Spring Road Trips

It’s been a busy Spring at the Windzup office.  In between Snowkiting fresh powder that fell during unusually heavy April storms, we’ve been hitting the road to spread the good word about Ozone’s new range of 4-line Instincts.  First stop was Pismo Beach in California for the annual Kite Expo, where we were overwhelmed with positive feedback on the new kites, with the Light XC standing on top as the ultimate surf kite.

On the way back we hit up the deserts of Las Vegas for some high speed Kite Buggy action.  Average sizes of kites on the dry lakes were 1- 3 meter, with the Imp Quattro and Flows proving their stability in the 25-45 mph winds.  The first Yakuza GT’s hit the playa as well, hitting speeds over 60 mph on the GPS.

Back for more snow at Skyline and some spring testing with Robbie and next winters Manta III Snowkite.  I’m sworn to secrecy for the moment, but I can say that the kite can fly…literally, the new Manta’s have the most radical lift profile for long hang time while gliding, and vertical rise in lift.  (Rob took the 10 meter over a hundred feet above the tree line, and with one kite loop he doubled his altitude, the bastard was thermalling the Manta like a paraglider…sheesh)

While more snow was falling, we were Texas bound for a few weeks in the sun and warm waters of Padre Island and Corpus Christi.  After 25 hours of driving, starting at 10,000 feet at Skyline, it was sweet to throw on only board shorts and ride powered on a 9 meter Edge all afternoon.  I had the first week to myself, just to acclimatize and adjust from snowboard edging to surf carving, and I landed at the perfect place to practice.  If you are looking for a great location to learn or improve your skills, Texas offers friendly and shallow waters with a great kiting community supporting the scene.  I wasn’t alone in this thinking, as I shared the beach with nearly a hundred fun spirited kiters over the weekend and during the SPI Kite Round Up.  The winds were steady, the water was flat, and it was perfect for riding kites and testing boards. We were able to hang out with many industry friends also, including Lite Wave Dave, Ted from Flysurfer, Adrian with Underground boards and Sheldon with Decosse Customs to name just a few of the energized people that were enjoying the warm island life.  A big thanks needs to go out to Mr. Dobson and Steve Blaine, who put us up (put up with us?) and showed us the insider spots to eat and party.

Well, that was just the last month and a half.  As of this past weekend Patrick Nedele was in Nebraska at the infamous Lake McConaughy, loaded with the Ozone demo fleet and bound for the east coast.  We are in Utah, packing up for a Memorial Day trip to the Beartooths, an epic Snowkite location that divides the Montana and Wyoming border. It’s the final Snowkite Rally of the 08/09 winter, aptly named the Ozone Last Call. We’ll see you up there, or on the road somewhere in this mighty country this summer.

Remember…Fly as much as you can….and Fly Ozone as often as you can!