KLB Open Event – report by Kris Beech

On the 2nd-4th of October the 5th edition of the KLB Open was held at the Tempelhof airfield in Berlin, Germany. This was the second round of the Kite Land Board/Buggy Tour (KLBB).

Traditionally this event is the biggest land kiting event of the year, with lots of kite brands, bringing stalls to show off their new products, meaning there was lots of kit to demo. Other stands include food and gadgets, so there is something for everyone to enjoy. You can certainly see why this event gets a huge amount of visitors. Another bonus is that Tempelhof airfield is so close to the city, which means more people come and explore to see what power kiting is all about.

This is why every year the best riders from all over Europe make their way down to the great city of Berlin, eager to show what the sport is all about. The UK crew are Ash Garwood, Lewis Wilby, Aj Philipson, Will Rose and myself.   We made our way to Berlin hoping for some epic kiting. Unfortunately the wind conditions where very light at this event, not what we had hoped for.

Even so, it was great to catch up with all the riders and enjoy this big event.

Finally on the last day there, the freestyle competition was on, but the wind was less than perfect being under 10mph. Luckily the riders where able to improvise and put on a good show for the crowd. In the final heats the wind picked up and Lewis Wilby went on to take the win. I have to say the level of riding was at its highest for the conditions, especially in the final it was good to watch Lolo (Laurent Guyot) and Lewis Wilby battle it out.

I have to say if you are thinking of going to any land kiting event this is the one to go to! No matter your level of riding, you can go free riding or enter the competition, no pressure. There is land board racing as well as freestyle if you want to get involved, but If you don’t fancy that, then just chill out and enjoy some beer while you watch the show. Berlin is easy to get to with just over one hour flying time from the UK. So if you would like a short kiting break with a good bit of site seeing, then this is the place for you to visit.