surfing with strangers

[Nathan B]

nice little edit, all strapless.

http://vimeo.com/23544107

[Randy]

Amazing talent. I am perplexed, however. Can anyone tell me why they inserted the windsurfer in this edit? I'm somehow missing the point.

[BSMITH]

WTF! That is impressive. That must be some really good wax.

[Kosk]

Whoa! Those into-the-wind 3s look freakin' ridiculous. I get how it works, but visually, it messes with you head, sweet! Love the pop-shuvs too. After riding relatively shitty waves in Padre a lot this year, I'm hooked. Waves are where it's at. Thanks for the link-stoke.

[Barry P]

Amazing. Take me to there.

[Bryce]

Yeah the windsurfer appearing briefly looked like an editing mistake...

[MK]

dang, when do the options for play in this sport end? Really cool. Kite control seems uber critical, get too much lift and your ability to palm the board with your feet only lasts so long.

I interpreted the windsurfing as being gobsmacked by the kiter.

[Geo]

I dunno whether to cheer or cry.

wahhwooooweeewoooooowwwwww!


That is definitely in the category of "wouldn't have thought that it was possible", and then you wonder what ELSE might be possible. That has got to represent a lot of time on the water. Or maybe IN the water. Amazing.

[Nathan B]

That is what is great about kitesurfing, boarding... possibilities are endless!

glad everyone is enjoying the stoke from this edit! I cant wait to get out in more waves(def where its at!) wish I would have been at Superior yesterday but we have had a Great weekend up here in Nisswa, Had a killer session on Peli with Bryce and Mike Hoff yesterday going back for round two today, looks like the sun came out to play today also!

[bscheig]

That is amazing. I don't think he's using wax - must be glue!

The vid. brings up a question. Aren't surfers supposed to (?have to?) use a board leash as a safety issue like brakes or straps on downhill skis? How do we get away without them? Besides the safety issue for us using them.

I think they put the windsurfer in there to show how lame they are.

Bill
(recovering windsurfer)

[nickfastswim]

Now I really want to try strapless!!
My question is how in the world the board sticking to their feet so well?

[Pete]

"I think they put the windsurfer in there to show how lame they are".

Bill
(recovering windsurfer)

You obviously never really got the hang of windsurfing or you would not make such a lame~ass statement!

[Tighe]

Yeah I never understood the "windsurfing is dead" bumper stickers.

I think I can say I am pretty proficient at both sports and honestly still believe both are amazing. They share so much and they both offer slightly different rides. There is something a bit more intimate about having the sail in your hands. Kiting obviously has its perks on those light wind days of mid summer.

It does take a bit longer to get to a proficient level in windsurfing but once you do the returns are sweet. Many many windsurfers turned kiters are now going back to windsurfing.

I have not windsurfed in years but have dreamed of playing on a small glass board with a 4.0 Ezzy wave, on some big rolling glossies.

it's all good

enjoy your ride.

[Bill S.]

Tighe, brother, I never thought I'd live to hear you express re-interest in pole boarding! While I've been kiting 95% of the time for a number of years now, I keep the wave board and 4.2/3.7 Ezzys on hand for "special occasions": e.g., those days when it would be silly (and dangerous) for me to be harnessed to a traction kite when I could be shredding unconsciously in the swell zone. In some ways I still love windsurfing on a big wave day on the Great Lakes most of all, but it truly is, as you say, all good.

Bill

[Geo]

Cheers to that.
Got out on the 4.0 in 30+ at Father Hennepin last year when the kite just wasn't doin' it. Hauling down 6' smooth waves with the sail limp and long bottom turn jibes was a gas. Of course, I also had an awesome strapless day in 4' waves on the great lakes earlier that summer. I remember messing a little with trying to slide off of the lip, but not getting the pull of the kite right (i.e. getting my ass yanked off of the board)...now maybe I'll have a little more imagination.

[Randy]

I apologize for stirring any conflict on this. I have no idea why the insertion of the windsurfing in this amazing feat of athleticism. Could be the windsurfer's admiration for deep skill. Could be the rider's father. Could be an editor's mistake. Could be someone's anger toward windsurfing. At the time it struck me as polarizing in a time where I think joined forces works to everyone's advantage. We all share the same beaches and threaten each other's access. At the end of the day, we've all chosen the instruments that hopefully worked best for our skills, the conditions, and the overall joy factor for having the opportunity to participate in these great watersports.

Some of us only take our sports to a certain level, much like the languages we speak. We grow deeper and deeper, and what we put attention to grows stronger. I've known some professional windsurfers who gave their all to windsurfing at a time when the sport was losing energy. Some went to kiting and carried their anger and disappointment, generating some negative attitude. We've seen this with snowboard to ski participants, skate to in-line, wake to ski, and now surf to SUP.

Our local community has been pretty inclusive. This Chat has been welcoming to both and I like the way we generally respect each other's language. And in the end it's all just the stories we're making up in our heads, stories we're asked to hold space with. I've heard it said that it's not helpful to be "pro" anything, that our need to change others to our thinking has underlying violence. That said, standing outside notions of what's 'better', 'right', 'wrong', 'cooler', etc. seems to be the better way.

For now, I appreciate all the great feedback to my curiosity and the inclusiveness of this community.

Flat water, going sunrise SUPing because that's the language of choice for this morning.

[TV]

Does kiteboarding have a cool music video?

[youtube]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vk9SYy5RRkM[/youtube]

[BSMITH]

That is hellhairyass Tim!
Cannon was 4.7 yesterday. Where were you? Just me and Mike.
The water is toasty on Cannon. Mike was is a shorty. I was burning up in a full suit.

[Randy]

Ahhh, yes, my deep passion for windsurfing has been validated.

On another note, looks like Mother's wind has been downgraded for tomorrow. I doubt those singers have ever been windsurfing given their predictability in song and dance. Mother always plays 'off the beat', so my mind's still thinking the forecast could change.

[Randy]

Just realized that in 1979 many of you probably weren't even born yet. At that time I think Mike Fox and a handful of other Minnesotans out there even knew what a windsurfer was. We moved back to Minnesota in 1982 and counted 42 retailers in the Twin Cities area selling windsurfers, just to give an idea as to how fast this thing spread in its hay day. Sears was selling hundreds of their Kransco windsurfer and I recall a retailer who taught me in Vancouver, B.C, saying more than half the people he sold boards to just wanted it as decoration on the top of their car. Maybe they were inspired by the song you posted, Tim.