Oahu Kiteboarding recap w/ pics

near Mokes

As I promised, I have some pics from Oahu to show you.  I am currently working on a little video to show the trip, but will recap some highlights for you with some pics.

North Shore Pipeline

First, I might mention that this wasn't a kiteboarding trip, but instead I was in Oahu mid-February for my little sister's wedding.  That being said, my family was very accommodating and I got to kite 3 separate times in my 8 day trip...so not a bad deal at all.

The first time I kited was in unusually rare conditions with the wind coming from the SW.  This means I got to walk out my condo and kite right in front of Waikiki Beach.  Totally rad.  The only bad thing is that my Contour Roam quit working, so I lost the helmet cam footage.  Add to that bummer, I also had my 10m RPM ripping right down the middle of the canopy along the ripstop tape.  I did get it professionally repaired when I returned, and thank goodness this was the only 10m day.

Waikiki

Pumping up on Waikiki Beach

Epic and rare conditions to ride in front of the city.

Yep, big ass hole in my kite :(

Nice sized group of us got the goodz!

Here is a quick video of the conditions and riding in front of Waikiki.  It is from my dad and wife's point and shot cameras, so the video isn't the best and I have done no editing.  Regardless...

After ripping my kite and coming in, I ended up meeting a kiter from Bellingham who was in Oahu visiting family.  His name is Eric Schlemer.  We exchanged numbers and planned to meet up and kite Kailua the following day.

When I gave him a call, he said he was instead going to take a boat to the Heeia Sandbar, and that if I wanted to, I could meet him and the launch and tag along.  Becky came with me, even though she is pregnant and couldn't kite.

That being said, the wind was pretty light, but the flat water was epic.  I had a bit of trouble staying upwind, but nothing I haven't dealt with on a light day at Jetty Island.  There is a Naval base close by, so there is even a pic of my kite with a plane flying overhead.

After kiting, we met my folks for some lunch and Monkey Mike's, which is a roach coach along the side of the highway.  It was awesome.  After that shopped a bit, until it was time to meet my folks at Halieva Joe's. pic below

Here are some other pics of Hawaii.  None of the related to kiting....but they show you some of the beauty that is everywhere in the Hawaiian Islands.

Stay tuned... I should have a recap video (edited by me, so don't expect much) posted shortly.

Also, I am totally stoked, Spring has finally arrived in Seattle, and the kiting has been epic for the last 4 days in a row and doesn't show signs of stopping for at least another week.  Hellz yeah.  Should have some local pics and video for you soon as well!

The Unofficial Snowkite Soldier.

So, Snowkite Soldier, a yearly snowkite poker run and competition in Camas Vally Idaho, was cancelled this year.

But it didn't stop some of us that already had time off, hotel reservations, and for some of us flights too...... from making the treck from both Seattle and Bellingham. About 15 or so of us in all....

We got there Friday morning, and got to ride Friday, Saturday, and Sunday. So it was a great trip all in all. The riding was pretty stellar, even if the first day was on a sheet of ice.

Still, it was quite beautiful.

I hope you see a little of that in this video.

We did have a storm blown in and cover everything with pow on day two.

We also had a good night on the town. Local snowkite tour guide Brad Gordon was kind enough to tell us where to go for the best drinks in town...and like the gentlemen that he is, each day he also kept us informed as to where the best snowkiting was to be found.

This video sucks...I am not an editor by any means, and I only used Windows Movie Maker.

This is really my first edited video ever and I was pretty lazy.

But hopefully you get to feel a little what it was like there. Maybe it will inspire you to start kiting through the sport of snowkiting.....

Both Cameron and Galloway learned how to snowkite while we were there.

I hope to get a better camera and to start using Adobe Premiere in the future.
Regardless, enjoy.....

-Theory

Winter Recap: Snowkiting, Oahu, and More....

So, first things first. I am sorry for the delay updating my blog.  I would like to say that it was because I wasn't getting any riding in...but that isn't true.  I have just been super busy traveling for both leisure and for business...and yes, I have had way more opportunities to ride this winter compared to last year.

Let's get right down to business then.
After a long cold Nov and Dec months with little to no riding, the month of Jan delivered by allowing me to score my first snowkite session in Snoqualmie Pass at Lake Skeechlus.

Here is a wind sensor reading for the day:

And yes, my friend Dan, aka Tuna and I were there riding from 11am to 2pm or so...right through the thick of it!  We had a ton of fun out there. When we got there, Tuna and I arrived to see some of the usual suspects just tearing down and leaving. They were on 6 and 7 meter kites....and the conditions were solid 7m conditions.

But as usual, I showed up somewhere with the wrong kite. No blaming it on Devon this time.....instead I blame it on Tuna!

Anyways, the two of us made the best of being way overpowered in blizzard-like conditions using our 10m kites, which were the smallest we brought with us. 
Duh...when will I learn to always, always bring all the kites I have when I go riding just to be sure I got the right size for the current conditions.

Like I said, we had a blast, other than being lit at times, the snow was deep and wind was ripping. It was very cold with near 20-30 ft visibility at times.  After a 200m walk in waist deep snow, yes we wore snowshoes, I was very tired but putting up a 10m in 7m conditions gets the blood pumping.

Anyways, enjoy the pics....

Pumping up...and it is cold out!!!!

surf mount shot

I am actually about 10 ft off the ground in this pic

Tuna rawks a tail press on a stump... legit!

Stringy line mount pic

Every so often Tuna entertains by charging through shrubs and bushes...

Stay tuned!  I hope to have an Oahu trip and Snowkite Soldier update posted real soon....

Fall riding - Damon Point

Damn, it's getting cold quick like in WA.  Did that stop me from getting out on the water. No sir...well, at least with a little push and shove my buddy Jeff Lamb, aka Loki (www.pskite.org webmaster) I agreed to road trip it to Ocean Shores to hit the epic spot known as Damon Point.

Jeff hit me up, as his wife and newborn baby were on their way to see the in-laws.  And Becky is out of town with her mom and sister....so could there be a better reason for two guys to head to the coast when the forecast is upgraded on Friday night?  Hell no, there is no better reason.  The wind is supposed to show up around 12pm and keep going from there.

So, after dropping Becky off at the airport, I get home and get the gear laid out.  Jeff arrives at 7am and we are on the road, a 3 hr trip, to Ocean Shores.  Our buddy John  Hausman gives me a ring at 7:30am to let me know he is also on the road.  We all meet up at a coffee shop in Aberdeen.  Then the caravan makes the last of the drive, arriving at Damon Point at 10:30 am-ish.

Damon Point

When we arrive there are already a few kites on the water.  Excitedly we jump out of the car into extremely chilly wind. 

John and Jeff concur "Sh*t it is cold out!"

Anyways, we suit up.  I even opt to wear a helmet just to keep me a little warmer.  If you know me then you also know I never wear a helmet....but I can honestly say that it has now become a part of my winter apparel because it did keep my head warmer in the cold wind.

I pump my 10m RPM.  It is just enough to be fully powered, not too much, just enough.  I ride for a good 3 hrs session.  At the point my legs are jelly I head in.  Dan aka Tuna invites us over to his place about 2 miles away for a lunch break....and a chance to warm up a bit.  We take up his offer and head over.  I am glad I had stopped in the morning and stocked up on beer and a sandwich, which I take advantage of at Dan's place.  After refueling and warming back up, we head back for another session.

Another 1 -2 hrs of awesome super lit 13m conditions wait us.  When we get off the water, barely able to stand up, the wind is still blowing.  That is how you know when it was an epic, epic day.  You stop riding because of exhaustion, even though the wind is still ripping.   Yeah, 100% epicnesss!!!

Before I leave though, I grab the camera from the car and get a few shots of my pals riding.

After packing up, and getting these epic pics, we head back to Dan's house.  A quick stop at the grocery store first to stock up on sausages and buns, cream cheese and jalapenos, and of course more beer is all we need to end a truly awesome day.

Dan and his roommate are quite the hosts....and after such an amazing day on the water I am not sure that any dawg has ever truly tasted this good.  I am beat.  Refueling was totally necessary in order to make the 3 hr trip back to Seattle.....but it was sooo worth it!!!!

Stay tuned....final Puerto Rico kitesurfing update is coming soon.  I just got the last of the pictures from our trip...which is what I had been waiting on for the last P.R. recap post.