Carratera Federal 1
Issue 89 / Tue 5th Oct, 2021
Celebrating the 15th anniversary of the BANDIT, the F-ONE team packs their bags and heads south of the border to Mexico's Baja, California, for what promises to be a spicy product shoot! Find out what happened on Carretera Federal 1!
The 15th anniversary of the BANDIT, with a name and design so distinct, could only be celebrated in a place that would honour the theme. And so, the F-ONE team packed their bags and headed south of the border to Mexico's Baja, California, for what promised to be a spicy product shoot!
A kite born from 15 years of passion and progress deserves a most brilliant debut. Much like a Quinceañera, a traditional Mexican celebration of a young woman's 15 birthday, this trip would be a pure celebration of 15 years of passion and progress as the BANDIT XV and S3 take centre stage escorted by F-ONE's talented team riders.
In early July 2021, we made our way to the Baja California Sur, a desert peninsula nestled in Mexico's northwest, just below the southern border of California. None of us had been there before, but the photos were enough to make anyone dream. A dream trip needs a dream team, so we assembled a fine group of our best riders to share the bill: Mitu Monteiro, Hendrick Lopes, Liam Whaley, Marcela Witt, Paul Serin, Maxime Chabloz, and last but not least, Mickaël Fernandez. To accompany us, our excellent and long-time media partners: Matt Georges and Olivier Sautet. Only our dear friend Ydwer van der Heide was missing this year.
As we were groping our way through the organisation of the trip, we were already getting some warnings: "it's a dangerous area", "there are sharks", "it's not the right season for wind". Not to be discouraged, we knew with the proper guides, we would prevail. By a pure stroke of luck, the Pranik Kite-Club team reached out to us at just the right moment. Jeanne and Alex, a French-Mexican couple, owned a travelling kite school and spent part of their year living in this region. With their help and precious knowledge of the area, we began to form our road trip plan.
As the departure date approached, the excitement of the riders grew, as did the fear of travelling during this period of uncertainty. With rules and restrictions changing what seemed like every day, Mitu was afraid of getting stuck halfway around the globe, away from his family. Yet, even though the trip was a risky bet, the team rallied together to take on the challenge.
After a 24-hour journey, the whole team landed in the city of La Paz after a surprisingly smooth journey. That was only the first step; there would be almost 1,000 km to cover before reaching the Bahia Asunción region. We planned to spend the first few days near La Paz, exploring the waters of the Sea of Cortés, also known as the Gulf of California. Then, we would continue north along the Pacific Ocean side to see the marvellous spots that we had only heard of. Jeanne and Alex would be in charge of all the logistics and our itinerary. The idea was to avoid a precise plan so we could follow the wind.
The first few days were dedicated to shooting "The Duel". Jeanne and Alex had found the perfect setting only forty minutes from La Paz. When we first set our eyes on this old, modest ranch, it felt like we had gone back in time. It looked like nothing in it had changed or moved for decades. The place was magical and worthy of an old western movie, offering everything we could hope for; endless stretches of desert, more cactus than we could count, and leather saddles resting on fences, aged only by the sun and passing of time.
The owners of the ranch welcomed us with kindness and curiosity. It is not often that a dozen people arrive with cases full of cameras, kites, and surfboards, requesting to borrow their horses to make a film! What a strange thought that we would be using this setting, their home and living environment, as a backdrop for "The Duel"!
The shoot lasted three days, with our team travelling back and forth between the hotel in La Paz and the ranch. It was a demanding task, as some had never ridden a horse before. To make things more difficult, some of the team were afraid of horses! The heat was smothering, with the temperature hovering around 45 degrees in the dry, almost lunar landscape. In spite of these challenges, everyone did their best.
It was funny to see everyone settle into the shoes of Hollywood actors. Some took to it quite naturally, especially Mitu, whose angry look could have challenged Clint Eastwood's. His surly snarl may have scared the wind away, though, as we only had a very light breeze to cool us off late in the evenings. Our guides reassured us that the wind would be waiting at our next stop on the road trip.
Finally, after three intensive days, our small crew packed up and embarked on a 12-hour drive to Punta Abreojos. Our van and SUV were loaded to the brim with equipment that had yet to meet Mexico's salty sea. With each hour of asphalt swallowed, everyone was getting more and more impatient to finally score that first session. We watched the landscape pass by through the windows of air-conditioned vehicles. We passed miles and miles of desert, sometimes going hours without seeing the slightest sign of civilisation. On the horizon, the view was blurred by the heat vapours coming off the road.
After a long day of driving, our team stopped at a strange place that looked like a classic motel from the '50s. To complete the eerie atmosphere, we were the only guests. In the evening, after a delicious meal of local specialities that some found rather spicy, we all fell into our beds from fatigue after what was an exhausting day. The next day, after another 6 hours of driving, we finally arrived in La Bocana and checked in to a beautiful house overlooking the bay.
We scanned the spot below, noticing a few small swells. As soon as we arrived, Mitu, Hendrick, and Marcela rigged up their equipment to get on the water. The wave riders of the group had a great time with their first session on the new Bandit S3. The freestylers were more doubtful but managed to land some tricks in the swell. In the evening, everyone came together, invigorated after finally getting out on the water as a team.
The next day, we headed to a lagoon searching for strong wind and a flat spot to finally test the potential of the new Bandit XV for freestyle and big air. The wind was constant but light, not quite enough to satisfy Liam, Max, and Paul. Too bad, but there's always the next day! At the same time, Mitu and Hendrick had discovered a spot with a beautiful tubular wave, a nice right-hander that had them salivating at the idea of riding it. The wind was offshore, and the conditions were not so easy, but King Mitu was there to be the example. The conditions reminded him of his native Cabo Verde and the waves of Punta Preta. After two great sessions during the day, it was time to go home. As night fell, the temperature suddenly dropped, a sharp but welcome contrast to the heat of the day.
On our meagre internet connection, Alex checked the forecast, finding a much-needed 25 knots on its way the next day. The forecast didn't lie; the wind arrived as promised, and the freestylers could finally satisfy their desire to get into the air. The wind was a bit gusty, but the kites did their job well and the boys finally scored some big loops and insane tricks. The fishermen on their boats in the surrounding water stopped to watch, astonished.
When it was time to leave La Bocana, we continued along the road towards Bahia Asunción. We stopped to visit ghost villages full of photo spots that were as strange as they were incredible along the way. The few people we came across were friendly but intrigued; there are few tourists and even fewer foreigners at this time of the year. As we drove along, the landscape changed, and the familiar cactus began to disappear, leaving an infinite desert expanse that seemed to be without any life. And yet there, in the middle of nowhere, was a small seaside resort. It had been a long time since they had seen a single customer, and the few inhabitants welcomed us with open arms.
This is where we would spend our last few days before beginning the descent back to La Paz. After almost ten days in Mexico, a kind of routine had started to set in. The mornings, mostly without wind, were spent in the surf. Often a group of dolphins would join to play in the swell. After lunch and a forecast check by Alex, the group would set off to find the wind. It could take up to two hours of driving to find the perfect spot, and we would sometimes arrive even before the wind had. Mid-afternoon, the sand would begin to fly on the beach, and finally, the magic would happen.
The sessions were so precious that the riders would stretch them out until the last light of day. In the evening, after returning back to base camp for dinner and a few rounds of UNO, everyone was falling asleep at the table, already dreaming of the next session. Everyone was tired but ecstatic to be able to ride in such wild and unique places.
Finally, the time had come to start the journey home. The road would be long, but the relief of a job well done put us all at ease. Memories were already flooding in, and we were all proud to overcome a new challenge once again. This trip had brought everyone together, creating synergy within the F-ONE team. Although sometimes the conditions were frustrating, this trip to the end of the world had a taste of luxury, and we enjoyed every second of it. A feeling that will remain anchored in our heads is that of absolute freedom. Thank you for the adventure, Baja; we had a blast!
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By Maelle Riccoboni
