Latest News, Blog & Videos

Welcome DUOTONE! We know that there has been a tornado of speculation and questions regarding the re-branding of the well known and loved North Kiteboarding brand.  To put it as simply as possible, nothing is changing except for the name!  Customers can expect the same highly developed product, improved service, and a fresh brand energy.  Duotone is essentially what "North" for 2018 was - same designers, products, and distribution channels "Duotone is going to go forward …

*Emails submitted above are submitted to Duotone, not to MACkiteboarding.com The Secret Is Out After 18 years Boards & More is dropping North Kiteboarding and launching their own brand, Duotone. Citing differing views on the future of the brand with North Sails (owned by Oakley Capital), Boards & More has parted ways and will move forward under the newly formed brand Duotone. So what does this mean for you? Hopefully only good things. Their new website can be found at: www.DuotoneSpor …

The Best Kites for Learning Freestyle Hey guys! As I promised I'm going to write about my current three favorite kites for learning freestyle. Now, just because I favor these kites doesn't mean there aren't a lot of other great kites that offer similar benefits. I’m going to write about these as well. As I said, these are the best kites for learning freestyle. I know some of you are going to start shouting about C-kites and I’ve addressed this before. Check out my video on the top …

We’ve had a lot of requests for a solid review on the 2018 North Evo and how it compares to the 2017. I can’t say I’m surprised there is very little content beyond the basic brand notes on the 2018 Evo. I’ve been really curious to compare these two kites myself, but it definitely took me some time, to say the least! The reality is that this kite has become a completely different animal designed to meet the same end, yet with a new approach. It’s rare for a kite to …

OK, I’ve officially found my favorite kite-surfboard of all time, and it only took me 18 years. Ha!Nah—seriously though, you’ve got to have a look at the NEW 2018 North Pro Whip CSC. This little blaster will have you grinning from ear to ear the first time out. I’ve spent a bit of time on the North Nugget and the North WAM, but the Pro Whip is my jam!The first thing you’ll notice is how light the board is. North utilized bamboo and carbon in this board and it really shows. The next thing yo …

Sessions Blog - Testing the 2018 North Evo For the  2018 North Evo, I really had to put in the work to get my review right. In most of my previous videos, I'd already had years of experience testing the gear. Demand was high for this review and I was struggling to get any real information on the kite. I decided to get as much time in on the kite as possible and take notes on my sessions. The problem was I only had a 12 meter and the conditions never seemed to line up. I had tested the kit …

So, let's go kiteboarding in...Siberia?? Lake Baikal, close to Russia and Mongolia, is the deepest lake in the world. Come follow along as North Kiteboarding team riders, Aaron Hadlow, Stefan Spiessberger, Craig Cunningham, Noe Font and Fran Bagnioli shred the gnar in a land real far...away. The trip was planned to be an adventure but nobody expected this. Apparently, there were broken-down vehicles, guys with gold teeth, windless weeks, and borderline starvation. Sounds awesome! Wait—w …

There are a lot of different travel bags out there for kiteboarding and kitesurfing. North offers the "Combi Bag" and "Team Bag Surf", while ION has the "Gearbag TEC". Here's the breakdown from Ben Skaggs, our North and ION Kiteboarding rep from Hood River, Oregon.North Combi BagColors: Black and BlueAvailable sizes: 140cm155cmSurfboards up to 5'6"Surfboards up to 6'2""This is a lightweight travel bag that uses the method of “use your gear and clothing as padding to save weight” for protecting y …

So you’re looking to go big! One of the most fun aspects of kiteboarding is going all out at full speed and just sending it. On those days where the wind is so strong that the beach is empty except for a hand full of wind junkies. Your heart is pounding, all you hear is the constant hum of the wind in your ears and the shouting of your friends as you set up. Cars line up to watch the show, people venture out to the pier to see what's going on. It’s one of the most exciting and eye- …

Kiteboarding has come a long way since the early days. What was once an extreme sport is now only as intense as you’d like it to be. Whether you want to experience the freedom of sailing and exploring, you want to wakeboard without a boat. Maybe you want surf in any conditions or you want to get 40 feet of air and push the limits. Best of all it’s an all season, all terrain sport. Basically, kiteboarding is freedom. It’s gravity, it’s your lift pass for life. All the hy …

The two leading performance kites that bridge the gap from freeride to freestyle. Both appeal to intermediate to advanced riders looking to push big air, kite loops or unhooked freestyle. Often, when I review kites there are a lot of trade offs and the differences are very clear. Between these two kites, the water can get a little muddy. All that said, I hope to clear this up for you. These kites are designed to fill the gap between C-kites and user friendly Freeride kites. What’s awe …

This week I’m going to a compare two kites that really fall into two different categories.  Two kites built for similar but different reasons  The Juice is North’s go to lightwind freeride kite while the Mono is their Freeride and foil kite. With that said, these are two very different kites built for different reasons but they do have crossover applications.  So where do we begin? Let's start with the Juice. The North Juice has many of the characteristics one can ex …

North has redesigned one of the best freeride kites on the planet, and now it's available to you. Introducing the 2018 North Evo! Historically, there were too many similarities between the North Evo and North Rebel. Many riders used to make the decision between the two by whether or not they wanted to fly with 5 lines or not. Of course, they were more different than that, but it seems like line configuration was a big deal for many riders. In 2018, North has increased the gap between thes …

The North Neo Vs the Cabrinha Drifter. Both of these kites are kitesurfing kites in the same vein. On paper, they don’t look that much different but once you get on them water it’s clear that they are very different kites. If I were to define each in a paragraph, I would describe the Neo as controlled, powerful and constant. The Drifter, I would say playful, well-rounded and aggressive. When it comes to deciding which one is for you, it really comes down to what sort of feel you&rsq …

The North Neo put a smile on my face the very first time I flew one a couple of seasons back. And it's only gotten better with time. New for 2018, North incorporated what they call, "flex segments", into the leading edge of the kite. This allows the kite to have a more pivotal turning characteristic. I thought it was great before—now it's even better. The low-end power is by far one of the best in the industry when compared, pound-for-pound, with other surf kites. You can definitely fly …