Who is this guy? Video from 2002.

[BernieTomic1]

Awesome responses. Cool that you guys also enjoy the video.
I think it is amazing that this guy is doing all these tricks 10 years before Tom Herbert, who is of course also from "New Cal".
There must be some users from New Caledonia that know more about him and if he still kites? Would be awesome to get some background information.

In regard to the trick at 1.20: is there a good tutorial for popping from blind like that?

[clydesdale]

Andy Hurdman did them a lot and called them blind rewind. Shame the old bestboarding website form the Shannon and Alex shogren days is gone as are used to be so many great videos of him riding, one of the smoothest guys around.

https://youtu.be/XjdiDbaE4Ro

[BernieTomic1]

Great video as well! Popping from toeside or from blind just looks good. My kind of style.
In regard to popping from blind - should the rotation in general always be a "backroll", that is going blind towards left with the kite in the left hand, should the rotation always be counter clockwise? I don't think I have seen rotations from blind the other way?

[Pedro Marcos]

That guy competed in KPWT in around 2003 or 2004, i believe i judged one event where he was in.

[Europ2]

Natural born kiteboarder. Don't buy any kite pre 2010 because it has no depower and will kill you. Pleeeese.

2010 for first depower kites ...... Please check your data.
Bow kite patent 2004 in France, 2005 in Canada and the US.
First commercial models: Takoon Nova and Cabrinha Crossbow .... July 2005 with 95% depower with respect to no depower before.
A friend of mine still loves his 2007 Nova

[Toby]

back then guys had no depower since they used a depower 15cm long. I always had long depower lines...and always had a wider range.
Naish X2 12 sqm kite in up to 40 knots...I think 2002. Same I would do with 12m kites today.

[Topaz]

What in the videos proves that it was done in 2002?

I only see another very talented rider doing amazing tricks on older gear. It could have been done yesterday.

Am I missing something?

(Remember the man didn't actually landed on the moon in 1969? It was all made up! LOL)

[SENDIT!]

Andy Hurdman did them a lot and called them blind rewind. Shame the old bestboarding website form the Shannon and Alex shogren days is gone as are used to be so many great videos of him riding, one of the smoothest guys around.

https://youtu.be/XjdiDbaE4Ro

Man, I'd forgotten what a great rider Andy was! He was so smooth and had those flat, slow rotations under the kite. I still think his really powered up handrakes are one of the best examples of the trick!

Another guy from way back then that was pulling all kinds of interesting stuff was Flash Austin. He sort of had a fluid, spinny, style of his own. Not sure what happened to him...maybe the kite pants killed him. To be honest, as much time as I spend outside teaching/riding now, I'd be interested in kitepants just for the sun protection, no matter what the fashion police think. Skin cancer sucks.

[Toby]

I competed against Flash in Austria few years ago ... big honor for me since I was his fan from 2000 on.

Nice, fun and crazy guy, still.
His interview on stage was classic

Also talking to him how he came to kiteboarding...just a great story.

I think it was in 2014.

[FLandOBX]

.....as much time as I spend outside teaching/riding now, I'd be interested in kitepants just for the sun protection, no matter what the fashion police think. Skin cancer sucks.

+1. I'd use kitepants in a heartbeat for sun protection if I could find 'em. Maybe they'll come back in style (like everything else)......with bell bottoms and wide stripes. Count me in.