S2AS - News
Wednesday, 27 April 2011
KiteSurf Equipment Hire At S2AS
Hire a Kitesurfing Kite, Hire A Kitesurfing Board or Hire all the Kite surf Kit At Great rates.
All of our equipment is meticulously maintained and Safety Inspected before it Gets into your Hands. Before you go one of our experienced team will happily walk you through all of the aspects of the kit you are hiring. Leaving you to focus on just the Riding.
So whether You Travel Light Or haven't Got round to getting your own equipment, Make S2AS your Summer Equipment Provider
Call To book now
Poole Store: 01202 738448
Kent Store: 01303 268269
Brightown Store: 01273 746 836
Friday, 22 April 2011
HURLEY HITS S2AS
Just In time For Summer Hurley Apparel has Rolled Up At S2AS So we now have the best Theads on the beach From the Hurley Highway Boardshort and Metric Boardshorts through to the classic Hurley one and only range We have You Covered, Pop in Try it on and Hit the beach!
KARVSTIKS ARE IN
BOSCOMBE SURF REEF, ITS OVER
Boscombe Surf Reef: Don’t dream, it’s over.
Those close to the dream of the artificial surf reef in Boscombe are preparing themselves for the latest developments in the controversial project – Boscombe Surf Reef is now closed.
Completed in November 2009 at a cost of £3.2million to Bournemouth Council, the artificial reef, a product of New Zealand based company ASR, was supposed to bring quality reef break surf to the area just east of Boscombe Pier. However it was closed in March due to health and safety concerns.
Health and safety in surfing? Well, the fact is that the council provided this leisure facility, and thusly it’s their nuts on the chopping block if someone dies out there, just like if a climbing frame collapses in a public park. The problems arose when the sand bags shifted, creating dangerous gaps and gullies that could potentially snare someone. Add to that the degradation of the large sacks that create the reef – loose bits of material just perfect for snagging a poor water user, and you get the picture – the reef is turning into an underwater garden of death.
ASR is said to be returning after an independent expert found the £3million reef was only meeting only four out of 11 performance targets, and clearly none of those were wave quality. Bournemouth council is holding onto a final £150,000 retainer until ASR begins the remedial work. It will pay ASR £55,000 on completion of “all necessary work” with the remaining £95,000 paid if the work is a success. An ASR spokesman said: “We currently plan to start the beginning stage of refinement work this spring/summer.”
Anyone with a basic grasp of swell dynamics knew (and expressed quite vocally), just plonking a reef in the sea won’t bring powerful set waves if all around is just dribbling mush. Unfortunately, the sales team at ASR were obviously quite effective and the council bought the idea. Fair play to Bournemouth Council though, they believed they were doing the right thing, and how many other councils around the UK would spend £3million on the local surfing population?
One clear positive that has come out of the reef is that the Boscombe sea front has undergone a radical redevelopment. Where once there was naught but crack-heads and graffiti, there are now bistros, surf shops, pretty girls walking small dogs, and luxury apartments, all positioned to capitalise on the influx of international surfers and competitions that the reef would bring.
ASR have a miserable track record with their artificial reef projects, the Opunake Surf Reef in New Zealand has been dubbed a ‘costly mistake’ and the trust behind that reef are even having trouble contacting ASR.
It’s time for ASR to stop peddling these dreams to naive but well intentioned councils around the world, and to start making serious gestures of atonement for the lies and false hopes that they’ve sold everyone from the local surfer, local businesses, property developers and councils.
Here at Surface to Air the South Coast Surf dream is not dead and we still scour the Uk for the perfect Break, Finding Waves Locally is Half the fun so don't let it get you down,come and check out our new ranges of surfboards and all the 2011 season kitesurf and wakeboard goodies for when there's just no swell.
Thursday, 21 April 2011
Juice Evolution Kiteboards At S2AS
I managed to get the Juice Evolution out in some pretty sweet waves down at Winchelsea Sands in East Sussex. It was a gusty but weak cross-shore wind, so I was up on a 13m. It was a wicked session, I didn’t break any new ground as far as tricks but I loved the pop off the waves on the Juice Evolution Kiteboard. The immediate characteristic of the Juice Evolution kitesurf board is its ability to effortlessly cruise through the chop, its forgiving tendencies make the best out of the tough conditions.
My first impression of the Evolution was its size, it was a 132 x 42 and for my size it felt massive (but given the light conditions this board really facilitated some easy riding). Once I was out on the water I felt pretty dwarfed by the board. Its size did make cruising around and staying up wind a piece of cake, but it meant my agility was pretty restricted.
So I can easily say to get the most out of this board, choose your ride carefully, there are three different sizes to choose from, each offering different flex for different sizes of rider. However, from what I could tell this board is ideal for progression whether you're a beginner or intermediate rider. Also, this board made ride toe side effortlessly simple. If you ride in choppy conditions on a regular basis then this board is a winner. The Juice popped off the waves with excitement and it’s a pretty soft board, which means soft landings!
As far as pads go if you get them on the right stance they are pretty good, I was riding in booties and they felt pretty snug. If you like busting out big tricks I would probably recommend getting the Pro pads for extra grip.
As far a looks go, the Juice's funky graphics, contoured surface & matte finished base deliver an eye-catching board with an exclusive appeal.
Would I recommend this board? Definitely. This board is wicked and incredible value. If you are into freestyle I would definitely suggest you get the pro bindings and for anyone just wanting a super easy to use ride then this board has your name on it.
Basically, the Evolution Kite board will get nearly anyone up and riding. Its super low price also makes this a gem!
If you’re looking for something with a bit more kick, more fun then I’d suggest checking out the Xenon Infra. You get what you pay for, but for the price the Juice is an epic steal!
For more information Call Surface To Air Sports on
01202 738448 Poole S2AS
01303 268269 Kent S2AS
01273 746836 Brighton S2AS
Review By Vanessa Procter S2AS Team Rider
Wednesday, 13 April 2011
Jonathan Slater Joins the ranks at S2AS & BWS
Jonathan Slater has just signed for S2AS to fly the Noise Kite from Ben Wilson
As BWS enters the UK with whats set to be the best wave kite on the market the new Ben Wilson Noise Kite
a little more about Slater below
Name Jonathan Slater
Date of birth 28.07.82
Home Town North Shilds Newcastle
Home Spot Tynemouth Longsands
Favroite Spot Encuentro Dom Rep
Job Indurtrial Radiographer
Years kite surfing 4
Years surfing 5
worst injury 2 ACL reconstructions in right knee
Favroite Food ma bro Mamzys curries and Nandose Chicken
countries Traveled to for kiting and surfing , Spain, Portugal, Holland, Canaries Islands, Costa Rica, Panama, Nicaragua, Dominican Republic, South Africa, Morrocco and Cabo Verde.
I will always greet you with a smile, i love to get up early surf and kite all day , and share a beer with friends in the evenig, throw it all down on the line some times and see what happens.
Friday, 1 April 2011
Wainman 2011 kites info First at S2AS
Picture crystal calm waters, no waves, just flat uninterrupted water, clear blue skies, a ragged off shore wreck and miles of sand. Sounds incredible right? It was, but unfortunately the just above freezing temperatures meant I was quickly brought back to the reality of our great British winter, and the flat water in Pembrey, South Wales, comes with a price – lack of wind. Fortunately my 17m Zephyr sorted me out nicely, so in no time at all I had the kite flying and my Xenon Infra board ready to rock. The perfect 7am start to a Sunday morning.
In the light wind conditions the Infra got up on plane rapidly and with ease. It’s a pretty firm board but the flat conditions meant it was perfectly at home racing across the water holding a strong connection to the surface. When I was out riding I actually got the impression that the Infra wants to be up wind, it was so easy to fly up wind! Especially helpful when the winds feeling lazy.
I was impressed with the bindings. Due to the chilly temperatures I was riding in booties, and the pads gripped beautifully to my feet giving a nice snug and firm bond with the board. You can pop off the water without worrying about your feet sliding out, always a bonus if you’re an all weather rider like me. Landings on the Infra are awesome too; it holds a straight line due to its solid fins, which means super controlled landings.
Ok for anyone like me out there, I’ll get down to the important part – the graphics.
I have to be honest, when I first saw the board I wasn’t too impressed with its black and white appearance. Dull came to mind. But the more time I spend with the Infra and the more conditions I take it out in, the more I love it. If you really are like me, you will like to have your gear coordinated…and when you have a range of kites the chances are you have a range of colours to try and coordinate with. That is where the Xenon scores 10/10!
The simplistic design means no mater what colour kite you’re riding, no matter how crazy your shorts are or what colour you choose to paint your nails the Infra is going to pull off the look with style. It literally goes with everything, no need to worry about colour clashes. So to you guys out there who fail miserably on the female art of colour coordination this board will do all the hard work for you, all you have to worry about is riding as well as it looks!
Basically this board is ideal for racing up and down rocking some freestyle tricks, and doing it in style!
Oh another bonus about this board is that if there’s no wind – it rocks for wake boarding behind a truck down the beach. It’s epic carving ability makes riding right out to the side of the truck in the slightly deeper water a piece of cake! Check out S2AS on Facebook to see the video http://www.facebook.com/pages/Surface-2-Air-Sports/106439092712538 Try this at home!
For anyone who has not had the pleasure to try out the 2011 XENON Infra – you are missing out!
Or for more info Call S2AS on 01303 268269 or 01202 738448
by Vanessa Procter