Loading summary
Transcript202 lines
- [00:01]
A
Welcome to the kitesurf 365 podcast.
- [00:04]
B
Welcome back to the show. I hope you all had a great weekend. Today I'm joined by Fabian Frick and this was recorded just the day before we left Mykonos. Fabian is a kite surfer who is sponsored by Slingshot and Woo. He's also a YouTuber and co owner of Kite Works who make kite handles. He's also the latest member of Portrait and it was super cool to sit down and hear his story. I have a Mika interview coming out later. I also have a techcast with DK in the books. I've got so much stuff to release at the moment, it's crazy for the Portrait members. Definitely go check out Heel Speaks, where we sat down with Heel and Mykonos and got him to ride a bunch of the top kites out there and give his unbiased opinions on those because he's unsponsored at the moment. And we will re release the Brainchild Factory tour. I pulled that down. Sorry, guys, because I had a few comments and I think I can make that a more consumable product. We'll talk more about that later in the week. But ladies and gentlemen, sit back and enjoy Fabian Frick.
- [01:07]
A
I'm nervous, bro.
- [01:08]
B
Why are you nervous?
- [01:10]
A
Because I always listen to this podcast and listen to it and now mat
- [01:14]
B
I'm putting this part in, by the way.
- [01:16]
A
Okay. Is we going?
- [01:17]
B
Yeah, yeah, of course.
- [01:18]
A
Good.
- [01:20]
B
Maybe just bring a little bit closer to you.
- [01:21]
A
Okay.
- [01:22]
B
Yeah. This like maybe just under the chin here. That's cool.
- [01:24]
A
Yeah.
- [01:25]
B
Well, we've already started. Fabian. Okay. Fabian, welcome to the podcast, my man. How you doing?
- [01:30]
A
Good, and you?
- [01:31]
B
I'm doing great, man. We just had coffee. Either we just woke up. Not together, but we woke up in the same place. We're actually in Mykonosin. Fabian is the latest member of Portrait. So first of all, welcome to the team and welcome to the podcast.
- [01:44]
A
Yeah, thanks for having me.
- [01:45]
B
I wanted to get you on because you've got a really interesting story. Your background is different than any other kaita I've met. You know you're a musician before kiting. Is that true?
- [01:55]
A
Yeah, like I play a bit of violin, but a bit more than a bit. Yeah, but I usually just play for myself and don't like play from. From notes and letters, but yeah.
- [02:09]
B
Whereabouts in Germany from?
- [02:11]
A
I'm from the north of Germany, so 50. When I was 15, we moved from the middle of Germany to the north, so to the Baltic Sea. And that was always the start of my Kite Surfing stuff and my kite surfing career. And yeah, I live directly on the North Sea and on the Baltic Sea and on the kite spot.
- [02:30]
B
Is it good kiting up there? Do those tough conditions make you a better kite, do you think?
- [02:35]
A
Yeah, probably, yes. So it is a good kite spot because we have a lot of wind. We have nearly the same wind that you get on the Kota Valle game spot. But the spot is also super choppy. And the hardest thing about our spot is that we have six hours water a day. And the other six hours the water is completely gone. So you can't even walk to the water. And it's like super far away. You can't even see it.
- [03:00]
B
So when the tide's going out, you're getting. You're kiting further and further away from the car each time. Do you ever get caught and have to walk all the way back?
- [03:06]
A
Yeah, a lot of times. Because you want to make the most of the time you have on the water and then you forget to go back and then you have to walk all the way.
- [03:16]
B
And have you been up to Denmark, to cold Hawaii and ridden at that spot?
- [03:19]
A
Yeah, for sure. I always go to Denmark because I love the people there. I love, like how much space you have there. I always go with the van, with the car and sleep right at the spot. Like we have a spot in the fjord where we always go with my friends. And also the Kota Weigame spot is super nice and we go there a lot.
- [03:38]
B
Yeah, I mean, I think that's the best part about Europe. Right? If you have a van, I mean, you can just drive everywhere to kite. Right. And getting the van, how much has that opened up different kite spots for you?
- [03:51]
A
Completely. Like when I was younger and didn't even have a driver license, I was just stuck at one spot. So when we have other wind directions, we can't kite that good at our spot. But now with a car and a driver license, I can just go to the other side of Germany. Also kite really good on Fehmarn on the east wind days and go up Denmark for more wind than we have it.
- [04:14]
B
So where did you first see kiteboarding?
- [04:17]
A
It was actually right after we moved from the middle of Germany to the Baltic Sea because we went there and everyone was going with the bike. And I also started going with the bike everywhere, but there was always so much wind and it was pissing me off like crazy. It's hard to go with the bike when there's wind. But then he was like, let's do something. So we are happy when there's the wind. We went to the beach and we saw windsurfing, and windsurfing looked kind of boring. And then we saw also kite surfing and the guy was doing jumps and we like, wow, that's cool. Let's try this. And we booked our first lesson together and went kite surfing for the first time.
- [04:55]
B
Oh, that's cool. So does your dad still kite?
- [04:57]
A
Yeah, my dad is still kiting, but like, not as much as I do, for sure.
- [05:02]
B
And how many years ago was this?
- [05:04]
A
It was when I was 15.
- [05:06]
B
So six years ago?
- [05:07]
A
Yeah, like, I started with my dad, I think.
- [05:10]
B
So do you still go on kite trips with your dad?
- [05:13]
A
Yeah, for sure. In summer, we go on a holiday again to Ruigen, and my dad is also kiting sometimes with me. But, yeah, like I said, not that often.
- [05:23]
B
So when did you realize that, oh, kiting is something that I want to, you know, do more of and make a career of or potentially make a career of, because that's. I think that's probably the angle of this podcast, you know?
- [05:33]
A
Yeah. When I started, I was like, I don't like it too much when I was in the water, because with 15, you have other stuff in your head. Like, I was thinking about completely different stuff. And then I was standing in the water, it was super cold, always so windy, and I just wanted to stop, but my dad was like, let's keep going, keep going. And then I was riding and was still like, I don't like it too much. But then my kite teacher said, let's pull in the bar and jump. And then I jumped for the first time. And after this, it was over. I was completely addicted. And, yeah, from this point on, I was like, I want to kite as much as I can. I went to the beach every day with my friends, waited for wind. Even if there was no wind on the forecast, we still went and hoped that something comes up. But yeah, from this point on, it was completely, completely different.
- [06:25]
B
So when you are learning, it was when Andrea was bursting on the scene and Lorenzo as well, and they were just dominating the competition. Did you look up to those guys as riders?
- [06:35]
A
Yeah, for sure. I was always watching their videos and was trying to get the tricks that they are doing and to understand how they move and, like, did video analysis and. Yeah, watch that every day nearly. Also, Liam Whaley was a big guy for me and I always watch Dakota videos with my friends and try to copy the stuff they do.
- [06:58]
B
What's it like, you know, seeing those guys and looking up to them? And now Getting to ride with them, you know, and being around that and being around the kiteboarding crew, is that. Is that something that's pretty special?
- [07:07]
A
Yeah, for sure, it's pretty special. It's like, you know, if you watch Cristiano Ronaldo in football, and then you get to play football with him, like.
- [07:15]
B
Yeah, a little bit easier in kiteboard.
- [07:16]
A
Yeah, it's a little bit easier, for sure. But it's maybe a feeling that is similar to that.
- [07:22]
B
Like, we were all in Mykonos the other day, and we had Aaron Hadlow come up. And, I mean, I just look at you, Fabian, looking at Aaron going, wow, this is so cool. You know, Aaron's here. I mean, that. That is awesome. And I guess kiteboarding is that sport that you can meet your heroes easier, you know, I mean, it's difficult in football.
- [07:37]
A
Yeah, for sure. The thing with Aaron was super cool, but Aaron was even before my time, because when I started kite surfing, there was, like, Liam Whaley really big, and Lorenzo just coming up. Andrea just coming up. And Aaron was a name that I, like, got to hear later than them. But now, when I was longer into the sport, I know how special Aaron and Ruben, how special they are.
- [08:04]
B
Yeah, it's so interesting because, you know, when I came into the sport, you know, that's who I was covering. Those are the guys that I was speaking to. Now I'm speaking to. You know, I think we were laughing the other day. I feel like I'm speaking, like, as I get older, the riders are getting younger, the age spread is getting bigger, which is kind of crazy. But I think that's what makes kiteboarding super cool. Right? I mean, that everybody's heroes are available, and I think you should go and speak to these guys on the beach because they are super cool. They're not the Christiano level. They're not the Messi level where they. You can't speak to those guys.
- [08:33]
A
Yeah, for sure.
- [08:34]
B
Let's talk about competition aspirations. You know, you've ridden in full power. You've written in some of the Red Bull qualifiers. How has it to break into that top 25 where you are being considered for the top competitions?
- [08:48]
A
Yeah. So that's for sure a super hard thing in kite surfing, because we don't have as many competitions as other sports has. And when you have only three competitions in a year, everybody wants to do it, for sure. But if everybody wants to do it and There are only 15 spots or 16 spots to ride or to get from the video entry, then for sure it's super hard. To get in there because the competition is super high. And that's for sure something that makes the sport harder for us. I know a lot of other guys also have the same problem that they like they're super good riders but don't have the videos that other guys have because other guys are traveling with videographers and stuff, so they will never get the chance to get into a competition. And I also had the chance to get into some big competitions, but they're really, really big ones. Is really hard. Yeah.
- [09:46]
B
What advice would you give for riders in that 25 to 40 ranking to get in? You know, I always say that, you know, you got to ride through the sort of the lower comps. What advice would you give them?
- [10:00]
A
For sure, Try to get videographers as much as possible because when you have the clips, you have the clips for the competitions. But also you can make so much good video analysis from those clips. And it helps you so much to get a better, to be a better kitesurfer. Like I also did, I always go with my GoPro. And even if guys say it's funny, why have you always the GoPro in your mouth? But I don't even post as many clips as I make, but I just use it to see what I'm doing wrong when I kite. And this helps me so much. And I learned all my tricks like this. I just see, oh, here five times I crashed and I did this, and one time I landed and I did this different. So in the next session I land everything.
- [10:48]
B
And can you tell that from point of view as well? Or do you sometimes like shot from back so you can sort of see? Just to give you an example here, you know, you were talking about your clipping the water with your back rotations, right? Your, you know, your back roll takeoff. But that's not a point of view shot. It's something that you knew, but you noticed it more on that on a wide angle shot. So do you think wide angle is as important as point of view?
- [11:09]
A
For sure, both angles are super nice to have, but in a lot of cases you don't have someone on the beach and then point of view is easier to get for you. But yeah, on a takeoff, it's better to have a clip from outside. But for the whole trick movement POV is enough in a lot of cases.
- [11:27]
B
There's a bunch of great competitions, right? Full power. Tarifa has Pro1, Pro2, the puckle comp, the Windsor Sinai. There's so many actual great little, what I call sort of AAA comps or tier 2 comps that have a lot of good riders in. Is the plan just to keep doing those and start building up your sort of competition experience as to say, yeah,
- [11:48]
A
for sure I want to do more competitions, but I focus more on, like, getting good videos and making more content on YouTube this year. And I also want to keep doing it because, yeah, competing is nice, but it's also nice to get into those competitions. But when you actually be there, it's like a hard thing to compete, and it's super stressful. And I also like the part of kite surfing that is more relaxed, showing people how cool kitesurfing is and. And traveling the world and make cool content.
- [12:22]
B
Do you enjoy the comps, or is the nerves tough to deal with at times? Because there's a lot of good guys out there, right? Evan Klein, perfect example, just said, look, I just don't like feeling like that. I like to ride, but I just don't like feeling like that.
- [12:35]
A
Yeah, I can understand him, but, yeah, there are some comps that I really like to go. But as soon as the wind is so strong that you think, paw, when I do a mistake, I could die, then I'm like, oh, no, it doesn't feel as good. And you can't sleep the nights before. But if it is a comp in 30 knots or 35 knots, it's chill. Then it's super nice to compete and show the people what you training for and what you can do with the kite.
- [13:02]
B
But those top guys, especially that top 18, they want it crazy strong, you know, like, you can't even pull the bar in. That's. That's what they want. Is that what makes them the best, that they can face that fear as well, of potentially getting injured and be able to ride with that sort of mental state that they can control that?
- [13:24]
A
I think the thing with this guys is that they nearly all come from spots where you have this wind a lot of times. But I come from a spot where we have this wind, like, three times a year. So I'm always scared when there is this wind. And when it's in a competition, it's even harder because a lot of people are watching you and you have to go. But these guys, they get it a lot of time, so they're used to it, and they like, oh, I love it, because we can go high and go extreme. But for the other guys, I think it's hard.
- [13:57]
B
Yeah, I'm from a spot where it's 18 knots in warm water, so I get it, man. For sure. When I go to go to windy spots, man, I'm like, dude, it's a challenge. You know, it's a real challenge at times.
- [14:06]
A
Yeah.
- [14:07]
B
What are your goals for competition this year? I know you've written a couple of Rebel qualifiers. You have done the full power to Refart. You've said to me you've been invited to Puckle or you got into Puckle but couldn't do it. Is the goal this year for comps to try and do all those competitions again or that, that level of competition and try and make a big break at some stage?
- [14:27]
A
For sure. I want to do Puckle this year because I was sad that I couldn't go last year because there was also a comp in Germany and full power coming up and it was just too much to go for me. But this year I for sure want to go and I also want to try to get an entry done for the Kot Hawaii Games. So maybe with luck I can ride there because this is like one of the last streams I have in kite surfing to ride cold Hawaii Games one time. And yeah, so I'm gonna try this and see how it goes and if not, we train harder and see if we can make it next year.
- [15:03]
B
Let's talk about your YouTube because you're making really cool stuff. I mean, you've had some unbelievable viral clips. How did the sort of YouTube journey come up? And is that something you enjoy making? Content? You're also creating content for us.
- [15:15]
A
So I started to film like nearly after I started to kite to put the GoPro always in my wetsuit to get some cool clips and stuff. And before I even kited, I always wanted to be a fish fishing YouTuber.
- [15:32]
B
I love fishing YouTube, by the way.
- [15:33]
A
I, I love it and I always watch it and I wanted to do it myself, but I was just not self confident enough to do fishing YouTube stuff. Also with the.
- [15:41]
B
Surely fishing YouTube's easier than kiteboarding YouTube
- [15:44]
A
for sure, you have way more people watching. But yeah, when I started kiting and I made those comms and also won some comps in Germany, I got some confidence and I said, okay, let's, let's, let's start a YouTube video with my best friend. Like Mats. He's my best friend in Germany and in my first video I was so not confident that I just let him speak the whole video. He was speaking and I was kiting. But after I saw the people putting nice comments and they like it, I was getting more confident and I said, okay, let's, I will start Doing it myself. And it wasn't English back then, I think. And after a while we also started like to go fully on German stuff and yeah, made more videos. Then we went to Brazil, make a lot of vlogs and yeah, now we have vlogs from all around the world.
- [16:41]
B
Why did you decide to concentrate in just in German? Surely that cuts your market down, not doing it in English.
- [16:47]
A
Yeah, for sure. But it's just way more authentic if we do it in German. And it's also not about the views for me. It's just about showing the right people how cool our sport is.
- [17:00]
B
Yeah, because you said to me, I want to attract people to the sport. Is that the sort of goal and concept of the YouTube?
- [17:06]
A
Yeah, I can tell you something like when I started to make shorter videos about kite surfing and explained it to the whole world and just not only to the people that are kite surfing. A lot of guys texted me on Instagram or on the other platforms that they just booked their first kite lesson because they saw these videos and. Or they had their first kite lesson because of the video and they like it so much. And this is the biggest thing for me. Like this really felt good to hear and I like this feeling. So I want to keep doing this and go to the people that maybe never even heard of our sport and show them how cool it is.
- [17:41]
B
Storytelling is something that you do very good in these.
- [17:44]
A
No, thank you.
- [17:45]
B
Where did you learn about that?
- [17:48]
A
So basically I study online marketing and I learned some stuff there and try to use as much as I can from. Yeah, my study also.
- [17:59]
B
Does the storytelling come easy or do you have to think about it?
- [18:02]
A
No, for sure. You always have to think about it. But as you do it more, it gets easier and easier. For sure. Yeah.
- [18:09]
B
Will you do more English commentary? You do a lot. I mean, I know you have the writing, but the stuff that it's been the most successful is like the, hey, you want to jump or you want to fly? Let me show you how that type of stuff, you know.
- [18:21]
A
Yeah, for sure. But I think I will keep doing the German ones because also the YouTube channel was going slowly, was growing slowly till we had like 2,000 and something followers. But then like one video took off and we went to 10k super fast. And now it's growing and growing and we over 10k now. So it's working super good. And it's also super fun to see. Like the channel is growing and it gives you motivation to put more work in, you know. But I honestly, I love the spots in Germany, like you have so many nice people going kiting there. We have really good spots on Fehmarn. We have a super nice lagoon on Bisum that I love. It's my favorite spot on the whole earth. And yeah, so I wouldn't change country because of kiteboarding, because I love Germany to kite.
- [19:15]
B
I mean, have you thought about driving the van down to Tarifa and spending two or three months there at a time? Or you prefer to do just shorter trips?
- [19:23]
A
No, I just went to Tarifa after full power to stay for one month to just train for on Tarifa, because Tarifa is a sport where a lot of competitions happen and so I wanted to be fully ridden onto the spot and I went there for one month, just trained there. But we have a. We had a lot of poniento, so I couldn't really ride B Ario too good. But we have like one week of Panario and yeah, I made the most of it and now I'm good riding on the spot, so I'm happy and I. I don't think I need to go for three months now. So.
- [19:59]
B
Yeah, I mean, goofy is your strength, right? How do you find routing riding balaria? Because it's sort of. It sort of definitely works better to the left.
- [20:07]
A
Yeah, for sure. It works way better to the left. Also to the right. It's super gusty. And for me it's for sure a problem because I go to the right when I do my normal loops because I'm right handed and to the left when I do my contra loops. So in competitions in Tarifa, I do a lot of stuff to the left and do contra loop stuff. But yeah, you always have to also show the judges that you can do the normal loop stuff. So I go to the right, but it's super sketchy. Yeah, for sure. But I learned to do some stuff with the left hand and I mean,
- [20:39]
B
I know a lot of riders talk about strengthening both hands, right? Being able to do the board offs with both hands. Because I think the judges are getting better at that and they can see where you're just using one hand all the time.
- [20:48]
A
Yeah, for sure. Also, some guys are so technical that they can do a loop trick where they put the board off with the left hand and put it back on with the right hand. So maybe that's the next step of technicality in kitesurfing.
- [21:02]
B
What about off the fin? You like?
- [21:04]
A
Yeah, sometimes it looks super cool. For sure.
- [21:06]
B
You know, for a long time the German scene didn't really have that Rider. Right. I think over the years you had Simon Bruin, but didn't really have a big competition name coming out. Now we've got obviously Finn Flugel, who I think could be one of the faces of kiteboarding moving forward. Have you noticed his impact and notice a lot more people are more excited about competitions in Germany because of Finn?
- [21:27]
A
Yeah, for sure. Like it's always good to have one guy to cheer about and like support. And I think also watching the competitions gets more interesting when you have one guy that you really like and support. And I hope that Finn can be something like this for Germany. So more people watch the competitions and get into the sport. And I think he's doing a good job. He's riding really good in the competitions. He's a nice guy, He's a super good person and I think that's something we really need in Germany, for sure.
- [21:58]
B
Do you find that a lot of German riders probably like at my spot, probably at most spots around the world, they don't have any idea what's going on in the competition scene. I mean, it's kind of crazy how disjointed kiteboarding is, right? It's almost like a hobby rather than a sport.
- [22:12]
A
Yeah, for sure. But I think it's because normal people like work the whole day somewhere and they just want to do kiting as like a get your mind free thing and go to the sport after work, kite a bit and next day maybe work again. And like this it's super hard to also concentrate on all the stuff that is going on in the competitions. So they maybe just focus on themselves. What I think is also super. Okay. I think it's like this.
- [22:42]
B
Is there younger riders that you see coming through the system that could be another sort of German representative in the industry?
- [22:49]
A
Yeah. We have Martin coming up. He's super good and he's also from Germany. He can do crazy, crazy tricks. And he also made his, his name bigger for the from the last competitions. But we also have a super, super young guy. I think he's 11 years old. He's called Bruno and he's riding for Cor now. And he went to my local spot where I always kite Bisum. And he's also a super nice rider. He's starting to do double loops with 11 and kite loops, boogie loops, everything bald offs. So maybe he's someone we should watch for the next years. And yeah, we always have some cool, cool riders and you see them also coming to the competitions and it's super nice. Yeah.
- [23:32]
B
Do you remember seeing Kobe around when he was younger.
- [23:38]
A
Yeah, so he's from Borkum, so he's not close to my home spot. But he is close, but he's living on an island, so I don't see him kite. But when he started to post his first clips and I saw how young he is, I was like, oh, this guy will be good. He also asked me when he learned his first kitel border flight back. He texted me, hey, Fabi, how are you here? I have a video where I tried kitel botafly back. Can you maybe help me? And I was like, he's 15 or 14 and tries this. And yeah, I helped him also. And after that, like one day after he landed perfectly, so I was like,
- [24:14]
B
okay, now you're calling him, hey, hey, Kobe, help me with this.
- [24:18]
A
Yeah, maybe. And yeah, so he got really good and I saw it and it's nice to have him here.
- [24:24]
B
Yeah, I mean, it's, it's really cool that there is these, you know, yourself and these younger guys coming through because, I mean, the sport's getting younger and younger. I mean, we were speaking at the top about how young some of these riders coming through. It's just crazy. Their level and a lot of them coming through that world class kiteboarding academy. Right. You know, getting to travel a lot, getting to be around a lot of wind, having the ability to study in the morning, then ride in the afternoon. Time on the water is the key, right?
- [24:52]
A
For sure. Time on the water is the key and you really see it. Like the guys that train a lot on strong wind spots also make really good podium performances in the competitions. And when you spend a lot of time in the water, it's for sure easier to get new tricks in.
- [25:13]
B
I was just having a call yesterday with one of the rider's parents, a young rider, and they were saying to me, oh, what, what do you think we should do next to get them to that next step? And I was like, and, and I'm going to back up what you said. I said you need to get content all the time. Every time you're in the water, you need to have someone shooting or someone collecting content, because content is king, right? I mean, if you're building up your Instagram, lots of guys have got into this, got into competitions because they've got great content and there's probably writers out there who are great writers but don't have the content. You need to be able to tap into the Keeners and the next gen kite content guys. And these, these guys who are happy to come down and shoot all day. Do you have someone that comes down and shoots for you at the spots?
- [25:56]
A
Yeah. So when I started to film some kiting stuff, also a friend of mine started to get more into video stuff and bought his first cam. His name is Jose. He's from my hometown. And he's also super good filmer, and he makes super nice clips. But he's also studying now and don't have the time to always come to the spot. So we maybe film once a year. So it's not enough for kiting for sure. But yeah, I had this problem a lot of times because when it's really strong in Germany, when we get 40 or 50 knots, no one wants to go on the beach and film you because it's super cold, it's raining all the time, and no one wants to stand there. So it's hard to get really good clips when it's strong and nuking. So you get into combs.
- [26:46]
B
Yeah. Let's talk about kite handles. Why did you decide to start building kite handles? And how did that come about?
- [26:52]
A
Yeah, so three years ago, when we still went to school with one of my good friends, Linus, we wanted to have a handle for ourselves, like, buy one. But we watched an Internet and there was like, one handle, I think, and it was super expensive. So we said, nah, let's try to make it ourselves. So we bought a cheap 3D printer and started to make some prototype handles. And we had a lot of prototypes. And after like three months, we had like a handle that we said, oh, that's good for flips and spins and stuff. So I had it on my board, he had it on his board, and we went kiting with it. Like, we were super happy to have a handle like this. And then guys at the spot came to us and asked, oh, this is sick. It's maybe easier for me to get the board off and on. Can you maybe make one for me? And then another guy came, and another guy came, and then we had a lot of guys coming to us at the beach. It's like, okay, let's start to sell it if so many guys want it.
- [27:55]
B
What's the name of the handles?
- [27:56]
A
Kite Works.
- [27:57]
B
Kite Works.
- [27:58]
A
So this was kind of the start. Then we bought a better printer and more printers to keep going and make it bigger. And, yeah, it was going super well, and we could never imagine that this would happen, but, yeah, it was super nice. And then after a time, we, like, put in a lot of work to make a really, really good handle for the pro riders. As well, and this also worked super nice and a lot of guys using our handle and yeah, it's super nice
- [28:27]
B
to see how many pro riders were riding kite works handles over the years
- [28:32]
A
in some stages a lot. Like now we have more and more people that are also doing handles. And I mean, it's super good to have a variety of handles so everyone can take the handle that they like. But on some stage stages, they were just nearly just us. So a lot of guys were using our handle and now it's like more variety.
- [28:54]
B
And yeah, I remember when Andrea and Lorenzo first bought the handles out, I mean, they were primitive, right? They were packed up with spaces, they had tennis wraps on them. You know, all different type people tried different types of tape. It was mainly tape driven on the top. How did you guys go about designing the perfect handle and how long did that take?
- [29:16]
A
So we for sure took like half a year, just testing, like shapes and stuff. But in the end we were super happy with the product and brought it out and we got really good feedback. Now we working on a new one, actually. So we found out that we can change the shape a bit and it makes it even better, for sure. We also always have to keep in mind that this should be a handle for everyone. Like, everyone should take it in their hand and say, oh, that feels good, I want to use it. And this is like kind of the hard thing of the hand and stuff, because a pro rider needs maybe a bit different to handle than a normal rider, for sure.
- [29:59]
B
I mean, a normal rider doesn't need the big handles, right? You know, the ones that are huge. Did you build some ones that, like, remember Andre back in the day had some ones I made. Some of those were huge. Did you build some really big ones as well?
- [30:10]
A
Yeah, for sure. A lot of guys ask for it because some guys have limited mobility because they are like way older than the usual kiter. And I say, I still want to try Bordeaux, but I just can't reach the handle. And then we say, okay, let's build a handle together. And some guys get bigger handles for sure, from us. And they are super happy because then they can also do the board of stuff and try some stuff.
- [30:36]
B
Have you upgraded your printers over the years?
- [30:39]
A
Yeah, for sure. Like at the beginning it was like a €200 printer.
- [30:43]
B
Like a TEMU printer or something?
- [30:45]
A
Yeah, like a super cheap one. And it was just horrible because we got an order and we wanted to ship it out as fast as possible, but we couldn't because the printer was like failing all the time. And we started three hours gone, printer dead. And then we sent it back to the factory, got the money back, and with the handles we sold at the beginning, we were able to afford the better printer.
- [31:10]
B
And what printers are you using for these now?
- [31:12]
A
It's Bambu Lab. It's from Bambu Lab. It's like one of the biggest printer factories.
- [31:18]
B
How many printers do you have running all the time? I mean, is this like a non stop operation, making the handles?
- [31:24]
A
Yeah, for sure. Like I think we change between four and six printers, something like this. I'm not sure how many we have at the moment. It's for sure, always running.
- [31:35]
B
Is it true that Linus is sleeping next to Those printers running 24 hours a day?
- [31:38]
A
Yeah, he's living in a small apartment and we have a small room for all the printers and he's sleeping in the room next to it and is living like close by. So he always hears the from the
- [31:53]
B
printers to make him go crazy.
- [31:55]
A
Yeah, I think he goes crazy.
- [31:57]
B
What are some of the challenges having a small business like Kite Works? You know, I mean, do you get annoyed when brands, I guess, can rip off your designs? I mean, it's very hard to patent a design like that. Right? I'm sure does. Is that frustrating?
- [32:10]
A
Yeah, for sure. In the beginning it was super frustrating because we like put a lot of work into this shape and this design. But after a while we brought it out and we were super proud. And then we saw other companies just taking our design and making it. For sure. We tried to save the design, but it's not possible and super hard to make it. But in the end, yeah, it's okay. I think we make our thing. We will put out different handles and these guys maybe copy us or bring out their own handles. And I think it's nice to have variety always.
- [32:48]
B
By the way, I think competition is good. I think competition drives you more. You know, it makes you want to bring better products out, right?
- [32:56]
A
Yeah, for sure. Without competition, it would be way too easy and you wouldn't even start making marketing for your stuff. And now we have to do something. So what about the Wuhandle?
- [33:08]
B
I mean, it's pretty cool, right? Is there flexibility in the market for you to do something similar where you could put a woo inside the top of the handle?
- [33:16]
A
Actually, way before there was the Wuhan, we made a design of a handle that looked like it is now. But then I asked one guy that was close to woo if we can do this, and he was like, no, I don't think so. Because in the rules of vuu, the VU has to be on the board, like can't be more up. So we said, okay, sad we can't do it. But now they change the rules, I think, and they have a handle. But I mean it's super cool. VU is also a sponsor from me and it's cool to see that also big brands understand now that a big handle is nicer. Also Duotone is doing it, F1 is doing it. And I think it's nice that big brands see that this is a thing to do because when we wanted this handle, there was no big brand doing it. Otherwise we wouldn't even started this thing.
- [34:09]
B
Will you do a Woo type handle now or we just leave that for. For Woo to do? Because I'm sure other brands are going to do it right?
- [34:17]
A
Yeah, for sure. Nah, I'm not sure about it. We super focused into the new design that we are doing now. So we don't work on a VOO handle right now, but maybe one day we will bring one out as well.
- [34:32]
B
I'm going to ask you about the sort of customer service side of, you know, being a small business owner because it is kind of funny. I mean you face all these challenges like they order a kite works handle and expect it the next day. I mean you are building these, custom building these for people, right? I mean it takes time. Is that frustrating having people complaining about the speed of service?
- [34:53]
A
Maybe a bit frustrating, but I can totally understand because they can't know that we make it completely handmade. Some people just order and they expect it to be there on the next day, like when you order from Amazon. But yeah, for sure it takes time to make a handle like this. Linus is putting in a lot of work and also if I can help, we put in a lot of work to make them high quality and make them with our hands with the help of 3D printers. And when some guys come up and say, ah, I'm waiting for three days now, why is the handle not here? Super like frustrated then? Yeah, it's sad. But we always like try to help them and tell them that we make it ourselves and it takes some time to make something like this. And yeah.
- [35:39]
B
Are they happy when they get it though or they still complain?
- [35:42]
A
Yeah, normally they are super happy when they get it.
- [35:44]
B
You can always take my advice on those customer service emails better than I don't think. But I mean it's awesome, right? I mean also the grip. I mean I've seen like the grip. You know, I was speaking back at the start where people were using all types of stuff for the grip. What do you use for the grip? Because it's heated on, right?
- [36:02]
A
Yeah. So that's actually a nice story because we had no grip there at the beginning. And then we wanted to make a pro handle for the good riders that really need a grip on it. And then I was checking the Internet together with Linus and we're like, where can we find something that is like, still creepy when it's wet? Like, like what we need in kite surfing. And then we came up, ah, fishing. We thought about fishing and then actually we got tape that you put on fishing rods. So when you catch the big tuna, you still have crib on the, on the fishing rod when it's wet. So we actually took this grip tape for the handle.
- [36:43]
B
So you actually heat that on yourself, right? Is it glued on?
- [36:46]
A
No, it's just heated and we put normal tape at the end.
- [36:50]
B
I mean, it's a real venture, right? I mean, you're a real little businessman. Like, you know, you're doing this, you're starting, you're kiting, you're doing YouTube. Do you like being busy? Do you like having lots of stuff on your plate?
- [37:00]
A
For sure. It's always nice to have a lot going on and it's nice to do stuff. And it's also super nice to do build stuff yourself, like I do with the YouTube and the kite work stuff. But also it can get really busy. Like on a week like this, I'm doing my study. I have portrait with the stuff I do kite works. I try to be a professional kite surfer beside that and like YouTube also. So altogether can get a lot and can get too much sometimes. But yeah, I try to get everything done as good as possible because, you
- [37:39]
B
know, we see these young guys down there. Half these guys haven't even done school or they say they've done school, but whether they're finished or not, I have no idea. I mean, I think it's awesome that you're finishing school. I think it's awesome you've got other things because the careers in kiteboarding are getting shorter by the, by the day.
- [37:55]
A
Yeah, for sure. It's always good to do some stuff beside kite surfing. And also I had also the time in my life where I was just kite surfing the whole day. Also when we went to Brazil with my friends, we were just kiting for two months every day from the morning to the end of the day. But that's also a hard thing. Like you need some different stuff for your mind because if you're always too focused on one thing, it's also not good for you, for your mental health.
- [38:21]
B
I was at the beach yesterday, and Maxwell Dahl's like, I've just had two days off. You know, I just can't kite all the time. You know, I know I have to, but I need to have breaks. I can't just be on the water. Makes me more impressive how Jamie can just spend all day, every day, day in, day out, kiting. It's kind of crazy.
- [38:38]
A
Yeah, for sure. I can also spend a lot of time on the water, for sure. When I. When I'm in my home spot and we had, like, one week with no wind, and then three days with wind, I would go all in on these three days and kite seven hours a day, for sure. But then it's like I have done all my stuff at the days before where there was no wind, and now when there's wind here, like, every day in Mykonos, I can't kite that much because I also have to do some other stuff. But, yeah, I can understand where Jamie goes too much. I mean, the spot is so sick. And, yeah, when you have the chance, you should do it.
- [39:16]
B
We're in Mykonos now, and I can just hear the wind starting to pick up. We're actually sitting outside at our accommodation and the wind is starting to pick up, and I see you looking out to the water there. How have you found Mykonos? I mean, it's your first time here. Is it a spot that you have enjoyed and you think you come back to?
- [39:30]
A
Yeah, actually, I was super impressed because when I saw the clips, I was like, ah, it looks choppy. It looks gusty. I don't know if this spot is good, but when I first came here on the first day, it was super good. It's super. You get super vertical takeoffs because of the Venturi effect.
- [39:47]
B
Venturi effect, yeah.
- [39:48]
A
And it's super nice when you get a good takeoff spot. You can fly really high and go super vertical. Do good kite loop stuff and train here, actually, really good. And this is what we did the last days. We trained for the upcoming stuff and had a lot of fun underwater. And, yeah, I'm impressed. I don't want to leave, actually.
- [40:09]
B
Well, we're leaving tomorrow. Will you come back here for sure?
- [40:12]
A
I will come back.
- [40:13]
B
I think after speaking to a lot of riders, you know, everyone's like, man, I'm. I'm gonna start coming here more. I think that kiteboarders are creatures of habit, right? They go To Tarifa or to France or Brazil, South Africa. They just sort of do that sort of four rotation. So it'd be interesting to see if this sort of joins that as a place that people will come regularly.
- [40:31]
A
Yeah, we'll be super interesting. How do you like the spot?
- [40:34]
B
I think it's amazing. It's beautiful. The wind's great. It is a little bit tricky. It isn't the easiest spot to ride, for sure. You know, it is tough and you'll even hear the. The pro say it's a tough spot. But I think when you can connect here, it's very, very good. I mean, you ride the NXT, right? In Lords of Tram, the NXT got the two or three highest jumps, but here it wasn't in the top 10. And then you hear Ralph saying, these kites are tuned to the spot. What do you think about that?
- [41:01]
A
I can imagine that this is true and he's saying real stuff because I also feel like some kites work better on these spots and some kites work better on other spots. So I think you also saw it in the comp, like the peak was going super low and was looking good at this spot. But it's also a thing where I would be like, would be not too sure about just building a kite on one spot because you have to build a kite that works on a lot of spots. And this spot is not like the normal spot that you have on the world and it's super different. So I don't know if a kite that you designed just for this spot is good for every spot.
- [41:45]
B
But that peak looked like it lacked a bit of height in. In Lords of Tram and the nxt, which you love, was getting all the height. Look, we've always said that peak is always best in the waves, right?
- [41:56]
A
Yeah, for sure.
- [41:57]
B
But I was surprised that Jamie didn't take it. You know, Jamie's very dialed into that rebel now and he has the peak. He can get his hands on the peak through Kaitmana.
- [42:05]
A
We should ask him what's next for you after this? Tomorrow I will go home, just chill a bit because it was a lot of going on here, a lot of work that we did. And now I think I will chill a bit for a few days. I also have to study at home, so I will do this for sure. And after this, I will check for the forecast. I will go somewhere with the van for sure. Kite at the good German spot.
- [42:31]
B
Can you start? You're studying online, right? So you can take the van and work from the van.
- [42:35]
A
As well. Yeah, for sure.
- [42:36]
B
You want to do Puckle?
- [42:38]
A
Yeah, for sure.
- [42:39]
B
I know that you got in, but you couldn't make it. And you think you'll get back in next year?
- [42:44]
A
Yeah, I tried for sure. Because I really like what these guys are doing. They are super nice guys. And I actually went to the spot before and it's a nice spot. And I also like England a lot for kiting. I went to Exmouth and after this to Portland for one day and, yeah, I hope they let me in again. And I left it like, I explained to them what is going on and that I can't come. And I would love to come. So this year, hopefully we make it happen.
- [43:14]
B
You know, Max Tallet won it that last year, but Elliot Bataan and Baptiste Jackaman got second or third. Those guys went on and made king there. You. You can get bolters into the event. I know the, the. The. The mountain is high, but it can happen, for sure.
- [43:29]
A
Yeah, it can happen. And we have to believe.
- [43:32]
B
Believing is the key. What, what do you think of the level of that competition? You think the level's high?
- [43:37]
A
Yeah, for sure. When you have Max to. He's riding in the World cup and in big competitions, you have Baptiste, who's a super good rider. Right. Making king of the air. Elliot also making king of the air and getting podiums and Red Bull competitions. So when you have these guys in a competition, for sure it's a high level.
- [43:57]
B
Is there some luck in competitions as well? Because people always say, oh, I just didn't get the ghast. Do you think there is some luck?
- [44:04]
A
Yeah, there's a lot of luck for sure in competitions, because you see some guys that are always making really good places in competitions. Like, Lorenzo is always up. Andrea was always up. Jeremy's always good, and Jamie is always really good in competitions. But also these guys, sometimes they just have a competition where they can't connect with the gust. And on a spot like France or also here, you have really good gust and really bad gust like we had yesterday. We tried to film a clip and then we went to another place on this spot where the wind is completely different than on the other spots. And I just couldn't connect with the gust for like half an hour. And then we just stopped. Because kiting is always like wind. You need the water, you need everything perfect. And that's also with the competition. So if you don't have the perfect takeoff and the perfect gust, you can't do the good trick.
- [45:04]
B
I remember Andrea once said to me, oh, no worries. I go find the gust and I kind of feel like there are some guys who manage to, I don't look, it's not, there's nothing mythical, there's nothing magical here. But there are some guys, especially Lorenzo and Leonardo in this last competition who just seem to connect every time. I mean, by the way, this is Leo's first trip here as well. I know Lorenzo's been here three years, but there are some people who just seem to make the wind. I don't know how that, I don't know what that is. But do you understand what I mean?
- [45:32]
A
Yeah, for sure I understand what you mean. And I still try to figure out how these guys do it it. But I think it's also something with the going super fast into the trick. Yeah, I'm not too sure about it, but when you see Lorenzo or Leonardo, when they go for a trick, they go super, super fast. And I think like this, you have a higher possibility to hit the gas. But I, I, I don't know.
- [45:54]
B
How are you riding in waves? Have you been to Cape Town before? Have you really trained there and spent a lot of time there? Because again, that's a whole different type of riding. Again, you know, Tarifa is the wave and the wind is opposite here. The sort of waves and the wind are going the same direction. Laws of tram. It's flat water, cold. Hawaii is also big kickers. How are you in those type of conditions when you're riding into a left foot kicker?
- [46:17]
A
Yeah. So left foot kicker is for sure always a problem for me because I right handed like I said before, so it can be hard. But like I said, I learned left hand borders also so I can do some stuff to the left side as well. And I trained it in Cape Town. I went to Cape Town two times now. So I, I'm used to the kickers and I know how to ride in it. But for sure, always flat water is the best conditions and I like it the most.
- [46:46]
B
Yeah, I mean, I think that's why Lorenzo's had such a good rundown there. Right. Because he knows the water, he knows waves, you know, and Leo as well. You know, I think there is something in spending lots of time in Cape Town because it is difficult. Cape Town's a difficult spot. It's not as easy as everyone thinks. Will you go to Cape Town for a longer season this year? Is that the plan?
- [47:09]
A
Yeah, I think I will go for one month again like I did the last two years because I love it there. Like the living is super nice. I like the people and also you can do so much stuff beside kite surfing, so your mind is always feels good to do some stuff. And Cape Town is a really pretty place. And yeah, I skipped Brazil last year and I think I will skip it this year again because you can just kite there. And I think for a lot of people it's super nice to just go there and kite. But after spending so much time there, also for the World cup that we did there, I just can't see the stuff anymore and I need some different stuff from my mind.
- [47:51]
B
Will you go around King of the Air or when do you normally like to go to Cape Town?
- [47:55]
A
I went from January to February last year and also the year before and I liked it so much because a lot of people already left and there was still a lot of wind and we were riding every day. So I think I tried to do this the same again.
- [48:12]
B
But don't you want to go down and see and feel the experience of King of the Air? Because, mate, it's. It's next level stuff, you know. You know, like we're, we're the only media really here at this event. But when you go to those events, there's a lot more media. There's the big Red Bull teams there. I mean, when you go to the event site, there's six or seven trucks for, for the, for the whole live stream. I mean, it's a proper setup, you know, for sure.
- [48:36]
A
I think it's super nice to see it once in your life or a few times in your life. And I would love to see it one day, but now it's just. It's super crowded to this time when King of the Air. So for my training, it's not too good. And also it feels hard for me to watch those competitions to be there and not ride because I always think I need to make it. And it's hard to watch it when you're there. Like we had here to watch it and not ride. It's not too easy for me. And yeah, I tried to get used to it and also to be on the beach sometimes on those competitions when it's super windy, it's not that nice. Like we had it here. We had the opportunity to go at the beach and watch the comp, but we stayed here half a day and watched the livestream because day one we
- [49:26]
B
just stayed at home watching from the house.
- [49:27]
A
Yeah, yeah, watch the livestream all the time. Because in the wind and all the sand is flying, it's not too good to watch.
- [49:35]
B
I think it'd be good to go down. I mean, if you don't get into king of the year this year, I think it's also good to go down and do some cadding. You know, like Lucas caddied Mark, you know, Baby Shark carried Andrea. You know, a lot of these guys have come through and caddied riders and just had a closer experience where you're involved in the role. You're going to the riders meeting, the writers meeting is like knife edge type, you know, intensity. And you know, to get to go to the writers area and be part of that background, because I think it makes a smoother step into that. I mean, Leonardo used to be the caddy, right now he's in Baby Shark caddied Andre, now he's in. You know, Luca Cat, he's in. So I do think there's some value in that as well, you know, and to any young riders out there, these guys are always looking for caddies. I think the caddy role's changed a lot now. It's a lot more of a serious role. Before it was just someone to set your up, but now you have to be a lot better with strategy and you need to be there. Yeah, I, I think that's changed, but I do think that that would be valuable.
- [50:29]
A
Yeah, probably you're right. Probably I should, I should do it. If you say it like this, it sounds good.
- [50:34]
B
Yeah, but I mean, it's, it's just, it just, it's just the next step in. So, you know, when that opportunity arises. You know, when Yannick Jagi first rode, that was his first ever big competition. The dude had never, he just done some like, little, little local comps and his next comp was the king of the air. He said, man, I the bed, you know, because I just had no idea of the intensity. I think there's something about when you turn around, you tack back in and you see the people on the beach and the towers, it's like, oh, shit, this is serious shit.
- [51:03]
A
Yeah, I can imagine that. That's a sick feeling. Also, we had the Ercel competition in Germany and it's like on a lagoon. So a lot of people could watch directly on the spot. And it was not like 35 knots, it was 15 to 20 knots. So it was super nice, super warm. Everyone was on the beach. And also when you jumped and you hear all the people screaming like at the magic gas, and I was just hearing the people saying, now landed, now landed. It's a super nice feeling and it gets the emotions up. I think also when you have a crowd like this, you ride better for sure.
- [51:35]
B
And I like now with King of the Air, they, they're judging a little bit more of the inside moves now, you know, for that variety that, you know, this whole new variety rules that the king of the head. I don't know what's going on with that, but we saw more judging, jumping on the inside back in the day. I remember Beto. Beto was up against someone, but he was way down, but he just was just jumping, pumping up the crowd and, and it was sick, man, because he's like jumping right along the waterfront and everyone was just cheering. I think that must be an awesome experience for those riders just to be pumping the crowd up, you know, I think, you know, when you're down in the heat and it's not going. I think Beto had crashed a bunch of times and might have even begins baby shark and he was just pumping the crowd up and the crowd was just going crazy. It was, it was awesome. And I, I think that is cool what you're saying, being able to interact with the crowd a little bit like cold Hawaii where, you know, they celebrate by jumping over the rocks at the end. I think that type of stuff is fun to get put on a show for the fans, you know, not just on the way out.
- [52:28]
A
For sure. It's a super nice feeling for both the crowd and the rider.
- [52:33]
B
Well, look, Fabi, thanks for coming on today. Dude, it's been super cool. The wind is starting to pick up. We need to probably have some breakfast and go down the beach and then start packing because we're all leaving tomorrow. But mate, welcome to Portrait. You've been an awesome new member and I'm looking forward to hopefully going to Cape Town with you and doing some more trips, man, thank you.
- [52:50]
A
Yeah, I'm looking forward to it. And thanks for having me on the podcast. It's super nice to be here because I used to watch it and listen to it when I was younger and also listen to it right now and it's super nice to be here now.
- [53:04]
B
Yeah, you still. You're a bit nervous at the start, but you got into it, man.
- [53:07]
A
I hope so. I hope it was okay to listen.
- [53:09]
B
Hey guys, I hope you enjoyed that episode. Don't forget, if you want to support the show, the easiest way is to support us for free. Rate the show on Spotify. I'm loving those five star reviews. Keep them coming in, share them in your local WhatsApp or kite survey groups, or simply just tell your friends if you want to support us more regularly, head over to portraitkite.com Portrait is an independent media company trying to tell the stories of kiteboarding the way we believe they should. These projects are funded by people just like you, and if you believe in what we do and want to support us more, head over to portraitkite.com the podcast guys will always be free, so don't worry about that. If you want to find more episodes just like this one, use the search button at kiteearth365.com to search your favorite writer or topic. And we'll be back this Thursday for the Megapod.