Latest News, Blog & Videos
Kiteboarding Quivers | How to Choose the Best Kite Sizes for You
Kiteboarding kites come in a wide variety of sizes. Which size kites are best for you? Let's take a look at your riding style, your gear budget, and find out how many kites you'll want to have in your quiver.
Step 1 | What Kind of Kiteboarder are You?
First, let's figure out what kind of kites you'll want to invest in. Are you an all-around,
freeride kiteboarder who likes a little bit of everything? Do you want to focus on kitesurfing in waves with a surfbo
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21st Jan 2022
3 Things to Love About the Duotone Click Bar
Downshifting With the Duotone Click Bar
The Duotone Click Bar offers an easy and measured depower that's always well within your reach. If you like the thought of depowering your kite with the simple click of a button located right on the end of your bar, then the Click Bar might be for you.
When the Click Bar hit the market a few years back, I thought to myself, "No way, man—that sounds overly complex and totally unnecessary." While I do agree that it may not be the r
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17th Dec 2021
How Much Does Kiteboarding Cost?
People tend to fall into one of two different groups when it comes to kiteboarding. Those in the first group are usually interested, and excited to watch kiteboarders on the water jumping and having fun out there, but could never imagine doing it themselves.
The second type is the person who gets hit right between the eyes by the hammer of stoke and immediately begins researching about how to get started. Welcome—that would be YOU, my friend! Let's get you on your way to becoming a kiteboar
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10th Dec 2021
2022 Duotone Juice D/Lab | Quick Look
The all-new Duotone Juice D/Lab is an ultra-light, 3-strut freeride kite, good for light wind riding and foiling.The frame of the Juice D/Lab is made from Aluula, which reduces the overall weight of the kite by 30%. As well as offering a much higher structural stiffness and greater tear resistance.The moderate aspect shape offers tons of lift, a crazy amount of hangtime, and some pretty decent upwind ability as well.Available in sizes 13m and 15m, the all-new Duotone Juice D/Lab is cer
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30th Nov 2021
Eleveight CS Vary and CS Vary Plus Kite Control Bars Explained
Peter Stiewe designed the Eleveight CS Vary Bar and CS Vary Bar Plus with two principles in mind. “Safety by Simplicity”, and “Performance by Design”. It’s quite evident, when holding Eleveight’s new control bars, that something very special has been developed.Featuring:
Thermo-coated, high-precision control linesA redesigned Quick-Matic II quick release and top swivelTPU covered single depower lineAdjustable bar endsSizes:
S (42-50cm)L (47-55cm)Check out Eleveight CS Vary Bar and
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22nd Nov 2021
2022 Duotone Neo SLS vs Dice SLS | Comparing Wave Performance
The 2022 Duotone Neo SLS and Dice SLS are two very amazing kites, and they’re both a lot of fun for kitesurfing in waves. Yes, they are very different in design and have different strengths and weaknesses.Here are some of our thoughts regarding:
Overall powerTurning speedUpwind abilityDownwind driftDownloop transitionsRelaunchThe Duotone Neo SLS is More Powerful.When it comes to overall kite power, the Neo SLS is the winner. I have yet to find a wave kite that offers this
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12th Nov 2021
Is the Cabrinha Switchblade a Big Air Kite?
The Cabrinha Switchblade has been around longer than most have been kiteboarding.
It went though a good deal of research and design up until about 2016. Built by legendary designer Pat Goodman, it's still one of the best kites out there, in my opinion.
The past 5 years have seen a huge change in the market. Riders demand lighter, faster kites aimed at big air. The thing is, for some, the
Switchblade is still an amazing choice. It's not the fastest kite—it's not t
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7th Jun 2021
Hooked in Back to Wrapped
The backroll is possibly the most popular trick in kiteboarding. It's usually the first move everyone learns. From there people progress to the back to toeside or the double backroll. The back to wrapped, however, is by far the most stylish and technical first variation where one can pair a roll with a flat rotation. Usually this trick is done by unhooked freestyle riders, but it can be done hooked in easily enough and will make you stand out on the water!Step One - Kite Low
This is a rec
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26th Apr 2021
2021 North Kites Overview
2021 North Kites OverviewThis is a good look at the 2021 North kites compared to the 2020 North kites. We'll be taking a look at what the changes are and how it will impact you as a rider in this blog. The Orbit The ORBIT changed the game when it came to big air kiteboarding. It's one of the most successful kites at KOTA. With swept wingtips and a flatter canopy you get a very unique kite. It has the turning possibilities of a freestyle kite, but the flat canopy allows you to so
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2nd Sep 2020
Can I Mix Kiteboarding / Kitesurfing Control Bars
I wanted to cover a topic that comes up all the time. Can, or should, you mix control bars? The short answer is yes. The long answer is... maybe.
The last few years, I've used a ton of different brands. Cabrinha, Slingshot, Liquid Force, North, Duotone, Naish, Airush and more. When I started at the shop, I was surprised to see the crew was always mixing control bars. More often than not, you can mix any modern 4-line kite with any 4-line bar. However, there are some things to watch out
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10th Feb 2020
Kiteboarding Travel Guide: Nitinat Lake - Destinations Ep22
Spot at a Glance
Quick Contacts
Elevation Kiteboarding:
Elevation Kiteboarding
Strong Kiteboarding :
Strong Kiteboarding.
Spot Guide
Deep in the forest of Vancouver Island is a kite spot that is that magical combination of windy and wild. Few kite Destinations take so much planning and work just to score a session, but this Canadian gem is well worth the effort.
On this edition of Destinations, we're taking you to Nitinat Lake.
Aft
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22nd Nov 2019
Filming our Kiteloop playlist - Sessions w/Rygo EP 09
Get to know the crew
Last week on Sessions, we made our way to Orlando, Florida where we caught up with one of MACkite's original team riders and of my closest friends, Steve Lee. Every winter I find myself spending more and more time in Florida. As much as I like snowkiting and snowboarding, spending a couple weeks in the sun and in the water is good for the soul. Steve isn’t our only team rider who migrated to Florida. Blake Olsen has also been living down there for years now, o
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1st May 2019
First look and review - Cabrinha AV8 Freeride Kiteboarding kite
Freeriders, foilers, jumping junkies, take note....
Newly released from Cabrinha for the 2020 season is the new Freeride kite, the AV8. It is designed for maximum power and efficiency in a user-friendly kiteboarding kite. Taking lessons learned from Cabrinha's previous powerhouse kites such as the Contra, Crossbow, Velocity, and Apollo, the AV8 kitesurf kite is a two decade long pursuit of easy-to-use power combined with cutting edge hydrofoiling concepts.
With a 5-strut,
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16th Apr 2019
Comparing Versions 8 and 9 of the 2019 Liquid Force NV
A complete review of the 2018 and 2019 Liquid Force NV
In 2010 the Liquid Force Envy led the charge with a bold new three-strut hybrid design. It was faster than the standard bow kites of the time. It bridged the gap between the heavy freeride kites and the fast performance kites. It was something special as it was user-friendly and performance oriented, something hard to find in one kite back then.
In 2019 we have two versions available, the V8 and the V9. The NV led the ch
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27th Feb 2019
2019 Slingshot RPM VS 2018 - Complete review
A review of the 2019 Slingshot RPM
Slingshot is hyping up the new RPM hard and their videos are hilarious. However, they do leave some questions at hand. Namely, what can you expect from the new RPM, and how does it differ from the original? More importantly, are they fixing something that's not broken to get it back on your radar? We'll cover all of that and more in this complete review. If I had to sum up the new RPM in three words it would be, "smooth, consistent and gru
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18th Feb 2019