Kiteboarding Promotion

A brief history of kiteboarding.

            Some say the origin of kitesurfing began in the 13^th century where they were used to help boats go faster. This was also translated to carts and various other modes of transport. In 1985 Bruno Legainoux and his brother were plagued with the question, how do we get a kite that can be re-launched when in the water. After a year of development they showcased their kite at the 1985 Brest International Speed Week and applied for a patent. Unfortunately no windsurfing companies were interested in the Idea.

            Legainoux and his brother never lost hope. Believing that their concept was going to create a new way of harnessing the wind to adrenaline junkies everywhere.  In 1993 after 10 years they finally started a company in France. Other revolutionaries like Cory Roeseler were coming up with similar ideas like his Kiteski and Andreas Kuhn with a paraglider and a kind of wakeboard helped in popularizing the sport. Between 1995 and 1998 a company called Wipika emerged and started to sell kites. Not long after Naish windsurfing got involved in kiteboarding after purchasing a licence from Legainoux.

            1999 saw the creation of the Kitepro world tour which gave kiteboarding a whole new realm of exposure. Around the same time the Prokite riders association was created as well. The two organizations are responsible for bringing kiteboarding to the masses by creating contest all over the world. A few years later organizations such as the IKO (international kite organization) were created to help ensure the safety of new riders by creating a teaching curriculum that was safe for people new to the sport. Since then a number of organizations and schools worldwide have opened to teach the world to kiteboard.

            At this point in the evolution of kiteboarding it was all about hang time. How high could you go and how long could you stay up. But with all this new exposure riders were crossing over from windsurfing, surfing, wakeboarding, landboarding, as well as snowboarding. These athletes are the real people responsible for the evolution of the sport by always pushing the limits of the equipment that was available. The sport was changing and new events were created to help the world to see how virtually limitless the sport of kiteboarding really is.

            Kites are now spotted all over the world, and not just on the water. Athletes have been attempting arctic traverses, cliff jumping on Nordic mountains, traversing Australia on a landboard, as well as oceanic traverses from Florida to Cuba. Kiteboarding now has many different styles and applications. Some just want to go fast and are trying to break the 50knt barrier; others like to push the limits of high powered moves. Wave riding is also another domain that this sport is starting to become very popular. For all these different styles

Companies have had to come out with different styles of equipment suited for each discipline in order to maximize the potential of each domain.

            The sport of kiteboarding has evolved in many different ways and so has the equipment. The first kites were mostly Ram-Air kites. Which were then followed by the traditional C-kite. The next kites to come out were Bow Style kites which have a greater range of uses because of its enormous de-powering capabilities and light wind applications. Available today are also Hybrid kites that are neither Bow nor C-kite but a mix of what is thought to be the best points of both styles of kite.

            As more and more people get turned on to the world of kiteboarding new and creative ways to use a kite will be found. Designers and riders are constantly pushing the limits of what can be done and as more and more new faces emerge in this sport the stoke of kiteboarding is the only thing that will stay the same.