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As you can tell from its "V14" designation, Airush's Lithium kite has been around a while. It's a staple of their lineup as an all-around kite, and after this many versions, it's become quite refined. Rather than release a new version with minimal changes every year, Airush takes their time to develop a Lithium with impactful and meaningful changes every two years. Kristen is familiar with the V13 Lithium and has spent some time on the new V14, so she's got some insights to share about what …

Have you ever tried what seems like a million of something, only to find they all fall short in one way or another? And then you finally find THE ONE, and it's the greatest feeling, knowing that your search is over and you can enjoy using that perfect thing. For Kristen, that perfect thing may well be the AK Durable Supply Co. Method RS harness.The Ratchet SystemThe standout feature of the Method is the ratchet system, which is what RS stands for. With more of an hourglass shape, Kristen fo …

Kristen Cooper is back to share her thoughts on the Airush Team control bar. She's taken a lot of time to really get a feel for it and she found a lot to like about it. Is it the right bar for you as well?Overview The Airush Team control bar is a bar for any level rider. It's a great bar to start on, but you won't outgrow it, either. It's designed to withstand even the hardest riding, yet is customizable and doesn't sacrifice performance. Features Kristen's first impression of …

We've got a special appearance by Kristen Cooper today, and she's going to give us the scoop on the 2024 Lithium V13 and Lithium Team Series kites. What is the Lithium good at, how is the Team Series different, and who is each kite for? Lithium: A Legacy of Loft Airush has been part of the kiteboarding scene since 1999, and while a variety of kites have come and gone, the Lithium has long been a staple in their lineup. This year, the Lithium is in its 13th generation, and there ha …

Kristen and Rygo are headed down to Key West in the RV, where they'll hook up with the crew from Light Wind Watersports. They'll camp along the water at Curry Hammock in Marathon along the way to test out some fresh Airush gear. The wind was fairly light the next morning, so Kristen took out the 14m Lift and had a great session. That evening, Rygo got a turn as well for a fantastic sunset session. The next morning Rygo and Kristen completed their trip and met up with Bronza and Ros …

Kristen Cooper is back with a look at a new offering from North that shorter riders, women, and kids may find interesting, if not long overdue. The 2024 North Navigator Short Throw bar is out, and Kristen has had a chance to ride it in the Florida Keys. If you have ever had trouble reaching the bar when it's fully sheeted out, this may be worth a look.Who's It For? In addition to shorter riders, it's also a nice bar for beginners. It can be frustrating and even intimidating to have …

Kristen chats about the 2024 North Reach: what's new, what's different, and what you can expect to feel familiar. It's a beautiful day in Muskegon, Michigan. It was a north wind, which tends to be a little bit gustier up and down. It's about 70 degrees and the water temp is warm, and I just had a great session on the 9m North Reach. It is a really fun kite! New Logo, New Material On the kites you'll now see the North Sails logo being rolled out for 2024. North has also been work …

Kristen here! Ryan and I are on our way down to the Keys. We just left St. Pete, where we've been having a blast riding with the local crew and hanging out with our friends there. But this week they're not predicting any wind, so we checked the forecast for the Keys and it looks epic there. So we're hitting the road and are going to go hang out with the crew down there and get some kiting in, and we're so stoked for that. It's been a year since we've been there, so we're super excited to …

What's up, guys? I'm Rygo. I'm Kristen. And we're back in Michigan. We've been on tour in the RV for a while now, and then we've been kiting down south in West Michigan, getting so many good freestyle sessions. We've had the most ridiculously smooth south winds here, like 16.7 to 17.7, just perfect big kite freestyle. We've got some stronger days lining up, but about three hours north in northwest Michigan. It's kind of like going to another world up there. Yeah, the water up there is …

Hey guys, Kristen here with MACkite, and today I want to cover the North Atmos vs. the Astra board.North Atmos Kiteboard If you've been looking at North boards, you might have heard of, or you might even be familiar with, the Atmos. It's their big air freeride board, and it's pretty popular. It's a little bit stiffer, so it really allows you to cut through the chop and hold down the edge you need to have explosive pop off the water, which is what you want for big air and to g …

Hey guys, Kristen here. I am in Arizona and we're picking up a new-to-us RV for the MACkite RV tour. We're getting ready to head to Florida, and I wanted to get some more videos out to you guys. I figured a good one to start off with is why ladies should not be afraid of big kites, so let's get into it. One thing that I see commonly is that women tend to be put on obnoxiously small boards and obnoxiously small kites, usually anywhere from a 7m to a 10m, maybe a 12m might be …

Hey guys, Kristen here with MACkite. I'm currently in Arizona picking up a new-to-us RV. I'm really enjoying it here, enjoying the desert scenery, the mountains, getting some good hiking in, and we're about to head to Florida. We want to get some videos out, and a good one that we wanted to touch base on is how to choose a board for the ladies or for your girlfriend. Let's get to it! Oftentimes I see ladies put on really, really small boards, and I think that we could benefit from riding the …

The Crail Grab is the least common grab seen on the beach, mostly because it's not one you would think to do often. Taking your back hand and reaching for the nose takes some flexibility and core, but it looks epic paired with rolls and rotations. For this video I'll cover the most simple variation. If you want to see the more advanced version, check out this video by Rygo and Blake. They accidentally called it a Nuke Grab, but this video breaks down more variations of this grab. Step O …

The small North Navigator kiteboarding control bar comes in 38 to 43 cm. As a female, I’m always on a smaller kite than all the guys out there. The reason I like a smaller bar is it slows down and gives me more control of the smaller kites I am using.  Small kite control bars slow the kite down.  This is great because it prevents accidental loops and more control in wild conditions. The other reason I like it is because the bar is plush and soft. I have used some harder and mor …

The Back to Revert, aka Backroll to Toeside, is actually a very natural and easy trick. In this video, we'll break down how to do this powered with the kite low, so no sending the kite to noon. It will stay at 45 degrees and you will use board speed and edging to load the lines. This is the same loading technique as an unhooked freestyle trick Keep the kite at 45 and come in with good speed. Come off your edge and quickly ride downwind to go even faster. Now lean back like you are sit …