Get Barrelled with Ben Wilson
The elusive barrel with a kite...
Because kitesurfing requires wind, the swell is always chopped up and tends to break unevenly. This makes tucking under the lip a hit-and-miss game. So you'll need some decent skills and be prepared to take a fall or two. The longest barrel (so far) we've seen with a kite has only been one or two seconds long, although many have claimed slightly longer rides in the green room. In fact we'll probably never see the 5 or 6 seconds that conventional surfers often achieve on good days, simply due to the constraints placed upon kite surfers by the conditions.
Ben Wilson remains optimistic however, and in this how-to clip he gives us all a few tips on what to do. In his own unique style (where he never looks at the camera), he slows down some video footage of himself riding to give a frame by frame description of what he's doing. We even get to hear an explanation of why he crashes his kite and what he does to prevent the kite falling on every attempt to get barrelled. Having the perfect conditions helps too, and the ability to travel the world in search of the perfect wave.
Check it out and next time you're out in the surf - if you see a lip about to throw, tuck in and try to get under it. Who knows - you might get the longest barrel ever seen with a kite?
