Duotone NOW Magazine No.03 2022

Lasse Walker Travelling or not, cold or warm, I’ll check the forecast every single day wherever I am. Not one week goes by without being on the water for a session. Riding big air, strapless or foiling in light wind, it’s become my main form of meditation and I need it regularly to keep a smile on my face. Regardless of the temperature I prefer to ride without booties or gloves. This way I have a better connection with my board and bar. All of the Duotone products and especially the SLS range give so much feedback, I don’t want to have anything between myself and my connection to the gear. So at home in The Netherlands, standing next to my car after a session not being able to open my wetsuit due to a lack of feeling in my fingers from the cold is a regular thing. When the weather gets so cold that riding barefoot is no longer an option it’s time for the warmest setup possible, a full 6 mm hooded wetsuit, booties and open palm gloves. With those gloves, your hands will definitely stay warmer, but they still allow you to hold your bar with bare hands. Of course, I sometimes dream of a nice sunny beach with palm trees and coconuts, but I feel facing the cold and being truly in nature and its wild elements is an even bigger challenge. Thunder in paradise is what excites me! When most people would say “I would never jump in that ocean with those cold temperatures” I will do it, finding true joy, passion and excitement in it. That’s the feeling I love deeply. The cold never holds me back and I don’t really fear it either. As a meditation form, I love to take an ice bath and train my mind. Cold is just an emotion and the mind is in control. Once I’m out on the water my mind is focused on kiteboarding with everything else receding into the background.  Photo  Mark Beijk Photo  Ydwer van der Heide E N D L E S S S E A S O N 61 E N A B L I N G D R E A M S 60 E N A B L I N G D R E A M S