Duotone Diversity Magazine No.02 2020

Xander Raith, 22 I first started snowboarding when I was seven on a plastic snowboard in my backyard. The following year my parents gave my brother and I real snowboards for Christmas, and since then, snowboarding has been a pivotal aspect of my life. I have been supported by Burton since I was 17. When I was younger, my winters used to be centered around competitions, but more recently, I have transitioned into filming and the media aspect of the industry. My first encounter with kiteboarding was prompted mainly from the encouragement of my dad. We both took lessons at the same time, and before long, we were riding. Coincidentally, the first kite I ever flew and the only kite I have ever ridden has been a Vegas. Kiteboarding around my home spot in Nantucket, a small island off the coast of Massachusetts, was a fun activity. However, I never knew the potential or what was possible with kiteboarding until I watched the Triple S and became familiar with the riders who sought out that particular riding style. Funny enough, for the first four or five years of kiteboarding I never even knew that the concept of unhooking or wake style riding was a possibility. Riding unhooked is still a relatively new, foreign approach for me and is a technique I am still working to become more comfortable with. My first real contact with Duotone was last summer in Hood River. I was able to earn a wildcard spot in the Hood Jam, a slider park contest hosted by the Kite Park League. In July, after the contest had wrapped up, Craig Cunningham and Noè Font invited me back out to Hood River to join a film project they were both working on. After that trip, the progression was set into motion and a few weeks later I was fortunate enough to become involved with the brand. The general technique of kiteboarding is very complex, and there are so many unpredictable variables that need to align in order to have a productive session. Even though I have been snowboarding longer than I have been kite- boarding, drawing a comparison between the two is an exaggeration. I personally believe that snowboarding is simpler and much more predictable. Whereas in kiteboarding, it is very elaborate and often volatile, requiring a significant amount of gear as well as favorable weather conditions. Additionally, not having the restriction of the harness or being attached to a kite makes snowboarding movements more fluid, but falling into water will almost always beat the abusive landings of hard-pack snow. The kiteboarding photo on the left is a switch nose press indy grab. Because kiteboards are so stiff and do not flex nearly as much as snowboards, I can really lean my weight into the nose press without falling over the front of the board. Also, being able to lean my front hand onto the bar for support makes the trick more comfortable and allows me to press more. I can also do this trick on a snowboard, but it is a little bit more difficult because of how flexible snowboards tend to be. An indy grab nose press looks virtually the same on both snow and water; the only major difference is the difficulty. The snowboarding trick in the photo on the right is called a front board. This particular shot was taken at Big Bear Resort in California. The rail itself was fairly high off the ground, well over my head, and it had a big drop to a flat, heavy impact landing. It took a few tries to get the speed right and commit to facing backward while being so high off the ground. Photo Jack Whitney Photo Toby Bromwich Portrait Noè Font 30 P E O P L E 31 P E O P L E I N S P I R A T I O N o o