First off id like to start with an apology, I thought I had posted this up a couple of weeks ago but it turns out I had written it and then not uploaded it to the site.

Getting invited to join HQ for a week of flying out in Fano with my girlfriend Ami was an opportunity to good to pass on . They go there every year to snap off pics of their new kit, test things out with their riders and generally have a good time and they pick the same week as the Fano international kite festival which is absolutely massive. If you have ever seen a single line kite or two fluttering at the beach and thought what’s the point when you see thousands of them spread over a couple of miles you actually get it. They are impressive and many hand built taking over 300 hours; everything from big mantas to small bouncing cows and pigs but that wasn’t why I went.

Nath (the man behind the current scrub range) Marcus from ATB Shop were also invited so we chose to have a road trip across Europe covering over 1000kms. I got to Nath's house Saturday night so we could drive to Dover and get the first ferry to Dunqurke. This involved having to leave at 3am having only got a couple of hours sleep and driving to Swindon to pick up Marcus then off to dover. A brief rest on the ferry then straight at it and into France im going to spare you all most of the journey but put it this way French roundabouts are manic and confusing as to who if anyone has right of way and if you see a German registered black car in your rear view let it pass as it will be sat on your bumper until you do. Nath said he would do as much of the driving as possible and after a brief stop off in Holland for lunch he was still happy to drive, the man is a machine he didn’t give up and after breaking into double figures on the red bull cans and a few coffees we got to the ferry to Fano from Esjberg in time for the 2315 ferry; hats off to him that is an epic drive to do.

The next morning we went to the beach and although it does look just like any other beach the shear scale and size of it is impressive then to see all those single line kites in the sky was something else. Driving for 5 minutes down the beach (watch out for the local bus whose route covers the beach) we reached the power kite zone and were greeted by Jan Hendrick and the rest of the guys from HQ. The sun was trying to break through and the wind was blowing steadily onshore which provided a perfect start to the trip, enough wind to fly and have fun with the big kites they had brought with them.

The wind was building through the day everyone was having a good time working with Goetz the photographer, who turned out to be a hard man to please and repeating the same trick for half an hour whilst he was snapping away means your desperate to get away for 5 minutes and try something diffrent but its worth it when you see the shots he gets.

I spent the day flying an 11m neo 3 and a 9m matrix and later in the day the wind picked up where the matrix was really showing what it can do however some clouds and rain came with it, the kite was fine, I however took a bad landing and turned my ankle over, it didn’t feel to ad at the time but next morning it was obvious I wouldn’t be flying again for the next few days at least putting a damper on the trip for me.

Nath and Marcus were both eager to get out though so we all went to the beach and continued shooting and flying just like the first day. This was pretty much the schedule there, get up go to the beach and fly all day then return home grab some food and sleep till morning. There isn’t much to do on the island in the evenings.

The wind was up and down through the week, HQ had brought some models with them for photos so when the wind was light it was a great time for them to do their thing whilst we all chilled out, i was able to buggy after a couple of days rest and cruising down the beach in a buggy and a 15m matrix in 5mph is a nice mellow way to pass the time, especially when the beach doesn’t seem to end and all around you are people having the same fun but not to close you actually have to avoid them.

Mark Bashford and Dave both arrived on the Tuesday and joined in the fun with us, they flew which after the 18 hour car journey is looking like the better option for next time. they stayed until Thursday and having been there before showed me and Ami where the main town square is and possibly one of the best pizza places I have been to ( it was even reasonably priced compared to the rest of the place which is anything from a few pounds to triple the price of everything in the UK)

On the final day my ankle was feeling a little better so i was able to do some riding and get a few more photos in the light winds but I didn’t want to push to hard as walking was still difficult (I had refused to visit a doctors despite knowing it was probably a good idea) and i had the long drive back to Wales ahead of me where I was the only other person apart from Nathen who could drive apart from Nath. Before we left we went to see the HQ guys who defiantly got the best house for the week and grabbed some food, It was a chance to thank everyone for having us and see the best of the pictures from the week.

Going back we grabbed the 1130 ferry off the island and Nath began the long drive back. I got my head down and slept as the rain pounded the windscreen and came round a few hours later to be told it was my turn to drive. Nath had done an epic job behind the wheel but everyone needs some rest so he grabbed a few hours whilst I took us through Germany then he took the wheel back to get us through to the UK.

A few things from this trip stand out. Fano is a nice place and if you like the beach its perfect. Its expensive, but the foods good. Nath is a machine behind the wheel of a car. I didn’t see a single traffic jam in Europe but we got stuck on the M25 for hours on our return to the UK and getting badly injured sucks when your on a kiting trip.

Im finishing this and uploading it now with my ankle once again out of action, it turns I have pulled the ligaments that run through it and sprained it as well, I had a session the other weekend thinking all was well aging with it but one slightly hard landing has put me back to square one with it and I’ve been told to expect another 6 to 8 weeks of recovery before im fully fit so bang goes my summer of flying. In the mean time ill be the one down the beach snapping pics so if anyone sees me out there with a camera your more than welcome to get in front of my lens and ill snap a few off for you.

Happy winds

Stu

Been a super busy last few months for myself.

I had my first AS level exams through out May to the end of June which as severely dug into my free available time for getting out freestyling. But when i have been able to get out, the motivation has been higher than ever, heading into the sky - rather than head in a book...

Photo: Marcus Woodbridge @ www.board-mag.com

Middle Wallop kite festival weekend was also a great success! It was my 2nd year at this event and probably my favorite year in terms of landboarding. The wind was consistent throughout the event which was great for free riding and the BKSA Comp that was also taking place. All riders participating were looking forward to the comp being on grass, which is what the majority of the riders including myself regularly fly on. Yusca Balogh from the Flysurfer international team also attended the festival and competition along with flysurfer to stir the comp up. It was great to see Yusca from Europe attend a UK comp. This I hope will encourage other European riders to try the UK comp scene in the future. I finished in 5th place in the Comp which is a result I am very happy with. 

I am now also part of the UK Flysurfer Team which I am real stoked about! Have been flying Flysurfer kites for the last 3 years and am now super dialed into them. I cant wait for future adventures with the Flysurfer team and look forward to riding as part of the team. More info on this can be found here: http://www.flysurfer.com/news/3093-greg-chilton-part-flysurfer-team/

As for now - well im currently looking out my bedroom window and seeing pissing rain in the middle of July! Where has the summer gone??
Unfortunateely im also nursing a hip injury which the Doc has signed me off from any sports activity for 2weeks. Being stuck inside when its windy all the week has been a killer! I hope that after this two week period it will be the end of the injury and I can start to focus again on my next comp - BKSA Ayr in September.

5th to 8th of May saw the very first round of the BKSA Kitival series at Redcar -Tees Vally

As you may remember, last year was my final year competing as a junior due to my age. With new catagories in 2011 to add to landboarding comp scene, it ment that I would now be classed as a Pro Mens kite landboarder and compete within this category against top riders in the UK.

Upon arrival at Redcar on Friday morning, one thing that was apparent was the offshore wind - and lack of it. Once registered it was a waiting game for the tide to go out and for the wind to switch. Unfortunately this was not to be, a gusty offshore wind prevailed throughout the day.

Towards the afternoon, we all decided to hit the beach for a chilled low winder freeride session to try and give the many spectators that had tuned up some idea of what kite landboarding had to offer. With improved an wind forecast on Saturday and a change in direction, we could only hope that it would provide perfect comp conditions. 

Saturday morning was looking very hopeful. A strong cross-shore wind had kicked in and the beach was near perfect. Immediately after the riders meeting, myself and Steve Smith hit the beach for a warm up session before the comp. I went out riding the Scrub GLD with the new Pro Alloy rims flying the Flysurfer Speed 3 15m Deluxe. After a powered 30minute warm-up session with Steve, a few of the other riders joined us. However, the wind was dropping and dropping fast. We all headed to the comp zone for the agreed start time, however by then, the wind had switched back off shore and dropped.  I was drawn in the first heat against the 2010 Mens landboarding champion Jack Elston. Despite the worsening conditions Jack produced an outstanding performance and progressed to the semi-final whilst I would have to compete again to progress my way forward. After this, the competition was black flagged due to lack of wind. We could only hope that Sunday would produce the conditions required.

Sunday morning and it wasnt looking hopeful, more offshore wind and hung-over spirits. Some of the youth kitesurfers brightened our spirits with the low wind antics in the huuge puddle at the back of the beach.  It was announced at riders meeting that they would try and push to get the comps completed to get a result. I was first out on the beach to test the winds. Fortunately they had increased but strong gusts made flying in the limited space more of a challenge. The comp was on!

My next two heats were against Dan Smith and Steve Smith. Both heats were very close and had challenging wind conditions. From winning these two close heats it pushed me through to the Final with Jack Elston who won his semi-final heat. By this point I was pretty stoked knowing that i could walk away with a 2nd. Jack performed some outstanding tricks in the poor conditions giving him the win. Final result: 1st Jack Elston, 2nd Greg Chilton, 3rd Steve Smith.

Next event is Middle Wallop Kite festival. One of my kiting highlights from last year.

Greg Chilton - www.scrubboards.co.uk - www.atbshop.co.uk

The recent landboarding conditions in the UK have been awful for the last two months. Either not enough wind, or rain making for very poor conditions this time of year. Have to admit im struggling to remember my last good session...

However, yet again here in the south west corner of the UK we have been blessed with plenty of snow and wind!

Myself and Tim Harley had some outstanding session in the snow and what we felt was good video to show for it - check it out!

http://vimeo.com/18244511

Happy New Year - Lets hope 2011 brings more sunshine and wind!

- Greg Chilton

A long time coming, this is the start of something I promised a few months ago, a video that shows the other side of what is done in Wales. Not only hill and back country but freestyle. Following his safe return to the UK from Canada I teamed up with Pieter Hynam and set about making this. Days of no wind and wind with enough rain to fill a small lake ensured that by the time everything came together we were pumped up and nothing would stop us. The wind built through the day allowing me to use the 9.5 and then 7m Montanans supplied by HQ the Scrub GLD gave me the ideal platform as usual to perform any trickery I wanted and even a surprise or two came out of the bag. Its nice to have Pieter back encouraging me and taking the mick when everything goes wrong, the arguments in the editing process (he's an artist so ill forgive him for his temperament but im telling you all i was right it looked fine) meant that although the vid took longer than initially expected it was well worth the wait.

Huge Thanks to Nath and Scrub, Mark, Jan and HQ, ATB Shop and the guys over there, Ami for letting me go out and play when ever want and most importantly Peter Hynam for the filming and edit.

BKSA Final Round 4 - Blackpool

So far 2010 has been a pretty good year for the BKSA, with all the events getting their fair supply of wind and suitable weather. With the forcast changing day by day most people were wondering if the wind would play ball for this final round.

Unfortunately Thursday saw very low wind conditions in Blackpool, this delayed the Pro Men's and Women's kitesurfing event until the Friday making for a jampacked day to fit all the events into Friday for Saturday night presentation.

Friday morning and the wind finally kicked in with the wind building to around 25mph + in the day. Unfortunately for all the land events the sand was too soft making it impossable for the day's land competitons to run. After a quick meeting it was decided to go in search of a new location for the BKSA land event finals. The ideal location most of the competitors had in mind was a grassy field next to the beach like at the last event in Ayr, but after visting a few school fields, permission to fly had been denied. We eventually arrived at Fleetwood beach where it was decided to run the comp as the sand was hard and rideable for the competition. However with around 30-35m of downwind space before hitting the stones, all riders were a little more cautious.

The first event to run was the Mens Freestyle Buggy. Yet again a very close competition between Flexi riders Craig, Will and 'stupid' Dave. The stronger winds than at previous event allowed 'Stupid' Dave to pull off some of his crazy kiteloops in a Buggy! along with the usual technical rotations. Craig and Will were close to match Dave's mad skills. Final event result 1st Dave, 2nd Craig and 3rd Will

Final 2010 Result: 1st Craig Sparks, 2nd Dave Roberts, 3rd Will McKean

(buggy photo below from Ayr)

The Mens Landboarding was always going to be very close with this event being the decider for the podium between the top 3 riders Steve Smith, Jack Elston, and Ash Garwood. With the powered conditions one rider that really stood out was Dan Smith - pulling of some super smooth moves along with some new ones we haven't seen before. This gave him a secure place in the Final with Steve, Ash and Jack fighting to keep out of the loosers final. After a very close heat it was announced that Jack would join Dan in the final riding for 1st and 2nd position. This made the competition even closer for Ash and Steve as this result for the two riders was vital for a 2nd or 3rd overall finish from the years events.

Event Result: 1st Jack Elston, 2nd Dan Smith, 3rd Steeve Smith

Final 2010 Result: 1st Jack Elston, 2nd Steeve Smith, 3rd Ash Garwood

 After the men's buggy and landboard us junior riders were cut short on time as the tide was quickly gaining on us. The decision was made between me, Robbie and Tom to run the competition as a straight final due to the time remaining from the high tide. With the wind building on us we were all pretty powered. I was out flying my trusty 12m Speed 3 Deluxe and riding the Scrub GLD going for typical old school moves in some very powered conditions with Tom and Robbie both powered on 7m LEI's. In the 10min straight final we were all pushed for space in the small arena but were able to work around each other trying to make the most of the space. With both Tom and Robbie pulling off some powered technical moves making it a close decision. Event result- 1st Greg Chilton, 2nd Tom Ford, 3rd Robbie Shire-Maidment

Final 2010 Result: 1st Greg Chilton, 2nd Robbie Shire-Maidment and 3rd Tom Ford.

I was super stoked making this the 2nd year I have won the Junior British Championships!

This has been due to be my last year as riding as a junior. Its been an epic two years and the junior comps have really helped to keep me motivated all year round. I feel my progression has rocketed and I hope to further progress in my catagory next year - Men's Freestyle Landboarding.

Cheers to BKSA for organising and running another awesome season of events and competition.

And thanks to my sponsors ATBShop and Scrub Boards for supporting me at these events.

Greg Chilton

BKSA landboarding round 3

This time Ayr played host to the 3rd landboarding round of BKSA 2010 - AND WHAT A LOCATION! With a huge grass park situated right next to the beach, it was perfect for all landboarders and buggyers. Super smooth winds and the grippy grass made for a sweet few sessions had by all.

Saturday saw some smooth18-20mph winds which was perfect for the days competition ahead. First up was the Mens Landboarding. This again was a super close competition between the 3 top riders; Steve Smith, Ash Garwood and Jack Elston who were pulling off some super smooth riding. With Ash claiming 3rd in the loosers final Steve and Jack were left to battle it out. With them both pulling off some sweet moves eventually Jack was placed 1st followed very closely by Steve in 2nd. This leaves Ash and Steve in close competition for the final title at BKSA Blackpool in just under a months time.

 The Mens Freestyle Buggy was again a very close call between the 3 riders Craig, Will and 'stupid' Dave. With the 3 riders having to share between two kites it certainly made the judging a little interesting. After the heats eventually Craig Sparks came 1st, Dave 2nd and Will in at 3rd.

The junior landboarding for me was a big suprise! At past events this catagory has always been a little down on numbers however this time a few of the Junior and Youth kitesurfers decided to give the landboarding a bash, and for a few of them it was their very first time on a landboard! With a win in my first heat I was placed directly into the semi final with Will Makinson. This gave me the chance to watch what the water guys could do. Man I was impressed! with a few of them riding out passes and other wakestyle moves I knew it would make for an interesting comp! After my heat with Will I managed to make it through to the final with Jack Daykin. Unfortunately the wind really did drop off for both of us forcing us to really work our kites. After the 7 minute final there was hardly anything separating me and jack, we would have to wait until the presentation to hear the results.

Final results from junior landboarding:

1-Greg Chilton
2-Jack Daykin
3-Robbie Shire-Maidement

Videos from the event can be found here thanks to Paul: http://vimeo.com/album/1201677

And here thanks to Craig: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=v5YrUYTPHn0

 Next Stop - Blackpool!

My Summer holidays have just come to an end and the long evenings are slowly drawing in. This summer has been awesome, from the start with Middle Wallop, through to Redcar BKSA, then Barrow and two weeks time - Ayr in Scotland.

Things have still been busy on the landboarding side of things on the GLD, trying to cram as many sessions up Cleeve as possable blasting up there on my overloaded moped.

I have been spending much more time on the water aswell over the holidays which is also helping to progress my landboarding skills. Here is a short video from my holiday to Portugal kitesurfing.

http://vimeo.com/14544135

Just off up Cleeve for a session now, will also keep you updated on BKSA results at Ayr

Cheers

Greg Chilton

BKSA Kitival Round 2 6th-8th August - Barrow

With a not so promising wind forcast for the weekend I was worried the second round of BKSA Kitival 2010 would follow the trend of the first - another no winder.

Despite this 9:00am on Friday morning we made the long 4 and a half hour journey north to Barrow. On arrival we were welcomed to a smooth gentle 12-14mph light sea breeze, the perfect opportunity to warm up on land with the other competitors for saturdays comp.

Saturday morning showed an improved wind forcast of a smooth 18-23mph. My first event suprisingly was the Youth Kitesurfing. Although I love landboarding, i do always enjoy the odd kitesurfing session. After having just made it to the water comp zone in time I was ready to push my typical 'oldschool' moves which I love to push on the water. After a confident start I eventually finished in 5th place which was a massive suprise for me! I do hope to focus a little more on the water in the future and aim to try and enter the Youth kitesurfing at future events.

After a quick change into my landboarding gear and after a quick warm up I was ready for the landboarding comp riding my Scrub GLD kiteboard and flying the 15m Flysurfer Speed 3 Deluxe. There were three 7 minute heats between the junior riders in which to impress the judges. New rider to the event - Tom Ford and Robbie Maidment provided some stiff competition making the comp very close and competative. After over 20 minutes of riding between the three heats the judges had their results. It wasnt untill the Sunday at presentation that the results were announced.

After a close competition I was announced as 1st place which i was stoked with, closely followed by Tom Ford in 2nd and Robbie in 3rd.

I am looking forward to attending the next BKSA land and mabe water events at Ayr and Blackpool.

Good wind -

Greg Chilton

Props to all Particualy Ben Tweedie for his epic trip and results!

here's how it went down form the mail we got

The crowds were out in force at the MET 2010 Freestyle event in Moscow to witness some of the best mountainboard freestyle seen this year; 720 corked spins, backflips, rodeos and a double backflip attempt (so nearly stomped) by Arno.
Pasha Peshin took the win with smooth consistency but full props to all riders for pushing the limits.
The intention of the Mountainboard European Tour was to showcase the best of European's mountainboard talent. With some of the best, most progressive freestyle tricks thrown down this weekend - this event shows Russia's place as one of the world's best venue's for international mountainboard events.
Full credit to Alexey Potapov for organising this stop on the MET2010.

The Results
Final Jam (40 minutes - judges to the best 3 jumps)
1. Pasha Peshin (fs cork5 melon, Bs 5 indy, Fs5 melon)

2. Ben Tweedy (Fs720 melon, Fs5 indy, Backflip)
- Scrub Mountainboards
3. Arno VDV (Bs cork 5 double tail, Fs cork 5 indy, backflip indy)

4. Oleg Melnikov (Fs rodeo 540tail, Fs 540 melon, Backflip method)
5. Alexey Repkin (Bs 540indy, bs 360 indy, Backflip "Repflip"

6. Anton Shalamentsev (Bs 720 mute, bs 360 mute, backflip 180 melon)
7. Pavel Dunaev (backflip 180 melon, Fs 360 indy tweak, backflip peter pan)

8. Marco Dauhler DNS

9. Alexey Potapov (Cab 3, Cab 5, Bs3 stale)