Tkb Review: 2019 AIRUSH Ultra V2

Sizes Available: 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 12, 14, 17m
Sizes Tested: 7, 10m

Airush Says:

The Ultra V2 has redefined our lofty expectations of what a kite can do. The light weight and stability have opened up places we could never have kited, in marginal conditions we would not have considered kiteable.

With unbeatable performance, weight saving features, and an exclusive Airush Load Frame for maximum durability, the Ultra kite has been the go-to kite for foil riders, wave riders and snow kiters alike.

When considering the Ultra evolution, a focus on segmentation reduction through the canopy and leading edge Lightweight Single Strut geometry increases the skin tension per panel. Fewer segments result in more tension between each segment point. This increases the responsiveness of the Ultra V2, while maintaining stability.

Visit for more info: www.airush.com/kites/ultra-2

Our Testers Say:

“Drift and lightweight construction excels in low wind, and the performance doesn’t let you down when the wind starts to crank. No backstall, drifts effortlessly, bar response is immediate, steady pull through pivotal turns. Lofts between a hanglider and parachute – silky soft landings.” // Dray Murray

“Ridiculously light and packs small – very easy to fly. This featherweight kite is a strong adversary for the heavyweights in all disciplines, freeride, freestyle, wave riding and foiling.” // Tib Anghel

“Easy to control, depower and drift kite that will make you feel like a kid holding a balloon. Great foiling kite with 100% depower. Not my pick for twin tip riding, but a responsive kite that steers even when depowered, fast turning kite for foil or surfboard.” // Dylan Dobbyn

Meet Our Testers

TKB Says:

Nailed it! Yes they did, with this second version of Airush’s single strut medium aspect foil/freeride kite with sweptback wingtips. Tester’s praise for this kite was universal for its lightweight, drifting and turning performance that was described as a ”˜delight’ to fly. The Ultra uses a large diameter Boston valve that requires the larger nozzle of the standard pump attachments and with a fairly thin LE and single strut this kite pumps up quick and easy. There are two wingtip steering settings to choose between low and high bar pressure and the single-setting front bridle has three pulleys. The pigtails are color-coded and labeled with tags for those new to rigging, the front bridle pigtails end in loops and the wingtip pigtails end in knots. One of the most apparent things about the Ultra V2 is its lightweight build that is apparent from the moment you pick up a kite bag to the quick and nimble flying you experience in the air. Despite its overall light weight the Ultra does utilize Airush’s unique Dyneema load frame construction for a seemingly good build. The first thing we noticed about the Ultra is its nice progressive bar feel with light to medium bar pressure. Single struts tend to be a little mushy in the bar feedback department, but the Ultra’s progressive bar feel with minimal steering input needed really impressed the team. Testers highlighted the Ultra’s direct steering and the canopy’s ability to dump all the power for  complete depower ability. When you couple the crisp kite feel with its impressive drift and in the air stability, you have a winning combination of kite performance that really shines in freeride cruising and foilboarding segments. The steering response is good even when the kite is depowered and the steering arc is a tight pivotal turn. Although you will feel some flutter when you depower the kite (it is a single strut afterall), it’s minimal and it doesn’t seem to overwhelm the bar. At one point during the test we flew the Ultra in massively overpowered conditions, which isn’t the ideal setup to test a single strut kite. The canopy had a decent amount of flutter, but with a little bit of extra bar tension the kite behaved fairly well for a canopy with so little supporting its air frame. Again, the virtue of this kite is in the lower end of the power envelope, on a surfboard or a foilboard, yet this kite can also handle the load of casual twin tip riding. Sometimes testers forget that a single strut can’t compete with the explosive boosting power or direct steering of a performance freeride kite like the Union, yet across the board our tester’s loved this kite and recommend it as a great traveling freeride kite that packs down super light and ideally serves as the perfect foilboarding quiver for all conditions.

The Ultra came with two types of bars, the Core Bar V4 and the Core Cleat Bar V4. The Core Bar comes with the above the bar power straps for adjusting depower and the Core Cleat Bar which features an above the bar cleat for adjusting power. The Core bars are largely the same except for the power management mechanism for powering and depowering the kite.

The Core bar V4 is an adjustable length bar (50-60cm) that features a single center-line safety flag depower with a low V and a reduced diameter PU-coated depower/throw line for durability and longevity. The center lines end in knots (color coded blue) and the outside lines end in loops (color coded red and white). This bar features a sliding stopper to adjust travel, yet there is no adjustment for changing the overall length between the quick release and power control. The Cleat Bar features Velcro on the power tuning toggle to keep extra slack in place while riding and the above the bar power straps are always kept in place and within reach. These bars feature a below the bar hand swivel integrated into a push away quick release with a quick release travel guard. To trigger the quick release simply use one hand to slide up the square shaped release handle but when it comes to resetting the quick release it is a two-handed process. One hand has to hold the release handle in the open position, the other hand has to thread the pivoting gate through the end of the loop and then back into its closed position before releasing the handle to slide back. Last year we felt the swivel wasn’t that easy to move, yet this year the swivel seemed much more easy to rotate.

You can adjust the length of the outside lines by folding over the integrated floats and removing the internal leader lines out through a hole in the floats. Adjusting the outside line lengths is done by connecting to one of three knots (the stock setting is the shortest setting). The bar diameter is thin and offers medium density cushiness it has a ton of texture with ridges, grooves that create a grip pattern that is fairly diverse. Your hand will get accustomed to the proper feel of the bar in your hand and likely discourage accidental bar reversal. In addition, the smooth aluminum insert is labeled with an Airush logo when the bar is properly held, and when the bar is reversed you see ‘wrong way.’ The bar ends are rubbery for accidental facial contact and the floats are integrated into the bar ends and very helpful when grabbing extra tension on the outside lines. New this year, the bungee is tucked into the float and is semi retractable which means the bungee stays out of the way while riding and wrapping, but is useful for clean stowage when the bar is not in use.

Visit for more info on the bar: www.airush.com/kites/#kite-bars