Author: Bryan Elkus

Well it looks to be that I am finally going to get a water casing for the 2006 kiteboarding video. I really dont think it would be much a video without this piece of equipment. GLK will be sponsoring this, and it should be on the way relatively soon. I cannot wait to get out there and start shooting with it. It is going to allow me to get much better and different shots than i would beable to being onthe beach or a boat.
I also purchased an extended battery aswell as a wide angle lense for this project. So once I get this casing in all we need to do is ride hard, go huge, land hot and ride away clean.

we’ll see you on the water!

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Originally uploaded by bryan elkus.

The weekend started of with a supply chain exam at 8 in the morning. Got down with that around 9:30 and skated as fast as I could back home. I packed all my gear into the truck and headed on the road. I got to Tawas around 11:30 or so and guess what there was no wind. I mean just dead. So I hung out and did homework on the beach waiting for the wind to pick up, but it didn’t.

Wykoff drove up that night and we crashed at Brian Lefeve’s and got up Saturday around 6am. We headed down to the beach but there was not enough. We went to town and ate a nice breakfast at big boys. After breakfast it was such a nice sunny day, but there was no wind, so what’s there for us to do you ask? Shoot video! We spent the next 2-3 hours hiking and driving around looking for some great shots for the video.

And that we did, we got some terrific shots. We were still shooting in the park and next thing we know Carl, Melissa and carl’s brother were heading twords us. We called the filming quits and headed to the point. We walked the 20 min walk to the point with all our gear to once again find there to be no wind. We wound up walking back from the point a few hours later to grab lunch. It started to get a little stronger so we headed back to the point.

A half hour later we got to the point put up the kites and I rode the 16m and brian’s glide for about 45 min in the ponds totally underpowered but I got to ride. Then around 3:00 I headed home to the WB for my parent’s 25th anniversary party. It was a great time, and good food. It was always good to see everyone. Sundays forecast looked amazing SW@ 15-25 and 96 degrees. So I woke up early and headed back to Tawas. That was my fourth time at the gas pumps this weekend ☹ I figured with this forecast I didn’t get up early enough. But I pulled into the park and you know what there was no wind again.

We hung out at the beach and talk to the 15 kiters that were already down there. I pumped up my 16m, and you know what happened? The leading edge bladder exploded. WOW was I not happy! It turns out that the Velcro at the end of the kite gave out and all the pressure of the bladder blew out the end of the left side of the leading edge. So I have to figure out some way to fix the gaping hole in my bladder. So I still tried to make the best of it, but the wind wasn’t blowing.

The wind turned on instantly around 12:45 and I was able to work the hell out of my 13m on the glide. It consistently picked up and rode 2/3 of the day on the 13 and glide. I got a little time on my SX though. Everyone showed up at Tawas, Kyle of Detroit kitebaording showed up, and Timmy B with his crew and many more. I counted at least 18 kites in the air just to the left of the point. I landed a couple new tricks so I was happy. We rode all day and I stopped around 6:30 to shoot some video. Then we packed up all the gear and headed back home.

Well last night i started and finished logging and capturing all the footage from this weekend. I soon realized that i have almost 3 hours of logged footage from this season already. So, i began to throw together the GLK 2006 movie teaser. I still have loads of work to do on it but its looking good so far. Still need to find some music to use with it and get some more shots but its coming along. I should have a preview up relatively soon.

Everyone start shooting and send the footage my way…

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Originally uploaded by bryan elkus.

Well this weekend was once again terrific. Started the weekend off by going home fri for my mother’s birthday. We hung out at the pool all day and headed to Detroit for dinner. Saturday morning I started the drive up to Tawas. I arrived around 10:30 to see most of the gang getting ready for the beach. I headed down to the beach with Wykoff. We set up my BFK and my new bar and lines. It turned out that the 5th line was about 8 feet too long. So we had to adjust the line but got it figured out. I then spent pretty much the rest of the day REALLY lit on my 16m in the ponds. Sunday we arrived at the beach around 7am. I was out working my kite on the water at 8. It slowly picked up until around 11 when it just started ripping and it was another excellent day for the 12+13m’s. It was great to see everyone again.

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Originally uploaded by bryan elkus.

This is my new 23″ bar. It came today and i cant wait to go ride it this weekend. Thank goodness that my week started on wed and i only have 2 days till i get to go ride. So now i can fly my BFK with more ease and not have to fix the leash everytime i do a spin!!!

The fourth weekend proved to be a good one. Tom, I and the rest of the crew headed up to little point sable on the west side on MI for the long weekend. We got up there on fri and tom squeezed in a little session and we called it a day. My buddy Kyle showed up late that night to ride with us in the morning.

Saturday we woke at 6am that’s right 6 in the morning as in before the sun was up. The wind was blowing; we headed down to the beach and were on the water by 7. I got a small session in on kyles inland surf board and then the wind picked up and tom and I went trick for trick just trying to go big and learn some new tricks. I learned how to spin -almost 3 with half kiteloop. I also learned how to crash even harder than I have before. It was defiantly one of the most progressive days for me. All I could say after that session was who has industrial sized Vicodin for me?, cause wow I was hurting.

Then we went into town to BBQ and chill. Then went to camp at ryans house.

I got to sail a hobbie. That made my day on sun since its been years since my last time on a cat. Mon there was not enough wind again and tue we snuck in a good session south of the point where I threw my biggest air yet shortly followed by a hard crash- first 15′ jump. Then we headed over to silver lake and played on the dunes for a while as the wind died.

On our way home we headed to Grand Rapids for the fireworks. And that made my 21 4th of July a good one.

ryan wykoff teamGLK
Originally uploaded by bryan elkus.

Just finished up a desktop Photoshop Of Ryan Wykoff Kiteboarding. Still need to get some better pictures to but in there but this will work for now. Took about 3 hours to complete(not actually done yet, however). hope you enjoy…

Click here to download for background (1280 x 1024)

Judging based only by the number of pictures taken you know it was a great weekend. I took a whopping 5 pictures. It was defiantly one of the best weekends yet (I know I say this all the time but they really do just keep getting better). So I drove up alone to Tawas on fri morning by myself (tom when home for the weekend). I got up there about 10:30. As I pulled up to the beach I saw a good sign. Rick was already out there riding. I grabbed all my stuff out of the truck and ran down to the beach to pump up my kite. I guess rick and jimbo were riding since 7:00 that morning and it blew till around 6-7pm. It turned out to be a terrific day. I was on my 16 for most of the day and got a couple hours in on the 13. I learned to really jump finally. The hole landing part is still 50-50. Brian Lefeve, jimbo and bob were all throwing HUGE airs to the crowd. And im taking Huge like 25-30+ The wind was really lifty.

I also got to ride my new board I made. I work fantastically until the next day. I have never been on the water for that long riding. Needless to say I was exhausted by the end on the evening. A bunch of us went to the ausable inn for some all you can eat perch which tasted amazing after a whole day of riding. Then crashed for the night Thanx to Haris for letting me crash. Saturday believe it or not turned out to be an even better day. I woke up at 7am to head down to the beach. There was no wind. So I took a little nap in the back of the truck. Tad showed up a little later, then Steve and his wife came (it was great to meet the both of you) then the wind came and so did half the kiters in MI. It was great to see everyone out there having a good time, and meeting all of you I have not meet before. I got in a good 1.5-2 hour session in on my 16.

Then the wind picked up and then I was fully powered on my 13 for the rest of the day. I rode up to the ponds 2 times. They were a blast. Jumping logs and rock piles. Eating it hard a couple times when the water decided to be less then 2 inches deep. But that flat water was a blast. Rick was jumping from the bay side to the pond side. And the word was that he backrolled over the sand bar also. (well have to get it on film to prove it) Ryan Wykoff came later in the day to ride. We rode together for a few hours. We came back downwind after riding in the ponds to see if ryans friend had made it up yet.

The wind was much lighter down where all of our gear was so I opted to grab my new light wind board I made. And I was riding along I hear SNAP! The next thing I know I face plant on to the water swan dive style. After I surfaced I saw the destruction in the water. My new board broken into two I body dragged back to the beach and called it a day. But I really like how it rode and im going to be making version 2 soon! I logged over 70 miles on the water with a max speed of over 20 mph. I drove home to see the family for father’s day. That night went to a bday/graduation party for my long time best friend Besty.
What a weekend!!!

board_design,
originally uploaded by bryan elkus.

hey all just finished my light wind board. I took the basic design that steve martin posted up and threw it up on autoCAD. I played witht he angle of curves and cut out the pattern on our autoCAD table at school. Then i spent a little time on designing the graphics and cut those out also on the cad table layed them down and painted over it. then applied a couple layers of varnish to seal out the water. I’m hoping i dont need to use it this weekend but i really want to try it out. Ill let you all know how it rides. Hopefully its aswell as steve’s rode.

its about 17″ by 59″ made of OAK