Rider Profiles a short insight into the industry charlie king of watersports

This month rider profile from Charlie team rider King of water sport
 
Chris Ario...where are you based and what do you do?
 
charlie ...I'm based in the south of England and i work in the shop we sell things form surf, dive,and  kite surf gear.
 
Chris Airo...How long have you been into kite surfing?
 
Charlie...I have been kite surfing from pretty much the beginning so around 10 years now, over those years I have flown most brands of kites, I have  had some great ones and some of the ones with the dodgy safety's  we all remember from the good old days.
 
Chris Airo...Whats been happening at the shop has anything caught your eye kite wise?
 
Charlie ...The shop has been so busy with Christmas and all the kite schools we are involved with (see there site for information)there has been an explosion this year in lessons and people taking up the sport, a few of the things that have caught my eye this 09/10 season are the Cabrina range particularly the Convert a kite aimed at beginner intermediate that just helps give you confidence but is also a great all round kite and it boost BIG, also the Switchblade that is just super easy to fly with loads of pop and lift I just love it.We are all anticipating the release of the Liquid force Envy so everyone is excited about that.
 
The F-One range is selling very well the new Track 5 and Bandit 3 are getting great feedback and test reports from customers and they are just flying out the store.
 
Chris Airo...What has been the best selling product this season?
 
Charlie...Funnily we cant keep up with the demand for those little remote control helicopters but kite wise the Cabrina Convert seems to be a fast seller this year
 
Chris Airo...this 2009-2010 season what do you think has been the best advancement in  the kites?
 
Charlie...the depower capability's are just amazing now, it is really  great to be able to have a two kite quiver compared to 10 years ago when you needed loads of kites
every time the wind changed slightly you had to change your kite,but now with bows and deltas they have made things much more simple and accessible for more people which can only be good for the sport.
 
Chris airo..what about the safety side of the 09 10 range of kites ?
 
Charlie...Wow these are just getting better year on year, bars are so simple now, the release systems work with little effort needed, you don't have to think about them if you have been flying a while you will remember  that at the beginning you could not find the safety, then if you did you pulled it and  had to just pray it worked.Also the relaunch on kites now are so much better you can get you kite up with ease and be up and riding again in seconds no more swimming to shore. I'm really impressed with the Cabrina range the depower is huge and safety is simple and effective; but all brands have made great progress on the safty side of things.
 
Chris Airo...Over the years what is the work kiting experience you have had?
 
Charlie...It was a cold day in winter with super gusty windy i was going huge on my 10m rhino and as I came to shore I noticed a guy giving a young 23 year old girl a lesson on the beach knowing I was stacked on my 10m  I ran over to discourage the fact that he was trying to teach her on a 12m yes a 12 ,next thing a gust came then the ambulance came and then came a very long time in hospital for her she was off work for at least 6 months.
This was four years ago and shows that you need to make sure you get lesion from someone who actually knows what they are doing
 
Chris Airo...Charlie do you have any advice to someone starting out ?
 
Charlie...Yes apart from getting lesions and wearing safety equipment helmet fly with friends that know what there doing .I think the best thing to remember if you are a beginner intermediate than get a kite that's aimed at beginner intermediate if you get a kite to advanced you will slow down you learning curve and get frustrated with a advanced kite .A advanced kite is designed to push the boundary's in wake or freestyle and they can be bit tricky to fly so why make it hard on yourself a lot of modern kites aimed at beginner intermediate are awesome and you can still boost huge air but  are easier  to fly and have great safety features and great relaunch and will build your confidence levels before you try to jump into the deep end on a pure wake style kite for example
 
Chris Airo... what do you get up to when not flying ?
 
Charlie... Well i try to fly all the time even in the freezing winter but I love to cycle and dive and go spearfishing great for the no wind days
 
Chris Airo... anything else?
 
Charlie... Anyone after impartial advice just give me a call i can do bespoke packages to suit your level riding ability and size and you can take advantage of our friends discount by using code KING1 for a 10 percent discount.
 
Chris Airo...thanks for your time Charlie
 
Charlie...Anytime fly safe but fly hard