This kick ass 3x World Champion ‘water woman’ is a world-class kitesurfer and ocean ambassador like no other. She not only shreds on a kite, but is also unstoppable on a surfboard, foil board and SUP. She gets goosebumps when kiting big waves in stormy weather and is a huge supporter of more women on the water and in extreme sports in general.
Jalou grew up on the Dutch coast and learnt to kite at age 12. She grew up with kiteboarding in her life as her older brother, Kevin, was totally psyched on the sport. Her curiosity lead her to learn and it turned out to be the first sport she truly enjoyed, bringing her happiness, freedom and a sense of being alive. She is constantly looking for ways to push herself to not only find that happiness, but also to inspire women to share her passion for extreme sports.
Jalou is right up at the top of women’s wave riding. She spends her winters in Cape Town, training relentlessly both on and off the water, and her work ethic has paid off over the years with memorable performances in numerous videos, countless spreads in magazines and two world titles under her belt. She’s also sister to Kevin and one half of the world’s best known sibling kiting duo.
In the world of kitesurfing the male gender is dominating the beaches and girls are seen as secondary. Jalou wanted to prove this wrong and decided to do girls only trip.
Watch the full video here.
Joined by Olivia Jenkins and Catharina Edin, they went on a trip to find one of the most mesmerising left handers to kite in the world - Flame Balls in the South Coast of Madagascar. To reach that place, they embarked on a 118ft ship called ‘Luna Moon’ which allowed them to live and keep the proximity to this unique wave spot. To be able to kite in waves the right combination of swell and wind direction must appear, thus sometimes that means you have to wait. But if you wait long enough there is a high chance of scoring the conditions of the lifetime.