2^nd in Germany PKRA!!

Today the double eliminations finished up. It was an amazing day for me and I was able to keep my 2^nd place. I only had 3 heats, but they were awesome heats for me. The first one was against 2009 world champion Kevin Langeree. I just went as big as possible on my 13 metre, landing the regular stuff, 3 switch and a big Frontmobe to blind. I progressed through to again verse Alex Pastor. Since he won the single eliminations, I had to beat him twice in a row to win the event. My first heat against him was my best heat of the competition. I dropped down to my 11 metre, but the wind had picked up quickly, so I was more powered than in my previous heat against Kevin. I put together a great heat and won in a unanimous 5/0 decision with the judges. So now it was even between me and Alex and I had to beat him again to win the event. Again, I had a great heat, landing pretty much the exact same tricks as in my previous 2 heats. Unfortunately, in a 3/2 decision, the heat and the event went to him.

I’m so happy with 2^nd here in Germany. I’m stoked how I’m riding and I’m feeling really confident going into the next competition in Fuerteventura!! I’ll be at the event site there in a few days to train and get ready for hopefully a win there J.

2^nd in singles PKRA Germany

Yesterday the singles finished here in St. Peter-Ording, Germany. It took a few days to get through all of it due to inconsistent wind, but we got there in the end. It went awesome for me. I progressed through all of my heats against some great riders to make it to the winners’ final against Alex Pastor.

The wind on this final day of single elimination was quite strong and the water conditions made it very challenging to line up a trick and ride away clean. I was stoked to make it to the final against Alex so I went out with the intention to just ride as big as possible.

I had a great heat for the conditions, landing almost all of my tricks. I did the regular stuff, 3 switch and a frontmobe to blind. I was happy to put up a good show but unfortunately it wasn’t enough for 1^st place. So yeah, I’m sooo happy with 2^nd and hopefully I can keep and then better it in the doubles!!

4^th in Morocco PKRA

I have been in Morocco for the past week now competing in the 4^th PKRA tour event in Essaouira. I arrived all the way from Australia so it was quite a few long days of travel.

The spot here is pretty nice, but very different to what I’m used to. The wind blows offshore and is really strong and gusty. It’s so hard to perform in heats here because the conditions are just so challenging, but I still managed to have some good heats throughout the competition J.

After getting eliminated relatively early in the single eliminations draw by Austrian rider Michael Schitzhofer, I was so keen to make my way back up the ladder in the doubles. I progressed through 4 consecutive heats in the double eliminations draw against some good riders. My most difficult heats were against Dominican Republic rider, Ariel Corniel and Michael Schitzhofer. I was so happy to progress through these heats but I was eventually beaten by Italian rider, Alberto Rondina, to place me 4^th overall for the event. I’m pretty happy with this!!

I had a great time in my week long stay in Morocco. It’s a pretty unique place and I even got to go in a camel race with some of the other riders!

Anyway, I’m now on my way to the next event in Germany.

PKRA Cabarete, Dominican Republic

Yeww, I just got home from Cabarete after the 3^rd PKRA tour event there. The Cabarete event was my first ever PKRA back in 2008, and since it didn’t happen last year, this was my first time back there. It was so great to go back to where it all started for me on the tour. Back in 2008 I was a random rookie on the tour and this year, I went into the event ranked number 1 (:.

Unfortunately, the competition didn’t go too well for me. I had a really good single elimination, progressing through a few heats against some good riders. I versed local Dominican Republic champion Ariel Corniel relatively early in the draw. He was on fire on his local beach, and unfortunately for me, he put me out of the singles. He went on the win the singles so this made me feel a bit better (:. I’m stoked that Ariel did so well on his home turf (:.

The next day I competed in the double eliminations. The wind was just too light. I was running up the beach for my whole heat and couldn’t get off the water. It’s pretty lame when heats run in wind like that but I guess that’s competition; the organisers want the event to finish at all costs. I only had one heat on this day against another local, Alex Soto. He beat me, leaving me with 9^th for the competition. Then the heat directly after mine got postponed due to the wind…. Pretty devastated.

Anyway I’m home now for just over a week before I leave for a massssssssive trip to Morocco, Germany and Canary Islands. I’ll bounce back in these events (:.

WORLD NUMBER 1 AND CLOSE ESCAPE FROM VOLCANIC ASH

Final results of the France Event are

1 Andy Yates

2 Youri Zoon

3 Alex Pastor

4 Kevin Langeree

I am stoked to win this event which after 2 events gives me the No. 1 tour ranking for the 2010 tour season so far.

The next event is Cabarette in June, can’t wait!

I was really lucky to get home as my flights in France and from Heathrow were cancelled because of the volcanic ash clouds over all Europe..

I was woken up early on Friday, the day after the competition, with news to get packed up as quick as possible, as I was going to Barcelona, Istanbul and home instead of Paris, London then home!!!!

These are the people I wish to thank for helping me get home to Australia and escape the volcanic ash:

My brother Peter for coming to France with me and for his support

Mélanie from Office Municipal de Tourisme de Leucate

Pascal Maka, event organizer, for arranging my car transport to Barcelona at such short notice. Without Pascal I could not have got to Barcelona on time for  the flights.

Ben Earl from Flight Centre Mooloolaba. Your time and expertise to check all possibilities and finally grab the last 2 seats on the Turkish Airlines flights is much appreciated.

And finally to Qantas for changing our flights to get us home from Singapore on Sunday, a day earlier than scheduled. As always Qantas is really professional and helpful, and the lounges are great on these long haul flights.

This worked out well for me but I really feel sorry for all the travelers stranded by the flight disruptions. I hope it resolves soon.

Of course this whole trip would not have been possible without the support of my sponsors--- Slingshot International and Australia, Mystic, SolRx sunscreen, SunCoast Cable, Kawana Fitness and Endura Sports Nutrition. And also the Mondial Du Vent organizer and their sponsors for putting on an awesome event, despite some frustrating weather conditions.

1^st in France PKRA Singles!!

I have just won the single eliminations for the first time ever.

The competition here in Leucate, France couldn’t have gone any better for me. Although the conditions were challenging for me, I managed to climb my way to 1^st overall.

A highlight for me was again beating the current world champion, Kevin Langeree in the semi final. I had a really good heat and I was so stoked to pass through to the final. I’m so happy I’ve managed to beat the top guys in two successive competitions. This gives me more and more confidence going into every competition.

The final was against Youri Zoon. I’d never beaten Youri before so I gave it everything I had. I had my best heat for the day against him, landing all my tricks, some switch and some doubles in some challenging, variable winds. I thought I might have done enough to take the win but I wasn’t sure. Youri is always a great competitor and really hard to beat. When they announced me as the winner I was so happy.

I still can’t believe that I won the single eliminations and am now sitting in 1^st. The double eliminations will run in the next few days. I’m going to keep my 1^st place J.

Thailand Podium Finish!!

The doubles have just finished and I placed 3^rd overall!! My first podium finish on the PKRA. I only had one heat in the doubles after making it to the winners final two in the singles. I went up against Kevin Langeree to hold 2^nd, but unfortunately I didn’t have my best heat and he got the win, making me 3^rd. This is my best result ever on the PKRA and I’m so happy to start this year so well. Hopefully I can continue to keep placing high on the podium throughout the year J. Now I’m looking forward to chilling out at home getting ready for the next event in France in 2 weeks.

2^nd in Singles!! PKRA Thailand

Yesterday the singles finished. Wow, what an amazing day for me. I made it to the winners’ final against Alex Pastor to place 2^nd overall for the single eliminations. This is the best I’ve ever gone in the singles by FAR!! I’m so happy about this. Congrats to Alex for winning in the singles.

On the way to Alex in the final, I beat Marc Jacobs, Mike Blomvall, and the world champion, Kevin Langeree. Beating the top guys like Kevin Langeree was something for me that was so close but yet so far away. I am just so happy that I was able to win against the world champion in a 4-1 decision.

The doubles will start when there is wind, but for now I just can’t believe how good the singles went for me. Hopefully I will better my 2^nd in the doubles to win the whole event. But regardless of how it goes from here, this is the perfect start to the 2010 season for me!!

New Video - ATM2

Check out the new ATM video featuring me, Torrin Bright and Marc Jacobs

Australian National Champion again

I’ve been back home after recently winning the Australian National Titles in St. Kilda, Melbourne. Although this was only a national event, it was just as important to me as an international event. I felt that there was a lot of pressure on me to do well and I was so relieved to win. I won the single eliminations in light wind against some solid riders, and then went on to remain unbeaten in the double eliminations. St. Kilda was a pretty cool location for the competition. The water was flat behind a big pier, and although the wind was light for the event, the riding standard was high.

I leave for the first PKRA event for the year in just over 2 weeks to Thailand. It’s the first ever Asian PKRA event, so I’m really keen to get there, train up and start off my PKRA season with a great result.

CORE Slider Jam, Perth

I've been in Perth for a few days now for the 3rd annual CORE Online Magazine Slider Jam. The event is always good for a bit of a change from regular competition. Due to university exams, I arrived the day of the competition. I got to fly business class for the first time which was awesome!

The first day of the competition was blowing nuclear winds but today was perfect for some slides. I was on my 9 metre the whole day. It was my first day on sliders since last year's event. After a great day of freeriding, the riders voted the winners for the event.

I am here in Perth for another few days before going to the Australian Nationals in Melbourne!

New Caledonia Double Elimination

After making it to the 3^rd round in the Singles, I was hoping to make it pass a few heats today in the Doubles. First up, I drew Sebastien Garat. I had a sweet heat against him landing almost all of my tricks on my 11 metre. I think it was close but I was lucky enough to pass to the next round. Then I went up against the local New Caledonian hero, Tom Hebert. At this point the wind was starting to dramatically drop and I hadn’t pumped up my 13 metre kite, so I just dealt with my 11 metre. I was underpowered for the start of the heat but just tried to go as big as I could. Tom was powered on his bigger kite so I just kited as best I could. Towards the end of our heat I was slightly more powered, and threw my Frontmobe to Blind, Mobe to Wrapped and KGB to Blind. It was super close but I think my KGB to Blind just won it for me J. As it turned out, this was a very important heat for me. With my win over Tom, this ensured me 5^th place in the overall PKRA 2009 World Tour standings. This was my goal at the start of the year, and I’m so happy to achieve this. Top 5 in the world, I still can’t believe it!

Next I came up against Aaron Hadlow. He got knocked out in the same round as me in the Singles so I knew he’d be out to get back up to the top. I knew I had to bring everything I had, so I did. I had probably my best heat but unfortunately, in a 2-1 decision, it went to Aaron. So overall for this event I placed 6^th. Stoked!!

New Caledonia Single Elimination

Today the singles ran to completion. I had a pretty good day; I had a bye in the first round which was pretty easy! In the second round I came up against Michael Dimclaux, a top local rider. I had seen him in some of my freeride sessions in the days leading up to today and he had been throwing some nice tricks. I had a pretty good heat, landing most of my stuff and finishing with a powered KGB to Blind. I was stoked to come away with the win. Next I came up against Youri Zoon in the 3^rd round. He was riding awesome in his previous heats so I knew it was going to be a tough one. I opted to use my 11 metre kite but just before our heat, the wind jumped up another 5 knots. We were both so powered in our heat which was pretty entertaining. I did an awesome unintentional board off. I thought I threw together a good powered heat but he got the win, knocking me out for 5^th place for the singles. I’m pretty happy with this.

In New Caledonia

I have arrived in New Caledonia a week before the last PKRA World Tour event for 2009. I’m so happy that there is finally an event so close to home! It was so nice to just get on a few hour plane trip and arrive at the event site all fresh and not jet-lagged for once. I competed here for last year’s Teri Pacific Cup so I am familiar with the conditions here. Perfect flat water and smooth winds for an 11 metre kite; perfect for me. Can’t wait for the event to start on the 25^th.

Middle School Kiteboarding Program

With the support from KiteThrills, Kawana State School on the Sunshine Coast has officially brought kiteboarding to their school, becoming the first school in Australia to do so. Kiteboarding will join the school’s elite aquatic programme, alongside surfing and other outdoor water sports. This is fantastic for kiteboarding in Australia.

So for the last few Friday afternoons, myself and Mike Walker from KiteThrills have been teaching the Kawana students out on the open beach of Bokarina. I was initially concerned about Mike and me teaching 15 students at one time, but they all picked the skills up so fast and literally taught themselves. Most of the students are seasoned surfers so they were so quick to grasp the concepts and get up on the board. It was so good to see them get up on the board and go down the beach, quickly run back upwind and give the kite to the next student.

I think that if other schools see the success of this kiteboarding program, they too will follow suit and bring kiteboarding to their own school. It would be such a massive boost for the sport if kiteboarding becomes mainstream in coastal schools. Only time will tell but in the mean time, I’ll just concentrate on getting the Kawana students safely into the sport.

Coolum Kite Festival Downwinder 3^rd-4^th October

This weekend I competed in the 5^th annual Coolum Kite Festival Downwinder race. The 15 kilometre open ocean race is part of the Coolum Kite Festival which draws thousands of people from around Australia. It’s always a cool event and it was great to chill on the beach with friends and watch the massive novelty kites in the air. There was every type of kite imaginable; from stingray kites to teddy bear kites.

During the 2008 race, I was on the other side of the world competing in Chile for the PKRA, so this year it was great to once again do the race.

The start of the race was pretty hectic. Over 40 kiters lined the shoreline and as the start horn sounded, there was a mad flurry of kites all over the place and their respective kiters jousting for an initial lead. It was pretty comical, it took me two goes to actually get up on my board and start the tack down the beach, and by the time I sorted myself out I was amongst the middle of the pack.

The wind was about 12-14 knots and I slowly caught up to the front of the pack. It was great to be out on the open ocean with all the other racers and it was pretty funny racing against my friends and local kiters.

As I came in to the beach to finish, I tried to make a smooth transition from standing on my board to running up the beach, but over judged my speed and noobed up completely on the beach and crashed my kite. I ended up finishing 3^rd which I was pretty stoked about for the kite size I had. The 15 km race took about 25 minutes so the pace was pretty good for the wind.

Germany Double Elliminations

The forecasts were right, a perfect direct onshore 20 knots all day. This was my kind of wind, onshore, flat water and steady winds powered on my 11 metre. Today I had some dream heats. First up I was against Alberto Rondina. I had been watching Rondina in his previous heats and he was racking up 5/6 switch in most of his heats. I knew that he would be hard to beat so I went out against him to just land as many powered and switch tricks as possible. I had an awesome heat, landing pretty much all of my tricks and not crashing once. Next up was Alex Pastor, in a rematch from Fuerte. I really wanted to win this one and it ended up being my best heat of the competition. We both had really good heats but 30 seconds to go I thought I was behind so I decided to go for a KGB to blind and secure the win. I lined it up with less than 10 seconds to go and went for it, landing it clean as with the kite low. As I was claiming it, I heard the buzzer go. I won the heat 5-0 with my last trick in the last 10 seconds. I was over the moon.

I then had similar heats against Ariel Corniel and Reno Romeu, although tiring a lot in Reno’s heat. All of my heats were very similar and consistent which I was super stoked about. After beating Reno I realised I was guaranteed 4^th so I went into my 5^th heat of the day against Youri with a smile on my face. At this stage, I was so incredibly tired. Youri is probably not the best person to verse when you’re tired but I gave it my all, but crashed a fair bit. He had a really good heat and deserved to win, putting me out of the competition with an overall position of 4^th, my best result ever.

Germany Single Elliminations

Here in St. Peter-Ording it’s from one extreme to the next. After a few days with not enough wind for competition, today the wind was enough, 35 knots to be precise. The wind was pretty much directly onshore and gusted up to some crazy winds as each rainy storm squall passed. It was amazing that despite this, so many spectators came out to watch in not exactly the most pleasant viewing conditions. There are so many good German riders here that went through the qualifications competition. There are definitely some to look out for. Before the competition started I put up my 7 metre hoping I could hold it for some moves, but to no prevail. There was no way I would be able to even unhook let along unhook and do a move. Dominican rider Ariel Corniel went out in the practise run with me also on his 7 metre and did some of the biggest boosts I have ever seen. There was talk of postponing the event temporarily but in the end, it ran as scheduled. I decided to take out my 5 metre in my first heat in solid 35 knots against the Dutch rider, TijnVan Esch. It was so crazy competing in the conditions but I managed to land 4 tricks (Blind Judge 3, 313, Slim, S1) and even a drag up the beach, narrowly missing a Jet Ski anchored nearby. I was pretty sure that I’d go through and I did; a huge relief. The next heat I was against one of the best German riders, Stefan Permien in slightly less wind. At the start of the heat, Stefan had an unfortunate release of his safety leash which took him out for a few minutes. I had a great heat on my 5 metre, capitalising on his time not riding by landing my regular and switch tricks. I went on to win the heat and again make it to the 3^rd round twice in a row; first in Fuerteventura, now here. I was so happy as this will make the Doubles that much easier. Soon after I was again against Kevin Langeree, the 3^rd time this year. In this heat I started to really get into the swing of my 5 metre. I started really good with some powered kite low tricks but then crashed a few tricks as Kevin started to get more tricks down. He landed a nice Frontmobe 5 to win the heat. This puts me in the same position in the Singles as Fuerte, which I’m stoked about!! Doubles will be tomorrow in a perfect forecasted wind of 20 knots.

In Germany

Today I boarded a direct flight from Fuerteventura Airport to Hamburg Airport, and then got a shuttle bus here to the event site in St. Peter-Ording. I was told that the German event is always massive but I had no idea it was this big. It’s a village on the beach!!

The wind forecast doesn’t look much good for at least a few days, which is good because it gives me time to rest up and prepare for competing again. It’s much colder than Fuerte and it’s usually raining here so it’s awesome that the riders have their own pimped out lounge with food, drinks, PS2 and a Jacuzzi. Today the tide came up so high that the entire village was underwater and we had to frantically tie all our bags up to the side of the gear storage tent walls before it too was underwater.

Fuerte Double Elliminations

Day 1

After getting to the 3^rd Round in the Singles, I got to relax for a few hours before my heat. As it turned out, I was drawn against Tom Hebert who got knocked out early in the Singles by Youri Zoon. The wind was quite good in our heat and I went on my 9 metre. I had a really good heat, one of my best ones in the competition for the wind, landing a 313-5, grabbed non-inverted slim chance, mobe 5, regular and switch KGB, S3, blind judge 3, and front mobe. I went on to win the heat to be in the 7^th place position overall, with Alex Pastor as my next opponent. The wind got stronger so I pumped up my 7 metre, but just before our heat the competition was cancelled for the day, leaving us first heat on the water the next day.

Day 2

I was first on the water today against Alex Pastor. I knew I had to kite well against Alex as he had always done very well at this event in previous years. I had a really good heat on my 11 metre, throwing in some switch tricks and a Backmobe to Wrapped. I was nervous coming into the beach as I didn’t see Alex’s tricks but soon after I was announced the winner. This made me 6^th overall, equal to my best result ever. I was stoked with this and extremely happy to beat someone of Alex’s calibre. Cesar Portas had got back up the draw and was drawn against me in my next heat. He had shown good form in today’s heats so I went out with the same plan that had got me this far. I had a really good heat, landing some switch moves and a Frontmobe to Blind and a Backmobe to Wrapped. I was pretty confident but unfortunately this time it swung the other way. This means I got 6^th place overall which I am extremely happy with.

I now have two days to get to St. Peter-Ording in Germany for the next event. I am hoping to continue my run of good kiting and results there and hopefully better my 6^th place here!!

Fuerte Single Elliminations

Day 1

Today was the first day of competition. I felt confident going into today as I had got somewhat used to the conditions here. I was drawn up against a young Russian rider, Sergey Borisov in my first heat. I had a good heat on my 7 metre, landing a 313, non-inverted slim, mobe 5, blind judge, KGB and a front mobe and took the win which I was stoked about. Next I came up against Cesar Portas in Round 2. Previous to this competition I had never made it past this round in the Single Eliminations. I was hoping this was my day to get to the 3^rd Round for the first time. The wind had picked up and was blowing about 30 knots for the heat. I went out with the plan to just land some really powered tricks, and I did. I managed to throw together a good heat and I was so relieved when I was announced the winner. Tomorrow I will be against Kevin. I’m going to go for it.

Day 2

I was up in one of the first heats of the day against Kevin. With my ranking I seem to be facing Kevin a lot which is both good and bad. He is obviously really hard to beat, but I also gain a lot of experience just being out on the water against him. I started pretty good but didn’t put together the heat I had planned on. Unfortunately I didn’t get though but I’m super stoked to have got this far in the Singles. Can’t wait for the Doubles.

First kite in Fuerte

Today I had my first session right at the event site. It’s hard to pick which kite to use here as the wind is blowing offshore over huge hills and very gusty; one minute you are thinking of pumping up your 9 meter, then 7 metre or 5 metre the next. Today I opted for my 7 metre which turned out to be the correct choice. My session started good but about 10 minutes in, my leash buckle broke and I was forced to go back and get my spare. It was an inconvenience but I know I’m lucky it didn’t happen in a heat. I went out again after sorting the leash situation out. The wind got much stronger and gustier and it was really tough going. It was some of the most intense conditions I’d ever been out in. The wind pulsated so much it was extremely difficult just to line up a trick let alone do it. Towards the end of the session, I was beaten up but I did manage to land some good stuff (Blind Judge 3, 313, Backmobe, Slim, KGB, and Frontmobe) which I was happy about. Hopefully I can get used to the conditions and feel more at home the next few days before the competitions starts.

First few days in Fuerteventura

I have arrived here in Fuerteventura a week before the 2^nd PKRA event for the year starts. It was a massive trek to get here so for the last few days I have just been relaxing and checking out the conditions. This is my first time here in Fuerteventura and I am staying in a really nice hotel a few hundred metres from the event site. I was shocked to discover on my arrival just how desolate this place is; it’s literally a desert.

I can see the event site from my room which is sweet. I’m aiming to kite tomorrow to get an initial feel for the conditions.

June 20^th: Green Island Session, Great Barrier Reef

Due to a marginal wind forecast for the mainland, today I decided to go out to Green Island, a tiny island on the Great Barrier Reef about 30 kilometres out from Cairns.

The island is in fact an ancient coral cay with a huge expanse of coral gardens surrounding the lush, tropical green island. A wonderful sight as it got bigger and bigger as we approached the island’s dock.

It was low tide and razor sharp exposed reef went out about three hundred metres from the shore where I was standing. I could see a really nice sandy lagoon way out but the coral in between posed some issues. Nevertheless, I decided to launch on a rocky stretch of beach and slowly but surely make my way out by foot. After a very cautious tip toe in between coral, I reached just enough water to kite the remaining distance to the lagoon.

Initially I was slightly hesitant to do all my tricks because nothing was between me and the open ocean downwind. However, a windsurfer came out shortly after and I felt more comfortable knowing he would retrieve my kite if something unforeseen happened. I went on to have one of the best sessions this year. Just tacking around the amazing coral and marine life of the Great Barrier Reef is something special. Towards the end of the session I was cruising around over patches of coral just looking. By that time, the tide was higher and I was able to ride all the way in to the beach where I started. This session will forever stand out in my mind as something special and memorable.

KiteLife Magazine

Check out the new KiteLife magazine. I have a section in there about "What is Style" along with some other riders. Check it out.

Issue 7 of the CORE Online Magazine is OUT!!

Check out the latest edition of the CORE Online Magazine. The best shots out there. Enjoy.

www.coreonlinemagazine.com

June 18^th: Port Douglas Downwinder

Today I did one of the best downwinders ever, from just North of Yorkeys Knob to Port Douglas. Six local Cairns kiters accompanied me on the 15 km stretch of amazing coastline. The group of us had to leave a car at Port Douglas for pick up, and then drive back down to where we would start. The troubling thing for me was that on both drives, I saw big saltwater Crocodiles lying up on the sand bank of a river that we would pass on our downwinder. A worrying thought….

After leaving a car at Port Douglas, we all started pumping up at a shallow reef spot about 30 minutes drive north of Yorkeys. The water was so incredibly smooth, but this was only because 20 centimetres of water concealed the sharp reef. Getting out was quite an issue as your fins would frequently hit bits of coral on the tack out. However, once we were out the back, it was fine.

The downwinder was quite strange for me, only 45 minutes after starting from the clear pristine reef, we found ourselves in the murky mouth of the river that we had seen the big crocodile earlier. We stayed at this rivermouth for about another 40 minutes to take advantage of the sweet flat water conditions and tried to block out the image of hungry saltwater Crocodiles lurking beneath us.

The wind started to drop off a bit as we passed the sandbars just before Port Douglas. It was the first time I had kited Port Douglas, and it was a sweet spot. We passed the local kiters there and the usual European backpackers and continued on to the headland of the Port, where we finished the downwinder after an enjoyable two hours from starting.

The finish at Port Douglas looking back at the downwinder

June 17th: Winter escape to Cairns, Far North Queensland

As if turned out, I didn't go to Bribie Island the other day due to no wind. I decided to escape the Sunshine Coast winter and head up to Cairns in Far North Queensland for some consistant trade winds. I arrived a two days ago after a short two hour plane trip.

I am staying at Yorkeys Knob, a place I am somewhat familiar with from one of my first kite competitions here back in 2006. The conditions are really exactly what I want just at the moment; 20 knot winds on a choppy beach. There is also a river mouth with flat water but I am hesitant to kite here as it is infested with saltwater crocodiles.

I had a little kite yesterday in some light wind but I am sure today will be awesome wind. It is 11:30am and the wind is already up so I'm happy that I'll get to kite for the first time in a while in proper winds.

Check out the picture I took of this sign at Yorkeys Knob

Start of Winter at home

I have been organising my next PKRA trip to Fuerteventura and Germany. I have been trying to get out kiting as much as I can but winter is starting to set in here and there is just not a single breath of wind. It's hard to look at the 7-day forecast for all the wind prediction website sites and see no wind. However, I have spotted a possible very early morning session on Bribie Island on Thursday. It will have to be a dawn session as the offshore SW winds will not stick around long. I am hoping it will be kiteable after my hours long drive there at dawn.

APRIL 20th: NEW VIDEO FROM HOME

Check out my video I have finished editing. The footage was taken late 2008 at my local spots on the Sunshine Coast, Queenlsand.

APRIL 18th: PKRA France Interviews

Check out the France PKRA interviews exclusive on CORE Online Magazine.

APRIL 17th: France PKRA Singles and Doubles

The conditions for the singles were absolutely insane. I was on my 5 metre for the day and it was the coldest I’ve ever felt. I made if through the first round but got put out in the doubles by Sebastien Garat. I made the promise to myself that unless it was 40 knots, I’d go out on my 7 metre.

The next day, the doubles ran to completion. I was stoked that the wind had stayed the same and not got stronger. In my first heat of the doubles, I came up against a Dutch rider. I was so happy to be on a kite that I felt somewhat comfortable with. I had a good heat and was stoked to pass through. Next I came up against Victor from Poland. I spent a whole summer with him in Perth in 2007/2008 so I knew what kind of rider he was. I was nervous because if I passed this heat I would be 9^th overall, which for me for this competition was a good result. I went about my normal heat and landed what I knew I could land in the conditions. I put together a pretty good heat and was so happy to find out that I had progressed through. I looked at the draw to see my name matched up with Kevin Langeree. He had the misfortune of missing his heat in the singles which was why I came up against him at this stage in the doubles. Nevertheless, I was just going to go about my normal heat. We started about the same and stayed close for a few minutes but then I crashed a few tricks and he gained the lead. I was happy with my heat considering I rolled my lines over themselves twice and had to pull my wave grenade haha. I didn’t progress through but I was stoked with my result of 9^th overall. Aaron Hadlow went on to win the competition with Youri Zoon in 2^nd and Kevin Langeree in 3^rd. This is a good start for my year and I hope to keep bettering my results in each successive competition.

APRIL 7th: First PKRA event of 2009: Arrival in France

I have been training hard in Australia for the last few months in preparation for the first PKRA event of the season here in France. I arrived with Mario Rodwald a few days ago so we could get used to the conditions here. Since arrival, we have been fortunate to have three pretty good sessions here mainly on 9 metre kites. I am pretty confident with my riding in these conditions and although very cold and gusty at times, I feel I can do most of my tricks.

As it turned out, myself and Mario were by far the first ones to arrive in Leucate. It was so strange in the town the first couple of days as the streets were barren and all the shops where closed. But now more and more competitors are turning up and slowly but surely, the town is coming alive. The competition officially starts tomorrow but a sketchy forecast will probably mean kickoff in 2 days on the 12^th. I have been eagerly awaiting and preparing for this competition so I hope to start off my year with a sweet result.

This is how cold it was. 4 Layers. A personal record for me.

March 19th: CABLE SESSION!!

I have thrown together some recent footage of me at the Suncoast Cable Park. Only 10 minutes down the road, the cable park is the best no wind alternative to kiting. So much fun. Thanks Torrin Bright for filming.

March 6th: A.T.M Kiteboarding New Caledonia

Hey guys.

My friend Torrin Bright made this video from the New Caledonian competition last year.

Riders:
Andy Yates, Torrin Bright (NZ), Marc Jacobs (NZ)

We all filmed each other in our heats in the competition and also filmed 1 or 2 freeriding sessions outside of the competition heats.

Enjoy!!

CORE ONLINE MAGAZINE IS OUT!!

Issue 6 of the CORE Online Magazine has just gone live. I have been working hard the last few months with Toby Bromwich, the editor of the magazine. I am so stoked to have a featured rider interview in there, as well as wrap up stories from both the Kite Jam and Slider Jam competitions. Also check out the wallpaper of me on a slider shot from a helicopter. Yeah so check it out.

Home on the Sunny Coast

After coming back from Perth I have been kiting at all my local spots. It’s so great to be home and kite with all the familiar faces again. My favourite local spot, Caloundra River Mouth is probably the best I’ve seen it ever. It’s got everything from flat water with or without tide, kickers, chop, lagoons and waves. I can’t ask for anything more out of a kiting spot.

In addition to kiting whenever it’s windy. I have also been hitting the cable water park near my house. They have added and moved all of the obstacles around and this has kept everything fresh. The cable park is the perfect crossover sport for me. The local rippers there are just so incredibly smooth on both flat water and the obstacles. This inspires me so much when I go kiting.

At the moment I am booking all of my flights for the PKRA world tour. My first trip will be France and Mexico as part of an “Around the World” ticket. I am hoping this year to get a top 5 finish overall on the tour. Can’t wait.

January News: Perth

I am back at Perth now for my 4^th consecutive summer. I think the sheer quality of the local kiting spots keeps me coming back every year for more.

Woodman’s Point would have to be my favourite spot here. It’s such an incredible spot. The point itself is a huge sand bar that juts straight out to sea from the mainland. It’s just so unique; its glassy flat water on the offshore side and clean wind attracts not only me, but also riders from all over the world. For me it’s perfect because you get to kite in all sorts of wind ranging from light 13 metre weather to over powered 7 metre weather. The amazing conditions make it just so good to learn new tricks and consolidate on old ones.

Since I have been over here, I have competed in two great competitions.

The Safety Bay Kite Jam in early January was a competition with a unique format. It’s more of a Jam style of competition but does have designated heats of 5 riders. The format works great and allows riders to throw down their whole back of tricks. I was on my 9 metre the whole day in steady 20 knot wind. I had so much fun in the heats and I was stoked with my riding. At the end of an amazing day of freeride competition, all of the riders voted for the rider they thought was the best on the day. I was very fortunate that I was voted in as the winner. I was so stoked how everything panned out. It was a great day.

Here is the video of some riders on the day:

Two weeks later, Core Online Magazine hosted the second annual Core Online Slider Jam. Three weeks prior to the actual competition, me and my other housemates were busy most days constructing the obstacles. The line up of obstacles consisted of a kicker, 8 metre long c-rail, 21 metre up-flat-down-flat rail and a huge 23 metre rooftop.

It was a huge task making the obstacles, lugging them to Woodies and putting them in the water but it was all worth it in the end.

In the competition there were standard heats of 4 riders, with each rider getting two runs of the park and two progressing through to the next round.

This was my first time hitting sliders and kicker on a kite and it was great to have this opportunity to hit them in both freeriding and competition. I was very fortunate to get through my heats and win 3^rd place in the Single Eliminations behind Cam Prest and Sam Light.

The next day the Double Eliminations were run. Alex Lewis Hughes had beaten everyone in his previous heats and came up against me in my first heat of the day. It was incredibly close but I was lucky enough to win and secure my 3^rd place. In my next heat I came up against Cam Prest and again went on to win. After beating Cam I came up against Sam Light, who won the Single Eliminations the day before. I had a difficult task ahead of me as I had to beat him twice in a row to win. I was stoked to beat him in the first heat and then had to go out in the final heat of the competition against him again. It was so close and both of us did all the obstacles very similarly. My first run of the park was pretty good but I couldn’t have asked for more in my second run. I had the perfect run and finished off the kicker with a clean NIS. I was so stoked how everything unfolded. I ended up winning against Sam again and winning the whole competition.

After winning both these competitions, I will now kite Woodman’s Point as much as I can. In two weeks I will travel up to Dongara, 4 hours north of Perth, for the Kitestock event.

NEW SLINGSHOT SITE:

The new Slingshot website will be launching on Monday December 8th.

It's totally NEW and looks sweet!
Here's a screen shot of the home page

December: Gold Coast and Sunshine Coast

The last few days I have been on the Gold Coast filming for a co-host position for Kite Life, the new Australian 100% dedicated kiteboarding TV show that will soon appear on Fuel TV. For 2 days the Kite Life crew was busy filming some sweet action shots of Ruben Lenten, Jesse Richman and myself for the episodes. The Gold Coast had some of the most amazing places that I didn’t even know existed. One of the spots had a huge sandbar with perfect flat water and clean wind. The film crew got some amazing shots from their boat of us kiting only metres away.

After we got all the shots we needed for the Kite Life episodes, Ruben and I drove 2 hours back to the Sunshine Coast where I live to hit the cable park. We spent the majority of the next 2 days chilling out at the cable park that’s only 10 minutes away from my house. Ruben was amazed at the 12 obstacles of the park, one of which he especially took a liking to was a HUGE fun box.

It’s summer now on the Sunshine Coast so there is wind practically every day. For the next few weeks I am going to get out as much as I can in all my favourite local spots and then go to Perth, Western Australia to kite Woodies again. Can’t wait.

Ciao.

New Caledonia

I have been in New Caledonia for the last 10 days competing in the Teri Pacific Cup. It is an international competition with riders from all over the world attending, including Aaron Hadlow. The wind and water conditions are absolutely perfect for competition, perfect flat water and a steady 20 knots.
In the singles I was able to get through many heats. I was up against New Zealand's Marc Jacobs in the first heat and was so stoked to have beat him. In the third round I managed to draw Aaron Hadlow. I was really looking forward to the heat as I had never versed him one-on-one before. I was surprized how close I was to him and was told by the judges that it was close and the best heat of the whole competition. I then versed Tom Hebert for 3rd place and again had a really good heat. It was really close between us but I was fortunate enough to come away with the win, which left me 3rd in the Singles all up. I was so stoked.
The doubles then ran 2 days later. As it turned out, I was against Tom Hebert again for a podium 3rd place. The wind was incredibly light and I couldn't quite match what he was doing on his 16 metre on 30 metre lines. I had to deal with my biggest rig which was a 13 metre on 23 metre lines. I was really happy with my result of 4th overall. Yeww.

1st Aaron Hadlow
2nd Sebastien Garat
3rd Tom Hebert
4th Me
5th Marc Jacobs

October: Matanzas, Chile PKRA

I arrived in Matanzas, Chile 4 days before the competition started. I was very surprised to discover that the town of Matanzas consisted only of sleepy mountains and one street. For 2 days I rested up in my hotel, watching the waves and the wind and went for drives and walks to view the wonderful scenery.

There wasn’t much to do in Matanzas so myself and a few other riders decided to drive up 3000m to the Valle Nevado Ski Resort in the Andes Mountains to snowboard. The snow was great considering the Ski Resort was in one of it’s last days of the season. I was falling a lot on the slopes at first but eventually I got the hang of it. Of the group, Mike Blomvall took the biggest stacks. It was very amusing to watch all of the best kiters in the world struggling to ride down to the bottom of the slopes.

The competition started 2 days after our snow day. Once again I had to compete in the first round as I was not pre seeded. I was against a Chilean local kiter in the very first heat of the competition. I had a pretty good heat and went on to the next round against Alvaro Onieva in a rematch from Cabarete where I won.

I had a good start to the heat but about 3 minutes in I crashed my kite off a big Frontmobe and my 5^th line bow tied around my kite. This took me out of action for almost the rest of the heat. I did manage to do a few more tricks with 4 line and my 5 line dragging behind my kite. I knew that Alvaro did more tricks and deservingly won.

I was in the 2^nd round of the double eliminations draw against Tom Court. I had spent a lot of time kiting with Tom Court at Woodies, Western Australia this summer so we were both very familiar with each others riding. Riding against him in an intense 7 minute heat in extremely challenging conditions was in stark contrast to our long, relaxing sessions at Woodies in the most perfect conditions. We both crashed a lot in our heat. It was so cold that we couldn’t feel the bar much in our hands. The heat was very close, but unfortunately for me Tom progress through, leaving me with 13^th place overall. Not the best result but I’ll take it.

After the competition, all of the riders drove to the Capital of Chile, Santiago, to ride on the stationary artificial wave. This thing was absolutely incredible, possibly the most fun thing I’ve ever done. I would of thought standing in line waiting to go on the wave would have be boring but watching the crazy stacks was just as good as actually being on the wave. On my first try I got worked straight away, tucked and rolled up into a ball and got sucked over the falls and into the barrel. So fun. Eventually I got up on the board and rode the wave somewhat. However I couldn’t control where I was on the wave so at first I just slowly got sucked closer and closer to the barrel. I crouched down, grabbed my rail and tried to hold on in the barrel for as long as possible before getting owned. Towards the end I got the hang of it and learnt how to control my position on the wave as well as throw in some airs and hits. I had so much fun the whole day. The wave didn’t get boring at all considering it was the same the whole time.

In the last days of my stay in Chile before my flight, myself and a few other riders again went to explore the countryside to relax and take in the scenery. Tom Court, Etienne Lhote, Tom Hebert and myself managed to make a dam out of sand to completely stop the flow of water out of a river that flowed out into the ocean.

After my stay in Chile, I will definitely be coming back next year.

I had a long trip home from Santiago to Sydney with one stop over in Auckland, then finally home to Brisbane where my parents and a friend met me at the gate to take me home.

September: Ceara, Brazil PKRA

From the cold of Canada the PKRA moved a few thousand kilometres south to Brazil. A week separated the two competitions so most of the European riders went home but coming from Australia, I opted to go to Brazil a week early. This worked out great as I got to kite the famous Cumbuco Lagoons, renowned for their absolutely perfect wind and water conditions. It was windy every single day I was staying in Cumbuco.

All of the European riders arrived on the 22^nd to catch the riders’ shuttle 7 hours North-West to the event site in Ceara.

The shuttle bus arrived at the event site at about 8am after a long night of travel. The wind and water conditions were almost exactly the same to those of Cabarete. I spent a day just chilling out and watching some of the other riders kite. The next day the draw was announced and the competition started. In my first heat I was drawn against Sebastien Garat again. I was hoping that it was going to be a repeat result of our battle in Canada but unfortunately for me, I didn’t have the best heat and Sebastien proceeded though to the next round.

After my loss in the Singles, I was in the first round of the Doubles against Israeli kiter Eli Zarka. In this heat I rode better and was stoked to progress though to the next Doubles round. As it turned out, I was drawn against Evandro Da Silva, an amazing Brazilian kiter. I had been watching him earlier and was blown away by his swag of tricks.

In our heat I rode average but he was killing it. In all of my heats I always keep a close eye on what my opponent is doing and in this heat against Da Silva, I watched him throw down some incredible tricks, half of which were switch. He rode better and passed though to the next round, leaving me with 17^th place overall. I was pretty devastated but after such a good result in Canada, I wasn’t worrying too much.

After beating me, Da Silva went on to obliterate everyone except Aaron to take 2^nd place overall. In one of his best heats against Ariel Corniel, Da Silva did 18 tricks, including 7 switch. Amazing.

After Brazil the riders separated, half went straight to Chile and half went back to the Cumbuco Lagoons in Brazil to train for a few days before the next event. I decided to go straight to Chile to rest up before the competition.

September: Prince Edward Island, Canada PKRA

For this year, the Canada PKRA event was held in the beautiful Prince Edward Island. I had heard nothing but good things from the rest of the riders about Canada and was looking forward to seeing the country for myself.

Immediately on arrival, I was amazed at the lush green landscape that stretched far into the horizon. After the very long hours of travel coming from Australia, I was one of the only riders in Canada for a few days while I was getting over some serious jet lag. On my second day, while driving down the street into Summerside, I spotted Kevin Langeree walking on the side of the road. He told me that no other riders would be arriving for at least a few more days, so for the following days we enjoyed the great kiting on the island with no crowds. We also were interviewed by the local Summerside Newspaper about what the general public are likely to expect to see from the riders during competition. We promised that the riding will be very entertaining to watch with the pristine wind and water conditions.

I was very impressed with the kiting conditions on Prince Edward Island. The wind varied from light to moderate and the water conditions were amazing. Although a little shallow, the surface was almost butter smooth. The competition area was also very good, but was heavily influenced by the massive tides. On high tide it was around waist deep but on low tide, birds could stand up 100 metres out. This meant that the competition schedule had to fit in around the tides as it was practically unrideable in low tide.

As I had only competed in 2 prior PKRA events, I was not seeded going into competition and had to compete in the first round against Madison Van Heurk. The wind was very light in our heat and I was struggling to stay upwind. Although I had an average heat taking into consideration the wind, I didn’t proceed though. However, I knew that I could fight my way back in the Double Eliminations Draw. After watching the heats and their results, it seemed that the judges were looking for power, so I decided that this is what I would concentrate on in the Doubles.

In the Doubles I took out the biggest kite I could handle to concentrate on power. I was really happy with my riding and went on the beat Julian Hosp, Paul Caswell, Sebastien Garat and Reno Romeu. In Sebastien’s and Reno’s heats especially, I landed every one of my tricks with a lot of power. These included the 4 Mobes, Blind Judge 3 and 313 5, Switch Slim and KGB and Backmobe to Wrapped and Frontmobe to Blind. I was stoked to have got as far as I was at this point. Next I came up against my friend Tom Hebert who was riding really nice in his heats. I had a pretty good heat but he was adding grabs to pretty much every trick he did and he progressed.

I finished 6^th place overall. I was so happy to have fought my way back in the Doubles to get this result.

Click on the link below to watch the Extreme Elements Video from the event. I have heaps of appearances and a mention from Aaron Hadlow so I'm stoked.

Also, check out the press release from this day of competition:

http://www.kiteworldtour.com/index.php?option=press_info&task=view&event_id=60&event_day=4

I had had so much fun both kiting and staying with all the riders. The next day the riders’ shuttle left at 1 AM for Charlottetown airport. From there I left for the amazing Cumbuco Lagoons of Brazil. I couldn’t wait to finally go kiting there. I had only ever seen the Lagoons in various riders’ videos so to kite there in real life was going to be epic.

August: Andy Yates in 9 to 5 Video

Check out my latest video from the Gorge. All editing and cinematography done by Nate Appel. Thanks Nate.

July: Tarifa, Spain PKRA

Only 2 days of travel separated the Dominica Republic event from the Tarifa PKRA event. I arrived in Tarifa the day before the competition without my kites and board as the airline had lost them. Luckily the airline delivered them to where I was staying late that night so I could sleep a little easier.

The first day of competition was light Poniente wind as opposed to 50 knot Levante wind. I did not expect the setup of the competition to be so big with a massive grandstand judging area and hundreds of people on the beach. Unlike Cabarete, trials were not needed as there were only 31 entrants.

Again names were drawn out of a hat to determine the draw and I was marked against Sylvester Ruckashul in Round 1. In our heat he did not show up so I had the whole competition area to myself and made it through to Round 2 automatically. The next round I drew none other than Kevin Langeree and went out in our heat and kited the best I could. We both crashed a bit and I thought it was relatively close but it wasn't to be and Kevin progressed through. I benefited greatly from versing Kevin and it taught me a lot about what it takes to beat the best in the world. I will take all that I have learnt in this trip home to train and prepare for the remaining events.

June: Cabarete, Dominican Republic PKRA

Straight after my visit to the Gorge I flew to Cabarete, Dominican Republic to compete in the Bozo Beach PKRA event. Being my first ever PKRA event I was extremely nervous, especially after seeing the local Dominican talent in my free ride sessions before the actual competition. With such a great Dominican showing, there was quite a large draw even for the trials competition. Prior to these trials, my goal was just to get though the draw and make it into the main event.

In my first trials heat I was against two really good Dominican riders. In our 7 minute heat I was fortunate enough to put together a good heat and win. After winning this heat of 3, I was granted a spot in the main event and a huge weight fell off my shoulders.

The next day was the first day of the main event. The conditions where light but nevertheless the first round got under way. Just by the luck of names being called out of the hat to determine the draw, I happened to fall into heat number 1, the first heat of the whole main event competition. In the heat I was versing Julian Hosp one on one. I was much less nervous than my trials heat and went on kite well enough to win. I was stoked. Unfortunately I lost in the next round so I was put into the Double Eliminations draw where I had a second chance to better my Single Eliminations draw.

After passing through my first Double Eliminations heat against a Dominican, I drew Alvaro Onieva. Ranked 3rd in the world for quite some time now, I was very nervous to verse him. The wind was mid strength for our heat but 1 minute in, a huge wind squall came though. I only had my 13 metre rigged so I had to ride out the heat being incredibly overpowered whereas Alvaro had a 9 metre on the beach rigged up and ready. It was an intense heat and coming to the beach tired out the loud speaker announced that I had won. I couldn't believe it. I was so stoked.

On a high from passing Alvaro, I drew Ariel Corneil in the next round who won the event in 2007. He is so good in the Dominican conditions and very hard to beat. I kept to the way I had been kiting and had a really good heat but unfortunately it wasn't enough. Overall I finished 9th in my first PKRA event which I was very pleased with. I was also fortunate to be awarded the Rookie of the Event sponsored by USA Vision Eyewear. Great success!!      

Click HERE to read the press release from the competition

June: Gorge Trip

I have recently spent 10 days in the Columbia River Gorge. It's such an amazing place. Although much colder that I expected, the wind delivered every single day of my short visit. The conditions are quite challenging so if you are able kite well in The Gorge you can pretty much kite well anywhere. It is for this reason that The Gorge is one of the best training locations for kiting on the planet. I was very fortunate to stay with Tucker as he was able to show me in and around The Gorge and some awesome local kiting spots. Just outside of Slingshot Headquarters, Stevenson is a really nice kiting setup. Really clean wind and even flat water in some spots. Just down the road is the famous Hood River. Although a little gustier than Stevenson, the spot is still super fun and draws most of the kiters who live nearby making it a great social scene as well as awesome kiting. On any given windy day you can expect to see 50 kites out. The Gorge's kiting community is extremely accepting and friendly and I felt privileged to be a part of it. I also spent a day at Slingshot Headquarters to see what goes down there on a given day and also see a sneak peak of what's to come in 2009. Very exciting.

All up a very successful visit to The Gorge; I had a blast. Again, thanks to Tucker and his family for looking after me and providing some intense Mario Cart 64 action.

April 2008: Slingshot rider profile South Africa

March 2008: Tannum Sands Coconet Classic

The Tannum Sands Coconet Classic is one of the biggest events on the East Coast of Australia. It is amazing how the small town of Tannum Sands is able to host this huge kiting event and public spectacle. The event has a laid back atmosphere with everyone free riding for a day then 10 man finals the next. The event draws huge public support for not only the kiting, but also skateboarding, bike riding and inline rollerblading. Fuel TV covers the event and I was stoked to get a riders profile with them. After the free ride day I was happy to have made the 10 man final. Competing in the final day of competition with 9 other kiters in the water was quite challenging but I was fortunate enough to win the final and the event.

In the mean time I will be training at home while it is pumping out such good wind. My next event that I am looking forward to is the PKRA event in Cabarete in the Dominican Republic. Can’t wait.   

March 2008: Australian Freestyle National Titles 2008, Elliott Heads     

The Australian Freestyle National Titles 2008 kicked off at Elliott Heads from the 7th-11 March. The competition was run in the mouth of the Elliott Heads River with 20+ knots blowing every day of the event. Australia's best competitors from all over the country arrived to test themselves against each other. The conditions allowed the organisers to run the singles and doubles to completion. I was able to win the singles and then go on to win the doubles of the open division. I was so happy to win the event as this was my first time entering the open division.