HQ Powerkites World Tour stop - OBX

Beautiful weather welcomed the HQ Powerkites World Tour to the Outer Banks (OBX).

Our destination on Saturday was the cashmere sands of Jockey’s Ridge State Park in Nags Head, North Carolina.

Jockey’s Ridge is like a dream. Atop the 100 foot (30 m) dunes are spectacular views of the Atlantic Ocean and Albemarle Sound waters with clean winds from any direction. Best of all there is plenty of soft and forgiving sand for jumping, scudding, kite flying and hang gliding. Between the dunes are small, hard-packed areas that can be ridden with a buggy. However, Craig Young demonstrated how a buggy with standard wheels and a large kite could roll right over dunes. Warm temperatures, sunny skies and winds of 15 mph+ made for a fun filled day. The entire HQ Powerkite range was available for trial and the HQ Team USA staff (Tim Baxmeyer, Melanie Pargmann & myself) was on hand to offer free lessons and guidance. New friends were made and that evening we retreated to a local tavern for a BBQ deck party and views of the sunset over the water.On Sunday, the tour headed 30 miles (50 km) south to Waves, North Carolina on Hatteras Island. Chris Moore and his fine staff hosted the day’s events at the new Kitty Hawk Kites flagship store and kiteboarding resort, which featured lots of action with the NEO and Hydra water relaunchable kites. Many kite boarders gave the NEO a trial. Some beginners used the 8m NEO for their first body drags. A line of novices gathered in the water to use Hydra trainers for their introduction to the sport. There is nothing like getting pulled head first into the water for the very first time! Again, Mother Nature smiled and provided us with southwest winds of 15-20 mph, sunny skies and warm 61 F (16 C) water temperatures.

It is a good feeling when you wake on Monday with sore muscles. The Outer Banks is kiting Nirvana and we long to return for another session.