 |
|
| |
Go
Fly a Kite
by Jennifer Dawson
nnnnnnnnnnAll shots
by Dick Gustafson of
PacificSurfimages.com
Learn to Kiteboard with Mark Brog
What Los Angeles
surfer doesn’t lament the spring and summer
winds as the valley heats up and draws the cooler
ocean air into the suburbs leaving us with blown
out conditions throughout most of the daylight
hours? Many an afternoon this summer I watched
as surfers left the water, tucking their boards
tight under their arms to meet the wind just
as kitesurfers (aka as kiteboarders) were setting
up on the beach. As we changed into our clothes
by the road we watched as the kiteboarders set
sail and took off making the most of what appeared
to be the very worst of conditions from our
vantage point. Inevitably a small group of surfers
gather beachside to contemplate the skill and
dynamics of kitesurfing… and if you are
like me you have said to yourself or to the
guy/gal standing next to you “I have got
to try that…”
Kiteboarding, according to the Professional
Air Sports Association (PASA) website “is
the fastest growing new water sport [and is
the] infusion of multiple other sports such
as kiteflying, wakeboarding and windsurfing.”
Depending on your source where and just how
kitesurfing originated is up for some debate
but it’s most recent evolution took place
on Maui when surfers like Laird Hamilton put
it on the “extreme sports” map in
the late 1990’s. The sport has many advantages
over other water/wind sports like windsurfing,
(requires less wind and equipment), wakeboarding
(no boat necessary) and even surfing (more opportunity
to catch waves, bigger airs and most significantly
--- no paddling).
Kiteboarding has its hazards and PASA was established
in 1997 to regulate the new air sports and offer
a standardization of skills for athletes as
well as certification for instructors. Due to
a handful of accidents involving kitesurfers
the sport has been banned on several US beaches
and waterways so many local councils have been
established to “police” and monitor
kitesurfers such as the Torrance Beach Kite
Patrol. If you are thinking about learning how
to kitesurf in the Los Angeles area, local shaper/surfer
Mark Brog of Soul Performance offers lessons
as well as rentals in the South Bay. According
the Brog, having board sports experience is
helpful but kiteboarding is “80% learning
how to fly a kite.” To start the novice
rents a trainer kite, which you learn to maneuver
and master from the beach before heading out
into the water. From there the beginner will
take a lesson or two or more to master the various
size kites and conditions required before purchasing
his/her own personal gear. Unlike windsurfing,
wakeboarding and even surfing the learning curve
is much shorter and the benefits appear to be
relatively immediate; in almost no time a kiteboarder
can be safely performing aerials even in flat
conditions. Being an avid surfer myself and
a bit of a purist I just had to ask Brog, which
he prefers – surfing or kiteboarding.
He smiled and sighed, “Well, I don’t
know… I would drop a surf session to go
kiteboarding, I guess. But, “ he pauses
as a huge smiles spreads across his face, “last
week I got tubed while surfing and you can’t
beat that.”Considering the rarity of the
barrel ride in Los Angeles county I just might
learn how to fly a kite myself.
To contact Mark Brog and learn more about kiteboarding
lessons and gear:
Soulperformance.com
2215 1/2 Artesia Blvd.
Redondo Beach, CA 90278
310.370.1428
|
| |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
