I've been trying to hook up with Butch for months for a landboard session. Lack of wind at when i was traveling through and the odd broken arm put a stop to that.

Finally on Friday i turned up at foxton to be greated with 20+ knots of cross on wind.

I started of on the 6 access to be safe and busted some speed runs. I was having trouble with axle tramp over the undulations and discovered my trucks where set up abit loose for this beach. axle tramp at 50kph is abit dodgy!

for some silly reason i decided to man up and launch the 10m manta which was stupidly powered.

Butch was hauling arse on a 9m frenzy fyx. I can see why he's an internationally sponsered rider. Theres was all sorts of big air, twists and rotations to buttery smooth landings going on... ooh yeah.

Butch also had a couple of groms with him making the total of landboarders on the beach 4 and the most landboarders I have seen at one time since i started kiting.

Wind had built to about 25knots and gusty. life on the 10 was getting pretty interesting. Butch offered up a 8m manta 3. That 8m manta was in the zone at 25knots.

So we hauled upwind for a few km. The Granny tyres can hold more power and go upwind better that standard tyres. so i had a little bit more pace that Butch on the upwind leg but i as really having trouble holding a line i have no idea how Butch could still be tracking upwind on those little wheels.

The wind had gotten pretty nasty by this stage. Butch screams out lets have a race and peels of down wind and a hundred miles an hour. I should point out that it was only 2 hours till high tide by this stage and there was bugger all hard sand left. the wind was nudgying 30knots and henious gusts/lulls where hauling through. I still have a no crash policy going as the arm is still on the mend so i decided to take it easy on the way back.

I finished off the session by trying to solo land Butch's manta. but at 30 knots even with the safety pulled it didn't stay on ground and was skudding me down wind. I managed to miss the drift wood and had to ditch the kite into the dunes.... I had visions of tearing his brand new 2k+ kite. luckily there was no damage.

Good times, Good times.

I look foward to the next session and hopefully abit more onshore so we can blast some serious distance.

crazy landboarders,awesome dude

twas a sweet wee session. Although i was ridiculously overpowered on the 9fyx it was awesome fun. I had 2 new 2010 Ground Industries Boards there to test for the first time. a Conflict 116 and a Flight 93. Awesome rides i must say although with the windspeed as Plummet said, the Conflict was defo the board of the day. Pulling out a mild mannered 56km/hr haul on the last run down the beach.
My wee groms did me proud in the gnarly conditions.
Lookin forward to the next one allright

the 56kph was nuts. there was almost not hard sand left and the wind was truely nasty by that time....I pulled 51kph earlier in the day when there was some beach width. but it was still dodgy with undulations on the beach and gusty wind.

I'm watching that forecast for maybe a W direction for some onshore action. Hopefully a bit less wind next time maybe 18-20 would be nice.