Duotone Diversity Magazine No.02 2020

RIDING STRAPS Kiting is an amazing sport where we are able to ride waves and do tricks similar to wakeboarding. But the one aspect of kiting that is truly unique to our sport is the ability to fly! It is the most impressive aspect of kiting to me. I prefer to use big sized kites in strong winds to be able to get maximum airtime. And then it’s all about creativity – there’s nothing better than mixing tricks, creating new ones and just playing with whatever the spot has to offer. Straps play an important role in that matter – they don’t limit my style or options. This means true kiteboarding to me. The part I most enjoy pushing is the old school tricks. I love simple tricks, playing around and including natural obstacles into my riding – the beach, trees, sliding on the water with my bare feet, or flipping my board. No need to build sliders. Straps enable me to just do whatever pops into my head at that moment. I love the freedom they provide to me. Don’t think too much, just be creative and keep it stylish. Of course I tried boots, but it’s just not the same. Straps, unlike boots, don’t lock me into one style of riding. If the wind picks up, I can just switch from freestyle to doing big jumps and board offs. I don’t have to go back to the beach to change my board. Safety is another factor with straps – I like having the option to eject my board if needed. For example, if I was coming in hot off a big kiteloop and something wasn’t right, I can easily release my board before impact. You don’t have this possibility with boots. Sure, it’s probably a little more technical to keep your board on when doing freestyle in straps, but being on tour for over 8 seasons the style went from old school big air and board offs to handle passes. Everyone at that time rode straps, so we learned to adapt to riding freestyle in straps. Now it’s just how we do it. Traveling as much as I do, straps do have another advantage. They are much lighter to carry and also they take up less space. Last but not least, it’s much easier to lend your gear to your friends to go for a session or to try your equipment out. Just a quick adjustment and it’s ready to go! To me, straps are the one and only – Keep it stylish, New Cal style! Tom Hebert Photo Toby Bromwich Photo Toby Bromwich RIDING BOOTS Riding boots is not a rare thing to do anymore. To me, it is a question of attitude. I learned all of the basic tricks on straps. The advantage: you can crash as hard as you want without killing yourself, so trying all those new tricks in the beginning of freestyling gets way easier and less scary. But for me the vision was always clear, I wanted more. More height, more power and more tricks. I had the passion and dream of being a professional kiter so I trained as much as I could, as hard as I could. I was and still am hungry to learn new tricks and to go even bigger. As soon as I started to do my first double passes like blind judge 5 it was time for the next chapter – it was time for boots. I never aimed for just somehow landing tricks, I sought to land them confidently and properly. I wanted the right technique and I wanted it to look like something great. I knew I wasn’t even close to where I wanted to be as a kiter, so I needed boots to push me forward. I think boots shape your personality on the water like nothing else. It’s about giving your all, risking the bad crashes, the front edges, back edges, headaches and in some unlucky times, even injuries. You need to go all in, wholeheartedly, if you want to get to be the best kiter you can be. The best kiters out there, the ones that invent new tricks or take them to new dimensions, are the ones willing to take the risks and overcome their fears. That’s what makes them get to this insane level and that’s what makes us be amazed over and over again. I want to be a kiter that does that, amaze and inspire people. And boots are one of the tools you need for that. There’s no discussion in this: When you look at the freestyle kiteboarding pros these days, they all might differ in their style, their tricks, their personality on the water. Everyone has their favorite set up, favorite kite size and the discussions on what’s the best and makes you the next world champ can easily go on for hours. But they all do agree on one thing, and that is BOOTS. Especially when you’re doing competitions, you simply cannot afford losing your board in the middle of your heat. It secures you safer landings, gives you better pop, allows more control and the list goes on. You can for sure learn all the basic freestyle tricks on straps, like I did too. But boots are your catapult into the bigger tricks, into your next level. As soon as your first big tricks with a lot of impact are incoming and especially in the big blind as well as wrapped landings, you will have way more fun with boots than straps. Some days you might be into doing a big onefoot in the air or a Jesus walk over the water ala Tom Hebert style, but you don’t want your board to say “Ciaooo bellaaa” in the middle of your freestyle trick. And let’s be real, there’s not much that can beat a sick proper blind landing. Even if you’re into big air, boots allow you to go bigger, to hold the edge longer and let you land safe and secure, with both ankles where they’re supposed to be. There’s a reason why even in the King of the Air, riders prefer riding in boots. In my Italian words: Nobody wants to be a spaghetti in the air! You want to make your tricks look easy and proper, and with boots that is way easier to achieve. So whether it’s freestyle or big air loops, as soon as you feel like you want to hold the edge longer, pop bigger and land harder you will end up with boots. So go all in and don’t stop yourself from getting onto your next level! Go with full dedication in whatever you are hungry for in this sport! That’s the best part about kiting anyways. Gianmaria Coccoluto 33 O P P O S I T E 32 O P I N I O N RIDING STRAPS Kiting is an amazing sport where we are able to ride waves and do tricks similar to wakeboarding. But the one aspect of kiting that is truly unique to our sport is the ability to fly! It is the most impressive aspect of kiting to me. I prefer to use big sized kites in strong winds to be able to get maximum airtime. And then it’s all about creativity – there’s nothing better than mixing tricks, creating new ones and just playing with whatever the spot has to offer. Straps play an important role in that matter – they don’t limit my style or options. This means true kiteboarding to me. The part I most enjoy pushing is the old school tricks. I love simple tricks, playing around and including natural obstacles into my riding – the beach, trees, sliding on the water with my bare feet, or flipping my board. No need to build sliders. Straps enable me to just do whatever pops into my head at that moment. I love the freedom they provide to me. Don’t think too much, just be creative and keep it stylish. Of course I tried boots, but it’s just not the same. Straps, unlike boots, don’t lock me into one style of riding. If the wind picks up, I can just switch from freestyle to doing big jumps and board offs. I don’t have to go back to the beach to change my board. Safety is another factor with straps – I like having the option to eject my board if needed. For example, if I was coming in hot off a big kiteloop and something wasn’t right, I can easily release my board before impact. You don’t have this possibility with boots. Sure, it’s probably a little more technical to keep your board on when doing freestyle in straps, but being on tour for over 8 seasons the style went from old school big air and board offs to handle passes. Everyone at that time rode straps, so we learned to adapt to riding freestyle in straps. Now it’s just how we do it. Traveling as much as I do, straps do have another advantage. They are much lighter to carry and also they take up less space. Last but not least, it’s much easier to lend your gear to your friends to go for a session or to try your equipment out. Just a quick adjustment and it’s ready to go! To me, straps are the one and only – Keep it stylish, New Cal style! 32 O P I N I O N