Erik Fisher
Kiteboarding
“Kiting is by far the best core workout I’ve ever had,” says Erik Fisher, a U.S. Ski Teamer from Middleton, Idaho. “The whole time,
you are constantly flexing your core, pulling against the kite. The kite is trying to pull you one way and you’re forcing it another
way, which is how you can travel up wind and build momentum. If I haven’t kited for a few weeks and go back to it, my core is sore
the next day for sure.”
Fisher was introduced to the sport three years ago by teammate Steve Nyman on a trip to Costa Rica. “He tried to teach me, but
he’s not that good of a coach, he just gave me the kite and said, ‘Go for it,’” recalls Fisher with a laugh. “So I learned on my own
with hints every now and then from Steve.”
Fisher was a quick study. “I fell in love with it,” he says of kiteboarding. “It’s all I can think about now when I see the trees blowing
or a flag flapping. You don’t know the feeling of the wind pulling you around until you actually do it; it’s pretty incredible. As long as
there is wind you can go wherever you want.”
And unlike some of his fellow water-baby athletes, Fisher can easily transition his summer sport to winter. He now travels the
World Cup with his snowkiting gear. “It’s so much fun on snow, towing yourself up the mountain then packing it up and skiing
down, jumping off cliff and just floating down, it’s amazing,” says Fisher. “It’s unbelievable what you can do.”
Fisher says he has managed to talk teammates Travis Ganong and Tim Jitloff into snowkiting. “It’s pretty funny to see somebody
when they feel the wind take off for the first time,” he says, “and realize how much power there is.”
Erik Fisher flies high on his kiteboard.
