there's a new wiki for kitesurfers - looks good now - would be great if it took off.
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Kitesurfing has seen exponential growth and development since its emergence and fringe years less than a decade ago. There's a need for us to communicate, document our sessions, dreams and philosophies, give advice and warnings to newbys, nurture new talent and sustain those living vicariously in non-coastal cities.
Tags: extreme tales newsboard
Just to remind us that WAVES can be dangerous whether you are an extreme sports enthusiast or not - and should be treated with respect.
A man has drowned after he was dragged into the sea by a freak wave.
The victim was sitting on some steps off Blackpool Promenade late on Friday night with two friends when he was hit by the wave and dragged into the sea.
Tags: extreme sports extreme tales surfing kite surfing wind surfing free diving
I was reading about the "Great Foam Depression" on SurfLine
... in the wake of the infamous Foam Depression, the surf industry had a real issue to address. The now defunct Clark Foam had supplied the industry with 250,000 to 300,000 polyurethane blanks per year.
On Friday, the Surf Industry Manufacturers Association (SIMA) held a board builders forum at the Orange County Convention Center to address the concerns of domestic surfboard producers.
One quote in particular struck me:
"What got us into this problem was complacency. We were going on 45 years with the same material. It's about time we look at some other material," said Linden.
Having learnt a little about the technological development of surfboards over the last few months, I was a little surprised to learn that the major surfboard manufacturers were using materials technology from 45 years ago.
I thought that someone, somewhere, was experimenting with the kind of composite materials used in hi-tech manufacturing by now - and I was right.
A company called Hydro Epic are making boards that are made from "an array of aerospace composites including, but not limited to"
So maybe the "Great Foam Depression" is a great time for small board manufacturers to sell boards made of the new aerospace composites.
Maybe if enough people try these new hi-tech boards - and like them - it will revolutionise the sport as much as the introduction of the "short board" and the 45 year old foam technology.
Another one to watch out for - the irresistable combination of technological innovation & extreme sports means that there's always something to look forward to.
What are your opinions about the technology behind surfboards?
Please contact the author to be interviewed for "Extreme Tales"
Tags: extreme sports surfing kite surfing wind surfing extreme tales
This website shows how to build a cheap Kite-Cam so that you can film yourself while kite-surfing.
The movies look pretty good - but the angle from the kite-cam means that all the leaps and jumps don't look as spectacular as a ground-eye view.
Some of the stunts on the sample video would look cool when cut between a ground-eye local view from a boat or the beach.
Worth looking at if you want to film from a kite and don't want to risk your $200+ digital camera to get the shots
If so please contact the author to be interviewed for "Extreme Tales"
Tags: extreme sports extreme tales surfing kite surfing wind surfing kitecam
Calling all cave divers, base jumpers, free climbers, surfers, bungee jumpers, zorbers, parkour enthusiasts, skateboarders, kite boarders, free divers, wing-suiters, freefall specialists, wind riders, wake boarders, urban exploration experts, wind surfers, cavers, mountaineers and white water rafters.
Dr. K, author of "Hackers' Tales" is currently researching a new book called "Extreme Tales".
Are you an extreme sports enthusiast?
Do you have tale to tell about your extreme sport?
If so please contact the author.
Tags: extreme sports skydiving snowboarding surfing kite surfing wind surfing free diving free climbing free fall skydiving base jumping skateboarding street luge parkour wingsuits skyflying spinning trebuchet