Kiter.com:
What inspired you to start kiteboarding, and when was that?
Peter Trow:
In 97 I a friend on Maui was telling me how much fun they were having with kites on the light wind days. At the time I was windsurfing and having to travel hours up the coast for an afternoon of decent conditions. I was tired of driving. In Santa Barbara there is almost always a nice sea breeze but just not enough for any real excitement on a sailboard. I figured kiting would be a great sport for the local conditions. I was right.
How did you pick Santa Barbara, California as your home base and how long have you been there?
I moved down from the bay area to go to school at UCSB in 1987. After graduating I moved around a bit but always ended up coming back to SB. For me there’s no nicer place to live, it’s beautiful, there’s plenty to do, great surf and good people. So I’ve been living here now for 15 years and love it.
How often does it get windy enough at C-Street during the season to have a solid kite session?
The most consistent wind is in the summer but it’s pretty good year round. In summer we should get around 4 or 5 days a week of solid wind but unfortunately this summer has been a bit weak. We’re all hoping for a better winter. In winter there aren’t as many days but the conditions are much more extreme, bigger surf and stronger wind.
Are you still riding foil kites? Do you ever see yourself moving to an inflatable kite?
I still like my foils but I’ve been riding the new Flexifoil Storm (inflatable) a lot lately too. Both kites have advantages in different conditions so it’s great having the option. I’ll never stop using a foil for wave riding in small to medium sized surf. For me there’s no other kite that has enough consistent power to hit the lip hard. For bigger waves I’ve been on the Storm because it’s more about carving and staying in control so being able to de-power the kite is key.
Will we always have both kites due to rider preference or will one type of kite end up being the standard?
I think the inflatable arch type kites are already the standard, however, there will probably always be a few nuts like me who will stick to foils. Just a few…
What about for snowkiting, are foils easier to deal with?
Why pump up a kite when you don’t have to? Foils are definitely easier to deal with in the snow.
Are you mostly riding directional boards and when do you ride twin-tip or wake-style boards?
I’m a directional guy. I’ve been riding a little lunch tray on flat days just to screw around on but when the surf comes up and the conditions get good I’ll always be riding my directional. I’ve tried other boards for wave riding but nothing else seems to give me enough drive through turns as a directional does.
How would you describe your
riding style? Style, maybe I have no style. If I do I know it’s different and doesn’t fit in with standard kiteboarding. I just like waves and like to hit them as hard as I can. Using foils and directional boards allow me to do just that. So I guess I would if I have a style it would be some sort of aggressive surf style and definitely different from the norm.
What was your favorite contest in 2002?
Waddell, because I got to sit on the watch. I was injured most of 2002 with a major brake of my left foot and bad knee so I missed every contest. Had surgery on the knee and the foot has finally healed so now I’m off the couch and back at it.
Tell us about Trow Vision and how you decided to start the company?
When I was windsurfing I injured my knee (ACL) and had to take a long time off. To kill the time I bought a video camera and started filming my friends. I ended up having enough good footage to produce a video. I moved into Brian Caserio’s house, he had an Avid editing system, learned how to edit and released my first video called Chapped. With the income from Chapped I started Trow Vision Productions, bought some editing equipment (Media 100) and started filming and editing full time.
Where did you get your
background in Cinematography and filmmaking? Just from hands on experience and a few tips from friends along the way.
What videos has Trow Vision produced that your kiteboarding colleagues would know about?
I recently finished Strung Out my first kiteboarding video. It was my project while I was injured, unfortunately, that’s how a lot of my stuff gets done. Before that I helped Brian Caserio with Air Sickness and have produced and edited a number of surfing and sailboarding videos.
Does Trow Vision get involved in providing web content?
Sure, what do you need?
What projects are you working on right now?
I’m starting a project that is totally unrelated to action sports. That’s actually how most of my bills get paid, action videos are more of a hobby. Also now that I’m pretty much healed I’ve been kiting as much as possible so it’s hard to sit behind the camera and watch.
Chuck Patterson said that you are the instigator when it comes to doing practical jokes on other kiters. Any good ones you want to tell us about?
I’m very talented at instigating an instigator, making suggestions on what other people can do to our friends. That way I can usually stay out of trouble yet enjoy a good joke. Most of the jokes have to do with putting things in our friend’s bindings. This is a really bad one but just the other day there was a used condom on the ground in the Ledbetter beach parking lot, I convinced Corky to pick it up with a stick and put it in one of our friend Steve’s bindings. He had no idea and rode for three hours with his foot cushioned on a nice used condom. In fact he never found out, it’s probably still in there. Sorry Steve…
Are you involved in any kiteboarding schools?
This past summer Chuck Patterson and I did a wave riding clinic down in Baja. It was fun but I really suck at teaching. I’m going to stick to just riding from now on and leave the instruction to someone more qualified.
How has the sport changed since you started?
There’s a lot more people doing it. I had C-Street in Ventura all to myself for two years, now there’s 20+ kites on the water. It’s been fun watching the sport grow.
What are your best contest results so far?
I haven’t really done that many contest but I’ve hung in there on the ones I’ve been in. 1st at Waddell 2000, 2nd Cabo Verde Pro Tour 2001, 5th Gorge Games 2001.
What is the Next Big Thing in Kiteboarding?
Probably using the kite more during tricks and wave riding. Working on kite control and being able to loop the kite as part of a maneuver and to gain more power through turns. A lot of riders are already starting to get in to it. I think that’s going to open up a whole new set of maneuvers you can do while kiting.
Thanks for the interview Peter. Any final words?
Thank you. Final words? Be safe, have fun and don’t be a dick. The sports to small for a bunch of attitude. Can’t we all just get along?
