Lose the Straps » Sideshow’s Blog http://www.losethestraps.com Dedicated to the progression and evolution of strapless kitesurfing! Thu, 02 Sep 2010 05:08:21 +0000 http://wordpress.org/?v=2.9.2 en hourly 1 Board Meeting http://www.losethestraps.com/?p=20 http://www.losethestraps.com/?p=20#comments Wed, 21 May 2008 14:22:05 +0000 sideshow http://www.losethestraps.com/?p=20 I’ve been lucky to be involved in testing a new skimboard dedicated solely to kitesurfing.  Let me start by saying that testing ain’t easy.  Firstly, I’m not a shaper, so if I don’t like the feel of something, I don’t know what will fix it.  Secondly, it’s hard to choose the perfect shape!  One rides better upwind, but the other does shovits better and has more pop.  So what’s better?  Argggh.  It’s cool to be involved in the process.  I’m learning a lot about board shaping and how important it is to shape the prototype as close to the specs as possible of the final molded production board.  At any rate, we are making progress and we already have features like a grab rail and possible twin-fin inserts that will make this one of a kind.  What’s nice is that this shape won’t be some hybrid between a skimboard and a mutant or twin tip.  It’s a classic skim shape that will be tuned to provide maximum light wind performance, pop, handling, and ease of use in the grabs and aerials.

In other news, we put a kicker out the other day and Kevin Steen was hitting it on a skimboard  – impressive.  This is just another aspect of strapless riding that I didn’t even think to pursue.  Thanks Kevin for opening up another door into the strapless realm.  I’m still working up the cojones to hit the thing, seeing how it sits on an old Hobie cat hull, you will pay if you screw up on this one…

]]> http://www.losethestraps.com/?feed=rss2&p=20 1 Set your feet free and your mind will follow… http://www.losethestraps.com/?p=17 http://www.losethestraps.com/?p=17#comments Sun, 30 Mar 2008 18:53:21 +0000 sideshow http://www.losethestraps.com/?p=17 I remember about five years ago riding 16-20m C kites struggling on the lightwind days.  Let’s face it, lightwind was a four letter word and we were all doomed to frustration by riding medium to high wind twin tips with huge kites.  My friend Daryl Drown advised me to get a skimboard so I could start enjoying those light conditions.  After all, I live and ride in a place that is well known for it’s lack of wind.  So I took his advise and never looked back.  The skimboard first opened my my eyes to riding two kite sizes smaller than others on the water.  What a difference on those hot summer days!  I experimented with footstraps, fins, wax, pads, etc. to find the best overall configuration for the skimmer, but it came full circle back to the purity of the shape – no fins, no footstraps…  set your feet free. 

Skimboards led to wakeskates and to surfboards then back to skimboards; next came aerials, olies, grabs, handle passes, and shovits.  With no foot straps, I had allowed my creativity to take over…  my mind was free.  The beauty of riding any board without straps is the freedom that comes with it.  Each session is different – it can be an easy going relax ride or a quest to come off the water with a new trick under my belt.

Whether it’s a wakeskate, skimboard, and/or surfboard; or waves, chop, and/or glassy flats, riding strapless transcends it all and un-straps your feet to push kitesurfing into a limitless number directions.  Want to freshen your outlook on kitesurfing?  Get on the water, lose the straps, set your feet free and your mind will follow.

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