How to Choose a Kiteboard Size for the Ladies

Hey guys, Kristen here with MACkite. I'm currently in Arizona picking up a new-to-us RV. I'm really enjoying it here, enjoying the desert scenery, the mountains, getting some good hiking in, and we're about to head to Florida. We want to get some videos out, and a good one that we wanted to touch base on is how to choose a board for the ladies or for your girlfriend. Let's get to it!

Oftentimes I see ladies put on really, really small boards, and I think that we could benefit from riding the bigger boards. A lot of it stems from some old, outdated information. We used to see women on 125cm boards. Now you tend to see them more on 132s and 135s. A lot of that was because kites back then didn't have the depower that they have now, so with the safety and the depower that we have now, we don't need to be on the smaller boards.

A lot of us also aren't looking to go out in 40 knots and be hucking kite loops. A lot of us want to have a good freestyle session or freeride session. If you have a bigger board, you'll have a lot more forgiving board so your landings will be softer. In gustier winds, if there's a hole in the wind, it'll be easier to keep riding if you have a bigger board. Lighter winds as well: you'll be able to have more sessions and be able to get more out of the wind with a bigger board. For an intermediate to advanced rider, if you have a bigger board, when you stick those landings it'll feel a lot better and it'll look a lot more stylish when you stomp the landing.

For perspective, I'm 130 lbs and I ride anything from a 138cm up to a 143 for my park board. I am starting to get a little bit more serious about kite loops, so I am going to switch down to a 135 for kite loops just so that I can hold down a little bit more power. If kite loops and riding a strong wind is your goal, then going with a smaller board isn't so bad. But if you want to do freestyle or freeride and you want to be able to stick those landings and have smoother, fun sessions, I would recommend sizing up compared to what you're used to.

To help you out, we're going to include a size chart. There'll be one for kite loops and one for beginners and freeride. Depending on what your discipline is, that'll help you choose which size board you want to go with.

One other thing I wanted to touch base on is that there are female-specific boards out there, but the female boards are usually the same as the men's boards; they just tend to "shrink it and pink it", so the board itself isn't really that much different than a men's board. If you like the colors or the design on a men's board, I say go for it. You don't have any trade-off choosing a men's board over a women's board. The biggest thing you want to look for is getting the right size for your weight, as well as the right amount of flex that you're looking for.

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