How would you define Freestyle?
Does it mean pushing your limits, having the freedom to create, or having a crazy repertoire of tricks and techniques? Freestyle means something different to many people, but what we can all agree on is that it is exhilarating, weightless, and spectacular.
WATCH: ANTHOLOGY pt 1- FT. ALEX PASTOR, OSWALD SMITH & JACK RIEDER
WATCH: ANTHOLOGY pt 2- FT. ALEX PASTOR, OSWALD SMITH & JACK RIEDER & MORE
We caught up with Airush riders, Alex Pastor, Ramiro Gallart, Juan Rodriguez, Jonas Oauhmid, and Jack Rieder, who share a common denominator, they each have their own version of Freestyle. We asked each of them the same 8 questions to find out what lies behind each individual’s unique style of riding and love for this discipline.
Click on each image to read each interview
Ramiro Gallart
2 x Argentinian kite champion / 4th Kite Park League 2019
“A session will be a dance with the elements, where everything that occurs will be a manifestation of the mind with pure freedom and creativity”
Alex Pastor
2013 World Champion / 2016 Rider of the year / 2018 Spanish Champion
“It’s my favorite discipline, nothing like strapping on my boots, and feeling like it’s an extension of my body. You can just focus on your tricks and your mind really disconnects from everything else.”
Jonas Ouahmid
COTS Rider Of The Year / African Champion 2019 / Junior Worldchampion 2017
“I live in the south of Germany. No sea just a lake and almost no wind. If I would stay home for a year I would maybe have 5 good days for freestyle.”
Jack Rieder
Freestyle and Park Adventurer
“There is a point where you become comfortable enough with your gear and in your discipline that you can move in directions that just come naturally as opposed to with a goal of doing a specific trick.”
Juan Rodriguez
Pro kiteboarder from Colombia / Top 11 GKA Freestyle 2019
“Right now there is a lot of emphasis on the number of spins and passes. While it’s impressive, it is taking away from that creative playful aspect of freestyle….”
THE FREESTYLE RANGE
THE RAZOR
The Razor is a legendary freestyle machine. Mark Pattison and Alex Pastor have been working on it for years refining it every time, whether it’s for competition use or just general freestyle, it can’t be beaten. The new Razor is the pinnacle of performance and it just got even better.
The Razor is the new generation five-line freestyle big air blend that combines unrivaled unhooked performance with more boost. With constant development with some of the world’s best riders, it’s clear why it’s the world’s favorite freestyle kite. Designed alongside world champion, Alex Pastor, the Razor provides mind-blowing pop and slack.
The larger sizes are geared toward freestyle, while the smaller sizes have been optimized for big air and kite loops.
Captured by Samuel Cardenas
The Razor offers unrivaled unhooked performance and precision that delivers way beyond the expectations of a purist freestyle C-Kite. The powerful five-line delta hybrid design allows for a huge wind range, combined with the wingtip shape and strut layout it ensures the quickest response to the wind window with specific freestyle and wake style bridle settings.
Alex Pastor: “With the new Razor v10 we have managed to work specifically on each kite size. Starting with the 15m and going all the way to the 7m. We have managed to improve the bigger sizes by making them quicker. That way the kite has more slack more pop and better unhooked performance. It also performs better in lighter wind. It has more range and it goes upwind better.
From the 15m to the 10 m, they’re mainly focused on freestyle and unhooked performance. For the 9m, 8m and 7m – the kites are really good for freestyle but we have also managed to make them really good for big air and kite loops. The small sizes catch you very well on your loops but if you decide to also do unhooked tricks, the slack has been reduced and the slack and the pop are more controlled. So it works very well for both disciplines depending on the conditions.”
Captured by Mitchell Markgraaff
The Airush load frame, featuring Webtech, has been a key in setting the ultimate benchmark in durability without compromising on weight. Central to the concept of the load frame are the lightweight high modulus yarns of which each yarn can carry up to 40 kilograms. These are integrated into the canopy through reinforced taping that allows them to elongate when under extreme load absorbing most of the shock, that traditionally would have been running through the canopy.
By expanding our exclusive load frame with Webtech throughout the areas normally occupied by Dacron, we are able to minimize the heavier fabric and utilize the ballistic fibers instead, increasing the strength and minimizing the weight.
“The Razor is unbeatable in its unhooked performance. Whether I’m in the park or at a flat water spot, the razor is my kite of choice. The razor delivers smooth slack for handle passes and a locked-in kite position for riding rails.” – Jack Rieder
LIVEWIRE TEAM
The Livewire Team is designed for the high-performance freestyle rider who is focused on the perfect balance of weight, rocker, flex, and response. Ideal for boots, the optimized 3D deck, deep channel, and concave combo bottom, in conjunction with the highest rocker in our range, make this board a competition machine.
The carbon triax technology, combined with the 12K spread tow carbon, adds another dimension of laminate strength that can handle the hardest landings while riding full boot bindings.
The Airush multi-zone biotech construction is a vertical paulownia wood core sandwich. The multi-layer construction creates a consistent density from the natural material.
Our wood cores are renowned for their response, durability, and smoothness and are combined with a versatile combination of laminates for all-around performance and durability. The ABS reinforced inserts create the ultimate amount of durability whether riding with boots or straps.
“This is such a pivotal model in our range and it’s so vitally important in the quiver of a professional rider, that their board works for them and well. That we really had to do that amount of work to get it to work right.” – Dave Kay
Captured by Samuel Cardenas
For an insane amount of pop the Livewire Team makes fast rotations during complex maneuvers effortless and has exceptional impact absorption for controlled landings, all while remaining light underfoot.
LIVEWIRE
The Livewire is a refreshing take on a freestyle and park board providing tons of performance while not compromising riding comfort.
Featuring the HD Grindrite sintered base, deep channel, and concave combo bottom in conjunction with a high rocker, this combination of features makes the Livewire the most aggressive and durable freestyle and park board in our range. Suited to those wanting to ramp up their park riding.
We’ve kept the outline, we’ve kept the triaxial fiberglass lamination, we’ve kept the sintered base. These are all very much features that were important in this design.
Captured by Chris Rollet
What we have done differently is we’ve completely changed the bottom shaping and the thickness profile of the board. So it’s now stiffer again between the feet and has a lot more grip with smaller fins and even thinners.
This is the highest rocker board in our range that allows the rider to hold a lot of power but also allows the board to release really well from water. So when you’re talking about wake style tricks where you’re using a lot more of the edge of the board than you are the kite to to load up on the pop – the rocker helps immensely with that with that style of riding.
The triaxial fiberglass is our most bomb-proof construction. It’s a combination of fibres running both on the north direction lengthwise on the board plus 45 degrees and minus 45 degrees.This stiffens the board up along its length and also in torsion so the board doesn’t doesn’t twist when getting loaded against. This is a board that will stand up to the abuse of beach starts riding features of turning this world into a playground.
One of the big additions to the Livewire range for this year, is the addition of a larger size. We’ve taken it all the way up to 147 due to the demand from the team riders looking for a board for more performance park, cable parks and wake style tricks to enjoy a larger platform to land on.
For serious freestyle and wake-style riders only, the Livewire range is for you.
“The Livewire is the perfect combo of durability and performance. The board can take a proper beating and still provide the perfect pop. Having a board that I know can hold up on my trips to remote spots is essential, and the Livewire fits that need.”
Jack Rieder
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