Kiting in the mountains

Well since I last wrote to you the wind has been crazy. Its been blowing 6m weather from first light and then picking up throughout the day until there is so much wind it makes me wonder if I have ever even seen that much wind somewhere in the world before. Possibly Tarifa, possibly Gran Canaria or may be Morocco, but to be fair even if those places were my windiest then South Africa come pretty darned close.

Kitesurfing in those winds is fun for a short while, but learning tricks is out of the question. The waters are deserted from even the bravest and biggest kitesurfers and it looks to be the baron moon landscape of the water world from where we stand as everyone jacks the day in for another day.

We made a trip to a lake in the mountains. Its an hour and a bit drive and its in the middle of no where. You have to ensure you take supplies. When Capetown is blown out then the lake is one place where you can nearly guarantee that you will get out riding on something other then your smallest kite, but you have to be prepared to sit around and wait for it as it doesn’t normally pull through until the evening.

This particular day we waited until 5pm and then in it came with an up and down 15-20 knots. I took my 10m and was well powered by the end, but it was perfect for working on my front mobes.

I know last week I said I had a revelation about the flat 3, but I’m such a stubborn idiot that I can’t be defeated by moves that I’m working on. It is not in my nature which is quite likely not to be a good thing!? Anyhow I have been sneaking in practise on the front mobe again. This move has been the bain of my life since November 2006 when I first tried it in Brazil thinking I was going for a KGB! Ok, so I know it’s a completely different rotation, but so I heard penicillin was found my accident! I spent 6 months stacking this move and bringing home various bruises and aches last year, that I finally decided to give it a break in July, but I cannot get it out of my mind. I want to learn it! Things are different this time round however and hopefully I will get there soon. We have a high definition video camera that we use to film each other and a photographer who takes sequence shots of pretty much everything that we do. At the end of the day we can go back and analyse what seems to be going wrong ready to put it right the next day. I dreamt last night that I made the move finally and that’s exactly what I plan to do.

Its not all work, work, work. Of course the fun moves have to come out to play as well so when I was really powered up and as the sun was setting this beautiful south African evening I busted the moves that I love to do and Ian at www.expix.co.uk captured them on card! Perfect.

Yesterday we rode in Capetown. For once the wind didn’t howl through and we were on our 10m’s all day. The waves were head high and the water between clear and smooth. There are not so many perfect days for kiting in Capetown like this, but these are the days that stand in the memories forever and bring kitersurfers back year after year. The forecast today is the same as yesterday, so lets see which move I’m working on today! Perhaps the flat 3!?