Extreme Kiteboarder Ruben Lenten signs with BEST Kiteboarding

As the  first weekend of the 2013 Redbull King Of The Air gets underway in South Africa BEST Kiteboarding is proud to announce the addition of extreme kiteboarder Ruben Lenten to our international team. Famous for throwing huge air, topped with mega loops guaranteed to set the heart of every spectator racing Ruben is acknowledged  as the master of extreme kiting.

CEO at BEST Sebastian Heitmann stated “BEST Kiteboarding is incredibly proud to make this next step for our sport. With Ruben Lenten we will push extreme kiteboarding to the next level and are happy to partner with such a great sports icon who we know will challenge our R&D team to new heights. LEN10 rides with us so stay tuned because the excitement is just about to start!”

We caught up with Ruben this morning before he hit the water and asked him to sum up what this new deal means for him and kiting in general. “All days are good, some are just better. Just like this one. I have found the right partner to push extreme kiteboarding to the next level. Stoked with my new partner in ‘crime’, Best Kiteboarding.

First of all I would like to thank Slingshot for all their support over the past 10 years. It’s been an absolute blast to ride and work with you guys. Thanks for all the experiences that I will never forget and also for helping me explore the limits of kiteboarding.

Now the time has come to move on and continue to follow my vision. My passion for kiteboarding is big, it’s my life and this partnership allows me to raise the bar of extreme kiteboarding even higher.

At the highest level of sports and in the strongest conditions there is a strong demand for high quality products. That’s why LEN10 likes to team up with companies that have a similar vision and want to put the time, effort and money into accomplishing it. Quality is essential to feel safe on the water and in the air. In order to push the limits of your body and sport you need to feel comfortable. This comfort comes from the performance of the kite and all other gear. In my opinion there are very few products that make riders feel comfortable enough to go as big as they would like. Not because  they can’t but simply because the products won’t let them. That’s a shame because I feel extreme kiteboarding is the discipline that keeps our sport hardcore and spectacular.

Best Kiteboarding and LEN10 will be working closely together to create the ‘best’ products for the rider that wants to ride hard with us!

I can’t wait to get started and will keep you updated on the progress and testing of our new products.”

You can stay up to date with the latest projects and developments around extreme kiteboarding supported  by Mystic, RedBull and BEST Kiteboarding by following Ruben online at len10.com.

Storm Zone

From January 20 to 30, one of the most devastating storms of the decade ravaged the North East coast of Australia, particularly South East Queensland. While this situation was a potential danger for everybody, Andy Yates decided to hit the water and have some fun.

NOTUS V 2013

NOTUS V 2013, ONE KITE ALL RIDE STYLES
Zeeko kites is developed in the South of France by Nicolas Caillou ( ex member of Bic Sports). The boss introduces the Notus 2013.

More at zeeko-kites.com 

KSP Releases 2013 World Championship Tour Schedule

June 27 to July 6, 2013  —  Guincho, Cascais/Portugal

• July 25 to August 2, 2013 — Jinamar, Gran Canaria/Spain
• October 31 to November 9, 2013 — Shacks/Puerto Rico
• November 22 to December 1, 2013 — Ho’okipa, Maui/USA

2013 KSP Qualification System Released

Berlin, Germany — February 2, 2013: Long awaited by riders and industry alike, a press releases announcing the application process and further details on the qualification system for the 2013 KSP world tour season was released by the IKA (International Kiteboarding Association) today.

As the governing body of kiteboarding that sanctions the KSP, the IKA continually strives to develop rules and regulations that help further the sport. At the IKA Annual General Meeting on January 20, the KSP qualification and application as well as future pathways for young and upcoming riders were discussed in detail and agreed on by all parties.

Following the release of the 2013 KSP World Championship Tour schedule the IKA published the following release earlier today:

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International Kiteboarding Association, February 2, 2013: Striving to create lower level qualifying events on a national and continental level leading up to the KSP World Championship Tour in the future, this years KSP qualification system will be based on applications and include the IKA member national associations, national championship results (where existing) and the IKA wave world ranking once again.

Slots for the 24 riders male fleet are allocated as follows (for the womens fleet, 50 % of the quota each)

• Top 10 ranked riders from the 2012 KSP ranking
• 1 wild cards for KSP tour
• 1 wild card for IKA
• 2 local wild cards per event (as agreed on with the events Industry Sponsors)

Remaining slots will focus on globalization/the inclusion of more nations – this means except from the slots above, only riders from nations that are not yet represented are accepted. If there are more nations applying then slots are available, places are given in the order of regional strengths until all slots are filled (in the order South America, Europe, North America, Africa, Oceania, Asia, then from the beginning again). The IKA executive committee may deviate from the order of regions and nations in order to ensure highest quality of the selected riders, e.g. require a minimum of competition experience, results and/or performance to be expected.

If there are less nations applying then slots are available, then additional places are given to nations in the order of regional and nation strength.

If more than one rider applies from a nation eligible for a slot, then the national association nominates the rider. If no national association exists, then the IKA executive committee after consultation with the KSP will decide.

If any of the pre-allocated slots are not taken by the riders, these slots go to the pool for the nations.

If slots are not taken shortly before the event, they may be filled with local wild cards or, if possible, alternate riders from the waiting list on a first come-first serve basis.

All applications need to be made through the online application forms until March 1st to be considered.

Online application form for tour riders: http://kspworldtour.com/index.php/riders/2013-ksp-tour-riders-application.html

Online application form for individual events and local wildcards:  http://kspworldtour.com/index.php/riders/2013-one-event-and-lwc-application.html

Colleen Carroll and Sensi Graves – Highlights video

What more could you ask for, two hot chicks who absolutely rip on the water too! North Kiteboarding’s Colleen Carroll and Liquid Force heroine Sensi Graves throw down the moves in, you’ve guessed it Brazil!