Katani

11.06.10 - Katani Kiteboarding News

Whilst some crew have shot off to tropical holidays for the Melbourne winter, the guys at Katani are sticking it out for the long haul and helping YOU get through the average conditions. (Warm thoughts. Warm thoughts. Warm thoughts....)

Here are some handy hints from the crew at Katani to help you make the most of the winter season.

LF stock

The season is coming to an end so now's a great time to get into Katani and grab some kind of a deal on 2010 LF stock. This is not an advertised kiteboarding sale but Katani staff are all so nice and willing to do epic deals on 2010 Liquid Force kiteboarding gear.

Now is the perfect time to pretend you're in an Asian country and try out your bartering skills so when the wind comes up and the water temps warm you will be able to rock your new kite, board or harness. Cheap Cheap!!

Sessions as of late...

There have been a few gusty sessions as of late but not a lot to write home about. As I'll mention later on you really need to be johnny on the spot during winter as the wind can come up and die again so quickly.

Weighty had a fun session down at Hampton 2 Days ago with 31 knot Sou-westerlies and out the front of Katani at St Kilda it was summer again with loads of crew out and about on the weekend of the 5th and 6th of May. Fingers crossed we see more of these conditions for the rest of May.

Keeping warm with the new Quiksilver Heat Vest

The new Quiksilver Heated Vest are all the rage for surfers this winter meaning that you can don a thinner more flexible wetsuit without loosing the heat. It was initially thought that kitesurfers couldn't use these due to the position of the battery pack and where a harness would sit around your waist. However a few clever kiteboarding folk have realised that the battery pack doesn't have to sit in the supplied pouch and can be moved above where your harness would sit. End result- Kiteboarders can still use the new Quiksilver Heat Vests and stay warm in the water this winter!! Check them out here.

Conditions

Yeah the conditions haven't been great for kiteboarding over recent months, the water temp is dropping and the wind (when it does come up) feels like blades of ice on your face. But look on the bright side- there's less people in the water! For all those "too many dicks on the dance floor" summer whinges that have nothing better to do but register under pseudo names on web forums about how crowded the beaches are, now is your time to shine!!

Some advice for those of us lucky enough to live close to the bay in this wonderful Melbourne city during winter, take your chances when you can. The winds are rare and fickle. They aren't gonna wait around for you to take the picture so get out and enjoy it when it does come up!

GO SURFING

Now is a great time to don the thick rubber and get out into the surf. With the winds being light and offshore the surf is clean and relatively less crowded than most times of the year. Katani has a great selection of JS, Bradley and Katani surfboards sure to suit anyone from beginner to Pro. So suck it up and get out there!

Lessons- the new kite school

Katani's Kiteboarding School is in the middle of a big revamp!! We are still running lessons (when we can) but next summer is going to be bigger and better than ever!! With more instructors and more opportunities to have a lesson with our fantastic instructors we are already over winter and moving onto Summer!!

Posted by: Katani Retail

Category: Kiteboarding