And in the past 18 months, it has exploded. “Two years ago in Maui, we were giving kites away,” says Karen Baxter, president of equipment distributor Sky Hi USA. Some of the freebies landed in the hands of a few world-class windsurfers, who gave the sport a shot and posted photos on their Web sites. Interest spread rapidly; last year Sky Hi alone sold 2,000 kites.
It helps that kiteboarding is so easy to learn. And you can do it anywhere–from the beaches of Maui to a lake in Kansas. All you need is water and wind. And some serious cash. The kites: $600. The boards: $500-plus. The thrill of floating silently over the ocean: priceless.
