1) You used to be the world record hangtime holder. Are you still or did someone beat your time?
yes i am still the record holder. i did this in fuerteventura in 2001 and 35 knots.
there was a hangtime contest in hookipa, hawaii in big wave conditions but nobody beat my record.
2) What is it like being a wipika team rider? What does your duties include and how much are you involved with product development?
i am closely involved with everybody working in wipika. the kite designer lives in germany and is a previous world champion paraglider. he is very passionate and i enjoy chatting with him.
I am involved with developing the kites. it's the best opportunity for me. i learn so much lke that.
3) Which are the worlds top 5 kiting destinations in your opinion?
domincan republic
tarifa, spain
brazil
fuerteventura
cape town
4) Where do you live?
i spend 3-4 months a year in cape town which is the longest amount of time i spend in one country.
5) What do you think of South Africa?
south africa is the best place for testing kites due to the diverse conditions. the lifestyle is perfect too.
6) how did you get to where you are now - kiting for wipika?
i went to maui, hawaii in 1999 to do my training as a windsurfer and i saw flash austin in the water with his kite. i was curios so i approached him and asked if i could buy his wipika 5 metre kite from him. he said yes. i started kitesurfing and got hooked. luckily i told my french windsurf sponsors about my kite and a couple of months later the told me they were to become the french importers of wipka in france. how lucky was that.
7) How do you manage to jump as high as you do? What are the ingredients for a high jump - give us a couple of pointers.
chose a flat spot to get a nice edge, a big kite, long lines, a small board and you must have good timing with the speed of the kite when you bring it up.
8) What size board / type of board do you use?
i use 120x36 cyclone and 140x41 for light wind. i have a board which is good for the wave in half but not a board for everyday use.
9) What have you been up to for the last year? Where do you normally travel to and where are you off to next?
i did the PKRA (professional kite riders association) american world tour in 2001 and that took us to, austria, margarita (venezuela), domican republic, fuerteventura, and my ranking was 3rd in the world.
i also did the KPWT (kiteboard pro world tour) which took us to belgium, turkey, france, brazil and finished 4th overall.
the redbull events took us to tarifa (spain) and brazil.
other photo shoot and kite testing took me to hawaii, tarifa again and the maldives.
my next event will be in leucate, france for a speed event in march. however i am really excited for june 2003 as i am planning to cross the north atlanic ocean
(new york to france) with manu bertin, christopher tasti (KPWT world champion 2000) and edguard groupiron (3 time world champion and olympic champion for skiing). we will cross 5,500 km by relay in Olivier Kersausons 35 metre trimaran without a mast and equipped with good communication for the media. there will be 10 people on board. i am training for this here in south africa. the conditions are just how i like them.
10) I see you are wearing a really funky helmet that covers your whole face. where did you get it from and why do you wear it?
it's a paintball mask, with sun lenses plus anti-fog. it's good for sun protection and it's so good during sunset when you get such a glare, it stops my face being sprayed and protects me from any knocks from my board. i never get the board in the back of my neck but in my face when i'm doing magic tricks!
11) How does the new wipika amps fly compared to last years' Airblasts?
you cannot compare. the amps turn very well and very easily and feel light in the arms. you get big de-power for a good hangtime. we have many sizes. last year i only competed with 2 kites , the 11.8 and the 8.4
Visit the pictures section for some more pictures of Catman. There'a also about 20 Video clips of Cattelan under the Videos section.