
12M Blank Kite Test Begins | The Megapod On today’s episode you hear from Adrian and Colin as they journey to Makani Beach Club. WOO Trade Up: Makani Beach Club Live Stream: Portrait: ...
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Adrian
Catastrophic equipment failure.
Colin
Going for the boogaloo double just to get the landing.
Adrian
Had a couple of strings and it was extremely dangerous.
Colin
Guys, I sent the trap and it.
Adrian
Is gold for Ellie Aldridge and gold for Great Britain.
Colin
I'm satisfied in a €10,000 chair.
Adrian
So am I. We're in €20,000 of cheer. There must be something to do with audio, these chairs. Right.
Colin
It's quite comfortable. I mean, it's not outrageously comfortable, but it is, it's comfortable. You'd have to say, definitely. Good lumbar support and noise deadening, I believe.
Adrian
I think that's the key.
Colin
So we're broadcasting to you from the Harlem office and we're of course, days out now from the blank kite test. So we've come here to say hello, pick up a blank kite before we charge off to Egypt, because that's where it's being filmed.
Adrian
I'm actually really looking forward to this. Are we allowed to give too much away on this test?
Colin
You're not allowed to say who it is.
Adrian
Okay. Are we allowed to say what it is?
Colin
You can see what sizes 12 meter and where we're filming it.
Adrian
We're going to Makani to do a 12 meter free ride test.
Colin
Yeah. So the 12 meter is back to.
Adrian
Where it started, by the way. We started in Egypt all those years ago.
Colin
Yep.
Adrian
True doing. We did 10 meter free rod back then with Yuri Zoom. So we're. We're increasing a little bit to 12.
Colin
Meters, but we haven't done free ride since.
Adrian
Yeah.
Colin
So returning to freeride and the 12 meter size, which is the best selling size of kite worldwide. So this is the massive commercial size that everyone gets excited about.
Adrian
Everyone has a 12. Right. It's like your. You should standard big kite.
Colin
Yeah. So if there's sounds in the background, that is Harlem's quality control happening just 10 meters away. Final checks. There's kites on the ground being examined within an inch of their lives before they go into, in their bags and then out to shops and customers around the world. And Harlem seem to have no stock anywhere. They can't make these fast enough. So these will not be here for very long.
Adrian
Yes. So in a few days we're going to be off to Egypt and we're going to be bringing you along with the journey all the way until next week's Megapod, actually.
Colin
Yeah.
Adrian
So each day we're going to be updating this. I guess this is going to be a little bit of a journey for you to experience what it's like to.
Colin
Prepare for this because it is quite a production. It's quite the faff.
Adrian
It is a lot of faff.
Colin
Filming in two different locations, two different continents, two different sorts of conditions.
Adrian
Eight different kites.
Colin
Yeah. Which all need their own specific bar setup. That is the identical setup to what they're ridden on if you were to buy a set from that brand. So kite mana are the guys. That's also while where we're going, whilst we're in Holland. We actually recorded the Megaloop post show from. From there last week. And, yeah, it's Bob at Kitemana who examines every kite and then matches our five blank bars that have nothing on them to those kites. So they've got the exact same line set up, the exact same split point, but not, crucially, not in the same color. That is the production bar and lines. So the tester has no way of knowing what that kite is.
Adrian
Yeah. And that was one of the original critical things. I think people didn't understand why this bar is not set up for this kite. These lines set up. And the guys at Kite man are amazing at that. You know, they're brilliant at that. And, yeah, that just takes out a little bit more of. Well, I guess it makes it a little bit more the mystery. Right. And makes the kites fly perfectly.
Colin
And it's funny that we're in the Harlem office today because the guy that makes the Harlem kites, Ralph Grossel, is notorious for precision. And he wants his setup to be, you know, within millimeters of perfection and actually probably wouldn't really even accept a millimeter. And funnily enough, doubly funnily enough, Aaron Hadler, who was our last blank kite tester, who we went. We took to Brazil last year. I'm sure those of you listening have seen that series. We went on and on and on about it forever. He was tuning the bars once he had used them and adjusting them. We're talking less than a centimeter adjustments. He's putting, like, tiny knots in his lines and, like, redoing. Actually, it wasn't even putting the knots in. It's redoing the knots so that they take up less real estate.
Adrian
Wow, that's crazy. What's his favorite knot? What did he use the most of that?
Colin
You'd have to ask him, Adrian.
Adrian
But you know what? You know, you mentioned about Haarlem there. I think that's an important thing to understand. The. The drive that this Harlem team have to be the best that they. They're very particular about the stuff they do, you know, we're sitting in the office, we see everyone's very focused. I can see Lorenzo's megaloop bib over there. And these guys are loving this, right? They're excited about that. And they're a big, big brand now, but they still have that small brand drive to be the best. And I think as brands get bigger, you know, sometimes that gets lost when it becomes a bit more corporate. So it's exciting to see that these guys are really excited about, you know, producing good gear and producing great kites.
Colin
We just had a quick tour of the office from Alex, who's the head honcho here, and he told US he employs 20 people now, which was a long way from the three people that started Haarlem in the first place. And, and yet 20 compared to the likes of Duotone or North, you know, we're talking upwards of 100 people. It is a different ball game. They're much more lean here. And saying all that, the one thing we need to caveat is that just.
Adrian
Cuz we're here picking up a blank.
Colin
Kite doesn't mean that Harlem are going to have any favoritism in this test.
Adrian
Zero. They only have $10,000 chairs for us to sit in.
Colin
We don't, we don't do the testing. Of course, it's a undisclosed rider who will not know what kite he or she is on.
Adrian
Or they.
Colin
Or they. Good shout, Adrian. Okay, so next time you hear from us, we'll be on our way to sunny Egypt and we will no doubt be battling with baggage.
Adrian
Yeah, we might. You know what, we'll check in and we'll update you from the airplane about how this project is coming along. I think this will be a fun episode, a bit of a journey for a megapod for the next episode.
Colin
Until then, thank to us as. No, we don't need this bit. You join us from the humble cockpit of a Volvo 240 now 1993 Torslander edition. It's the highest spec they made and it is 5:50am and we're driving to the airport with all the blank kites neatly packed in the back of the car. Adrian is sat beside me. Adrian, how are you feeling on this fine morning?
Adrian
I'm good. Excited. Looking forward to this. This is Wednesday the 24th and it's going to be coming out a day early. The reason why we're posting this a day early, I think there's going to be another part of this podcast, we might do it from the airport is that we want to let you know there's Going to be an opportunity for you to win a weekend at Makani in the three corners. And it's going to be an all inclusive opportunity and we also want to feel like you can take part in this blank kite test and try and pick the kites yourself.
Colin
We're going to pump the fuckers up, aren't we? On the beach, right in front of the Makarney Beach Club webcam. So you can go on their website and you can have a little look and you're going to guess what the kites are, all eight of them, and you're going to guess who the rider is, because let's face it, the best bet of the blank kite test is when the rider tries to guess what they are and gets it all wrong. So we want you guys to get it all wrong as well. To spread the joy, we're going to.
Adrian
Leave them pumped up, in the sun, in the wind for four hours. Obviously not the best for the kites, but we want to give you an opportunity to pick and it's going to be. I'm going to give you some times. So it's 12 and 4 Cairo time. So if you're in the Middle east, it's going to be middle of the day. If you're in the UK, 10am to 2pm if you're in Australia, 7pm to 11. If you're New Zealand, 9pm to 1am gets worse. If you're in New York, 5am to 9pm and if you're in LA.
Colin
Yeah, no, 5am to 9am, you must.
Adrian
Be 9am 5am to 9am in York. And if you're in LA, you're basically. Because it's 2am to 6am yeah, but.
Colin
Who lives there, really? Come on. Do you reckon any listeners live in la?
Adrian
Oh, for sure, absolutely. Hey, the American kiteboarding scene's on the move, man. It's really picking up.
Colin
Okay, so you don't know anyone?
Adrian
I mean, I. I mean, I do. Oh, Ray Ray's there. Ray Runner.
Colin
That's good. Okay, well, for those two, we're sorry, but perhaps, perhaps it's a nice thing to set an alarm for.
Adrian
You have to guess all the kites correctly in the right order and guess the rider. We will choose the person who is closest. I think that's the only. Oh, no, we won't, actually. I've been told by Jason, if they don't get it right, we're going to hold the prize and give it away to somebody else.
Colin
Tough is the answer.
Adrian
Tough, tough. I do feel like this Recording from the car does show our lack of preparation.
Colin
I think it shows our willingness to invite the audience into our world. Adrian, as we pass basing borne barracks.
Adrian
And we're heading towards an EasyJet flight which I'm dreading apparently there's no food, there's no TV and very little leg room.
Colin
So everyone I know, everyone has been on low cost airline flights apart from like you're explaining something to people that they know. So really no need to mention maybe.
Adrian
There'S other people like me that only fly Premier Airlines.
Colin
No, there isn't. There really isn't. I don't know how you have never been on a Ryanair on EasyJet flight.
Adrian
Before for it's going to be a first for me. I'm looking forward to it. But didn't I. I went on a Ryan the other day.
Colin
You did? Yes. One hour flight. Well done.
Adrian
So the next time you hear from us we will be at the airport and we're going to be talking woo worlds because the big events are on this weekend. We have team total height starting this weekend, 27th to 28th and team total distance the weekend after. Those are 48 hour events or two day events and those going to be very very tough. And we'll talk more about that. He means the Wu Tang Clan and we'll talk about that more when we get to the airport.
Colin
Also I'd just like to add if my kind instructor from my speed awareness course that I did yesterday is listening, you'll be pleased to hear that I'm actually doing 16 miles an hour in a 20 mile an hour limit zone.
Adrian
Past the school with one minute of getting in the car. Today we'd run, run red light. Let's not talk about that.
Colin
I wasn't proud of that. That was because I was fiddling with my phone and didn't look up in time.
Adrian
Next time you hear from us we'll be at Luton airport, hopefully safely and hopefully not with any more speeding tickets or any traffic infringements. And we'll see you then.
Colin
As we're bringing the audience along I thought maybe it would be good to mention that when you hear from us in at the airport we will have already been. We would have gone through the check in and then been to varying degrees of severity because we are traveling with a lot of stuff. Although there's two of us so it's less bad. Not sometimes it's just me with all the blank kites and the old last year going to Brazil it was the old. The blank kites. It was like 10 blank kites and then five old kites, probably 10 bars, two boards. That was terrible. Was so far overweight. So. But yeah, that's the reality of it. And I know all of you that go on kite trips around the world also have this anxiety before you check in. But the more you do it, the less you seem to care really, because you just know sometimes you get away with it and sometimes you really, really do know.
Adrian
You know, I've changed my tune on that. Colin. I used to also dread it, but I realized that actually you're one of the prized customers of that airline. And if you come with a smile, they, they know they're going to basically screw you over for more money and I feel like, give you more attention. So you gotta look at a different way. Let's look at it that these guys are gonna be excited to see us because they see ka ching, ka ching, ka ching. So let's, let's go there with a smile and you know, a couple cups of tea and let them. No, but we're gonna let them, we're.
Colin
Gonna let them drink them in front of them.
Adrian
Yeah, with our fingers out, middle fingers and we will let them rinse us for, for money. But you know what, the show must go on. That's the most important thing. We're actually stuck in traffic now. This is the first time I've been in a Volvo, actually a nice Volvo, I must admit. The Volvo is actually more comfortable than I thought.
Colin
Torslander edition is the highest spec.
Adrian
Oh, it's a high spec Volvo. What, what do you call this here? What's that?
Colin
It's a plastic knob to do the windows.
Adrian
It's a plastic knob to wind the windows. Yeah, it's, it's good. The carpet on the, on the wall, on the doors is the same on the seats.
Colin
Do you want your heated seat on?
Adrian
Why? It's been bloody freezing. Why haven't we got the heated seats on? We've been in the car for half an hour.
Colin
Because it don't work.
Adrian
All right, we're checked in, we're ready to go. Let's talk about Woo. Colin, the Woo Worlds are still on. Woo has an amazing deal. He's looking at me waving. Did you fart or you just want me to give you the microphone?
Colin
We didn't know there was no weighing zero. Weighing of the bags zero. So we're on to a unbloody winning.
Adrian
We are winning. Why do you think is it. I think if you pre book.
Colin
I don't know, I actually meant I'm winning. We world against you are the Woo worlds.
Adrian
But I tell you what, for all the people who are involved in Woo worlds, Woo has an awesome trade up opportunity. If you have the Woo 1.0, which you shouldn't, or 2 or 3, you can actually upgrade to the Woo 4.0 with a 40% discount. You just need to take your old device to your local dealer. If you go on the website or you go to tradeup.woosports.com I'll put the link to that in the bio. You can get a new 4.0 for 40% off. That's a deal you can't miss. I love a good deal.
Colin
Zero deals to be had in duty free Luton Airport.
Adrian
Yeah, the Sam the bacon sandwich was a bad deal but I've eaten it and you know, I've got my sandwich for the flight.
Colin
I don't like having to walk through that every time I go to an airport. Why are they allowed to do that? Subject you to horrific amount of advertising. We've just done a little bit on this podcast, but that's, you know, one bit of advertising and what a half an hour, half an hour episode that no one pays to listen to. That's bloody well fair enough.
Adrian
My favorite duty free shop is obviously the Victoria's Secrets. It's like, you know, you're going away with Mrs. And you ask her, you know, you got the little saucy red panties there, darling. She said, oh, I forgot them. We're like, here's the creator off your nip. Get yourself a couple of little saucy knickers for the trip. That's the only thing I would probably spend money on here.
Colin
I don't even know where to really. That's okay.
Adrian
Let's talk team total height, which is on this weekend, 27th and 28th. It's the first of the big team events. It's one of the premier prizes to win for the top teams like the Wu Tang Clan and like Colin and the Ship Monks and all those other teams that want to beat us. It's a tough two days for these guys to, to do this competition. It's going to be very, very difficult. Well, let me tell you about my strategy. My strategy is to have members in different countries all around the world. Maximizing the time zones, the wind. What was your strategy? Did you have a team strategy that's.
Colin
Interesting to hear what the Putang Clan are going to do. My shipmunks are assembled currently in Tarifa, but they are driving to the north of Spain and I am paying Their petrol to do so. And I think your idea is a shit one. And actually what you want to do is get some Die Hards with that. Just ooze grit and determination, tell them to drive 10 hours and then just go and pull the trigger endlessly. Because how does this one work? Explain it to the people.
Adrian
The Team Total Height is the top five scores of the Total height you've jumped through that period. So I think the key is to probably do multiple smaller jumps around that sort of 8 to 10 metres. I think that's probably the secret. I mean, you can do like, I mean, if you can do, you know, 150, 30 metre jumps all in one session, you're probably going to win. But it's just not going to happen. It is a very, very tough event. I know that there's a lot of different strategies being used. 511 teams are going to be competing for this. I think it's going to call it the most prestigious of all the titles. Actually this and the Distance are the two most prestigious titles.
Colin
For you, maybe for me, for the Wu Tang Clan.
Adrian
And then the Team Total distance happens on the 11th and 12th of October, which is the sort of end of the Wu Worlds, which is. Yeah, that's going to be. I'm hoping to contribute this year. Look at the forecast. We're actually going to be in Egypt over that weekend, so maybe we'll do some Team Total Height. Actually we won't because we didn't bring any boards, any gear, any wetsuits, any harnesses, anything.
Colin
So in true form, you won't be doing a single thing this Woo world.
Adrian
And you.
Colin
I'm making merch. Mass producing with Leela.
Adrian
Leela? What?
Colin
Leela. Me and her. She can make T shirts.
Adrian
Apparently she has a little merch company. Yeah. So that's going to be really cool. So over the over this weekend, if you are involved in Team Total Height, good luck, buy lots of painkillers. And that is going to be a very interesting event to. Is the shipmunks focusing on Team Total Height or Team Total Distance? Because I think you either go one or the other.
Colin
No, no, we're good at both. I have nothing more to say on that.
Adrian
Did you bring your Woo?
Colin
Of course.
Adrian
Did you bring your Woo?
Colin
Yeah. And the charger.
Adrian
Somehow I don't believe you, considering. Well, we didn't even bring a board. What are we going to do without a board? He said in his bag in the top is, you know, shows his organization of cables. That looks like the 3.0. You should upgrade that. Remember, if you go to trader@woosports.com you can get a 4.0 for 40 off. I think that is a hell of a deal. There it is. When I turn it over on the bottom it says Ark. That's my one.
Colin
No it doesn't. It's my. It's my personal Woo. It is a 4.0. With the latest firmware aging. I've updated mine and I don't really know if this is an interesting segment for the podcast whatsoever really. What I will say though is earlier in on when we were in the car and we were talking about when the Makani guessing things going to be live and I said does anyone even live in la? Is that not the same time zone as Oregon and therefore Hood river where we no doubt have thousands upon thousands of listeners. So sorry about that Hood River Bros. But yeah, you're gonna have a bit of an early start if you want to win this week at Makani Beach Club all inclusive. I think it's kind of a tall order honestly to pick eight kites correctly from a webcam. And the rider, the rider I think will leak.
Adrian
I think so.
Colin
Yeah, I think that will because people at McCarney might, you know, I think that'll be hard to. That'll be hard to control. Oh no, cuz he or she is only arriving the day after actually, so it won't. Okay, okay, okay. Should we give him a clue? I'll give you one.
Adrian
Okay.
Colin
Tie dye.
Adrian
That's pretty. It's pretty cryptic.
Colin
Yeah. But those that know will know it's a very good clue. Okay. Adrian's going to do the outro or is there something else to mention?
Adrian
Actually the prize, Colin is actually. You said a week, the week at Makani and staying at the Ocean View is actually the grand prize for fantasy. So if you are playing fantasy, that's the grand prize. This is the secondary prize. It's a weekend at Makani and Ocean View which is amazing prize by the way includes all your accommodation, all the storage, everything you need to do to have a fantastic trip in at Makani Beach Club which is probably the best beach club in the world.
Colin
It's incredibly luxurious. Just to make that clear.
Adrian
Well I'm about to edit this and to any people who like to who normally have a half an hour to 40 minute bike ride and listen to this, you're going to have to listen to it twice because it's only about 20 minutes long and we're going to finish this here. I'm going to edit it and post it. It is a day early and I'm doing it.
Colin
Monks, come on.
Adrian
And we're doing it. Doing it a day early to give you the opportunity to win that amazing Makani Prize.
Colin
Drive to North Spain. Yeah.
Adrian
My team's in Brazil, so. Fu. Wu Tang Clan. You got me saying it. Thank you, Russ, as always. Goodbye.
Date: September 24, 2025
Host: Adrian Kerr
Co-host: Colin Colin Carroll
In this Megapod episode, Adrian and Colin broadcast from the Harlem Kitesurfing HQ in the Netherlands just days before heading to Egypt to kick off the highly anticipated 12m “Blank Kite Test.” The hosts give listeners a behind-the-scenes look at prepping for one of the industry’s most secretive and influential gear tests, discuss the spirit of the Harlem brand, run through news from the Woo Worlds competitions, and announce a community contest tied to the test. The tone is casual, cheeky, and insider—offering plenty of laughs, banter, and real insight into the world of pro kitesurfing.
Quote:
“Everyone has a 12. Right. It’s like your… you should [have a] standard big kite.”
– Adrian, 01:53
Quote:
“The tester has no way of knowing what that kite is.”
– Colin, 03:39
Quote:
“The drive that this Harlem team have to be the best… they’re very particular about the stuff they do… they still have that small brand drive.”
– Adrian, 04:56
Quote:
“The blank kites… 10 blank kites and then five old kites, probably 10 bars, two boards. That was terrible. Was so far overweight.”
– Colin, 12:20
Quote:
“You have to guess all the kites correctly in the right order and guess the rider. We will choose the person who is closest… [but] if they don’t get it right, we’re going to hold the prize and give it away.”
– Adrian, 09:34
Global time zones provided for webcam viewers (08:26–09:09), with playful banter about dedicated LA and Hood River listeners.
Cryptic Rider Clue:
“Tie dye. … It’s a very good clue. Okay.”
– Colin, 20:51
Quote:
“My strategy is to have members in different countries… maximizing the time zones, the wind.”
– Adrian, 16:16
- Competing teams: “Wu Tang Clan,” “Ship Monks,” and others.
- Adrian and Colin debate competing strategies—diehards driving all night vs. geographically dispersed coverage.
- 511 teams competing; top teams savor bragging rights.
Quote:
“I think it shows our willingness to invite the audience into our world.”
– Colin, 09:58
On the Blank Test Goal:
“Makes it a little bit more the mystery, right? And makes the kites fly perfectly.”
– Adrian, 03:40
On Harlem’s Culture:
“They're a big, big brand now, but they still have that small brand drive to be the best.”
– Adrian, 04:56
On the Contest:
“To spread the joy, we're going to… leave them pumped up, in the sun, in the wind for four hours… So you can have an opportunity to pick and it's going to be...”
– Adrian, 08:26
On Airline Overweight Baggage:
“Give you more attention. So you gotta look at a different way. Let's look at it that these guys are gonna be excited to see us because they see ka ching, ka ching, ka ching.”
– Adrian, 13:00
This episode delivers a unique glimpse at industry-leading kite testing, the passion behind Harlem Kites, and the grassroots, sometimes chaotic, often hilarious nature of the global kiteboarding community. With its mix of technical discussion, irreverent humor, and interactive listener engagement, the Megapod continues to be a must-listen for anyone passionate about the sport or the scene behind it.
Contest Link: Watch Makani Beach Club webcam and submit your guesses for a chance to win!
Woo Trade-Up Link: tradeup.woosports.com
(Contest rules, Woo deal, and all relevant links are also included in the episode bio)