Archive for the ‘kitesurfing’ Category

… and this Saturday it’s the KITEWING (wingsurfer). Could it be faster than a kitesurfer? Hmmm, I’d love some comments from you guys out there…

There’s no such thing as “too old” – or not in Poul Rasmussen’s case. At 85 years old his passion is kitesurfing (AdvanceCopenhagen).

There are many much better and much longer videos, but unfortunately all with a lot of interviews included – and the language is Danish. Now, I have nothing against the Danish language, but I’m not sure how many of our readers are fluent in it! So I apologise to Poul, but the quick snip I’ve shown of a man to emanate will, I hope, whet your appetite to keep reading!

So that’s kitesurfing out the way, what about some of our other favourite sports?

Donna Vano is the oldest pro-snowboarder in the world. At 56 she is a legend in the snowboard and skateboard industry- an action sports veteran in every sense of the word. For 16 years she  has competed in Superpipe, Slopestyle, Boardercross, Slalom and Giant Slalom. She currently holds three Guinness World Records as the Oldest Inline Vert Skater in the World, the Most Gold Medals in the USASA in all 5 disciplines, and the Oldest Female Amateur Snowboarder Competing in Pro Tours in the Superpipe. She also runs the South Tahoe Snowboard Series USASA Nationals, which was the top for 8 years in a row and has been top in the series for 12 years. “I’m not getting older, I’m getting better,” she says.

The oldest person to have climbed Mount Everest is a Nepalese Sherpa called Min Bahadur Sherchan. He was 76 years and 340 days old. The second oldest is 75-year-old Japanese Yuichiro Miura, who reached the top two days after him, and the third is another Japanese, 71 year old  Katsusuke Yanagisawa, a teacher by profession.

In 2009,  Amanda Richmond, 54, a PE teacher from Ipswich, England, battled electrical storms, giant snow plumes and freezing temperatures to scale the 8,850m mountain, the highest on earth and so became the oldest woman to have climbed Everest.  She said: “It was incredible. I feel privileged to have been in that situation – to stand on top of the world.”

I’m trying to find the oldest wingsuit flyer, but in the meantime I have come across the oldest skydiver. Frank Moody, aged 101, made a tandem jump in 2004. Now that’s quite something isn’t – anybody who ‘doesn’t dare’ should be ashamed of themselves!!!

Still struggling to find the oldest wingsuit flyer, I have to allude to Yves Rossy – or ‘jet’ or ‘fusion’ man as he is also known. At 50, he has to be the oldest and most successful person to have achieved sustained human flight with the aid of a jet-powered fixed wing strapped to his back. His next project is to fly across the Grand Canyon. Rossy is both a highly experienced skydiver and a veteran aircraft pilot.

“My biggest concern is what happens when I get bored with this (wingsuit flying),” says veteran BASEjumper Phil Smith on the risks of wingsuit jumping from buildings, bridges and cliffs, and that’s about the last word I have on the oldest wingsuit flyer. I know Dwain Weston was 30 when he died practicing the sport he loved, but as for the oldest wingsuit flyer?  Mum’s the word.

Since 2006, Russell Allen, an American cyclist has been the oldest living American Olympian Cyclist – he got his medal in 1932. But cycling has a venerable reputation for more aged participants. The oldest participant for the ‘Les 24 Heures Velo’ – a team-endurance cycle event to be held in August this year at the Le Mans Bugatti Circuit – will be 82 years old. Whereas, In 2007 in Ladysmith, South Africa, Mkhulu Mkhize, was given a brand new set of wheels at the venerable age of 112. Ok, fair enough, he’s not about to be competing at that age – but to still be cycling yourself around the countryside is quite something.

And as for the Olympics, it seems like our sportsmen are going on for ever and ever. The 2008 event was a real eye-opener. Japanese horseman Hiroshi Hoketsu lead the pack at Beijing, returning to the Games after a 44-year break, aged 67. Laurie Lever turned 60 in October 2007, the last thing on his mind was retirement with the Australian show jumper focused on riding in his first Olympics. The title of oldest Olympian is held by Swedish shooter Oscar Swahn, who collected his sixth medal at the 1920 Antwerp Games aged 72 years and 280 days. “We are a fitter generation,” said Lever, whose appearance on Ashleigh Drossel Dan in the show jumping in Hong Kong is believed to make him the oldest debutant at the 2008 Games.

Laurence J. Brophy of Wales at 77 years old took part in last years’ RacingThePlanet Atacama Crossing – surely one of the most testing of the ultramarathon/endurance races. He didn’t complete all stages, but he did most of it. An extraodinary undertaking for any human being let alone one on the other side of 70 and at 74, Jack Denness of the UK, took part in  the Sahara Race. He said: “It is fantastic to be here. I love it. It is great for my ego as even the front runners give me lots of respect because of my age.”

Sports academics are not surprised by the ability of athletes to remain competitive longer and expect increasing numbers of over 40s to stay competing at top level sport as training techniques and technology continue to improve.

“Ageing is inevitable for humans. But if you have goals in life, you should go through the physical and mental training, forget about age and embark on the challenges,” said Yuichiro Miura.

Something to think about, isn’t it…

Today I thought I’d have a look at some of the  outrageous things kitesurfers get up to, and the first thing I came across was this one, a stunt pulled off in November 2009:

2 kitesurfers jumped over Worthing Pier in the UK.

The winds were gusting at more than 40 mph and the 2 kitesurfers, Jake Scrace, 25, and Lewis Crathern, 24, who had been thinking about this jump for more than 3 years but had had to wait for the perfect conditions, were out there like a flash (MadHotNews).

Both Scrace and Crathern have, between them, 16 years experience of kitesurfing, but they both admitted that the jump was potentially hazardous and should NOT be attempted by amateurs.

Are you ready for Christmas?

We have 18 people coming to stay for 5 days! With my family – that’s 22. Ouch… I think I will need an extreme sports holiday to get over the Christmas one!

So. Where would be a nice to place to go? Not skiing, not yet, it’s a bit early in the season and no point in running a risk on dodgy snow. Pressure is on from all members of the family to go somewhere where you can kite and windsurf…

Why not  Costa Rica? November through to March, the Northern hemisphere’s coldest time, is the best time to be there … sounds ideal doesn’t it? It’s the dry season and the temperature can be anywhere between 85-100 degrees Fahrenheit (30-38 degrees Celsius). Hot.

The first place to catch our eye is Bahia Salinas, in the top northeast corner of Costa Rica, across the bay from Nicaragua. It has good flat water with side-shore winds. The seasonal trade winds come in this season and the winds cycle through a 5 knot range throughout the day.

Costa Rica prides itself on its wind. It is even confident enough to say that they can guarantee side on-shore wind … 20+ knots, nearly every day. Plus long safe beaches and most importantly of all – no crowds, lovely warm water, friendly people and beautiful weather. The howling monkeys add a certain tropical splendour to the whole ambience.

Playa Copal in Bahía Salinas is emerging as one of the country’s top kiteboarding destinations following reports of epic wind conditions which started to filter back through the bush telegraph.  A scorching 90°F and 20-knot wind can almost be relied on over the winter period and it is not unusual for you to have back-to-back perfect 24-hr conditions for your entire stay.

It is suggested that the most useful kites for this area will be a 12 m2 and 9 m2. A 7 m will be occasionally used, but it will be the 9 m2 which will steal the day.

Playa Papaturro is another beach in the bay of Bahia Salinas. The north pacific coast in the Guanacaste province is the sunniest and driest side of Costa Rica with beautiful and isolated beaches where, having exhausted yourself kitesurfing, you can chill out in the turquoise waters, snorkelling. There is a half mile of reef with completely flat water great for kiting, just keep your eyes open for giant turtles and pelicans who will be going about their legitimate business. Never fear, there should be enough room for all of you!

Playa Papaturro has a 2km beach without shore-break waves and the water is only choppy when there are more than 20 knot winds. The wind is always side shore which makes it very safe and user-friendly for kitesurfers. And as far as windy days per year go? It has to be one of the best places in the world…

And then there are the warm waves of Playa Hermosa where Billabong held their  World Surfing Championships in August 2009. It is important to know that there are two Playa Hermosa beaches in Costa Rica – one is in the Guanacaste province and the other is in Puntarenas.

The Puntarenas beach is one of the best surfing havens in the country, but it is for experienced surfers and kiters as the currents are very strong and are not ideal for swimming. With world class waves, Playa Hermosa holds the International Quicksilver Surf Championships every year in August that literally brings hundreds of expert surfers here from all over the globe.

Playa Heromosa in Guanacaste Province, on the other hand, is one of the best maintained beaches in the country and offers visitors crystal clear blue waters and gorgeous scenery, with a 2 km long grey sand beach, encircled by tropical forests and ridges of volcanic rock. It has warm water temperatures and ideal weather conditions all year long and is an ideal spot to take a holiday.

The following is a silent video from fadventures , which seems very strange nowadays, but its a great video to show you what kitesurfing is like at Bahia Salinas.

Nor is kitesurfing restricted to the ocean in Costa Rica. They also have the fabulous Lake Arenal located in the Tilaran Mountains which boasts 4 volcanos and stunning jungle.

The Lake offers some world class kitesurfing as well as windsurfing.

Seasonal consistent winds of 20 knots make it an excellent place to learn how to kitesurf with intermediate and advanced kiters being able to take advantage of 30 knot winds and more during much of the year.

I suppose a word of warning should be made to all wanabe kitesurfers: there is no point in taking up kitesurfing if you are not in good physical condition and if you are not completely comfortable in water.

Snowkiting for many will be a natural progression from snowboarding. Hey, you’ve already got the board so you’re halfway to trying out this new extreme sport.

But where to, and how to, progress from this point?

There are places to learn and clubs to join, but below are a few simple facts that might help. But before that here’s a fabulous teaser from mwiemarkus which highlights the surrealism of this wonderful sport…

This isn’t a sport restricted to snowboarders – skiers cross over just as easily.

But back to the question of how to start…

Besides taking instruction, any snowkiter would advise you to watch as many videos as possible and pester other snowkiters with questions. Make sure you understand what and why people wipe out. You can teach yourself but you must take advantage of the videos that are out there. There are some really good ones like:

• Real kiteboarding: Zero to Hero
• How to Snowkite: Vol. 1, The Basics
• Kiteboarding 101 and 102

While you are doing this you will no doubt be consumed with the desire to buy your own kite. So what sort of kite are you looking for?

Money obviously comes into consideration – how much have you got and what is your budget going to be – and as that is obviously up to you, I will give you some rough outlines of what you should be looking at.

You should start with a small kite, 4 – 6 m. Some people go even smaller to a Trainer kite (less than 5 m) but you can skip this phase in the interests of saving some money. Many people choose to skip the enxt phase too, the 4 – 6m kite, buy an intermediate kite and thus save some money. It’s been done before and it can certainly be done again – but be aware that your road from Zero to Hero will be a lot more painful!

A foil kite is a good way to start as they are stable and tough – very forgiving when you crash them and easy to set up and take down. They use ram air to inflate the kite and keep it filled as its flying. And since they will be crashed very regularly when you begin, then HQ is a good brand to look at as they make low-cost quality kites. The advantage of a kite of this size (4 – 6m) is that you can fly it in low winds – between 7 – 10 knots which allows you to learn about the kite and how it works without being seriously yarded, but yet it is big enough to use in stronger winds (12 – 18 knots) which you cannot do with a Trainer kite. To be even more specific, an HQ Apex I 5m depower kite is a steady, reliable kite to learn on and can cost anywhere from $100-$400. The de-power allows more rider control at very little extra cost.

Equally there is nothing wrong with buying a secondhand kite to start with – saving your money for the next one. A good place to start looking is on vari0us snowkite forums such as:

• Snowkiting.com
• Kiteforum.com
• powerkiteforums.com

Now that you have the kite you need something to harness the power. Some kites come with handles, and some with a control bar and “chickenloop”. If yours is the latter, then you will most definitely want a harness and the starting price on these is $75 and upwards.

Fear not – there are alternatives. Perhaps you already have a simple rock climbing harness? Averaging about $30, this type of harness won’t provide the comfort or “un-hooked” riding ability of purpose-made kiting harnesses but they’re perfectly adequate at the entry level attachment point.

Once you get more advanced you can look into Ozone kites and Peter Lynn as well. And finally, as you reach hero status, you might want to consider an LEI (leading edge inflateable) kite. They are geared for water use but can also be used on land. But I’m jumping the gun here… let[s get back to basics.

I know I've already said that you can use your current skiing equipment, whether snowboard or skis, when snowkiting,but you aught to be aware that your board, or skis, will get dinged, so if your equipment is expensive, go to the beginning-of-the-season-ski-sales where last years' hire-equipment is being sold off seriously cheaply (in France anyway) or even carboot sales where you can always pick up a board for a song.

And last but not least - the safety angle. Remember our article way back last season about helmets and the need or otherwise for them? You ARE going to crash when learning to snowkite, and the chances are you're going to crash over and over again. So don't be an idiot and don't save pennies when it comes to your future. Invest in a decent helmet - priority number one. This could cost you anywhere between $40 - $125. You're also going to need goggles as you will only be snowkiting in windy conditions. You will probably already have goggles but if not they will set you back somewhere between $20 - $80,  and, if you're learning in icy conditions, you should invest in some crash pads, knees and elbows, that you can put under your winter gear. It is recommended because if you crash on ice it will be like crashing into concrete. Crash pads cost about $20 - $40.

I don't know if you've been doing your sums as you've read through this article, but getting started in snowkiting shouldn't cost you more than $300. And after that, you're all set and ready to fly and with no further costs - not even ski passes. For $300 you get immediate satisfaction and a few bumps and bruises! And your first kite will never be a waste of money - it can always be brought out and used in high wind conditions.

When taking your first 'steps' on your snowkite, particularly if you are using an intermediate kite, it is adviseable to start in very low wind - 10-15 mph and work your way up from there. ALWAYS KEEP THE KITE ABOVE YOUR HEAD!

Plus, always know where your kite is and know what your safety releases are and how to use them instinctively and you should be fine... and one day you, too, will be doing this...

… kindly brought to us by ActionSportsWorld. However, again I’m jumping the gun. If this is your first season you will spend a lot of time dreaming of doing this! But don’t despair … you will be one day.

From the fusion of mainstream sports, Olympics and extreme sports the Ultimate Athlete will be found.

Athletes have always been strong, fast, and coordinated, but they are mostly specialized.  In today’s sports’ world that is not enough. The best of the best must also be versatile, daring, and able to adapt to all environments and arenas.  The Ultimate Athlete, the one who will win this event, must also excel at riding, swimming, skiing, surfing, climbing, skating, and much more.

I know we’ve previewed that video before, but it’s time to remind you that the search continues, and time is beginning to run out.

The SFUA U.S. championships start in June 2010. It will be a 6 day event featuring 20 sports and disciplines and will have the best all-around athletes, both male & female, going head to head in the same arena. No age category, no division, no invitation… and only one winner.

And ultimately only 24 athletes will compete in the 20 disciplines to discover who is the ultimate one. As one interested observer says “I just hope they include synchronized swimming. I’m not kidding. When I interned at the US Olympic Committee in college, a man in my office used to say he could be good at any sport – give him time and he could be really good. So one day someone invited him to try synchro. Funniest thing I’ve ever seen..” !!!

However, I’m not sure that sychronised swimming will be on the agenda… as, as far as I know, it has not yet been decided what the 20 sports are going to be, but if you think of the diversity of Oregan and cast your mind even further to the Gorge Games where kiteboarding, windsurfing, open water swimming, kayaking, and climbing were all on the agenda – well, the choice is wide. Add to that the perfect location for the already established and popular  sports of trail running and biking plus, it is being presumed, that the event will also bring in a large number of “traditional” sports such as road racing – on both foot and bike, and such everyday sports as golf, basketball and/or tennis.

The organisers plan to take advantage of Portland’s natural wonders – the Gorge and the Coast to showcase their event.

You are going to have to be an all-rounder to qualify in the last 24…

The prize money? A not to be sniffed at  $100,000.

Of slight concern is that there still does not seem to be a registration form so I do hope this event gets off the ground, but if you are interested, as an athlete, in getting more information you could always try contacting athlete@searchfortheultimateathlete.com