We had an amazing day out at the cricket field the other day with the new gear–Liquid Force Envy 2013 kites, Trampa board and, of course, body armor from Rock Gardn. We got spanked but felt pretty solid toward the end. Can’t wait to get out on this gear more! You don’t need much wind to have lots of fun on a mt board. Thanks for the support Robert!

Make My Day Episode 3 Tahiti-Teahupoo from Jeremie Eloy on Vimeo.

Check out our picture gallery of the event: http://www.desertwindkiteboarding.com/?p=2974

Cabrinha Twin Tip Kiteboards 2013 – DWK Review, Surf Expo from Traveler Terpening on Vimeo.

We’ll have a new video review from Surf Expo out soon.

I just got back from Surf/Kite Expo 2012 in Orlando, Florida where I checked out all the brand new 2013 gear. Besides graphics changing on almost everything, here are the most interesting updates and innovations I found:

• Liquid Force CPR Bar 2013 –– While the LF bar has been a sharp little bar for a while, it now has a functioning swivel launching it into the top 3 best bars on the market. While I have always liked this bar, I now LOVE it. The swivel on the front lines looks very much like the one used by Slingshot, which works well itself. It looks like the lines run through the swivel in roughly the same way as the Slingy too. The LF swivel uses sealed ceramic bearings and with simple upkeep should work very well for a long time. The bar is similar to 2012 but with the left side being totally red/orange. the spaces on the ends to hold the lines when wrapped up are also bigger so your lines will stay in place. Other than that it’s the same old bar we know and love.
• Slingshot Comp Stick Bar 2013 –– This bar is also in the top 3 best bars for me. I have always liked this bar but lamented its weight. Sure it would never wear out but damn was it heavy. No more. The new Comp Stick is somehow super light. Same bar, much lighter. Hopefully it is just as strong as ever but only time will tell.
• Liquid Force Twin Tip Boards 2013 –– LF really stepped it up with their twin tip lineup this year. Just about every board in their lineup uses wood in the core–if it’s not a full wood core then its a partial wood core. The rails looks top notch and all finishing is right on. They also offer a price point deck with a full wood core called the Drive that should be popular. The LFX (amazing looks) and the Influence (similar to last year but cooler looking) will take care of 90% of riders while the Element will take care of those hardcore freestyle/wake-style riders. The Element is super agressive with a flat-ish rocker, squared off shape and super stiff profile with springy, poppy corners. The DLX is similar to last year with a high rocker profile and durable finish for the park.
• Liquid Force CJ LTD 5’9″ surfboard 2013 –– All the new LF surfboards are bamboo skinned and carbon fiber railed and the core is from a material that will not soak up water even when dinged. But the jewel is the CJ LTD 5’9″ with a full carbon fiber layup. This board is super light and looks amazing and bomb proof. Just under 18″ wide, this quad-fin should be a blast on small and medium waves, including the sloppy, weak ones. Since I dont live in Indonesia, that’s perfect for me.
• GoPro Hero2 2013 ––  The new incarnation of the classic action sports cam, the Hero2, looks about the same as before. But this new cam has some great new accessories and new features that will make everyone want to get the new model. First, there is a new interface that is much easier to use and setup. Next their is more modes and more frame rate and resolution options such as WVGA (120 fps) at 848X480, 60 fps at 1280X720 and 30 fps at 1920X1080 HD. The surf kit also comes with a little sticky foam thing so your cam will float if you drop it in the water. Handy. They also offer a new lens you can screw on the front of the housing for crystal clear underwater footage. While you can and have always been able to shoot underwater, the footage was not sharp underwater. Now it is.
• Mystic Wetsuits 2013 –– Although the same fine technology is used in the new Mystic suites, the colors are looking really sharp this year. Blue never worked on suites in the 1980s but it seems to now on these new suits. I also like Youri Zoon shorty (see the picture).
• Donk Skateboards –– Donk is a new skateboard company out of Florida. These decks sport huge wheels that are CNC machined out of aluminum just like your fly car rims. But the looks are just the surface–these boards perform! The huge wheels look fly but they also roll! These boards, once rolling, just dont want to stop. The distance and speed skate records are being broken or close with these boards as we speak.
• Riffe Spearguns –– We are not into spearfishing here at DWK. What better thing to do when the wind is down? Riffe makes some lovely hard wood spearguns for all types of spear fishing from inner reef guppies to blue water pelagics. Everything they turn out is a finely tuned piece of gear with great looks and function.
• Lifeproof –– These new cases for iPhones are super slim and super slick. Waterproof and you can keep it on your phone all the time and hardly notice its there. Jump in the water with your phone in your pocket? No problem. Want to go snorkeling and shoot video? no problem. Pretty cool.

View west down the Gorge from near Hood River.

The Event Site right near Hood River, OR. This spot is for rigging but not launching. It’s like a kite show here every day. There are so many pro riders, especially Slingshot riders (the company is based out of Hood), that you frequently see prototype kites on the grass with no name or size, just a sticker with the specifics that no one wants you to look at.

The sandbar is where you can launch. Kiters pump their kites on the grass then swim to the sandbar to launch. When the water is up there is just a narrow strip of land with way too many people trying to rig and launch and land. It’s chaos! It’s a mixing pot of pros and beginners.

Click to watch video.