lines is forecast toward the end fulfill all the criteria,” explains organizers will stream the equipment design to riding of the weeklong run. Heats, Solbach. “It’s a way to keep it action live over their website styles. Yet a pro-level com- Surf’s Up, Finally too, will be lengthy, lasting up open to everyone.” (kspworldtour.com). “We want petition that reaches a global The world’s first kite competition exclusively for wave-riders debuts By Michael Behar to 15 minutes. Kiteboarding At press time, 25 male and to spread it out to millions audience is bound to ignite an champion Kristin Boese, KSP’s a dozen female riders had of people rather than a few explosion of new interest. As It wasn’t long ago—perhaps president, co-founder, and signed on to compete. Mitu hundred sitting on the beach,” Brandão surmises, “The KSP 10 years—when the idea of manager, says, “We are trying Monteiro, a 28-year-old KSP says Solbach. marks a whole new vision for surfing a wave with a kite to get [participants] to push rider from Cape Verde, was a Kitesurfing already influ- competitions that will change was ludicrous. Kites pulled their riding to the maximum by regular on the PKRA circuit. ences the sport’s evolution— the way everyone thinks about like deranged cruise missiles. giving them much longer heats “But I felt like the conditions impacting everything from kitesurfing on the waves.” Depower was laughable. Get- than the PKRA events. Even if for waves weren’t usually very ting onto a wave was easy; they crash, they’ll have enough good.” He thinks the choice staying on it was another time to get another few waves of sites for the KSP tour will story. The early generations of in to make up for it.” “bring more high-level riders kites would stall at low speeds. Judges will score several to the competition.” Another To keep them aloft, riders Sky Solbach makes factors, including the variety KSP participant, 30-year-old needed gobs of speed, which an attempt to get pitted on “One Eye” in and difficulty of maneuvers Brazilian kiter Guilly Brandão, made it impossible to stay on Mauritius. and overall speed, power, and agrees. “The locations are the face of a wave unless the flow on the wave. Australian the biggest draw for me,” he surf was insanely huge (the pro kitesurfer Ben Wilson, who says. “They are places where bigger the swell, the faster is sitting out this year’s tour I would travel to ride anyway, it travels). The physics to ex- innovation. First came bow all—on ordinary surfboards, because of an already packed so to be able to compete at ecute classic moves—bottom kites, in 2005, with hybrid- and even strapless. “The KSP schedule, helped organizers these spots is a dream come turns, off-the-lip carves, and delta-shaped sails to follow. Watching an accomplished marks a develop the scoring strategy. true for me.” getting barreled—simply didn’t The advances led to kites that wave-rider is a beautiful sight, whole new Surfing strapless, unhooked, For the devoted kitesurf compute. Those who claimed hovered patiently while a rider a three-way tango with the vision for and switch will net participants fan, traveling to the far-flung to kite waves were really just dawdled in the surf. Today, wind and sea. Even so, the Kite Surf Pro tour extra points for technical tour destinations to at- outrunning them. Meanwhile, kiters are not only shredding leading kitesurfers are not competitions founders Sky Solbach prowess. “You can ride any way tend would be prohibitively and Kristin Boese. surfers scoffed at the lame- the world’s legendary breaks, household names; their noto- that will you want, but you still have to expensive. That’s why KSP ness of it all. but doing things paddle-and- riety is insular, earned mostly change the But as kiting moved from wait surfers can only dream of: through desultory memes— way everyone infancy into adolescence, the cherry-picking the sweetest scintillating photos and videos thinks about desire to catch waves fueled waves in a set—or riding them drifting around the digisphere. The Professional Kiteboard kitesurfing Mitu Montiero shows Riders Association (PKRA) on the waves.” his skills on Ponta tour includes a kitesurfing Preta in Cape Verde, site of the last stop discipline. But competitors place at Ponta Preta in Cape on the KSP tour. complain that the heats are Verde. With its deep tubes and a halfhearted afterthought, shallow reef, Ponta Preta will run only when the freestyle make for a wild and exhilarat- udimier

has concluded and often in ing grand finale to decide the ole G a crummy conditions. That’s all world champion. about to change when the “All three spots are world Kite Surf Pro (KSP) tour gets class,” says KSP vice president underway this year. This first- and founding member Sky Sol- ever competition dedicated to bach, a team rider and board don a ld, N i c Mac o c h, Jody

surf-riding holds its inaugural designer for North Kiteboard- a m K contest in September on ing. “We’ve chosen locations to Mauritius at One Eye, a hollow showcase the sport in the best left break renowned for its conditions possible—to dem-

speed and size. Three weeks onstrate what can be done c h, Ad B romwi oby later, the tour heads to Peru, with a kite and a surfboard.” Kristin Boese drops where riders will charge the Each tour stop is allotted sev- in on Ponta Preta’s gnarly side-off condi- long, chilly waves at Pacas- en days, with a potential three- tions in Cape Verde, mayo. The last match takes day extension if a big swell Africa. T top) c kwise from (Clo

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