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Have any of you ever had one of those "ah-ha" moments with a new piece of kiteboarding gear? Something that made you grin from ear to ear the first time you tried it? Here are my thoughts after spending a whole year riding the North Click Bar.At first sight, I was blown away at how simple the Click Bar appeared. Ben Skaggs, our North sales rep, put one in our hands last August, at the North dealer meeting in Hood River, Oregon. It actually looked less complex than the North Trust Quad or 5th Ele …

The “New Foil Guy” 3rd Session / June 20th, 2017 It’s been a month since I’ve gone foiling—my bad. We’ve had an unseasonably windy spring, with much more time in the surf than usual. I make no apologies—riding in the surf will always win over everything else for me. With that said, I did have a great session on the 30” mast this last time out. Part of me wonders if that will be the longest mast I’ll need as I only plan on kite foiling in ligh …

Frances Osorio Rivera is many things. In the mosh-pit of life, she’s one of those people right smack dab in the middle of it. Screaming, yelling, laughing her ass off—and making sure you do too. She will not take one ounce of crap from anyone. Ever. And I would advise against crossing her—she’ll cut ya. Ha! Only kidding. Mostly. Frances is positive and determined. When you first meet her, you can see a depth in her eyes that suggest she can do absolutely whatever she put …

The Mystic Majestic X Wave Harness - A Review There’s a lot of hype in the market about hard-shell kiteboarding harnesses. And for good reason—they work amazingly well. This morning I had a go on the 2017 Mystic Majestic X Wave Harness while kiteboarding. Normally, I wouldn’t have strayed from my previously favorite harness brand, but one of the guys here at the shop talked me into it. I wear a size 34 in pants and shorts and would have normally opted for a size large har …

Conquering the First Foil Session 1st Session / May 16th, 2017 I’m not an early adopter for many new things, except for kiteboarding. When kite foilboarding first hit the market, I was pretty neutral about it. Didn’t hate the idea—didn’t like the idea. It just was. This morning, I had my first session on a foilboard, and wow—I had no idea how much fun I was missing. Winds were around 15 mph, which was plenty for a North Neo 12m to haul my 190 lbs around o …

Slingshot Foil Academy: "Taxi Stage" Like with many of you, the kite foilboarding bug has bitten me as well. And as you may already know, the Slingshot “Foil Academy” is a great place to get started. Thanks to Alex Fox, and his team, the online tutorials are well thought and easy to follow. The Slingshot Hover Glide foil system is easy to assemble and disassemble. I was able to switch from the full-size mast to the 15” mast in just a few minutes. After assemblin …

Aaron's Journey Being the "New Foil-Guy" April 20th, 2017 Sitting on the sidelines watching everybody else having all the fun is NOT fun. No matter what it’s about. Those goofy guys with their kite foiling boards. Who do they think they are, out there having all of the fun? I’m over it—can’t watch one second longer. I’m diving in now! Committing to learning something new can be challenging. Plus, no relatively experienced kiteboarder or kitesurfer wants to revisit t …

Let's Chat: Aaron's Spring Kiteboarding Check List For those of us that don’t live in the tropics, you’ve probably been tweaked, out of your mind, waiting for the weather to warm up so you can go kiteboarding. Hopefully, you’ve already had opportunities to get on the water before now. And hopefully, you put your gear away neat and dry at the end of last season.    Just to be sure that everything is in top shape, I recommend that you take your kites out and pump t …

Traveling with Kite Gear Spring break is right around the corner! Hopefully, you have you planned your trip, packed your bags and are ready for some good times on the water. Quick question—how much are you planning to spend on travelling with your kiteboarding gear? Although there are creative ways to get around paying extra for your kite gear, It’s always a good idea to consult your airline’s policy on baggage fees beforehand. That way, at least you’re prepared for the w …

Tips for keeping your car clean, even after those sandy kiting trips... As we were about to leave the beach one hot July afternoon, my 5-year-old son, River, turns to my wife, Lesa, and says, “Remember, Mom—NO sand in the whip!” Hahaah! I about fell over laughing - my poor kid has OCD like me! You know that one friend of yours that never cleans their car, truck or van out? Especially if they’re a fellow kiteboarder that always has all of their kiteboarding gear with them …

MACkite's Aaron on the Surf-Fur Original Water Parka So far, this fall has been exceptionally warm—but we know that will change. Speaking of changing, the good people over at Surf-Fur© have developed a changing parka to help you comfortably get in and out of your wetsuit when the weather turns cold. What’s so special about it? The Surf-Fur Original Water Parka is: Windproof Waterproof Full-length Hooded And it features: Thick, warm polyester fleece Snap closure “H …

Do you like kitesurfing and traveling, but can’t seem to find a reliable way to combine the two? Read on, Magellan. We have a solution.The board.Let’s start with “compact” surf shapes, like the North Pro CSC or the North Whip CSC. These are kite surfboards that typically have a shorter overall length and width, combined with more parallel rails and a blunted tip. They’ve been marketed as being good for strapless airs and freestyle, but they are also really fun for traditional, down-the-line kite …

Relaunching Your North Trust 5L Element Control Bar In this new season, North introduced the 2017 5th Element Trust Bar, a product where safety and control meet performance and reliability. Not only is the 5th Element easy to use, but is also durable with its EVA construction and safe due to the Iron Heart IV safety release. When it comes to the 5th Element, you'll want to know a thing or two before going out and trying to relaunch. Our main North-tweaker, Aaron Johnson, gives the skinny on t …

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 …