For those that don’t know, what’s your story so far?
I started as a skater living in the city. My dad got me into kiting at a really young age (10 years old), but it wasn’t until I was 16 that I moved from the city center of Buenos Aires to San Isidro, the closest kite spot, that I really started putting in the time. Over the years, I achieved a few titles, became the Argentine Kite Champion, and won a few other events, but all on a national level.
By the time I finished high school, I had gotten a deal with Liquid Force International (RIP) and had started traveling a bit more. In 2015, I went on a road trip with my sister and dad to Hood River, where I met a lot of riders. I rode a kite park for the first time, and I decided that was something I wanted to pursue. A few months later, Brandon Scheid, Sensi Graves, and Vincent Bergeron came to Argentina for a photoshoot with Mariano and me through Patagonia. That trip unlocked a new skill for me: understanding photoshoots and knowing how to get the shot. Having Brandon and Viny for this was key – they are masters of this game.
Once the trip was over, Brandon pushed me to pursue a professional kite career and to go hard into kite park riding, and that’s what I did. While I was studying at university, I started competing, following the tour to places like the Philippines, the US, and Brazil. Balancing my studies and my passion for kiting was challenging, but it paid off when, two and a half years later, I won my first stop on the world tour. One year later, I was still competing and in the top 5 of the scene, but then Covid struck. No more events, Liquid Force went bankrupt, and I felt like I was left with nothing.
Covid struck hard and affected many people and businesses. Where did you go from there?
My story started with Airush Kiteboarding and AK Durable Supply Co. just after the pandemic hit. It felt like a fresh start. It took me almost no time to get used to their gear. That same year, I made so much progress in freestyle—what I had done in the previous three years, pretty much. I felt super confident traveling around the world, competing, and doing video parts.
Now, I love switching it up. Park and freestyle are still the first things in my heart, but if there are waves, I love going on a surfboard. If it’s nuking, a wing downwinder on open swell is pretty epic too, and if I’m coaching or just feeling a bit sore, a freeride session is always fun.
Recently, I feel all the pieces have come together. It’s been two years since my ACL replacement, and I feel strong. I’m comfortable with my riding and ready to push, but also to have a more creative approach. I want to land a kicker NBD (never been done) in a comp, but I also like the idea of combining disciplines and showing different riding styles that are not that common and may inspire someone.
I’ve been doing this for a long time and I love it, and I think the reason is that I never let it become monotonous. I’m not going out there to train and repeat the same move over and over until I can do it in whatever condition. I go out there to have fun and try new tricks that feel good, not ones that just score good. If that works, great; if not, well, hopefully, at some point it does. But I’m sure the way to win in the big game is to have fun because if not, it’s not sustainable.
That’s why I describe myself as a rider, not an athlete. It’s more about a lifestyle, and a creative approach, not so much about performing.
How did you get into kiteboarding, specifically freestyle and park?
My skateboarding background definitely made park riding super appealing to me. I started kiting at a young age, but when cable parks became trendy in Argentina around 2013, I got hooked. Riding cable parks is very similar to kite park, and I spent a lot of time hitting the features and learning new tricks. The crew at Green Parrot, a cable park and kite club back home, were a huge support and played a key role in my progression.
A pivotal moment was the 2015 road trip to Hood River with my sister and dad, where I rode a kite park for the first time and knew it was what I wanted to pursue. Shortly after, I went on a family trip with my mom and sister to the Philippines, and by coincidence, it was the exact place where the next KPL stop was happening. This experience was the final click I needed. Balancing university with my growing passion, I started competing internationally. The Kite Park League felt like a family and was always very supportive, helping me grow as a rider. Two and a half years later, all the hard work paid off when I won my first stop on the world tour. The mix of skate, cable, and kite park influences has always driven my love for freestyle and park riding.
Can you share a bit about your journey from being a grom to becoming a professional? What motivated you to pursue a career in kiteboarding?
When I was a grom, I never envisioned how far kiteboarding would take me. I always focused on the next step, doing what I loved. Whether it was just as a rider or finding another way, I knew I would make it work—be it behind the camera, owning a kite school, or handling distribution. Funny enough, I’ve ended up doing a bit of everything in this industry. I’m not just a rider; I’m also a content producer, a sales rep, and I organize kite trips with my kite school.
The journey to becoming a professional kiteboarder happened naturally by trusting the process and putting in the work. I was always ready to hustle and make things happen. An office job from 8 am to 6 pm never appealed to me. While studying economics at a prestigious university, most of my peers were heading towards careers in finance. I took a different route, focusing on kiteboarding. I liked being different and following my own path. I always trusted myself and believed that if someone else could achieve something, I could too. That mindset kept me motivated to pursue a career in kiteboarding.
Injuries are the worst nightmare of any athlete. Have you experienced any injuries in your career and how did you overcome it?
Yes, I experienced a significant injury at the end of 2021. It was my last day before returning home after a six-month trip, and I was pushing hard to get some final clips in Brazil. Riding overpowered, I attempted a Bs317 but landed with a straight leg and twisted hips, which caused all the impact to go to my knee.
The hardest part of the recovery was the first month when I was so dependent on others. I’m used to doing everything myself, so asking for help was a big change. It humbled me and played with my dopamine system, affecting my motivation levels. I tried to channel the energy I couldn’t use for kiting into different projects, which ended up being key for my career.
A typical day during rehabilitation involved a strict routine of vitamins, collagen, and physical therapy at Olimpia to regain mobility and reduce inflammation. During the first month, I switched to a plant-based diet to keep inflammation at a minimum. Despite not being able to kite, I stayed connected to the water by paddleboarding and continued working on Airush projects, sales, and video editing to keep involved in the industry.
Mentally, getting back to kiting was tricky. It required a balance between pushing my limits and not rushing the process, as my ligaments weren’t fully healed yet. It felt amazing to ride again, almost like breathing. Although I couldn’t perform the biggest tricks immediately, the injury pushed my creativity, leading to new tricks and rotations. Scarcity drives creativity, and I tried to use this to my advantage. The injury also allowed me to spend more time with family and friends and get more involved in different aspects of the industry, which were positive outcomes from the experience.
Please could you share any experiences or insights on how athletes can stay relevant in the industry as they progress in their careers?
My ideology for staying relevant in the kiteboarding industry is deeply rooted in economic theory. Essentially, your earnings, salary, or compensation are derived from the value you bring to society, or in this case, to the kiteboarding community. There are numerous ways to remain relevant, all based on providing utility. Here are some examples:
- Teaching and Coaching: One of the most straightforward ways to stay relevant is by teaching. This could involve giving lessons, running a kiteboarding school, or organizing camps. Sharing your knowledge and skills helps grow the sport and keeps you connected with the community.
- Content Creation: You can become a content rider, generating various types of content. This could include product tutorials, vlogs, travel content, product reviews, or inspirational riding and lifestyle content. Good content creation can inspire others and elevate the sport’s visibility.
- Research and Development (R&D): If you have many years of experience or a strong technical background, working in R&D is a great option. This could involve giving feedback, testing product durability, working closely with designers on product development, and eventually becoming a designer yourself.
- Sales: Starting with demos, you can build relationships within your community, collaborate with the dealer of your sponsoring brand, and work to increase sales. Over time, you can scale this up to manage larger volumes and generate significant sales. As an evolution of your sales career, you could even expand to open your own shop, becoming a key distributor in your area.
- Marketing: In marketing, you can write articles for magazines, manage social media accounts, cover events, and organize events. These activities help promote the sport and engage the community in various ways.
By diversifying your skills and finding ways to provide value, you can stay relevant and continue to make a significant impact in the kiteboarding industry.
There’s currently so much hype surrounding the Big Air scene. Has this had any affect on the park scene?
Kiteboarding trends have changed constantly since the sport began. We saw the rise of hooked-in high jumps (2000-2005), freestyle with the kite high and wave riding (2005-2011), wakestyle (2011-2019), foil (2017-2020), strapless (2019-2022), and now big air (2021-present).
The peak of the park scene was between 2011 and 2018, with significant magazine coverage and major events like the Triple-S Invitational. Trends in kiteboarding are always shifting, and with each change, the sport progresses. The park scene wasn’t as affected by the rise of big air compared to other disciplines, mainly because park riding is such a niche segment. When big air became popular, it didn’t directly compete with park riding the way it did with freestyle.
Trends continue to evolve, seemingly at an increasing pace. Big air has been trending for about three years now, but it’s likely to shift again. The big air trend has been beneficial for product development, pushing brands to explore new materials and technologies, which can be applied to other disciplines as well.
Predicting trends is difficult, but they generally hinge on what’s new, innovative in terms of maneuvers or products, and accessible to users. Big air primarily struggles with accessibility; there are few places with consistently strong winds, and the maneuvers are becoming increasingly difficult for the average rider. This complexity can make the tricks look similar to spectators, much like what happened with freestyle between 2020 and 2023. When maneuvers become too complex and distant, they can become boring to watch.
My intuition suggests that the next trend might be freeride, maintaining the kite as a fundamental element while adding more creativity. Freeride is closer to the spectator and more accessible; it’s less likely to result in severe injuries like a coma or broken legs from a fall. Freeride could offer a more relatable and engaging experience for both riders and viewers.
Any final words of encouragement or wisdom for young athletes who aspire to become a pro kiteboarder?
Believe in yourself. The most important thing is to put in the effort and not get discouraged along the way. You don’t have to be number one; what matters is that you do it with passion and give back to the community the same unique lifestyle it gives you by doing what you love.
Of course, there will be things that aren’t as enjoyable, but don’t buy into the idea that as a rider, you won’t have to do other jobs because “it’s not your thing.” We have to do everything, and in the process, we find ways to organize things. The key is to maintain your passion and dedication while finding ways to contribute meaningfully to the sport and the community.
Stay humble and connect with the people you work with.
Relationships are key.
Find Rami Online Here: Ramiro Gallart
Photos by: Andre Magarao