LEO
Your go-to Naish setup:
Freestyle go-to: Naish Torch 12/14m, Torque 3-bar 50cm, Traverse EJ Pro 144cm.
Big Air go-to: Naish Pivot NVision 8m, Torque 3-bar 55cm, Drive 138cm, Apex bindings.
Why you love it for your discipline (Freestyle): I love this setup because it's fully optimised for freestyle. The Naish Torch is a true freestyle machine and has been around for decades. The classic five-strut C-shape generates an explosive pop, followed by plenty of slack to do your rotations with ease. It's also very stable and reliable when riding both hooked and unhooked. The Traverse EJ Pro is a heavier wakestyle board, but the 144cm is perfect for my size and it excels at absorbing hard landings. It has a nice, playful feel on the water, especially when riding finless, although I usually ride it with the 2.8cm fins that are exclusive to this model. They aren't too big, which is nice, as you don't want to feel too locked in the way you would for big air. They still provide plenty of grip for explosive pops but give you enough movement to balance and correct your angle on landings.
Your favourite spot to session: It's hard to pick one favourite, as I've been lucky enough to travel to plenty of world-renowned locations. In terms of conditions, I'd have to put Drepano, Greece as my favourite. It's unbeatable when it comes to wind for freestyle: extremely smooth with little to no gusts, consistent, and generally 17-22 knots, which is ideally what we're chasing. The fact that it often switches direction from morning to evening is also great, because you can kite both sides of the lighthouse/spit and have perfect flat water for both left- and right-foot tricks. The only downside is that the spot can get busy with five or more kiters.
It would also be rude not to mention Taiba, Brazil as one of my top spots. I've been consistently returning there for the past five years, which says something! The spot is so great thanks to ideal, consistent freestyle trade winds, flat lagoons, nice warm sunny weather, and being able to train alongside so many of my international kiteboarding friends and top-level athletes!
Your closest Naish shop or dealer: My closest kite shop and Naish dealer would have to be Briskites. Jason, the owner, has been in the kite industry for decades and is super knowledgeable about all things kiteboarding! He's also a longtime supporter of mine and helped me get onto my first Naish kites more than 10 years ago!
ALEX
Your go-to Naish setup: I don't really have one go-to, because I like to make the most of what's on offer for the day. But if I'm foiling, my go-to is probably the 744 Excalibur and S140 rear. Kite foiling, it's the Boxer 5m. If I'm kitesurfing, my go-to is the Hunt 10 and Fish 5'5. If I'm on a twin-tip, it's the Torch 12m and 152 EJ Pro with boots.
Why you love it for your discipline: These are the products that best fit my size and weight, and the ones I like the feeling of best.
Your favourite spot to session: Ballina, NSW.
Your closest Naish shop or dealer: The closest Naish dealers and shops are all on the Gold Coast. Several carry Naish product and can help you out depending on what you're after. Some specialise more in SUP or foil, while others carry more wing or kitesurfing product, so it depends which products you want as to which shop I'd recommend checking first. I'd check out JB at Aroona Surf for all your gear needs.
KOA
Your go-to Naish setup: Naish 600 Siren with a 135 stabilizer.
Why you love it for your discipline: I really like this foil because it has a lot of lift and pop. For jumps, the extra pop helps me learn and land new tricks. In the waves, it handles really well. It's very maneuverable and responsive, and overall it just feels great.
Your favourite spot to session: Ho'okipa, Maui.
Your closest Naish shop or dealer: Head to Naish.com to order any product you'd like :)
