The new LF Kiteboarding "land yacht"

The LF crew charged it hard this past weekend. The SuperFly Open at Powder Mountain went off March 12th - 14th. The conditions were challenging but REAL and Liquid Force rider Brandon Scheid and fellow LF rider Craig Cunningham took 1st and 2nd with Sam Medesky(Best) taking 3rd in the Mens Pro Freestyle event. Brandon also scooped up a 2nd place spot in the Mens Pro Rail event just behind Sam Medesky(Best) 1st and Jake Buzianis(Best) 3rd.

Brandon Scheid takes 1st place

Congratulations to Brandon,Craig, Sam, Jake and all of the other riders and skiers that took part in the 2010 Best SuperFly Open at Powder Mountain!

Craig Cunningham takes 2nd

Check out the following links for more information on the 2010 Best SuperFly Open

REAL Watersports

Liquid Force

Brandon Scheid

For complete official results and event info check out www.superflyopen.com

The Moorings base in Road Town

On the first day here we scored a GREAT snowkite session just outside of town in Park City. Julien Fillion, Brandon Scheid, Craig Cunningham, Arla Funk and I rode for over 3 hrs finding some great natural terrain to explore. Julien and I were also able to test some of the new 2011 kites during the session. Check out the LF Kites post from Day 1 of our snowkite tour.

Backside 3 tail grab Canyons park Photo: Amy Fike

On day 2 Arla, Craig, and I joined longtime friend Amy Fike for some shredding at The Canyons for some gravity fed snow training for this weekends Superfly Open at Powder Mountain. The groomers were perfect to cruise and the park was SICK! To top the day off we scored another kite session in the evening. The wind was a bit on the light side but it was great to test the low end of the kites and also session a small kicker that had been built a few days earlier and was set up perfect! Check out the LF Kites post from Day 2.

Julien Fillion toeside indy grab

Waiting on some new snowkite boards to arrive today from Decosse Customs and then it is off to Powder Mountain for a weekend of shredding!

Hope to see you on the snow!

~ Jason

Day 3

We woke early on day 3. Not because of the sunrise or the heat of the day, but because of the sound of the wind which was already cranking by 7am! All of the Kite Jammers headed in to land to taxi upwind to the settlement and the launch for the downwinder on the south shore of the island. The downwinder was incredible! There were 50+ kites on the water, two helicopters shooting both photos and video from each, media boats filled with photographers, and support boats helping out any kiters who needed them.

The highlight of the session for a group of us was scoring a solid jib session on an old shipwreck along the way. It is not that often that you get to session a park style feature that just happens to be in the water, and just happens to be lined up for the wind direction, and you just happen to be doing a downwinder with some of your boys, who just happen to be some of the best kiters in the world such as: Dre, Davey Blair, Tom Court, & Chris Burke just to name a few. The level of stoke was at an all time high for the week at the end of that session!

After a cruise through the mooring field near Potters dock we all took a break from the sun for some lunch at Cow Wreck again. After some much needed shade food and water it was back to Pomato Point for an afternoon scheduled heli shoot with a bunch of the crew. Susi, Tom, Dre, Chris, Davey, Tuva, Kristen, Jon, Richard Branson, Gretta, and myself hit the water for some fun cruising and goofing off together for Tracey Kraft up in the Heli. It will definitely go down as on of my favorite sessions with such a big crew in my kiting history!

Once the sun set we all gathered at Potters By the Sea for a great dinner and some Caribbean style dancing with music provided by a Tortola band that had made the journey over for the party. After shaking it up on the dance floor the crew staying on Necker said goodbye to Potter at midnight and headed back to necker for the night.

Potters dock at sunset

Day 4

On Thursday Dre and I joined Charlie, Scotty, Chris, and Ben (Aussi contractor for a few of Richards’ building projects) to piece together the finishing touches on the Kite Jam slider and kicker. Ben has to be one of the funniest people I have ever met in my life! The building of the slider was non stop humor and what took the top prize (at least in my opinion) for unlikely events during the week was when Ben decided he was going to, as he called it, “submarine the drill” and proceeded to fully submerge an 18 volt battery operated drill completely underwater to use it. The drill bubbled and shocked him a bit (actually a lot) but continued to work both above and below the water for the remainder of the day. (On a side note I found the drill 4 days later and it was still working!!!!!)

The Kite Jam crew chillin on the slider

Once the slider and kicker were in place in the Eustacia Sound we headed off to the Bitter End Yacht Club for lunch and to wait for the wind to fill in. Lunch at the BYEC was top notch and after words I lounged in a hammock in the shade for a few interviews with the media that was present. The wind decided to cooperate so we Charlie and Scotty opted for the second best thing….towing into the kicker and slider. Tom Court was the first to charge the kicker throwing some stylie grabs and spins. I went next and sessioned the up to flat which proved to be fun. Dre was next and schooled us all with his sleepy style on the slider and wall ride. Chris Burke took a session on his creation and you should see the pride in his smile when he was finished. And last but definitely not least Brian Wheeler from Kiteboarding Magazine killed it on the kicker hucking huge inverts and a massive spin or two to top it off.

Tuva & Gretta enjoying lunch at the Bitter End

That night we were back to the BYEC for dinner and a great slide show on the big screen at the BYEC Pub. The turnout was great and everyone was buzzing from the past few days of events. Our Necker staff and crew turned in early in preparation for the final day on the water and more importantly the final nights closing party!

Dre scouting the conditions

Day 5

On Friday morning Dre and I had an interesting wake up call. One of the Necker guests was standing in between our beds, inside the mosquito netting shaking Dre and me. “Dre! Jason! wake up, wake up!” As we both looked up as Jeff in slight dis-belief and confusion. “The surf looks really good right out back and I know you guys like to surf so I didn’t want you to miss it!”. At first we were both confused and then it hit me, Jeff was just so excited that there was ridable surf on Necker, that even though he does not surf, he wanted to make sure that we got to experience it. Dre and I hopped in a Necker Rib and collected our boards before heading straight to the spot.

Getting ready to paddle out on my Stretch Pug

As if Necker was not already a dream come true! Now to top it off there was a firing left coming in on one side of the small secluded bay AND an even better right coming on on the other side of the bay! Tom had already scored a morning session while we rounded up our boards, so Dre and I hit the water and Tom joined us a short while later. We were in the water by noon and did not get out until almost 4:30! It was such an amazing surf session that I will never forget! Towards the end of our surf Dre said that he could really go for a burger and fries. So with the thought of food and the need of some rest we headed back up the hill to the house. Just as we crested the last step Gazz, the Necker chef, stepped out of the kitchen and said, “You boys missed lunch. We saved a burger and fries for each of you. Just let us know when your ready and we will heat them up.”. Dre looked at me in awe and said, “This place is unreal, they can even read your mind!” We both got a good laugh and then dove into our burgers.

Dre off the top

The theme for the closing party was “tight & bright” and the setting was on a secluded beach on one of Bransons’ other nearby islands, Mosquito Island. Susi and Tom had packed the goods for the party, and with the help of the two of them and the Necker staff the four of us were soon outfitted in dayglow sunnies, headbands, bracelets, face paint, etc. The party had a great vibe with DJ Westy spinning beats and a huge BBQ spread for dinner. The Monster and Vodkas were flowing and just after the awards ceremony the fire dancing began with three skilled fire dancers putting on a show for the whole crowd to enjoy! The party was great with no drama and no problems. Props to Charlie & Scotty for putting on such a killer event!

Tight and Bright!

Fire dancers

A special thank you goes out to:

Richard Branson

The BVI Tourist Board

Necker Island

Sunsail

Billabong

Bitter End Yacht Club

Kiteboarding Magazine

Cape Air

Greentech

Charlie

Scotty

Gordo

Rich

Kathrine

Orwin

Anna

Lisa

Arthur

Lucy

Nick

Eustis

Gazz

Tracy Kraft

Jo

Abby

Anagada Reef Hotel

Moorings

Potters

Sand Box

I am sure there are many more to thank, and I am sorry if I forgot anyone!!! The event was a blast and I can’t wait until next year!

~ Jason

The Bali High house on Necker Island

The 2010 BVI Kite Jam officially started with a kick off party on the evening of February 28th and the first day of riding scheduled for March 1st.  I had arrived a day earlier to help provision a Moorings charter boat that we would be on after the Kite Jam was over and was lucky enough to score some great surf with fellow kiteboarders Davey Blair and Jon Modica. We lucked into an evening session at Cane Garden Bay at about 6 feet with almost no one out and glassy barrels just grinding down the rock point. Davey and Jon were in awe, having never been to the BVI’s before and scoring solid Cane Garden their first day! The next morning Cane was not working so we explored Brewers Bay but then ultimately decided on an Apple Bay session instead. We all traded off waves for a few hours in fun A-framing waves that were about 1 to 2 feet overhead and very rip-able! After the surf it was straight to provisioning and then off to Necker for the nights festivities.

Grinding Cane Garden Bay Photo: bryanelkus.com

Davey and I were dropped off at the Trellis Bay dock near the Beef Island Airport by our man Frank. He is just one of the courteous and dedicated Moorings staff that we have gotten to know over the years from the REAL BVI trips. We were then loaded into Lady Bee, one of the Necker Island inflatable ribs with twin 250hp outboards, of which we quickly found out does close to 70mph on the water. The trip from Trellis to Necker took only about 20 min (a usual 2 or 3 hours in any other boat that I have been on in the BVI) and when we arrived the party was just getting started! When it comes to parties, Richard Branson and the staff on Necker does know how to do things right!! There was a great band on the beach with a delicious catered meal and beach bars set up everywhere. The plug was pulled on the beach party at midnight, but that is when things just started to heat up at the main house! Dre, Susi, Tom, & I danced, sang, & partied with the guests until early in the am. What an introduction to life on Necker Island!

Sunset from the main beach on Necker

Day 1

The first official day of the BVI Kite Jam got a slow start due to light wind and the late night of the opening festivities. Throughout the day event organizers Charlie and Scotty did an amazing job providing activities for the competitors media staff and spectators to be involved together. There was a great lunch on the beach sponsored by Mount Gay Rum from Barbados with the rum punches flowing early.

Mount Gay Rum a proud supporter of the BVI Kite Jam

For the activities there was beach volleyball, standup paddling around the island, and even sumo wrestling suits for people to duel it out on the beach which ended in some funny and very sandy wrestling matches! In preparation for the planned race to a nearby island the following day, kite racer Jon Modica and Kristin Boese provided a race clinic for both the competitors and spectators sharing their wealth of knowledge and opening up and sharing their bag of race tricks with all who attended their clinic.

Adam and Aaron ready for battle

That evening started off in style with a “press & pros” get together on the mega yacht the Resolute upon an invite from the boats owner. After a few quality cocktails and finger foods we headed to The Sand Box beach bar in the North Sound for a beach BBQ and some live Reggae music. The night was very chill and mellow as everyone was getting amped for the crossing/race the following morning.

Day 2

We awoke on day two to a promising forecast and some breeze in the proper direction, but not quite enough to make the crossing possible. Charlie and Scotty held off as long as possible at the request of Richard Branson (who really wanted the crossing to happen) and then at around 10am switched to plan B. Plan B consisted of a catamaran race with all of the competitors 38′ Sunsail boats. Seeing how I was staying on Necker and did not have a boat I decided to join Davey Blair, JB, Lex, and their crew and head off on their Moorings 47′ Power Cat to catch a surf.

Getting ready to hit the water Photo: bryanelkus.com

We arrived to find Madison Van Heurck and his sister Charlotte already taking a break from their morning surf and ready to join us for another. We all traded off waves as we watched the boats cross the finish line and anchor near Pomato Point for the day. A lunch was scheduled for Cow Wreck beach on the North Shore of the island. Figuring that we were closer by foot than any other way Davey and I hitched a ride with Madison and Charlotte to the inside of the reef, helped anchor their boat and all waded to shore for the few mile walk to Cow Wreck.

Pomato Point sunset

While at lunch the wind began to fill in and although it was not very strong wind the smaller and lighter riders were able to hit the water for the first kite session of the 2010 BVI Kite Jam! The beach was filled with riders, spectators, and media all frothing for some action. But for me, when a girl the size of Susi Mai is just staying upwind on her 13m, that means I am stuck on the beach. I took the time to put a few people who were more suited for the conditions out on some the 2010 Liquid Force gear. It was great to see so many kites pumped up on the beach and such a good vibe amongst all involved with the event!

Richard Branson on his sailing yacht the Necker Belle

As sunset neared I was extended an invitation to join Richard Branson and another guest from Necker on the Necker Belle, an invitation that I could not pass up! The Necker Belle is Sir Bransons’ 104′ Sailing Cat that was being chartered by a kiting friend and long time REAL client, Dan O’Connell. That boat is outstanding!!! It is hard to describe in words the luxury feeling that every aspect of the Necker Belle. We all chatted, talked kiting shop and then I was told it was time to go to the top of the mast!!?!?! The mast has an elevator style basket on the front of it that will take two people almost 100′ above the deck via remote control! It was an amazing view to have of the Anegada anchorage and the islands lying off in the distance. I felt very luck to have had that experience, but I had to say my goodbyes and head to shore for the evenings festivities at the Anegada Reef Hotel.

The Necker Belle on the water

Sunrise off of the bow of our Moorings 474 Power Cat

The 2010 REAL BVI adventure was amazing! We extended the trip from 7 to 10 days to have more fun and score more sessions! All in all we had a solid 6 out of 10 days of wind keeping the kiters busy and on the water. As far as the surf goes, we were lucky to be there for two really fun swells. The second arriving just as we pulled back into Road Town on Tortola and we headed straight to Cane Garden! The swell direction was perfect for Cane’s rocky right point and we surfed ourselves out for over 6 hrs on our last day in the BVI.

Check out the 2010 REAL BVI Session Report, and REAL BVI Session Report #2 from REALwatersports.com

Also, check out photographer Bryan Elkus’ daily updates from the REAL BVI trip in January of this year:

REAL BVI 2010 Begins

REAL BVI 2010 Day 1

REAL BVI 2010 Day 2

REAL BVI 2010 Day 3

REAL BVI 2010 Day 4

REAL BVI 2010 Day 5

REAL BVI 2010 Day 6

REAL BVI 2010 Day 7

REAL BVI 2010 Day 8

REAL BVI 2010 Day 9

Cane Garden Surf Session

REAL Crew exploring the Baths on Virgin Gorda

So after a short chilly stay back on Cape Hatteras I am heading back to the BVI for more fun in the sun for the 2010 BVI Kite Jam.

Check back for more updates soon!

~ Jason

Capt. Sammy and me departing from Richmond, Va

We arrived in PR at 4:30am and were in the water paddling out at Wilderness aka “Wildo” by 6:30am. The four of us were joined by REAL team rider Brian “BCS” Smith plus our good friend, long time REAL client, and Liquid Force kite flyer Mark Brown. The six of us traded off solid overhead waves until almost 11am, at which point we were all exhausted from dehydration and lack of food/sleep from our previous day of travel. During our lunch break we were informed that our customs paperwork was held up and we would not be departing for the BVI’s that evening as originally planned. So, rather than being bummed out about our change of plans, we observed the most important rule of REAL BVI….SESSIONS BEFORE SCHEDULES! We then all took naps (Which counts as a session in all REAL Travel trips!) and went for a beautiful sunset surf at Surfers Beach.

Trip hitting the water at Wildo

Yesterday morning our flight to Tortola turned out to be one of the most interesting and adventurous of my life! We showed up at the private air terminal to meet our pilot, Edwin, to help him load the plane. We even had to put in our own seats!! Edwin took us in to show us the heavy cloud cover and rain that we were going to be flying straight into. We made the decision to push through and go for it. As the little plane took off and we started violently bouncing around heading into the clouds I think that we all were second guessing the decision, but it ended up being all good! The flight was socked in until we got over St. Thomas when we broke through the clouds and it was smooth flying all the way to the Beef Island Airport.

The REAL Crew on our private flight

Matt “Lt. Nik Nuzzitofski, of the USS Triple S Submarine Squadron” Nuzzo greeted us at the airport and we were rolled straight into provisioning. As soon as we finished it was straight to Apple Bay for an evening cool down surf session. The wind was a bit onshore but no one was complaining; warm temps, blue water, and good friends. The session ended with the mandatory Bomba Punch at the Bomba Shack. It is so good to be back in the BVI’s! Our night ended with our opening night briefing for all of the clients, given by Trip Forman at the Mooring Base bar.

Capt. Sammy and the Mountain of Schafer

Nuzzi, Brandon, Bryan, and I woke this morning in the dark and headed back to Apple Bay for one last surf before shoving off the dock. It was a bit onshore but bigger than last night and all of us scored a few fun ones! We are off of the dock in the next few hours and the fun begins.

Stay tuned for more updates in the next few days on jasonslezak.com, and also check;

REALWatersports.com
bryanelkus.com
brandonscheid.com

And for all of you “Tweeters” out there, follow us at;
@jasonslezak
@REALWatersports
@bryanelkus
@brandonscheid

~ Jason

Post session at the Hood River sand bar

From the Gorge Sammy, Bryan and I flew to NY for the first annual REAL Alumni Retreat. After visiting with a former REAL coach, Steve Speath, and checking out his new business venture, Brooklyn Boulders indoor rock gym, and skating around NYC, we were picked up by Matt Nuzzo in the REAL Mobile Session Unit and headed east to Montauk. For the next 4 days Sam, Bryan, Matt, Trip, myself, and all of the REAL Alumni that attended the event surfed, kited, and partied. At the end of the weekend I met up and grabbed a surf session with a legend and good friend, Jimmy Buffett. We traded off waves and stories from our adventures since we had last surfed together in January in the BVI’s.

Fun longboard session at Ditch Planes

After the REAL Alumni Retreat I headed back to Hatteras to spend the 4th of July with my family and regroup before heading off to Tahiti to meet up with Mauricio Abreu, Josh Mulcoy, & Moe Goold for a Moorings Charter with the amazing visual media duo John and Alexis Bilderback. We embarked on that excursion to film a section for Bilderback Productions upcoming DVD project and also shoot a travel feature for Kiteworld Magazine. The trip was amazing and as a bonus we were able to surf Teahupoo while staying on Tahiti waiting for our boat to be ready. This was my second trip to Tahiti and the beauty of the people and the islands always amaze me! (Check back for a full piece on our Tahiti trip in the near future!)

View from the pearl farm in the Tuamotus

Upon returning from Tahiti on July 20th I barely was able to unpack and unwind before we were gearing up for our first annual REAL Peru trip to Mancora in Northern Peru August 1st through the 10th. The crew for this adventure was; Trip, Sam Bell, Bryan Elkus, Ted Batustia, Mark Brown, me and a handful of other REAL friends. Northern Peru is a goofy footers wet dream for both kiting and surfing! And seeing that I am goofy I was in heaven!!!! We scored great surf and kiting every day that we were there! (Check back for a full travel piece in the 2009 REAL Peru adventure in the near future)

Beach break slash right in front of our place, Samana Chakra, in Mancora.

We returned from Peru to an active Atlantic Ocean hurricane season, which produced plenty of quality surf and kite conditions on Cape Hatteras as well as up and down the east coast. Fall is by far my favorite time to be in Hatteras and this year was no let down! Warm water, picturesque sunsets, uncrowded sessions! What more could you ask for?!?! But as the fall came to a close we started looking again to winter travel destinations, which leads us to where we are today.

Thanksgiving swell, Mirlo beach Rodanthe

It is that time of year again and the REAL BVI 2010 boat trip is only a few days away! Warm blue water, quality caribbean surf, plush Moorings boats, and fantastic kiteboarding and kitesurfing with a epic crew of people. We are on our way south breaking out of the deep freeze that the east coast of the United States is in, in search of the best sessions and best boat drinks that the Caribbean has to offer!

Check jasonslezak.com over the next few weeks for periodic updates from REAL BVI 2010. And for more visual stimulation and stories of the REAL BVI adventures also browse;

REALWatersports.com
bryanelkus.com
brandonscheid.com

And for all of you “Tweeters” out there, follow us at;
@jasonslezak
@REALWatersports
@bryanelkus
@brandonscheid

Thanks for checking in, and I hope that all of you are getting out on the water as much as possible in 2010!

~Jason Slezak

The past few days have provided some much needed rest and recovery after the Triple S and the travels from Hatteras to Hawaii. Two days ago we went back into town for some more surfing in Waikiki. The waves were fun but the lineup was crowded. We all caught a few and fun was had by all. The evening ended with dinner, drinks, & games at Dave & Busters. The 8 player head to head Daytona 500 car game was the highlight! Sylvester won the first match and I won the second round.

Yesterday started off with a killer team breakfast at the condo. Petter helped me make banana pancakes and scrambled eggs for everyone and JB joined us to get to know the new guys and help make a plan for the week.

With hopes of a chill session to try out the new 2010 gear for the first time, we all headed back towards JB’s to check Backyards for some breeze. With nothing much happening with the wind there JB broke out the Hobie 16 and a bunch of stand-up paddle boards for the crew. Eventually the wind filled in enough for a 12m and surfboard session for Morris and Petter rode a new LF board, the Twin Skim. I took the setup from Morris when he was done and went to catch some waves at Backyards. The day was made complete when Tekko served up his famous beer can chicken.

I have high hopes for the riding today. It is sunny the water is blue and I’m chillin with good friends in Hawaii, it doesn’t get much better than this!!

Check back soon for more updates!

JB and I continued to Haleiwa to meet up with Moe, Tek-9, J-Ro, Petter, and Jan for a casual pre-shoot planning meeting. We then broke off from JB and scouted some of the North Shore kite spots so that Petter and Jan could check them out for the first time.

With no surf at Mokes and light wind we all decided to take advantage of the perfect day and south swell and bomb straight to Honolulu for a classic Waikiki surf. As we pulled up we saw the South Shore firing!! The six of us all rented 10′ longboards and had a SUPER fun surf session!

Sitting in traffic right now heading back north with a Cosco food and supply run in our near future. The forecast looks good for both swell and wind through the week and weekend. I will get some action pics posted as soon as it all begins!

After a drive around the east side of the island we finally made it to the North Shore and to JB and Lex Bilderbacks. I love coming back to Oahu and seeing all of my friends here. Being lucky enough to shoot with JB, spend some quality time with the LF family, and have it all happen in Hawaii makes me feel so fortunate to have the job I have and to be able to work and travel with the people involved! I can’t wait to wake up and get my first acai bowl of the trip!

Check back here and liquidforcekites.com for daily updates from the 2010 product shoot.