Massilia - Kitesurf Session 72

A little session in Marseille... It was fun to kite with the big buildings as background!

(photos by Lucie)

A very special thank you to Julos, for letting me try his brand new 7m Switchblade! A wonderful little kite with a lot of spirit...

The lazy desert winds

Our week in Dakhla was really cool. Running away from the first signs of the coming Winter season, we were all happy to be under the sun all day long. I never got to use my shorty when kiting, just a simple t-shirt to avoid sunburns!
Although we had fun discovering the Moroccan Meca for kitesurf, we must confess that it was somewhat disappointing to have mild to light winds all week long!

The conditions didn't really allow us to try all those new tricks and stunts we had been dreaming about, but nevertheless we had enough magic moments to share, like when the fog invaded the spot in a matter of only a few minutes and we found ourselves riding in the midst!

That was actually the only time our skin had a little rest from the omnipresent sun... Me and Gilles we both had our day of frustration, just what was needed to digest the fact that this time we wouldn't be able to do the crazy stuff we'd been planning. But soon after we decided to enjoy the easy ride that marked the trip, saying that the strong winds and big jumps would be postponed for the next visit!

At the end of one of the days, with the wind dropping completely but under a pretty light, I took a series of photos to edit into a nice panoramic of the spot (click to enlarge). Even at low tide, you can see all the potential...

Dakhla dream spot

After hearing so much about this place, I finally embarked with a group of friends on a plane to go see what all the fuss was about. Arriving at the Dakhla Magic camp (best know as Auberge des Nomades du Sahara) at night, we had to wait until next morning to have an idea of what was around...

(click on the panoramic photos to enlarge)

The flat water spot is just huge and, together with the magnificent surroundings of mostly desert, it's not difficult to imagine why so much people praise this little corner of "kite heaven" so much. Our camp was well integrated in the scenery...

Placed just in front of the lagoon, all you see from sunrise to sunset is the playground area, constantly calling you.

Promising, wouldn't you say?

(to avoid repeating myself, I use this first post on Dakhla to thank the photographic contribution of Florence, Laure, Patrick and our new acquaintances Olivier and Jean-Yves)

Beauduc - Kitesurf Sessions 66 and 67

Another great weekend in Beauduc, with the KAF in full force! The forecasts were shitty all week, but by Thursday things started to look promising and, by Saturday, we were having massive fun. A special thanks to Fred for making a little space in his truck (beats the tent by miles!) and to Gui for the little lesson...

(a beautiful photo by Mrik)

(some others by Olive)

(and a couple of good ones from Nonosse)

Back to school! - Kitesurf Session 65

After 2 years kitesurfing, it was fun to go down South to Beauduc with just my friend Michal (who did some of the nice photos here, by the way), who never tried this amazing sport before... The goal was, as you've certainly guessed, to put a kite on his hands and see how he felt!
Arriving on Sunday afternoon, we found the beach very quiet and with no wind. Being so, we set camp and decided to make use of the last rays of Sun to play a little game of Kubb (a swedish game I picked up in my last trip, invented a long time ago by the Vikings!).

By the next day, the Gods were on our side and we had good wind all day long, enough to get me tired and to get Michal up to the point where he body-drags very well and even tried his first water starts, without forgetting to learn all the security basics! I don't think I'm a particularly good teacher, but he certainly is a fast learner! Something tells me that the world has a new kiter...

Sweden - Kitesurf Session 64

Contrary to the previous day, the wind was blowing hard when I woke up... But it was too hard for my 9m kite so, biting my fingers, I decided to go take some photos of the Habo Ljung locals while I waited for the wind to go down a notch (I really, really need to buy that 6m kite).

After a painful but no very long wait, I was finally able to go out and try one of the best flat water spots I have ever come across! Perfect conditions for a perfect last day in Sweden, before driving down to Denmark, even with the sky a little bit greyer.

The wood pier offers a great viewpoint for photographs or generally just enjoying the moves! With the skies slowly cleaning up again, I started to do some nearby passages, just for the camera's delight...

Habo Ljung is really a kiter's paradise: knee to waist deep clean waters as far as the eye can see; a spot that works in the entire range of easterly winds; a beautiful scenery, with a good camping site nearby and a nice rigging space, covered in lush green grass (no sand packed with the gear, boys and girls!).

Even if you don't speak swedish, here's a nice website to look at: www.habolocals.se. A very cool crew of Habo Ljung resident riders that have the moves and the aesthetic sensibility to offer great videos!