The Remolition back yard jam series or #RBYJS has been floating around the social media sites for a while now and everyone has been asking, 'What is hashtag RBYJS?'
So another season has dropped with a screaming BAAAAAAAHHH!
After a long drawn out winter, on a sunny Saturday 26 brave riders decended on the trnquil Hampshire hills hoping to tame the Screaming Goat. A freeride style DH track that tests speed control, agility, stanina, decision making and bottle. Despite crossing the finish line white faced and with your heart on overdrive you cant help but go back up for more.
We all found out some times you ride the goat, sometimes the goat rides you!
The competition represents the sort of riding so many of us relish, it was freeriding places like this that made me learn the joy of speed control and drift. Once I had even a basic grasp of these techniques it suddenly opened up so much more terrain and as a rider I grew faster because of it.
Its been a long time coming to have a competition where riders can showcase these skills and show what mountainboards are capable of in this enviroment. I feel we have opened a new chapter in UK DH and I'm so chuffed we had a good turn out, an awesome laugh and minimal injures.
Away Days are a chance for mountainboarders get together and ride centres they don’t normally ride at with riders they don’t know yet, all without the seriousness of competitions. Check out the Away Day events coming up and go somewhere different this summer.
I have been coveting a Trampa board ever since I saw the SKD guys (Abe, basically) in a video where they were riding Trampa. At the time, I was spending a lot of time on the killer british forums at kitecrowd.com, and almost everyone there rides Trampa, too. Then, snap to the US and everyone rides MBS. I like the MBS boards. They're fine. But I LOVE the Trampa board. It's like the difference between an xbox360 and a PS3. They pretty much do the same thing, but one is a toy and the other is a precision piece of entertainment kit. But I'm getting ahead of myself.
Unboxing: My box arrived via Parcel Force 3 days (THREE DAYS!!!) after I ordered it. It still smelled like the motherland when I opened it. It was bulging to the seams with packing material, foam, bubble wrap and all sorts of other goodies to protect my stuff. Anyone who has ever worked in a shipping department knows that if you get a box that is bulging with packing materials, it's been done right. Anyway, after opening the box, I pull out the gear to have my first first-hand look at the goods.
Contents:
The box contains the following: 1x carbon board 35˚ short 4x assembled and aired-up tyres (still shiny and pretty) 2x Trampa 15" hollow axle skate trucks 2x Velcro "Binding" Straps 8x ABEC 5 Bearings 1x Bag of assorted bolts, spacers, washers and nuts AT LEAST ONE SET OF EXTRA BOLTS, NUTS AND WASHERS!!! 2 Spare innertubes a few Trampa stickers
Logos Everything… and I mean EVERYTHING has the Trampa logo on it. Even the bearings have the Trampa logo on 'em. Thank goodness that the Trampa logo is a simple, understated, attractive logo. It's the polar opposite of something like the Monster energy drink logo, so it a) scales well and b) makes things look cool. Plus, I like having the logo on everything because it gives a nod to the fact that this is a CUSTOM board. It's like having a tailored shirt. Someone else may have one like mine, but if they do it's a complete coincidence.
Quality
Anyway, everything is shiny, new and precise. From the bolts to the tyres, everything I unpack makes me just a little bit happier. However, the proof is always in the pudding (so to speak), so I begin "pudding" it together ( ). I enjoy putting things together and there is always a wide range of quality when you're assembling someone else's design. My biggest fear with ordering a Trampa from overseas is that things wouldn't *quite* match up and I'd be forced to take a drill to my beloved brand new board. It turns out I didn't have to worry at all. Everything was precision machined to a very fine tolerance. The bearings popped in the wheels like they were born there, and the trucks went through the wheel hole like a … arm… well… they went in really smooth and fit snugly. Putting this board together was an absolute joy and just reinforced my decision to hold out for a Trampa, instead of going with one of the lesser boards.
Bindings:
The velcro bindings have incredibly nice-looking angled aluminum brackets. I honestly just sort of stared at them a while when I first unpacked them because they were so pretty. The bindings have a wide strap with 3 velcro strips with the one in the middle having both the fuzzy and grabby velcro on either side. This is the same system Peter Lynn uses on their arcs to keep the spars in place through massive abuse. Oh, and I like the velcro system because it's ridiculously light.
Tyres:
The tyres are solid, shiny and light. As I said, they famed aired up and ready to assemble. The rubber does NOT feel soft, and has some pretty serious tread on it. I opted for 8" black tyres on black wheels because I'm a ninja. I believe there are 3 choices of wheels, but I opted for the Hypa, which is a 5 spoke composite wheel. It looks like it can take some abuse and it's very light.
The Deck:
I cannot say enough good things about the deck. I got the 35˚ short deck, and it is a beauty. Looking down the side, it just seems as if it were made in a Lotus factory. Everything lines up beautifully and nothing looks out of place. The holes were drilled exactly where they need to be with no extra wiggle room for bolts, and the board doesn't warp one way or the other at all. There is a ton of springy camber (this one is 14 ply, if I remember correctly) and it would be a LITTLE springy for my 175 lbs. if Trampa hadn't drilled the holes a little more closely to the crease for me. As it is, it's got the perfect amount of flex. It should allow me to drop from a few feet without killing myself from a jarring impact, but still be stable enough at speed. I asked Trampa to drill the holes for me, and they drilled 4x2 (trucks) and 2x4 (bindings). I didn't opt for a handle although the more I think about it, the more I wish I had, if for no other reason than to carry the thing. Oh, and I forgot to mention that the bolts perfectly matched the countersunk, predrilled holes. That's some nice work.
Trucks:
These are simple, straightforward, bomb-proof trucks. They come with all the appropriate hardware and everything fits ilke a glove. I crank down on the tyres/ wheels and they spin fantastically even after putting a hefty amount of torque on the nut. I think they're the lightest Trampa makes at 10mm hollow axle, but I'm not 100% on that. They're light. We'll see if I can break them, but I doubt it. Personally, I did NOT opt for the titanium kingpin. I'm interested to see if I regret that decision.
So obviously, everything smacks of quality, and this is the very "lowest end" board they make… well, kinda. They don't really MAKE a low end board. There is no Atom 90 or Core 86.5 or anything. It's just… well… boards (and the stuff that goes on them). Trampa does one thing -- they make kite/land boards. I'd argue that they have it down to a bloody science. I'll post more when I get a chance to ride it this weekend.
This is a promotional vid for Round 1 of the 2013 ATBA-UK National Mountainboard Series.
Working with Queen Elizabeth Country Park we are proud to present to you a Downhill like no other.
Screaming Goat is a DH comp with a woodland freeride feel with an Intermediate - Pro level of difficulty. Drifty leaves, jumping stumps, fun and fiddley. Scrubs or brakes SPEED CONTROL REQUIRED.
And so the last stop of the British Kite land boarding championships was upon us, I was particularly excited for this event as I had a chance to take the title once again. I arrived early Thursday to a cold and wet westward ho. Shortly after arriving I settled in to a chalet with views of the beach waiting for the tide to go out. The wind for Thursday was predicted to be good so I made my way to the beach for a warm up session to get ready for Friday’s competition.
After a good session on Thursday, I managed to land handle passes, 360 varials, varial flips and multiple rotations. I felt good about the competition the day after, although looking at the forecast I wasn’t sure it would happen.
Friday morning came and with it fresh anxiety for the day ahead. Competition is one of the most enjoyable things to do, but at the same time it’s also terrifying. You find yourself in a small compact area, pushing yourself, all the while trying to mind other competitors, fight for space and land all your tricks. Not something easily done in wind, but in no wind it becomes very frustrating. Friday it seems was not happening, so myself and the other riders retired for a chilled evening in the chalet.
I woke Saturday to a cold, chilly, and windless day. And with my hopes of a good session dying, I pondered over breakfast what would happen if no competition was run. Thankfully though, there was a brief period of wind, which led us into competition. But like our summer, the wind was brief. My 1st heat was up and the wind was in. I competed against Abe Azoulman in the first round, he was flying a 21m kite and I was on my trusty 11m C4. My aim was to use my smaller kite and superior speed to boost me into the next round. After about 20 seconds into my heat, the wind died leaving me severely under-powered, but I still managed a few 5 to blinds, railey to blinds and other ground combos to land me in the final.
Unfortunately though, the wind dropped to absolute zero meaning I got joint first with LOLO and Emanuel.
The prize giving for the whole year was Saturday evening and the whole fleet turned up dressed in their best to celebrate another great year at the BKSA. The results were in and I managed second over all for the year. That’s 2 years running and I’m so stoked to do it as part of the Ozone and Trampa team. It’s been a great year for me in general and for kiting. We have pushed land boarding further than ever and shown that there Is some real style around.
The final results for the year are
Laurent Guyot 1st
Ash Garwood 2nd
Abe Azoulman 3rd
A big up to every one for a great year and for every one who the supported me.
Team rider Ash Garwood gives us the lowdown of his weekend in Redcar …
BKSA Redcar 2012
The end of summer is here and along with it the end of the English kite season. Thankfully for some there are still a few of us taking to the skies to end the British competition scene in style with the 2nd round of the British Land boarding championships. Coming back to Redcar for the 3rd time I was looking forward to riding there again. Every year Redcar provides us with hard packed sand and usually wind on one of the days. This year was no different. I arrived on a chilly Thursday evening and hit the hay ready for a session tomorrow.
I woke to a cross shore wind, eager, I was the first rider out on my 11m C4. The kite surfers and other kite users were soon to follow once they realized the wind was up. Friday was only a competition day for the kite surfers so I was able to watch the comps and train with fellow riders for Saturday. I managed to land some awesome tricks ranging from railey to blind’s to multiple rotations and handle passes, this put me in a great state of mind for Saturday’s competition.
Saturday came and with a sore head I woke early to catch the rider briefing, the forcast was for wind but not much. So I pumped up the biggest kite in my quiver, my 11m and hoped for the best as I was against riders with much bigger kites. When it came to competition time the judges were happy with the conditions and we were off. Riding in very difficult and low wind conditions I lost the first heat coming last. But as I warmed up to the conditions I used unhooked tricks and multiple rotations to my strength and managed to get one back. With the end round being almost black flagged the competition was over. Dispite the conditions I was proud of my performance and for all the people watching us.
Saturday evening saw all the competitiors get together with all the attendee’s of the event. As with BKSA tradition every one got merry and enjoyed them selfs to the end.
Sunday we woke to a calm sunny day with no wind leaving only the prize giving.
I was stoked with a Second a massive credit to my kite the 11m C4 as with out it I would have come no where. For low wind flying this kite rocks!
The end results were:
1st LOLO BSD
2nd Ash Garwood
3rd Abe Azoulman
Redcar was another great weekend, the final round is coming up at westward Ho from the 18th of October where I have a chance at the title once more, with it being very close between me and French rider LOLO it will be one to watch. so keep an eye out for more results. For more info on the competitions and to keep up with my travels go to www.facebook.com/AshGarwood
After finishing my first year as a full time teacher I had a paid three months off of work..... yeah being a teacher has its perks! My wife Joy and I decided to take a holiday to Thailand for the month of June. It just so happens that Joy's parents live in Hua Hin, which is one of the kiteboarding Meccas of Thailand.
The winds were low for most of the month, but I was able to make it work. It took me four beaches to find one that had sand that was solid enough to ride on. On one of my sessions a group of monks walked up to observe what was going on. I freestyled over one of them and almost crashed into him. My wife told me I wouldve had bad karma for life if I would've slammed into him.
The wind dissappeared for awhile so we visited a vinyard and I traded in my trampa for an elephant. It was awesome! We spent a week in Bangkok and that city makes Paris, London, and New York look tiny. It was great being able to see so many new places.
Other than that I have been teaching lessons every few weeks. I drove 300 miles to teach lessons three weeks ago. Also, I'm gathering the fourth mid west america kite jam at the end of November. Its the first middle America landkite event. Since I am hosting it i'll get you plenty of pictures from this years event. Also, it looks like more trampa boards are being sold in the US. I've started seeing more and more at each event I go to.
Adam Bedinghaus
For more photos of Adan in Thailand go to www.facebook.com/trampaboards
Here rider Ash Garwood gives you a low down of the event.
2012 saw the first year of Essex Kite Fest held at Essex Kite Park, sponsored by Ozone kites. The kite park is a brilliant location boasting clean winds, flat terrain, ramps and rails. It is also my local spot.
Before the event, the members and myself frantically prepared the kite park for the event, putting up the marquee, re-conditioning the ramps and making the world aware of the event. Pre-event I got some last ditch training in, to prepare my riding, smashing out standard board-off variations to big loops and handle passes, which left me feeling good for the weekend ahead.
The 12-hour forecast for the event looked good with no rain Friday, Saturday or Sunday and wind all weekend. With no competition on the Friday, myself, fellow team mate Jack Elston, and Flexifoil rider Lewis Wilby headed out for a session in some gusty south westerlies on our 9m kites - I was using the Ozone C4, perfect for these conditions allowing me to confidently perform my tricks boasting some huge air’s and board off variations. The day ended with a little shower followed by chilled vibes and a BBQ.
I woke Saturday to blustery 20-40mph conditions. I decided to represent and get out my 9m Ozone C4 and test the conditions. After about 20-30 minuets fellow competitors and myself decided that today’s conditions were un-suitable for competition, as they wouldn’t allow us to perform our best and not giving a fair result. So instead of competition we had an unofficial race with both buggys and landboards. The buggy riders set off first on a technical course set up by comp director Richard Gowers, after some blood, sweat and tears (literally), Josh Hough claimed victory, leaving only the landboards to race. I tentatively put up my 9m as by this point in the day the wind had picked up considerably. After ignoring my instincts I decided to just go full power, the race kicked off with me, Emanuel, Will, Carl and Pascle setting off. I immediately realised that I was over-powered, struggling to get up-wind with the rest of the field gaining up-wind momentum much easier. After some hard edging and big gusts I finished the course 2nd from last with Emanuel Norman finishing in 1st place. The day ended with friends and drinks chilling in the club house with all the kite park crew.
On competition day, I woke to yet more blustery conditions and set out to meet Richard and the other competitors for a rider briefing. I was set to compete in the first heat against, Lolo Bsd and Abe, with fellow Ozone rider Jack competing against Emanuel. In my heat the conditions were difficult resulting with me ending up down-wind in the corner of the field away from the crowd and judges. I managed to pull off a handle pass, board off variations and 9-blind’s. Unfortunately this was not quite enough against Lolo, who just managed to get ahead sending me into the next heat with another chance of getting to the final. This left Jack with Emanuel for the first heat with him falling into the corner away from the judges like myself leaving the ramps/rails up wind clear for Emanuel. At the end of the heat Emanuel went through to the final, boasting some huge 720 dangle passes and consistent style. This left myself, Jack and Abe in the losers final, for a place in the final 3. With conditions still up and down, I set out on my 11m C4 keeping up-wind to impress the crowd and judges, landing board-off variations, multiple rotations and some handle passes. At the end of the heat. I managed to come in ahead of both Abe and Jack winning the heat putting me into the final.
The final round came, with judges Lewis, Floyde and Jay at the ready, myself Lolo and Emanuel set off. I managed to borrow Jacks 12m C4 for this round, giving a little bit more power for those all-important tricks. Boosting some big rotations, kite loops and handle passes, I gave a good show but unfortunately not quite enough to get ahead of Lolo and Emanuel. Although a little disappointed, I was happy with a good 3rd place in the comps, setting me up for a good start to the year.
Over all results …
Overall Amateur Buggy Results
1. Adam Toms
2. Richard Dent
3. Josh Hough
Overall Amateur Landboard Results
1. Pascal Schmidt
2. Chris Walker
3. Carl Kirton
Overall Pro Landboard Results
1. Emmanuel Normal
2. Laurent Guyot
3. Ash Garwood
A bit battered and bruised with fellow members, we reflected on the event being the first of its kind at the kite park. It was just amazing we got international support from Germany and France, with riders young and old coming to the event. We look forward with excitement for 2013, with funds from all the events we hold, going towards the upkeep of rent and ramps.
Big up Ozone for sponsoring the event and myself, along with Trampa and all the peeps at Essex kite park.
The ski resort of Auron in the south east of France welcomes mountainboarders !
If you want to have some nice dowhnill runs (brake required), two lifts are open all summer for hundreds kilometers of downhill. The restaurant "Au refuge" is the place to go too... ;)
Mountainboarders are greatly appreciated !
Hi every one check out the words from the EKP team about the upcoming event being held at Essex kite park, also featuring at this event will be Team riders Ash Garwood and current british champ Jack Elston, be sure to say hi and check out the holy pro trampa kite boards.
Hi everyone, on Friday the 15th of June to Sunday the 17th of June Essex Kite Park will be holding Essex Kite Fest. This is going to a massive land-based event catering for all the family, from your part time buggy rider to your committed land boarder.
For anyone who didn't attend our events last year, they are friendly events held at Essex Kite Park where you can come and fly for a weekend, camp for two or three nights, enjoy yourselves and relax for the weekend in the company of other friendly campers.
We have a 22 acre field, a great selection of ramps, club house, toilets with hot water, toys to entertain the kids and barbecue facilities.
Please don’t worry if you don’t want to compete, The event is open to all the family. The prices are:
£20 for a family ticket
£15 for individual flyers (Camping and flying)
£10 for non-flyers (Camping only)
Tickets are available online or on site on the day.
For information on how to get to the event go to www.essexkitepark.com and to pay online please go to www.essexkitepark.co.uk/events/tickets (please note this is for non competitors only.)
There will be free taster lessons available from the club instructors so everyone can have a go.
The members will be running daily kite surf tours taking you to spots local to Essex Kite Park in Southend for a ride on our beautiful flat water spots.
Not only is this part of the summer session series of events but being held alongside this event is the 1st round of the BKA (formally BKSA) land championships with 6 classes:
Pro men’s Landboard
Pro Kite buggy
Amateur men’s Landboard
Amateur men’s kite buggy
Amateur ladies kite buggy/board
Junior land board.
To register to be a competitor you firstly will need BKSA insurance, and will need to register online. Please go to http://bksaessex2012.eventbrite.com/ registration will only be available online. NO REGISTRATION WILL BE AVALABLE FOR COMPETITION AT THE EVENT.
This is the official event thread there has been a lot of rumors and speculation about the event for more info please contact the Essex Kite Park team from the website or at admin@essexkitepark.co.uk
Heres rider Ash Garwood giving us the great news about the british kite surfing associations landboarding championships 2011
As im sure most of you already know team trampa has been riding hard at all the competitions, its been a close battle between the riders this year with rapidly improving style's and some great tricks being smashed out.
i am pleased to announce that for a second year running my beast freind and fellow Trampa rider Jack Elston has been named the british landboard champion for a second year running.
every one was soo close in all of the competitions but jack every event always powerd through to bag the win. it wasnt always easy for him but he never gave up which is why this boy is 2 x british champion.
i myself have done well this year too to bag second over all which im very gratefull for and makes all the long distance and cramped travelling worth it.
i would like to thank ofcourse all our sponser's for the great support, www.flyozone.com and mr Ted Orr for the great landboards.
so thas it for another year, time for blustery winter winds and rain so have a good winter every one, see you next year !!!
Finally had a chance to ride the Trampa Speed Demon (as I’m calling it cos it’s black and red) with built-in go-faster stick (that’s a brake for the uninitiated).
My normal everyday freeride-in-the-woods board is a short Trampa, but I also ride a noSno brake board, so I was interested to see how this board fits in between the two. It didn’t disappoint. In fact it made me question what I thought I knew about brake riding.
Normal wisdom for riding with brakes is that you need nine inch tyres, you need to be going really fast down mountains to justify having them, and they need to be on the front. This board has eight inch tyres, I was jumping it around tight mountainbike singletrack in the woods in the dark, and it was set up for goofy which meant the brakes were on the back.
So, does size matter? The majority of mountainboarders ride with eight inch wheels. Having brakes that can be used with eights not only opens up a huge market for selling these boards/kits, but it also makes it an easier step for more mountainboarders to get into the kind of freeriding and downhilling that requires brakes. And with more downhill comps on the horizon, more people are going to want brakes. The other big advantage of riding with eights rather than nines is the weight. I ride my noSno with nines and brakes on the front and eights on the back so I can kick the back end around in tight turns. Riding eights all round makes that so much easier to get it into tight turns and the brakes didn’t add any noticeable weight.
Are brakes for going slower or going faster? There’s a reason we call them go-faster sticks. In fact there are two reasons; one, being able to slow when you need to means you can avoid sliding out, and two, they can give you a bit of confidence to ride a little faster knowing you can stop if you need to. So brakes aren’t just for riding long alpine passes, they can enable more mountainboarders to ride more terrain than they might otherwise. Whether that is mountainbike single track in the woods in the dark (which I can thoroughly recommend) or a middle-aged guy who wants to ride at centres with his son but doesn’t like to idea of getting down into powerslides. Riding with brakes doesn’t have to be all about going fast.
Brakes go on the front, right? The science says so. As you brake your weight goes forward onto the front wheels and so adds traction to the tyres increasing braking performance. But I had the brakes on the back. I rode some tight singletrack and tarmac and didn’t notice any real loss in performance. And maybe for my kind of riding having brakes on the back makes some sense. A lot of my speed control comes from scrubbing (which obviously I do with the back of the board) so adding another speed control technique to the back means I can work them together. If you’ve got brakes I recommend trying them on the front and the back, and seeing what works best for you.
Also, whilst I’m on the subject of traction, the Trampa Speed Demon has Primo Alpha tyres. I’m not usually a fan of these tyres. For my kind of riding I find that they have loads of traction up to a point, and then, when sliding, they lose it all at once with no warning. But when it comes to maximum traction for braking in a straight line I’m betting Alphas are the right choice. Set them up hard on the front and bit softer on the back and don’t slide them into corners (use the brake instead).
To sum up, I loved the Trampa Speed Demon! If you have a Trampa and want brakes, these are for you. If you’re thinking of getting a brakeboard, these are for you. If you want brakes but don’t want loads of extra weight, these are for you. If you’re getting your first proper mountainboard and want brakes for a bit more confidence, these are for you.
A massive well done to trampa rider Jack Elston who has proved unstopable yet again by winning for a 3rd time this year sercuring the championship for a second time. Team mate Ash Garwood also managed second place leaving him in a good position for second place over all in the series. well done boys !
It was a nice sunday on the Belgium open , a lot of riders. It was a freeridecontest , 3 h riding , for 13 awards.
Here the results :
Best Trick Jump: Joe Dickson
Best trick rail: Joel Treliving
Most original Line: Ben Van Loo & Julien Pigeolet
Style boy: Arno VdV
Best Grommet: Pierre Piras
Best Girl: Hanne Van bosstraeten
Safest rider: Evgeny
Biggest Air: Pestu
best train: Joe-Mick-Josh-Andy
Bad Luck guy: Marco Dahler
riders from Belgium, UK, Germany, Russia, France, Holland, Spain, Australia & Switserland
Its sad to say but unfortunately Essex Kite Park have had the clubhouse broken into any time
from Monday night until today, we've had so many things stolen, boards,
kites, generator and a few other things. Shocking to see how badly
organised the police are too! Below is a list of items that have been
taken from the clubhouse, please please please keep your eyes peeled for
anything on eBay or Gumtree, anything:
1. 15 metre Fly Surfer Deluxe
2. 13 metre Ozone Frenzy FX (Orange)
3. 9 metre Ozone Frenzy FX (faded red – Looks Salmon)
All smiles: Members of Sheffield Kite Fliers have a great social time and meet right next to a pub, where they usually adjourn for a lovely meal.
By Rachael Clegg Published on Monday 8 August 2011 09:07
LET’S go fly a kite, or so the song goes, that is, unless you’re in Sheffield. At Lodge Moor, it’s more a case of letting the kite fly you! Star reporter Rachael Clegg takes a peep at Sheffield Kite Fliers’ session on Lodge Moor hill.
THE front of the Sportsman pub at Lodge Moor looks like any other pub.
But go round the back on a Thursday evening and be prepared for a view that no other drinking venue in Sheffield can compete with.
It’s not the panoramic view of the city that makes this scene special - it’s the dozens of enormous kites flying before the eyes.
Here, on the Sportsman’s fields, the Sheffield Kite Fliers congregate for their weekly flying session.
The club has been going for eleven years and attracts around 20 kite fliers each week, with members ranging in age from 22 to almost 60, though anyone above the age of six can join in.
And the kites flying around Lodge Moor this evening are not the ordinary, diamond-shaped kites you see in a toy shop - these are tremendous flying devices, some of which stretch to two and a half metres in diameter and are capable of towing three-wheeled buggies and boards. Indeed, some of the kites at Lodge Moor are so elaborate and powerful they could set you back a whopping £1,500.
Club treasurer Sarah Herrett, 30, from Halfway, who started kite-flying eleven years ago, says: “It’s a really relaxing extreme sport, which sounds daft but when you’re bombing down a beach being towed by the wind it’s lovely. And if I can do it, anyone can.”
Being an inclusive club is important to Sheffield Kite Fliers. Sessions are free as long as people make sure they have public liability insurance first, which can be obtained through the British Kite Surfing Association (BKSA).
The insurance costs £38 for the whole year but the lessons are free and most clubs will charge you £50 for a lesson alone,” said Sarah.
“Kites can cost anything from £100 to £500,”
Sarah points to a huge kite lying on the ground. “That kite there was made by my husband’s grandma, she made it out of rip-stop nylon in the local church hall as a project when she retired.”
Kite boarding is, after all, an extreme sport. Kites pull the riders swiftly and sharply. The rider is constantly ducking and diving from left to right, ‘tacking’ the wind.
Kite buggying, on the other hand, is perhaps more sedate. With buggying, as the name suggests, the person sits in what looks like a go-kart, pulled by the force of the wind.
“We like to encourage people to try buggying before boarding as you can develop a feel for the wind and learn the basics that way, before letting loose on a board. We measure whether someone is ready to progress to boarding by their ability to hold a conversation while buggying. If they can do it and talk at the same time then they’re good enough to board.”
“We’re all volunteers who run it, we don’t make any money from doing it but we have a great time. We come here on a Thursday night and end up having a lovely meal at the pub. The landlady is great because she lets us use her field. It’s a really friendly thing to be involved with and we go on regular trips to the beach. Sheffield’s equidistant from the coast in North Wales and the east coast so within a couple of hours we can be kite surfing on a beach.”
The club is affiliated with the British Kite Surfing Association, which co-ordinates and sanctions the British Kite surfing Championships.
Sarah became a kite-boarding convert through her husband, Paul, who has been involved with the sport for more than 11 years.
For anyone who didn't attend last year, the Summer Sessions are basically a small event held by the Kite Park where you can come and fly for a weekend, camp for a few nights, enjoy yourselves and relax for the weekend. Its all about meeting up with new and old friends, lighting a bbq and maybe getting your kite out.
The prices for the weekend are:
£20 for a family ticket
£15 for individual flyers
£10 for non-flyers.
Featuring Trampariders: Jack Elston, Floyd and Ash Garwood
Ben Hole:
Well someone had to do it so I thought it might as well be us, this is in 3D, shot on a loan unit AG3-DA1 from panasonic broadcast UK.
Shot at the amazing Llangennith beach on the Gower on two light wind days in early spring, with the amazing Trampa kiteboard team riding the 2011 Ozone depower foils and the awesome C4.
Supported by Ozone Europe & Powerkiteshop with exceptional music from the bubbling Rhyme Asylum, check em out!
Could it be a first…
(Watch wearing red and blue anaglyph glasses for full effect)
I just got back from the second kite event of the year. It's in Wildwood Beach New Jersey on the East coast.
I was out there for four days. It has been a gathering for buggy riders for years and only a handful of usually attend, but i'm trying to change that. This year I was invited out to teach landboarding seminars on the beach, and it was a success. I was able to work with a few people and get them rolling around back and forth.
I even taught a guy in his 40's how to jump, and after a few minutes he was 7 feet in the air. The winds for the weekend started at 20mph and slowely worked up to about 40mph, so some of the beginners were a little timid about putting kites up in the air.
When everybody was done I was able to get a little bit of riding of my own. I've attached a few of my photos............
A change was in the air again for Trampa near the end of the noughties. MBS decided it was no longer in their best interests to supply accessories and there was a recognition that the Scrub parts, although good, were not really what Trampa stood for. They still continued with the hybrids, using parts from Ground Industries and more, but started looking at developing more hardware themselves. Meanwhile, boards carried on rolling out at events, try-outs and centres.
So in 2008 (having sold his house to invest) Ted bravely steered the Trampa ship through turbulent economic waters, and started research + devel
opment into the next generation of gear, determined to manufacture all the quality components they could themselves; not only decks but trucks, hubs, tyres, bindings, bearings, nuts, bolts and everything. All with the legendary Trampa attention to detail and enviable first class quality.
In 2009 Trampa held more comps and the Rem crew got a preview of loads of the new gear while it was in testing. It was frankly incredible just how much shiny new stuff there was. There were finished hubs printed with camo or dollar bills, new prototype decks with a light, super high-density foam core, and some drool-worthy prototype all-steel trucks.
Less than a year (and more road-trips & events) later, all the gear was perfected and ready to drop, bar the oft-discussed foam-core deck and body protection gear - nothing is rushed through with Trampa! The whole range was launched simultaneously (March '10) on a new Trampa website and it almost overloaded our brains with wonderful wheelieboarding options.
The new range was rolled out physically at the Ride the Hill Vert Jam in April 2010. Ted and team brought a whole stack of colour-coordinated new product for the discerning masses to test, try-out, generally look at, critique, and drool over.
Attention to detail is a Trampa standard, and everything has a seriously nice finish. One of the highlights of the latest gear is the final versions of the new trucks. Available in basic form as the 'Infinity' and in a finer, lighter form as the ‘Vertigo’ (with upgradeable titanium kingpins no less). They're beautifully crafted bits of kit and amazingly light. There are no messy bits, no weld points (like the matrix pro for example), just stunningly-milled and precision-engineered metal masterpieces.
They’ve also made everything else you could possibly need to go with a their ‘bulletproof’ deck, in a mind boggling array of colours. Just look at the different binding options for instance- 25 ratchet variants, 22 cam-lock, 6 hybrids and 11 velcro, and that's not even mentioning heel-straps…!
Of course you can get a complete setup if you’re overwhelmed by the choice.
We still dont know for fact that the decks are “bulletproof” (maybe we should get 'Top Gear' involved…), but we've never, ever seen a broken one and they are the only company that will make you a bespoke one: Flex, pop, and stiffness are all a matter of taste and as everyone is different, the boards need to be tailored to you personally with different ply thicknesses and board shape (length, plan, riser angle etc). Obviously what style of riding you plan on doing will affect it too...
Some people say the thicker decks are quite heavy, and there has been an amount of addressing this with the Holy Pro deck (which has holes in strategic places), but the heavy boards are generally for heavier riders that may break wooden decks, so they benefit. Smaller, light riders also benefit as they get some of the lightest decks around. So Trampa probably simultaneously make the heaviest and the lightest decks available on the market today!
This is especially key to the progress that’s been made in the kite-landboarding scene; they’ve always had a good presence but now the results are speaking for themselves: The Championship standings for the BKSA (BritishKiteSurfingAssociation) nationals in 2010 saw 3 Trampa team riders on the podium after 4 rounds over the year, with Jack Elston taking1st, Steve Smith 2nd and Ash Garwood 3rd. Well done lads.
2010 also unfortunately saw a burglary at Trampa HQ, but things are looking better now and Ted is looking to the future. As sales slow down due to global economic melt-downs, they're still developing. increasing the colour ranges (blues now in!), perfecting the items that didn't quite get refined enough in the first round of production (there have been a couple of minor changes to existing moulds), they’re experimenting with titanium axles in the Vertigo Hangers, and there’s also prototype protection: wrist guards, as well as new Bootie-wrap style butt-pads (developed with Diego Anderson) which are perfect for occasional riders & centres. Plenty to come then!
2011 also sees more events & comps planned; first of which is the Melbourne race series (organised by Trampa’s Ryan Slater), which is 3 comps over 3 months in Australia’s summer, two of which have already taken place- check out details here
A few facts:
Trampa have hosted over a dozen events and organised distribution for their products globally.
They have worked in true collaboration with riders, centres & companies, eg Headworx, Buff, Ride the Hill, Coastal, and more.
Each board in the Pro line-up features 206 separate parts.
There’s always rather a lot going on for Ted and this little garage industry from Nottingham.
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To conclude, we must touch on cost. Some may argue that prices of Trampa gear require a sharp intake of breath, but we say rightly so: you’re not just buying, you’re investing.
Trampa are like the ‘Norton’ or ‘TVR’ of mountainboarding; desirable British craftsmanship bought to you with passion, care, and a bit of eccentric-looking oomph!
If you wanted, you could test drive one at mountainboard centres like Ride the Hill, Bugs Boarding, Court Farm, Out to Grass, Haredown, Hales Superbole, and Wanyi Park (Belgium), or indeed wherever you see the Trampa pimp-wagon out & about, at comps or events, with a kite, at a skatepark, centre, or on a hill somewhere, from the UK to Australia...
There you have it: choice. And probably far too much of it ;)
Trampa Boards, up close & personal: the full story!
Trampa is the most innovative, proactive and downright coolest British manufacturer out there. Here, Remolition presents a full spotlight feature all about where they came from, where they're at, and where they’re going…
Part 1
Many humble mountainboarders have lofty plans to develop their own decks or parts, yet most don’t got past prototypes. Trampa is a little different; they are not your typical manufacturer, having become a company that lovingly produces every single bit of hardware a rider could possibly need. Dan Wilson chatted to Ted and got the lowdown on this Great British company. From the beginning...
It was 2002. Rob Edgar had been developing a new kind of rigid board deck from plastic composites developed at work. He shared his idea with friends Ed Statham, Ted Orr & Jonny Richards, all boardsport fiends, and Hillbilly ATB (based in Nottingham) wasconceived.
The guys used scraps of metal from a lorry factory to make the prototype moulds, and old skateboard parts were robbed for testing on their first hand cut decks. Clearly onto something special they struck a deal with Ben Bisco from TKC (Scrub manufacturer/distributor), who allowed them to utilize component parts from the reliable existing Scrub range, including wheels, bindings and trucks, to be used with the deck: The Trampa (as in trampoline).
This now-infamous “bomb-proof” deck was their unique secret weapon, made from (essentially) a fiber-reinforced thermoplastic. These legendary decks are baked liked cakes. The flex and stiffness is adjusted by laying the weave (that comes on a roll) in different directions, and by altering the number of layers. The layered material is shaped to cover the highly polished moulds, vacuum-sealed, and OVEN cooked. Later, after cooling & stripping down, they are cut to final shape using seriously high-pressure water jets, normally reserved for 1ft thick steel. This is the only way to do the job as lasers get too hot and bubble the surface, while -as anybody who’s tried it knows- metal jigsaw blades are blunt within seconds of cutting.
Decks could be cut any shape, and experimentation began, with the first boards available in two shapes with a choice ply's depending on rider weight. The crew hit the roads and made themselves visible at events all over the country, encouraging riders to try them out for themselves.
This was it: Hillbilly ATB’s patented Trampa deck had arrived on the market. Major pop and sweet torsional flex included.
The initial collaborations with Scrub came through J Bisson at All Terrain Boarding magazine (himself a keen engineer + board-builder), and before long a working relationship with G-4s ( at the time the Rolls Royce of Mountainboarding) was happening too. Trampa utilised their trucks and bindings, with wheels from Primo. ATB mag loved the boards and helped inspire the boys. Next came upgrade kits for Grass Board, Mongoose, Bio Hazard, MBS and more, and the fully-customizable nature of Trampa boards continued its evolution. They even started experimenting with NoSno parts and creating longboard decks too.
Boards featured nearly every bit of tech going, from Revo trucks to Kheo bindings. The Anarkite (board above) parts were being developed by an independant developer and Trampa forged a great working relationship. Back in 2003, the lads had started to take their products to the masses and became regular faces at events, shows & demos everywhere. Their wonky old market stall became the place to be, taking in indoor snow-shows, outdoors wind-fests, and just about every UK & euro mountainboard/kite landboard event on the calender. They met lots of new people along the way and partied like crazy with their amazing team of riders who they’d started sponsoring; In ’03 it consisted of a young, new wave of riders like Tom Kirkman, Laurie Kaye and Ollie Morrison, who were all riding prototype Trampa boards with Scrub components.
The team had an epic time, learning, riding and working together. There were European road trips, Ollie received his long-standing ‘Bomber’ nickname, Tom became World Champ for the first time (on his custom Trampa), Tom Reese joined age 17 and beat Leon Robbins, and AJ Lawson collaborated on some international Trampa missions.
With most technological developments in the sport coming from trucks & bindings, Trampa became deservedly well-known fortheir individual decks. With standard drilling patterns and deck size, Trampa’s personalisation of the ride was a breath of fresh air. They could offer truly custom boards, created bespoke to suit the rider’s preferences.
They also experimented with colour on the decks; it had to be a special powder-coating, and the bright glossy boards looked real good. However, it added a surprising lot of weight to the deck and, in R & D, eventually started scratching off, so was not pursued. One was even used in this Kite mag test where they chucked loads of different boards off a cliff in Devon! Needless to say, the Trampa was fine.
As they moved on, in 2005, the ‘Hillbilly’ part of their name was dropped(pure coincidence that there was an American brand with the same name!), and Ted personally took over Trampa full-time. He re-invented the ‘brand’ and started pushing the company style in a much smarter, more professional direction. Working with lots of new riders as the others moved on, they started developing new products like the Trampa Dampas which were co-developed by Mark Daniels from Kitedeck & De-x. The use of the boards with kites alongside downhill was a key factor in growth and development. They also made new working relationships with Headworx, working with the team out of Coastal, and from there got links to another affiliate, Buff Headgear. While there in 05, they also encouraged a young Tom Reese, who then beat Leon Robbins age 13!
Soon, they began to sponsor major events, and then made the decision to put on their own freestyle-based comp: The Trampa Challenge. The first one went well and the team line-up expanded with some top international riders like crazy Swiss man Marco Dahler, Aussie “Wild Boar” Ryan Slater & previous World Freestyle Champions Renny Myles & Arno VDV...
Trampa had secured their products relevance in both the gravity-powered side of boarding as well as the wind-powered market; they'd made their own decks, started their own competitions, given loads of riders the chance to be 'pros' and loads more people the chance to be riders. Yep, they'd come a real long way- both physically and metaphorically... What was next?
The hollidays are always crazy for the average joe, but when you are a kite landboarder it can get exceptionally complex. Mine started with a flight to Phoenix Arizona with my Fiancee Joy. Our flight was supposed to leave on at 8 pm. on the 21st, but it ended up being delayed till 4 am on the 22nd instead. Luckily I had some kite magazines, so I kept reading through them to keep myself from going crazy. While in Phoenix I was able to explore the desert, and I now have plenty of photos of cactus and the Mesa rock formation the Southwest of the United States is famous for.
Unfortunatly I didn't get a chance to go kiteboarding out there, but I saw a few bare spots in the desert that would be great for landboarding. I flew back into the midwest on Christmas morning, where I immediatly jumped in the car with my best friends the nowhereboys. It was the three of us; Jordan, Paul, and I. We had been planning a trip to the Northeast part of the US to visit the city of Boston, but more importantly to meet up with new Peter Lynn buggy team rider Todd Stevick and friends. We drove all night for 23 hours in which we got stuck in a blizzard right before we made it to Boston.
Before we headed down to Wildwood Beach New Jersey, we took an evening to meet up with a couple of other riders from the Powerkiteforum.com at a local pub. Snowkiter Chuddy and her Fiance were a riot. By this time we had been without having a chance to ride for four days and I was starting to lose my mind. Meeting up with other riders is what its all about, even on those crappy weeks when there is nowind whatsover.
Finally we made our way seven hours down to Wildwood Beach to meet up with Todd Stevick. We were also greeted with his son Corey, Rich from East Coast Kite Sports, and their buddy Scott. These guys are some of the most dedicated kiters that I have ever met. By this time it was New years eve and the wind projected for the next two days was almost non-existant. These guys drove 6 hours, 4hours, and 3 hours just to meet up with us, even in the light that there was supposed to be ZERO wind! I've never felt so awesome before, to know that guys drove from three different states just to meet us.
After we arrived Todd and Rich took us out to the beach. When we reached the water we could feel a little bit of wind on our faces. I checked my wind meter and it read between 7-8 mph. After a week of sitting inside because of blizzard conditions we all just wanted to get out there and ride. I set up my 15m charger which I only had a chance to use one other time previously.
I was having a blast power sliding on sand, which feels like sliding on butter compared to bumpy grass fields. I was only able to do about two jumps because the wind was so low. It was awesome to see so much sand on my Trampa kite deck though. I've only ever used it on grass, and I was so stoked to use it on the beach. This board turns so sharp then any other ATB i've ever owned.The thing is so light and nimble. All of the guys were wanting to test out my deck, since there aren't many trampas in the US . Most of the decks they use are older and made of wood. Rich from East Coast Kite Sports was loving it since it wasn't bottoming out on the ground like the previous boards he has used.
By the time we were done riding, the sun was out and the winter jackets were off. I was looking up and down the beach and happy to see so many PL kites in the air. The next day (Jan 1) we were able to ride in very similar conditions. I was bummed that I didn't get a chance to freestyle, but riding on a sunny beach is the best way to start a new year. Paul, Jordan, and I had to leave right away to head back home. It was only 19 hours to get home, but it isn't very comfortable when you have so much sand in your pants.
Looking forward to many more trips this year, and I'm excited to meet more riders and teach more people how to use PL kites. I hope everybody out there had a good holiday.
Here is the link to the video that Todd Stevick the buggy rider made while we were out there. http://www.vimeo.com/18927448
Back to Blackpool for the 2nd year in a row – this time on the Northern Beaches at Bispham.
It was the final event of the season and it was everything to play for as I needed to gain at least a 2nd to take the title of British champion 2010.
THURSDAY
The event started a day early due to the end of year prize giving on the Saturday night so I and ash headed to Nottingham, Trampaboards HQ to pick Floyd up. After a well needed breakfast and board tune up we started the very long and cramped journey to Blackpool. We arrived late Thursday night to a very wet and cold Blackpool.
FRIDAY
We awoke Friday morning for yet again a rainy and cold day most people where off put by the weather and wasn’t looking forward to competing but being Trampa/ozone we never give up and where well up for it. The day consisted of a prompt 8:00AM sign in 10Am riders briefing then 11AM comp start, due to the lack of hard sand the beach was unrideable so all the land competitors and judges set off in a convoy to find a competing area, we managed to find a beach a little up the road from where it was meant to be. Once decided the comp would be held here as the wind where onshore and picking up nicely to about 25mph we went and got kitted up. Floyd was first up with his 9m frenzy and he looked totally lit so me and ash set our 11m sport and C4 up.
Once we all had warmed up a bit the heats where drawn up, up first was me and Dan Smith who is now an official trampa rider. After a perfect heat I went through to my 2nd heat against Floyd and Steve and its fair to say I was bricking it as their both awesome riders, I managed to win the heat and move through to the final, me and Dan again. Floyd, Steve and Ash where in the semi finals battling it out for 3rd place, Floyd gave us all a scare and came down really hard putting him out of the heat leaving Ash and Steve to fight for 3rd.
SATURDAY
We were all shattered after a hard days riding in comp from the day before but still had to put on an expression session for the public, at least the sun was shining which gave us some motivation. The wind was very light but we all made the best of it and managed to practice our light wind riding.
Once back at the B&B we all spruced up for the prize giving and end of year prize giving party as it was a black tie event, Floyd even straightened his hair for this event which is a very rare sceptical. We all waited anxiously for the results of Blackpool, Steve Smith 3rd, Dan Smith 2nd and Jack Elston 1st. Then they moved on to the Final results of the whole year, Ash Garwood 3rd, Steve Smith 2nd and Jack Elston 1st making me the British Kitelandboarding Champion 2010 and with it being a trampaboards and ozone dominated podium we were all stoked. We all headed down to Walk about (a local chain bar) where we all celebrated a fantastic end to what had been a well run and successful Kiteival10 thanks to the BKSA.
Round 4 resuts:
1st Jack Elston
2nd Dan Smith
3rd Steve Smith
End of 2010 Result:
1st Jack Elston
2nd Steve Smith
3rd Ash Garwood
Me Floyd and Ash would like to thank Ozone kites and Trampa Boards for their continued support in us as we couldn’t have done it without you guys!
Ayr is on the west coast approximately 35 miles south west of Glasgow. The set up is amazing for running events with a tide that does not go out that far and a great grass area for the Landboard and Buggy. The forecast was blown away - everyone expected light winds however true to form Scotland delivered the goods.
FRIDAY
Me (Jack Elston) and Ash Garwood set off for an early 8am flight from Stansted to Prestwick, when we landed we was met with blue skies and strong wind. We both headed on what seemed to be a mammoth track to low green where the event was being held but luckily was saved by our buddies Dan and Darren who were heading to the event themselves. Once there we met up with our fellow Trampa rider Steve smith who had been riding all day on his 14m totally lit. After a quick sort out we both joined him on the field shortly after there was a huge crowd gathered watching all three of us boosting 15 foot+ pushing each other in prep for tomorrows comp. After sun set we was all aching and couldn’t wait to chill and reflect on what had already been the best session of our lives.
SATURDAY
Yet again an early start 8am for breakfast then to the field for a prompt 9am registration. Once registered me and ash where raring to go with us knowing that there was 20mph+ onshore winds in our favor for the comp we both pumped up our kites of choice mine being the Ozone sport+ 11m and ashes being the Ozone 11m C4. We all was at our best and was really pushing it with our individual styles but at the end of the day I took 1st place and Ash 3rd with Steve smith coming in at 2nd. Once we were all packed up we headed back to cactus jacks where everyone had a good chance to reflect on what had been a very successful day and see who could stay on the longest on the bucking bronco.
SUNDAY
Another early start and as you can with everyone having a sore head a very slow one too, we arrived back on the green at 9am ready for and all day expression session which was great fun and gave us a chance to chill and ride together on the amazing spot. After riding all day we had the prize giving which lead onto an amazing BBQ at holly kendys house, WOW is all I can say lol. I and ash aching and bruised from an epic weekend hitched a lift to the airport where we flew home with medals and massive gins on our faces.
Results:
Mens Landboard 1-Jack Elston 2-Steve Smith 3-Ash Garwood
For more information on the BKSA kiteival tour 2010 visit:
On 19. - 22. August 2010 the KLB German Masters 2010 started at Dornum at the North Sea. An international field of riders met in order to compete in the disciplines Freestyle, Race, Hangtime and Buggyfreestyle.
Unfortunately I could only arrive on Friday evening so i missed the best wind of the event. Saturday morning we started withshould two runs in the Racecontest. In very gusty offshore wind I decided to take my 8.6m Prodigy, which sometimes was too small, but in some gusts it was almost too big. In the overall standings, I reached a good third Place. The organizer decided to start the hangtimecontest after the race. This was about to be as long as possible in the air. I took my 12,5m Montana V in still very gusty winds. I rechead the 3rd place with only a tenth of a second less than the second place and with 10m less of kite size ;-).
In the freestyle my fitness left me unfortunately and my cold was increasing. I wasn't able to compete in the doubles on Sunday and only reached a 5th place in the overall standings.
All in all I am satisfied with my results and I look forward to next year!
Barrow the second round of four wasn’t on last year’s roster so I didn’t know what conditions to expect, arriving late Friday night to no beach and little wind I didn’t expect much of the place. With an early night and a full stomach I nervously slept wondering what to expect for Saturdays competition.
I woke to a stiff breeze of about 15-18 mph perfect for my 11m C4, bursting with energy I went for breakfast and registration, with a few quiet words from rich the time of 1 o’clock was set for the competition. With only 4 riders in this round it wasn’t to be as busy as Redcar but with up and coming riders like Dan smith the heats promised to throw a spanner in the mix.
Having been drawn against Dan in my first round I knew it was going to be tough so I went in with a cool head, clear plan and lots of concentration to pull me through. With some fantastic moved from both of us including 360 varial’s, Arial kick flips and kite loops it was a close call but I edged ahead with my smooth tricks and super consistency putting me strait in the final.
With Steve Smith winning his round going into the final it was up to Dan and Carl to battle it out for another place in the top 3. With Dan just getting it against Carl the final was set promising to be full of action and massive moves.
Again I went into this round with a clear head and one goal which was to do my ultimate best, Steve and Dan had both been riding in top form that day so I knew I had a lot of work ahead to be able to do well. My aim throughout the comp had been consistency smoothness and big air so I continued doing what worked best in the conditions boosting some massive tricks including powered raileys, varial 360’s and kite loops. Steve also riding well had been landing similar tricks on his 14m Vegas with Dan smith boosting some mega 720’s showing us all how its done. After what had felt like the longest 7 minutes of my life just like that the round was over leaving it to the judges to decide who won the crown.
After a long hard think from a close round the judges concluded that I was first, with Steve in second and Dan in third due to my super consistent technical and smooth style. I myself would like to thank all the riders in the competition without them it could not have happened and also to the race team who helped make it a fantastic event. The podium stands...
1st Ash Garwood- Ozone, Trampa
2nd Steve Smith- Ozone, Trampa
3rd Dan Smith- Peter-lynn power kites
Again thanks to the BKSA and my sponsors without them I would not be here.
After plenty of shredding at the atba-uk competitions and holding his own with 2nd place at the recent the cream teas and jam event, Sam had caught the eye of BFC's Rhys Crilley for an interview. Check out the full interview of Sam Nicholas below:
With consistent top 5 freestyle placings for quite a while now Sam Nicholas has been boosting it lately and is currently sitting in 3rd place in the ATBA UK overall season standings after two awesome perfromances at the edge and on his own turf at Ironside’s Court Farm. We had a brief catch up to see what’s on his mind this weekend… Turns out it’s Cream Teas and Jam, Football, Trampa and WAGS.
Fisheye duhhhh – photo from sams facebook
Rhys: Yo sam, are you coming to cream teas and jam?
Sam: I defiantly am coming!
R: Are you more excited about the jibtastic shredding or the england game on saturday evening?
S: jibjib! im not too fussed about football but it should be entertaining.
hopefully just as entertaining as this melon to fakie – photo by dirt monkeys
R: What do you reckon the score will be?
S: I reckon it will be 3-2 to them guys in white…
R: Good call. Do you reckon Trampa Ted would make a good england manager?
S: Haha! Naaa I dont think the england football team could cope with the early morning trampa training, its tough!
Trampa training pays off at the WFC’s. Rodeo over the biggun. – photo from Sams Facebook
R: Who do you want to win the world cup?
S: wales! :S
R: Are you going to pull out any mad tricks at ctaj?
S: It’s gonna be about the one wheeled mjs!
R: Has there been any hardcore trampa training?
S: Everyday. I’ve been training for this my whole life.
R: Hows all that shiny new trampa gear working out for you?
S: its all going sweet. Wish i didnt choose white though. it’s pimp but gets really dirty.
Backflip tweaker whilst worrying about how clean and fresh his white trampa bindings, top trucks and hubs are – photo by Pat Goddard
R: Oh well, you can always wash that dirt off, I hear Daz is good at keeping whites whiter than white… Anyway nice riding at court farm the other day, hows it all going with team ironside?
S: Cheers, yeah its good to have a crew to ride with every wednesday. There is some realy good riders coming straight outa hereford. thanks to raf for bringing it together.
R: on a final note, whos your favourite WAG (Wives And Girlfriend of famous footballers!) ?
S: Abigail Clancy! dayyyym. (ha ha I had to google wag)
Some WAG wearing clothes, for better photos that aren’t really suitable for here just type “Abigail Clancy into google… – photo by The Internet
R: any shoutouts?
S: big shout to uncle teddy (trampa), raph and the ironside massive and the BFC
Just got back from the first round of the bksa kiteival at Redcar and a brilliant time had by all. We headed off from Essex where we were picked up by Fab (the Italian stallion) and arrived at our destination in the very early hours friday morning. This year was very different than the previous event at Redcar as we was blessed with absolutely stunning weather transforming the town from a grey seaside town into the costa del geodie.
The wind decided to play ball with us friday afternoon and Ash, Jack, Steve and myself headed out to warm up for the following days heats. All the boys were rocking pulling off huge styled out tricks and we were all buzzing off each others energy, unfortunatly the following day we wasn't so blessed as the wind was pretty weak, but they managed to run all the heats leaving Ash,Jack and Steve in the final after Ash putting in a fantastic run against myself in the semi's. The lads gave it there all in the light conditions and no one could have predicted the result, but we were all stoked as we knew Team Trampa had taken the top four.
Later on we hit the town and started the celabrations which ended at stupid o'clock for Fab and myself. Feeling the burn the next day we headed off to prize giving to find out the result where Team Trampa hit the podium with Ash Garwood getting 3rd, Steve Smith taking 2nd and the albino yetti himself Mr Jack Elston taking the top spot.
A big thankyou to our sponsers Trampaboards and Ozone kites, also a huge well done to all the organisers of the event and another big thankyou to Fab from the Westfellas for getting us there.
Congratulations got to Yannick Schwickert for finishing 1st in the German Kite land boards Masters in Munsterappel this last weekend.
The following words have been taken From Yannicks own website which can be seen at www.yannickschwickert.de
2010 Season begins in Muensterappel
Last weekend was kickoff for the German kite land boarding tour 2010 at the kite area in Münsterappel.
Unfortunately, the weather forecast was not looking too enthusiastic for this event.
Low winds of 1-2 bft. were predicted but in exchange the temperature was suppose to rise up to 23°C on both days.
Together with our new team rider Pascal Schmidt and his father Maik, I set off to the kite area in Münsterappel to have a look at the terrain and to perform the license check-up.
Saturday began just as predicted, low winds and warm temperatures. Still, the organizers decided to launch the race contest.
Finally, the new Prodigy size 10,5 m² was allowed to show what it’s made of. Also ready to launch were Peter, Matthias and Christian who have chosen the Montana size 12,5. For three individual races we had to compete with the size 19 Speed, of which the second race went successful for me even by using a smaller kite. In this race I was able to cross the finish line first. For the other two runs I had to admit defeat due to low winds.
Sunday began just like Saturday with low winds but we still decided to go for two racing runs. By achieving similar results to the day before, I was able to get 3rd place in the overall ranking. Peter and Christian were able to achieve 7th and 8th place.
Because the wind was getting up, the decision was made to start the freestyle contest. Constant changing conditions however really gave all participants a hard time to show their moves.
Our youngest team member Passi achieved a great result and got the same ranking together with Nico Fehrenberg on 12th position. Matthias and Peter achieved 5th and 8th place.
Fighting my way upwards I found myself competing against the German champion of 2008, Joey Oldenbürger for the final run of this race. At the end I was able to win this race and finish on 1st place.
Looking back now it’s been a great weekend with lot’s on sunshine and a nice sunburn. I’m already looking forward to the next contest.
Trampa Rider Ash gives us the lowdown on the final round of the BKSA.
Wednesday
After a busy morning of haircuts and lots of packing me, jack and Floyd all met ready to be picked up by Ben + Helen the ozone/trampa camera Team. Soon after they arrived we had packed the car full of our kit and were on our way.
After a long and cosey drive we had arrived at Redcar to what seemed to be a ghost town as no locals seemed to be doing anything. After we had settled in our accommodation for the weekend we went for an evening meal at a local Indian. After stuffing ourselves full of Indian and wine we headed back for an early night.
Thursday
we woke to a typical chilly Redcar morning with a light on shore breeze and headed over to Ben and Helens for bacon sandwiches to set us up for the day. We then headed over to the beach for our first glance and it didn’t disappoint, the sheer size of this beach was stunning strait from the start and we could see that we were in for a brilliant weekend. It didn’t take us long and we were on the beach for a chilled out afternoon session in a clean on shore breeze of 15-20 mph winds testing out our skills to the max with our ozone kites, with me, Floyd and jack all punching out some awesome moves ranging from big kite loops to mega spins and smooth technical board off’s. We met up with appo during this session with him showing off the 2010 rang of ozone manta 3’s with some impressive floaty jumps.
After an awesome warm up session, a bit battered and bruised we headed off the beach and back to base camp for a Ben and Helen pasta special and a few drinks to end the day.
Friday
we rose on Friday all aching from the day before and set for the beach for morning registration. With the wind slightly lacking, we all waited around and were chatting with other competitors from the series, among them was fellow ozone rider AJ Philipsen. After he had enlightened us of past ventures we all pumped up our ozone instincts and set off for a light wind session. The judges then decided to run the juniors first with riders: Sam lawman, Ted Polkey, Greg Chiltern, Jack Daykin and Robbie shire-maident. After an impressive show of skill from all riders in very little wind Greg, Ted and Sam all took to the podium. It was then decided that all other comps were to be cancelled due to a deep lack in wind, which was our day over so we then retired to the caravan for cheese and red wine.
Friday evening however had a lot more fun install for all competitors as the BKSA had managed to set the red bull bbq in the local skate park. It was amazing to see every one giving skateboarding ago and getting stuck in, this was the first time that every one really had the chance to talk to each other which we all thoroughly enjoyed.
Saturday
After waking up with a slightly sore head from the night before, myself, jack and Floyd headed over to Ben and Helen’s caravan for an Ash Garwood special fry up as today is competition day or so we thought. After stuffing our self’s full of sausages and bacon we headed over to the beach to catch up with our fellow competitors and judges to discuss the day’s conditions. After a long wait and many hours of playing football to pass the time we all agreed to boycott the competition due to a deep lack of wind.
Saturday evening was prize giving, so due to the competition not being held the points were equally given out between the competitors leaving the results unchanged. It was a shirt and tie event so in true trampa fashion myself, jack and Floyd came dressed to impress in our ozone trampa goodies. After many drinks and the prize giving I had found myself in 3rd place over all with Aj 2nd and Lewis 1st, which for ozone and trampa I think is an awesome result. We then decided to party the night out hitting a few bars and some interesting looking kebab shops, with a long walk ahead we got back just after 2 and hit the sack.
Sunday
On Sunday we woke to a cold damp atmosphere with a light breeze of 10 mph we headed over to Ben and Helens for a morning cuppa and to discuss today’s action plan for getting home. As it was predicted decent winds for the day we headed over to the beach for a best trick competition. As the winner was to get £100 It was game on from every one, the wind started off low but gradually picked up and came through with a stiff 18 mph breeze my favourite conditions for my nine. Everyone was putting on a brilliant show with tricks coming from all directions. Floyd was bashing out some mega 1080 spins, jack with some awesome tweaks and myself with some big board offs. We all gave it our best and AJ gave us one of the biggest kite loops I’ve ever seen on land, with everyone all tricked out the judges announced the winners. Land board: James Tideswell AKA Floyd for a massive 1080 slap down. Free style Buggy: Dave Roberts for a massive 1080 kite loop!!
I think everyone will agree that this has been an amazing weekend with some great people, a big thanks to the BKSA for running the first ever completed competition series I’ve ever entered, and also I can’t forget my sponsors for the financial support and the amazing gear.
And a big thanks to Ben hole for filming us and taking us to Redcar without him we would not have been there.
We needed some dummy news articles so we thought what better than to tell you about our incredible web team made up of Andy (www.snowdoniait.com) and mog (www.mogmachine.com) who would be more than happy to talk to you about your project, ...or just generally receive some praise, ..and cookies.
We made this site for you, ..well actually we made it for Ted, but in truth he only thinks about you, the customer, so if there is anything you feel we can be doing better then please let our technical team know and we will see what we can do.
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And so the last stop of the British Kite land boarding championships was upon us, I was particularly excited for this event as I had a chance to take the title once again. I arrived early Thursday to a cold and wet westward ho. Shortly after arriving I settled in to a chalet with views of the beach waiting for the tide to go out. The wind for Thursday was predicted to be good so I made my way to the beach for a warm up session to get ready for Friday’s competition. 
