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2011 North Kiteboarding Kite Line

https://www.northkites.com

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North 2011 Kiteboarding Gear Preview

Photo Adam Koch

For the 2011 product year, North is rolling out an impressive line of five different kites. Four of the kites are improved versions of the 2010 models and the brand new Dyno is a light wind specific kite only being made in 16 and 18m sizes. If you liked the 2010 kites from North then you should love the 2011 kites, as the Rebel, Fuse, Vegas, and Evo all went through small design changes to improve each kite.

We just about had to tie him down to answer our questions, but North Sales Rep Dan Schwarz gave us the details about what we can expect from North for 2011.

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What rider input from the 2010 kites was put into the development of the 2011 North kites?
We take our input from a variety of sources. Besides the professional riders with whom we are designing kites, we actively seek feedback from a variety of riders of various skills both directly on the beach and through our dealer/distributor network.

The Dyno is being introduced as an ultra light wind kite. What separates the Dyno from the other North kites?
The Dyno is a different beast than any other North kite. There are specific design criteria we strive to meet for a light wind kite that don’t necessarily translate into a good kite in smaller sizes.

What are the biggest changes on the 2011 kites?
2011 is going to be a banner year for our kites. The last couple of years we’ve shaken things up through the removal of the center strut and then the addition of the floating center strut on the Rebel. 2010 also saw the addition of a brand new design, the Fuse. Our 2010 lineup was solid all the way through, and we feel that we didn’t need to make dramatic changes.

This meant that we were able to really focus on nailing the small details such as tuning the entry profile for each size kite to give us all the performance we can get for each size individually.

2011 North Rebel

Are there any changes on the 2011 North bars?
Again, 2010 was a great year for our bar. We are obviously an industry leader with our below the bar swivel, bar design, and release/leashing setup.

2011 brings a few small tweaks to the release/leashing setup, but everything from the bar up will be very similar, so, as always, you’ll be able to use any older North kites with the 2011 bar and vice versa.

With five different kites to choose from in the 2011 line, how will riders decide which one is best suited for them?
The best way to decide is of course to demo every kite available. The second best way is to discuss what you are looking for with your local retailer. As a general outline, the Rebel is, as it always has been, a 5-line all-around wave/freeride kite.

The Fuse is a 4 or 5-line bridled freeride/wave kite. The Vegas is a 5-line freestyle-oriented C- kite. The Evo is a 4 or 5-line delta shape and falls between the Rebel and the Vegas – It works well in both the waves and for unhooked freestyle type riding. The Dyno is a lightwind specific kite.

2011 North Vegas

For a rider who loved their 2010 North kites, what reasons will they have to upgrade to the 2011 kites?
All 2011 kites have been government certified to offer a minimum of 32.7% more fun than the 2010 models. Specifically the kites feel noticeably crisper and smoother.

The smaller sizes have been toned down to make them less punchy in gusty high winds, while the larger sizes have been made faster and more stable.

What are the biggest changes and/or additions to the 2011 North board line?
The biggest changes to the twin tip lineup is the more aggressive double “V” bottom shape on the Team Series and Jaime. All of the 2011 kite/surf boards are shaped by the legendary Sky Solbach and feature bamboo construction.

We’ve also added a new shape, the Whip, to our lineup. According to Sky the shapes are 26.3% sweeter than previous models.

2011 North X-Ride

Will there be a 2011 North race board?
There will be two race boards. A full-bore high volume race board and a scaled-down twin fin free-race board, which offers many of the advantages of a race board while being more user friendly and fun for freeriding.

Has the construction changed on the 2011 directionals?
Yes. We’ve moved to a completely new construction featuring a bamboo veneer on all of the kite/surf boards. The new construction is supposed to feel nicer, especially through the chop. And damn do they look good.