The Future of Kitesurfing
Moderator: MK
The Future of Kitesurfing
In the course of an double interview with Bjorn Dunkerbeck in Windsport magazine, Robby Naish claims that saless of kitesurfing gear are on the decline and that interest in kitesurfing has already seen its peak. This seems to undercut some of the dreams that many have about the future of the sport. If kitesurfing will face a slow decline, then I think it is a blessing for the sport in our area because of the limitations we confront at local lakes. Only time will tell. The future is looking white and fluffy.
Kite Gear
Myself, I have to wonder how much of this "sales decline" also has to do with just the amount of gear that has flooded the market recently. I've only been in the sport a year and I've already seen my North Toro 1 set of kites end up two generations behind! And the thing is, while all of the new stuff is great, I will need to advance in ability and/or wear these kites out before I can validate purchasing new gear - and at that it will probably be used anyways.
I just wonder if we are starting to see a level of maturity in the marketplace for awhile - the sales of kites may just be declining because everyone replacing 00 or 01 gear has done so and we are are entering more of a normal sales cycle with more realistic growth and upgrade expectations. I don't think I've ever heard anyone say "this kite should last you at least a couple of years..." (assuming that you don't advance in ability beyond the kite). Maybe the kites that have been produced since 02, for those of us that aren't professionals, are good products with great value.
Just a thought.
I just wonder if we are starting to see a level of maturity in the marketplace for awhile - the sales of kites may just be declining because everyone replacing 00 or 01 gear has done so and we are are entering more of a normal sales cycle with more realistic growth and upgrade expectations. I don't think I've ever heard anyone say "this kite should last you at least a couple of years..." (assuming that you don't advance in ability beyond the kite). Maybe the kites that have been produced since 02, for those of us that aren't professionals, are good products with great value.
Just a thought.
The sales of gear from one company's perspective (even if he's factoring ing other gossip/info from the rest of the industry) can not be used as an indicator of kitesurfing interest.
It can be an indirect indicator, and his negative perception - especially coming from someone like Robby - can possibly do more harm than any other factor. Just ask Randy about what happened to the windsurf market with the introduction of the "funboard" during the 80's. I would think Robby would have the power to implement a self-fullfilling prophecy, don't you?
Other (indirect) indicators would have kiteboarding growing. Everyone I've talked to in other parts of the country still show strong interest in lessons. Lake Michigan areas, for example, show moderate growth with an influx of new students on a regular basis. San Francisco is hitting max density at some locations while still getting new people constantly. Tighe is getting decent lesson interest here and snow kiting should have some
Too much gear in the market, highly over-inflated expectations by manufacturers, and a decline in the initial peak of interest are all things that could cause some negativity amongst the industry and cause a minor implosion. That would be bad enough for a budding little sport.
It can be an indirect indicator, and his negative perception - especially coming from someone like Robby - can possibly do more harm than any other factor. Just ask Randy about what happened to the windsurf market with the introduction of the "funboard" during the 80's. I would think Robby would have the power to implement a self-fullfilling prophecy, don't you?
Other (indirect) indicators would have kiteboarding growing. Everyone I've talked to in other parts of the country still show strong interest in lessons. Lake Michigan areas, for example, show moderate growth with an influx of new students on a regular basis. San Francisco is hitting max density at some locations while still getting new people constantly. Tighe is getting decent lesson interest here and snow kiting should have some
Too much gear in the market, highly over-inflated expectations by manufacturers, and a decline in the initial peak of interest are all things that could cause some negativity amongst the industry and cause a minor implosion. That would be bad enough for a budding little sport.