Latest News, Blog & Videos

Gary Siskar Talks about Liquid Force Foiling Hey Gary, thanks for taking the time to talk with us today! When did Liquid Force get into the foil game? We got into the foil game because we fell in love with foiling...it is that simple. Short story for you: Brandon headed to Maui in 2013 to shoot and test future kites with Julien. Before the trip he bought, yes bought a hydrofoil, mounted it to a wake skate and set off on the trip. All of us sort of chuckled and wrote it off. Couple weeks later, …

An Interview with Nils Rosenblad from Naish Kiteboarding So Naish has been in the game for a long time. When did Naish start making gear? When did you join their design team? Robby has been making his own boards since forever - thinking late 80s - under the Naish name, but Naish as a standalone brand really started in the mid 90s with their windsurfing sails. I've been with them since 2005. And when did you guys start to develop your hydrofoil program? We started experimenting with them when Kai …

Are you thinking about stepping up your freestyle/wakestyle game? Maybe you're looking for a mega-looping machine? Something with the most direct steering, explosive lift, and mad pop? Look no further, amigos—it's Vegas time. The North Vegas is a kite that will blow your mind—just be sure you're ready for it. While the performance capability is unquestionable, the level of forgiveness is also a bit less. Meaning that you will have to actively fly this kite to get the most out of it. It's not a …

In this episode, Crystal meets with one of kiteboarding's hardest working riders, Colleen Carroll. She tells how she got her start in kiteboarding, what she is up to now and breaks down the 2018 North kiteboarding line up. Crystal rocking her Ion Jewel up in Squamish, BC. Thanks again, and see you next time on Chasing the Dream! *Written & produced by Ryan (Rygo) Goloversic and Crystal Veness Crystal Veness Originally from Canada, she now calls the entire world her playground and simultan …

The top two performance freeride kites in the world. How do they stack up?  A little history. The last decade and a half, kiteboarding culture has come into its own. In the formative years, we had legends like Pete Cabrinha, Robby Naish, Lou Wainman defining the sport, and the list goes on and on. Most kiteboarders lived in Hawaii and other tropical locations. At first, the sport wasn't accessible to everyone. The gear wasn't safe or efficient - albeit, it was fun if you had the fortitu …

Dear kitesurfers: have you ever paddled into a wave on a surfboard? If yes—you already get it. If not, however, please read on.Surfers have been "out there" for much longer than kiteboarders and kitesurfers have. Since the 18th century in Tahiti and Hawaii, surfers have been paddling out, catching waves and enjoying the stoke. Eventually, it hit mainland USA and became a subculture. Boards went from long to short, and back again. Shortboarders feud with longboarders, who now get snaked by s …

Hey this is Crystal Veness with MACkiteboarding and in today’s vlog we’ll be talking about how to pick the perfect wetsuit for kiteboarding. A few things we are going to cover in this vlog include how to pick a suit that suits the place you are riding, the temperature and conditions you are riding in, and that fits well and fits your budget just right. We’re also going to talk about the different types of wetsuits. This is applicable for you whether you’re in a warm-wa …

Have any of you ever had one of those "ah-ha" moments with a new piece of kiteboarding gear? Something that made you grin from ear to ear the first time you tried it? Here are my thoughts after spending a whole year riding the North Click Bar.At first sight, I was blown away at how simple the Click Bar appeared. Ben Skaggs, our North sales rep, put one in our hands last August, at the North dealer meeting in Hood River, Oregon. It actually looked less complex than the North Trust Quad or 5th Ele …

Ryan H on Foilboarding I’ll admit it, when foils first came out I was one of the first people to badmouth them wondering why anyone would want to foil, saying it looks super boring and that very few people would get into it. Fast forward 4 years later and most my summer sessions are being had on a foil. So what changed? Well, like most kiters out there, I want to ride anything once or twice. Even though I was talking down the latest board to ride I still was planning on trying it once or t …

2018 Cabrinha Drifter Overview In 2018 the drifter gets a make over. Slash the waves, ride the magic carpet or enter into advanced freeride.  Today we're going to be discussing the all-new 2018 Cabrinha Drifter. Now all new and for good reason, the Drifter has been redesigned for 2018. It's the first time it's been redesigned since its inception in 2012.  So whats up with the Drifter this year?  The Drifter has always been an exceptional surf kite, obviously g …

2018 Cabrinha Switchblade Overview The 2018 Switchblade remains the kite we know and love, with a few new updates. Today I’m going to be discussing with you the new 2018 Cabrinha Switchblade. The Switchblade has been a staple in our lineup for years. It’s always been one of our most popular kites, and for good reason. It’s an easy beginner kite. You can pick it up and go right away. It’s something that will take you from your early kiting stages to winning Red Bull King …

2018 Cabrinha FX Overview The FX has been a shop favorite since 2016 Today I’m going to be discussing with you the all-new 2018 Cabrinha FX. All new...what does that mean? There’s a bunch of design changes that have been made for the 2018 FX that are marked improvements over the 2016/17 models. This is pretty hard to do, as the FX was already one of our favorite kites for freeride and advanced freestyle. Cabrinha has increased it's capabilities. There’s three different setti …

2018 Cabrinha Contra Overview Hey guys what’s going on today? It’s Nathan from MACkite and today we’re going to be discussing the new 2018 Cabrinha Contra. The Contra was originally designed as a lightwind kite. A few years ago Cabrinha decided to expand it into smaller sizes. Despite this, the Contra is still available all the way up to 19m. The Contra is known as an extremely lightwind kite, or a lightwind kite that can be used by someone a little heavier. High Tenacity Dacr …

2018 North Rebel Product Clip Diehard North Rebel fans—take a deep breath—everything is going to be OK. Your 2018 North Rebel kite is now a 4-line powerhouse! For many years, we have been recommending the North Rebel to that premium freeride kiteboarder. Historically, the Rebel has had amazing qualities, like huge jumps, ripping upwind ability and massive wind range. While those are all things that a freerider wants from a good kite like the Rebel, they don’t seem to want the 5 …

What do you grab? Kites for Hydrofoiling Edition. 4-9 knots: HQ Matrixx Foil Kite We choose the HQ Matrixx for extreme light wind conditions for one reason...Weight. In sub-10 knot conditions most inflatable kites will not stay in the sky without major babysitting from the rider, The Matrixx weighs only a fraction of a similar sized inflatable kite and has been specifically designed for flying in a whisper of wind. The Matrixx is an efficient kite that delivers great power and speed. Howeve …