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Slingshot went back to the drawing board for 2020 and has brought us two brand-new kites - the Rally GT and the Raptor. Many are wondering - who are these kites for, and what is the difference? We've spent some time on both kites and have developed opinions on what we feel the differences are. In this short comparison, we'll sort out those differences and help you make the decision - Rally GT or Raptor? We'll cover some basic flying characteristics of each kite, broken down by category below. …

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 …

Mission “Kiteboard 4 Cancer empowers individuals to harness the power of wind and water to benefit lives affected by cancer.” That mission statement is brought to life by kiteboarders from all over the world as they descend upon Hood River, Oregon each year in support of this cause. As described, this 10th Annual Kiteboard 4 Cancer event is “Part kite festival, part chaos, ALL FUN.” After speaking with several participants from previous years, one thing becomes apparent&m …

Haey, Laay-deeez! In the spirit of encouraging women kiteboarders to jump their absolute highest, WOO has initiated their “Global Women’s Boost Off”. Participation is easy—just log your WOO Kite sessions and be sure to use the new gender filter to weed out those pesky dudes. From June 1st through July 31st, WOO will be tracking women’s progress and look for those ladies who are jumping the highest and for those who have accumulated the most in total jump height. Si …

Save the Date: MACkite KoGL Test Fest - September 23-25, 2016 If you're not hospitalized, getting married, or dying, we'd best see you all at the beach for the annual King of the Great Lakes Test Fest. KoGL has been growing since its inception several years ago and shows no signs of slowing down. Hosted at the Grand Haven City Beach, the event will run the weekend of September 23-25. This year's event will see all of our kiteboarding brands represented at the beach, each with a quiver full of n …

Photos courtesy: Christian Black/ World Kite League Team Slingshot came out firing last week at the opening stage of the 2016 IKA World Championships, making a big statement to the freestyle world by claiming first and second place in the men’s field and first place in the women’s. Among a stacked lineup of competitors, the final men’s heat came down to Slingshot teammates Carlos Mario and Youri Zoon. With Mario fresh off an amazing 2015 season and gunning for a world title a …

The Slider Project It's pretty rare to find a kiteboarding Indiegogo campaign. At MACkite, we wanted to help promote this campaign for The Slider Project's installation of a shorter kicker and a new entry-level slider. Not only does The Slider Project create public awareness of kiteboarding, it also has helped develop the sport and has supported riders like Colleen Carroll, Craig Cunningham, Sam Light, and James Ropner.  Donations start at $10 and move up from there. Each donation offers …

What stood out the most to you this year, overall? Nate: I would say that the outstanding product was quite surprising to me. Nitro came up with a really solid deal - a no-compromise board/binding combo for $399. I took a bunch of laps on this setup and was very surprised with how well it handled a variety of conditions. Whether bombing groomers or taking park laps, the 2017 Nitro SFU is a solid combo for an insane price. RyGo: While I didn't get to ride this year as I was running a camera the …

Keahi de Aboitiz - 2015 Kitesurfing World Champion Keahi de Aboitiz has been given the title of 2015 Kitesurfing World Campion. This Aussie rides for Cabrinha, NP, JP Australia, and Sharpers fins and has had the passion of riding since he was little. Our crew is stoked for our Aussie brethren, and it is without a doubt that his hard work has been rewarded with this awesome title!  To learn more about Keahi de Aboitiz, check out his website! Interested in Cabrinha? Check out more he …

Streif Trailer If you're interested in the skiing world in any way, you'll obviously know about Streif. Streif can be considered one of the most dangerous downhill race courses in the world. With an average gradient of 27% and a maximum gradient of 85%, only the strong-willed and courageous brave this track. Red Bull shows us Streif in a new light, showing the passion behind every run, and the danger that can be seen along the way. This trailer has us pumped for the next skiing season, and …

Red Bull Harbour Reach 2015 Highlights Mystic shows off some of the best cable riders from around the world: Dom Hernler, Daniel Grant, Aaron Gunn, Nico Von Lerchenfeld, Yonel Cohen, James Windsor and many others as they duke it out for wakestyle supremacy. The competition was located in Liverpool's Albert Dock and was free for the public to attend. (Next year, maybe you'll catch some of the MACkite crew on the sidelines? Well, one can dream.) The winners of the 2015 Harbour Reach were: 1st - D …

Extreme Kiteboarding in the Netherlands - Red Bull Megaloop Challenge There's a reason it's not called the Miniloop. The Red Bull Megaloop Challenge only happens when the winds are ripping through at 30+ knots and riders can go BIG. Needless to say, the world's top 16 kiteboarders went huge in this year's Megaloop Challenge. Big crashes and bigger loops made for an exciting show, check out the best action from the sky! (Quite honestly, right about the one-minute mark is where we started to get …

shrEdit Film Festival Highlights A mountain of pizza, a copious amount of free swag, and videos highlighting some of West Michigan's most awesome shredders. We had an absolute blast for our 3rd annual shrEdit Film Fest!  What is shrEdit? shrEdit is a film festival sponsored by MACkite Boardsports, Mulligan's Hollow, and our brands, including Rome, Never Summer ThirtyTwo, Switchback, Sandbox, and Airblaster. Shredders submit their videos either through Vimeo or YouTube and are judged by rep …

Slingshot Kites - Declare your Independence this 4th of July. Fireworks, parades, barbecues, carnivals, fairs, picnics, concerts, baseball. It’s all good but it’s not the same as claiming your independence by getting some time on the water.We’ve got the gear to get you there with our 4th OF JULY SUMMER SALE.Go shopping and then hit the water. -2012 RPM’s, Rally’s, Fuel’s-2013 Rally’s-2010 and 2011 Fuel’s -2013 Surfboards -2013 Twin Tips -2011 and 2 …

Slingshot 2014 Kiteboarding Gear Release Slingshot's 2014 Gear is being released July 12th.  The new kites and boards look amazing!  More information to come on the 2014 Misfit, Asylum, Glide, Darko, Rally, and Fuel.