KiteLina

Kitesurfing in Sri Lanka – Starting in Kappalady

2016-02-19T13:51:26Z

Right now writing this I am in tropical Sri Lanka, watching the sun set over the beach. Sri Lanka is a country I have wanted to visit for a long time, so now when Jonathan and I found a month when it was possible to travel, we headed here. Of course we brought the kites with us.

The main kitesurfing season in Sri Lanka is from May to October, when the wind is strong and consistent. But under the winter months Decemeber-February it is also possible to kite here. The wind in the low season is light, and sometimes you’ll get surprised by heavy rain, but the wind percentage is still good and you’ll get many days on the water with nice lightwind, perfect for freestyle tricks.

We started the vacation in a little village called Kappalady, which is an undiscovered kitesurfing spot close to a small lagoon, about 20 km south of the bigger famous lagoon at Kalpitiya. In Kappalady lagoon we had a few really good kitesurfing sessions, where we were almost the only ones on the water. The lagoon in Kappalady is right on the beach, so if you prefer kitesurfing in the ocean you can easily enter the ocean.

Kitesurfing in Kappalady

For me it was perfect to start the kitesurfing vacation in Kappalady, because it’s such a remote and relaxed place. You have the beach all by yourself, exept for a few local fishermen. After sunset it’s really quiet and the only sounds you hear are the birds singing and now and then, a call to prayer from the mosque nearby.

We stayed at the hotel Kappalady Kitegarden, which turned out to be a good choice. It was about 200 meter to the lagoon (a bit longer to the launching area), about 5-10 minutes walking. Our hotel with pretty, clean rooms with AC and hot water differed from the other houses nearby in the small village.

Kappalady Kitegarden and the small lagoon is a good choice especially at the high season, when the wind direction is perfect for the small lagoon. But it was good also in the low season, even if we took a tuktuk to the big lagoon a few days when the wind was better there. But if you want to relax, go to Kappalady. And eat the delishious food at the hotel, which was the best spicy Sri Lankan food I have tasted so far.

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Kitesurfing video from Tarifa: This is the Tarifa we found

2015-12-02T08:33:45Z

Jonathan and I spent two amazing months in Tarifa, Spain in the beginning of the summer. Tarifa showed us it’s best side and we kitesurfed almost every day. We found some really good spots around Tarifa, both flat lagoons and spots with waves.

I will definitely be back in Tarifa one day but right now I want to take a look back and remember those amazing sessions we hade there! Here is a kitesurfing video Jonathan and I edited – better late than never! Enjoy!

(if the video does not show in your country you can watch it on Vimeo instead).

I also recommend to watch this other video we made from Tarifa, where you get a better look of the city in Tarifa!

Read more about our trip at Kitesurfersblog.com

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Surfing and kitesurfing vacation in Fuerteventura

2015-02-10T18:57:45Z

In the end of January it was time for a new surfing trip. This time Jonathan and I gathered some friends and headed to the island Fuerteventura, in the Canaries. The name Fuerteventura means strong wind in Spanish, and of course that’s something that we kitesurfers like. But this time we also took advantage of Fuerteventura’s beautiful, clean waves and did som wavesurfing!

We were 7 friends that stayed at Planet Surf Camps, a surf camp where we also got surfing lessons five days of our stay. The surf was actually really good. All days of our surf scool we had nice, clean waves rolling in, some days a little bit better than the other. The wavesurfing season is in the winter, and even though the best winds are in the summer we also got a few really nice kitesurfing days on the water, too.

I have been travelling to a lot of places for surfing, and I have to admit that Fuertevenura is one of the best. The kitesurfing spots were great, the surfing was super, the people at the surf camp were friendly, the teachers were very helpful, the weather was warm (for beeing Europe), the flight was not too long and the food was great.

If you are planning your surfing or kitesurfing vacation, give Fuerteventura a shot! Here’s a few tips that’s helpful if you decide to visit the windy, Spanish island.

Invite your friends to the trip, it’s fun to join the surf lessons togheter with friends!
Buy cheap flights – you can find really cheap flights to Fuerteventura
Bring a 3/2 long wetsuit in the winter, that was warm enough
Stay in Corralejo (close to many surfspots)
Book accomodation at Planet Surf Camp – or some other surf camp, but this was a great one!
Rent a car from the airport when you arrive (perfect if you want to see more of the island)
Eat dinner at the local areas close to the harbour where the food is cheap and delicious.
Surf, eat, sleap, repeat and enjoy you perfect vacation!

Surf teacher Gala preparing us for the spot Rocky Point

Planet Surf Camps was situated in Corralejo, in a new, fresh house with a lot of rooms for 2-6 people. The rooms were simple, but fresh and clean. You could hang out with the other guests in the living rooom/kitchen or outside on the balcony, where there also was a ping pong table, a billiard table, indo board, chill out area and a small pool.

Surfhouse to the right

We got divided into two groups, depending on how much surfing we have done before. We surfed for about 3 hours a day, usally in the morning but sometimes in the afternoon – depending on the best swell of course. The surf teachers stuffed us into a car and drove to the best spot for the day, so you never had to worry about the forecast and swell yourself which I think was great.

Me and the surf teacher Marco on the crossing each others boards

Personally I learned a lot from the course. I learned how to use the channels to easily get out to the waves, to get up on the board properly – but most important I finally learned how to turn on the wave! The teachers were riding with us all the time, and gave some great advises that I will keep in my mind from now on:

Chest, butt, back foot, frontfoot – how to stand up properly!
Arms in front, not to the sides (this was something I had to work on a lot!)
Arms and eyes to the side you want to turn – and weight down.
Weight forward for getting more speed.

I loved the trip and Fuerteventura is definitely a place I would like to visit again. If you are planning on going somewhere warm in the winter, Fuerteventura is one of the best places within a short flight time from Northern Europe. The weather is a lot like the Finnish summer, so the temperature varies but can give you everything between sunny afternoons in bikini to cold nights in winter jacket.

And as said before the kitesurfing was also surprisingly good. The famous Flag beach was ok with pretty consistent side-onshore, but you had too watch out for the rocks close to the beach on low tide. They were really sharp and the board can get damaged pretty easily.

Watch out for the sharp reef on low tide!

The other spot we found, close to the lighthouse in El Cotillo, was a small lagoon with perfectly flat water, so nice! I practised tricks here for 1½ days and could have stayed there.. The spot was good only on high tide, on low tide it was to shallow and too many rocks. A little bit crowded though sometimes. But i loved it.

Last but not least, here’s more photos from the trip and also a short GoPro-video made by Planet Surf Camps!

Here you find more info about Planet Surf Camps!

My wetsuit: Rip Curl Dawn Patrol 3/2

Kitesurfing gear: Airush Razor kites and Airush Diamond board

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September kitesurfing with new Airush Diamond board

2014-09-23T07:10:40Z

September is here and the weather is getting colder and colder. In August we had really few kitesurfing days, beacause the weather was warmer and calmer than it usally is. I was waiting and waiting for the wind to arrive, but still no kitesurfing. But now the autumn storms start to arrive! The temperatures dropped från 20 to 3 degrees in a week and now we also have wind. I want the summer to come back, but at least we have wind now which is a great thing!

A few days ago I tried the new Airush Diamond board for the very first time. I was so exited about it, because it had been standing there in the hall for so long already, waiting for the wind. But now I have tried it, and I am really happy. Tried it in Hanko Secret 2 days ago. The board has a nice rocker shape, which gives a really good pop. The pop was so much better compared to my old board (which was more of a freeride board), and the jumps went automatically higher! The landings were soft and smooth. I was riding the Diamond board in lightwind with the Razor 13 m2 and was having problems to stay upwind, but I guess the reason for that was the light wind and not the board. Will be fun to test it in stronger winds soon, though! But I can tell you I already love the board and think it’s has just the right amount of rocker and pop compared to the planning abilities. And I love the colors!

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Review: Airush Diamond girl kite 2015

2014-09-10T19:09:07Z

As you already know I have been testing and riding with the brand new kite, Airush Diamond, this summer. Airush Diamond is a kite that is designed especially for girls. This is how Airush describes who the kite is meant for:

The Diamond Kite features a refined profile and balanced configuration that appeals to a broad level of users, from performance freestyle and wave riding while still being stable and user friendly enough for intermediate riders.

This is what the kite look like:

Airush Diamond is a:

Female specific kite
4 line kite
Hybrid c-kite

And what is my opinion of Airush Diamond?

For me and the Diamond bar it was love at first sight. I have never tested a bar before that is especially designed for girls, so I was really stoked with the fact that it was so small! I am short, have short arms and have always have troubles depowering the kite when riding. With the Diamond bar the depower was really easy, and everything I needed was right in front of me. The diamond bar is pure perfection for all girls!

When I was riding Diamond the biggest difference I realised was that my back did not hurt like it usally does. I didn’t feel the back pain at all, even though I was going upwind or was riding for a couple of hours, and I suppose this is because of the light bar pressure, but also because of the shorter bar throw. I did not have to move the bar far away in front of me, and the kite depowered (usally I have to bend like crazy forward with my short arms, resulting in bad posture). And never before have I tested a kite that goes upwinds so easy.

For me Airush Diamond was easy to relaunch and was stable in the air, but then I am of course comparing to Razor. The depower is also much better than the Razor. I guess that Diamond is pretty much like a Varial-X, if you don’t count the female specific features. When I went for my first unhooked backroll on the Diamond I accidentally did a double roll, because the kite had more pull somehow in the pop. The unhooked feeling is also really nice with the Diamond, but the only thing I missed was the slack in the lines that Razor has. This is also why I prefer Razor for unhooked tricks, but Diamond is the perfect kite for all agressive freestylers that don’t want the five-line Razor.

What I liked the most about Airush Diamond:

Easy-to-reach depower
Short bar throw
Light bar pressure
Pull and speed
Big windrange
Great pop for jumping

The only thing I would possibly want to change is the chickenloop. On the Diamond kite the chickenloop is extra small to avoid unhooking mistakes, but I don’t think it’s necessary. How can you accidentally unhook if you are using the donkeydick? A bigger chickenloop would be appreciated for the girls that want to unhook and wouldn’t disturbe the one’s that want to stay hooked in either.

So after testing the Diamond kite this summer I really like this kite and it is a kite that I proudly recommend to all kitegirls out there wanting to push their limits and enjoy the riding without hassle! I liked it a lot and I guess that you would too!

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Unexpected kitesurfingday with new kite

2014-08-09T19:40:11Z

Today I had one of the best kitesurfing days this summer, togheter with Jonathan. The forecast promised really light wind, so we were not expecting any good kitesurfing, but we still drove to Storsand just to check the spot out. When we arrived we saw the amazing view of 4-5 colorful kites in the air, so we pumped up the kites quickly and got an amazing afternoon and evening on the water. Light wind that picked up a little bit later, just perfect!

I was riding in my new Rip Curl 3/2 wetsuit, and with the new Airush Diamond kite, that I have tested a few times now. Soon I will write a review about the Diamond kite, but if you look closely on the pictures you will see that I like the kite, riding on a smile on my face almost constantly.. :)

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Awesome kitesurfingweek in Storsand

2014-06-30T09:04:14Z

The last week was an incredible kitesurfing week. I think I have never before been able to kitesurf 5 days in one week in Finland, but that’s what happened last week. The wind was really nice and steady light wind in the end of the week, and I enjoyed it in Storsand sometimes by myself and sometimes with company. Finally I started to land the blind tricks again after the long and cold spring season. Here are a few photos shooted by Timo Koski when I and Jonathan were riding togheter on saturday!

And if you want more – here’s a few photos shooted last monday by Jonathan:

Yes, it was endeed an awesome kitesurfing week. So nice that Finland delivers days like these sometimes too!

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Windmeter – share the wind with your friends on social media

2014-06-26T19:10:23Z

The last few weeks my facebook friends have had to put up with a lot of statuses from me. They have all looked something like this:

The statuses I have been posting comes from my Weather Flow Windmeter telling my facebook friends about the wind at my kitesurfing spot. The cool thing about this windmeter is that you link it togheter with your smartphone. You put the windmeter in the headphone jack and use the phone as a screen. What’s nice with this (exept for measuring the wind) is that you easily can share the windstatus to your friends on social media by one simple click. It works on facebook, whats app, hangouts, twitter, sms and many more. Way easier, smarter and faster than calling or texting your friends to the kitespot or updating your facebook status. This is something that I also want my friends to use, because I also want to know where the best winds are!

The windmeter I want all my friends to use

You can get your own windmeter from Jesse at Helsinki Surf Shop.

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Viima Fit KiteCamp – training and kitesurfing camp in Denmark

2014-06-03T10:57:23Z

Do you like fun workouts outside in the sun and kitesurfing together with friends? Then I guess Viima Fit KiteCamp is for you!

25-29 June I am having a training and kitesurfing camp togheter with Viima Kiteboarding in Hvide Sande, Denmark. Everyone interested in training and kitesurfing are welcome to the camp – beginners in kitesurfing can do a kitesurfing course if they want to, and advanced riders get trick tips and hints for learning new freestyle tricks!

The workouts are going to be a mix of running technique, functional workouts, crossfit, SUP-traning, bodybalance and stretching. And of course a lot of kitesurfing on the best spots of the day!

I love that the camp is held in Hvide Sande, a really good kitesurfing spot, perfect for both beginners and more advanced people. I visited Viima Kiteboarding in Hvide Sande in the summer 2012, and discovered a supernice kitespot, – big waves for kitesurfing in waves or traditional surfing in the sea and flat water for freestyle in the lake.

Going for a raley in Hvide Sande, 2012

The camp is held in finnish, english or swedish – depending on what you prefer! The price for the KiteCamp is 199 €, including all the workouts and the accomodation at Viima B&B. If you are interested you can sign up here on facebook!

Wave session in Hvide Sande, 2012

Sounds fun? Hope to see you in Hvide Sande!

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Summer season started in new Flashbomb wetsuit

2014-05-12T09:10:07Z

Since the last update the kitesurfing summer season has started even here in cold Finland. Tree sessions done so far in Lauttasaari and one also in Lohtaja. Yesterday I had a really nice kitesurfing session in Lauttasaari in steady winds. Felt really nice to land the first attempt of raley to blind – after a long time with no kitesurfing in the winter it’s always difficult to land the tricks in spring again. But now the first crashes are done and so is a few of the tricks.

The water is still very cold and air temperatures vary a lot, but I have not been freezing thanks to Helsinki Surf Shop. I am very happy with my brand new and good looking Rip Curl Flashbomb E4 wetsuit. The Flashbomb wetsuit is thinner than my old winter wetsuit, just 5/3 mm, but thanks to the good quality it’s as warm as my old 6/5/4. But I prefer the Flashbomb so much more – not only beacause it’s nicer design – but beacause it allows more movements and flexibility. Thin and flexible, but still very warm. The old wetsuit was warm but I also felt like a michelin in it. The new Flashbomb keeps me as warm as the old one (if not warmer) even if it’s thinner, but allows me to move and do tricks without the feeling of beeing trapped in the wetsuit.

Flashbomb E4 comes in two different colours for women. I got to choose between both of them and decided to go with the one to left in grey and purple. Love the colours!

Rip Curl Flashbomb E4 is actually called the world’s lightest, warmest, most flexible and fastest drying wetsuit. Rip Curl says this about the Flashbomb E4: “For the Surfer who wants the best wetsuit possible. No compromises. Constructed with the most advanced neoprene and loaded with the latest ocean technology.”

I can agree with this! I am usally freezing a lot, but the Flashbomb 5/3 keeps me warm even in a water with just a few plus degrees.

Flashbomb E4 has a nice new technology which you can see when you turn the fabric inside out. The inside is made in a soft, rug-looking fabric which immediately wicks the water away.

Lohtaja 24.4.2014. It was not the easiest to get the neoprene shoes inside the tiny boots so I started on the beach.. ;)

Last week I also got one session in Crete, Greece, on a vacation trip. Crete is not the best place for kitesurfing, but I really enyojed the nice big waves! And I loved the fact that I was kitesurfing in my Rip Curl summer wetsuit. Even if I love the Flashbomb I still prefer to surf in warmer waters… But who doesn’t. A few more weeks here in Finland and I can leave the gloves, shoes and hood home!

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