The Crew
Riders:
Mauricio Abreu
Shannon Best
Jason Slezak
Moehau Goold
Stav Niarchos
Jason Stone
Troy Lawson
Hiro Nakajima
Bucky Ashcraft
Photographer:
Mike Stephen
Videographer
Gregg Gnecco
Sponsors : Flexifoil, Wipika, Airush and REAL
The Big Trip.US was a concept that brought kiteboarders together for a three week trek through some great kiteboarding spots, pioneering some new spots, and partying with new friends in new places along the way.
We spent two weeks on the road traveling from Corpus Christi, Texas along the Gulf coast and the up the east coast to reach our final destination of Hatteras. The Big Trip.US rolled into Cape Hatteras, NC on June 10 to a week of epic conditions! Our convoy consisted of 4 vehicles; two plush RV’s a Mitsubishi Montero courtesy of Thrifty rental cars and an Airush van.
We had some great riding at the Velocity Games in Texas at the beginning of our trip and many unique sessions along the way both on and off the water. The best riding came though when we arrived in Cape Hatteras. Our first day here we had sunny skies and light winds . . . perfect weather for building sliders! The crew set up at REAL’s new waterfront location right at The Slick. Needless to say, with Dare Building Supply across the road, a John Deer tractor in the garage and a healthy list of powertools on hand ready to rip, the big Trip crew was living in a slider building fantasy ! After a solid day of building, the slider park was coming together.
The next five days consisted of solid warm sunny southwest wind! We rode all day, everyday, doing down winders, slider sessions in The Slick, and land gap sessions just having fun! There was even a 1am-4am Friday the 13th moonlit slider session that ranks up there with one of the best sessions I have ever had.
Saturday night, REAL Kiteboarding hosted an outdoor party on their waterfront deck overlooking the slider park in The Slick. Mixed drinks, beer, wine, and barbeque, mixed in a great list of tunes, turned up the action on the back lawn of REAL for a memorable outdoor party!
The summer and the southwest are here in Hatteras and even though the Big Trip has ended for now I’m sure that all of the boys will be back for more! For those interested in riding the Sliders, they’re all still at REAL ready to be deployed on The Slick during the next Triple S Camp!
Look for video and photos of Big Trip.US to appear in mags and videos around the world soon!
Author: Jason Slezak, sponsored by REAL , Flexifoil, 12, Jimmy Lewis, DaKine and Excess.
