The Pismo Beach KiteXpo is the Largest kiteboarding demo in North America and for 2016 we scored two days of excellent conditions! F-One & Manera brands had a killer beach presence with Ambassadors and Team Riders gathering from all over the USA to join the Pismo Beach fun.
Every size F-One Bandit Kite, Twin Tip, Surfboard and of course Manera Exo harness was on the beach available to demo. We were thrilled with the turn-out of demo participants and were stoked that we could not keep our gear off the water. It was nice to see everyone come together for the celebration of Kinsley and the biggest Kite Demo Event on the West Coast! Big thank you to The Kiteboarder Magazine for hosting the event, we Look forward to next year!
F-ONE 2016 Pismo KiteXpo Gallery
Source: thekiteboarder.com
Great Wind for Kinsley ThomasWong Fundraiser
The 14th annual KiteXpo in Pismo beach kicked off with solid winds gusting from the mids 20’s throughout the day. This three-day event brought together kiteboarders from across the country to California for the largest free kiteboarding demo in North America. There were plenty of smiling faces as kiteboarders got to test out the latest kites, boards and gear from any of the top brands. This demo event ran in conjunction with a fundraising event for Kinsley ThomasWong who was a prominent kiteboarder and well-loved in the Central California region.
As the day progressed, the winds steadily increased with many riders scrambling to demo the smaller kites on the beach. Many of the Central California crew including James Ropner, Teddy Lyons and the Cal Poly Kiteboarding Association wowed spectators with their high flying strapless acrobatics. Saturday consisted of the WOO Big Air competition, a BBQ catered by “Maui” Mike Lujan, silent auction and incredible bonfire!
On Sunday morning the winds calmed to a slight breeze and a memorial service was held at the Pismo KiteXpo event site for Kinsley. One of the early kiteboarders in the United States, Kinsley started the first IKO (International Kiteboarding Organization) Certified Kiteboarding School in the nation in 1999 with an Advanced Kiteboarding Instructor rating. Many of Kinsley’s friends and family gathered to remember and pay tribute to a man who brought so much positive energy to this community and industry. Afterwards, a paddle out was held at Shell Beach with plenty of good stories shared by all that knew him.
A big thank you to all the brands, volunteers, silent auction donors and participants that came to this Expo including AXIS, Airush, Best, Cabrinha, Blade, North, Loyd Surfboards, Litewave Designs, Ozone, SAKOS Apparel, Slingshot, Liquid Force, F-One and WOO Sports, Merinda Brown, Hunter Kilpatrick, Vincent Shay, Peter Dohi, Maui Mike and many others — without you this great event would not have been possible for the last 14 years.The kiteboarding industry, local businesses and friends came together and donated over $20K in goods and services to help the fundraising efforts for Kinsley’s wife Jamie, and 5-1/2 year old son Taizen. In total, $30,312 was raised to help the ThomasWong family with Kinsley’s medical/memorial costs and Taizen’s future. An anonymous donor will be matching all winning bids for the silent auction bringing the fundraising efforts to $40,312. The Kiteboarder is proud to part of such an amazing community and thank you all for your generosity, big hearts and support. #LiveLikeKinsley
More at: thekiteboarder.com
