Fixing a kite with Tuck Tape…

This poor kite got shredded…

So we pulled out the Tuck Tape…

Throw a roll in with your kite gear…

All this tape got the kite flying again the next day…

Time to ride…

North WAM 5’10” Surfboard Demo…

North Wam surfboard…

I got to demo a North Kites WAM 5’10” surfboard setup strapless with thruster fins. It was a ton of fun! Rode great strapless. Turned nicely and handled the chop with aplomb. Seemed like a great board to shred wind swell and then tackle some real waves. The 5 fin box design lets you tweak the ride between thruster and quad fin options.

If I had one criticism it would be that I’d like a concave deck for better control riding strapless.

I can say without hesitation I this is a board I may well buy when I have some spare gear $$$.

Here is what North says about the WAM:

• ALL ROUNDER
• PERFECT TRAVEL BOARD FOR ALL CONDITIONS
• TRI / QUAD FIN CONVERTIBLE

• BALANCED FEEL
• ROUNDED-SQUARE TAIL

A subtle blend of medium rails, fast rocker and well-balanced outline make the Wam the all-round workhorse of the NKB surf range. The Wam delivers dependable performance in the widest range of conditions, strapped or strapless, from small to well overhead surf. Building on previous year’s models, the 2013 Wam now features thinner, refined rails, a rounded-square tail and a slight reduction in nose width to pull through those critical turns. The tri/quad fin configuration allows the Wam to be customized to your desired feel; Tri-fin mode offers more hold and drive, while quad-fin mode offers a more skatey and loose feel ideal for smaller surf.

Thanks to North Kites and Mark Bavis at Elevation Kiteboarding for organizing the demo down here in La Ventana, Baja – not to mention the delicious free micro brew beer! 🙂

Kite Bike…

Not sure who this photo belongs to???

Someone sent this to me. I don’t know how practical it is to power your touring rig with a kite, but it makes for a great photo! 😉

Update – Gerco sent me this video link which explains what’s going on a bit – starting at 5:44. 😉 Thanks!

Naish Surf…

Inov-8 Evoskin…

Silicone rubber footwear…

My friend Scott turned me onto these silicone rubber slippers from Inov-8 Footwear called Evoskin. They seem like a promising option for watersports that need a bit of protection, but also value excellent board feel through the slipper. The open top wouldn’t work for sandy beaches or beaches with small rocks since the slippers would fill up, but I’m hoping we’ll see other silicone footwear options that are sealed up a bit on top in the future.

You can read a review here.

Mark Bavis from Elevation Kiteboarding…

Baja skim action from KSurf Magazine – click to jump to e-mag…

Merry Christmas!

Santa waiting for Mrs. Claus to go tandem riding… 😉

Tofino Kitesurfing Guide…

Photo: Kyle Touhey

I found a nice guide to kitesurfing over at the BC Kiteboarding Forums.

Got sand?

Sandy Pugselys – just how I like ’em…

Sharon off to a hula hooping jam on the beach…

 

Surf Shorts Repair…

Iron on patches to the rescue…

I managed to burn a couple holes in a pair of surf shorts I love. Don’t ask how! 😉 I used a couple large iron on patches to fix them on the inside. I figured the large patches would be less noticeable against my skin than smaller cut to fit patches.

Smaller patches on the outside…

I used smaller patches on the outside just to make the holes less noticeable.

Looking good up front…

After the repair the shorts are still comfortable to wear next to my skin for hours at a time. I’m starting to like iron on patches nearly as much as I like Shoe Goo! 😉

 

 

Naish TV – Maui…

Fixing the Fatty…

Pulling the rear wheel…

We’ve done pretty well avoiding flat tires down here in Baja, but Sharon pulled off the main track in an arroyo to let a truck pass and of course there were a million thorns waiting for her. 😦

Hunting for the leak…

So we took the opportunity to run a fat tire flat fixing clinic!

Checking to make sure rim tape was still in place…

I drank beer and provided technical advice to Sharon as she repaired her Pugsley. 😉

Alfine 8 still going strong!

We took a look at the rest of her fat bike and all is well with the Alfine 8 and the Avid BB7 brakes.

Putting the chain back on…

My rear brake has been making goofy noises since I got here, but I’ve been too lazy to do anything about it.

Pugs in the fix it position under some shade…

Sharon’s zeal for bike maintenance got me motivated and I adjusted my rear BB7 for silent operation again.

BB7 all tweaked and ready to roll…

 

 

 

 

 

 

Liquid Force 12m Envy Kite Porn…

Sharon and her new 12m Liquid Force Envy kite…

Uber long pump shaft for less back strain…

So easy to pump up this kite!

Max-flow nozzle means 50% less pumping…

On a big kite less pumping is appreciated…

Stock gauge to make sure you get the pressure right…

12m size to fill out her 7m & 9m Envy quiver…

Be the Envy – indeed!

The bag is sweet looking and made to last…

There is a God! ;)

Google Maps are back on the iPhone!

Click here to read all about it. I’m stoked with my iPhone again! 😉

My Blade Kites 2013 dream quiver…

Blade kites in action..

If money was no object here is my Blade dream quiver…

Blade Trigger 12m…

Kites:

• Trigger 7m, 9m & 12m w/ bars
• Fat Lady 17m

The Triggers are great core kites that can handle surf and freeride duties. The 7m is burly enough for nuking days and the Fat Lady is a dedicated lightwind weapon to keep me riding if there is even a puff of wind.

Blade Sanchez and Fat Lady…

Boards:

• Sanchez 138cm
• Deuce 135cm

The Sanchez is a great freeride board and the Deuce offers massive pop for jumps and tricks. It’s nice to have two different twin tips so I can dial in my riding perfectly to the conditions and my mood.

Plus some non-Blade gear to round out the quiver:

• Beachdog skim board
• Liquid Force Little Fatty 4’10”
• Liquid Force FCD 5’7″

Blade doesn’t make any surfboards so I had to shop elsewhere for my strapless fix.

Kite Paddle Surf…

Local Dealer

• Kite Paddle Surf – Bellingham WA

Light wind is no problem with the Blade Fat Lady…

Note there are no other kites on the water…

We’ve had some light wind days here in La Ventana, Baja. That’s left a lot of people sitting on the beach looking glum. Happily that means I can pump up my 17m Blade Fat Lady kite and enjoy the whole ocean near my camp without any other kiters to avoid.

Big can be beautiful…

Of course I didn’t hog all the fun. I let my friends take turns on the Fat Lady so they could feed their kiteboarding addiction as well. 😉

The Purr-fect Balance!

Just replace the first kid with a cat and it would be perfect+yay!!!

Naish TV – Antigua….

Blade Trigger Strapless at Oahu…

Vibram Five Fingers KSO – Redux!

Five Fingers KSO old & new…

After many repairs and a tube of Shoe Goo it was time to say goodbye to my Vibram Five Fingers KSO slippers. The tears between the toes were no longer practically repairable. I got a new pair on sale at MEC.ca. Although they have some serious flaws for watersport use they are still the best option for kiteboarding footwear.

Sadly the soles are brand new even though the uppers are thrashed…

I also bought a new bobbin of black thread and a fresh tube of Shoe Goo. Let the games begin! 😉

Another view on La Ventana…

Sharon’s first session in Baja…

Click on this link to read another Canadian blogger’s perspective on La Ventana.

Bionic knee Sharon!

Strapless Kiteboarding…

Toeside jibe…

I’m really digging riding my kiteboards strapless. Of my 5 kiteboards 3 are dedicated strapless, 1 is used both ways and 1 is a dedicated strapped in board. I like the straps to jump and I like jumping a lot, but for days that are lighter wind or for any wave riding I’d prefer to be riding strapless.

Without the straps you aren’t locked into a specific position on your board. The ability to move your feet all over the board feels great and allows you to tweak the way it rides very subtly.

To stay on the board without straps you have to balance the force of the kite through your body against the board which pushes into the water. If you are out of balance you’ll be pulled off the board right away. This results in a wonderful feeling of connection between your body, the gear and the water. At it’s best it’s like dancing with your kite, the wind and the waves.

I’ve posted this video before, but I can’t help myself I never get tired of watching it. This level of kitesurfing is attainable by anyone who wants to learn. You don’t have to be a superstar athlete and the video captures the flow of strapless riding really well. It’s so much fun that it’s really hard to come back to the beach until you are so tired that you are literally falling off your board. 🙂

Here are a couple websites dedicated to strapless kiteboarding:

• Lose The Straps
• Strapless Kiteboarding.com

Take care of your knees!

Scott resting his knee after the crash…

My buddy Scott crashed hard while kiting and landed on his surfboard with his right knee. We had to carry him out of the water and help him move around for the first few days. He’s now able to hobble on his own and will be seeing a knee surgeon when he gets back home.

Scott with his knee brace on and 2 margaritas for pain relief…

You don’t appreciate how amazing your knees are until they don’t work correctly. Than you realize that you aren’t going anywhere fast without a healthy knee. So take care of them!

My dream Slingshot Kiteboarding 2013 quiver…

If money was no object here is what I would ride from the 2013 Slingshot Kiteboarding line up…

Slingshot in action…

Kites

• RPM 7m, 9m & 12m kites w/bars
• Turbine 17m kite w/bar

RPMs are legendary kites that would form a solid core of the kite quiver. With the Turbine backing things up on the light end.

Slingshot Dialer…

Boards

• Asylum 138cm
• Celeritas 5’6″
• Dialer 5’11”
• Reform skim board

Slingshot has a lot of great boards to choose from all made in Hood River, OR. From twin tip to surf t skim all the bases are covered.

Kite Paddle Surf – Bellingham WA

Local Dealer

• Kite Paddle Surf – Bellingham WA

Global Fat Tire Bike Day….

Baja beach fat biking…

Global Fat Bike Day was 1 Dec and we got carried away in Baja so it was celebrated a few days late, but in fine style… 😉

The aftermath…

 

Dakine Kiteboard Hook Knife…

Dakine Hook Knife…

One of the hazards of kiteboarding is becoming entangled in your kite’s lines or another kiter’s lines during an “incident”. If the kite powers up the thin spectra lines will cut through flesh like a razor. The only way to quickly free yourself is if you can cut the lines wrapped around you. That’s where a hook knife comes in handy. The Dakine knife shown above costs $10 and is small so it can be stashed on your person for quick access in an emergency. The hook knife blade is designed to cut lines easily while keeping fleshy bits away from the blade. That’s good because in a panic situation you are likely to be flailing around like a drunk octopus!

Dakine Nitrous harness and hook knife…

The real trick is how do you carry a hook knife with you while kiteboarding so it’s easy to access, doesn’t get lost and isn’t a hassle?

Dakine spreader bar and pad with hook knife installed…

If you are using a Dakine spreader bar and pad you’ve got a built in pocket on the pad pointing down. The pocket is big enough for the hook knife and there is some velcro to mate up with the knife’s pull tab so it stays secure until you need it.

Hook knife partially pulled out of the pad…

This setup is good, but has a couple issues:

1. The knife can fall out of the pad’s pocket in use or when being transported. That’s not tragic as it only costs $10 so the occasional replacement knife isn’t a financial burden. You can help avoid lost knives by pushing it deep into the pad’s pocket and making sure the velcro is fully engaged with the knife’s pull tab. This makes losing the knife less likely at the expense of making pulling the knife out slightly harder. To my way of thinking that’s a reasonable trade off to ensure the knife is there when you need it.
2. The pocket under the pad  isn’t ideal for emergency access because it’s going to be underwater, the knife’s pull tab is small, you may be wearing gloves and the bar area could be tangled in kite lines.

Dakine Hook Knife and sheath…

I think the best place for the knife would be on the breast of my impact vest where I could see it and easily access it in an emergency. I don’t know of any impact vests made with a knife pocket. However, the Dakine knife comes with nylon sheath that a crafty person could sew onto their impact vest. I haven’t bothered because the pad pocket solution is good enough for me given that a line entanglement is not a frequent occurrence, but if someone made an impact vest with a knife pocket I would buy it.

Note handy side pocket…

If you ride in surf shorts most of them have a side pocket for a wax comb/wax. You can put your hook knife in here. The access isn’t quite as convenient as the Dakine pad pocket, but it’s very secure so the knife won’t get lost.

KSURF Magazine

Click to read e-magazine…

The Lazy Rando Mexican Office…

Espresso on the Sea of Cortez…