I have been going to the Stagnone for at least 10 years and I have lived there for a few years, so as a good local I wanted to tell you about a day that stuck in my memory.
First of all, I start by saying that at the Stagnone the best wind for freestyle is the northerly wind because it is constant and not very strong. Especially in summer it allows you to try any maneuver, what you usually avoid with a 30 kt-speed sirocco wind (maybe you practice some “old school” or freeride).
This day got stuck in my mind because the conditions were perfect, the wind constantly blowing at 20 knots, a super flat water. We were all excited. I equipped my 9-meter and went into the water, I was rigthly powered, just as I expected, and I started to warm up by trying some tricks I was already able to make (E16, raley, back and front roll unhooked, kiteloop unhooked, F16, handlepass surface, etc.), then I moved on to more challenging tricks and I started to face-plant into the water, but that’s the beauty of it …
I tried everything. The guys cried with laughter looking at me crashing here and there, but I was fired up and finally I was able to close the raley to blind. My heart was racing and I couldn’t realise I had succeeded in it. The beauty of this sport is that you never get bored, you always have new motivations and a thousand different things to try at each session. I dare say that the tricks are almost infinite, you can even invent some of them, this is exactly the beauty of freestyle. You are always obsessed with what to try the next time and you can’t wait for the wind to blow, you are always checking the forecast, in short, you can’t even sleep at night.
Aloha Windbuster!