Michael Schitzhofer, representing Austria in the PKRA

Best Kiteboarding Breeze

mike — Fri, 27 Apr 2012 10:43:35 +0000

Just saw the test of some lightwindboards in the german KITE Magazine. What makes me a bit proud is that our lightwindweapon from BEST the BREEZE got really awesome results and in my opinnion its the winner of the test! It was hard work to test this board as we had to test it in the winter which means my dad and I were riding it in Capetown. Not allways easy to get lightwind there. But in the end it paid off. My father shapes the boards and does the normal testing and I kind of try whats the stuff worth for freestyle and if the construction stays alive after my landings. Over all this board feels very nice. For sure not for the everyday freestyle use but for the allround fun sessions in light winds its the weapon of choice. And believe me you can even throw down some Slim’s and Kgb’s with it!
Check out the test in the mag! KITE Magazine issue 3. May/June 2012

After the comp in Leucate

mike — Mon, 16 Apr 2012 07:36:07 +0000

The competition in Leucate/France is over and I’m allready at home in Austria. It was the 2nd tourstop of the Pkra tour and even tho my result is not the best it was an increasment compared to the result from Morocco. I got a 13th place and had some good heats but also some bad. I really have to get some consistance into my heats and get some routine. But it haven’t been the easiest conditions for competition with very gusty winds and some times really strong wind. I had a heat in which I was lit on my 6! That doesn’t happen to often… On the plus side I have to say that I get better used to the new juding systeme and I did not loose a heat because of miss interpret the way to do a heat this year. Can’t wait for the next tourstop in a bit less then a month from now. It will be held in Holland and it will get crazy there!!!
But before that happens I have some other things on my agenda. In 2 weeks we have the KTE, the Kitetoureurope, at my homespot in Podersdorf at lake Neusiedlersee. That should be big fun!!! After that I go to Portugal for the Best-Kiteboarding fotoshoot. I’m really curios about all the new gear and I will upload some previews as soon as possible!
I also try to keep everybody up to date about my kiting life via my Facebook fanpage. So if you want to get all the informations asap just like my page… http://www.facebook.com/mikeschitzhofer

Disapointing start in my season

mike — Wed, 04 Apr 2012 12:24:43 +0000

After a promising off-season training in Capetown I went fully motivated and confident to the first Pkra tourstop of this season, which was held in Dakhla/Morocco. I went a week in prior there to get used to the conditions and for some training. Everything went smooth and fine till the comp started. I was happy to be pre-seeded and I couldn’t wait for my first heat. I was up against my mate Christophe Tack. I tought I would know whats to do to win a heat in the new judging system (instead of the overall impression like before you have 12 attempts from which the best 7 scored tricks count) but it came different than expected. The wind got stronger and I was way to powered with my 11 so I could not show the tricks I thought about before the heat and so I kind of struggled and didn’t get enough tricks on my sheets. Christophe on the other side had an really good heat and so he kicked my ass. In the double I was up against Jhonno Scholte. I had to go with my 15 because the wind was on the very light side and even with that mashine I could not stay upwind… It was hard for me to show much tricks so I ended up with 6 tricks. Jhonne managed to do 7 and as you get points for those tricks even if you do the better tricks, if your opponend shows one trick more he gets more points. So it came like it had to come and I lost. That sucked big time! In the end the result was an unsatisfying 17th place for me…

Now I have two days in Austria and on Friday I leave already again to go to Leucate/France for the 2nd tourstop. I hope I can perform better there and use the new judging system in my advance and not against me.

Pictures by Toby Bromwich/ Pkra

Prepairing for the first Pkra tourstop

mike — Mon, 19 Mar 2012 14:18:40 +0000

Looks like the off-season is coming to an end… Tomorrow I will leave Austria together with Stefan Spiessberger to go to Dakhla/Morocco for the 1st Pkra Tourstop of the 2012 season which starts on the 28th of March.
We go there a week in advance to check out the conditions and to get used to the spot. The wind can get all possible windforces there and the water will be quite choppy. So its gonna be a tricky competition. Not only for the conditions but also for the start of the new judging system on the tour. We will have a best trick format from now on in which you have 12 attempts to do tricks and only the 7 best scored tricks will count. Lets see how that works but for sure the competitions will get more interessting for spectators cause now you have a live-scoring with points for each trick so it will be easier to understand and follow.

I hope the training over the winter pays off and that I will get into the competition routine fast to improve my ranking and to get good results. I will keep you up to date via my facebook page: http://www.facebook.com/mikeschitzhofer so if you haven’t liked it so far please do so!

Here is a picture from the last years comp in Dakhla…

A session from Gisela Pulido and myself in Capetown

mike — Tue, 28 Feb 2012 21:09:30 +0000

And here comes anotherone… A sick video about a sunrise-session of my new teammate and worldchampion Gisela Pulido and myself. The scenes have been taken at a epic secret-spot here in Capetown. Shot and edited by Kim Albrecht.

New video from Capetown!

mike — Tue, 28 Feb 2012 09:43:03 +0000

Two days ago Stefan Spiessberger and myself went to Langebaan for a flatwater-session. We got Christophe Tack with us who was nice enough to film us whilst our training. The session turned out to be a good one and so was the footage we have got. We edited the stuff in one night and it got a funny video.

Watch and enjoy!!!!

The training continues…

mike — Mon, 06 Feb 2012 15:02:44 +0000

After almost 2 month in Capetown it would actually be time to go home now… But Austria is like a huge freezer in the moment and the life here at the cape is way to good to leave that place so my travelmate Stefan Spiessberger and myself decided to extend our stay till beginning of March to continue the training for the upcoming season… Looks like its gonna be a busy one with 11 tourstops on the Pkra tour and a start in middle of March and the final stop in middle of December!!!
But for now its all about using the off-season time right and find a good balance between the training and the pleasure. Actually a very blurry line in this job!

Capetooooown

mike — Sun, 15 Jan 2012 16:25:37 +0000

Ups that took me quiet long with an update! But here it is…

First of all…. Happy New Year to everybody…

Like every winter I spend my time for training in Capetown/Southafrica. Like every year its just amazing to be here, to kite, to train and to enjoy live! I’m here since 5 weeks allready and we had so many incredible sessions. With me on the way are Stefan Spiessberger, Mario Rodwald, Christophe Tack and a bunch of other guys. Its pushing a lot to be on the water with those guys and the training works quiet well!

I will be down here till mid of February or so and I hope we also manage to edit a nice video from the action…

Next week the Pkra tourplan should come online. Can’t wait to see where it might take us.

Lets hope for a good and windy season!!!!!

New video from my homespot in Austria

mike — Mon, 14 Nov 2011 13:12:37 +0000

This fall my friend Daniel and myself decided to film one of our sessions at the lake Neusiedlersee. It was freecing with temperatures below 10 degrees Celcius but the light and the scenery was amazing.

Watch and enjoy!

My teamridervideo from Best-Kiteboarding

mike — Sun, 16 Oct 2011 16:33:48 +0000

Watch this video about myself edited by Best-Kiteboarding!!!!

New video

mike — Mon, 26 Sep 2011 12:26:09 +0000

After the competition in Brazil I had some time for training. Nils Wesch could film some parts of that and edited a great video. We shot the whole thing in one session. The conditions have been great even for the 7 meter GP which I’m riding in the video.

This weekend we had the Austrian Championship. The weather was beautiful the event setup was great… only the wind kept missing. On the last day we got at least something and ran an expression session. I could wind that one which makes me quite happy!

Pkra Brazil

mike — Tue, 20 Sep 2011 18:44:41 +0000

The Pkra tourstop in Brazil is over. It took place at a small rivermouth in a little fishertown called Barra do Cunhau. The spot is very nice with lots of flat water so it wasn’t hard to believe that the level was really high in the comp! The local riders also didn’t make it easier so I was allready happy to survive the trials and get into the mainevent. In the singleelemination my first heat was against the Brazilien champion Madson. The guy ripped and kicked my ass so I had to try it again in the doubles. My first opponent was Kevin Langeree. I knew that I would have to give everything and so I did. I had one of my best heats ever and landed some very difficult powered tricks. My final trick was a clean landed Blind Judge 5… In the second round i faced Reno Romeo. I had a good heat again but not as good as the on before. I lost in a close desicion and had to take the 13th place. After the comp I used the time to train and to take some videoshots. The video is allready done and it will be uploaded as soon as I’m at home. Internet is way to slow here.
So tomorrow I will start the trip to get home and on the weekend there is the next competition waiting. The Austrian Championship. Can’t wait for that all tho the forecast looks really bad for the wind…