Update!!
The deep water clinic is at 3pm on Sunday afternoon 4Feb12 and will be held just past the boat ramp at about the 3mi point on the Texas City Dike.  See graphic below:

Feel uneasy with deep water operations?  Well many people do and the reason for it most of the time is because they learned in shallow water and have never had to do a full emergency release and self-rescue in deep water.  Another fear is losing your board in deep water.  Both of these items will be covered and practiced by each clinic participant in deep water on their own equipment under the watchful eye and instruction of Phil Midler from XLKITES.

We will cover each of the exercises on land, practice on land then do a actual board recovery and self rescue and pack down out in the deep water.  This class has a limited number of participants so if you’re interested email the shop at houston@xlkites.com or call 281-508-6485 as soon as you’re sure you can do it.  It will be run like a normal lesson so we’ll call each participant the day before to confirm the time on Sunday.  It will most likely be in the afternoon after everyone is done riding for the day.  Prerequisites for the class are:

1. Being able to ride upwind
2. Land/launch your own kite
3. Know emergency procedure theory (in shallow water etc)
4. Know how to swim (hopefully this is not an issue)
5. Have equipment with working safety release and safe operating condition

Price for the clinic is $35/person and can be payable the day of the clinic. it will be 1-2 hours long.

2012 Slingshot boards

Buy your 2012 Slingshot boards here:
http://www.xlkites.com/boards-slingshot-boards-c-33_36_119.html

This is Phil Midler Interviewing Neil Hutchinson at Surf Expo on the new 2012 Slingshot Surf Board line up.

2012 Dialer
Board size: 5’11″Master shaper Tony Logosz fuses his knowledge of surf & light wind kite and delivers a board aimed towards a light wind kite enthusiast who also wants a high performance surfboard. The Dialer is our quad fin light wind kite surf dominator. Made with WVS Bamboo construction the Dialer does not sacrifice weight for durability for a lively, fast acting feel. It has it all! The quad fin arrangement make the Dialer exceptionally smooth in turns and easy to negotiate in swell.

The Pit
Board sizes: 5’6″, 5’11″
Two words, SMASH and DESTROY come to mind when referring to the Pit. The NEW 2012 Pitdesigned by master shaper Tony Logosz is made with WVS Bamboo construction make it lighting fast, super stiff, and explodes with power in every turn.

2012 Tyrant
Board sizes: 5’11″, 6’1″Breaking boundaries, the 2012 Slingshot Tyrant 6’1″ and 5’11″ meets the needs of expert Kitesurfers. The Tyrant is a tri fin, true to the bone short board that does it all. The 6’1″ and 5’11″ has a deeper single concave under foot with double between the fins. It also has a more “pulled in” tail making it sharp and explosive.

2012 CeleritasBoard sizes: 5’8″, 5’11″

Looking for some speed and power in your surf riding? Look no further than the refined 2012 Celeritas with WVS Bamboo construction. The balanced created between the bamboo and the sandwich construction makes this board fast and durable!

2012 Knee Swacker
Board size: 5’10″Master shaper Tony Logosz blends his knowledge of surf & light wind to deliver a board aimed towards a light wind kite enthusiast who also wants a tool to catch anything in its path. The Knee Swacker is our quad fin light wind kite surf dominator.

When: Saturday August 27th between 8am-4pm
Where: At the XLKITES shop in Texas City, TX

Details:
Bring in your used gear to sell at the Swap meet the week before the event.  All gear will be labled and priced for the one day sale.  Like every year XLKITES will take NO commission on sales made provided the money is put on your shop account for use on in-shop equipment.  If you want a check for your sold gear XLKITES takes a 20% commission charge from proceeds. 

We get around 30-50 used kites every year along with 20-30 used boards and lot of other goodies.  If you aren’t from the local area here in Texas that is ok.  Call us on Friday, Saturday or Sunday the weekend of the 27th and we can get you what you need over the phone.  We will also usually post used gear that didn’t sell on our website here: http://www.xlkites.com/used-gear-c-58.html?osCsid=2t6ik58n9sq0f60r1i9eneatc2

Here is the equipment and prices it sells for historically:
- Kites sell for anywhere from $50-$900 depending on age and condition. 
- Boards sell for $50-$400 depending on age and condition.   
- Used harnesses sell for around $30-$60
- Used bars sell for $70-$300
- Used helmets $20-$30

How:
Step 1.  Bring your used gear to the shop in Texas City and fill out a drop off receipt the week before the sale.
Step 2. We sell equipment at the sale and put the money on your XLKITES account
Step 3.  Spend money in the store at some point in the future

Call or email for more inforamation.
281-508-6485
houston@xlkites.com

We would like to provide some straight-up feedback for our new customers from our past kiteboarding students here in Houston.  We’ve only asked students from the last month or so to post but it should be a good sampling of what people think of our lessons and our capabilities as instructors on the water.    

Please take a moment to read and add to the comments attached to this post.  I’m sure the majority of which will be excellent as we are true professionals and take our work very seriously.  Thanks for your help and enjoy the posts below. 

Stand Up Paddleboarding at the Seawall in Galveston this week

The last few weeks the Levee has been busy on windy days.  Texas city has been charging for access to the Levee and Dike since the beginning of March $5/day per car.  We are in negotiations with the City to get a yearly pass for kiteboarders and all water sports users that would be around $25 for the year….but like anything with government it may take a while.  So with the new Levee and dike up and operating there have been a few changes to the kiteboarding scene in Texas city. 

First, we have A LOT less fishermen and picnickers in our area than usual which has kept the Levee beach very clean and free of trash.

Second, XLKITES moved its location to the intersection of 9th Ave and 6th St in Texas city (literally 5 blocks from the Levee) so it is a lot more convenient for kiteboarders to stop in and get what they need or just shoot the breeze so to speak. 

Third, the new Dike has been great to ride down-winders on SE days back to the Levee and is also a GREAT spot for riding on NW wind days as the winds are smooth and onshore at the 3mi mark out on the dike.

Finally, the levee bock and rocks have filled in enough so that it isn’t too terribly bad to get in and out into the water through the rock and articulated blocks.  Keep in mind that the city feels it is a major offense to move those rocks at the Levee and will try to arrest/charge you if you’re seen doing it…their words not mine.

One other item that was brought up by the major at our last meeting was kiteboarders spraying the fishermen and getting too close to them when riding.  Apparently, there have been complaints by fishermen about the kiteboarders at the Levee interfering with the fishing activities.  We have a really good crew at the Levee with a lot of very considerate riders please make sure we pass the same consideration to the newer riders so we can keep the freedom we have down there.

XLKITES is renting stand-up Paddle boards at the Dike or Levee Daily for $40/4 hrs or $55/day.