dism said...Puetz said...
G'day,
. I **** at tricks so going old school is my thing.
Interesting, is kiting old enough to have an 'old school' yet?
Nothing disrespectful meant. Just asking.
Hey dism,
Kiting has been through several changes in style of tricks.
1999-2000 - Jumping and staying upwind. Unhooked jumping with dangly spins. Boards were all surfboard in shape usually with 5 fins.
2001-2002 - Jumping big with Rolls and transitions, multiple spins and rolls, table top jump jumps and rewinds. Candle sticks, deadman!
Boards were all wake board shaped twin tips. Also LF pickle fork ruled supreme.
2001-2003 - Wake style started, kite low tricks- Raleys, S-bends, rolls, Slim chance and KGB Boards were mostly wakeboards with boots/bindings.
2002-2004 - Massive jumps, kiteloops, board offs, foot outs. Boards were all twin tips and the waves on Mutants. Twin tips were longer and narrower.
2003-Present - Wakestyle continues but boards have all become kite twin tips with and without bindings. Wake kids have gone retro back to bindings of late.
2005-Present - Surf style. Wave riding on surfboards and wave twin tips. Boards are purpose built Kite surfboards.
2005 - Present - Power moves like L3, mobes, many moves with kiteloops and downloops. Mobes and multiple handle passes. Boards are mostly twin tips with a few bindings amongst for fun. This is finally a true kiteboarding style utilising the power of the kite to do stuff no other sport can do, we have finally found individuality by blending the best of other great sports to create something spectacular and individually kitboarding.
As you can see, kiteboarding has changed and evolved rapidly much faster than wind surfing ever did probably due to the borrowing from other sports and the rapid advances in technology and materials.
When people refer to "old school", they generally refer to 2001-2002 riding style which was the first real kiteboarding expression, It is something no other sport can do. Many feel it is purely kiting and it is certainly still fun. It still attracts the most oohs and aahhs from the crowd of general public onlookers although the newer kitelooping/wake style also brings some oohs and ahhs also as long as the tricks are big and powerful the crowd loves it.
Leads me to wonder where kiteboarding will be in 8 more years......? Very exciting!
Good winds,
as it would be a shame to lose someone with the (listen up fellas) uncritical enthusiam we all had in the beginning...
