Kitesurfing Sri Lanka featured on Travel Lanka!

Awesome Kite Clip - Hadlow inspiring us!

Be a part of the coolest sport during the hottest time in Sri Lanka! - Sunday Times 2010

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Kite Jam 2010 – Sri Lanka’s first Kitesurfing event is held at the Kappalady Lagoon in Kalpitiya

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These guys didn’t quite make it for the Bradby, neither did they opt for parties in Colombo – they chose something closer to their hearts, closer to nature, something that would give them a rush - Kitesurfing!

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Kitesurfing blends a number of high powered sporting disciplines such as windsurfing, surfing and wake boarding. The kitesurfer uses the power of the wind to power a kite which helps propel one along a body of water at high speeds with the use of a kiteboard.

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Kitesurfing has come a long way since its inception over 15 years ago. In Sri Lanka the scene has slowly but surely gaining popularity. Currently there are around 15 resident kitesurfers, expats and a few locals involved in the sport.

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Sri Lanka is fast becoming a popular destination for the sport with ideal winds, water temperature and mixture of sea and lagoon enticing the freestyle and wave riders alike.

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Kite Jam 2010, Sri Lanka’s first kitesurfing event held on June 26 attracted 16 kiters from all over the world including professional kitesurfers. Two events were held, the Jump Event and the Timed Event won by Leo Moret and Hannes Knoltz respectively.

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Kalpitiya boasts of perfect conditions for kiting. Understanding the potential this location, Elements (Pvt) Limited, a BOI company is in the process of setting up Sri Lanka’s first Kite Village which would offer luxury accommodation, kitesurf lessons, equipment and other related products.

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Kitesurfing in Sri Lanka is here to stay, and you could be part of the coolest sport during the hottest time in Sri Lanka!

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The writer is a team rider for Faith Kiteboarding (www.faith-kiteboarding.com) and runs Sri Lanka’s only Kitesurf related blog – see www.kitesurfingsrilanka.com

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View the article by clicking
http://sundaytimes.lk/100711/Magazine/sundaytimesmagazine_04.html

Its all about the experience - Midnight Kitesurfing

Full moon, clean 30 knot winds. We all wanted to. No one dared until Mischi pumped his kite and started kiting. Leo and I thought, if he can, so can we. Lines set out with the help of torch light. Double checked, triple checked and then launch. Error free. Perfect.

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Kiting under moonlight is an amazing experience. The water reflects the beams of light and slowly but surely your eyes accustom to the low lighting conditions. Once comfortable, the kiters get more daring. Moves closer to the shore, high jumps just add to the thrill.

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Kitesurfing, what an amazing sport.

Beautiful Arugam Bay

We went to watch the ASP surfing event but the winds picked up and we could watch no longer. We had to kitesurf. Amazing waves...Frauke and Sky see you soon in Sunny Sri Lanka!

Kite Jam 2010 – Sri Lanka’s First Kitesurfing Event

Kitesurfing is an extreme that has just got off the ground in Sri Lanka. The sport itself is just over 15 years old and numerous developments have occurred increasing the performance and safety of kites. Faith Kiteboarding are a high quality brand that has constantly redesigned kites on a yearly basis to suite the requirements of today’s riders.

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Kite Jam 2010 was the first step toward establishing Sri Lanka as a kite surfing destination. The conditions are ideal for Freestyle Riders and well as Wave Riders. The competition itself drew riders from a number of riders from a number of nationalities including Austria, Australia, Germany, Italy, France, Switzerland, Japan and of course Sri Lanka. Notable participants for the event were pro-riders Miguel Willis and Joe Ruscito who also participated in the event.

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The one day event commenced with the ‘Time Event’ where participants had to run along the beach, ride on the ocean along a specified route, cross over to a lagoon and finish off the competition by sprinting to the finish line with kite, board in hand.

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The ‘Jump Event’ was more straight forward where Kiters had two opportunities to Jump the longest distance. There was no restriction on the kite size. The results for the respective events are as follows;

A large number of spectators from the village joined to cheer on the kiters at the respective events. Elements (Pvt) Limited, a BOI company currently in the process of developing a Kite Village in Kappalady is confident that the sport will grow tremendously over the next few years.

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The sport of kitesurfing is still at its infancy in the country and the need for a regulatory body has been seen as essential by the kiting community in Sri Lanka. Currently The Kitesurfing Association of Sri Lanka is been established to ensure that the sport is run in a professional and safe manner. The association would also make it a point to develop local talent and perhaps have Sri Lanka be represented in International Kitesurfing Competitions.

The event was powered by Faith Kiteboarding and Red Bull. In the pictures, Mo enjoying the evening seafood spread, Kids launching kites, Leo and Marc taking off, A determined Mischi, Hannes presenting prize to Ajimal and the local hero, The winners Mischi, Hannes, Marcel and Leo.

More pictures http://www.facebook.com/album.php?aid=452248&id=692850281&l=8fe4b9eddd