Duotone NOW Magazine No.03 2022

Photos  Toby Bromwich Copy  Xxxxx Xxxxxxxxxx Nem accus. Hendis nessimus atem vollorit fuga. Et hici se nitaect emolupt aquiam a quam re plab imincimus. Pippa van Iersel I started kiting during the summer season in Holland when I was 14 years old. I had ideal conditions to learn: light wind, warm weather and the perfect teacher, my Dad. From the moment I first held a kite, I was addicted to every aspect of the sport and every step, from body dragging to flying 15 meters high and doing rotations. Holland is known to have a short summer season with stormy, rough weather during the rest of the year. I couldn’t wait for these conditions to arrive once I had learned how to kite. Where I would normally stay warm inside, I could now go to my new playground, put an additional shorty wetsuit under my 4 / 3 to get that extra layer of warmth, I loved it! Kiting in the stormy, cloudy, rainy days gave me so much adrenaline and it still does. Back then my parents had given me a 5m kite for Christmas that I shared with my sister. Luckily for me, she wasn’t as keen on bad weather kiting so on most of the windy days I was able to go out together with my dad. While pumping our kites, feeling the strong breeze through my hair, that was the moment when the adrenaline would kick in. I would pump as fast as I could to get out on the water. When the wind was too strong my Dad would walk me to the water and hold my harness until I had both feet in the straps, ready to go. Cruising as fast as possible behind each other, barely being able to hold down my 5m kite felt amazing. When my Dad started jumping in front of me that really opened my eyes and I wanted to do the same. This is when I started doing jumps and rotations. The only part I disliked about those winter sessions was the cold toes and fingers. On the water I would sometimes just pee into my wetsuit to get warm, this would help, at least for a brief moment. After the session, I would run upstairs with both my wetsuits on and go straight into the shower. What a bad idea that was – I was crying in the shower from cold pains in my hands and feet! This was the key learning from back then: Never go straight into a hot shower after a cold session, no matter how tempting it is! Once I was warmed up and relaxing on the couch with some hot chocolate, I would think back to the adventure I just had on the water and it would always give me the biggest smile. This feeling made me want more, willing to go back and do it over and over again, no matter the conditions, it was just so much fun. Nowadays I am very privileged to have sponsors like Duotone and O’Neill by my side, providing me with the best gear. Having a hooded 5 / 4 wetsuit, gloves and wetsuit booties to stay warm during a winter session makes such a difference. It’s crazy how wetsuits and kites have evolved over the years. But one thing that remains is to have fun on the water! Photos  Lidewij Hartog E N D L E S S S E A S O N 58 E N A B L I N G D R E A M S 59 E N A B L I N G D R E A M S