Christian Harris

Kitesurfer, Coach and Technique Editor, UK & Portugal

Christian has loved being in water since he was old enough to sink, and from that very early age he always believed that he’d grow up to be a surfer. This proved to be problematic and would be no mean feat for a young boy growing up on a farm in central England, better suited geographically to moto-cross and rugby. Waterskiing and wobbling around on a windsurf in gravel pits was hardly the North Shore, and achieving his dream was not the simplest of progressions. Christian now works with Karine Nativel and together they run CK Performance Clinics, mixing and evolving their subtle blend of coaching experience, teaching knowledge, along with their obvious male/female differences and formidable Anglo-Franco alliance. Together they have become the leading authority on intermediate and advanced kitesurf coaching. Since 2003 they offer their guests a truly unique style and complete method of learning and improving during their clinics at various windy spots throughout the year and around the globe. They have a growing bible of “homework” with over 150 tricks and variations of moves, regularly nudging kiters along with their popular technique articles in www.iksurfmag.com. So if you fancy a full on week of energy, enthusiasm, knowledge, coaching, progression and fun, whilst squeezing in a year’s worth of learning amongst a killer group of motivated people – indulge yourself in one of their unique clinics.

Having spent a huge part of my life in the wind, water and the cold (we can hear some of you laughing at that one) I’ve had more than my share of ear infections and the like. However this summer was a bit of a wake up call, having experienced a blocked ear for a couple of months, a bad infection, a loss of hearing, which was both scary and painful, a change of voice and even less balance than usual!! Surfer’s ear is catching up on me and the discomfort felt during the summer was the motivation I needed to be a bit more serious about my ears and more importantly my hearing. After some research I discovered SURFEARS, and I’ve been using them since. They’re quite unique as they allow you to hear, so perfect for my profession of coaching, and they’re safe whilst on the water as you can hear what’s going on. You can custom size them out of the box, and so far I haven’t lost any during surfing, kite freestyle or even the typical horrendous kite loop wipe-outs. I highly recommend them, they’re comfortable and do the job brilliantly. To be frank, what’s 50€ to protect your hearing???

Other sponsors: Cabrinha kites & NP surf