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My first session on the 2018 North Dice 13m was solid! Yeah, man—I can actually still stick a few basic unhooked tricks after riding nothing but surfboards for the past season—old-guy stoked. The 2018 North Dice received some significant mods but is still the same intermediate to advanced-level performance kite that we've come to know. North tweaked the radius of the kite, along with the leading edge diameter and steering speed to give us an even more progressive freestyle kite this …

MACkite Test Fest 2017 - Sunshine to beat the band, warm water, lots of beachgoers, and still no wind. On the other hand, with 2017 being the year that all of our brands decided to produce and bring out foils, the no-wind factor worked out darn near perfectly for us. With 3 watercraft on hand, we had loads of people up and shredding on the new foils. With the birth of almost 50 new foilers and plenty of additional experience for the veterans on the force, things are shaping up to be foil-friend …

Surf Hydrofoils: Carbon vs. Aluminum. Whats best for you? In the  foil board game, there are two basic construction techniques: Full carbon and Aluminum Hybrid. Carbon is the lighter, less durable, and generally more expensive technique while Aluminum tends to be heavier, more durable, and less expensive. Which construction method is best for you comes down to a few considerations. The first consideration for most newcomers is often the price. Getting into a new type of riding can give peop …

How to Learn Hydrofoil Surfing So you want to learn to hydrofoil surf? Congratulations! We too have caught the foil bug for all of our board sports. Surf foiling is truly a one of a kind experience that makes even the most marginal days into magical sessions. Aside from the silent, smooth, and effortless glide, surf hydrofoils tap into the most powerful part of the wave just beneath the surface. This allows you to keep momentum and connect sections on the smallest wave. Step 1 – Learn to S …

Surf Hydrofoiling Video w/ Legendary Surfer "Twiggy" Okay, who does not enjoy watching kiting and surfing professionals out in the big blue, ripping it up? But,what do you do when there is no wind? Or, when there are no major waves? Enter surf hydrofoiling, a revolution in the foiling game and it is rocking the worlds of even the most legendary surfers, like Grant "Twiggy" Baker. F-One has set up Twiggy with a hydrofoiling set up, so he has the best of all watersport worlds.  "Foilin …

Who Is MACkite? If you're a kiteboarder with an internet connection, then you may have already heard of MACkiteboarding.com. We've been heavy with our internet game for quite a few years now, and people have taken notice. As online consumers, it's nice to have an idea about the places that we choose to do business with. It's great to know a little bit about the people behind the website and connect with them on a personal level. So let's dig in. Where are they from—Michigan? The prefix, MA …

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, …

Foilboarding at City Beach When I think of really great starts to any day, one of the things on the short list would be foiling in boardshorts at Grand Haven City Beach, just down the street from my house. I scored today. The cherry on top was a few new pieces of gear to try - my new 2018 Cabrinha Drifter 13, and the new Lift 150 foil. I grabbed a Liquid Force Happy Board, mounted the beautifully crafted carbon foil that I've been staring at all week, and headed toward the beach. Grand Haven Cit …

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. …

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 …

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 …

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 sna …

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 E …