North Orbit Ultra First Look: 30 Knots in Cape Town

The Brazilian Brothers are in Cape Town at Dolphin Beach with North Pro Rider and legend Cohan van Dijk, bringing you a very special first impressions video. They're excited to get their hands on the brand-new North Orbit Ultra and chat with Cohan about what it is and who it's for. This will be their first time in the water with it to see what its new N-u80 airframe is all about.

Rubens and Cohan van Dijk stand on the beach in front of the 2027 North Orbit Ultra kite.

Development of the Orbit Ultra

Cohan van Dijk has been deeply involved in the development of this kite for two years now, working with the new N-u80 material. His goal was to ensure the kite would arrive with a "bang" the moment it hit the market, and he feels the team succeeded there. He has been riding it in competitions, and it is performing and holding up through the most intense conditions. He couldn't wish for more out of the development process and was stoked to get the Brazilian Brothers out on it.

Close-up of a hand running along the Orbit Ultra's N-u80 airframe.

Vertical Lift and Hangtime

The session went down in 30-plus knots of Cape Town wind using the 8.1m Orbit Ultra and the North Pro Navigator bar. Right away, it became clear the kite has improved in terms of overall vertical lift and hangtime. While the Orbit has struggled with those specific metrics for a while, North made improvements with the regular 2026 version, and the Orbit Ultra is another significant step up in jumping performance.

Cohan van Dijk performs a trick high in the air.

Pro-Level Looping Performance

In terms of looping, the Orbit Ultra is a pro-performance level kite. It retains that classic Orbit DNA, which makes the loops feel very intuitive, but it adds a good degree of "yank" through the loop. If you are looking for a serious adrenaline rush and a lot of horizontal travel during your loops, this is the kite for you.

The Orbit Ultra loops during a trick.

Bar Pressure and Feel

The bar pressure on the Orbit Ultra is very similar to the regular Orbit. It isn't noticeably lighter or heavier; it sits at a moderate bar pressure. This is a great feature because it allows you to know exactly where the kite is in the sky at all times. It is definitely not as light as some of the Brainchild kites on the market, but it's also not as heavy as something like an Ozone Edge. It strikes a balance that keeps you connected to the kite.

First-person view of the North Orbit Ultra during a jump.

The Brazilian Brothers are stoked to have had the chance to test the 2027 North Orbit Ultra in Cape Town. Their plan is to continue testing and hopefully get one back to Brazil to provide a full-length review and compare it against some of the other top kites they've ridden, so stay tuned!

Rubens and Cohan share a high-five on the beach.