The ENCORE issue

VOLUME 1 ISSUE 2
The ENCORE issue
Andre. Felix. Rawson. Mambo. Wilson. 20/10. SS. G Lewis.
CONTENTS // ISSUE 2
S
TENctTion
CON
du
Intro
profile: Andre
profile: FELIX
TECH: PAT RAWSON
COMP: MAMBO
5 MinS: BEN WILSON
6
10
24
34
48
54
FILM REVIEW: 20/10
FILM REVIEW: SNAPSHOT
XPOSE: GREG LEWIS
NEXT ISSUE
SHOUTOUTS
62
66
72
90
92
COV ER SHO T – JEFF PFEF FER
KITER
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INTRO // ISSUE 2
KITEBOARDING SAVED MY LIFE.
BEFORE I STARTED KITING I WAS SLOWLY DYING IN THE LOUNGES OF
SEEDY NIGHTCLUBS. EATING DISCO BISCUITS LIKE THEY WERE TIC TACS.
I cracked and purchased a kit from a mate and began a slow and awkward
learning process.
Destroying my mind whilst feeling like a captive animal. Living in the city was
wearing me down. Growing up in the country had given me the opportunity to
devour endless uncrowded waves. Even when I had to leave to attend university
I was lucky enough to live near the beach and surf daily. Spoilt!
It took me 6 months to learn how to stay up wind and then a few more before I
could even do a basic backloop. Multiple crashes culminating in being dragged
out of a lake and into a pine tree could not deter me. All of a sudden I was going
to bed early on Friday nights and leaving home the next morning to go kiting. A
true weekend warrior! Catching what felt like a 100 waves a day on my mutant
and boosting massive jumps. I was hooked!
A harsh contrast to the city beaches that were crowded with posers who
claimed the crappy beach breaks as their own, it was shitting me to tears!
Surfing became an effort with little reward. As a result I found my thrills by
“taking 2 of the blue pills” and lurking on the edge of dingy dance floors. Fun at
the time…..
My cousin Josh had spent most of his life bumming around France launching
himself off mountains and kickers on his snowboard. Now back in Oz he had
started kiteboarding. He rang a few times, still dripping wet, saying, “This is the
shit, you have to have a go!” Finally after a few months, sick of the phones call’s,
Since then I have travelled the world searching out places to kite from Brazil to
West Australia (whilst still finding the time to frequent the odd seedy nightclub
and scare the hell out of various young ladies with my finely tuned dance
repertoire). Now kiting with my surfboard I could not think of anything I ‘d rather
be doing.
Kiteboarding saved my life.
Switch off your computer and go save yours!
KITER
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PROFILE // ISSUE 2
I REMEMBER THE FIRST TIME I SAW ANDRE. HE WAS
ON THE NORTH COAST OF OZ DOING A PROMOTIONAL
TOUR FOR HIS SPONSORS AND HE HAD A POSSE OF
KITERS HANGING OFF HIS EVERY WORD.
BEING THE ULTRA COOL DUDE I AM I JUST SAT ON THE BONNET OF MY WHITE VW GTI GOLF IN
MY BLACK LEVIS AND SUCKED ON A CIGARETTE THINKING, “HE’S NOT THAT GOOD”. NOW I HAVE
SOLD THE GOLF AND BOUGHT A TRANSPORTER, GIVEN UP THE CIGGIES AND I AM INTERVIEWING
ANDRE BECAUSE ALTHOUGH I STILL DON’T THINK HE’S THAT GOOD, APPARENTLY HE IS!
IMAGE BY TKraft
KITER
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PROFILE // ISSUE 2
RP: Tell us a bit about Antigua.
AP: Antigua is a small island in the
Caribbean with 365 white sandy
beaches. Its 108 square miles and it
basically takes 30 minutes to drive from
one side to the other. We pretty much
have summer days year round. Kinda
shitty huh??
RP: What’s it like to live there?
AP: Living here is sweet if you don’t
mind taking it slow. There no city life.
It’s all just hangin out, goin to the beach
or boating, and some parties here and
there.
RP: Did you grow up there?
AP: Yea I grew up in the same house
on the north coast of Antigua. So
when I started to kiteboard and travel
a lot it was a big change to always be
living somewhere new.
RP: Do you think that coming from
the same. I don’t really like to see
when people rush tricks just to stick it
so I don’t ride like that.
RP: Run us through a normal day in
Antigua for you?
AP: These days my time in Antigua
is like vacation. When I’m travelling
there’s normally some kind of mission
goin down and sometimes it gets pretty
tiring but when I get back home I can
get into serious cruise mode. I pretty
much wake up pound some honey
bunches of oats, check the wind and
if it’s windy I’ll call da boys up and go
for a kiteboard sesh, otherwise I’ll just
go hangout with some friends or family.
My friend Nickolai just put a mini ramp
in his backyard so we have been
skating that a lot. If there’s waves, I’ll
go hit a surf, run some errands, hang
out more, talk smack, etc.
RP: I read somewhere that you took a
Antigua reflects in your style of riding?
job in a casino to save up for your first
kite, is that true?
AP: I think that my personality reflects
AP: I actually had a couple 9-5s before
in my riding. I guess my personality
is also a result of my surroundings.
So yea growing up here reflects in my
riding.
RP: People are always commenting
on how smooth you ride, do you think
that this is why?
AP: I ride smooth?? Hah. I guess
I normally take everythin slow and
laidback in life and so when I ride it’s
I started workin at the online casino. I
was at Levi’s selling clothes and folding
waaay too much clothes and then I
worked at Cable and Wireless as a tech
guy. I was the guy you called when
your internet broke down etc. Anyways
I was over not having any daytime to go
ride something so I quit and applied at
this online casino. The place was open
24/7 so they had all sorts of hrs, 8-4,
4-12, midnight to 8... the grave yard.
“.....I WAS COMIN IN FLAT OUT FULLY
OUT OF CONTROL. THE BEACH
WAS COMIN UP QUICK SO I WAS
LIKE MAN I HAVE TO STOP ELSE
I’M GONNA HIT THE BEACH AND FLY
OVER THE ROAD, GET HIT BY A CAR
AND PROBABLY DIE.”
IMAGE BY TKraft
KITER
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PROFILE // ISSUE 2
That one sucked! At the end of it my
eyes were red and I would be struggling
to stay awake but at least I had some
day time free to ride. But yea when I
worked at the casino I learned to kite
and ever since that day I started to save
for my first kite. It was a Naish Ar5
11m. Check it!!
RP: You cleaned out a few of the
Aussie crew when you were here last
time, did you use a few tricks you had
learnt from those days or was it just
pure ass?
AP: I cant wait to get back to OZ to
make some more money off those
guys, maybe ill be able to pay for my
ticket and some meat pies. Ha ha. But
I have to thank the poker guru Elliot for
teaching me everything I know.
RP: Can you tell us how you started
kiteboarding?
AP: Uhhh.. my friend Eli brought
kiteboarding to Antigua and I begged
him to teach me cause it was like
wakeboarding and surfing and I liked
doing both. His lesson went like this...
ok dre if you put the kite above your
head you stop. Dive it up and down
to the left to go left and up and down
to the right to go right. So I was like
sweet gimme the ting! He shoved the
board on my feet and I dove it and went
straight out to sea. Put the kite up and
stopped then I dove it the other way
and started comin back to the beach.
This time I started getting over powered
IMAGE BY realkiteboarding.com
and I was comin in flat out fully out of
control. The beach was comin up quick
so I was like man I have to stop else
I’m gonna hit the beach and fly over the
road, get hit by a car and probably die.
So I sent the kite up over my head,
where he said to put it if I wanted to
stop, but the thing ripped me off the
water and threw me on the beach like
a piece of trash. Next thing I know I’m
flying down the beach face first and
somehow I got the kite straight up and
everythin stopped. I think from that
point I decided to start saving for my
own gear.
RP: Did you do a fair bit of
wakeboarding before you started?
AP: I wakeboarded a little bit. I never
had a boat but luckily some friends had
boats and we used to mess around
behind a 13 foot boston wailer for the
longest time until Alex got a proper
wakeboard boat then I would go ride
with him every now and then.
RP: Do you still get as amped when
you go kiting as you did when you
started?
AP: Yea man I still get amped. Back
in the day I would get amped every
session cause I would always be
learning something new. These days
I get amped when I’m riding with my
friends, or if the conditions are real sick
or if I stick something different.
RP: Do you ever feel kited out?
KITER
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PROFILE // ISSUE 2
“I ride smooth?? Hah. I guess I normally
take everythin slow and laidback in life
and so when I ride it’s the same.”
IMAGE BY TKraft
KITER
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PROFILE // ISSUE 2
AP: Yea sometimes when I ride too
much especially on photo shoots I can
get pretty burnt out. But then I just
stop kiteboarding for a few days and
go do something else (rollerblade) and
then I get the itch to ride again.
RP: You don’t compete much
anymore, though I saw you went to the
Triple S invitational.
AP: Well when I was competing I
didn’t really have much time to do
anything besides compete and get
myself ready for the next contest.
Luckily I was able to get out of that and
so now I’ve just been doing my own
thing these days, staying away from
contests and workin on projects that
I always wanted do like Autofocus. I
been goin to Cape Hatteras for a few
years now and this year the Real crew
invited me to the Triple S slider contest
they were having. It was a no brainer
for me to accept the invite because
those guys are super cool and I knew
they were gonna throw a wicked
contest... and they did!
RP: How was that?
AP: It was the best contest I’ve
ever been to. The concept was that
we would wake up and check the
conditions and go ride wherever it
was best. If it was good for the ocean
and wave riding we would do that. If
it was good for setting up rails and
kickers in the slicks then we would do
that. It wasn’t like the tour where you
have 8 minutes to prove yourself and
if you don’t make it thru your heat you
are done riding for the week or where
the contest is held in a shitty location
because the sponsors wanted it there.
No one was forced to ride and you
could ride for as long as you wanted or
as short as you wanted. At the end of
the week the riders and media voted for
the winners.
RP: You and Morris seem to differ in
your ideas of how to build stuff?
AP: Hahaha... there’s always a million
different ways to build stuff and me and
Morris always seem to have different
opinions but it’s all good at the end of
it. Shit, always gets built solid.
the easy relaunch and huge depower
and range. I was actually one of the last
people to crossover but when the kites
got better it was so easy for me. Our
new kites are so ridiculously good.
RP: Has your riding changed at all
with the change to bows?
RP: Do you enjoy working on these
sorts of projects?
my riding hasn’t changed.
RP: Do you ever miss competitions?
AP: Yea man it’s always been my
AP: Umm... no. Don’t get me wrong.
dream. Umm take that back it sounds
too soppy.
RP: What tricks are you working on at
the moment?
RP: Is it strange sometimes when you
at the moment.
I think competition is good for the
sport but I just never really enjoyed
competing myself. I missed some of
the people that I would always hangout
with and see at certain contests
though.
RP: You have worked a lot with Elliot
Leboe over the last few years, what’s
he like to work with?
AP: Elliot is the man. He gets so
amped when he gets good shots
that it makes riders stoked to throw
something down. He’s real mellow and
he rides as well so he knows where
to be and where he can’t be.... Uhh..
actually besides that time when my
lines hooked his camera and threw it in
the water without a housing... hahaha
sorry E.
RP: Autofocus looked like a lot of fun?
AP: Yea we were just doin what we do
and Elliot and Tracy captured it and put
it out.
see your picture in a magazine or hear
someone talking about your riding and
think heah shit, that’s me?
AP: “THE STRANGEST
THING FOR ME IS WHEN
PEOPLE COME UP AND
ARE LIKE “YOU’RE ANDRE
PHILLIP!?!?” ....”I DUNNO
MAN THAT JUST SOUNDS
WEIRD. I THINK PEOPLE
GET CARRIED AWAY.”
Its just Dre. I’m jis a regular ass island
bwoy that happens to know how to
kiteboard a bit and I’m in a few mags.
RP: How did you find changing from c
kites to bows?
AP: So easy. When bows first came
out they were a lot different from C kites
but in time they got closer and closer.
Now Cabrinha’s bow kites feel like C’s
but with all the benefits of a bow. Like
AP: Nah I don’t ride C’s anymore and
AP: I have just been enjoying spinning
RP: How important is speed and kite
power when attempting tricks?
AP: May as well not even bother if you
aren’t riding with both.
RP: Do you visualise what you’re
going for before you ride into a trick?
AP: Umm.. I try not to think too much.
RP: What advice would you give to
the kids out there trying new tricks?
AP: Just huck it!
RP: Flat water riding seems to mainly
be focused on rails and kickers, do you
see this continuing?
AP: Guaranteed. There will always be
people building rails cause hitting them
feels sooo good.
RP: Do you get into kiting with a
surfboard for the waves at all?
KITER
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PROFILE // ISSUE 2
AP: Yea whenever the waves are good
kiteloops but I just don’t do them.
I pull out one of my Rawson surboards
and go strapless.
RP: What do you feel makes good
RP: I remember when you started
using boots instead of straps, there was
a lot of people saying that it was not the
best move for the sport, but it caused
a lot of people to start riding a lot more
powered than the dingle dangle, big air
approach, can you comment on that?
AP: Well I been doin the tour for a
while before I made the switch back
to bindings and the thing is I always
wanted to ride in bindings but if I
wanted to do well on the tour I would
have to wear straps and do board
offs etc. At one point I really felt like
I wasn’t riding the way I wanted to...
I was riding for the judges and not
myself, sometimes you have to do
what you have to do to get thru. But
eventually I said fuck it and threw my
bindings on and at the same time the
judging swung my way. Board offs got
canned and wakestyle took over. I
think that bindings are a good thing for
the sport. It feels and looks more like a
legit boardsport with bindings and that
is only gonna gain more respect from
other boardsports.
style?
AP: When people throw things their
own way and make riding look easy.
RP: Who do you think has good style?
AP: The crew I ride with: Morris, Moe,
Bert, Elliot, Jason Stone, and Sleazy.
There is a whole crew of underrated
riders that I think gots mean styles...
Man like Greg Norman, Jake and Louie
from Antigua, man like Cam Barker.
Dylan from the Gorge.
RP: How do you rate the kite forums ?
AP: I don’t normally go on forums
cause people are teching out too much
instead of just goin and riding. I do
go on Kitescoop.com. This forum is
different from all the others. It’s a place
where kiteboarders can go and just talk
shit or find out about tech stuff. But
on this forum no one is knocking other
brands cause they back a certain brand
or anything. We all just talk about
kiteboardin cause its fun. Not my kite is
better than yours buy this one cause it
has the rocket strut bullshit.
RP: I haven’t seen any shots or
RP: What does the future hold for
footage of you doing kite loops did you
get into them at all?
Andre Phillip?
AP: Nah I was never into kiteloops. It
the sport and see where it takes me.
Keep travelling and checkin out new
places and surf till I die.
just seemed like an easy way to blow
your knees or ankles out. I don’t knock
AP: I’m just gonna keep havin fun with
IMAGE BY realkiteboarding.com
KITER
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PROFILE // ISSUE 2
NAME:
ANDRE PHILLIP
WHERE YOU LIVE:
OUT OF MY BAG BUT ANTIGUA, DR AND MAUI ARE PRETTY MUCH
HOME.
SPONSORS:
CABRINHA KITEBOARDING, KAENON POLARIZED SUNGLASSES,
KITESCOOP.COM
FAVOURITE SPOT:
MAUI, OZ, ANTIGUA, DR.
OTHER SPORTS:
WAKEBOARD, SURF, SNOWBOARD, SKATE
CREW:
MAUI CREW, AUSSIE CREW, HATTERAS POSSE, AND DE ANTIGUANS.
SHOUT OUTS:
BIGUPS TO ELI FOR TEACHIN ME TO KITE, ALEX PORTMAN FOR GIVIN
ME THE OPPORTUNITY TO GET OUT OF ANTIGUA AND CHASE A
DREAM. SNIFF SNIFF...
PLAY
IMAGE BY NFitt
KITER
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PROFILE // ISSUE 2
Felix Pivec I had expected to be cocky and a bit of
a knob, with all I had heard and read, he actually
turned out not to be that cocky. Felix doesn’t
kite too badly for an-ex-windsurfer with a bad
haircut, a mixed up accent that is part seppo
/ part aussie and not to mention the uncanny
resemblance to Fabio’s bastard lovechild.
SERIOUSLY THOUGH, FELIX IS ONE OF THE MOST
PASSIONATE AND DEDICATED KITEBOARDERS YOU
WILL EVER MEET. OUTSPOKEN ON RIDING BOTH TACKS
FACING THE WAVE AND ALWAYS RIDING UNHOOKED NO
MATTER WHAT THE CONDITIONS. PROVING THIS POINT
BY HAVING A KILLER TOP TURN IN EITHER DIRECTION
THAT YOU ONLY WISH YOU HAD ON YOUR GOOD TACK.
IT IS BECAUSE OF KITER’S LIKE FELIX THAT OUR SPORT
WILL CONTINUE TO EVOLVE. AFTER HIS RECENT WIN IN
MAURITIUS AND GAINING SPONSORSHIP FROM A
MAJOR SURF LABEL, THE KID IS ON A ROLL!
Photography Jeff Pfeffer
KITER
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PROFILE // ISSUE 2
KITER
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PROFILE // ISSUE 2
RP: All right then, so Felix how are you
mate?
FP: I am all right.
RP: I remember reading that you were
working as a landscaper to support your
kiteboarding career. Is that still the case
or are you surviving without it?
FP: I wouldn’t really call it surviving;
I get a lot of help from a lot of good
people in Hawaii. Not making that much
money from kiting. Still putting along
I would say. Doing a lot of travelling
which burns up a lot of cash. Not
making money, it’s more of a lifestyle
and supporting a lifestyle of travelling.
That’s where it’s at.
RP: Your travelling trying to discover
the “perfect set-up” or returning to
places that you have already travelled
to?
FP: Still searching, it’s tough. You
search for a spot and put the money into
it and get skunked because you’re not
sure of it. Do your research first. Found
a couple of real good spots that we are
going back to now, as the conditions are
pretty ideal for wave riding. When I am
searching for conditions I am searching
for places that you can actually ride a
wave, not places like the Zoo where you
just drop down and do nothing.
You have to get to the performance
side of things, long waves with a wall
that you can carve.
RP: String a few turns together.....??
RP: The winds a fickle bitch...
FP: Yep!
RP: Before you started kiteboarding
FP: Exactly.
what were doing, surfing, and
windsurfing?
RP: How important is it to have local
FP: A bit of surfing, a lot of windsurfing
able to call ahead and get a local
perspective on the weather situation?
on the Gold Coast, and it just started
from there. I was travelling to Maui for
2-3 months windsurfing and I started to
see kites popping up. I thought it would
be a good thing to do when the wind
was light. Once I picked up a kite the
simplicity really appealed, especially
when compared to travelling with all your
windsurfing shit, with kiting its surfboards
and a kite that rolls up into a little ball.
FP: You can get a pretty local forecast
RP: From there you started kiteboarding
but there you go again, you can get
there and still get skunked. Like we are
here in WA, the forecast looked unreal
and a lot of my friends told me to come
up, and it was good when we got here
but who was to know a trough was
going to come up and ruin it for five
days, you just don’t know.
and you have always had a unique
style and approach to the sport. You
always rode in boots and on a shorter
board when there was a push towards
foot straps and bigger, wider boards.
It seemed like everytime I opened a
magazine you were doing something
different...
hook-ups in these areas that you travel
to?
FP: It would be really hard without the
locals, places like New Caledonia, even
Bali. It makes it a whole lot easier.
RP: You have the advantage of been
(THIS INTERVIEW TOOK PLACE IN MY
HIRE CAR AND WE HAD BEEN TRYING
TO CONVINCE EACH OTHER THAT EVEN
THOUGH THE WIND WAS COMING FROM
THE WRONG DIRECTION THAT THERE
WAS ENOUGH TO GO OUT.)
It’s a glory wave the Zoo. I mean what’s the
skill of dropping down a wave and getting
pumped? You basically just have to have nads
to do it and any average Jo can do that.
FP: I like the simplicity of things, the
way you have to look at it is, and a lot of
kiters believe the hype you know.
When something works,
stick with it and just
go for it. There is a
lot of hype about
different boards;
different kites and I
would call a lot of
kiters sheep!
They see someone doing something
and using a particular set up and they
think it work. But the thing is the same
set-up doesn’t work for everyone. You
have to find what works for yourself.
Don’t follow everyone else like a pack,
sort it out for yourself.
RP: Have you moved from freestyle to
totally into wave riding now?
FP: I didn’t really get into the freestyle
side of it. I got into jumping really high,
you know stuff like that. But always
from day 1, from when I moved to Maui,
Lou, Elliot, my friend Dylan and Jack
Webb, they really just wanted to see
what was possible in the waves. We
started screwing around in the waves,
out the back of Ka Na Ha, just trying to
turn on them, sort of started to string a
few turns together, nothing compared
to today’s standard, but it was a start. It
kept it interesting. You never got bored
of it. You know with freestyle you can
ride flat water and do the same trick all
day. Its personal preference but.....
RP: Every wave is different....
FP: Exactly, every wave is different,
every spot is different, no one day will
be the same. So it keeps it interesting!
RP: The use of surfboards, has really
come on strong the last 18 months...
FP: In Hawaii where I base myself
on Oahu’s North Shore, we don’t see
one guy with a twin tip, even when its
flat, even if it’s a foot, someone’s on a
surfboard. People don’t even roll down
KITER
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PROFILE // ISSUE 2
KITER
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PROFILE // ISSUE 2
to the beach when it’s flat; it’s like a
ghost town...
RP: Lets talk about the riding switch!
FP: What a touchy topic eh!
RP: Well it seems to be...
FP: Logistically it comes down to
where your kite is. It’s really important
where you put your kite when you’re
doing a turn off the top, where your arm
movements are, as it is in surfing. Look
at when you do a top turn in surfing you
follow through with your arms. When
you’re riding on your backhand you
cannot follow through with your arms at
all. You can’t go right through your turn.
Your balance is off from the start you
maybe can do one snap but then going
down the line it looks awkward. People
who think it looks like surfing, have a
look at a surfing pic, honestly, its close
but it’s not close enough.
FP: Peer pressure, it paid off, I can
go to any wave, a left or a right and it
doesn’t bother me.
RP: I remember Robby Naish saying
that even after all this time windsurfing
he still has to think about riding his
weaker tack, its not an instinctive
thing. Do you find that you have to
consciously think about doing a turn on
your weaker side?
FP: It’s not natural but I think the key
is to ride your bad side a lot. Since I
am based on Oahu where the wave is a
right and I am a goofy footer you have
to teach your brain to go that way. The
thing that helped me out was when I
was riding in boots, you can feel the
weight transfer and you learn to ride
that one way. So when I jumped on a
surfboard it wasn’t that bad. You just
have to put your mind to it!
RP: So you have always ridden
switch?
RP: You seem to have fairly strong
feelings about this do you want to
explain what they are based on?
FP: It came from the guys on Maui
FP: Look at different athletes like Tony
actually pushing me. When I started
kiting I could not ride in a straight-line
switch. I could not do it, it did my head
in. I went to Maui and I was riding
tweak and I got so much shit, it was
unbelievable. People would kite behind
me and like Dylan, would yell at me in
the waves and say “switch ya feet!” Its
because of those guys, I learnt to do it,
I got pushed into to it so hard....
RP: Peer pressure?
Hawk, Bob Bourquiose, Dre, Aaron
Hadlow do you see them doing tricks
on their backhand? They do their tricks
both ways, natural and switch. They are
athletes at the top of their game. You
should be able to do it all, if you can
surf a wave switch, pull in Pipeline and
ride a wave switch....
RP: Like Jamie O ‘Brian...
FP: Exactly, he gets heaps of respect
and that’s when I think you can tell
PROFILE // ISSUE 2
someone has an amazing amount of
talent. With kiting Dre and all those
freestyle guys they are doing everything
both directions. Why go backhand
when your hands are in the total
wrong position of where they should
be? When the wind gets a little more
offshore and you’re on your backhand it
gets tricky, really tricky and it’s tough.
RP: Do you feel that surfers are
beginning to adopt kiteboarding as an
option for windy days?
FP: It’s still early days yet. If it looks
kooky they are just going to write it off
straight away. It has to look appealing,
similar to what they are doing. It has
to look like surfing. Though if you’re an
alright surfer you can take it to the next
level, you can kite like Kelly Slater even
if you can’t surf like him. With a kite
you have a lot more speed and power
to do what you want. A vertical smack
that most people can’t do surfing is an
option when you’re kiting. Its surfing on
steroids, high performance surfing.
(WILL JAMES WALKS PASSED AND
COMMENTS “MORE LIKE SURFING ON
HAEMORRHOIDS”)
RP: I think when you mention the
word “kiteboarding” to most surfer’s
they picture someone doing a dingle
dangle air, crashing and then getting
tea bagged down wind ...
FP: It has to be pushed in the right
way and then surfing companies will
become involved. I have just being
sponsored by Billabong and they want
to cross-promote it with surfing, which
is unreal. It is a good crossover sport.
Like towing it’s a mainstream sport
now.
RP: What boards are you using at the
moment?
FP: I have been screwing around with
a few different boards, but I have stuck
mainly with the trusty 6’0’’, epoxy, it’s
fairly light. It works really well when it’s
small and sucky to when it’s big and
sucky. It has worked well in Hawaii,
Indo and New Caledonia. I travel with 3
that are exactly the same.
RP: That should do it mate, if I have
anything else I need I will email you. So
are we going to do this?
FP: Yep come on lets go!
(I ENDED UP ABOUT A KILOMETRE
DOWNWIND AND WAS LUCKY TO MAKE
IT BACK TO SHORE WITHOUT BEING
RIPPED TO SHREDS BY THE REEF. FELIX
SOMEHOW STAYED UPWIND LONG
ENOUGH FOR JEFF TO TAKE A HEAP OF
SHOTS AND THEN THE CHEEKY BASTARD
MADE IT BACK TO WHERE HE LAUNCHED
FROM. EVEN THOUGH THE WIND HAD
DROPPED FROM 15 KNOTS TO10 KNOTS
AND HE WAS ON A 9M KITE, FREAK!)
(FELIX RINGS ME, A FEW WEEKS LATER
FROM REUNION ISLAND STOKED WITH
HIS WIN IN THE INVITATIONAL CONTEST
THAT WAS RUN AT ONE EYES ON
MAURITIUS. I ASK HIM IF HE WAS RIDING
UNHOOKED IN THE TRICKY OFFSHORE
CONDITIONS AND HE SAY’S “THAT’S THE
WAY BUDDY, THE ONLY WAY!”)
PROFILE // ISSUE 2
PLAY
“........you have a lot more speed and power..... A vertical
smack that most people can’t do surfing is an option when
you’re kiting. Its surfing on steroids, high performance surfing.”
KITER
//
37
TECH // ISSUE 2
is a true craftsman, honing his skills over the last
40 years in the ultimate testing grounds of Oahu’s Northshore. Chances are if you
were one of the worlds elite surfers during the last 3 decades and you needed
a decent rhino chaser (and you could get your hands on one), you would’ve had
one of Pat’s boards. OVER THE LAST SIX MONTHS EVERY PRO KITER I HAVE INTERVIEWED
FROM MAURICIO, ELLIOT AND BEN, TO DRE HAVE MENTIONED PAT’S BOARDS. (EVEN THOUGH THE
ONLY RHINOS THESE GUYS WOULD BE CHASING WOULD BE OUT OF SOME BAR AND INTO THEIR
BEDROOMS.) PAT GIVES US THE LOWDOWN ON WHAT’S GOING ON IN BOARD CONSTRUCTION AND
DESIGN AND HOW THIS IS BEING IMPLEMENTED INTO KITEBOARDS!
KITER
//
39
TECH // ISSUE 2
HOW DID YOU BECOME INVOLVED IN
SHAPING SURFBOARDS?
I started shaping in my family’s garage
in Playa Del Rey, Los Angeles in 1966,
so I have been shaping and building
surfboards for 40 years now. We lived in
front of Los Angeles airport at the time,
and it wasn’t uncommon to hear the jets
flying overhead over the noise of the
electric Planer. That was such a great
time to jump into the industry. There
were many changes in design at that
time: mainly boards becoming shorter,
lighter, narrower and more sensitive in
the riding characteristics. The blanks
weren’t too good then, so you really
had to understand the tools and the
design you were after before starting.
I am really glad I came from that era...
craftsmanship was everything and
design was changing constantly during
that time period. I moved to Hawaii after
my graduating from High School to go
to college, and to shape and surf on the
North Shore. That was another exciting
time to be involved with building boards
there in the early ‘70s. There was many
design shifts and I was able to work
with some of the best shapers in the
world at that time. Dick Brewer, George
Downing, Tom Parrish, and Bill Barnfield
all played a big part in my approach and
method of design. There is a little part
of Dick Brewer in each and every board
I build. I am getting close or around
the 90,000 mark now in total boards
shaped in the last 40 years.
CAN YOU NAME SOME OF THE SURFERS
THAT HAVE RIDDEN YOUR BOARDS OVER
THE YEARS?
I have been extremely fortunate to
work with most of the best surfers
in the surfing world. Starting back in
1977, I was able to build boards in
Hawaii for “Buttons” Kaluhiokalani and
Mark Liddell. They were 2 of the best
small wave riders in the world at that
time, and we started and built Local
Motion Hawaii off of those two guy’s
reputations. Over the last 30 years,
I have worked with: 70’s-80’s: Larry
Bertelmann, Michael and Derek Ho,
Tony Moniz, Beaver Massfeller, Darrick
Doerner, Jon Damm, Bobby Owens,
Richard Schmidt, Mark Richards, Tom
Curren, Tom Carroll, Gary Elkerton,
Marty Thomas, Luke Egan, and most
of the other top 16 guys when they
came to Hawaii for the contests at that
time. The 90’s were about guys like
Kalani Robb, Andy and Bruce Irons,
Shane Beschen, Jake Patterson, Joel
Parkinson, Luke Hitchings and a bunch
of other Aussie guys. Over the last 6
years, many of these new guys are
hitting it hard now.
My son; Ryan, has played a big part
in my work in large wave surfboards,
tow boards, and my kiteboards. I have
been able to test many of these designs
with him first, and through many
of his friends on the North Shore...
I can’t tell how many new models we
have produced together, but Ryan
loves design and concept. He’ll never
physically become a shaper: he’s seen
me limp around too much with my bad
right hip, but he loves designing, and
we’ll continue to do so together.
WHERE ARE YOU BASED?
I shape and design at my house on the
North Shore for my Hawaii business. I
have licensees throughout the surfing
world, and also shape in San Diego;
California, once a month to cover
my continental USA market as well
as my Central American market as
exports. Also, I manufacture in the
Basque country at Puka’s Surf in Spain
for Europe, also in Sao Paulo, Brasil
to cover South America, and other
licensees include Peru, Japan, and
Australia. All told, I sell my products in
21 countries presently worldwide.
Supporting Links: patrawsonsurfboards.
com, pukassurf.com, gzero.com.br,
and rockdance.co.jp, and surftech.com
are some of my supporting links I have
hosting my boards worldwide.
HOW DID YOU BECOME INVOLVED IN THE
KITESURFING WORLD?
I was lucky...Ryan was already an
accomplished windsurfer by ’95, but
starting to lose interest on the whole
scene happening at “BackYards” where
we live on O’ahu. By ’96-’97, we were
starting to build and test a lot of tow
boards. Darrick Doerner had brought
by this one Rush Randle directional
Jeff Timpone kiteboard that was one
of those round nosed “Bullet” type
boards that Jeff specializes in building
for the Maui boys. I went ahead and
made some prototypes off of that one
board for Ryan, and that’s when both
of us jumped in the game. By ’99,
working with Ryan and my friend, Ed
Kawamoto (aka E.K.), we had designed
and built 2 new models: the “Rawson
Pro” directional, and the “Manta”: a
twin tip that ended up being the perfect
beginner model for guys coming off
of snowboarding or wakeboarding
backgrounds into kiteboarding. We sold
quite a few of both of those models
built in Slovakia in conjunction with
Slingshot, who Ryan was sponsored
by at the time. Then, 2 years later,
kiteboarding went into a complete
Twin-Tip, Wakeboard-ish mentality, and
I went back to the “drawing board” to
re-think my approach.
WHAT POSITIVE ELEMENTS WERE
CREATED BY THIS SHIFT?
The best part of that Twin-Tip/
wakeboard time period for me, was
the drive to push into new technology
using different materials and techniques
to build this “new style” of equipment.
Brian and Steven Kellner, from England,
are old friends of mine, and Brian had
brought a directional model that they
had been refining together in the UK to
Hawaii on his visit, around January of
’02. That one board ended up changing
my whole approach in the process of
building boards out of newer materials,
KITER
//
41
TECH // ISSUE 2
and not so much out of Polyurethane
foam and polyester resin. So, we
started building these 1” thick Divinacell
boards that were super strong, and
very light, and I then realized the
future of both surfing and kiteboard
manufacturing was going to hinge off
using better materials and techniques...
something we are all becoming very
conscience of today almost 5 years
later, with the Tuflite type boards and
others available worldwide, as well as
some of the high end EPS boards some
of us are making and selling to the
custom market in both the surfing and
kiting worlds.
WHEN DID YOU SEE THE MOVE AWAY
FROM TWIN-TIPS BACK TOWARDS
SURFBOARDS?
Mauricio Abreu has been riding my
surfboards for about 5 years now.
Around 3 1/2 years ago, he mentioned
he was playing around and using some
of them to kite with while riding waves,
which really got me motivated to come
up with something new. At that time,
I remember Peter Trow as a main
proponent that “surfed” using his kiting
equipment to jet around and catch a
million waves.
Using Mauricio and Elliot Leboe and
Brian Kellner as test riders, I then
started working with Clark Foam to
develop a stronger foam blank with
custom stringers that would hold up
with better with compression and
tensile strength regarding foot straps
and jumping etc. resulting in a board
that would hold up reasonably well with
care. After, we finally had a product
that performed well, but the downside
was the board’s final weight was on
the heavy side with straps and fins
installed.
HOW HAVE YOU SOLVED THESE
PROBLEMS?
Over the last 2 years, I have been
working with Randy French of Surftech.
The Tuflite technology that they use
is a perfect blend of the better flex
characteristics for kiting, along with
lighter finished weight, and great
durability combined for a commercial
Kiteboard. Late last year, I introduced 4
initial models with Tufflite, with the 6’2
and 6’4 models intended as kiteboard/
surfboards with inserts pre-installed.
Those 2 models have been received
well worldwide, and I am presently
experimenting with a stick-on type foot
insert pad that combines the needed
reinforcement and the pad at the same
time, and giving the user the choice of
position etc.
WHO ARE THE GUYS THAT ARE RIDING
YOUR BOARDS?
Current riders: Ryan, Mauricio, and
Elliot have made big contributions
to my approach to shaping and
designing these new boards, along
with Brian and Steven Kellner in the
UK, and my friends, Ed Kawamoto,
Joe Sanchez and Will James on the
North Shore where I live. Other riders
include Moehau Goold, Andre Phillips,
and Bertrand Fluery. I just made a 6’2
custom board for Ben Wilson that he
picked up last week in San Diego,
California.
WHAT SORT OF FEEDBACK ARE YOU
GETTING FROM THEM?
Feedback wise, everyone is looking
for a fast, lightweight, maneuverable
board that can surf good waves and
crap waves equally as well. I’ve found
that taking the middle ground in board
design with this in mind, works out the
best, especially when boiling down the
different designs into making 1 or 2
molded boards for the general buying
public. Most of the time, my riders
prefer going strapless, and end up
using normal Polyurethane/Polyester
custom boards to “play” on. Once the
wind is higher, and with larger waves,
straps and the Tufflite and custom EPS
technology becomes more a reality.
WHAT LENGTH BOARDS ARE THEY
RIDING?
For the ideal board: the 6’2x 18x 2
squashtail I would shape for Andy
Iron’s, is a nice starting point for
shaping a board that paddle-surfs
well, but also performs well as a kite/
surfboard in many conditions. The
average lengths I’m seeing is mostly
from 5’11~6’2 at the present.
WHAT FIN CONFIGURATIONS HAVE YOU
EXPERIMENTED WITH?
Towing and Kiting really depend on
the performance and durability of the
fin systems installed in the board. I am
building many Quad designs now in
surfboards, towboards, and kiteboards.
The success of that particular design
is hinged around the rider’s willingness
to “fine-tune” the ride, using different
fin sizes and shapes to get the best
results. I have been playing around with
my short boards, guns, and towboards
with something I learned from my friend
Rich Pavel, the quad shaping guru from
San Diego...it’s called the split keel fin,
and I have applied the concept using
my own templates and fin placement.
“Stretch” has been messing around
with four fins for years, and is one of his
mainstays in the boards he builds. With
the split keel, the front fin channels the
water into the rear fin, much like a jib to
a mainsail on a sailboat, the board ends
up being extremely positive through
turns, yet loose, due to no center fin. I
have had to combine both Futures F2
keel for the front fin, and FCS G7000 for
the back fin, due to the close proximity
of the front fin to each other. With using
FSC plugs for the rear fin, you can
position the back fins very close to the
front fin setup. I am really excited to
start building these as kiteboards for
my riders to test out this fall season on
the North Shore.
KITER
//
43
TECH // ISSUE 2
“Towing and Kiting really depend on the
performance and durability of the fin systems installed in the board.”
IMAGE BY TKraft
KITER
//
45
TECH // ISSUE 2
FROM WHAT I HEAR A LOT OF THE
CREW HAVE BEEN RIDING RAWSON
SURFBOARD’S FOR A WHILE, ARE YOU
WORKING ON KITE SPECIFIC BOARDS?
I just built a 6’2 Bonzer 5 fin for
Mauricio, and he’ll get a chance to
test it out in Indo on his upcoming trip
there. That’s another design I have
been refining and shaping for over 20
years, in conjunction with the Campbell
Brothers who invented the design.
I am positive that the re-introduced
concept has a promising future as a
faster kiteboard design for waveriding
purposes.
IMAGE BY TKraft
WHEN I WAS IN WEST AUSTRALIA AT
THE START OF THE YEAR I MET THE
BROTHERS KELNER AND THEY HAD A
COUPLE OF YOUR BOARDS THAT WERE
GLASSED IN WHAT LOOKED LIKE A MIX
OF KEVLAR AND CARBON FIBRE. CAN
YOU TELL US A BIT ABOUT THE BOARDS,
THE CONSTRUCTION OF THEM AND IF
MAKING A BOARD THIS STRONG HAS
DISADVANTAGES?
When I went to visit Brian and Steven
Kelner in the UK in June ’05, I had
shaped 2 boards for each of them out
of polyurethane Clark Foam blanks in
Cornwall. They had ended up glassing
all four boards with a combination of
Kevlar/carbon cloth woven together,
and using air bag technology for a
finished board with an extremely light
weight to strength ratio. I don’t think
there is a stronger method than that,
for non-molded custom shaped boards
regarding durability verses light weight.
The main disadvantage of that technique
I felt, was the overall board stiffness due
to the carbon composite cloth combo.
In hi-performance surfing, overall
surfboard flex plays a big part in the
rider experiencing a “liveliness” from the
board as it goes into and out of turns.
the overall weight is felt more on the
skin of the board, as compared to a
polyurethane/polyester board’s weight
having more dead weight felt in the
center of the board due to the heavier
blank as the core of the finished design.
FOR THOSE READERS THAT MAY NOT
BE AWARE CAN YOU EXPLAIN THE
DIFFERENCE BETWEEN A TRADITIONAL
SURFBOARD AND SURFTECH STYLE
BOARD?
I have been building custom EPS
boards using fused beaded Styrofoam
blanks cut on a computer machine,
that are almost 35% stronger as a
hand laminated epoxy board over a
standard PU board hand laminated
polyester board. Using air bag
lamination techniques, we can get that
ratio up to 50% stronger over standard
hand-lammed PU board. With Clark
Foam’s closing almost 1 year ago, we
as surfboard manufacturers had to rethink our methods and suppliers in our
busineses worldwide. Our industry is in
a much better position now, although
all the many choices available now
with other foam cores, and different
technology have confused both the
surf shop board buyer and the end
customer as well. Our industry of
building boards is somewhat in a post
Clark Foam hangover, which I think
is finally stabilizing now, and will be
back to a more normal pattern by early
Spring ’07. Our job as builders now, is
to fully test the all new concepts as they
become available, and simultaneously
to re-educate their customers as so
they can make the best choices when
buying their new boards.
The Tuflite technology has a stiffer,
faster flex pattern than say a Clark
Foam blank glassed with polyester resin
would have, and so many newcomers
that try that Tuflite style technology for
a surfboard for the first time, have to
stay with the board for awhile to get
used to that tighter flex pattern. In kiting
with a Tuflite surfboard, the tighter
flex pattern is actually an advantage
due to the higher speeds a kiteboard
attains, and the much higher intitial
velocity and momentum a kiter has at
his command in dropping into a wave.
The Tuflites also have a nice finished
weight: my Ryan Rawson Tuflite 6’2,
with foot inserts in the board, weighs
approximately 6 pounds with fins
and straps installed. My equivalent
polyester version with the heavier
Polyurethane blank and extra fiberglass
reinforcement weighs in at about 8
pounds fully “rigged”up. Also, another
advantage to the Tuflite technology is
HOW HAS THE CLOSING OF CLARK FOAM
AFFECTED YOU?
KITER
//
47
COMP // ISSUE 2
THE MAMBO CONTEST
THAT IS HELD ANNUALLY
IN MERIMBULA IS
AUSTRALIA’S PREMIER
WAVE RIDING EVENT
FOR KITESURFING AND
WINDSURFING. IT’S A
WEEKEND FILLED WITH
UNASHAMED DEBAUCHERY,
LIP BELTING AND THE ODD
SAUSAGE SANGA. KITER CAUGHT UP WITH
CONTEST DIRECTOR JOHN SMYTHE TO GET
THE LOW DOWN ON THIS YEAR OFFERINGS.
KITER
//
49
COMP // ISSUE 2
down here who started wave sailing,
formed a sailboard club and ran the
contest through that. The contest
grew and grew and grew and probably
peaked with wave sailing in 1990.
Towards the end of the 90’s it started
to taper off and a few of the guys
started turning up with kites. So we
said, “Come back next year and we
will have a trophy for kites” and the
rest is history. Last year the kites out
numbered the windsurfers.
Kiter: Was that the first time?
JS: I think there were about 3 years
Kiter: How did the Mambo start?
“To take off for the
weekend and be fed
everyday at the BBQ,
a few good parties
at night and then
get given a prize at
the end of it and
then if the wind
blows, it all sounds
pretty good to me.”
JS: Originally when windsurfing took
off into the waves in the early eighties
it became pretty big. There were
contests in Torquay and Sydney and
they were getting good turn outs in
those days so we thought we would
have an event here in Merimbula. In
1981 we started holding a contest
in November and it just continued
from there. Up to 1985 Dare Jennings
who created Mambo would make the
posters. At that time his company was
called Phantom T Shirts and then in
1985 he became Mambo, so that was
where the contest started.
Kiter: Was it a crew of locals from
Merimbula who started the contest?
JS: Yeah it was a group of surfers
Jamie Symonds from the Gold Coast.
That is what it’s all about – wave riding.
Kiter: Do you think that is why the
event’s popularity has endured?
JS: I think it would be a great event
to go to, if someone else was running
it in another location. To take off for the
weekend and be fed everyday at the
BBQ, a few good parties at night and
then get given a prize at the end of it
and then if the wind blows, it all sounds
pretty good to me. The karma of the
event has seen us get good winds most
years.
where it was 50-50 and last year was
the first time it had gone that way. Mind
you a lot of guys in the past would
bring both.
Kiter: Do any of the years stick
out as been memorable for their
conditions?
Kiter: Has it always been the idea
JS: In terms of classic down the line
for everyone to sail at the same time
rather than to send out heats?
JS: That’s another thing that evolved
in the early 80’s when there were small
numbers of us. We would be waiting
for the wind and get to run 6 heats and
then the wind would drop and only half
of us would get to sail. So when the
wind was on we would all just go for it
and judge each other from the water.
That has always been the focus getting
as much sailing time in as possible with
an accent on wave riding. We like to
see waves ridden to their full potential.
That’s why the stand outs in the kiting
in the Mambo the last few years
have been the guys slashing on the
surfboards, guys like Ben Wilson and
bare away wave riding -1987. Really
big wild conditions, howling 40-knot
winds and sailing on 4 m sails. Huge
storm surf with 12 inches of rain that
fell overnight 15-25 knot south easter.
You could not see the tops of the masts
behind the waves –1986.
Kiter: Finally, Craig Thompson’s
performances as the MC over the years
are legendary.
Last year his stage presence seemed
stifled, will we see a return to form this
year?
JS: Craig was shuffled out the back
door last year and forgot to come back
in. I have assured him this year that he
is the master of ceremonies.
KITER
//
51
5 minutes // ISSUE 2
5 minutes on the phone with
IMAGE BY KOTTKE
MY NEIGHBOUR IS A TOUGH LEBANESE DUDE NAMED GEORGE, GREAT BLOKE WHO
WOULD DO ANYTHING TO HELP YOU OUT. GEORGE IS ABOUT 6FT TALL, CUT AND
AN EX BOXER WHO REALLY KNOWS HOW TO HANDLE HIMSELF. WHEN GEORGE
TALKS ABOUT PEOPLE HAVING A LOT OF LUCK IN LIFE HE TALKS OF THEM, BEING
“BLESSED” AND IF HE MET BEN WILSON I RECKON HE WOULD BE RIGHT. UNLIKE
GEORGE, BEN HAS TROUBLE IMPRESSING ANYONE WITH HIS PUNY BODY
AND EVEN THOUGH HE SAYS “SICK” IN ALMOST EVERY SENTENCE,
“BLESSED” OR NOT I AM PUTTING MY MONEY ON GEORGE!
KITER
//
55
5 minutes // ISSUE 2
RP: You have a good relationship with
the guys on Namotu working there as a
guide and in the earlier days doing a bit
of cooking. Do you try and get back there
every year?
BW: Over the last four years I have tried
to get back but I haven’t been able to but
now that I am chasing waves and wind
I can get there once a year. I spent 2
months there this year and hopefully I will
spend two months there next year.
RP: Did you get wind there this time?
BW: The last month that I was there the
wind was sick, probably half the time I
was there were good kiting days. We had
two really good swells and the trades
were pretty solid.
RP: And you’re on your backhand there?
BW: The reef there wraps around the
island and there is a left on one side of a
pass and a right on the other side. The left
is straight side shore and the right is side
onshore to onshore.
RP: Sounds like a great set up.
BW: Yeah it is a sick set up! Some days I
ride between both, catch a couple waves
on the right and then go and ride the left,
depending on the swell size and the wind.
RP: What are you doing to earn your
keep on the island?
BW: I have a pretty good deal set up
with Scotty (the islands owner) where I
go fishing in the morning and catch the
fish for the restaurant and maybe take a
IMAGE BY KOTKE
KITER
//
57
5 minutes // ISSUE 2
couple of the guests if they want to go
out. The rest of the day I can go kiting,
if there is no wind I go surfing and then
maybe fishing in the afternoon, but if
there is wind I will kite all day.
really good wind, sunny days and some
really good swell, it was probably one
of the best trips I have actually been on
for conditions.
RP: I hear from reliable sources that
Leboe and Tracy Kraft
your fishing fetish is bordering on
addiction?
BW: Yeah we were shooting for
BW: Yeah I am pretty keen on fishing.
RP: Didn’t you win a fishing
competition recently in Namotu?
BW: It wasn’t in Namotu it was
actually “The Pacific Harbour
International Game Fishing
Competition” held in Fiji and another
one called “The Denarau Game fishing
Competition”. I really enjoy those
events.
RP: What kind of fish do you catch on
Namotu?
BW: All pelagic species -Wahoo, Mahi
Mahi, Sailfish and Tunas
RP: When you’re too old for the
kiteboarding gig maybe we might see
you on the international game fishing
tour?
BW: I wouldn’t mind, that would be
pretty sick!
RP: After a month on Namotu you
then flew to Tahiti, how was that?
BW: We flew to Rarotoa and Bora
Bora and the wind was sick, probably
3/4’s of the time we were there we had
RP: You were there filming with Elliott
Elliott’s movie and Tracy came along
to take the photos. We actually had a
deal with the Bora Bora Tourism board
and they funded the whole trip. They
wanted to get some stock footage and
shots so that they can promote Bora
Bora, Moehau Gould’s Dad hooked it
up for us.
RP: Where are you off to next?
BW: I’m off to Indo and Hawaii to
do some last minute shooting for the
upcoming ACL video.
RP: Do you ever find that you get
burnt out kiting all the time and lose
your enthusiasm?
BW: I did before I got into the whole
chasing the waves. Honestly right now
I am so pumped and amped on the
whole scene. I have just had 3 weeks
out of the water because I have been
in the States and I am freaking out
and just hanging for my next session. I
can’t see myself getting burnt out riding
waves, there’s just no way.
RP: Thanks for that Ben, are you
going to the Mambo this year?
BW: Yeah for sure man, catch you
there!
IMAGES BY KOTKE
KITER
//
59
5 minutes // ISSUE 2
IMAGE BY TKraft
KITER
//
61
FILM REVIEW // ISSUE 2
PLAY
SNOW
BLIND
SNOW KITING LOOKS LIKE AWESOME FUN. IF ANYONE WOULD LIKE TO SEND ME
AN AIR TICKET AND RENT ME A COUCH I WOULD LOVE TO GIVE IT A GO. AS THIS IS
AN UNLIKELY EVENT TO OCCUR I WILL JUST HAVE TO STRAP ON MY SNOWBOARD,
TURN OFF THE LIGHTS, GRAB MY BAR AND WATCH PAUL MOTZ’S 20/10. IF YOU
THINK THAT SOUNDS A LITTLE SICK YOU SHOULD CHECK THE AIR THESE GUYS GET!
TELL US A BIT ABOUT 20/10?
I want to show the public how focused
we are as athletes. The film not only
shows flying aspects but also jibbing, big
kickers, and buttering everything else.
This sport is small yet its direction is
multifaceted. I love it.
For me it’s like snowboarding back in
the late 80s when everyone was doing
something different yet all of us were
friends because the sport was so small
so we had tons of respect for each
other. Nowadays snowboarders are
like “ya well the park is where it’s at, or
backcountry is the shit...”which to me
that’s fucked up. I believe to be the best
within a sport, one should grow and try
it all and feel confident in every area. So
for Kitesnowboarding right now it’s really
small yet we all appreciate what everyone
is doing and where they are taking the
sport. I’m a jibber at heart but this last
season I have grown to love backcountry
and powder a whole lot more. With
different riders we can see what is
possible and see a vision that is possible
from these riders. We are seeing history
in the making!
KITER
//
63
FILM REVIEW // ISSUE 2
WHERE WAS IT FILMED?
Sanitarium (Dillon) Colorado
(park and rails)
Rollins Pass, Colorado
(Backcountry)
The Garden, Colorado
(Backcountry and Freestyle)
Mt. Haggin, Montana
(Backcountry)
Georgetown Lake, Montana
(Freestyle)
Mille Lacs, Minnesota
(Freestyle)
Skyline, Utah
(Backcountry)
Strawberry Res, Utah
(Backcountry)
OVER WHAT TIME PERIOD WAS THE
FILM SHOT?
It was filmed November of 2005 to May
of 2006. I like to release a DVD every
season so the audience can always be
in touch of what is going on in the snow
aspect of kiting and how progressive
each year is from the one previous. It’s
growing so fast in so many directions
and I want to make sure I can capture
everything.
WHO IS IN IT?
Chasta, James Brown, Remi Meum, Dave
Tyburski, and myself. One side note.
My section is 90% filmed by me.... so
no one was behind the cameras...Mikey
Basich (pro snowboarder) is one that has
perfected this....check it yo!!
THE POINT OF VIEW CAMERA STUFF IS
PRETTY COOL CAN YOU TELL US A BIT
ABOUT THAT?
Ya basically I felt that Chasta has taken
flying to a crazy level and that no one
(besides Pascal Joubert) is close to what
he is doing. So I wanted viewers to see
what he sees and what he does. In the
bonus part of the DVD I set apart a whole
section where it’s split screen so you see
the helmet cam view and my camera view.
SOME OF THE BIGGER JUMPS ARE
AMAZING, ARE THE RIDERS LOOPING
THEIR KITES ABOVE THEIR HEADS TO
KEEP THE HEIGHT?
No. They are looping the kites to stop
from gaining any more altitude and to
come down or to just slow down. In
wakestyle you will see it as a trick.
In snow and the flying aspect of it, it’s
a fundamental aspect that you need to
know before jumping off a big mound.
One thing that I would like to tell people
here is that don’t look at what Chasta/
Alex Peterson and a few others are
doing and then go off the way top of the
mountain. If you’re going to try it...start
small!!!! Go up the slope a little ways and
try it and just keep progressing higher the
more comfortable you feel. I see quite a
few people that just go for it way too high
up and get in trouble.
THERE IS ONE SHOT WHERE YOU CAN
SEE ABOUT 50 KITES IN FRAME, IS THIS
A REFLECTION OF HOW POPULAR THE
SPORT IS BECOMING?
Ya. It’s growing like crazy. We have
people here in Colorado that learn on dry
land just so they have the fundamentals
down for Winter. They could care less
about the water. It’s changing territories
though because sometimes you don’t
see your bros and it’s because people are
into different parts of the sport. So some
people are going up high for powder/
natural terrain and some are staying
down low for park/rails....it’s all-good.
WHEN WAS THE LAST TIME YOU FREAKED
YOURSELF OUT KITING?
I went kiting the other day on the water
and as I was pissing, I heard a hissssssss
sound. Well half way through my piss I
look down and it was a 4 foot long bull
snake I was pissing on. I screamed like a
girl in our local parking lot and ran around
like a freak! Fortunately the snake didn’t
bite my snake. Colorado is crazy. If your
ever in our area come on down and I will
show you where not to piss.
CHEERS DUDE, CAN YOU SEND ME
A COPY?
Of course.... bros hook up bros.
NAME:
PAUL MACAJ...PEOPLE THEY
CALL ME “MOTZ”. MY LAST NAME
IS PRONOUNCED MOTZ-EYE.
(SLOVAKIAN)
WHERE DO YOU LIVE:
LITTLETON, COLORADO
WHAT DO YOU DO:
ACTUALLY MOST PEOPLE DON’T
KNOW THAT I CAN SEW...YA I’M A
SEAMSTRESS. I FIX SAILBOAT SAILS
AND OF COURSE KITES...AND OF
COURSE I FILM.
CREW:
PATRICK, BLAKEY, PAINTER GARY,
ANTON, MN, MT, WY.
MUSIC:
I’M A MUSIC FREAK. THRICE, THE
FAINT, MUSE, SPARTA, PREFUSE 73,
BLONDE REDHEAD, ALEXISONFIRE...
AMAZING BAND!!
SPONSORS:
SLINGSHOT AND DAKINE.
LATER
MOTZ
With different riders we can see
what is possible and see a vision
that is possible from these riders.
We are seeing history in the making!
KITER
//
65
FILM REVIEW // ISSUE 2
SNAPSHOT
SNAPSHOT WAS RELEASED A FEW MONTHS AGO IN SOUTH AFRICA BUT HAS
ONLY JUST MADE IT TO OZ. I RAN INTO PETER PETERSON IN THE DESERT’S OF
WEST OZ, REVERSED, APOLOGISED AND THEN RECORDED THIS INTERVIEW. JUST
REMEMBER IF YOU’RE GOING TO STH AFRICA TAKE A HANDKERCHIEF SIZED KITE
BECAUSE IT FREAKIN HOWLS, BREW!
RP: How did you get into kiteboarding?
angles.
PP: I windsurfed for 20 plus years and
started kiting in 1999 and slowly got
more and more into it. All the gear was
lighter and easier to carry around and
now I prefer it. Wave riding was always
my game in windsurfing and now with
kiting coming into the waves, it’s been a
revelation in the last couple of years.
RP: You had a bit to do with the making
of Snapshot?
RP: And you get good conditions in
South Africa for kiteboarding?
PP: We probably have some of the
best conditions I think. It’s relatively easy
and there are so many beaches to go
off, it can handle a lot of people and we
have steady trades for 4-5 months of the
year and even in the off season we have
plenty of fronts coming through so you
can kite year round. We have all sorts
of angles, so you can always find a side
shore spot and a lot of spots are exposed
to SW swells. SW swells just hit the
west coast all the time. There are always
waves around so it’s just a natural thing
to go wave riding. We don’t have perfect
clean point breaks like here (OZ) but we
do have top beach breaks with good
PLAY
PP: We started filming last year, Ralph
Buckscheister and a guy called Krispian
and we started filming independently of
each other. What has been happening is
the top PKRA guys have being coming
down here each year. Aaron has been
coming down for the last 3 or 4 years and
this year Ruben Lenten, Kevin Langaree,
Etinne Lhote from France, Susie Mai and
Kristin Boese all came down to practice.
They had seen Aaron’s success with
practicing in Cape Town, because it is
a pretty difficult wind to ride in. Their
philosophy was “If we can pull off our
moves in that wind then we can do it
anywhere in any conditions.”
RP: Over what time period was the film
shot?
PP: They were all down for a couple
of months. Krispian went on a road trip
with Aaron, Ruben and our local guy
Greg Tyser who was 7th on the PKRA last
year. Ralph and myself shot them when
they were on the West Coast and when
they were riding freestyle in the waves.
In February we realised we had enough
really good footage. So we made a 1hour film in and around Cape Town of the
top PKRA guys and us older guys doing
a bit of wave riding.
RP: And it’s called...?
PP: Snapshot, basically a snapshot
of our season, of what went down! We
structured so each rider gets a 3-5
minute section and then we threw in a
few shots of the locations so people can
see what it looks like down there. It’s a
high wind fast paced movie with a lot
of riding in it. The movie doesn’t have
anyone riding anything bigger than a 9metre kite in it and down to 5’s. The wind
is pumping and whilst some of the riding
might not be as technical as somewhere
like Venezuela where its rock steady 20
knots, the guys really get yanked in their
kiteloops and they do some mad shit, its
quite impressive.
RP: What time of year should people
head to South Africa?
PP: The trades kick in solidly from
December, you can go earlier but they
can be patchy. They blow solidly until
February - March. We prefer March
as it is not so crowded and the swell
starts kicking in. January is the windiest
month and I guess it just depends on
what you’re coming for, if you have
your girlfriend with you and you do the
Christmas trip, then December, January
are solid and February is probably the
best all round month. If you want to go
waveriding bring a 4m.
KITER
//
67
XPOSE // ISSUE 2
KITER
//
71
XPOSE // ISSUE 2
KITER
//
89
NEXT // ISSUE 2
In the
next episode
of Kiter:
we profile the
irresistible Susi Mai. The
girl speaks 4 languages,
travels the globe
non-stoP kites better
than you and has a smile
that stops traffic.
Tune in next time,
same kite time,
same kite channel!
PHOTO BY JUSTIN BUFTON
KITER
//
91
SHOUTOUT // ISSUE 2
EDITOR/PRODUCER
Russell Pell
russellpell@kitermag.com
ART DIRECTION & LAYOUT
Ian Mutch
art@inkdesign.com.au
MULTIMEDIA
Craig Farrow
craig@inkdesign.com.au
ADVERTISING INQUIRES
Russell Pell 0419292528
russellpell@kitermag.com
PHOTOGRAPHERS
Jeff Pfeffer (Cover Shot):
jeff.pfeffer@gmail.com
Tracy Kraft:
takraft@aol.com, www.tracykraft.com
Greg Lewis: greg@kingbrownmag.com
Trik Photography:
www.trikphotography.com.au
Nick Fitt: nick@pinealdesign.com
Justin Bufton: kiteboyjustin@yahoo.com
Ben Kottke: www.benkottke.com
Russell Ord: rord@bigpond.net.au
GOOD PEOPLE
www.kitescoop.com
www.thekiteboarder.com
www.kitesnowboarder.com
www.traqua.com.au
THANKS
Danielle, Dad & Mum, Nana, Luke &
Carley, Dicko & Jen, Uncle, Josh &
Angie, Elliott & Penelope, Andrew & Em,
Taj & Sahil, Stuey & Em, Scott & Cass,
Mick, Em, Chip & India, Hudson, Andre,
Felix, Jeff Pfeffer, Peter Peterson, Will,
Pat Rawson, Morris, Elliot & Tracy, John
Smythe, Benjamin Williamson, Paul
Macaj, Greg Lewis, Matt Holder, Andrew
Raygun, Ian and the rest of the bloody
legends from INK Design.
Contributors are welcome to send
material for consideration to be included
in this publication.
Kiteboarding is dangerous and you should
have a lesson with a qualified instructor.
This magazine and everyone involved are
not responsible for you being a goose and
hurting yourself.
All rights reserved. No part of this publication
may be reproduced, ripped off or copied in
whole or part without permission from the
editor Russell Pell.
KITER
//
93