Finally back on the water!

Well, this post has been a long time coming... After (seemingly never-ending) months away from my kites, I finally got the doctor's "OK" for getting back on the water! My 12m had a lot of dust, but it was still ready to ride.

It was only for two small sessions, 'cause I have to get slowly "back on the horse", since my herniated disk problem is not 100% recovered. But it just felt so great...

The conditions where great for a comeback: 14 to 18 knots side-on, with only small waves and (almost) no other kite on the spot.

If you're wondering where it is, just Google "Praia de Moledo" or "Caminha". A beautiful strip of sand on the top North of Portugal. In the photo below, the spot is on the left facing the ocean. The hill you see in a lot of the pictures is already Spain, separated by the mouth of the river Minho.

A portuguese Kitetrip - the movie!

Finally, I've finished editing the video from our trip in Mai/June 2010! You can watch it here, but I advise going to Vimeo to see it in HD, full screen and with the sound up! Enjoy... ;)

It's not just kite all the time, but I think it has a nice rhythm and a good vibe so, hopefully, you'll enjoy it as much as those who where there.

A day at the Lautaret Pass

My friend Fred is getting better by the second at filming and editing his videos, so here's a good example of the great progress he's doing. Enjoy!

A breath of warm air in the middle of the Winter

Well, no being able to bring you my usual joyous adventures, I post a very cool video from a group of my friends that went to Guadeloupe to give a nice jump-start to 2011. Enjoy!

A cold birthday...

Being forbidden to kite due to injury, I thought about celebrating my birthday in our snowkite "homespot", at the Col des Supeyres, since there's not much chance that I'll be coming here often this winter...
It was a fun opportunity to see the spot with different eyes and enjoy a nice weekend with friends.

This winter has been quite weird, with an heavy snowfall in December, followed by a steep rise in temperatures that melted everything... Now, temperatures a freezing again, but there's no precipitation, so it was quite strange to see the spot with almost no snow at this time of the year. Even so, we found a tenacious rider that didn't get discouraged by the less than 2 cm of white!

(all photos are from Olive)

Out for the season...

Well, if you're a (more or less) regular visitor to this blog, you probably noticed I haven't been writing for some time. You might think it's just because I haven't been finding the time to ride... If that was the case, I would actually be happy! The real reason is actually worse...
A month and a half ago, just a few days after my last sessions, an acute pain to the left leg forced me to do an emergency visit to the hospital. Initially diagnosed as a sciatica, it was discovered a week later (through a new and even more painful episode that led another doctor to order a MRI scan) that I suffered from an herniated disc in the lumbar region (don't think you'll be able to spot it on the image, but that's just to illustrate this post with something else than my rambles).

No to bother you more with my medical history, let's just say what's important in terms of kiting: quite probably, at least six months out! It was very painful to hear the doctor saying this... But, some time after the fact and with a cooler head, I can say I've been lucky: no surgery was needed and I've been recuperating faster than the doctor thought in the beginning.
I've already set my mind at ease and made peace with the fact that I won't be snowkiting this winter (or snowboarding, or doing any sport or activity that might put my recovery at risk, for that matter), so I'm taking the time to enjoy other stuff and get my spine back into shape as fast and as good as I possibly can. The goal now is to be able to hit the water again next Spring or, at least, next Summer! I'll be back with a vengeance!
As for the blog, I still haven't figured quite how to handle it, but I've been thinking about feeding it from time to time with nice stuff related to kites and the passion of kiting, so keep visiting...

Pimp my board!

Well, using as an excuse the fact that my RRD pads we're giving signs of getting old, I decided to offer my feet a nice gift. When I tried the Brunotti GSS pads that come with the Youri Zoon board, some months ago, I was amazed at how comfortable they were.

Riding in choppy conditions was totally different, it felt like riding through butter! The choice was then easy, when I decided to pimp my ride. I didn't much like the straps (in terms of looks, not comfort), so I was glad to discover you can buy any Brunotti pads and straps separately. Not doubts there, I took the "bling bling" option, with the straps that come with the Low Rider board!

As soon as I got the kit, I mounted the new upgrade on my RRD Poison board and loved the result! I can't wait to go and try it on the water, 'cause I'm sure my feet and legs will notice the difference. As for the looks, tastes are always "to each his own", but I do love my restyled ride!