January 2006
Happy New Year & welcome to the all new GI News Flash-- January 2006 edition! I know this is coming to you a bit later than you might have expected, but we have had a crazy busy month. It all started when I received a call from Pro Skater Pete Kelly who is now heading up the Skate & Snow categories for Surf Expo (a big trade show in Orlando, FL). We have attended the show for the last few years, but did not have plans to go this January. Pete really wanted to have the category represented & asked us to come in force to show our new 2006 line at the Expo-- so we did. The show was amazing! We were non-stop busy with Kite, Snow, & Skate customers from all over the world. Response to the new board line (& the ATB category) was outrageous. Check out our booth (pick to the right) early morning on day one. Yes that is brand new 2006 product hanging on the wall.
After the show we were on such a high that we headed to the beach with Dom & Vikki from Skyhooked Power Kite School & terrain park in the UK. Dom & Vikki are on Holiday for 6 weeks at "Club GI" & having a fantastic time. To check out more pics from their travels this winter click HERE.
We migrated to St. Augustine
which boasts some of the sickest KGB (Kite Ground Boarding) territory in
the state of Florida-- we were not disappointed. Dom pulled out his
Kites almost before the Ground Van came to a complete stop on the beach.
The winds were a bit light, but that did not stop him from pulling a sick
unhooked one handed back loop to the delight of the tourists. Matt McClain
(GI Pres.) got into the action too, flying an Advance Offroad for the first
time. Of course Vikki wasn't just going to take pictures while the boys
had all the fun -- so she jumped on a new '06 Flight Lite to show us how its
done. After a long day of riding we were quick to grab a room on the
beach, have a quick soak in the hot tub, & head into the Nation's oldest city
for some good old American fun. You see I went to College in this sleepy
little tourist town & knew right were to take our British friends for a good
meal & a good time. St. Augustine Beach is extremely friendly to Land
Based Kiters in the winter-- if you are planning a KGB trip to the area, contact
Daryl, Kristen, or Pat at
Extreme
Kites (904) 461-0306 to get the skinny on the local scene.
Surviving the night we headed back to South Carolina at the crack of dawn. Seven hours later we were back at the GI Mothership, greeted by an eager Kody Stewart (GI Team Rider) who is also on some kind of Holiday at "Club GI". Actually Kody is here doing some top secret product testing with Matt Barker (GI VP of R&D)-- don't tell anyone, its a secret. The boys went out for a quick urban assault session downtown then headed to the Skatepark of Greenville. Eric Joerger is the owner of this fine establishment & has gone out of his way to make it mountainboard friendly. Look for the premier of "Kody's Day Out" to be posted in Lounge soon for a video record of the fun.
Well that's it for what's been happing with our crew recently-- make sure you keep reading below to find out more about 2006 product, Kite & Board tips, rider email, music, The Ride Tribe, our bros & more. Remember we want your pics, videos, music, & stories-- email GINewsFlash@groundindustries.com if you want content added to the next GI News Flash. Finally, the new 2006 print catalogs will be mailed mid- February-- if you would like to receive one, send an email to customerservice@groundindustries.com with your name & mailing address & we will be happy to send one out to you.
Be Well,
Jeff Haughton
VP Sales & Marketing
------------------2006 Product---------------
First off, look for the Kiteboarder Magazine Gear Guide hitting the shelf in March for an over view of the all new 2006 Conflict 106 & Flight Lite 100. You can also download the PDF version of the Mag about 3 weeks after its released HERE. Kiteboarder also has both audio & video podcasts available through iTunes Podcast Directory (search for ASNews.net), look for an upcoming interview with Dom Moore from Skyhooked on the Audio version.
I am sorry to say that all of you will have to wait one more month to see the complete 2006 product line in its' entirety, however we can give you a glimpse of what's to come.
In no particular order:
-look for improvements to everything
-three brand new completes
-new proprietary core construction in both the Conflict 106 & Flight Lite 100
-new Talons
-& so much more
Here's a peek........
The line will formally be released world wide in early March. For you lucky UK stockists we will have the whole line available for testing at the Wind Designs Dealer Day in February-- contact them for complete details.
Kite
Ground Boarding: Choosing a Kite
If you plan to use your mountainboard with a kite, you will be faced with the mind- boggling task of choosing a kite. This is the most important decision you will make. Your kite can define how you ride. But this is no easy choice. There are so many different kites available that it can be difficult to tell them apart let alone determine the best for you. I hope to aid your decision by splitting the available kites into categories and then giving my personal recommendations. There are many excellent kites available today so explore your options before buying. Kites are a matter of personal preference. The best thing you can do to make a good choice is to test fly a kite before you buy.
There are two different categories of kites to choose from: inflatables and foils. Inflatable kites are designed for use on the water. While inflatables are excellent kites, they don’t carry any advantages when used on land. They will work fine, but I don’t recommend them for beginners since they are more expensive and less durable than their foil counterparts.
Foils, on the other hand, are designed to take a beating. This durability combined with predictable flying control make foils the best tool for learning. I recommend you make your first kite a two to three square meter foil like the Ozone Fury. Once you have some flying experience, you’re ready to move up to a larger kite. You will probably want something in the five to ten square meter range depending on the wind where you ride. You can use the manufacturer’s suggested wind range to help you choose a size.
Larger foil kites come in two varieties: those that have a de-power system, and those that do not. A de-power system allows a rider to adjust the angle of attack of his kite on the fly thereby changing the amount of power the kite produces. De-powerable kites are preferred by landboarders since a single kite can be used in a wider wind range. These kites represent the most expensive and most performance oriented foils. They are not the easiest to fly but will provide the highest possible jumps. My kite of choice is the Ozone Frenzy. This kite is designed to be a high-performance jumping kite and is not intended for beginners. Ozone also makes the Access which shares the Frenzy’s de-power system but is more manageable for a new rider.
Foils that have no de-power system are better suited to beginners or riders who don’t plan on doing jumps and tricks and just want to cruise. They are the easiest and most predictable kites to fly. They tend to handle gusty conditions better than other kites. There are numerous kites available in this category. Some, like the Ozone Fury, are made for beginners, while others, like the Ozone Riot will provide more speed and lift.
Once you have selected your kite you can begin to define your personal riding style.
16-year-old Christoph Riddle rides for Ozone USA, Ground Industries, and Madkiting.com
Christoph's photo by Kim Kern. Look for more articles from Christoph in upcoming issues of the GI News Flash.
Care & Feeding
Corrosion
Prevention by Matt Barker, VP GI R&D
Most of us at one point or another have gone out, played hard with our boards in wet, muddy places, or salty beaches, and then put them up without too much thought just to come back to a board with seized wheels, locked bolts or worse. All metals (yes even Stainless Steel) can and will corrode in the right conditions. Now I could ‘Dork out’ and describe how this all happens but I’ll spare you the details.
Basically the two types we deal with are Oxidation (rust) and Galvanic. What’s Galvanic corrosion…simply put, it is a type of corrosion that occurs when 2 different metals are touching and one basically eats the other...Bad stuff. The best way to prevent or slow these processes is to keep the water off your board. I know they are meant to get wet and dirty. So here’s my tip.
Before
you go out next time take 10-15 minutes to do the following. Clean off as much
dirt, sand, and whatever else you’ve got stuck on your ride,
especially around the Truck bolts, Bearings, Kingpins, etc. Then get a water
dispersant (WD-40 or similar) and spray a light (READ…VERY LIGHT) coat on your
metal components. If it is running and dripping off the board you went too
far…wipe some off. **WD-40 will dissolve the grease in your bearings so go easy
with it…it’s not grease.** I’ll talk more about bearing maintenance in a later
newsletter.
Now go have fun. When you get home, rinse the board thoroughly with clean, fresh water and re-apply the dispersant, wipe off the excess and store your baby. She’ll be ready to rip next time you pull her out!
By the way-- never, never, never, ever spray dispersing fluid in your mouth, nose, or any other hole in your body-- just in case you were wondering.
The Ride Tribe is boarding lifestyle at its' best. In future editions of the News Flash you will find your pics, stories, videos, & emails here. If you want to be included, you have to submit. Send everything you have to THERIDETRIBE@groundindustries.com. We look forward to hearing from you.
EMAIL of the month:
"Thanks again for the upgrade. You guy’s ROCK! It sucks being here in Iraq but I’m trying to start a trend of kitesurfing out here. There’s about 20,000 soldiers looking for a outlet and this could be it. Your boards are the only ones that can hang out here."
From Todd Keenan, Stationed in Tikrit, Board: 2005 Conflict 106
Here you will find the newest additions to our "Lounge Music" Archive. Enjoy the music & make sure you visit the artist's site as well.
Grayman has been involved in music in one shape or form for the last 15 years. Starting life with UK based gothesque-dirtbag-indie outfit Pollen, he then moved onto the slightly more user-friendly BOC. Both bands were well respected on the unsigned circuit, and played support to outfits such a Space, Gallon Drunk, Feeder and other names of the day. Following a stint as a promoter and drum’n’bass/big beat DJ, Grayman fell out of love with music until teaming up with the awsome Skrimshank to offer a different perspective to some of their tracks on the Redemption album, released on Smut. Finally... Grayman has gone it alone, under the name GraymanATB. The initial offering “#5in05”, topped the Soundclick.com Alternative chart and has been followed up by the awesome Nah Nah Nah, featuring Pez from Skrimshank. One listen and you're hooked...
Download "Nah Nah Nah" by GraymanATB now!
Stuff you should be buying from our Bros:
Next Issue!
New 2006 Product Images, More KGB tips, ATB tips from our Pros, Music from +/-, Video, What's on Kody, Baron, & AK's iPods, The "Hillbudah's" words of wisdom, & so much more.
That's it for this issue, thank you for subscribing to the GI news flash. Look for the next issue in about four weeks. If you have any questions, comments, or would like to submit an item to be included in an upcoming GI news flash-- please email us at GINewsFlash@groundindustries.com or pick up the phone & give us a call 864-271-0901. if someone forwarded you this email & you would like to become a subscriber, click HERE. You are receiving this edition of the GI News Flash because you have either signed up to receive it or you are a Ground Industries Authorized Dealer or Distributor. If you do not want to receive these emails, please send an email to GINewsFlash@groundindustries.com with unsubscribe me in the subject line.
www.groundindustries.com Ground Industries, Inc. 300 Hammett St. Suite 108 Greenville, SC 29609 USA (864) 271-0901 info@grouondindustries.com