Kiteworld Magazine | The original international kitesurfing magazine

KW 97 – THE BEAUTIFUL SOUTH

Cover: Joshua Emanuel / Photo: Harry Winnington

In KW #97 we head down into the southern hemisphere and explore the Brazilian state of Ceara, the kite scene around Melbourne and Victoria in southeast Australia and the East African island of Zanzibar off the coast of Tanzania.

We also break down the top performers of 2018 from across the international competition scene and our test team, who are down in Cape Town right now, deliver new reviews of some of the latest and greatest 2019 gear that needs to be on your radar!

HIGHLIGHTS THIS ISSUE INCLUDE

KITING FAR IN CEARA

Ever fancied the challenge and camaraderie of a multi-day downwind voyage? KW editor Jim Gaunt tackled a 350 kilometre six day trip in Brazil with Surfin Sem Fim in early December. Navigating the remote northern coastline, kiting in three states and eventually heading through the stunning Parnaiba Delta until they reached Atins and the Lencoises Maranhenses National Park. A true adventure – read the full tale in KW #97.

THE SPICE ISLAND

Zanzibar, the Tanzanian island in the Indian Ocean, has stunning white sand beaches, crystal clear turquoise water and it’s picture perfect with wind blowing a generous seven months a year over two seasons. Offering conditions for every type of rider, the ‘Spice Island’ certainly delivers a kiting kick. We break down what you need to know this issue.

TESTS

The KW test team has been milking the Cape Doctor winds for all their worth since arriving in Cape Town and this issue we’ve got reviews of some seriously high-performing freeride kites – the Airush Union V4 and Vantage V3, the legendary Cabrinha Switchblade and the Core GTS 5 (and that’s just for starters).

There’s more hardware getting rinsed in the KW #97 gear section and we also have a full winter wetsuit test in which we put seven of the warmest suits you can buy to the test in the North Sea in 7-8°C / 44-46°F water with air temps dropping down to freezing!

#BULLYBOOSTS

Kiteworld Chief Tester, Chris Bull, gives a short overview of his personal highlight sensations of both the Airush Union and Airush Vantage kites. The team spent several sessions boosting in strong and light winds, in Cape Town and the UK. Send ’em!

THE LAND DOWNUNDER

Western Australia, particularly the area around Perth, is a well known kiting destination but what about Oz’s eastern states? KW’s Matt Pearce was down in Torquay, Victoria, back in December for the final stop of the GKA Kite-Surf World Tour and he went to check out the scene around Melbourne and further down the coast in Victoria. Turns out there’s a ton of kiting to be done with spots and conditions to suit all riders and a laidback Aussie lifestyle that’s hard to beat!

NEURAL ADAPTATION: PART FOUR

Will Dr. Jason finally crack kite foiling? In KW#97 our resident neuroscience columnist continues his quality-of-life experiment, in which he used a foil to get in the ocean everyday in anyway he could over several months. This issue he delivers the real highs and lows of the most uplifting part of his foiling journey so far.

TECHNIQUE

Make 2019 the year of absolutely crushing it! KW delivers technique tips every issue and in Issue #97 we’ve enlisted the experts over at the IKO to explain the importance of engaging your board’s rail in the early stages of kiteboarding. For the more advanced rider, there’s a step-by-step guide to the front to blind in this issue’s instalment of Motordrive!

REGULARS

As ever, there’s the same insight and foresight you’ve come to expect from the KW columnists and Mark Shinn gives a nod to what he believes the future of competitive kiteboarding will look like.

There’s also news, updates and opinions from around the kiting globe and of course, the same level of high-stoke imagery to fire you up for a full year of session-ing hard!