Latest News, Blog & Videos

It's been a few months since I filmed this review and my take has not changed all that much. I admit the North Pulse has grown on me quite a bit more. I had the chance to get a few more freestyle and wave sessions in on this kite. I don't know if I will do another review on the Pulse as, sadly, any kite associated with freestyle takes a back seat to beginner-oriented kites. Much of this comes down to other beginners advising new riders on forums and in Facebook groups. Granted, not everyone …

An interview with Evan on his choice boards! The Cabrinha Xcaliber, one's carbon, one's wood. Depending on the day, depending on what I'm doing, I'd use either one of these as my go-to boards from Cabrinha.  What are the major differences when you go for a wood board or a carbon board, and why might you choose one?  The main difference is the wood board's going to be a little bit of a smoother ride. It's going to be a little bit flexier, cut through chop a little bit better, …

Hey guys, Jake here from MACkite. Today I'm here to talk to you guys about packages. We got the kite covered, now let's go on to the board. Most boards are going to come with the board and the fins. From there you have to add a set of straps, and most straps are compatible with most boards. For example, we have the PKG board right here and I have Cabrinha H1 straps that will mount just perfectly to this thing. An easy way to figure out where your stance is, is to set the board in front of yo …

After filming this video, I realized how biased I was towards surf kites. I want to put it out there that I do have a 10m Airush Ultra I use specifically for foiling & I love it. I have wave kites for waves and so on. I'm a believer in using the right tool for the job. That said, many videos I make are from the perspective of working on a budget and trying to decide on kites. Not everyone can have more than there standard quiver and its important to think about what you want from your gea …

The Ride Engine Carbon Elite is the stiffest most supportive harness I'm aware of beyond the Hadlow ion harness.  I meant to do a review on this when the lineup first dropped but time got the best of me on that one. Six months later, I had the chance to swap out my Ride Engine Saber harness for the Carbon Elite, these are the differences I noticed.  Why I love the Carbon Elite The Carbon Elite has the same plush padding that drew me to Ride Engine in the first place. The backplate …

The slingshot Crisis is a mid-range / entry level twintip kiteboard from Slingshot. In my experience, the board rides similarly to other boards in this category: it has a medium flex, mild rocker and takes the middle of the road in every aspect. It's aimed at new kiteboarders, but has some performance that experienced riders would appreciate. The board has a wood core and lacks upgrade features like channels or carbon stringers. It doesn't have as much pop as, say, a freestyle kiteboard …

Choosing a wetsuit can be as easy or complicated as you like. Last fall I did a video on choosing one for a colder climate. I covered my strategy, the pros and cons of different thicknesses, and how to pick if you are on a budget. Having spent a winter living in Florida, I wanted to share my thoughts on the best way to stay warm and save a buck if you need to. Now, obviously, if you live somewhere very tropical, a Neo top is all you will need! If you're somewhere like Florida with some fluct …

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 the lightest kite. It is …

Kiteboarding is amazing because it's so accessible to just about everyone. Now, if you want to take your kiting to another level, learn new tricks, ride longer, rider harder, and have less chance of injury, you need to consider fitness.We've had a few requests for some videos on this topic, particularly on how to tailor your training towards a specific discipline. In my opinion, the best training program is the one you will stick to. Ideally, it would be a well thought out program designed …

The Eleveight OS is another one-strut option designed for foil enthusiasts and light wind waveriders. The simple design is fast and, like all one-strut kites, it's extremely lightweight. The swept wing tips are designed to relaunch in light wind as well. This is a bit of a must for light wind hydrofoilers pushing threshold winds to the limit. My least favorite aspect of foiling, personally, is swimming back. On the Hydrofoil The OS is drifty, fast and powerful. The range is quite good fo …

The Formula V1 kiteboard is an exciting addition to Slingshot's lineup. Their kiteboards have long been known to be heavy duty and provide a distinct damp feel on the water. The Formula couldn't be further from the rest of their kiteboards: extremely light and snappy with a race car like feel. The Formula V1 is a completely different animal. A Kiteboard with Speed and Snap The Formula V1 kiteboard is so snappy and poppy you just want to jump as soon as it hits the water. I hate making …

The Slingshot Asylum is the board I was using when I first started progressing in kiteboarding. If you watch older reviews, you know I used to rave on Slingshot kiteboards. In recent years I've branched out and covered many other brands, but I always seem to come back to Slingshot. They have been making kiteboards and wakeboards for over 20 years! Needless to say, they know how to build them properly. The Asylum is a freestyle board in the range, but that shouldn't scare big air riders or …

The Contra One Strut is a new kite for 2021. I find it funny that Cabrinha chose the name Contra as this kite feels quite different from the original 3-strut light wind specific Contra kite. The Contra One Strut feels and performs like most one strut kites with the typical Cabrinha bar feel. It's fast, pivotal, and simple. The one area where I found the Contra One Strut stands out is its stability and high wind performance. I had heard the kite was actually fun and performance-minded in s …

Five mantras you can use to optimize your time where it matters most. I woke up this morning and made a hot cup of coffee. While sipping it slowly in the warm glow of my sunroom, I began to reflect on question I get regularly from my good friends, ““How do you continue to balance your time between family and work, and still ride as much as you do?” The idea of balancing my work passions with my life passions is something I work hard to achieve. To give you a little context, I am a ADHD Gen. X …

The North Fix boots are kite specific and a good option for kiteboarder looking to add some power to their riding,  They have a clean simple look that can be seen throughout the entire North Kiteboarding lineup. I had the chance to demo a pair for most of the winter and I was able to log loads of sessions in with these on the kite and in the cable park.  Here are my thoughts.  Flex The Flexibility on these are perfect for kite. The are stiff and supportive on the ankle with a …