C-Kites Vs Everything: Versus w/ Rygo: EP03

We’ve been getting a surprising number of requests for C-Kite comparisons. The North Vegas vs the North Rebel, The Cabrinha Chaos vs the Cabrinha FX. With that said, I’ve decided to first do a video focused specifically on all C - Kites in general and who they are for.

There are three types of people riding C-kites right now.

Riders who have been using them since the early days of the sport when they were the only option.

Riders who are competing in the PKRA and making a living off ofkiteboarding

And lastly, riders who are holding themselves back.

I’m probably going to put people up in arms on this topic. So, let’s clear something up.

If you’re using C - kites, you're progressing and having a lot of fun, this video isn’t necessarily for you. So who is this video for?

It’s for that rider who just started doing tricks or unhooking. Maybe you’re getting pretty good, and you’re looking land your first handle pass. You might even have a lot of the basic advanced freestyle tricks dialed. Point being, There are a lot of trade offs for the raw performance of a C-kite and at the end of the day, it’s up to you to decided if they are worth it.

You just started unhooking! Is it time to get a C - Kite? Not necessarily.

Now, of course all C - kites have their differences, Some are more aggressive, some are more forgiving. They range from 4 line to 5 line or even 6 lines. Some iterations have optional micro bridles like different generations of the Slingshot Fuel. Some are pretty hardcore like the Hadlow Vegas. Point being, C - kites have a few certain traits in common. Namely they are built for a single purpose. Getting the maximum pop and slack out of your kite.

Craig Cunningham Rips on the Vegas, Norths long standing C - Kite.

Common traits are

- Very direct heavy bar pressure.

- Instantaneous feedback.

- Fast & powerful kite loops.

- And lastly, explosive pop and slack.

Now, that all sounds pretty great right?

Let’s talk about about what you give for this performance.

- Reduced wind range.

- Less forgiving.

- Learning to relaunch takes time and skill.

- Riding upwind takes time and skill.

- If the wind gets gusty they don’t have that much depower.

Basically every little thing you do with your body, your board your hands, it’s going to influence the kite. So for advanced riders this is great. For the rest of us, it’s a lot easier to progress on more forgiving kites. And their are a lot of options to chose from. Most of which aren't going to hold you back.

North kiteboarding rider Colleen Carroll.

Now, I’m not knocking C-kites. They are really fun in the right conditions. But if you think big picture, and you look where you’re at in your riding. 90% of us are going to progress a lot faster if we have a kite that rocks you upwind, a kite that relaunches effortlessly. A kite that’s more forgiving in rough conditions. And that’s the point I’d like to drive home.

So what kites should you be looking at?

Let’s break down some of the different style kites out there. You have all around kites like the Cabrinha Switchblade, the North Evo. All around kites that push the freestyle side the Slingshot RPM, the Liquid Force Envy. There are performance freestyle kites that cross over into the freeride all around such as the Cabrinha FX, The North Dice, The Naish Dash.

For most riders, going for an all around kite is the ticket. Let’s take the Envy for example, Brandon Scheid rides this kite and he rips. Check out some of his videos online. The same goes for the RPM. 2 time world champion Yuri Zoon ride this kite. Point being here, these guys are some of the best in the world and their not held back by riding an all around kite.

I just want to reiterate. I’m not knocking C-kites. I have friends who prefer them. There is something addicting about that raw performance. At the end of the day, kiteboarding about having fun. So my advice here is to pick the gear that you’re going to have the most fun on. If Raw performance is what you’re after yeah, ride a C-kite they're awesome! If you’re a weekend warrior or trying to progress into advanced tricks you might want to check out some other options. If you’re debating this, feel free to give us a call and we’ll be happy to chat about it. 800 - 622 - 4655

I hope this helped clear somethings up. Like I always say, this is an open forum so let me know your thoughts. If you're someone who loves C-kite tell us what you’re using and why you love it in the comments! This whole series is about getting a conversation going.

Special thanks to Craig Cunningham and Colleen Carroll for the additional footage

Learn about Craig here:

https://www.northkiteboarding.com/team/internation...

Learn about Colleen Here:

https://www.northkiteboarding.com/team/internation...

Check out the 2017 Envy Here:

Check out the 2017 RPM Here:

Learn more about kiteboarding here:

http://www.mackiteboarding.com/

Or hit us up on our live chat:

https://messenger.providesupport.com/messenger/mac...

As always if you have questions or want to talk about gear give us a call:

800 - 622 - 4655 

Ryan (Rygo) Goloversic

Many people dream of quitting their job, traveling theworldandpursuing their passions. Rygo is one of those people. About eight years into a postal career, he decided to change everything and travel as a freelance videographer & writer. This took him from coast to coast and a variety of countries. Nowadays you can catch him on the phones, doing lessons, or working on videos. Of course, he still makes a point to travel as often as possible. He is passionate about helping people and sharing the stoke with his customers and students alike.