As the world hunkers down into isolation mode in an attempt to quell the spread of coronavirus, kitesurfers around the globe mourn their freedom of movement.
The rules vary from country to country, with some nations explicitly banning kitesurfing (amongst an invariably lengthy list of other outdoor activities) with others leaving the directive fairly open ended — though conversations rage online as to the ethics of heading out for a session amidst the ongoing pandemic.
Needless to say, it’s a heated debate.
For the purpose of this post, let’s forget about which side of the fence you sit on. Today we’re here to ride the positivity wave and bring you some inventive ideas to keep your passion for kitesurfing alive and well throughout isolation.
From kitesurf-centric workouts to cool items to decorate your hibernation lair with, here’s our pick of the bunch:
Kit out your house with kitesurf decor
There’s plenty to be said for the old adage “outer calm, inner calm”. Our environments can have a pretty significant influence on our mood, and when that environment is inside four walls during enforced quarantine, it’s more important than ever to be mindful of your space.
Not being able to enjoy the kite sessions you’d planned is a major bummer, but at least you can bring some of the beach vibes back into your life by decorating your place with kite-inspired items. Hang up some kitesurfing posters, slurp your morning coffee out of a kitesurfing mug, or kick back on the couch on a cozy kitesurfing cushion while you binge the hell out of Netflix.
Which leads us to our next item of discussion…
Binge classic kite films
If you haven’t seen the myriad memes littering the internet telling us to save the world by consuming on-demand series like your life (literally) depends on it, maybe you saw the statements made by the likes of Netflix and YouTube telling us to please try to not break the internet during the ongoing pandemic.
If there’s any businesses that are thriving in the current circumstances, it’s streaming platforms.
Enforced lockdown is as good a time as any to take advantage of them and catch up on the phenomenal media that kitesurfing brands and indie filmmakers have been creating over the years. Once you’ve ticked off the big’uns like Chapter One and Upwind, tuck into Manera’s insane production Kororo — wow, just wow.
Master the art of balance boarding
Ahhhh the ol’ balance board. Also known as the indoboard, wobble board, or trickboard, these little guys are a brilliant way of bringing boardsports into your home — something that usually isn’t an option, especially if you live in a small apartment.
Balance boards rock a deceptively simple design, but there is a knack to riding them. Kitesurfers should be at something of an advantage since we’ve already got a good feel for distributing our weight across a board, but it’ll probably take you a few topples before you nail the technique.
Balance boards are affordable, an awesome way of staying fit (and having a laugh) inside, and YouTube is full of how-to tutorials and surf-inspired workouts to get you going.
Plan your next trip
Just because we can’t travel right now doesn’t mean you can’t get yourself excited about future kite trips. And while we don’t recommend booking any flights in the near future, there are some pretty exciting offers to be found in the kite world at the moment which could allow you to a) responsibly plan an awesome future trip and b) help out a small kitesurfing business in need during a time when the industry is taking a momentous knock.
For example, a bunch of kitesurfing businesses are selling vouchers which you can claim at a later date; and the likes of Sri Lanka’s legendary Kitesurfing Lanka school is holding a well-thought out fundraiser which could see entrants win kites, lessons, or a 10 night stay at their incredible tropical lagoon when this is all over.
Got any tips to help kitesurfers cope with quarantine? Drop them in a comment below and tell us about it!