Rider Profile: Alty Frisby

Name 

Alty Frisby 

Division? 

Master (35-55) 

Where are you from? What is your home club? 

Perth Kite Racing club 

Dream foiling location? 

Summer riding at Coogee beach, WA 

What are your favourite conditions? 

Solid 18 knots of breeze with smooth, flat water 

What is your favourite thing about this sport? 

How challenging it is and how much satisfaction you feel when you improve...even just a little bit. 

How did you get into kitefoiling? 

I started kite racing back in 2010 on a very primitive style race board, back when there were about 3 people interested in such things in the whole of Perth. But kite racing grew, and equipment eventually progressed to foiling. I initially stuck with the race board, but was eventually won over by the performance of the foil all around the course. 

What would you say to yourself, if you were to learn /start again? 

If there had've been such a thing, I would have told myself to learn on a beginner foil - I could have saved myself some serious chiropractic fees! But sadly there was no such foil at the time. 

Brag a bit! What's your biggest achievement, or what is your major goal? 

I finished in third place at the Australian nationals for the last three years. I also finished second place in the Lighthouse to Leighton kite race in 2018. And finally, I was very happy to win the Lancelin Ocean Classic back in 2017. My goal is to stay ahead of all the young guys coming up in Australia.  

If you were stuck on a tropical island and could only take one size kite, and one foil, what gear would you take? 

I would have to take a 13m race kite, my favourite size. And of course the latest and greatest race foil. 

Do you have any interesting mantra's or suspicions when it comes to racing or foiling? 

No answer 

What do you think is the coolest development in this sport? 

The coolest development was when hydrofoils appeared on the racing scene. My body was almost at the end of it's useful life on a raceboard, so that change really saved me. 

Any feel good stories for us? Something your grateful for, appreciation posts, anything/one you would like to do a shout out for? 

Just this week, I noticed a crack in my Mike's Lab front wing. These foils have historically been very hard to obtain and are of course very expensive - I was stoked when I was finally able to join the ML club about a year ago. I was therefore quite distressed when I found the crack. 
 
When I contacted Mike's Lab about the problem, they immediately sent back a reply that they would replace the wing set free of charge! And, they would allow me to use the old foil wings until the new ones arrived! 
 
Throughout my years, I have had great support from various groups and have been incredibly thankful for their help. Airush Austraila, WA Surf, Ozone Australia, Bisschops Boards, Bullet Bar Equipment and Action Sports WA to name a few of the big ones. 
 
And of course, I have been very grateful for the support of my wife and family, who allow me to spend so much time on the water, doing something I am so passionate about. 

Any major kite-mares, stories or lessons you would like to share - we all have one! 

When training late one afternoon for the very first Redbull Lighthouse to Leighton race, I was turning back to the beach about 4.5kms out to sea, when my main de-power rope broke. That is a long way to swim when its getting dark, with lots of big fish in the water! Thankfully, another kiter spotted me a couple of kms into my swim, and helped me get back to the beach - a very great relief! 

Any training tips you swear by or want to share? 

I am now a great believer in learning on a beginner foil and only progressing to race equipment when you have mastered the basics. It wasn't a path that I was able to take, but I have seen it work for so many others.