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The 2017 North Click Bar...The "Game Changer"?  There have been a lot of new innovations coming out in the past couple years in the kiteboarding industry. And to tell you the truth, at first we were skeptical  when we first got word of the Click Bar. After seeing how simple, clean, and functional it is, however, we are absolutely sold. Of all the latest innovations, this might be our favorite to date. With 6 years of development and testing in secret, North is bringing an insanely ref …

Nathan chats about the 2017 Cabrinha Switchblade: Today we're going to be discussing the kite you all want to hear more about. The 2017 Cabrinha switchblade.  It's one of our favorite kites in the shop. and whenever we approach Cabrinha for the next year we look directly at the Switchblade because it's a fantastic kite. It sells well for us mainly because it performs so well. We find ourselves in most situations reaching for a Switchblade because its just an easy kite to love.  What's …

MACkite chats about the all new 2017 Cabrinha Apollo kiteboarding kite. The Apollo really address a concern for all of us concerning advancement in certain categories. Over the years Cabrinha has done a great job creating kites for every category imaginable. A few years ago Cabrinha included the Drifter and that’s pointed at someone who just wants to destroy the waves. The Chaos is designed for that advanced, freestyle wakestyle rider. The FX is designed for that performance freestyle, ev …

Putting the 17m Best Roca to the test. Rider Weight:179lbs Wind Speed: 13-15mph Board: 144 Cabrinha Custom CBL with RAD Bindings Wind forecasts can be fickle, to say the least. With this knowledge in hand, it’s rare that I'll go to the beach without a full quiver from our demo fleet stuffed in the back of my Jeep. I pulled up to our local slick and checked the wind forecast one last time. 11 to 13 knots - steady, but light. The time time had finally come for me to take a crack at the&nb …

Better Control & PerformanceUpon connection, the Fireball will immediately consume you and take you into the new reality of the ball and socket connection. Focusing directly to your core, the Fireball seamlessly translates your body motion into kite reaction.More ComfortableWho doesn’t love a more comfortable setup? With the closer proximity of the ball and socket as opposed to the loop system, the bar won’t rotate into your body or push-pull nearly as much as the kite moves.Auto-Locking Securit …

Hi, I’m Pete Cabrinha, and I am proud to introduce you to the next generation of control system connection, the Fireball. Fireball is a sleek new approach to one of the most important points in kitesurfing: the point where the power of the kite meets the power of your body. This exact point needs to be the most secure, yet most fluid, part of the control system. Now it’s right here, as Fireball delivers an innovative connection system for the next generation of kiteboarding. The Fireball contr …

MACkite Talks 2017 Cabrinha Fireball Hey guys, it's Nathan from MACkite. We’re going to talk about the all-new 2017 Cabrinha Fireball system. The big question this year is going to be - ‘why to get a new Fireball system?’ We’ve been used to loops for years and they’ve worked very well for most situations, and now Cabrinha really threw a wrench in our entire plan for how we connect to our kites. Now, for the last however many years, we’ve been using a loop-and-hook system, and that’s been worki …

MACkite's thoughts on the 2017 Cabrinha Fireball!  Like a comet from the sky set to change the landscape as we know it, Cabrinha’s newest offering to the kiteboarding community is Fireball – a kite connection system. Fireball is specifically designed with kiteboarding in mind, with features that will most definitely change the way you ride.Fireball changes the most important piece of equipment in kiteboarding The connection point between you and the kite. Before Fireball, we were limite …

2016 Best Red Bar & Roca Session What’s a good way to end the week? Kiteboarding with friends with the winds in the upper twenties all while riding new gear and loving every minute of it. After burning out a long week at the shop bouncing between customer support, sales, marketing, and the shop handy man, a session was pretty high on my list of wants before the end of the week. It just so happened the NE wind forecasted shifted to a NW and the race was on. With wind in the mid to uppe …

2016 North Mono...Shop Tested, Aaron Approved So, a 2016 North Mono 12M showed up at the shop today. I walked in just as it came off of the truck and Jake offered first dibs. Bam; I’m out the door.Gear Used & Riding Conditions Kite: 2016 North Mono 12M Conditions: Side-onshore around 13 knots Rider Weight: 190lbs Years Riding: 16 Board: 6’0” SurfboardExperience Riding the Mono Single Strut Kite There was already plenty of buzz about the 2016 North Mono, well before it a …

Best Kiteboarding - Feel The Flow Ah, Sweden. Home of vikings, rich culture, and...kiteboarding? Yes!  From Habo Ljung to Lundakra to Mellbystrand, Sweden is growing in popularity as an alternative riding location to Brazil or Australia. Not only are the waters a unique combination of fresh and salt water, but the snowkiting is on-point and lasts for a good portion of the year. Niklas Langseth embraces his ancestry to conquer the cold, sweet waters with the 2016 Best TS. Video Synops …

Wave Day w/ the 2016 Slingshot Rally Conditions Water temperature: Low 40s Wind: 20 - 25 knots Gear Used Water wear: NP Mission 5/4 Wetsuit NP Neoprene Hoodie NP Thermal Pants NP Mission Booties Xcel Gloves Ion Beanie Kite: 2016 Slingshot Rally w/ Slingshot Guardian Bar Kiteboard: 2016 Airush Cypher Experience Having made it to May without a session, I figured it was long overdue that I get out on the water. With water temperatures in the low 40s, I grabbed my NP Mission 5.4, neoprene hoo …

First Impressions with the 2016 Best Roca Rygo's Riding Conditions & Gear It was a cold 40-degree morning, with the water ranking in at a not so balmy 30 degrees. Not exactly what comes to mind when you think of a quality session. Of course, this is a reality for most of us during the winter months. A quick session before work, in frigid water. Whatever it takes to get it in right? Rider weight: 179 lbs. Wind Speed: 16-17 mph Kiteboard: Cabrinha Custom CBL - 144 cm with Rad Bindings K …

Youri Zoon on the 2016 Slingshot RPM The Slingshot RPM has been the powerhouse and championship kite since 2009. Youri Zoon, recent competitor in the IKA World Championships, gave his two cents in this latest #RPMisWHAT video.  “For me, to come back to Slingshot is like returning home from a travel,” Zoon said. “We have a lot of history together and I’m very excited to add more to it. Slingshot is the ruler of quality, innovation and performance. I’m …

So I have been asked by several of our staff, “Why the Roca?” Well, it is basically quite simple. I have flown the Best TS 17 almost exclusively for the past 3 years and while I liked, more like loved, the 17 TS, I was always riding the 12m on the wakestyle setting to slow the kite down. The Roca was said to be a little slower and more stable. And since I am really just a freerider who rides to relieve stress and be on the water with friends rather than trying to throw down handle p …