Naish have been in it from the beginning, and what better way to celebrate than for Robby himself to break out some old gear and share it around with his team.

Quite remarkable, Robby says he’s kept all his old kites and boards from the years in his shed. Something he forgot to do for his windsurfing and always regretted. So when it came time to celebrate 13 years in the kiteboarding game, Robby called up some of his best team riders, including Shaun Richman and Kevin Langaree to have a session at kite beach in Maui, where it all began.

From the old two line kites, to the market leading designs of the AR range, through the Boxer days, the Sigma shapes and onto the new breed of kites that literally anyone can ride. The sport has gone through a massive change in 13 years, and this video from Naish captures the essence of how it all happened.

During the video Robby makes an interesting point, he says:
“If you look at the board design over the years, it’s kind of gone a full circle, several times. In the very beginning, I was riding surfboards. I took an 8’10” longboard, put some footstraps in it, and that was my very first kiteboard.”

That’s very true when you look at where kiteboarding is right now. Think surfboards, (even without straps) directional boards that require gybes to turn, and narrow twintips with big fins for cruising. Kites on the other hand haven’t changed, just look at the video where Kevin is standing on the beach totally in control with a 2014 model kite, he’s just parked the kite in the water with no worries. Meanwhile, Robby’s getting dragged down the beach by an old two line, on his heels, no control, no safety and only one option – head for the water!

Check out the video and if you’ve got some old gear in the shed, why not break it out on a nice day and get back to the roots of the sport? Remember, fly safe!!

#News #Kitesurfing #Naish #Windsurfing #Kiteboarding