Having been to a lot of events in general, and a lot of kite events – the last few years have not been very inspiring in some ways. Whilst I love them and like catching up with people and meeting new people, there has never been a totally upbeat event. This is especially true of land based events. However – No Barriers changed that for me. There was a good turn out of incredibly enthusiastic kiters. The organisation was good (thats new!) and overall I think everyone was very satisfied with the event.
A little communication with the brands and a focus on getting new people into kiting would have made it great!
On a more personal level – I had a really fun time. The sun was out, there was some wind Saturday, free food for everyone and then a good social that went on till the early hours. I slept like a beast then had a chilled breakfast in the sun (perfect use of the Ozone bean bag again). Sunday saw a little more wind with some guys getting out on the water. To make my weekend go from good to great I got a little kitesurf session in myself too!
This event showed a lot of promise and I think it is going to go big next year!
edit: Here is a report I put together for Board Mag on No Barriers 2013.
Was a cracking weekend had by all . blue skys. a nice handful of wind a perfect location and combination of new and old friends.
cheers auto