Take this as a new years resolution!
“Twenty years from now -
you will be more disappointed by the things that you didn't do
than by the ones you did do.
So throw off the bowlines.
Sail away from the safe harbor.
Catch the trade winds in your sails.
Explore. Dream. Discover.”
"Mark Twain"
Read Full...
Happy new year...
So here we are again... standing at the edge of another year that passed. If i look back i gotta say it was another great year filled with love, hope, harmony, up and downs, sunshine and nice beaches wt good winds and friends.
So what can i do better for the next one? hmmm i think i should just keep goin the direction i chose and don't change much, as it was a very successful way and i like it.
All that is left of the old year now, is a few hours till midnight, waiting till my babe arrives back on the island, having a deliciouse dinner, some beers wt friends and watching the fireworks goin off wt the midnight bang. The new year will start the same way the old one ends... with a cold beer in my hands, sand between my toes and Rebecka in my arms (-:
So as a little outlook to 2011 - it will be a busy KTA year again, travelling around asia till the summer starts in europe. Including some amazing kitespots like Busan in Korea, Pranburi in Thailand, Boracay here at my homespot, Mui Ne in Vietnam and hopefully Bali beginning of the summer... and mybe one or another sidetrip to China.
So happy new year to all my beloved family and friends.... Read Full...
All that is left of the old year now, is a few hours till midnight, waiting till my babe arrives back on the island, having a deliciouse dinner, some beers wt friends and watching the fireworks goin off wt the midnight bang. The new year will start the same way the old one ends... with a cold beer in my hands, sand between my toes and Rebecka in my arms (-:
So as a little outlook to 2011 - it will be a busy KTA year again, travelling around asia till the summer starts in europe. Including some amazing kitespots like Busan in Korea, Pranburi in Thailand, Boracay here at my homespot, Mui Ne in Vietnam and hopefully Bali beginning of the summer... and mybe one or another sidetrip to China.
So happy new year to all my beloved family and friends.... Read Full...
Merry x-mas everyone
It's time to say....
I just came back from the KTA Daet competition in the Philippines. We had some taff conditions from stormy rainy freestyle comp to beautyful sunset session in the butterflat lagoon of Bagasbas beach.
These are some shots from the kicker session, for the Cabrinha Kicker Competition. It was defenitly good fun, we need more of those kind of comps.
It was a busy time during the last weeks, KTA China in Hainan was a great success, wt lot's of competitors from all around the world, competing on a high level of kiteboarding.
Whenever we go to those asian countrys where they don't really speak english we get students to translate for us to the locals to work with em. It's really a great experience for us and them, we get to know a little bit about theire culture and they got to speak some proper english with someone else then theire teachers.
Now it's about time to stay home in Boracay for a while to enjoy the x-mas celebrations and new years madness.. (-; It will be a fun time, wt lot of kiting and partys all over the island. Would be even better to spend it wt my girl that is stuck in London airport for the last 3days.
Hopefully she will be home in Oslo by tomorrow... How the heck is it possible that Oslo Airport is open wt over a meter of snow and London and Amsterdam cannot deal wt a few centimeters? The best of all they don't even pay any money back for cancelled flights and lost connection flights...
I will be very busy in January again, we have the next KTA event in Vietnam in January, then back to Boracay for the Funboard Cup and maybe a trip to the north part of the Philippines after that, then off to Thailand in the middle of Feb for the 4th round of KTA.
So i wish u all a peaceful x-mas time and enjoy time wt all friends and family...
xoxoxo
Stephan Read Full...
Merry x-mas everyone out there in the world.
I just came back from the KTA Daet competition in the Philippines. We had some taff conditions from stormy rainy freestyle comp to beautyful sunset session in the butterflat lagoon of Bagasbas beach.
These are some shots from the kicker session, for the Cabrinha Kicker Competition. It was defenitly good fun, we need more of those kind of comps.
It was a busy time during the last weeks, KTA China in Hainan was a great success, wt lot's of competitors from all around the world, competing on a high level of kiteboarding.
Whenever we go to those asian countrys where they don't really speak english we get students to translate for us to the locals to work with em. It's really a great experience for us and them, we get to know a little bit about theire culture and they got to speak some proper english with someone else then theire teachers.
Now it's about time to stay home in Boracay for a while to enjoy the x-mas celebrations and new years madness.. (-; It will be a fun time, wt lot of kiting and partys all over the island. Would be even better to spend it wt my girl that is stuck in London airport for the last 3days.
Hopefully she will be home in Oslo by tomorrow... How the heck is it possible that Oslo Airport is open wt over a meter of snow and London and Amsterdam cannot deal wt a few centimeters? The best of all they don't even pay any money back for cancelled flights and lost connection flights...
I will be very busy in January again, we have the next KTA event in Vietnam in January, then back to Boracay for the Funboard Cup and maybe a trip to the north part of the Philippines after that, then off to Thailand in the middle of Feb for the 4th round of KTA.
So i wish u all a peaceful x-mas time and enjoy time wt all friends and family...
xoxoxo
Stephan Read Full...
Roadtrip along the west coast of Turkey
A shortcut through one week of road trip around Turkeys best kite spots.
Driving along endless Eucalyptus tree alleys, olive trees all over the mountains, adventures roads, fresh figs from the garden, endless empty beaches, windy spots, flat water, kicker waves, cozy hotels and enjoying and experiencing the Turkish cuisine...
KTA Turkey
First of all i wanna start with a special thx to all the organizers and helpers of the KTA Turkey tourstop, u guys did a great job. I think I speak out of most people's mind if i say we had a blast. We had some great onshore winds the first days and some hardcore offshore to finish off the comp. At the end we got it all done with a full double elimination and 8 races, not bad for the first stop of the 2010/11 season.
read the full report here on our new website: www.kiteboardtour.asia
So after the competition we pampered ourselves for two more days in the 7800Cesme Hotel before i moved up to Izmir together with Rebecka and the whole KTA crew. Most of em went straight for the airport to disappear to different parts of the world, while Rebecka and myself stayed two more nights in Izmir with Basak at her parents place. We got spoilt again with a great hospitality and more Turkish food experiences... donno if there is an end of it, but u definitely need a lot of workout if u stay here for long time.
Rebecka got her eye surgery done over here in the Izmir Eye Hospital, called "Kaskaloglo Göz hastanesi" no more contacts needed.
Here like to thank Basak and her parents again for the great hospitality.
So after our time in Izmir it was time to split up again, Rebecka went back home to Oslo and i started my way down to Gökova. Gotta say, the busses here are very comfy, looks like 5star airline, screens in every seat.. playing only Turkish movies (-;
My trip went from Izmir - Gökova - Bodrum - Didim - Bodrum - Didim - Bodrum - Istanbul
ok, we spent a few too many hours in the car, but hey, that's what happens if ur chasing new spots and the wind.
We had wind at nearly every spot we went to, i kited every day.
Gökova, is a wide Beach in a Nature reserve area in between mountains, where the wind funnels through. The water is flat to choppy and knee deep for the first 100meters. Little school and Bistro is setup on the beach. The wind is mostly onshore.
Bodrum, is not really a special spot, but still a nice change for a visit, the beach is a bit narrow and water is mostly choppy, a kiteschool is just around the corner.
Didim, lots of spots around here, all within 30min from Didim. I will not tell u about the exact locations, but this area definitely has some great potential. Most likely the big lagoon with random sandbars which goes along the coast for 17Kilometers!!! It can be very shallow in some spots and knee to waist deep in others. The best spot is a bit smelly, caused by the fermented mud, but who cares if u got a perfect flat water spot... think positive, u got a free mud pack (-;
There is another small spot called "flip flop beach" with some nice little kickers, this spot is not for beginners, there are sharp rocks on both sides and the space is limited. The name is not official, it's called like that because the first to experience this beach found it covered wt hundreds of flip flops... sound like Koh Phangan after full moon party.
One last spot is at the Harbour, we did not had too much wind there but it is also a flat water spot within the harbour. Setup on the pier and ride in front of it, there are windweehls all along the top of the surrounding mountains, so there is a lot of wind around this area.
We spent one night in a friends place close to Didim, this restaurant is mostly visited by Yacht charters and it's placed within a stunning bay. Some trollers coming back from a night out at sea in the morning unloading their catch of the day. Special thx for his hospitality and the lovely, rich breakfast the Kaptan Restaurant.You got a very picturesque place there.
I arrived at the Istanbul bus terminal and went straight to the airport wt the Metro. The 12h bus ride was not that much of a sleeper as i thought, so my butt hearts already... could someone please go ahead and push the science of beaming. Well at least the bus was cheap only 35Euro, no luggage limit... not bad.
Now i'm sitting in the Airport in Istanbul wt another 15h journey ahead... think i cannot sit for a while after this (-; At least i found time to update my Blog and i know my winterseason in Boracay will be a blast again!!
Cheeers from Istanbul and teşekkürler to all my friends in this Country
xoxo Read Full...
Driving along endless Eucalyptus tree alleys, olive trees all over the mountains, adventures roads, fresh figs from the garden, endless empty beaches, windy spots, flat water, kicker waves, cozy hotels and enjoying and experiencing the Turkish cuisine...
KTA Turkey
First of all i wanna start with a special thx to all the organizers and helpers of the KTA Turkey tourstop, u guys did a great job. I think I speak out of most people's mind if i say we had a blast. We had some great onshore winds the first days and some hardcore offshore to finish off the comp. At the end we got it all done with a full double elimination and 8 races, not bad for the first stop of the 2010/11 season.
read the full report here on our new website: www.kiteboardtour.asiaSo after the competition we pampered ourselves for two more days in the 7800Cesme Hotel before i moved up to Izmir together with Rebecka and the whole KTA crew. Most of em went straight for the airport to disappear to different parts of the world, while Rebecka and myself stayed two more nights in Izmir with Basak at her parents place. We got spoilt again with a great hospitality and more Turkish food experiences... donno if there is an end of it, but u definitely need a lot of workout if u stay here for long time.
Rebecka got her eye surgery done over here in the Izmir Eye Hospital, called "Kaskaloglo Göz hastanesi" no more contacts needed.
Here like to thank Basak and her parents again for the great hospitality.
So after our time in Izmir it was time to split up again, Rebecka went back home to Oslo and i started my way down to Gökova. Gotta say, the busses here are very comfy, looks like 5star airline, screens in every seat.. playing only Turkish movies (-;
My trip went from Izmir - Gökova - Bodrum - Didim - Bodrum - Didim - Bodrum - Istanbul
ok, we spent a few too many hours in the car, but hey, that's what happens if ur chasing new spots and the wind.
We had wind at nearly every spot we went to, i kited every day.
Gökova, is a wide Beach in a Nature reserve area in between mountains, where the wind funnels through. The water is flat to choppy and knee deep for the first 100meters. Little school and Bistro is setup on the beach. The wind is mostly onshore.
Bodrum, is not really a special spot, but still a nice change for a visit, the beach is a bit narrow and water is mostly choppy, a kiteschool is just around the corner.
Didim, lots of spots around here, all within 30min from Didim. I will not tell u about the exact locations, but this area definitely has some great potential. Most likely the big lagoon with random sandbars which goes along the coast for 17Kilometers!!! It can be very shallow in some spots and knee to waist deep in others. The best spot is a bit smelly, caused by the fermented mud, but who cares if u got a perfect flat water spot... think positive, u got a free mud pack (-;
There is another small spot called "flip flop beach" with some nice little kickers, this spot is not for beginners, there are sharp rocks on both sides and the space is limited. The name is not official, it's called like that because the first to experience this beach found it covered wt hundreds of flip flops... sound like Koh Phangan after full moon party.
We spent one night in a friends place close to Didim, this restaurant is mostly visited by Yacht charters and it's placed within a stunning bay. Some trollers coming back from a night out at sea in the morning unloading their catch of the day. Special thx for his hospitality and the lovely, rich breakfast the Kaptan Restaurant.You got a very picturesque place there.
I arrived at the Istanbul bus terminal and went straight to the airport wt the Metro. The 12h bus ride was not that much of a sleeper as i thought, so my butt hearts already... could someone please go ahead and push the science of beaming. Well at least the bus was cheap only 35Euro, no luggage limit... not bad.
Now i'm sitting in the Airport in Istanbul wt another 15h journey ahead... think i cannot sit for a while after this (-; At least i found time to update my Blog and i know my winterseason in Boracay will be a blast again!!
Cheeers from Istanbul and teşekkürler to all my friends in this Country
xoxo Read Full...
time to say goodbye again
es ist schon wieder soweit... time to say goodbye - für die einen - welcome back - für die anderen.
Die Zeit ist Reif, der Drang ist gross...
Mit viel Vorfreude schaue ich auf die neue KTA Saison in Asien, dieses Jahr in der Türkei-Cesme, China-Hainan, Vietnam-Mui Ne, Philippinen-Boracay, Thailand-Pranburi und Korea-Busan, soweit die Offiziellen Tourstops. Dazu noch ein paar weiter Trips zu weiteren Events in ganz Asien. Natürlich werde ich euch hier in meinem Blog wie immer auf dem laufenden halten mit Bildern von den schönsten Stränden dieser Welt. Wenn möglich natürlich am Montag morgen online stellen, damit ihr nen guten Wochenstart habt.
Ich werde auch weiterhin in Boracay stationiert sein wenn ich nicht unterwegs bin.
Für alle die es noch nicht kennen sollten sich dringen mal dorthin begeben.. es lohnt sich. Wie lange noch ist allerdings fraglich, denn die Insel wird ziemlich zugebaut.. als schaut euch mein kleines Paradies noch an, bevor die Insel absäuft unter dem Gewicht der grossen Hotelketten Bunker.
Morgen werde ich losfliegen in Richtung Cesme, Türkei... in der Nähe von Izmir, für den ersten Tourstop der neuen Saison. Der Stopp wird von meinen Türkischen Freunden organisiert, die alle samt auch den Winter auf Boracay verbringen. Gypsys united... zudem werden sich wieder viele alte Gesichter der letztjährigen Kiteboard Tour zeigen. Hab grad gehört Mallory und Luke werden auch vor Ort sein sowie Julian Hosp als Judge. Man darf also auf ein hohes Niveau hoffen.
Für alle Kiter die ihren Winter auch in Asien verbringen sollten sich unbedingt ende Nov. nach Hainan begeben für den 2. Stopp. Gratis *****-Hotel für alle Teilnehmer!!!
Das Highlight dieses Sommer war natürlich die Taufe meines Göttibuebs Timo. Ich werd dann wohl gleich mal die Weihnachts Geschenke losschicken wenn ich in Boracay angekommen bin.. in drei Wochen. Der Kleine gedeiht wunderprächtig und wird wohl schon laufen wenn ich wieder mal in die Schweiz komme.
So nun wünsche ich euch allen einen schönen Winter mit viel Schnee... geniest die Zeit und bis irgendwann im nächsten Jahr dann wieder.
...ich bin dann mal weg!
xoxo
Stephan Read Full...
Die Zeit ist Reif, der Drang ist gross...
Mit viel Vorfreude schaue ich auf die neue KTA Saison in Asien, dieses Jahr in der Türkei-Cesme, China-Hainan, Vietnam-Mui Ne, Philippinen-Boracay, Thailand-Pranburi und Korea-Busan, soweit die Offiziellen Tourstops. Dazu noch ein paar weiter Trips zu weiteren Events in ganz Asien. Natürlich werde ich euch hier in meinem Blog wie immer auf dem laufenden halten mit Bildern von den schönsten Stränden dieser Welt. Wenn möglich natürlich am Montag morgen online stellen, damit ihr nen guten Wochenstart habt.
Ich werde auch weiterhin in Boracay stationiert sein wenn ich nicht unterwegs bin.
Für alle die es noch nicht kennen sollten sich dringen mal dorthin begeben.. es lohnt sich. Wie lange noch ist allerdings fraglich, denn die Insel wird ziemlich zugebaut.. als schaut euch mein kleines Paradies noch an, bevor die Insel absäuft unter dem Gewicht der grossen Hotelketten Bunker.
Morgen werde ich losfliegen in Richtung Cesme, Türkei... in der Nähe von Izmir, für den ersten Tourstop der neuen Saison. Der Stopp wird von meinen Türkischen Freunden organisiert, die alle samt auch den Winter auf Boracay verbringen. Gypsys united... zudem werden sich wieder viele alte Gesichter der letztjährigen Kiteboard Tour zeigen. Hab grad gehört Mallory und Luke werden auch vor Ort sein sowie Julian Hosp als Judge. Man darf also auf ein hohes Niveau hoffen.
Für alle Kiter die ihren Winter auch in Asien verbringen sollten sich unbedingt ende Nov. nach Hainan begeben für den 2. Stopp. Gratis *****-Hotel für alle Teilnehmer!!!
Das Highlight dieses Sommer war natürlich die Taufe meines Göttibuebs Timo. Ich werd dann wohl gleich mal die Weihnachts Geschenke losschicken wenn ich in Boracay angekommen bin.. in drei Wochen. Der Kleine gedeiht wunderprächtig und wird wohl schon laufen wenn ich wieder mal in die Schweiz komme.
So nun wünsche ich euch allen einen schönen Winter mit viel Schnee... geniest die Zeit und bis irgendwann im nächsten Jahr dann wieder.
...ich bin dann mal weg!
xoxo
Stephan Read Full...
Timo's baptism
What a great day at the baptism of my brothers baby boy. I became godfather of Timo, he took the ceremonial with pride and didn't cry too much. The church ceremony was followed by a yummie lunch in the "Guggibad" Restaurant. A wonderful sunny day...
Here are some of the pics.
Read Full...
Here are some of the pics.
Oslo by bike
How to get around in Oslo?
Best and cheapest way is definitely wt one of the Oslo Bysykkels. U can rent a bike for a whole year for only 80Kroner.
There are several stations around Oslo to pick em up and bring em back. Some of the stations rarely have any bicycles, but u will find it out very quick. A very good option to find the next available bike is to scan ur card at the closest station and it will tell u how many bikes are available in the nearest stations.
The bikes are not always in good shape but mostly u can ride em... some gear shifts are broken or there is not much air in the tires, but hey, u can get from A to B.
As we know, Oslo or should i say Norway is one of the more expensive country's. So it is useful to know the cheap places to eat, otherwise u will pay 10$ for a simple kebab or burger. A good advise would be to go to the Lebanese, Iranian and all of those mid-eastern restaurants. Usually u can get something to eat for 5-8$.
Chill and grill in the parks is famous for Norwegians. The one way BBQ-grills are still aloud here, even though they create a lot of waste and ur sausage will have a weird burning paste taste on it. The city is full of parks, so u want have a hard time to find one that u like.
Bring a sheet to sit on and make sure u take away ur trash when u leave.
Here is a useful link to get the Bicycle card for Oslo.
http://www.oslobysykkel.no/ Read Full...
Best and cheapest way is definitely wt one of the Oslo Bysykkels. U can rent a bike for a whole year for only 80Kroner.There are several stations around Oslo to pick em up and bring em back. Some of the stations rarely have any bicycles, but u will find it out very quick. A very good option to find the next available bike is to scan ur card at the closest station and it will tell u how many bikes are available in the nearest stations.
The bikes are not always in good shape but mostly u can ride em... some gear shifts are broken or there is not much air in the tires, but hey, u can get from A to B.
As we know, Oslo or should i say Norway is one of the more expensive country's. So it is useful to know the cheap places to eat, otherwise u will pay 10$ for a simple kebab or burger. A good advise would be to go to the Lebanese, Iranian and all of those mid-eastern restaurants. Usually u can get something to eat for 5-8$.
Chill and grill in the parks is famous for Norwegians. The one way BBQ-grills are still aloud here, even though they create a lot of waste and ur sausage will have a weird burning paste taste on it. The city is full of parks, so u want have a hard time to find one that u like.
Bring a sheet to sit on and make sure u take away ur trash when u leave.
Here is a useful link to get the Bicycle card for Oslo.
http://www.oslobysykkel.no/ Read Full...
Silvaplana... the 4th KTE tourstopp
we do it again... just 3days had past since we ended the last event in Sylt. The forecast looked very promissing for the next 4days.
I went up to silvaplana wt the train, as the mountains were a bit steep for my vespa... The train ride is one of the most scenic rides in Europe, along the Swiss mountains. The railroad climbs up the mountains smooth like a snake.
What a blast, the first day skippers meeting was early as usuall...10AM, we had set up a freestyle square and a course for the racing already by that time.
It was a great meet n greet again, as most competitiors came straight from Sylt. I gotta say it feels like a big family on the KTE, u know everyone and u can have a good day at the lake and a hard night in the bars.
The judge team was very international again and we got a good bond all together.
Silvaplana lake has some special conditions for the riders, u gotta use a 2meter bigger kite then usual, caused by the thin air up here on 1700m.
The wind should start if there is a slight breez from north east and the sun is out.
On Friday we got blessed wt winds all afternoon till the rain came around 5PM, we got the full single elimination ladder done, races were postponed to the next day after the wind did not come back till 6PM. So we went for dinner around 7PM and all of a sudden all kite were back out in the water till after 8PM.
The next day promissed some good winds all afternoon... but we got 0... so we did some SUP board racing and slack line. We called it a day again around 6PM... 6.15PM the wind kicked in again.. we could have done some races till 8PM but when u call it a day u can't get back. So we had to hope for Sunday... pricegiving ceremony was scheduled for 3PM...
Most rider didn't show up till late, cause they know that winds here do not blow before noon. It looked like we didnt get wind for the racing.. think that would have been the first event wt FS done but no racing... last announcement 2.30PM... and again by surprise the wind came back. Light but enough for a race.
So we got it all done again... everyone was happy that we did it.
I had a good ride back wt Bruno Sroka from France. He lifes at the north west tip of France and had a long (12h) way home after dropping me off in Zurich.
We had a good laugh when we drove throu Zurich behind Joharas colorful, graffity van. She was on tour wt Maike and Nicky and they had a good party in the van... lucky they did not cause a accident wt some drivers on the opposite lanes that could not stop staring at the van. (-:
So another successful event is done... Poland to come in August. Read Full...
It was a great meet n greet again, as most competitiors came straight from Sylt. I gotta say it feels like a big family on the KTE, u know everyone and u can have a good day at the lake and a hard night in the bars.
The judge team was very international again and we got a good bond all together.
Silvaplana lake has some special conditions for the riders, u gotta use a 2meter bigger kite then usual, caused by the thin air up here on 1700m.
The wind should start if there is a slight breez from north east and the sun is out.
On Friday we got blessed wt winds all afternoon till the rain came around 5PM, we got the full single elimination ladder done, races were postponed to the next day after the wind did not come back till 6PM. So we went for dinner around 7PM and all of a sudden all kite were back out in the water till after 8PM.The next day promissed some good winds all afternoon... but we got 0... so we did some SUP board racing and slack line. We called it a day again around 6PM... 6.15PM the wind kicked in again.. we could have done some races till 8PM but when u call it a day u can't get back. So we had to hope for Sunday... pricegiving ceremony was scheduled for 3PM...
Most rider didn't show up till late, cause they know that winds here do not blow before noon. It looked like we didnt get wind for the racing.. think that would have been the first event wt FS done but no racing... last announcement 2.30PM... and again by surprise the wind came back. Light but enough for a race.
So we got it all done again... everyone was happy that we did it.
I had a good ride back wt Bruno Sroka from France. He lifes at the north west tip of France and had a long (12h) way home after dropping me off in Zurich.
We had a good laugh when we drove throu Zurich behind Joharas colorful, graffity van. She was on tour wt Maike and Nicky and they had a good party in the van... lucky they did not cause a accident wt some drivers on the opposite lanes that could not stop staring at the van. (-:
So another successful event is done... Poland to come in August. Read Full...
KTE Sylt/Westerland
Yeah what a sensational event...
After my time wt the Kiteboardtour in Asia i joined the KTE, the European tour now as well.
My first event to judge was the KTE Sylt at the Westerland beach. The judge team is a great mix from all over Europe, we had judges from Sweden, Germany, France, Poland and Switzerland.
66 competitors joined the event from 13different nations, that is a great success for the first European tour.
The longest travel had Aya Oshima from Japan and Alex Neto from Brasil, these two will join in on the rest of the European tour and some PKRA tourstopps as well. Good luck for u two.
Usually Sylt is blessed wt good winds and choppy wave conditions, but not this time. We could only run the course racing (15races) and some SUP board competition which was a lot of fun and sooo seriouse ;-)
To get a full result update check the KTE page
The course racing is getting to a very seriouse stage here in Europe, everything is perfectly timed like a sailing event, exept if a buoy gets lost or some riders gotta ask for the way at 3rd race around the same course. Maybe GPS anvigation would be an option for those riders... but watch out... maybe one of our lost GPS trackers is still sending from the bottom of the bay... exactly underneath the boat!!! ;-)
To sum it up, we had a very good time there and everyone got enough sun and party.
no time to chill now, the next event in Switzerland was up a week later, so most riders went straight from Sylt to Switzerland. Read Full...
After my time wt the Kiteboardtour in Asia i joined the KTE, the European tour now as well.
My first event to judge was the KTE Sylt at the Westerland beach. The judge team is a great mix from all over Europe, we had judges from Sweden, Germany, France, Poland and Switzerland.
66 competitors joined the event from 13different nations, that is a great success for the first European tour.
Usually Sylt is blessed wt good winds and choppy wave conditions, but not this time. We could only run the course racing (15races) and some SUP board competition which was a lot of fun and sooo seriouse ;-)
To get a full result update check the KTE page
The course racing is getting to a very seriouse stage here in Europe, everything is perfectly timed like a sailing event, exept if a buoy gets lost or some riders gotta ask for the way at 3rd race around the same course. Maybe GPS anvigation would be an option for those riders... but watch out... maybe one of our lost GPS trackers is still sending from the bottom of the bay... exactly underneath the boat!!! ;-)
To sum it up, we had a very good time there and everyone got enough sun and party.
no time to chill now, the next event in Switzerland was up a week later, so most riders went straight from Sylt to Switzerland. Read Full...
the circle is complete
Back in Switzerland... another journey comes to an end... or should i say stoppover?
A few month have passed by and a 30'000miles journey across asia lays behind me... and i'm up for more (-:
I'm home for a week and off to Oslo on Sunday to see my babe and her new home.. exciting.
Hopefully i will find some work after that, to make some money. Then off to a new horizon..
My next trip will take me to Turkey in September, hopefully for the start of the next KTA season. It looks like we will get much more busier then in our first season, with the first and only professional kiteboarding tour in Asia ;-)
Another season in fantasy island Boracay is waiting for me too. Mostly sunny, sometimes raining, can be quiet and also crowded, lots of fun a a hell lot of party... always having a good time for sure.
If you wanna have an unforgettable holyday in paradise, come and join me on my island. You want be dissapointed... and extending your Visa and Airline ticket is never a problem. (ask Rudy)
Catch me if you can....
xoxo Read Full...
A few month have passed by and a 30'000miles journey across asia lays behind me... and i'm up for more (-:
I'm home for a week and off to Oslo on Sunday to see my babe and her new home.. exciting.
Hopefully i will find some work after that, to make some money. Then off to a new horizon..
My next trip will take me to Turkey in September, hopefully for the start of the next KTA season. It looks like we will get much more busier then in our first season, with the first and only professional kiteboarding tour in Asia ;-)
Another season in fantasy island Boracay is waiting for me too. Mostly sunny, sometimes raining, can be quiet and also crowded, lots of fun a a hell lot of party... always having a good time for sure.
If you wanna have an unforgettable holyday in paradise, come and join me on my island. You want be dissapointed... and extending your Visa and Airline ticket is never a problem. (ask Rudy)
Catch me if you can....
xoxo Read Full...
Korea nightlife
Koreans have their very own culture when it comes to nightlife. During the competition in Busan we made a visit to a nightclub that looks more like a theatre then a discotheque. Not much of a dance floor space but all covered up wt Sofa chairs and tables.
The music is kind of a mix between Pet Shop Boys on ecstasy, Dj Bobo on speed. It's not just a simple Dj, it's a whole performance team. Mostly they do those really annoying "put ur hand up…" every few second, so u don't really get a beat. All of a sudden the Dj starts to strip and dance around the whole stage. So when he's standing there in a G-string, the stage setup changes and the music goes to slow-pop. Everyone that was dancing is sitting down again. It won't last more then 5min till the next performance is coming, this time a band is descending from the roof of the club on a platform. Actually a very good performance, after ten minutes they are leaving the stage and miracle sound s coming up.. what's happening… surprise, surprise the roof of the club is opening like apple slices and u can see the stars on heaven, nice one… So after another slow Mo session there are some girls performing, singing, dancing.. and well start to strip as well, but hold on.. it's ladyboys! So the night keeps on goin like that, dancing, slow Mo, dancing… and yeah drinking a lot of C1 schnapps and Hite beer (-:
Thx to all the very good guys in Korea, they paid all our bills the whole week… even the ones for the party.
We had a blast and will come back for sure…
Read Full...
Korea, Kite, Cold, Kimchee
Welcome to Korea
what can i say about Korea... first of all, nothing because i don't understand a single word and i can't read the signs, all i can say is kimchee... and that is one of the best dishes u can get in Korea, it comes with every meal..
So after my journey from Boracay 35°C to Busan 5°C i was lost at the airport. The pickup didn't work outand i had no contact nr, but lucky i had the Hotel adress... which is actually a Motel... that's the ones with dildos and porn movies in the corrido ((-: but hey it's clean and close to the Kitebeach.
So my first taxi driver had no clue where i wanted to go, even if i showed him the adress of my Motel, so he drove me around for half an hour till i told em to stopp and changed the taxi. The next taxi told me that i'm in comletly the wrong place, so i drove another half hour wt this taxi till i finally arrived. Was a bit strange to check into the Motel, but i was tired and fell asleep very quick.
So next morning first thing was get some food, which can be a very funny part if all menu cards are written in Korean, but lucky as i am there were 3pictures on the wall, so i just pointet out one of them and got lucky wt a noodle soupe and kimchee... So next step was to find an internet connection to tell Mr. Kim that i arrived last night and he missed to pick me up, so by midday he found me in the hotel.
I made a visit to the kitebeach, which is pretty large and shallow. perfect for freestyle - don't bring a race board, it' not deep enough (-: My first contact wt the water was shooockinggg cold... it's maybe 10-15°C so i will only judge this competition but for sure not touching the water.
So a the day passed by the we went for another Korean dinner wt at least 15 dishes on the table and to digest all of that healty food we went for some screen golf. It's a very funny way of playing indoor golf, the big difference is that u hit the ball towards a screen and not the open field.
After a short visit to a bar it was already bedtime, oh by the way.. i got a round bed...
So this morning also Yo arrived here, in shorts... first thing Korean breakfast.. kimchee and lot's of other stuff.. yummmie
and the story will continue hopefully wt some wind and a successful event.
pics will follow soon
over and out.... Read Full...
KTA final and Korea
it's done... we got our first season very successfully done. With all the results in the box.
Thailand was another big event to go throu but we made it all the way, with some minor compications... little mosoon storm on the second day.
check out the lastest reports here
The lastest viedo teaser is on the upload status and the full video should be up within the next week... or two (-:
Now that this season is finished we're already lookin into the next one, and for that reason i will travel to Korea end of the month, to Busan or Pusan to judge a local competition wt some invitational international kiters. I will also check out the location for a possible tourstop next season.
Hopefully after that we can also attend the kitejambouree in El Gouna, Egypt and then head home to see some extended family.
happy easter everyone
xoxo
Stephan Read Full...
Thailand was another big event to go throu but we made it all the way, with some minor compications... little mosoon storm on the second day.
check out the lastest reports here
The lastest viedo teaser is on the upload status and the full video should be up within the next week... or two (-:
Now that this season is finished we're already lookin into the next one, and for that reason i will travel to Korea end of the month, to Busan or Pusan to judge a local competition wt some invitational international kiters. I will also check out the location for a possible tourstop next season.
Hopefully after that we can also attend the kitejambouree in El Gouna, Egypt and then head home to see some extended family.
happy easter everyone
xoxo
Stephan Read Full...
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