selfish short term kite industry

[tomato]

Similar with snowboarding- it used to be cool, then skis took back everything. Now few years already i see a new wave of kids starting to ride snowboard. They are kids of cool dudes of the past

[jumptheshark]

Knew this was a LWC post from the title.

Dude, ...

And I knew instantly that you and "Adventure Logs" are Yanks using Dude all over the place on this forum (EU). You are more than welcome to start the US forum, or:

Learn your manners. Dude might be 2x older than yourself and 3x more involved in this sport.

I don't really understand using a"dude" on the Forum where everyone is way over 40ties (or 50ties, or 60ties)...Very selfish, and shortsighted term in my books.

Maybe today’s youth are just turned off by how grumpy and crusty all the old kitres are!

[CaptainCore]

For years and years watersports, like waterskiing, windsurfing and yes kiting all hope the push to sell to kids will reap big dividends, Governing bodies like in our case the RYA all try it, but the fact is, you need a drivers license, some wheels and yes some disposable income unless you're lucky to have rich parents or parents already in the sport. Then what happens? The Boys? they discover their dicks, or off to Uni (College) things change they vanish and Girls? the boys have all vanished so what's the point.
So market to older folk who once the decision is made tend to stick with their choice of sport, plus they have the income, time, mobility to support it. No Brainer really, yet still we waste our time with kids.

[windmaker]

if u have kited for some time you will have noticed a big shift upwards in the average age of kitesurfers

it seems the industry targets middle aged wealthy men with their marketing these days with a lot more focus than they used to

they can do that

best died, cab many left, other kites companies now really struggle with the high risk of the kite industry

kiting has also become super fragmented thx to effort political kite pressures

you dont need an industry but industry can really push exciting stuff onto young riders to get them stoked.

so did they forget that by attracting youth into kiting they will building future higher income customers?



yup....

slingshot seem to be one of few brands with youth based marketing.

1) Middle aged wealthy men are less influenced by marketing than teenagers.
2) Kids will grow to become middle aged anyway .
3) Slingshot and F-One (and probably others) have their New Generation program.
4) Why are you so worried? Not enough kiters on your spot ?

[windmaker]

For years and years watersports, like waterskiing, windsurfing and yes kiting all hope the push to sell to kids will reap big dividends, Governing bodies like in our case the RYA all try it, but the fact is, you need a drivers license, some wheels and yes some disposable income unless you're lucky to have rich parents or parents already in the sport. Then what happens? The Boys? they discover their dicks, or off to Uni (College) things change they vanish and Girls? the boys have all vanished so what's the point.
So market to older folk who once the decision is made tend to stick with their choice of sport, plus they have the income, time, mobility to support it. No Brainer really, yet still we waste our time with kids.

[pmaggie]

IMO the point is not where the industry marketing is aimed to, but who can afford very expensive brand new stuff. Kitesurfing is a niche sport, expensive from day one. Statistically, 50ers are richer than young guns (average, there are also young billionaires but they seem to enjoy much more big yachts and big tits).

[jumptheshark]

OK not saying LWC's forecasts of doom and gloom and industry conspiracy is on point, but discounting any group, youth or otherwise is pretty stupid, esp from someone working in the biz.

Your points about needing some cash and a set of wheels is right, but kids are kids and they find a way. They have never been the ones buying new gear. Go back through any sport and you see that kids scrape together enough for used kit and them wipe the floor with you on it. I never had new windsurfing kit despite doing it throughout my youth. Had the perpetual, I raised half and my dad would kick in the other half but none of it was new.

Kiteboarding has probably the ripest second hand market of all sports. Can be done on a shoestring. Picked up a killer kite for $230 a year or so ago that shows no sign of quitting.

People don't get freaked out by their bikes and shed them just to get rid of the night terrors. Were also the most narcissistic bunch who fall for fashion trends year after year. No one is worried if their bike is a 2016 or 2018 model. In fact they don't even list the year model in their gear adds. We freakin list it for footstraps. DUDE, I mean, sir, is that a 2019 ultra directional board restraintifier invented by Duotone?? Nah man, its just a leash.


Youth will do whatever they want. The ones that kite are doing the cool stuff. Oh Snap! Maybe that's it!! Maybe, just maybe, all the hate toward the stuff they have always gravitated towards has driven them off and they just don't see the draw in dangling! Airstyle has killed kiteboarding's future!! Maybe its all our fault as lame ass kiters that nothing we do attracts them?!

Hey LWC, have a look back through the annals of kite mag history for us and see what it is those youth targeted adds and articles depict. Oh yeah, its all Dre and the gang doing the shit you saw on the scoop! All the old slingshot marketing, Inept Crew from Hood River, the groms like Nico and Jessie at kite point. Wasn't dangling and juggling they were into, it was Real's camel toe monster of a slider, C kites and keeping it low. Ruben, Hadlow, Tom Court, Dre, Moe Gould, Lou, Bertrand, Josh Stone, Elliot Leboe, and any of the other top riders from the days you speak of. What were they into ??...….. Boots. Every single one of em. They were the youth at the time, and the companies and populace on places like this shit on them non stop, so no one followed. Naish has never put out a pair of boots. Cab wouldn't give Dre a pro model board. Mags lit them up, but this forum did nothing but complain about it all looking the same. Pretty ironic from a forum headed by a guy working on trick 4000 that is just a recombination of the same 4 moves. It was constants complaint up in here about where kiting is going, and what we have lost, and how the old grannies at the beach just love it when we juggle our boards. Well then, It's old grannies you get.

We have done it to ourselves. Kill the cool and say goodbye to the youth.

[ThickAir]

At our local beach there are 20 or so core kiters. all 50 plus years old.
There are probably 100 more casual summer kiters. One teenager a couple of 40 plus year old women and pretty much everyone else in the casual group are 40 plus.

You can buy old kites from our group of core kiters in great condition for a few hundred bucks. If any of the young crew were actually interested, there are kites and teachers and conditions aplenty.

I think most young crew are happy riding the skatepark that over looks our kite beach.
Just never really see any interest from the young fellas...

So, the marketing is just aiming at the people that actually want to ride kites!

This is pretty spot on. Quiet little beach around here. We only have 4 or 5 regular guys (all 50+) who show up when it's windy. 2 of them have sons who they nudged into the sport and bought all the gear for them, but the young guys rarely show up. I think kiting isn't social enough for them. Kids around here are more into playing spikeball on the beach, a little skimboarding, but mostly just "hanging out" and trying to pick up girls.

[Kamikuza]

Kill the cool and say goodbye to the youth.

Dude! Blame American Idol -- all the young dudes think their "natural talents" mean they don't need to work at it, so when they realize it's going to be a year before they're throwing down the kewl moves, they give up. So it's only the crusty old water dudes who can see the end goal and understand the effort involved and just get to work...

...but 20 years ago, many of the older dudes weren't actually that old

[Iridian]

Kiteboarding has probably the ripest second hand market of all sports.

It may have a lot of options but it's certainly not cheap. I can't really find a decent 12 meter kite from 2015 or newer for under $500.

A guy on my local forum is selling a 12 m switchblade 2017 for $750.

You can catch closeout new kites for close to that much without the risk.

Anecdotally, my friends in college (22 here) who I have shown kiteboarding videos too are 50/50 afraid or super interested up until they hear the $2500 starting price tag.