Issue link: https://bluemagazine.uberflip.com/i/25123
The idea of using kites for transport has been around for a long time. In 18th century England, one man had the bright idea of attaching two kites to his cart to ferry him and his family to speeds of up to 20 miles per hour between London and Bristol to avoid taxes. On the other side of the English Channel, Dutch skaters gripped kites as they barreled down Holland's frozen canals. Even Ben Franklin was rumored to have used a kite to cross a lake. In the early 1980s Phil Huff, an American outdoor enthusiast, designed a traction kite that could pull him and his gear on skis through the backcountry so he could log more miles, more qUickly. He called It the UpSki. Since then, the UpSki has been used to haul 200-pound sleds across Antarctica and drag alpine skiers 30 miles per hour up steep Chilean vol- canoes. On the plains of the Midwest, kiteskiers can beat snowmobilers across the flats. Soon after the UpSki was invented, the focus of kiting changed and it began to be recognized as an activity in its own right. "We realized it was more fun going up than down: says Phil. "Now we ski down just so we can go back up again: . . . People who kite on water have always known this. While kites are sometimes used to reach a break, the ride is generally seen as the end in itself. In the late 1970s William Roeseler, an MIT-trained astronautical engineer, began experimenting with kite-propelled Hobie cats that eventu- ally led to his son Corey's Kiteski prototype. By the late 1980s Cory was turn- ing heads at windsurfing competitions by beating high profile athletes on his Kiteski. An ocean away, France's Legaignoux brothers were coming up with their own version-the Wipika marine wing. Around this time, big names began to flock to kitesurfing, draw- ing more and more converts. According to the Maui Kiteboard Association, "The modern era really began about five years ago when Laird Hamilton and Manu [Emanuel Bertin] gained recognition for the sport on Maui's north shore: These guys were renowned watergods: they rode the biggest waves on the planet and windsurfed the strongest tradewinds. Laird Hamilton, one of the people involved in the inven- tion of tow-in surfing, was intrigued by the idea of kitesurfing . "I was excited by the concept of being pulled by a kite-and I was amazed at the power and freedom it gave me on the water: The recent surge in popularity in both land and water- based kiting has been fuelled by new designs making it possible to go faster, further, higher. Surfboards used for kiting are either specifical- ly designed for kitesurfing or you can convert a traditional surfboard. Standard wakeboards will do, but waterskis need to be a bit longer and wider. Skateboarders may want to try a mountain board in con- junction with a kite. For snowboarders, the more metal edge the bet- ter. Windsurfers, and others familiar with ergonomics, will find the transition to kiting easy. It requires balance, quick reflexes, judgement and respect for the wind's power. Harness a piece of it and go fly a kite.-BEN KOPKE ADDITIONAL REPORTING BY GARY JOYCE LEARN MORE, CHECK OUT: KITE BOARDING: HTTP://TOR-PW1.NETCOM.CAI-HUNGVU/KITESURFING. HTM KITESURFING: WWW.WIPIKA.COM KITESKIING: WWW.UPSKI.COM/UPINFOI KITEBUGGYING: WWW.KITES.ORG/JO/BUGGYING.HTML EVERYTHING TO DO WITH KITING: HTTP://DMOZ.ORG/RECREATION/KITES 27