This is something that’s been on my mind a little bit lately. Maybe it’s because of the god awful run of no wind, no waves and lots of rain that we’ve had, but it seems like kitesurfing activity in the UK has been very depressed this year. Of course, I can’t go kitesurfing if there’s no wind at my local spots, but I can log on to Facebook or Kiteboarder.co.uk and see posts and updates from people having amazing sessions up and down the UK. I’ve got about 1300 ‘friends’ on Facebook, I reckon the majority of them are kitesurfers in this country, but nowadays when I check the news feed I see updates on cross-fit, cycling, swimming and running, a.k.a. endurance sports.
Is the sun setting on kiteboarding?
I speak to a lot of shops and schools in my job. One school I spoke to has fifty lessons backed up on their books from this year. At £200 a lesson, that’s £10,000 they should have had in their bank by now, not to mention the margin on all the equipment sales they should have made. Another school at the other end of the country has twenty lessons outstanding, and they are plenty more schools with similar problems. The knock on effects of people not learning are people not buying equipment. In the last three months, two of the UK’s longer running kite shops went bust, and a more recent store which I felt had great potential has also stepped out of the game. No new kiters means no referrals to the governing body; the BKSA membership is believed to have contracted by 5-10% as I type, when usually you would expect a growth in numbers after a buoyant start to the season. I could keep supplying you with anecdotes from manufacturers, shops, schools, instructors and other industry insiders saying a similar thing but I’ll crack on with the point I’m trying to make.
A shift in trends
Is this all to do with a bad spell in the weather though? It seems to me that kitesurfing struggles a bit with its positioning in the greater world of outdoor sports. When it started, it was definitely in the late 90s ‘yo duuude’ Xtreme sports camp of experimental stoners and dare devils and that bought a huge amount of media attention and curiosity. Quantum leaps in safety and design have moved the sport out of that niche and we’ve sought to position ourselves alongside wakeboarding and surfing, and also sought to define the broader freeride and freestyle twin tip categories as being at the core of the sport, but the interest in kitesurfing from the rest of the world seems to be lacking. Why would a non participant be interested in wakestyle kiting when they could just go wakeboarding? Why would they want to investigate kitesurf waveriding when they can just to surfing? Why would they want to ride up and down on a twin tip when…well just why would they? I kind of joke there but I think many people would choose the convenience of a fortnight’s snowboarding for their ‘falling leaf’ lawn mowing fix and then just get on with their lives the other 50 weeks of the year. A kite shop in Poole recently shut its doors for good, while down the road a cycle shop reported the best first half of a year they’ve had in ten years of trading. It’s those road bikes – everyone’s buying them. Even I bought one the other day; I’m a bit late to the party with it and when I tell friends I’m surprised how many of them tell me they’ve got one too. What I instantly enjoyed about cycling was the simplicity and certainty of it. Plan a ten mile route, set off at a certain time, and barring torrential rain you’re session will go ahead, and now you can track your progress on your smartphone, upload it and compare your times with others. While the dependence on weather and tides that kiting and surfing have bring a sense of interacting with nature, I’m realising that being able to stop and start when I want and to all but guarantee the intensity of my activity is something that I’ve missed.
A new hope
Will I cut back on surfing and kiting and go cycling more? A little, but it will be the marginal sessions that get thrown out, and I’ll probably start cycling in the dark as the evenings draw in. I do wonder how the sporty segment of society that kitesurfing would appeal to will respond. I see a huge uptake in endurance sports and a decline in ‘extreme’ sports, I think it is trend based since people like to seek out the ‘new thing’ and right now endurance is new and extreme is getting old. But kitesurfing does have a strong response to this shifting of trends: course racing. If you’re a kiter and have yet to try it, I challenge you to find a kite friend, two boards as similar as you can get, and agree on a triangle shaped course to sail around, maybe using lobster pots as markers. It’s the closest thing to Mario Kart you will get on the water, and very addictive, not to mention a surprising test of sinew! There is an obvious competitive element to course racing that appeals to the basic instincts in us in a way that judging based competitions cannot get close to, which is why course racing and not freestyle will be the first time we’ll see kitesurfing on the world stage at the 2016 Rio Olympics… As long as people are getting out there and finding out what their minds and bodies are capable of then it doesn’t really matter what sport they’re doing. But what do you think to this? Do you feel that the trend towards endurance sports is eating into the hours people put into kiting? Is it time for kitesurfing to be re-branded? Or would you just be happier with less people on the water at your local spot? Let me know in the comments below!
Good article you posted dom although sad to hear kiting has hit a low this year… Around here the boom is in open water swimming… Made cool by David Walliams… Boom on cycling… Following our success with Beijing, and with the tour de France and olympics, its spurring more people to get on their bikes… And the triathlon.. Absolutely massive right now following Brit success in the last decade and should earn gold medals this year… So if kiting was an Olympic sport, or a celebrity took on an epic challenge, perhaps the sport would boom again….. Or…. Perhaps create a tri event involving kiting? I.e. Kite, bike, run? Now that would be pretty cool?
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Thanks for the comment Vicki and I think you are really on the right lines…some sort of ocean triathlon involving kitesurfing could be really good. It would be an ambitious project because of conditions, but in areas where trade winds blow like Cabarete, quite possible: huge downwwinder kitesurfing race, then onto the beach before a quick sprint to the paddle boards, then back to the beach before a killer swim across the lagoon!
But overall, I think now would be a good time for brands and media to start to find some ways in which to align part of kitesurfing with endurance sports. People are interested in training, tactics, and nutrition. I don’t know for how much longer they will want to read about how to do x/ y/ or z/ handlepass…
It’s an eye opening post Dom….you know me always keen to hit the water what ever the wind and weather….but lately…even though there may have not been the wind to ride…I have had my longest spell out of the water for a while ( nearing 4 weeks….and for the first time….I’ve actually not been checking the wind everyday….looking across to see if the trees are blowing….maybe it’s because i’ve been getting a different fix at the cable…the whole new thing to learn has been enjoyable…but in previous weeks/months/years I’ve always been looking ahead to the next windy day…but havent lately! It’s a puzzling one….maybe time for some 2013 gear to put some more life into me!
Great article. I for one bought a mountain bike and joined a gym for the first time in my life after a knee injury snowboarding. I beginning part of the year was all about cable for me… Local and guaranteed sessions which kiting could not offer.
I love to wakeboard. I love to kitesurf but I am not in a position to physically do it right now. I will be back.
From a retail perspective. Everyone wants on a deal, and a deal on a deal leaves no money in anything. Diversification is the only way to currently “sustain” a kite retail industry right now.
Very good to hear from a retailer’s perspective Marcus, appreciate it. Yes, the margins in kiting are slender as it is and there is a culture of expecting a mega deal. I hear of many shops diversifying to keep trade buoyant.
Not on the east coast between Lowestoft and Hunstanton, in fact I would say it’s still growing, those that were in at the beginning are just as keen. Only one person has purchased a road bike and that’s because he likes lycra and shaving his legs. People are getting a bit more fussy, most will not now venture out if it requires a bigger kite than 12m. In any new sport there will always be those that dabble and then move on, kitesurfing is no different. Kitesurfing will remain because quite simply there is nothing out there that remotely compares to what it can offer as a whole. On the east coast being a kitesurfer quadruples, if not more, your time on the water! I often ask myself if I lived in Cornwall would I still kitesurf, the answer is yes, but I would be just a lot better in the waves..
Cheers Dom, interesting post. I don’t think that many shops do too well for too long entirely focusing on one sport do they? Newquays a bit different with the surf shops because (luckily?) It’s still “cool” so loads of very borderline surfers still want to wear the brands and buy into the lifestyle but kiteings never quite got into that bracket. Without household name brands on t-shirts to sell it must be tricky to survive just on kiteing? On another note, I cannot believe I left Cornwall for two weeks just before the swell returned!
Interesting, A friend of mine has a kite school in Québec(Canada) and he told me about the stagnation of the sport. A slow decline in the number of new students and people getting into the sport. It seems the best year were 2008-2009-2010. I guess it’s all around not just in the UK.
I think that Kitesurfing is declining naturally in a similar manner to that of windsurfing.
With regards to shops closing, this is purely down to the ridiculous year on year rise in the price of gear across the board! Kitesurfing is just not accessible, which is good for keeping numbers down at our local’s, but at least 50% of people don’t buy new kites EVER! This is not good for our sport. Put it this way, I wanted to start kiting years ago but couldn’t afford £250 worth of lessons and a further £1500 on all of the gear, especially if your not sure that kitesurfing will even be for you!?!
In the long run, I can see only 3 or 4 of the top kite manufactures surviving this bubble burst! Mark my words…shops will sell less and less kites as prices rise…resulting only a handful of shops left. Quite sad really, but true!
I have made an effort to get out more this year and am currently way up on sessions compared to previous years – but that isnt saying much. Have also been getting well into the inland SUP.
From a brands point of view I have seen tough market conditions for shops, and lots of consolidation. Brands only need a handful of retailers to get the same volume of sales and retailers need to compete on brand and service not price. It has however been a good year for kite sales though we are of course a very niche brand. For the major LEI brands I think it has been tougher.
Cycling has seen good increases but I am not sure about it all yet myself
Interresting article, I have definately seen a boom in edurance sports, triathlon and cycling in particular but in SW where I tend to kitesurf most the scene is still pretty vibrant.
The weather has obviously had an effect on things but I’ve been getting my fix regularly enough, I think the current economic climate means everybody is watching their pennies, I could well be wrong but as the sport has become more popular and build quality in kit has improved the 2nd hand market offers a more affordable option for many, this obviously affects new kite sales in the shops.
Yes, kites are for sure flying better now than they’ve ever done, and also cost more than they’ve ever done. A shop owner on Facebook commented on the link saying that people at the moment when faced with the choice of upgrading their gear are more likely to stick than twist. It will be interesting to see what happens to the second hand market in a few months, because taking SUP as an example where people are very reluctant to sell their gear, SUP second hand prices are very bloody high lol!
But as you, Jos and Tom Beaton are saying, it does appear that the time for consolidation for the sport is overdue. I think we will see a tier of three ‘top’ brands, then perhaps double that of second choice brands and by second choice I don’t mean second best, but rather brands that appeal to riders and stores who don’t always like to flow in the mainstream. A bit like how some kids only like certain bands as long as they’re not too popular
There might be something beneath that, but I doubt it would be necessary. Many existing brands are now wise to having a diffusion kite to get people into their brand so that mops up the budget sector.
I think a bit of choice is good, but too much is unhealthy and stressful for the end user.
I don’t think you’ll see kiteboarding reach mainstream popularity unless it can be made fun in 8 knots. People don’t like having to rely on wind for leisure time. That is where racing can offer hope as it’s the only form of kiteboarding that stands a chance at being fun in 8 knots.
The downside is the gear required to ride in 8 knots costs about double or triple the gear you need to ride in 20.
In the long run kiteboarding is a sport for people who like wind sports, and they have always been niche and always will be.
Are you sure, maybe your view is influenced by your friends. People tend to go through a 3 year cycle of trying new things then moving on to something else. I know I have seen lots of kite friends come and go over the last 10 years.
I kite on the Norfolk coast, every weekend I see lessons going on and new flyers arriving on the beach. In fact the number of people kiteboarding seems to keep growing.
The weather is unpredictable, it always is but there is plenty of wind. You just need to take the chance and go. Sometimes it’s good some times it’s not. I am fortunate that I can afforded to do this, good wife, no kids, disposable income etc. But most people can’t I have seen people come into the sport with the attitude of “I have a free weekend in march”, strangely they think there is never any wind. It’s a weather dependent sport, it requires a certain level of commitment to get out when its good.
As for shops going under, what I don’t see is those same people turnining up on the beach with brand new kit buying from or supporting their local retailer. I know because I am friendly with the local retailers. I am sure there are a few internet kite shops doing well because people are always hunting the best discount.
Thanks for contributing to the discussion Steve, and good to hear things are bopping along nicely at your local mate.
This is an opinion for debate that I have formed after travelling the world with kitesurfing for the last eight years, working with brands and in the print media, not a parochial perspective dreamed up after a few pints down the local pub. I get to speak to a lot of brand leaders, designer, pro riders, retailers, distributors, association leaders and so on and I won’t say for one second that everyone is saying the same thing, but this year I’ve notice a couple of emerging trends.
1. The kitesurf industry in Europe is in contraction. This is along with the surf industry in Europe.
2. The endurance sports industry is booming and encouraging a lot of people to take part competitively in events.
Now by contrast to point 2, the BKSA tour this year has / is struggling for competitors like never before. The domestic tour of Germany (which dwarfs our tour) has shown a decline in numbers and sponsorship over previous years, so I found out when I attended the first stop in June.
I’m not looking to condemn kitesurfing to the waste bin (it’s how I’ve been making my living for the last eight years, I wouldn’t mind another eight years more, at least!) but I want to get people thinking and talking about ways to keep it moving forward. Everyone will have their own ideas, but I would like to explore ways of bringing a part of kitesurfing close to endurance sports. I think it would be exciting. It would get more people into the sport, we could have bigger, more engaging events, we could have a busier competition schedule that appeals to the competitive element in the youth.
Hi Dom,
At my local beaches the numbers seem to be remaining high or building with more ex windsurfers like myself transitioning. However I suspect that if you are not right now you soon will be as I expect to see the sport follow windsurfings decline in numbers.
A lot of sailors like myself travel 1.5 to 2.5 hours each way to get to a beach that means evening sailing is out of the question and limits sailing to one day a week at best on average. Take the cost of fuel, parking – £12 at Avon beach last weekend and the costs are high when you add in some kit sread over very few uses per year. All the kit is advertised as great at everything and the limited number of reviews tell me how good or not the kite loops are and unhooked manouvers – not a lot of that is going on at the beaches I normally use so most average sailors are left in the dark on kit yet despite the overcrowded manufacturing side of kiting and too many shops in all probability I do not see these guys actually promoting sales. without cutting short a rare sailing session getting demo kit is impossable for me and not something that seems to be offered to non regulars but why would I go to the shop? It seems I have to spend thousands to become trusted to get kit yet what do i get if I cannot try it? The only demo event I have attended was whilst on holiday in Cape Town last november which resulted in a new kit purchase. I suspect that manufacturers need to rationalise their number of kites, stop releasing new product every year and they along with shops need to get their van to the beach and start working the crowd offering demos to potential customers. If not dont be suprised If I buy on the internet from home on a mid week evening.
I also cycle – my wife loves it as I always come back happy as if I go – I ride unlike wind sports which are the best but often frustrating.
Adrian
Thanks for your comment Adrian, you cover a lot of good points there.
That’s interesting to hear about the demo dilema – who do riders get try new kit? One idea that was floated around last season was for a few brands to get together to organise demo shows, more brands means more people turning up as it’s more interesting.
I think you are right, it’s time for more people in the industry to hit the beaches again. Time was that you’d often see demos down at local beaches from the kite shops.
Hey Dom, all,
interesting reading material! Dom, on your observation of less kiters and less business, I guess your just right, indeed the big question here is why.
If the fluctuation is within +/-10%, it could easily be that factors outside of the actual sport/industry play a role. How about worldwide recession? People will look tighter to both purchasing gear and the costs of getting near the beach. For those riders who ride once a month, when they’re happy with their gear why would they change it? I’m saying factors like gas/parking/gear/time with some added lack of wind could tip the balance of numbers of kiters out and gear sales without really changing much in the way the sport is being perceived.
BTW, I’m by no means arguing that kiting is an expensive sport, any other vessel you’ll see costs way more that our equipment. I know what goes in to making a kite plus control system and the margins made by brands aren’t spectacular, probably barely enough to survive on for most brands.
I do see the kite surf industry struggle with this crazy number of brands (I keep hearing 70?), all trying to release an average 2-3 models each year. Given the size of the market and its growth, that can’t be sustained for long.
The course racing market will need to grow though, just to supply all the new national course race teams alone will give the industry a tremendous boost. Pretty exiting! Light wind kiteboarding with the added windsurf converts will certainly boost the market, I’m very curious to see what it will look like 2 years from now.
Alot of good points raised in some of the comments left, i personally am one of those people who only tends to buy second hand or last years gear purely for the fact that i cannot afford to spend thousands on new gear each year, this doesnt help the situation of the kiting industry because im not alone, for sale sections are always booming on the forums. The no wind/crap weather is down to dedication and diversification. I live bang smack in the Midlands so going to the beach is costly in itself, but i take my mates and share the costs. This year i have made a bigger effort to go kitesurfing more because i enjoyed it so much last year. I land board with my kites to which means i get out way more than just being a kitesurfer, makes sense to me. With competitions i feel that that are not accessible and affordable to the intermediate level kiter, if you cant do a x/y/z/ handle pass or a mega loop there’s no fun or benefit to entering.If i was buying new kite and money was no object i wouldn’t know were to start, so many brands and kites/boards that do different things. I can imagine being a complete newbie and having to decide what kit to buy. Any just my rambling thoughts.
Interesting topic.
Not sure if this is the reason, but worth to give it a thought:
Are the industry and media showing what kitesurfing is about and why it is special?
All I see is movements towards other sports, like wakeboarding, surfing, sailing…while we loose our identity as being unique.
Plus we show all hardcore and more or less how dangerous the sport is.
Course race and wave are already showing less hardcore…but who wants such a huge board and who has those amazing waves, which can be very dangerous too?
While there is the awesome thing we have…the flying…why not put more attention on this?
Since I am still doing why I started the sport, I progressed a lot, without injuries…this by avoiding strong winds, taking a bigger (and slower!) kite, my risk of getting injured is very limited.
No more big kiteloops etc, which destroyed several friends knees…
And since I am filming the http://www.airstyle.tv DVD, I got soooo much positive feedback, that something is really missing in the sport…it lacks inspiration.
And those 30+ riders spend the most money and are the biggest group in kitesurfing…why scare them away by telling them to do something that will hurt them.
No, attract, motivate and inspire them! But this won’t work with a youngster saying hooked tricks are not cool, and you need a fast 9m kite and go megalooping.
And the same the industry and media have to do!
But, not sure if this is the reason, recession could be a cause, as many other things. For sure it is worth thinking about it!
Cheers!
Toby
PS:
and who things competitions these days with their formats attract anyone into the sport? Course Racing? Freestyle? not really.
Wave maybe…but their locations are too remote.
In Germany a lot of riders who started the sport early rather complain that the beaches get more and more crowded. However, I believe it will always be a niche and will never get as big as endurance sports. Kitesurfing just asks for a lot more skills and commitment because of the weather issue. If kitesurfing gets to the point where windsurfing is today that’s fine. Mature equipment which if you do not want the latest model you can get at affordable prices.
IDK Toby, Flying or wing sports are absolutely tiny in comparison to board sports the world over. IF you want growth you market to those already huge and well established markets. With a kite your getting both surfers and wakeboarders out in conditions that are not suitable to their primary sports anyway. Your also making it accessible to all those who cant afford a boat, or plane tickets to wave locations around the equator. The achilles heel is the unpredictability of the wind, but if your marketing it as a crossover for those with windless sports already honed, its a no brainer. I personally see more kites out every year. The die off in retailers is pretty normal as seen in other sports when they first arrive on the scene. There is an initial explosion of schools and retailers that will eventually see some attrition and things level out. Not everywhere is suitable or consistent enough to run a school. The cost of gear is high, but how much is a decent road bike these days. You can easily spend more on bikes than kites. Even my dream quiver would come in under 5K and thats clothing, boards and all.
Dying… not yet. Not the latest fad… hopefully. Maturing…. slowly.
P.S. Airstyle died years ago. It definitely aint the future!