Kitesurfing on a Wipika 6.5 (from 1996) in the waves in 2017
Watch TOP HAT, REO STEVENS AND FELIX PIVEC ride the very first original WIPKA classic from 1996 on Oahu's North Shore.
Two lines a hand pump no depower and some waves and wind .
How easy was it ?
Cool. A few years ago I was out there kiting and found my way to Mokuleia. When I got there Felix was the only one around and was very supportive, encouraging me to try riding strapless on an old surfboard I had bought. Later than day I not only got to try it and managed to ride, but watched Felix and Top Hat doing their thing, very inspiring. Plus the designer of SWITCH kites, Bill Hansen, turned up and he and Felix worked on the next year's models, making endless adjustments to their prototype.
ha ha nice one! brings back great memories and proves it's still mostly the rider not the equipment that makes a difference. Wish we had Tomo boards in 1998 though. Still have the 1998 Wipika 5.0 it was awesome with the newer X bridle and you could ride it from 8 knots on 40M lines on yout 7'6" Skypirate or at least that's what the kiteboarding maagzine cover said you could even roll the tips and convert it to a 4 line but still no chicken loop or depower on the bar.
Great video, brought back slightly chilling memories of the Naish AR3.5 two lines, two options, steer left or right !! then the upgrade to four lines, by rolling up the wing tips, and tying them back with zip/cable ties. flying them was still a three man operation, one to hold the kite, one to hold the back of your harness, (to hold you down!) and the crash test dummy/pilot. happy days.
like Airsurfer says "it's still mostly the rider not the equipment that makes a difference"