In the first decade of the 21st century, kiteboarding became the fastest-growing sport in the world. The most popular kiteboard models are twin-tip boards, wake-style boards, race boards, wave boards, and foil boards.

The most common types of kites are inflatable kites (C-Kite, Bow Kite, Delta Kite, Hybrid Kite) and foil kites. There are various types of kiteboarding kites, different types of boards, and multiple combinations for each riding style and situation. Some of them were inspired by surfing, windsurfing, wakeboarding, and skateboarding, but kite enthusiasts have already created their own original moves. The sport has already developed an extensive list of tricks and maneuvers.

Over the years, the sport was divided into several disciplines - wave riding, freestyle, slalom/course, speed, big air, wake park riding, kite buggying, and kite landboarding. The outdoor activity is now performed in the water, but also on land. Kiteboarding has evolved a lot in its first three decades of existence. The first-ever kiteboarding competition was held in September 1998 in Maui and attracted 22 athletes. Joe Koehl, Robby Naish, Don Montague, Laid Hamilton, Emmanuel Bertin, and others helped improve the technical aspects of kitesurfing and gave notoriety it never had. The early kiteboarding prototypes caught the attention of a few action sports enthusiasts in Maui, the windy Hawaiian island. The company developed an eye-catching patent-protected kite sports bundle that included a kite, board, and a reel bar. In the early 1990s, and after a few years of research, development, and testing, Oregon's Cory Roeseler and his dad founded KiteSki. They got the inspiration from the 'Jacob's Ladder' catamaran and its stacked Flexifoil kites and from the Birdsail, a kind of mini hang-glider that replaced the windsurf sail. The sport of kiteboarding has its roots in the south of France.īetween the late 1970s and early 1980s, brothers Dominique and Bruno Legaignoux started testing the use of a dual-line kite in water skiing. Unlike in windsurfing and other sailing disciplines, kiteboarders need minimum wind speed to get their wings up in the sky. Kiteboarders are only able to fly their kites through an imaginary wind window. Harnessed to a large hand-controlled kite and powered by the wind, the kiteboarder uses a board (similar to a snowboard, wakeboard, or skateboard) to ride and glide across the water. World famous kiteboarding competitions, summer concert series and surf movie premiers are just some of the events that fill our Cape Hatteras event schedule.Kiteboarding, also known as kitesurfing, is a water sport that blends elements and characteristics of wakeboarding, surfing, windsurfing, snowboarding, paragliding, and skateboarding.These carefully chosen destinations are our top-picks for your next kite or surf adventure. REAL Pros have traveled all over the globe following wind, waves, and good times.Not many destinations in the world can match this. Beautiful sunrises and sunsets, both over the water. Our employees come from diverse backgrounds and bring a high level of professionalism and drive to the REAL team. Join our team and live in one of the best locations for wind and surf in the world.

Kite boarding