2014 Best Breeze Kiteboard Staff Review
2014 Best Breeze Kiteboard Staff Review
When it comes to kiteboarding in low wind conditions, there are two divergent philosophies. One kiteboarding base is composed of those individuals who advocate different board sizes - a standard board for medium to high wind conditions, and a larger board for lightwind kiteboarding. The other school of thought supplants a light wind board for a larger kite, such as the 17 meter Best TS or 17 meter Cabrinha Contra. And then of course there are the Bourgeoisie, for whom money is of no consequence and can afford both. Between the two philosophical factions however, I am among the latter. I would rather retain the playfulness of a kiteboard in the mid 130 cm range and pump up a colossus of a kite than use a smaller kite and rely on a flat plank of a kiteboard. It was with this jaundiced mindset that I approached the Best Breeze, an earlier raid on the shop on a light wind day leaving me no other option than to reverse my normal equation of small board and monstrous kite.
Arriving at the beach, the wind was unmistakably low. Even with the low end grunt (or power) of a Cabrinha Switchblade, I was going to need all the help I could get. That still didn't stop me from jumping on the Cabrinha Custom 140 cm, and I expectedly sludged downwind. After a long walk back upwind and much kvetching, I grabbed the Best Breeze 145cm and re-embarked.
Driving hard with my front foot, I easily traveled upwind. That was to be largely expected. What did catch my attention is how playful the board felt. There was only one way to confirm it. Coming into shore, I initiated a front-roll transition. The Breeze released smoothly off the water and followed me through the transition, feeling far less cumbersome than traditional large, lightwind-specific kiteboards. Impressed, I continued to subject the Breeze to trick after trick, and it continued to deliver a delightfully playful feel. This is attributable to the Breeze's channels, making the rocker more pronounced on the edges for smoother release and landings, while maintaining flatness in the center of the board for light wind performance. The channels also help to drive the board upwind, and allow it to cut through the chop better than many of its counterparts. Needless to say, by the end of the session I was thoroughly bewitched by Best's latest lightwind offering.
After the word starting getting out, the Best Breeze became a hot commodity around the shop, and it is easy to see why. It is the type of kiteboard that makes a perfect addition to any kiteboard quiver. Individuals new to kiteboarding can benefit from its greater surface area, allowing for earlier planing. It is also a board that the same kite surfers can keep in their quiver indefinitely. When they are ready for a small to medium sized kiteboard for higher winds and more controlled riding, the Breeze transitions to a lightwind board. For the already proficient kiteboarder, the Breeze will be the ideal addition for maximizing those marginal wind sessions. While it will certainly extend one's low end, it will more importantly drastically improve what can be done in sub-15 knots. By effectively lowering and redefining what is seen as a fun range to kite in, the amount of sessions one can get increases dramatically. The Best Breeze is a perfect fit for larger kitesurfers as well, who have historically been confined to a market of large, uninteresting offerings similar to the front door on a house.
While the Breeze may have not changed my position in relation to the larger kite versus larger board debate, it certainly shifted my opinion on lightwind kiteboards. And judging from the very similar shape that the Cabrinha Stylus exhibits, also 145 cm in length, I think it shows an emerging trend in kiteboarding. That is a shift to high performance, highly functional lightwind kiteboards. Significant headway into the domain of lightwind kiteboarding has only very recently begun, and I would opine the Best Breeze serves as a harbinger of things to come. Theoretics aside, the Breeze is a valuable addition to any quiver, and you can definitely expect to see me on it again in the near future.
Jake Mitchell
Age: 23
Weight: 180
Years Kiteboarding: 3
Lightwind Setup of Choice: 2013 18 meter Crossbow, 145 cm Best Breeze
