These Things I Know
Lewis Crathern
 ONE It is impossible to know the capabilities a kiteboarder will have in one year's time.TWO Both my brothers will kite with me one day, but they don't know it yet. THREE Windsurfing is epic too.  FOUR I don't want to live anywhere else. FIVE Neal Hilder showed me the right way to go with kitesurfing. He helped me appreciate what wake-style could bring to the sport. SIX Once you have a van in your life, you will always have one. SEVEN Windless days are important. If you could kite everyday it would be too organised. EIGHT Mentally, the best way to go to the beach is to expect nothing. Anything else is then a bonus; kitesurfing being the biggest one. NINE Harsh deals are inevitable. They will always find you, whatever you do. Always. TEN There is no worse feeling than when it's bordering on being windy. It's devastating. ELEVEN C kites are better (for me).  TWELVE Lines break in time. THIRTEEN My dad could also deal with kitesurfing, no problem. FOURTEEN Kitesurfing is better with others. FIFTEEN Jake's dog, Knarley, will try her best to get in the way of every possible tack out to sea I ever make at Goring. SIXTEEN The speed guys don't get enough recognition. SEVENTEEN The wind is free. Lewis followed Jake over the pier a few minutes later on his first attempt. A three-time British freestyle champion, he started kiting seven-years-ago and quickly made his mark with a fluid, powerful and progressive style. Lewis has started an open source website: www.windmachine.biz which shares knowledge from kiters with diverse backgrounds. Sponsored by Slingshot, Relentless, Dakine, Xcel wetsuits and S2AS, he is 24 and lives in Worthing.  This feature is in Issue 43 |