We have a little surprise for you thanks to our friends at Liquid Force. Yes we will be talking to the CEO of Liquid Force Kite Europe, Michael Juhl about thoughts and direction of the industry at the moment regarding the rise of kite surf specific equipment and specifically boots for the girls.
However when you make to the end of the short interview we have a been given the fantastic opportunity to offer you the chance to win a pair of Liquid Force Melissa Boots!!
Yes, we are serious, we have a brand spanking new pair of what we consider to be the hottest girl specific girls boots available at the moment.
Now back to the interview. When we spoke to Liquid Force we wanted to know primarily when they were going to start making kite specific boots for girls, but first we need to step back a moment and find out what led them to start developing kite specific boots for the boys in the first place?
MJ: As a smart man once said – see a demand, supply a demand!
We are boots, among other things, that is what we do all day long, we actually hold the patent for boots and pads made in one piece.
So it was the demand and the progress of getting kites with more grunt and power that led us in the direction.
A lot of the team that has been through the hands of LF Kite have pushed riding with bindings for more than a decade! Mauricio Abreu, Jason Slezak, Brandon Sheid, Greg Cunningham, James Boulding, and Frenchman Alex Campet even Lou Waimann – they all have been on the LF team riding boots, and loved the feeling. So to follow that direction was simply going with the demand of our riders.
To make kite specific boots is not that hard, these days we see a lot of crossover, a lot of the tricks are the same, and even the names are the same – for us to acknowledge this and make what we know, was a slam dunk!
You have to realise that what boots do is to fix you to your board, thereby giving you the possibility to engage with more power. The style has carried over to freestyle as you see more and more “wake” style move in the PKRA, and you see more freestylers going for boots.
KSm: What are the major differences between the kite and wake boots in terms of technical specifications?
MJ: Well to be quite honest, it’s really not that huge a difference at the end of the day. Wakeboarders these days, especially the cable wakeboarders and kiteboarders want the same thing, they want a stiff binding around your ankle – for support!!! It also has to flex in the riding direction, for more control.
Regardless if you hit kickers, sliders, waves, you want the board to stay on your feet and to have the ultimate control.
So given those demands, we took what we had in the wake line and changed it to fit the kite world. At the start it was a different stance on the mount holes – later on it evolved to meet the image of the kite division and the annual line.
All along we wanted to meet the demand with the best bindings possible, having a department doing only that, it was quite easy, we chose what we felt was the best, and made it our own!
KSm: Do you plan on releasing any kite boots just for the girls?
MJ: Well yes we do everything for girls – if it wasn’t for the sun the world would rotate around women – no just kidding! If the demand is there we will.
We have tried to have the smallest size we make in the bindings we have, but womens feet are slimmer and lower so we need to pull in a specific mould just for that – if we can sell it and the women want it, we will.
The flip side is that women are picky, they know 100% what they want in terms of colour, looks and style – it’s not so much about fit, and performance – so here we have one more variable to think about than for the mens boots. When the time is right we will do it. Until then send a mail to the kite department and we’ll guide you towards best possible choice with the lines we have in Kite and Wake. If Liquid Force does not have the right boot for you, no one does, period!
KSm: Do you ever see the Kite market catching up to and even overtaking the Wake market?
MJ: Kite is smaller than Wake, regardless of where in the world! So to compare this would be looking at David and Goliath (but as you know David won!). Will the female kite market outgrow the wake girls, I doubt it. I’d love to say yes – but let’s face it, the girls into kiteboarding are way less then girls into wakeboarding.
I understand why, kiting is a lot of gear (toys are a mans thing) they have to go out when the weather isn’t that great, the opposite to wake which you can do at any time as well as when the sky is blue, and the sun is out!
Time will tell – we hope a lot of girls will go for bindings – we’ll listen to them, and make them the best binding ever! Just tell us – at LF we love girls!!!
We at KiteSista know better, girls do not wait. We want it all and we want it now! More than that, we have the power to change things. So we have an idea, lets not wait for Liquid Force to decide to change the market, lets let them know that now is the time and tell them what we want.
So, …we told you that we have a beautiful pair of Liquid Force Melissa boots to give away, and we do, but we want something from you in return. To enter the competition please tell us (and Liquid Force) what you want from a kite specific boot for girls, and you know what we are going to do, …everything in our power to get them to make it. Yes, we are serious.
The competition is now closed.
The winner will be selected at random from all entries. We are going to leave this competition open for a month as it is really important to get as much research information as possible so please tell your friends about, have your say, and then together we can help advance the industry and make something special.
