Extreme Sports Facebook group
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![Kite Designer Pepijn Smit joins North]()
10 August 2021
Kite Designer Pepijn Smit joins North
Studying Human Kinetic Technology helped Pepijn form advanced thinking methodologies and find functional solutions when analysing problems. He has now spent almost 20 years building and designing foil and tube kites. North Kite Designer Pepijn Smit's daily life is dedicated to the wind: "I can spend hours and hours analysing kites, making bridle adjustments and validating the theory behind it. I enjoy thinking outside of the box, devising alternative shapes to improve a specific aspect of the kite and give it unique flying characteristics." His passion for kite designing started when he was ten years old, building single line kites. This passion later evolved into stunt kites, power kites and traction kites (for on-water), unknowingly shaping his future profession. Studying Human Kinetic Technology helped Pepijn form advanced thinking methodologies and find functional solutions when analysing problems. He has now spent almost 20 years building and designing foil and tube kites. Recently Pepijn took a small excursion into AWES (Airborne Wind Energy Systems), designing 60sqm kites to produce green energy. See his current project for Kitepower Netherlands here. With his in-depth knowledge of the market, interest in (new) materials, eye for detail and a life-long passion for kite design, Pep's amping to embark on this new challenge with the team at North. He has been working in the background on a project for North over the last year, and goes full time at the end of August 2021. Brand Director Mike Raper says; "New designs, new materials, and the addition of an exciting new windwing range, has meant we needed more horsepower, investment in R&D and investment in the right people. People with open minds, who are able to think outside the box, real innovators." Over the past three years the North Brand has undergone exceptional growth, and as a response, have strengthened our kick-ass team of designers with the addition of four new faces: Pepijn Smit (Kite Design), Dano See (Wing & Kite Design) Steve Calder (Wing & Kite R&D) and Dave Little (Materials Innovation). “At North, we’re on a mission to become market leaders in all categories, and we have aspirations to change the way we ride," says Mike. “In bringing this team together, we diversify our experience and increase our collective knowledge. When the design knowledge is shared, ideas are transplanted – and that’s what creates the magic. As Ryunosuke Satoro put it: “Individually we are one drop. Together, we are an ocean.”
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![Introducing Wing & Kite Designer Dano See]()
10 August 2021
Introducing Wing & Kite Designer Dano See
Dano brings more than 20-years of experience working in the industry. He was involved in the early development of BOW kite design and has been a leading kite and wing designer for multiple industry-leading brands since. Over the past three years the North Brand has undergone exceptional growth, and as a response, have strengthened our kick-ass team of designers with the addition of four new faces: Pepijn Smit (Kite Design), Dano See (Wing & Kite Design) Steve Calder (Wing & Kite R&D) and Dave Little (Materials Innovation). Dano brings with him more than 20-years of experience working in the kiteboarding industry. He was involved in the early development of BOW kite design and has been a leading kite and wing designer for multiple industry-leading brands since. Originally from Newcastle, Australia, Dano cut his teeth while living on Namotu Island, Fiji and mastering Cloud Break during the birth of kiting. Sailing and windsurfing from 12yrs old, he began sail-making from a young age with hang-gliders and windsurf sails, and studying aerodynamics. Dano now lives on one of the world’s most consistently windy breaks; Pagudpud in the Northern Philippines, where wave-sailing, kiting, wing-surfing and foil-surfing provide his innovation focus. He has his own sail loft in the Philippines, with a cutting table, sewing machine and direct access to the beach. You’ll find him on the water, every day. Brand Director Mike Raper says; "New designs, new materials, and the addition of an exciting new windwing range, has meant we needed more horsepower, investment in R&D and investment in the right people. People with open minds, who are able to think outside the box, real innovators." “At North, we’re on a mission to become market leaders in all categories, and we have aspirations to change the way we ride." “In bringing this team together, we diversify our experience and increase our collective knowledge. When the design knowledge is shared, ideas are transplanted – and that’s what creates the magic. As Ryunosuke Satoro put it: “Individually we are one drop. Together, we are an ocean.”
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![Aerodynamical Engineer Steve Calder on R&D]()
09 August 2021
Aerodynamical Engineer Steve Calder on R&D
North welcomes Steve Calder to our Wing & Kite R&D Program. Steve is one of North Sails most celebrated designers, and his critical eye and competitive sailing awareness will help position North in the performance spectrum of wing foiling activity. At the pinnacle of sail design, North Sails designer and former Olympic and World Champion sailor Steve Calder has been instrumental in the development of revolutionary aerodynamic and structural solutions for many iterations of America’s Cup race boats. He now brings his technical knowledge and depth of experience in data-driven design and engineering from the sport’s highest calibre boats to kite and wing design. Born in Detroit Michigan, Steve began sailing at an early age, started racing at 13, and began sailmaking at 16. He went on to win a Bronze Medal for Canada in the 1984 Olympics and a World Championship title in the Soling Class. Steve became hooked on kiting when his son Kai, now a semi-pro kitefoil racer, introduced Steve to kitesurfing in 2012. Over the past three years the North Brand has undergone exceptional growth, and as a response, have strengthened our kick-ass team of designers with the addition of four new faces: Pepijn Smit (Kite Design), Dano See (Wing & Kite Design) Steve Calder (Wing & Kite R&D) and Dave Little (Materials Innovation). Brand Director Mike Raper says; "New designs, new materials, and the addition of an exciting new windwing range, has meant we needed more horsepower, investment in R&D and investment in the right people. People with open minds, who are able to think outside the box, real innovators." “At North, we’re on a mission to become market leaders in all categories, and we have aspirations to change the way we ride." “In bringing this team together, we diversify our experience and increase our collective knowledge. When the design knowledge is shared, ideas are transplanted – and that’s what creates the magic. As Ryunosuke Satoro put it: “Individually we are one drop. Together, we are an ocean.”
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![Materials Specialist David Little joins North Design Team]()
30 June 2021
Materials Specialist David Little joins North Design Team
North’s recently updated foil and wing range benefitted from the design prowess wielded by some pretty key players operating under the wider North Sails umbrella, a company highly visible in the recent America’s Cup held in Auckland, which also happens to be North’s backyard. Integral to the team is North Materials Innovation Project Leader, David Little. As featured in "WING COMMANDER DAVID LITTLE", THE FOILING MAGAZINE, ISSUE 8 New Zealand seems like a hotbed of wing and foil development at the moment. What's making it the perfect incubator for the emerging sport? I think there are quite a few reasons. The country has a really high proportion of passionate water people, and it offers a wide range of wind and water conditions in a small area. The coast is 15,000km long and you are never further than 130km from the ocean. The weather is nice enough to test there all year round productively, and innovation is also part of the culture. The country is a long way from anywhere, so you get time to think, and it's costly to import, so there are drivers from both ends. You also have easy access to a lot of skills relevant to wing and foil sports. People are drawn to NZ from many different countries, and they bring composites skills, design understanding, sailmaking, and all to an exceptionally high standard. Kiwis are also really good at remote working around the globe – something which has been extra useful in the last year. North has a broad multinational and multiskilled team. I'm based in San Francisco despite my Kiwi roots, and I work out of my man lab at home. We draw on design, technical and manufacturing resources from throughout the network of our parent company North Technology Group and sister company, North Sails. Our sports are all about being in tune with our environment, but this experience is enhanced by using the best materials and designing them to be as lightweight, responsive, refined and durable as possible. We can also use IT to iterate the innovation loop faster as well. We're on a mission to build innovative wings, foils and kites in ways that improve your enjoyment of these sports. Who knows where it might lead? What's your background in the America's Cup, and how has this knowledge transferred to developing wing products for North? The America’s Cup is an extraordinary event – it's like Formula 1 racing on water. It exposes you to the best of the best and some very creative people and all in the sea environment. Many of the AC team members are enthusiastic kiters, wingers and foilers, so there is much more direct crossover than you might think. We might spend our day jobs thinking about refining a foiling sailboat, but we spend our spare time thinking about how to apply that technology to our after-hours foiling fun. I've worked on America's Cup race teams, mainly on the sail side. I started in 1999 with the Japanese team and have completed six America's Cups back-to-back, latterly with Oracle, Team USA. It gives you a culture of innovation. We would always be trying to increase performance, and the details really matter. We were working to build things lighter; to make the materials work harder and more precisely. Leaving enough to get the design performance but no more than enough, so parts aren't overweight. Sails, sail battens, sail reinforcement, water-shedding coatings, storage bags – they all got the treatment – constant micro-improvements. They are such rapidly developing programs and fortunately really well funded, so that innovation is fast – something that was needed when foiling came along. In North, we have access to the composites guys and equipment that designed and built many of the carbon parts for the foiling 72- foot monohulls that just raced in Auckland. One of the sail designers for Ineos is a core part of our windsurf and wind wing shape design programme. Uli Sommerlatt, our Product Manager, engineered and built foiling boats before he embraced his current role. How many people have ready access to a range of pressurised autoclaves to cure parts in? We do. The America’s Cup is about advanced materials – carbon fibre, Dyneema, Kevlar, glues and foams, and often how they all work together. Our backgrounds can bring these in a practical way to the wing, foil and kite business. One thing that's different though is the available budget. In America's Cup, where budgets are millions of dollars, cost is virtually irrelevant. For our sports, where we are paying from our own pockets, cost is rather more important. So we also need to find ways to apply the technology in cost-effective ways. That is often part of the challenge. The great thing about North is we have both the scale and the expertise to make materials in house. That lets us get to cost points that others can't. In some ways it's early days, but my goal is to create unique materials that really benefit the rider at a price people can afford. Then we can integrate that technology across sailing, kiting and wing foiling. Cool. With that in mind, you recently released the Nova wing and it’s had a great response. How has it been building the first wing, and do you think that wing design will change as the sport divides itself into more clear disciplines? Our chief kite and wing designer, Pat Goodman, has been able to draw from his vast knowledge to produce the Nova wing. In years gone by, Pat was also deeply into windsurf and glider design. The wings really draw on all of these skills, as well of course as Pat's legendary attention to detail. We have also involved Steve Calder (a North Sails Design Engineer who foil kites), and the two of them have been collaborating about the technical direction that the disciplines will need in the future. I think everyone is new to wing foiling; the sport is so new. People are only just understanding how the wings themselves work and what the features (LE size, taper, sweep, dihedral, anhedral, stiffness, recovery etc) bring to the party. I am sure we will see different things emphasized for the different disciplines in due time. Window placement and downwind vision seems to be a tricky design choice for brands. How have you approached it? There is debate as to whether you need them, but we believe windows are pretty handy as it's no fun running into something or some- one at the speeds you foil at. We have done and are doing more work on window materials specifically. It would be really nice to have something lighter, which didn't give up such engineering performance as the present window materials. Our work here is still secret at present, but hopefully, it will make a real difference when it comes out. Are the materials currently available a limiting factor in inflatable wing design at the moment? At the moment, I think they can be. It's a balancing act between the performance and cost, and we haven't got that aligned right yet. To get the most out of a wing, you need to have low-elongation (stretch), but that can't be at the sacrifice of durability. Dacron is quite durable, but it is not the stiffest material, and because of its finish, it does soften over time. Also, if you go too light on materials, they can tear, and this is an issue with wings because you tend to land on top of them when you fall, and they are closer to the surf and the foil. We are bringing some of our sailing materials expertise to the wings. This lets us get extra stiffness for no sacrifice in durability. People launch from boat ramps and off rocks and ride skateboards in car parks, so wings need a lot more scuff protection where they encounter hard surfaces. The other danger, of course, is sharp hydrofoil wings puncturing the materials... The inflated structure also presents some unique challenges (as it does for kites). Getting durable seams and controlling the effect of the inflation pressure on the stretch is critical. You can get a lot of energy release that can be hard to control – while at the same time, you want to lock up the energy using stiff materials. It is undoubtedly a challenge. I have done work with high-pressure inflatable battens and aero fairings for America's Cup, and this experience has been coming in handy. Where do you see wing foiling heading in five years? I think it will move into more defined disciplines – freeride, lightwind, surf, freestyle, and also racing. Material development often finds its way to racing first, so I always have one eye on that. However, we know from our other businesses that the racing pedigree beneficially crosses over to other aspects of the sport. Lightweight, powerful de- signs that last longer and are cost-effective to buy are desirable in all the different disciplines. Did you get to see any of the America’s Cup boats in action? While in NZ at the beginning of the year, I did go out and watch some practice racing on the North Sails chase boat. It was impressive and super interesting – you could see teams’ performances im- proving day by day during racing – actually almost minute by minute. After Luna Rossa Italy beat INEOS Team UK, they stepped it up another level to race Emirates Team NZ – and it was great to see them do that and to win some races. This was my first AC since 2000 when I wasn't working for one of the teams. I toured the INEOS base, and it was interesting to see their set up, but it looked like there was a lot of work and late nights going on! It was ok not to be involved this time around. I really enjoyed my time working in the Cup because of the competitive factor and the team environment. I always liked that there was an end goal, three years to get on the start line, so you better make decisions quick. But it's been great to move onto kite and wing foil development. The things I learnt apply very directly, and it's a license to try new things. So there is that same sense of evolution? Yes. I think winging and foiling are already developing at similar speeds to the America's Cup. We don't have the same cash resources as the AC Teams, but the parts are so much smaller we don't need those cash resources so the innovation loop is much faster. Much of the work has been done inside North already; we just need to adapt it to wings and kites... We are able to use the same design tools that the teams have developed, and it has always been part of the North culture that America's Cup ideas are flowed down through the rest of the business for all of our customer benefit. I'm sure we will find foiling know-how from the just-completed America’s Cup in the gear we ride sooner than we think. North's products will certainly contain some, and I suspect others will too.
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![North Next Gen Rider Seb Bramley]()
03 May 2021
North Next Gen Rider Seb Bramley
Interview with North Next Gen rider Seb Bramley and his mentor, Marc Jacobs Marc Jacobs Q1. Please introduce your grom to us. My Grom is Seb Bramley, I first meet Seb at my local cable park, where I spend most of my no wind days. Seb has natural talent and I’ve enjoyed watching his progression down at Rixen cable park in Auckland. Some days when the wind picks up, we will normally close up shop and go kiting. Seb always seemed keen to give it ago, so one day I decided to teach him. It's quite amazing seeing a wakeboarder convert into kiteboarding and how it has sped up his progress. For me, I was a kiteboarder transferring into wakeboarding, so the opposite to Seb. Seb has been riding for around 8 months now and has a great level for how little he has spent doing the sport. I’m excited to see how far he wants to push it and progress. Q2. What’s it like riding on the water together? It’s awesome to see a young, keen grom. We lack a lot of younger keen kiters in NZ at the moment. So it is super exciting for me to watch him progress. It reminds me of when I was not much older than him just getting in the sport too. Q3. How does it feel to be inspiring the next generation of riders? It’s very motivating, I had a great mentor when I was young who I looked up to very highly. His name was Dave Edwards and he helped teach me everything I know. I wouldn't be who I am today without him. Now it's my turn to return the favour to the younger generation. It's awesome to see young kiwi kids excited to push the sport too. Q4. Any advice for the next generation? You have to make it fun! consistency, hard work, and motivation is the key to success. Find that perfect balance, if you want to make a career out of it. If you want it badly enough and you're committed, it will happen. Seb Bramley Q1. What do you love about riding North? I love riding for North because of their high-quality gear and the amazing people that work for the brand. Learning to kite has been an amazing experience thanks to all the great, welcoming people at North. Q2. What trick/goal are you working on this year? I’ve gotten hooked on kiting and want to keep pushing my level to land that next trick! Right now a heart attack is the next trick I’d like to land. Q3. Anything you want to add about your North mentee? What’s it like riding with them? Riding with and learning from Marc Jacobs has helped me improve fast. He has coached me in kiting, wakeboarding and in the gym. As well as helping me find a balance with everything in life haha. Marc is always encouraging me to push myself and I am very grateful to have him as my mentor! @sebastian_bramley Marc Jacobs Team Rider Page
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![North Next Gen Rider Noor Zirkzee]()
03 May 2021
North Next Gen Rider Noor Zirkzee
Interview with North Next Gen rider Noor Zirkzee and her mentor, Jalou Langeree. Jalou Langeree Q1. Please introduce your grom to us. My chosen grom is Noor, she is from my local town Noordwijk and she’s only 12 years old. She is often out kiting with her parents and older brothers that she looks up to. It almost sound identical to how I started but without the parents haha. Q2. What’s it like riding on the water together? It’s fun riding with Noor. I see quite a lot of myself in her back when I started. She is good at riding the tough conditions of the North sea which can be a challenge with its strong current and messy waves. Q3. How does it feel to be inspiring the next generation of riders? I love seeing the next generation blossom, especially young girls getting into the sport. That’s why I have chosen Noor and not a boy. I know the feeling of entering a male dominated sport on such a young age. So I’m happy to now stand on the sideline and see how she takes on the sport with her drive and determination. Q4. Any advice for the next generation? Follow your joy and intuition. Have fun in what you are doing is the most important. Push if you wanna push, quit if you are loosing your motivation. If you wanna be the best, you’ll have to work hard. The road to the top isn’t easy, it can be a bumpy ride. If you’re driven by passion and commitment you can reach any goal. It all comes down to the hours you spend on the water and being smart off the water by taking good care of yourself and finding the people around you that support you and believe in your successes. Noor Zirkzee Q1. What do you love about riding North? My name is Noor which in my opinion suits good with the name NORTH, my parents must have know already ;) I’m riding the Carve which I love for it’s colours and smooth and easy steering. I felt comfortable and confident riding the kite for the first time. The kite is predictable and will hopefully help me ride waves like, Jalou :) Q2. What trick / goal are you working on this year? I’m working on a backroll to toeside. I’m lucky to have my brothers that support me. They do shout at me sometimes in a friendly way, to motivate me to try new tricks. I take things step by step in my own pace. My goal for this season is to get onto the waveboard as Jalou is my role model. I want to ride on the North Sea swells like she can. Q3. Anything you want to add about your North mentee? What’s it like riding with them? It’s very motivating to ride with her, she makes everything looks easy. She really inspires others and that’s what I want do too. I would like to see more kids my age getting into the sport and especially girls. My cousin Nienke is completely hooked to kiting also which I'm so happy about. The whole North team seems so fun to hangout with. Having fun seems like the headline within NORTH and that’s exactly what I'm after, FUN :):) @noor.zirkzee Jalou Langere's Team Rider Page
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![North Next Gen Rider Maxwell Dahl]()
03 May 2021
North Next Gen Rider Maxwell Dahl
Interview with North Next Gen rider Maxwell Dahl and his mentor Nick Jacobsen. Nick Jacobsen Q1. Please introduce your grom to us. I’m excited to introduce this young ripper, Max. He has been kiteboarding for 2 years. Max is from Denmark and is 10 years old. Q2. What´s it like riding on the water together? When I’m not traveling, I always get a session in with this little dude. I cannot stop noticing how he keeps trying to mimic some of my moves, which is cool to see. I get super inspired by his approach towards the sport. It´s a lot like mine. Q3. How does it feel to be inspiring the next generation of riders? It feels amazing to inspire the next generation for sure. It’s incredible to be in a position that allows me to do so. I´m so grateful for what kiteboarding has given me, and I want to pass that onto the youth.Q4. Any advice for the next gen? Keep doing what you love. There will be as many ups as there are downs. But if the passion and love for what you do stays strong, you can achieve amazing things. Take the advice from the people that inspire you. Nurture your craft. And always be humble. Maxwell Dahl Q1. What it’s like riding with your mentor? I always look forward to riding together with Nick Jacobsen. I like his style and try to imitate him and how he pulls off his tricks. I look up to Nick as a mentor and admire how much he has achieved in his kiting career. When I watch him kite, I get a lot of inspiration from his tricks, which gives me the confidence to try them myself. He is also a really nice, laid-back guy who is always positive and brings good vibes. Q2. What trick/goal are you working on? Right now, I’m working on a double backroll to blind and improving my kiteloop late backroll. I try to get out on the water after school and on the weekends whenever there is wind. When there is no wind, I go down to the cable park for a couple hours or work on my balance on my skateboard. My favourite trick is the inverted front roll which I do every session. Ultimately my goal is to be the youngest competitor in Redbull King of the Air. Q3. What do you love about riding North? I love North because they support riders of all ages, even as young as myself. I like that they are an international brand and have team riders from different countries representing the sport all over the world. I feel like I am a part of a family who are as excited about kiting as I am. I am very proud to have the support of a cool brand like North and am humbled to be recognized and supported. @maxwelldahl Nick Jacobsen's Team Rider Page Check out iKSurf Mag's Up & Coming feature on Maxwell
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![North Next Gen Rider Marley Franco]()
03 May 2021
North Next Gen Rider Marley Franco
Interview with North Next Gen rider Marley Franco and his mentor, Jesse Richman. Welcome North's Next Gen! Jesse Richman Q1. Please introduce your grom to us. Marley Franco was born to shred! I've watched Marley grow up on Maui, and I knew he would be an excellent fit for the North team. We got him on board, and after spending a lot of time riding and hanging with Marley over the last six months, I can honestly tell you that every ounce of Marley's soul is here to have fun doing some crazy shi*z on boards. It doesn't matter the vessel (Kite, Surf, Foil, Skate, Snow, etc.); if Marley can shred it, he will, and he will do it with the biggest smile you've ever seen. Q2. What's it like riding on the water together? Whatever the skill level, there is a very palpable distinction between riders with a certain fire and desire to progress and those who do not; Marley embodies this very fire. He goes all-in with everything he does but, our young daredevil is also very strategic. He has a cool, calm, & collected attitude that's patiently awaiting the perfect moment to pounce. Being in the ocean with Marley inspires me to give it everything I've got! Q3. How does it feel to be inspiring the next generation of riders? Marley & the next generation inspire me. Every generation we see is stronger, smarter, and better than the last. I know that Marley and his peers will rule their sports, and it's such a pleasure to be a guide for him at times and share the lessons I've learned so that he can take our sport to uncharted heights. Q4. Any advice for the next generation? Have fun and follow your dreams; anything can be yours if you want it bad enough. Marley Franco Q1. What do you love about riding North? I love North Kiteboarding because the energy of the brand is so awesome, super positive, and progressive. Q2. What trick/goal are you working on this year? I want to get my back roll with a nose grab and a handle pass. Q3. Anything you want to add about your North mentee? What's it like riding with them? Jesse is a pretty cool mentor, he is really energetic, and makes kiting awesome. He always has great ideas and teaches me cool stuff on and off the water. Marley Franco's Team Rider Page Jesse Richman's Team rider Page
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![North Next Gen Rider Jett Bradshaw]()
03 May 2021
North Next Gen Rider Jett Bradshaw
Interview with North Next Gen rider Jett Bradshaw and his mentor, Graham Howes. Graham Howes Q1. Please introduce your grom to us. If you have been to Cape Town, chances are, you’ll know Jett. You would have seen him flying through the air, across the beach, or hyping everyone in the Car Park. His energy on and off the water is infectious. He’s always in FULL SEND mode. The sky's the limit for Jett! Q2. What’s it like riding on the water together? Jett has ‘Go Big or Go Home’ ‘Full Send or No Send’ engraved in his brain, there’s no half measures.. and it rubs off on everyone around him, including me. When we ride together, we constantly push each other to “go bigger, get the kite lower and let's take shorter lines... lets jump over that harbour wall” etc.. haha you know how it goes... Q3. How does it feel to be inspiring the next generation of riders? It’s a real privilege to have such talented riders looking up to me for inspiration and guidance. To be able to take what I’ve learnt on and off the water, how to make a career out of the sport you love and maintain it. Ride smarter, build a personal brand. It’s all stuff I wish someone taught me, but now with this knowledge, it’s amazing to be able to pass it on to the Next Gen. Q4. Any advice for the next generation? I’m a bit cynical when it comes to advice. I believe the days are over of, just having talent, and being the best rider on the water. In the past this has worked for people but with social media and the sport growing and progressing so fast, you really need a roadmap to becoming a Professional Kiteboarder. You also need to be a good all rounder at life. Realize how import human connections are, brand yourself with what makes you special and unique. And something I’ve realized lately is to look after your mind, like you do your body, you won't be able to achieve your dreams, if you can't find focus and go after your goals with everything you got. Jett Bradshaw Q1. What it’s like riding with your mentor? Being so new to the sport, I would be lost without the guidance of G Ram (Graham). Not only is he brilliant on the water, he understands the mechanics of the industry, always advising me on when to charge harder and when to take things easy. Q2. What trick/goal are you working on? Short Line Boogy Q3. Why North? It’s simple, for any Big Air Kiter to be on the international North team is huge. Born to compete I needed to be part of a largely competitive and stable team of riders I can look up to and aspire to be. Then to have Alex Vliege as a Team Manager, you do not get better, Graham Howe's Team Rider Page Jett Bradshaw's Team Rider Page
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![North Next Gen Rider Capucine Delannoy]()
03 May 2021
North Next Gen Rider Capucine Delannoy
Interview with North Next Gen rider Capucine Delannoy and her mentor, Camille Delannoy Camille Delannoy Q1. Please introduce your grom to us. Capucine is my sister, she is 14 and has been kiting for 4 years now. Her thing is surf strapless freestyle, as you might have seen from the videos. In my opinion (and I’m not just saying this because she is my sister) she is the most talented strapless freestyle girl out there today. Q2. What’s it like riding on the water together? It’s a lot of fun but mostly very motivating. We ride together most of the time and it really creates emulation on the water. It’s also cool to be able to share something like that with her and have the same passion. Q3. How does it feel to be inspiring the next generation of riders? Haha I don’t know if I’m inspiring the next generation but I’m doing my best to motivate them to continue what they are doing and to push hard on the water. Q4. Any advice for the next generation? Spend has much time as you can on the water and enjoy the process. Capucine Delannoy Q1. What do you love about riding North? Everything, the power, the little details which makes the perfection , the design ( it’s important to look good on the water, isn’t it?)… This is THE BRAND!! Q2. What trick / goal are you working on this year? I have a few tricks this year I am working on, I also want to improve my waves riding as much as I can and my goal this year if the competitions happen is to win an event. Q3. Anything you want to add about your North mentee? What’s it like riding with them? I really love to ride with Camille, it is so cool to be able to share this passion together! Riding together is a lot of fun and challenges me!! When we ride I feel that it helps me to push my limits more and more. I think what I love the most riding together is being able to share the waves and getting away with dropping in on his waves hahaha! I also enjoy having Camille there for tips on the water and celebrating when one of us have a big wave or do a sick roller!! Camille's Team Rider Page Capucine's Team Rider Pag
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![Welcome to Team North Jett Bradshaw!]()
20 April 2021
Welcome to Team North Jett Bradshaw!
We are extremely excited to welcome Jett Bradshaw to our team of international riders. Having only been introduced to kiteboarding at the age of 17, Jett Bradshaw at 21 is breaking down kiteboarding barriers and fast tracking himself to the top. Jett is forever seeking to stoke the fire within, having competed in extreme sports his entire life. At a young age he had a love for dirt bikes, surfing and skateboarding. “I’ve always wanted to become a professional sportsman in an adrenaline related discipline… I never thought it would be kiting, but now I couldn’t imagine doing anything else.” - Jett Bradshaw In the beginning of his career, Jett was fortunate to spend time with Willow Tonkin in Tamarin Bay. Most recently, Jett has been working closely with fellow Cape Town local, Graham Howes from our international team. Jett fits right into the North Team with a strong mentality to work hard and play hard. He’ll have you in sitting on the edge of your seat one minute and in fits of laughter the next. Mike Raper, Brand Director at North Kiteboarding says; "We are stoked to welcome another Big Air rider to the team. Jett's passion and enthusiasm for sending it is infectious. He is pushing the limits in Cape Town, always seeking to go big on every jump. We feel very lucky to have him on the North team and we are excited to see his progression within the sport. Welcome to the team Jett!" It all happens on the water for Jett, the visualization and then the execution. “The water is where you learn the most, where you can see other riders do something gnarly and then take it and put your own spin on the moves.” - Jett Bradshaw Jett thrives when pushing himself to the absolute limits. At the moment Jett is focused on short line tricks, such as a short line boogy. Jett’s sights are currently set on competing at the Mega Loop Challenge and in a few years, taking on King of the Air. If you’re lucky you might catch him practicing at some of his favorite spots; either Misty Cliffs or Blouberg in Cape Town and at the big left on One-Eye in Mauritius. We cannot wait to see where he takes the sport next! Watch Jett’s announcement video here Follow @jettbradshaw_ for all the action
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![The Kite Mag with Jesse Richman]()
19 April 2021
The Kite Mag with Jesse Richman
Jesse Richman’s permanent base on Maui meant his North photoshoot potential was unscuppered by the pandemic. He still managed to deliver the eye candy, as well as these mighty fine words reflecting on home, family, life, good vibes, surf gear and the importance of waveriding to him. Feature: The Kite Mag Photos: Dayanidhi Das, Fish Bowl Diaries and Frankiebees Maui Moments "This year tested us all in so many new ways; what a crazy time to be alive. Maybe, in the end, it will be good for the planet or perhaps it will be the end of it. I personally believe that life will go on because, as terrible as humans can be at times, we’re pretty freaking resilient, and we have an impressive capacity to adapt and evolve. Amid the great pandemic, most things on my schedule vanished entirely; one event that held firm was the 2021 North surf shoot. The shoot was scheduled to occur on Maui with the North kitesurfing team, but like everything this year, the original vision got blasted out of the stratosphere and into oblivion. When the world went into a never-before-seen state of lockdown, it became clear that Jalou Langeree and Camille Delannoy were not going to make it to Maui. So, we did what we do best and adapted to the conditions. The North design team sent out all the new 2021 surf equipment to Jalou, Camille, and me to test and shoot it from our respective corners of the globe." Read the full article in the KiteMag here
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![IKSurf Mag talks to George Hradil]()
19 April 2021
IKSurf Mag talks to George Hradil
Drawing on his wealth of race foil engineering knowledge, Sonar Hydrofoil Engineer George Hradil set out to create front wing designs for North with a greater speed range and easier handling than in the past: "I’ll give you a big wing. But that big wing is going to be fast, it’s going to have low-drag, you’re still going to be able to go 25mph on it and at low speed it’s going to be all you want." Feature: IKSurf Mag, Photos: Frankie Berthuot and Georgia Schofield. Tech Focus – North Sonar Foils Issue 86 Tell us about reflexed hydrofoils and reflexed camber. What does this mean? How does it affect performance? A normal hydrofoil wing is what’s called under cambered – it’s more curved on top and flatter on the bottom, sometimes concaved on the bottom. If you measured halfway between the top surface and the bottom surface, you’d get what’s called the camber line. It dictates how the foil is going to behave. If I drew that line just by itself, it would be concaved downward. A reflexed foil has a different shape. Instead of the trailing edge being orientated downward, it is orientated slightly upward. What that means is that the trailing edge doesn’t create any lift at the back of the foil. In fact, there’s a localised downforce on the trailing edge of the wing, which acts like a stabilizer would. So, in essence, when you use a reflexed foil, it’s like you’ve built a mini stabilizer into the back edge of the wing. This does a couple of things: Firstly, it makes the wing itself a lot less pitch sensitive – it needs less stabilizer angle in order to be stable in pitch. And secondly, it gives the foil an incredible speed range. It can get going in very low speeds but at really high speeds it is very controllable. Most wings start to foil around 10mph (maybe 8mph) but by the time you get to 20mph big wings are pushing hard and it really limits the amount of top end speed. Our goal was to keep the wing level, and not have it become unstable at high speeds. With a lot of wings, particularly big wings, as you go faster and faster, the nose of the board starts going down and the foil starts riding at a negative angle of attack (the angle the wing flies through the water on). In that negative angle state, the wing becomes very pitch unstable. But a reflexed foil just doesn’t behave like that. It’s extremely stable at high speed because the trailing edge has that stabilizer built into it. Read the full article here
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![Welcome to Team North Daniel Kereopa!]()
18 February 2021
Welcome to Team North Daniel Kereopa!
Legendary South Pacific Surfer and Waterman from New Zealand, Daniel Kereopa is the type of person who spends hours, days and weeks on the water. Riding gear, breaking gear and trying to make gear work better. He joins North as an International Ambassador and is an instrumental part of the brand’s Foil R&D program in New Zealand's surf capital, Raglan. “With my philosophies in life, I’ve always tried to move into places where I can keep learning and keep developing as a person. When I’m in that space, it’s when I’m my most creative, and it’s incredibly satisfying,” says DK. “Since I was eight years old, the ocean taught me everything I needed to know - the ocean has led me to become me. All the big surf, the small surf and all the competitions – that’s the experience I bring to every piece of equipment I put my feet on. His passion for the ocean led DK to compete on the world circuit as a surfer from a young age - becoming an ambassador for all New Zealanders who didn’t come from a rugby or netball background. More recently, he opened DK Surf School with his wife, Renée Kereopa. “What I teach in our surf schools is how to enjoy the element you’re in. I don’t want you to love just the ocean; I want you to love everything around it. I do everything for the love of the game, and the game to me is spending time on the playing field – the ocean. I’m always winning. DK started practising Kyokushin karate – a very disciplined and regimented Japanese martial art, and Brazilian jujitsu while competing in the WQS (World Qualifier Series). “Martial arts helped me get through challenging times, like in big wave surfing. How to manage my breathing, to manage myself, or if I’m stressing out – to be in the moment: ‘you’re here now, you put yourself here, now deal with it (and try to come up smiling)’. “No stress. If you can, live that philosophy like I live it. I get to live in my world, at my speed. “It’s like learning how to listen. And learning how others learn. How do we take these lessons and teach every child to be the best through all the different languages? “That’s what I love about surfing. It’s a language. It’s a dance. It’s an act. If you love it, it can continue with you for a long time. “There are things in surfing that will never be replaced – like pulling into a double overhead barrel. Those are the days I live for. But in between, I fill my days with foiling. I’m always seeking that moment of peace.”
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![Welcome to Team North Marley Franco!]()
11 February 2021
Welcome to Team North Marley Franco!
We're thrilled to welcome Marley Franco to our team of international athletes. Marley is a Maui local, growing up surrounded by legends such as Jesse Richman. At 12 years old, he’s is already an incredible wing foiler, pushing the limits of the discipline like no other. Marley is set to follow in the footsteps of Jesse as an all-rounder who surfs, foils and kites. Jesse Richman, 2020 King of the Air Winner and fellow team mate describes Marley as “The coolest, most hard-core shredder I’ve ever met” The Francos are an inspirational kite family. Marley’s parent’s Michelle and Jose taught Marley to kite aged nine and they always ride together as a family. Their spirit and passion is infectious. As well as shredding on the water, Marley spends his time in the skate bowl on Maui. Marley is one to watch, similar to Tom Bridge as they take their skating experience and style to the water to switch things up. Marley says “I love North and Mystic’s energy, the brands are so progressive and it keeps on getting better and better” Mike Raper, Brand Director at North Kiteboarding says “We think we know how to pick them. We're very excited about Marley’s potential, he’s got the support of his parents, the Maui crew and Jesse Richman as a mentor. He’s on the path to success and we know we’ve got the gear to support him. We fully expect him to push the limits of what we currently think is possible. Welcome to the team Marley!” Watch Marley’s announcement video here. Follow the_real_gnarly_marley for all the action
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![Capucine Delannoy joins North!]()
27 January 2021
Capucine Delannoy joins North!
We are extremely proud to welcome Capucine Delannoy to our team of international riders. At age 14, Capucine is already dominating the strapless freestyle scene, recently winning the Strapless Freestyle discipline for the GKA Distance Battle in 2020. Originally from France, Capucine first got a taste for competing with slalom ski racing, however it was when the Delannoys moved to Preá, Brazil that Capucine’s passion turned to kiting. Capucine’s father taught her to kite at 7 years old and she picked it up exceptionally quickly. Inspired by her brother Camille Delannoy, while supporting him at a kitesurfing competition in Cape Verde, Capucine knew she wanted to be world champion and began her journey to get there. “I just love the freedom you have kitesurfing. The feeling when you land a new trick, it’s just amazing.” – Capucine Delannoy Capucine and Camille are the strapless freestyle duo. They push each other to try again and again until they land a new trick perfectly. Capucine's favourite trick at the moment is the Double Frontroll, but it’s a secret what’s shes working on next! Capucine juggles schoolwork, alongside a strict training schedule. Studying online, the young prodigy is able to study in the mornings before the wind picks up at her favourite spot at home, in Preá, Brazil – bliss! Mike Raper, Brand Director at North Kiteboarding says; “Capucine is a talented young rider, whose potential is unlimited. We have a really strong senior team and it’s exciting for a young rider like Capucine to take our team to the next level. There is so much ahead of her and we’re stoked to be able to support Capucine with the equipment and the team she needs to excel. We’re so excited to see where she will take it. Welcome to the team Capucine!” Watch Capucine’s announcement here. Follow Capucine here.
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![Isole: experiencing Lençóis by International Kitesurfing Magazine]()
12 January 2021
Isole: experiencing Lençóis by International Kitesurfing Magazine
Camille Delannoy telling his story to the International Kitesurfing Magazine, Published in Issue 84 I’ve always wanted to go to Lençóis. For those who haven’t heard of it, Lençóis Maranhenses National Park is a protected area on Brazil’s north Atlantic coast. It’s known for its vast desert landscape of tall, white sand dunes and seasonal rainwater lagoons. It’s also a kite surfer’s paradise, with endless butter flat lagoons. It’s mostly been explored by freestylers, but with the rise of strapless freestyle in recent years, I was excited to be one of the first strapless riders to explore it. From what I had heard, it’s one of the most beautiful places in the world. However, every time I was in Brazil, I was either competing, shooting or training, so I never found the time to go there despite it being pretty close to Preá, where I live. Due to the pandemic, I’ve been solidly training a lot during these last months. Like everyone, my life stopped when the virus hit. Trips got cancelled, competitions got cancelled and photoshoots got cancelled. However, in the end, taking time to slow down actually turned out to benefit me. It feels weird to say that I’ve benefitted from the pandemic, but during the last 6 months I focused on training only and I couldn’t be happier with where I am today. I knew I was lucky to be able to go in the water and train when most of the world was in lockdown. I decided to make the most out of this period of time and, because I knew we wouldn't have any competitions for a while, I had plenty of time to try new things. I didn't only want to learn new tricks that would score a lot of points in competitions, I also wanted to do tricks that no one has seen or thought about before. So, I worked hard on new tricks and tried to approach strapless freestyle in a different way than usual. It really helped me to find my own style of riding. Anyway, back to the trip! After all the training, I felt I was ready and wanted to do something different, so it was the right time to explore Lençóis and the conditions looked perfect. Getting there was a mission. Lençóis is only 500km from where I live but it took me over a day to get there. The first part of the journey is an 8-hour drive. One the way, we stopped in the Parnaiba Delta. It’s one of the biggest rivers in northern Brazil and it’s definitely worth a look! From what the guide told me, there is a lot of sandbanks due to the water going out of the delta and carrying sand to the sea. These sandbanks are apparently creating some spots where perfect waves break for hundreds of meters. I’ll have to come back to check it out… After 8 hours of driving, we unloaded the 100 kg of gear on a tiny boat and after 30 minutes, we arrived in Atins. The next day, after 2 hours driving through the extremely bumpy dunes, we finally made it to the Lençóis. The place is so remote and hard to reach, we all felt like just getting there was a big part of the trip. You somehow feel like you’ve earnt it by the time you arrive. The first thing I noticed when we arrived at the park is how unbelievably beautiful the place is. It is as if you are dreaming. There are hundreds of dunes and lagoons, its vastness is breath taking. We had the entire place to ourselves which really adds to the beauty of it (I only saw one other kiter during the whole trip). Because there is so many lagoons, there is a countless number of spots to ride. However, they are not all kite able. The high dunes disrupt the wind a lot, making it very gusty, so you have to search for the right spots. Finding the best spot was a huge part of the trip, as we needed some strong and steady wind to be able to shoot. We were always searching and exploring the different lagoons to see where I could kite and play worry-free. Once we found the right lagoons, I had some of the best sessions I’ve ever had. I was riding my 10m Carve, 2021 Navigator Control System and the Comp 5’0 surfboard and it was the perfect set up. Read the full article by IKsurf here Photo by Diego Correia View Camille Delannoy’s Rider Profile here Fizzing to learn more about the Carve and Comp
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![Bridge lands world-first tricks]()
02 December 2020
Bridge lands world-first tricks
Watch Tom Bridge's latest edit 'Light Work' to see him land the world's first Toe Slim to Blind & Toe 313 Rewind. In Tom Bridge's new video Light Work we catch a glimpse of the talented young athlete performing tricks never seen before. As well as the Toe slim to blind & a Toe 313 rewind, see if you can spot the following super impressive tricks: 1. Combo - Crow mo landing blind with both hands on the bar and then staying in blind, and taking off and doing a blind front to blind. 2. Front roll into a back flip to blind - like a double front to blind, but the second rotation is a flip (instead of an off axis spin to blind as usual) 3. Toe double half cab mobe - done it before but no one else has 4. Blind Judge 5 landing in blind with both hands on the bar and staying in blind and carving upwind into a blind front to blind 5. Double under flip, off a wave - landing back on the same wave. Some people have done it off kickers but no one has done it off a wave To quote one of his fans: Simply insane how you keep up this level of creativity and skill 🤫 We're excited to see what Tom will be landing next. Check out his North Kiteboarding International Teamrider Profile here Follow him on Instagram here
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![Audrey Meyer's Story]()
16 September 2020
Audrey Meyer's Story
Drive, Purpose, Passion – North Ambassador Audrey Meyer is the embodiment of what it means to be a waterwoman and community leader. A life-long learner that continuously strives to be the best she can be, Audrey formed a deep connection with the ocean from a very early age. This relationship turned into her life force, and is what inspires her to push her limits and help others to achieve their own dreams every day. Growing up in the South of France, Audrey was introduced to windsurfing by her brother at the age of 12 and was instantly captivated by the feeling of freedom the ocean provided. This led her to move to Reunion Island to begin the pursuit of her surf-sports life dream whilst achieving a Master’s degree in Physical Education and Sports Management. A trip to the watersports paradise Cabarete (Dominican Republic) in the early 2000s hooked Audrey on Kiteboarding, which led to her becoming an IKO instructor, then developing into a Top 5 ranked competitor on the Professional Kite Rider Association (PKRA) World Tour. In order to maximize her potential and training, she moved to Cabarete full time where she ran the internationally renowned Dare2Fly kiteboarding school for 16 years. The desire to become a complete ocean athlete drove Audrey to hone her craft in every possible surf/paddle sport, an endeavor which is still burning strong and motivates her to this day. This pursuit culminated in winning the Female ‘Master of the Ocean’ titles in 2010-2012 and successfully competing in some of the biggest SUP race competitions on the circuit – including a 2nd place finish at the Gerry Lopez “Battle of the Paddle” race at Dana Point in 2010. Today, Audrey continues to push her own athletic abilities and is the Founder and CEO of AudreyMeyerCoaching.com and BlossomFitLife.com. A high-performance wellness/nutrition coach, master personal trainer, and yoga instructor, Audrey has dedicated herself to share her passion for the ocean and mind/body vitality by holistically coaching clients of all ages/fitness levels/backgrounds to reach their personal health & fitness goals. Her World Class Kite & Surf Performance Training Camps are for those looking to maximize their performance and push their limits in and out of the water.
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![Introducing, Sophia Abreu]()
02 August 2020
Introducing, Sophia Abreu
Always up for an adventure, Sophia says, "I love the feeling of riding a wave full-speed, doing a downwinder and getting to know places that you wouldn't be able to by car." Sophia shreds it up on her 8m Carve kite and 5'7 Charge Surfboard, the "best combo for a perfect wave riding session".
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![Insight: The North Girls in IKSurf Magazine]()
15 June 2020
Insight: The North Girls in IKSurf Magazine
In the continuing series looking at some of the women behind working within the industry, IKSURF Mag chat to Holley Butler and Grace Seeley who look after marketing at North Kiteboarding. Based in New Zealand it's been an interesting baptism of fire while the brand was launched in a whirlwind last year! Holley and Grace, thanks for joining us, it's great to meet you! Holley, can you tell us what it was like growing up in Auckland? Thank you for having us! I was fortunate to grow up in Auckland on a lifestyle block with plenty of animals, and a massive backyard to keep me entertained. We're only a 30-minute drive, either way, from the east to the west coast of New Zealand. My family are very outdoorsy, so growing up, we would always go camping around the country. We are spoilt for choice with all the beautiful walks, bike tracks and surf beaches New Zealand has to offer! Grace, we've got to ask! How does someone who studied Psychology in Edinburgh, UK, end up working as a Content Community Manager in the kiteboarding industry in New Zealand? What made you want to leave the UK? As part of my degree at Edinburgh University, I chose to spend a year abroad studying in Auckland. My good friend and first kiteboarding inspiration, Polly Crathorne, had chosen Auckland for the incredible kite spots it has to offer. She introduced me to the University Kite Club, and I learnt to kite cheaply, with a lot of help from the friends I made. We lived a pretty cruisy life for a year, kiteboarding at every opportunity, meaning that when I left New Zealand, I knew I'd want to come back. After graduating, I moved to London and got a job in an Advertising agency. Despite all my friends living there, London wasn't for me. It would take me hours to get out of the city to go kiteboarding at the weekend, and I missed living close to the ocean. Getting the tube followed by three train changes with a board, harness and kite, was such a mission! It had always been in the back of my mind to revisit New Zealand. I kept in touch with the guys from the Kite Club in Auckland, one of whom is the Graphic Designer for North Kiteboarding, Tom Crosse. When the job came up, Tom put me in touch with Holley, and it sounded too good an opportunity to turn down! Holley, you left Auckland and ended up travelling around for a few years. What were you doing before you got the job at North Kiteboarding? What made you want to return to Auckland? I previously worked in Advertising agencies in New Zealand and then in London, which is where my Marketing background comes in. However, before making the move to North Kiteboarding, I volunteered at a surf school in Lagos, Portugal. It was a fantastic experience where I spent most of my days surfing, exploring the Algarve and showing our guests around town. While travelling, I used London as my base and jetted off around Europe at every chance I got. However, I really did miss the freedom New Zealand offered, and the ease of being able to get out on the water whenever I could. It was actually the job at North Kiteboarding that lured me back to Auckland! I was coming to the end of the season in Portugal and started looking at jobs in New Zealand, Australia and Holland to see if there was anything of interest. The Marketing Manager role at North Kiteboarding was the first and only interview I had. Launching a watersports brand, with plenty of travel, based in my home country, seemed like a dream come true! Mike Raper (North's Brand Director) and I really hit it off. With our joint appreciation and love for the ocean, combined with my advertising background, I was offered the job after our first Skype interview and booked a ticket home. Grace, what it's like living in New Zealand? It looks incredible! With the current global situation, now more than ever, I feel lucky to be living here. It's such a fantastic country and the outdoor activities on your doorstep are endless. Every weekend, we leave the city to explore a different surf or kite spot. I also love the kiwi laid back lifestyle, where everyone respects the work-life balance. This is a stark contrast to the 'rat race' in London. Having the most incredible beaches on your doorstep, I don't feel the need to go on holiday. That pretty much sums up living in New Zealand for me - no need to escape. Holley, can you describe a typical day at the North Kiteboarding headquarters? We laugh, a lot, especially during the Marketing Department team meetings at our indoor skate ramp, which also doubles as a board room, then some emails and a couple of walks to the local grocer for salads, cakes and coffee. Being in the growth phase of a business is incredibly exciting. We're constantly brainstorming new ideas and campaigns, it's a very collaborative office. We also have a strong female presence here, which is pretty unusual for a kiteboarding company. From our copy-whizz Victoria to graphic designer Suzie, we are so lucky to work with such amazing women (and men!) which I think helps challenge some industry norms and ultimately widens the funnel of potential people getting into the sport. We're also incredibly lucky to be situated a 15-minute drive from one of the best surfing and kiteboarding beaches, Muriwai, so if the swell is good or wind is strong, you'll most likely find the office half empty! Grace, what are some of the best kiteboarding spots around New Zealand? Any travel recommendations? Auckland is great for kiteboarding, due to there being a beach within 30-minutes' drive suitable for every wind direction. For Big Air, Muriwai Beach is epic and just so happens to be 10 minutes down the road from the North Kiteboarding office. There is also Glendowie Spit, which is my favourite flatwater spot in the city. You'll often see North team rider, Marc Jacobs, throwing massive loops over the spit. A few hours north of Auckland is a little gem spot called Mangawhai. I've been lucky enough to kite the lagoons in Brazil, and I reckon this spot is easily on par. It's a huge lagoon with butter-flat water, backed by a massive white sand dune. Down in Queenstown, not only is there incredible snowkiting in the winter, Glenorchy has to be one of the most scenic kite spots I've ever been to. We took the whole North Kiteboarding team there to shoot some of our 2020 Brand Movie, it's a pretty spectacular place. Holley, what was it like launching North Kiteboarding and what were the high and the lows? Launching a brand is both incredibly exciting and daunting. It was, without a doubt, one of the proudest moments of my life. I vividly remember Grace and I sitting in our office at 7 pm, fuelled with coffee and Indian takeaway (our staple diet over the launch period!) about to press-go on everything the collective team had worked on leading up to the 8th August. It was such a surreal feeling seeing everything we'd produced over a rollercoaster nine months, on the kiteboarding world stage. In the period leading up to the launch, Grace and I worked until 4 am for about three weeks straight, to get the website live, and align all deliverables from print to social, retail and everything else you can think of across the globe. Being based in New Zealand has many advantages; however, the time difference can be tricky at times! I'm super proud of the brand we built, in such a short space of time. Bringing a huge range of products to the market was an incredibly high-pressure situation, and with so many deliverables, your head would feel like it was going to explode with the sheer number of things to remember! However, working with such an incredible and talented group of people has honestly made such a difference. From the product engineers and designers, sales team and team riders. Every single person is so passionate and aligned with our vision of really disrupting the market, and creating a point of difference in kiteboarding. Grace, what are some of the pros and cons of being a Content Community Manager? I do a bit of everything, including the social media, website, working with the media and on our sustainability plans. I'm also in close contact with our inspiring team of North athletes; a lot is going on! Before landing the job at North Kiteboarding, I was working for a large company, with well-oiled structures and processes. My roles and responsibilities were clearly defined, but I quickly got bored with this. I love that at North Kiteboarding, being a start-up, we are all new to the challenges we face, making every day different. I'm proud to be part of the small, close-knit team who launched the North Kiteboarding brand in August 2018. We are all personally invested in the brand, and it's great having the designers and marketing team working together under one roof. While it can connect people worldwide, and this is key for our business, social media never sleeps. For me, this can sometimes be mentally consuming, as I often find myself checking the North Kiteboarding account before I go to sleep and as soon as I wake up. The ultimate perk has to be having a manager who will shift meetings in line with the swell, and a boss who we can kite with. Holley and I go surfing before work, and the best kite sessions are where all the North Kiteboarding team goes out, and the beach is full of North kites. All of us in the office need to get on the water and clear our heads. We are lucky enough to work somewhere that appreciates this and allows us to get the work done after a session or two. Holley, you guys have quite a team of pro riders, what's it like working with them? What sort of relationship do you need to establish with them? How do you keep them motivated to create new content? We were very selective with the team we brought on board, and I am stoked with every single one of them! They were all chosen for embodying our core brand values and are a walking representation of what it means to be North Kiteboarding. A big part of our job is working closely with them to align our marketing efforts, Grace especially, and our new Team Manager Alex Vilege, are fantastic in ensuring that our efforts are well communicated and coordinated. Even though New Zealand is quite remote, I've been lucky enough to spend a decent amount of time with all of them through our sales meetings, industry events and product shoots. I love collaborating with the team and always leave our catchup’s, feeling very motivated and excited for future projects! Grace, what’s it like being a female in a male-dominated industry? What are some of the challenges you face? The industry is definitely male-dominated, and you may often be the only female at the beach, what I love about the kiteboarding community is that we are all genuinely there to look after one another. At the North Kiteboarding office, about half of the team are female, so we often have healthy discussions about our brand direction, and this comes from a gender-neutral perspective. I feel lucky to be working in such a supportive environment, which may not be the norm across the industry. One particular discussion we had was about how many kite brands sell female-specific boards. In my opinion, this is an aspect of the industry that is outdated, and even though I appreciate lightweight riders require gear to suit their needs, I think female and male riders should be treated equally. Seeing the first female rider, Angely Bouillot, compete in King of the Air this year proved this. I'm definitely noticing more females out on the water with every session, so I'm excited to see where the sport will be in a few years! Holley, tell us about Cape Town! What was it like going for King of the Air? I had never been to Cape Town before working at North Kiteboarding, and I loved it! I went on my own with North Kiteboarding in 2019 and was lucky enough to take Grace and Jonty Norton (our Content Creator who took most of these photographs!) with me this year. It made a huge difference having all 3 of us on the ground to collaborate and work through new content ideas and activations, daily. We're a tight-knit team, so it was awesome to spend some quality time together in such a beautiful location. King of the Air will always be such a special place for the brand, both through being the place where we premiered our prototype kite in 2019 (now the Orbit) and this year's clean sweep by Jesse, Nick and Marc. There is truly nothing like it! From an industry perspective, it's fantastic to have everyone in one place and a great opportunity to catch up with our international team and Mystic counterparts. Not only that, but the vibe on the beach at KOTA is like none other, I love watching our athletes send it! Grace, what piece advice would you give to someone that's looking for a career change, but can't seem to get out of their comfort zone? With the current global situation due to COVID-19, I think we can all appreciate how quickly your way of life can be disrupted. Life is too short to not be doing something you enjoy. I'm incredibly grateful to be in my current position and have a family who has fully supported my move to New Zealand, but it definitely takes a bit of courage to go against the norm. My main piece of advice would be to figure out what you value most and be open to everyone and to every opportunity. Without sounding too cheesy, it pays to be kind. I ended up working at North Kiteboarding, thanks to the incredible people I met along the way. Holley, what are your interests besides watersports? I love partaking in anything that gets me outdoors and my body moving. Whether hiking around our beautiful country, running, or joining a Pilates class, I try my best to start my day with some kind of activity as that's when I find I'm most productive. As well as that I'm really into cooking and love experimenting as much as possible. The New Zealand lockdown was excellent for this! Grace, you and Holley have the day off – how do you spend the day? The perfect day off for Holley and I would start with a dawnie-up on the east coast, surfing some dreamy right-handers, getting off the water around midday to catch up on a few emails in the afternoon - North Kiteboarding never sleeps! Followed by pizza and beer in the evening; a bit basic but we wouldn't have it any other way! Holley, is there anything interesting going on in the North Kiteboarding pipeline you'd like to share with us? We're incredibly busy working on our MY21 collection launch, and there are some really exciting products here and stories to be told. I think we've had a phenomenal launch year and are looking to build on this even further. Despite the challenges we're facing as an industry, as well as on a personal level with COVID-19, I'm super excited to share what we've been working on very soon! Thank you, it's been great catching up! Thanks, Jen! Read the rest of Issue 81 of IKSurf Magazine here. For any questions, please contact marketing@northkb.com
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![An Unforgettable Trip: Annabel van Westerop in The Kite Mag]()
11 June 2020
An Unforgettable Trip: Annabel van Westerop in The Kite Mag
Words by Annabel van Westerop, published in Issue 37 of The Kite Mag You can have a trip pre-planned and all figured out. And then the unexpected happens. The one thing you wouldn't see coming in a million years. A global pandemic. So you adapt. And in the midst of crisi, the magic happens. We stepped aboard the Action Cruise in Grenada, an island situated in the Eastern Carribean. Nine days of sailing on a catamaran, with only one goal: kiting in some of the most picturesque spots imaginable. Hostedby the positively spirited Italian captain Federico and amusing French Masterchef Jordane, the trip was already set up for success. All in all, we were six people aboard the catamaran, ready to go and explore. From the port of Grenada we set sail towards the Grenadines, a group of islands that are a true kiter's paradise. The Action Cruise has been meticulously planned to make sure all the best spots are visited during the trip, but as we were a small crew, change from the original planning seemed to be seeping in from day one. About halfway to the Grenadines we spotted a sandspit on a tiny deserted island. We were supposed to have a full day of sailing but the wind lured us to the sport and we geared up for our first Caribbean session. I grew up on Aruba, an island not far from where we were, and I only moved back to the Netherlands about a year ago. Needless to say, it felt like coming home when I launched my kite and dove into the warm, blue water. Nights on the Action Cruise were the best. Tired and content from a long day on the water, with the warm breeze brushing past your skin, and chef Jordane making an incredible meal. From dancing on the boat to lobster dinners with your feet in the sand under the stars, this trip had it all. Chatting and laughing the nights away, and finally having the gentle rocking of the boat put you to sleep, in preparation for the next day. "In this time of uncertainty, we made the best of it. We made sure to stay up to date of the news and at the same time we continued to enjoy the Caribbean sessions." The following few days we chased the wind from spot to spot. The original plan was long gone, as we made spontaneous new plans that we wrote out with a marker on the kitchen window. We had all the North goodies aboard, so whatever the conditions brought, we had a blast. Foiling in the endless light blue water among turtles and stingrays through the Tobago Cays, freestyling in flat-water paradise of Frigate Island, and finding the most dreamy potential lockdown spot on Umbrella Island. A tiny spit of sand, one cabana, and my kites, what else do you need in life? Yes, the global crisis was on its way, and the first countries had already gone into lockdown. We checked the news on the daily and it was absolutely surreal how we were roaming freely around paradise while the world seemed to be falling apart. We felt distant from it all, but could no longer ignore that very soon we would be directly affected as well. We were six people with six different nationalities, who all needed to find their way home. In this time of uncertainty, we made the best of it. We made sure to stay up to date of the news and at the same time we continued to enjoy the Caribbean sessions. I started to view my surroundings from a different perspective. Being a pro kiteboarder, I consider myself extremely lucky that I get to travel all over the world and see the most beautiful places, while also, it almost becomes ‘normal’ sometimes. It is when something is no longer a given that you start to appreciate it even more. That sense of freedom to kite and cruise around on a catamaran on the other side of the world felt absolutely magical. If there was even a tiny bit of our plan left, it completely washed away when we heard the islands were going to close their borders. One by one, the Caribbean islands were shutting down and all of a sudden that freedom of sailing around on a boat was restricted as well. Only a few hours before the borders of Grenada closed, we sailed into the harbor of Carriacou, one of the islands part of the country. Passing customs was a mission with a medical examination, outlining your travel history, and all. Surprisingly, at the tiniest minimarket on the smallest island, we found some facemasks. Probably at that time the only place in the entire world that had them. "This trip, I'll definitely never forget." So, having entered Grenada safely, although earlier than we originally planned to, we did the most logical thing: we scouted another great spot. to kite! And so we finished the trip, the full nine days, with a perfect sunset and sunrise session, after which we sailed back to Grenada and stepped into the 'real world' again, just in time. Due to the circumstances, my flight back to the Netherlands through the US was cancelled so I had to figure out a way home. My first thought was to go to Aruba to be with my parents, yet by then the island had already closed its borders to non-residents, and as it happened, I was no longer a resident since only three months ago...The thought crossed my mind to stay in the Grenadines, because staying in the Caribbean didn't sound like a bad plan. However, how long would it take until I could leave? Looking back I'm glad I decided not to, as we now all know how serious the situation became. Finally, I found a way back to the Netherlands. Three flights, completely packed with people heading hokme, a virus so contagious yet invisible, aiports so empty they felt like ghost towns, and a constant doubt if the next flight would take off or be canceled. like so many others. It was a wild and emotional ride, but I finally landed safely in Holland, where my aunt and uncle were waiting and threw me my car keys from a distance, and I found my way home to join the rest of the world in isolation. You can play a trip, making sure all the details line up to create absolutel perfection, and you'll probably have a wonderful time. However, it is the unexpected and spontaneous twists and turns that really complete and experience. During this special trip, my already strong love for kiteboarding got a boost, my perception of the luxury of traveling changed for the better, and clsoe connections were made by going through an unpredictable situation together. Massive thanks to the Action Cruise for having me, this trip I'll definitely never forget. Read the full article in Issue 37 of The Kite Mag here. Photo Credits: The Action Cruise. Find out more about their cruises here. Visit Annabel van Westerop's Team Rider Profile here.
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![Dirty Confessions with Tom Bridge]()
16 May 2020
Dirty Confessions with Tom Bridge
North Team Rider, Tom Bridge is one of the most innovative riders out there right now doing, trying and thinking up the most tech tricks. In this episode of Dirty Confesssions, the Dirty Habits founder and fellow team mate, Graham Howes caught up on what Tom has been up and how he was coping in lockdown as well as future plans that he has. Watch the full video here. Instagram: @TOM_ROCCO_BRIDGE & Dirty Habits TV Facebook: TOM BRIDGE KITE & Dirty Habits
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![Ryan Levinson's Q&A with North Sails]()
07 May 2020
Ryan Levinson's Q&A with North Sails
One of our incredible North Ambassadors Ryan Levinson sat down with Hilary Noble, from our parent company, North Sails for a Q&A. Q: When did you learn to kite? Who taught you?A: Around 2000 or 2001. When the first kites came on the market. I was working as a windsurfing and sailing instructor and I convinced my supervisors to get a kite and see if it was something we wanted to pursue. Back then we were all self-taught because there were no instructors. I had a super basic “how to” video and a patient girlfriend willing to follow me around in a small boat as the kite dragged me out of control all over the bay. There were no safety systems, nor any way to de-power the kite. It was super dangerous and pretty much the worst way to learn but it was the only option available at the time. Q: Where have you kited? A: I’ve kited all over, including California, Florida, Hawaii, Baja Mexico, Mainland Mexico, Tahiti, Mo’orea, Bora Bora, Huahine, Taha’a, and a bunch of the atolls in the Tuamotus. It’s possible to have fun just about anywhere there is water and wind. I’ve had some great sessions in bays, lakes, the open ocean, lagoons, surf zones, and even the snow! Q: What kite products do you have? (Board, harness, kite, etc)A: I have different kites and boards for different styles of riding, all made by North Kiteboarding. My harness and wetsuits are made by Mystic (a company also owned by North Actionsports Group.) For free-riding, which is basically everything from just cruising around to doing big jumps and tricks, I use a quiver of Orbit kites sized 12, 9, and 7m with an Atmos hybrid twin-tip board. This is a great all-around set up that will work well for most people in a wide range of conditions. When I’m riding surfboards I use Carve kites sized 11, 9, and 7m. For riding waves I use the Charge, and for strapless freestyle I love the Comp. “Riding the Comp reminds me of the freedom I felt during childhood riding around the neighborhood doing tricks on a skateboard and I’m looking forward to getting my Charge into some waves and seeing what it can do.” “The Navigator control bar is like having a bunch of bars in one. Because it is versatile and easily adjustable I only need one or two bars, a key benefit when traveling or living on a boat.” I use a Mystic Majestic harness because I think it has a perfect balance of support and flexibility. Sometimes I wear a Mystic Block impact vest and a Gath surf-convertible helmet for more extreme conditions. Q: What's happening in Tahiti?A: Tahiti is a tropical paradise that is kind of like Hawaii, but with far fewer people and a more traditional less developed feel. Tahiti has a barrier reef surrounding it that creates a protected flat water lagoon with a variety of good anchorages and spots for kiteboarding. Many of the barrier reef passes have fun surf with powerful waves breaking over shallow coral reefs. But Tahiti is a small part of French Polynesia and we actually spend most of our time exploring the more remote islands and atolls in the region. There are 118 islands and atolls in French Polynesia stretching over 1,000 nautical miles. Many of the places we visit are uninhabited and uncharted. They are pristine vibrant gems waiting to be explored if you’re willing to embrace the challenge and adventure involved in voyaging in these isolated areas. Q: How has kiting opened more doors given your condition? A: For those who don’t know, I have a genetic disease called FSHD that causes my muscles throughout my body to continuously weaken. When I was diagnosed, there was nothing available to read except depressing stuff like clinical descriptions of symptoms so I've always strived to be a public example of one possible approach to living with the disease... Kiteboarding empowers me to move and express myself with a freedom far beyond anything else possible given the effects of my disease. I once described it as feeling “like a dance across the water and through the air to the rhythm set by wind and waves.” It’s hard to explain how much that means to someone like me whose life has always been very physical and based around my relationship with the ocean. As my disease progressed I lost the ability to paddle a surfboard but with a kite I can ride waves. It’s now getting hard to walk but with a kite, I can fly! “There are moments in kiting when your mind kind of shuts off and you feel like the kite and board are extensions of your body.” In those moments you glide through the water and air with an effortless freedom that transcends what is otherwise physically possible. It’s an ecstatic feeling that usually happens when you’re challenging yourself to ride at a level that brings a focused mind frame without being overwhelming. The noted psychologist Mihaly Csikszentmihalyi describes it well when he said it is "being completely involved in an activity for its own sake. The ego falls away. Time flies. Every action, movement, and thought follows inevitably from the previous one, like playing jazz. Your whole being is involved, and you're using your skills to the utmost." “In those moments, despite the constraints of my disability, I feel clear, alive, present, electrified, and free…” Q: What are your personal goals with the new kiteboarding hobby?A: In some ways, the continuous muscle loss from my disease sets goals for me because I have to constantly learn new ways to do the same tricks. When I succeed it feels kind of like hearing a good remake of an old favorite song. It’s a good feeling. I don’t know…I could list some immediate goals like improving my strapless surfing or learning a specific trick, and I’m intensely focused on achieving those things, but to me it’s more about how fully I immerse myself in the process rather than any measured outcome. “If I come off the water with a smile, I’ve achieved my goal.” Q: What made you buy North kite products?A: Until recently, I was happily using kiteboarding gear from another manufacturer. Then two things happened… First the entire product design team from the other company moved to North Kiteboarding en masse. Second, Hugh Pinfold (Director of Design and Engineering at North Kiteboarding) randomly showed up at a beach in Mo’orea where I was kiteboarding. He was on vacation but was super excited to show me the new North Kites and boards. It was like looking at much improved future generations of the gear I was already using, mixed in with some innovative new designs. Hugh explained that the North kiteboarding designers were given full access to North Sail’s expertise and technology and were given carte blanche permission to make the best equipment possible. My mind was blown imagining the results of having kiteboarding’s most talented design team working with the world’s leading sailmaker! Of course I switched to North! On another level my former teammates and I won a national championship using North Sails, we used North Sails when I was on the national team, and over the past 5 years North Sails drove my boat over 20,000 nautical miles through the Pacific Ocean. Now I’m also on North kites and boards. I'm grateful to support such an incredible group of people and products. Q: What is something you consider a long-term goal for kiteboarding?A: I’d like to see kiteboarding and sailing equipment from all manufacturers made in a more environmentally sensitive way…I was encouraged to hear North is taking steps in that direction. Q: What was the hardest thing about learning to kite? A: The hardest thing for me was the lack of information available when I learned. We had to figure it out mostly by trial and error, a horrible way to learn to kite! These days I think the hardest thing for people is having the patience to really dial in their kite skills before trying to ride a board. This includes at a minimum knowing how to use the safety systems, self-rescue, re-launch, and body-drag upwind. I’ve taught hundreds of people how to kite and it’s amazing how quickly people progress when they perfect those basic skills… and how much they struggle when they don’t. Thanks to Ryan Levinson and North Sails.
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![Ryan Levinson's Story]()
05 May 2020
Ryan Levinson's Story
"It's getting hard to walk, but with a kite, I can fly". North Ambassador, Ryan Levinson is a true seeker. His passion for the ocean and commitment to the sport is unprecedented, which is why we jumped at the opportunity of having Ryan join the North team. We caught up with Ryan to share more about his background and the incredible life he lives at sea. In 2014 Ryan and his wife Nicole began an open-ended full-time sailing expedition seeking, and finding, steady wind, smooth water, and perfect empty waves. They have now sailed over 20,000 miles through the Pacific Ocean, exploring uncharted waters, discovering pristine wild places filled with vibrant life, untouched sand beaches, thriving coral reefs, and consistent tropical wind. This is where they kite… Ryan kiting alongside his boat in Moorea, Tahiti. Ryan does this despite his body being ravaged by a genetic disease called Facioscapulohumeral Muscular Dystrophy (FSHD) that causes muscles throughout his body to continuously weaken. Ryan can no longer hold his arms over shoulder high, stand on his toes, or do a single sit-up or push-up. He lives with the passion of someone who loves what they do but is rapidly losing the ability to do it. Ryan says, “I have to constantly innovate new ways to do the things I love but that’s part of the adventure. It’s getting hard to walk but with a kite I can fly!” Before sailing away from his hometown of San Diego, California Ryan enjoyed success in a variety of ocean and wind sports including a national championship victory in sailing, competing as a member of the US Sailing Team, captaining a luxury super yacht, and leading the Emergency Medical/Rescue team for the Big Wave World Tour. Ryan’s passion for helping people deepen their love of the ocean through sports led him to become a PASA and IKO certified kiteboarding instructor in addition to SCUBA diving, windsurfing, sailing, surfing, and expedition kayaking. He started a kiteboarding school that grew to be the largest in California at the time with locations in San Francisco, San Diego, and Mexico before he sold it and began a series that led to the voyage he’s currently on. Ryan navigating mid-ocean while sailing to the Marquesas Islands Ryan leading the Emergency Medical/Rescue team for the Big Wave World Tour Ryan’s unbridled passion for adventure, coupled with his love of kiteboarding, his innovative spirit, and dedication to helping others makes him a perfect fit for North. As Ryan puts it, “North Kiteboarding is a family of the most committed mad genius frothing kiters I’ve ever met. The attention to detail and performance is truly next level. I trust North completely when I strap in and connect to the wild winds and waters I find out here over the horizon and beyond my dreams.”
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![The Next Level | Marc Jacobs Interview]()
28 April 2020
The Next Level | Marc Jacobs Interview
Feature: The Kite Mag #36 Marc Jacobs has carved out an impressive career in the world of kiteboarding. A regular feature on the PKRA podium, he has now progressed (along witha number of other riders of his generation) very firmly into the world of Big Air. And having taken out the Biggest Air award at this year’s KOTA, he is now very much one to watch when it comes to those 30 knot+ hold-on-to-your-hat days... HEY MARC, THANKS FOR TAKING THE TIME OUT TO TALK TO US. SO YOU HAVE BEEN ON THE SCENE FOR SOME TIME NOW – CAN YOU TALK US THROUGH WHEN AND WHERE YOU BEGAN KITING? My kiteboarding journey began in 2005 when I came across Dave Edwards [also known as Mad Dave!]. I watched him over the years which motivated me and inspired me to take up kiting. After saving for three years and working as a paperboy, my mum and I went halves on my first ever inflatable kite. I always remember my 15th birthday as an important milestone. I rode on the beach with my mountain board and would jump off sand dunes practicing flips and rotations until my 16th birthday, when I got my first board. From that day on I knew this was my passion in life and it became my full focus, to be the best. HOW IS NEW ZEALAND FOR CONDITIONS – WE HAVE SEEN SOME EPIC SHOTS OVER THE YEARS BUT DO YOU SPEND A LOT OF TIME WAITING FOR THE RIGHT CONDITIONS AND DRIVING AROUND? New Zealand has pretty amazing conditions for kitesurfing. We have a lot of epic spots where it’s just you, the ocean and no one else. But I normally stick to my city spots which aren’t too far away and I have plenty of options to head to depending on the conditions, the direction and the tides. The wind here is normally pretty decent all year round. February to May tends to be not as good as the winter/spring season, but you can always find wind in Wellington NZ, even if you have to chase it. "I always give 110%. Not just in kiting, but in everyday life." TELL US ABOUT YOUR DOG, ACE. There is quite a funny story behind Ace, she was actually my flatmate’s gift to his girlfriend. However, he got deported when Ace was six months old. Ace was left at our flat with no one to care for her, so one day I thought I should take her to the beach kiting to see how she would react. From that day I knew she was meant to be mine. She leapt up on my board and into my arms, so excited she could barely contain herself. I would kite up and down the beach and she would chase after me barking, wanting to jump on again. I never had to train her, it was like fate all along. CAN YOU TAKE US THROUGH YOUR TIME ON THE FREESTYLE TOUR? The freestyle tour was an amazing experience. I learnt a lot about competing, and riding with the pros really helped me reach my full potential. I still love competing and pushing my freestyle, but now I really want to push my Big Air riding and I’m fully focused on pursuing that. YOU HAVE ALWAYS SEEMED TO BE A RIDER WHO GIVES 110% AND LIKES TO INJECT PLENTY OF POWER INTO THEIR RIDING – DO YOU ALWAYS HAVE THIS MIND-SET WHEN YOU ARE ON THE WATER? I feel like this is a part of who I am. I always give 110%. Not just in kiting, but in everyday life. I always want to push myself and go harder every time and make each session count. AT KOTA 2019 YOU BLEW A FEW MINDS IN THE KITESURFING COM- MUNITY – CAN YOU TAKE US THROUGH THAT EVENT AND YOUR TRICK SELECTION? 2019 was the year I really pushed my goofy stance and focused on new tricks. I thought that bringing new tricks to KOTA would give me a good chance of win- ning. But I learnt that doing tricks coming towards the shore, not out, wasn’t going to be rewarded as much as going out and using the waves as kickers. So this year, I fully focused on my switch tack and learnt all the moves switch. It definitely paid off. I feel I need one more solid year to get my switch riding level higher and closer to my goofy tack, and feel I will have a good chance to win. THE GUYS NOW AT THE TOP OF THE PACK IN KOTA AND OTHER BIG AIR EVENTS SEEM TO BE – TO PUT IT POLITELY – A LITTLE MORE ‘MATURE’ THAN THE GUYS SHREDDING ON THE FREESTYLE TOUR! WHY IS THIS DO YOU THINK? I think that having KOTA as the only proper Big Air event, it makes it hard for up and comers with no competition experience. A lot of people, including myself, have folded under the pressure of this event. There is so much hype around the event, and only having one chance to prove yourself, there is no room for error. There are a lot of good riders who can land all the tricks, but if you don’t have the mental state to handle it, you don’t have the mind to per- form. State of mind is everything in an event like this and is what a lot of riders are lacking experience in. SO HOW DO YOU TRAIN FOR THE EVENT? It has been my biggest dream to win a KOTA title. But it also has been very frustrating as I’m such a dominant goofy foot rider, I don’t get the chance to show my full potential in a favored regular foot forward kite spot for this event. In the past, when we had the Big Air Tour, I showed that I can come out on top in other kite spots. I just really hope one day we get a Big Air Tour again. But until then, I will continue to improve my switch skills and push myself to achieve my dream. CAN YOU TAKE US THROUGH YOUR EXPERIENCE AT THIS YEAR’S EVENT? This year was new and exciting for me. I trained very hard in order to do well, not just physically, but mentally. This year I worked with a mental coach who helped me feel very relaxed and in control. I was able to enjoy every moment of it on the day. I felt like a new improved rider, and it seemed to pay off. YOU JOINED NORTH RECENTLY – AS A KIWI AND WITH A LOT OF THE TEAM BASED OVER THERE, WAS IT AN EASY DECISION AND HOW DID IT COME ABOUT? Yes! I joined forces with North kiteboarding in August. Their office is based in my home spot in Auckland, New Zealand, so it made sense for both of us. I couldn’t have been happier to sign with North. I love riding and pushing my limits, but I also love being involved testing and developing the new gear. With the amount of hours I spend on the water, I feel I fit this role perfectly to truly test all the gear before it hits the market. WHAT OTHER SPORTS OR CROSS-TRAINING DO YOU DO WHEN YOU’RE NOT KITING? I do a lot of gym work. I hate being injured so I work very hard on being well balanced with no weak muscle groups to prevent getting injured. I also do a lot of cable wakeboarding on the no-wind days and I feel it helps my kiting as well. HAVE YOU RIDDEN ALL OF THE KITES AND WHAT IS YOUR PRE- FERRED SET UP? I have ridden all of the gear apart from the wave kites and boards. For freestyle, I love to push it on the Pulse kite and the 141 Focus Carbon board. If the winds get over 25 knots I then prefer to train for Big Air, so I switch to the Orbit kite and 138 Atmos Carbon board. I am very stoked with my current set up. It gives me a lot of motivation to push my limits even further! SO, KOTA IS DONE – WHAT ARE YOUR PLANS FOR THE REST OF THE YEAR? I will continue to train and perfect my switch tricks for KOTA. I’m also con- sidering trying the Red Bull Megaloop Challenge this year, if I get in by video entry. And of course working closely with North on all the new and upcoming gear. Exciting times ahead! Photo credit: Ydwer van de Heide Check out The Kite Mag for the full article. Read more about Marc Jacobs here.
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![Jesse Richman: The Man Who Rides Mountains]()
15 February 2020
Jesse Richman: The Man Who Rides Mountains
"The kites make it simple as they do what we want (if you're riding a badass kite, like the North Carve)". In IKSurf Magazine's Issue 79, Jesse Richman, winner of 2020 Red Bull King of the Air and the jack of all trades, gives us the most 'analytic approach to riding mountains that you will ever read.' "Peahi (aka Jaws) isn't merely a wave, to a small group of dedicated ocean athletes, it's a way of life." Jesse explains how his training is all about cycles; "training, preparation, game day, recovery, repeat." Year in, year out. "It's genuinely about strengthening the mind and body together to be able to endure anything you might encounter in the ocean and have the confidence to make decisions under extreme pressure. It's not just your life on the line, everyone out there is relying on each other to be ready for anything". "Where the real gains are made is in the mind by taking time to focus on the breath and reprogramming your body to be able to deal with a lack of oxygen and a build-up of carbon dioxide". Jesse recommends to anyone wanting to become more comfortable and confident in the ocean taking the Big Wave Risk Assessment Group (BWRAG) and going through a freediving course. "BWRAG goes through everything from a life-saving perspective and helps people prepare to rescue someone in need. All this becomes extremely relevant in intense conditions. In a freediving course, you learn all about what happens when you hold your breath both scientifically and spiritually. It is by far, one of the best ways to train for big waves and confidence in the ocean". Photo Credit: Fish Bowl Diaries As for the equipment, Jesse goes into detail as to how being in tune with and trusting your gear is key for his performance. "The kites make it simple as they do what we want (if you're riding a badass kite, like the North Carve)". "The key is to maintain a relaxed and chill mindset". "When fear is processed in a specific way, it can be harnessed to become fuel for perfect focus." As the winner of the 2020 Red Bull King of the Air, Jesse explains how he "accessed a completely different mindset from year past". "I happened to be more excited by big waves than big air. Even more paramount, I have a new family that is the most magical experience I've had thus far. I realised that if I win or lose at the King of the Air, it didn't really matter, life is still going to be amazing! With this new mindset, I was able to maintain an incredibly relaxed vibe the entire day". Jesse advises on how to embrace the cycles that mother nature provides; "Waves are going to come back every winter and thus give us a long summer to train. If we embrace these cycles and utilise the time to progress every day". With insider perspectives from Kai Lenny, specific training tips from Jesse Richman, be sure to read the full article here and who knows, maybe one day you'll be riding these perfect picturesque monsters too. Check out Jesse in action kitesurfing Jaws here. Photo Credit: One More Photo "Jaws is unlike any other wave I've seen. It focuses millions of gallons of water upwards into a perfect picturesque monster." - Patri Mclaughlin, Jesse's jet ski partner and team member For more information about Jesse Richman, see his Team Rider Profile here.
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![Why does Nick Jacobsen love his Atmos?]()
04 February 2020
Why does Nick Jacobsen love his Atmos?
The Danish daredevil has garnered a bit of a reputation for huge crazy stunts - here he talks to The Kite Mag about his ultimate board - the Atmos Carbon. “Nick Jacobsen is undisputedly one of the most versatile kitesurfers on the planet.” Therefore, he needs a board that suits all conditions. The Atmos Carbon is the perfect board for Nick, due to the Dynamic Flex, which allows you to ride in comfort, with precise edge control for carving. “Being a part of North from the very beginning I got to test and co-develop on all the products. Riding so many different conditions all the time, I’m looking for a lot of things in a board. The most important things for me are the rocker and outline. The more square the outline is, the more edge you hold, and you are able to jump higher" says Nick. Nick rides the Flex straps on his Atmos as the "connection and comfort is unreal". Discover the hand crafted design of the Flex here. Read the full article to find out why the Atmos is Nick's ulitmate board to ride here ✎ EditSign . Check out The Kite Mag here.
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![Camille Delannoy joins North!]()
04 February 2020
Camille Delannoy joins North!
We are extremely proud to welcome Camille Delannoy to our team of international riders. Already a legendary wave rider at the age of 20, Camille has been on the kitesurfing scene throughout his teens. He has been vice World Champion twice in the GKA Kitesurf World Tour, and in 2019, was ranked 5th on the World Tour. Camille was born and raised in France, before moving to Prea, Brazil, a kitesurfing haven. From the age of 12 when he first started kiting, Camille was hooked and from then onwards, he continues to travel in search of the most epic wind and waves. Known for his highly powered riding style, Camille’s passion for riding waves comes from the freedom you have in wave riding. “You catch so many waves, wherever it breaks and ride it in whatever way you want. You’re able to ride waves you would never think of for surfing.” Camille spends most of his time training in Brazil, perfecting his strapless front roll tic tacs and kiteloops as he continues to push strapless freestyle to the next level. If he was forced to choose, his favourite wave spot would be either Flame Bowl in Madagascar or Alibaba in Cabo Verde. For 2020, Camille is totally focused on competing and we are thrilled to have such a progressive, young wave rider to add to our growing team of athletes. Camille will also be a great asset to North’s development team, as he works closely with them to test and develop our surfboard range in the future. Mike Raper, Brand Director at North Kiteboarding, says; “Camille is young, passionate and driven. His knowledge of the sport will be invaluable for our team, and we are honoured to have him join us.” Welcome to the team Camille, we are so excited for your journey with North to begin. Watch his announcement video here.
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