Outer Banks, North Carolina - Kitesurfing Trip

OBX Kitesurfing

Fishing and Kiting on the Atlantic

So I had the opportunity to spend some time at the Outer Banks of North Carolina.  I went there after LEAF and then again after Delfest, for a total of just over 2 weeks.  Autumn graciously gave me the time to go there and get some kitesurfing in while their was some time to do it.  I was really lucky because, while everybody at home in Colorado was working hard to move the studio to a new spot, I was getting to feed my latest addiction.

Kiteboarding on the Pamlico Sound

Over the last 4 years I have been fortunate enough to kitesurf the Outer Banks.  They are a long stretch of barrier islands off the coast of North Carolina, that reach way out towards the gulf stream waters of the Atlantic Ocean.  Warm water, big chaotic waves, and shallow waist-deep sound-side kiting make this place a killer location for this sport.  Of course the wind is insane, and sometimes never stops blowing.  This is good for some and miserable for others.

Way too addicting

Basically you are tethered to a kite/sail with some lines, a harness, a bar for steering, and a board on your feet.  It is very fast paced, highly addicting, and you find yourself bummed out if the wind isn't blowing hard enough and you are left wanting more.  Before kiting I despised windy days.

Good wind day

This trip ended with my good friends Matt and his wife Taylor coming from Durango, CO for the last week.  Matt is one of the owners of SKA Brewing and also an avid kiter.  Luckily for those of us who love Colorado winters we are able to snowkite with skis or a snowboard to feed the addiction.  Matt picked this week to coincide with a major Kiting event that brings the best in the world to the OBX for 10 days of events.  It is also a good time for promoting his beer, which is for sale @ various spots on the islands.  It was a real good time and a great opportunity to watch some of the best in the world.

Matt and Taylor (far right)

This trip ended a little late and I had to make a "Cannonball Run" (thanks Chandra) style drive back home to Colorado, via Santa Fe, where Autumn was having a trunk show @ Body of Santa Fe.  I just made it, got Autumn and now we are home in Pagosa Springs gearing up for one of the bigger events of the summer.  The  Telluride Bluegrass Festival  starts this week, all four days are sold out, the music looks great, and the weather forecast seems optimal.