Surf Diary

Well as you may have read from the earlier posts Aaron Hadlow has been on his UK tour of shops and the Airhead crew had the chance to get the legend at our store….

Flexifoil team rider

Aaron rides for Flexifoil and with their backing has become 4 x world kitesurfing champion…. though this is the ultimate prize for any kitesurfer Aaron is down to earth and a top guy, happy to talk to everyone about the awesome sport of kitesurfing… Aaron along with Flexifoil has developed the Hadlow Pro kite… not for everyone this kite delivers the performance that a world class kitesurfer needs to stay at the top of his game.

The Camera on Aaron

While Aaron was at Airhead our young rider Dan Sweeney had the chance to ask him about his latest tricks and what pushes him… Dan rides the Hadlow Pro kite and is set to become a top kitesurfer and its his dream to follow in Aarons foot steps so this was a real treat for Dan to be able to sit down with the world No1 and have a one to one with him.

Dan Sweeney & Aaron Hadlow

While Aaron and Jason Furness have been touring the UK they have been showing the new Kitesurf Movie “Revolve”…. this film sets the standard for surf films and shows Aaron at his best with camera work that captures his every move… this film is about living the life and push the limits… I cant wait for it to become available to everyone… it is by far the one to lookout for in the coming months.

Aaron, Neal Hilder, Murray, Dan Sweeney.

As you will know by now the Airhead brings to the latest news from our world of wild sports so make sure you head back this way for the latest news on kitesurfing, Paddle Surf, Snowboard…. in fact if its got a board you will hear about it here at some point… see you on the side where life is always good over and out from the Aihread and ride safe….

Fresh after his recent PKRA success in Venezuela - 4 x PKRA Kitesurf world champ Aaron Hadlow will be on tour in the UK during May. The whistle-stop tour will start on Monday 19th, Aaron will be at Airhead Board Sorts Shop on Friday 23rd May at 12.30 until 14.30.

As well as being able to quiz Aaron on the his latest moves - If the conditions are suitable, you’ll get the chance to see the world champ ride. The tour will also showcase the latest movie from Andy Gordon - ‘Revolve’ dont miss your chance to check it out.

Aaron will be joined by wave legend Jason Furness and Flexifoil’s UK Sales Manager, Charlie Gumley. They will have all the latest Flexifoil gear available to view and demo.

This is a unique chance to meet the 4 x World Champion in the flesh so boom the time off work and come along….

More from the Airhead…. and the BSUPA round one of the UK Paddle Surf Championships….. so come back soon

Dan Sweeney Airhead team rider went down to the BKSA round 1 at Watergate Bay and this was the action as seen by him.

So over to Dan for his view of the weekend

Dan sporting his new kit from Hurley

“Friday - So here it was the first competition of the year was finally here but the forecast wasn’t looking so good, north easterly 20knots and most probably gusting up to 30. Still then plan was to get up early Friday morning to miss the traffic and get to Watergate by 9am, so a bright and early start it was, 3am in the morning we left, in my dads girlfriend’s VW passat packed full of kites and boards. There isn’t really much to say about the journey because I was wrapped up in my duvet in the back dreaming about what the weekend was going to be like.

So we turned up at Watergate at 8:15am, said “hi” to some of the guys we hadn’t seen since last years comps and then settled into the hotel and checked out the beach.
The wind was a strong north easterly as forecasted so the pro’s were all registered and set up there kit, I saw I few kites fly off as they were not tied down properly, one Naish Torch was lofted into the air about 40-50 foot high because of the turbulent winds coming from the cliffs.

Flexifoil Kites at Watergate

As the day when on, nothing really happened, the red bull tent was up and most people were chilling under the red bull tent sitting on the beanbags.
Around 2-3 o’clock some riders got back from a local spot where they had been out as the bay was in a good direction for north easterly wind, so Ali Barrett and Sam light went for it and tried going out in the gusty wind. Ali was the first one out so the Turbulence sponsored rider went out in the gusty turbulent wind, he got lofted about 25-30 foot with his kite spinning around his head, he was travelling over the beach but he looped his kite to get into deeper water where he could release onto 5thline. Where as Sam Light got out for a while and got a kiteloop in, and still managed to get back to the beach safe and sound. For the rest of the day nothing really when on, some surfing and just chilling out.

(more…)

The weather is now warming up and we are starting to see people coming out of winter retirement and getting back on the water…

Kitesurfing Littlehampton.

Kitesurf lessons are now starting to get booked as the kitesurf school re-opens at the end of April… Airhead Board Sports Ltd has one of the oldest kiteboard and kite schools in the UK, established in 1998 our kitesurf school based in Littlehampton West Sussex has produced some of the top kite surfing talent the UK such as Debs Carling, Pete Shiplee and Claire Bunton to name just a few… this year keep an eye on the BKSA juniors for Dan Sweeney and Oli Sweeney who will competing in the Ams… these two young lads are set for big things in the coming year.

Our team of Professional kitesurf instructors are qualified to the highest standard through the BKSA and IKO. Please note Fingky Inc no longer teaches at the Airhead Kite & Surf Academy

For information on booking kitesurf or kite lessons with Airhead check out the Airhead Kite & Surf Academy

If you are turning up to Littlehampton for kitesurfing for the first time please note there is a dedicated lunch and land zone to the east of beach huts in front of the Airhead blue container… Take time to read the signs and please do not rig up in front of the beach huts… if you are un-sure where the kite zone is then please ask a local rider they will be more than happy to point you in the right direction.

Littlehampton Kitesurf Zone.. Please note this map is not to scale

Ride safe and have a fun summer.

More info from the Airhead very soon

The new Flexifoil Ion Three is coming very soon….

The Airhead is the first to get the info direct from Flexifoil…. we all know it would be hard to improve on the Ion 2 but the Ion 3 is here and it will be a force to recon with…

Read on and enjoy….

Flexifoil 2008

Kitesurfing Sizes // 7.0m2 / 8.5m2* / 10.5m2 / 12.5m2 / 14.5m2 / 16.5m2

The Hybrid with Teeth

Recommended control gear
» Ion3 bar 4-line (48cm)
» Ion3 bar 5-line (48cm)

The Ion3 is the next logical step in the progression of the Ion range, delivering the highest performance hybrid kite on the market. The Ion3 retains the versatility the Ion series is recognized for, but ups the stakes with a kite that will help you push your riding to places you hadn’t even considered.

(more…)