Slingshot continues to push the innovation envelope with new products, new staff and new tech added to their extensive collection for 2021. With the introduction of a fresh control bar, strutless kite, mutant board and more, the company has a product that will tick the boxes on every performance characteristics you could desire from your personal quiver. Marketing’s Alex Fox highlights what coming from Slingshot for the new model year.
WHAT IS NEW AT THE ORGANIZATIONAL LEVEL OF YOUR COMPANY FOR 2021?
This couldn’t be a more exciting time for Slingshot. We have added so many talented individuals to our team as well as really restructured our company workflow to be as optimized as possible. We have all the right people in the right places to bring incredible products to market. Not only have we added talented team riders such as all-around phenom Jeremy Burlando, but we have also added super talented in-house designers to leverage better product design. Joining both our R&D and Marketing Team is the ever-talented Brandon Scheid. Brandon brings a wealth of experience in riding, designing and marketing, as well as being one of the most well-rounded athletes in our industry. We couldn’t be more stoked to add him to our growing team of extremely passionate designers and developers!
IS THERE A SINGLE INNOVATION THAT YOU WOULD FIRST LIKE TO HIGHLIGHT?
We are super excited about all of the products that we are releasing, however, there are a few key products that rise to the top. First and foremost, our strutless foil kite the UFO has been proving to be a huge success. Its lightweight build, infinite drift and superior response has really redefined the limits of foil kiting. If you haven’t tried it yet you are truly missing out. We have also just launched our Sentry V1 Control Bar. The Sentry is particularly exciting because we have brought back some of our patented technology on this design. We invented the Center of the Universe system which is now a widely used and adopted piece of Intellectual Property. This patent is where your flagging line runs through your depower lines ensuring that your safety system always works and is hidden from damage and degradation over time. The Sentry also features an ISO-certified click in chicken loop as well as auto swivel technology, making this one of the most state of the art and dependable bars ever produced.
HOW DO YOU EXPLAIN THE KITE MODELS IN YOUR 2021 LINEUP IN A NUTSHELL? FOR EACH KITE, WHAT IS THE INTENDED TYPE OF RIDING AND TARGET USER AND KEY CHANGES FOR 2021?
Well first and foremost we have the UFO which is designed for unlimited foiling performance. It’s great for anyone looking for the best in the foiling category. People are a little tentative to try this model due to it not having struts, however, the relaunch is extremely easy and effortless. If you have a foil beneath your feet you absolutely owe it to yourself to take the UFO out for a spin. It’s truly out of this world. Next up we have the Rally GT V2. The V2 of the GT has seen its user-friendly performance edited up and improved. We have decreased the LE diameter by up to 10% resulting in better upwind ability, increased range, and quicker response at the edge of the wind window. One interesting thing to note is the V2 comes with different bridle configurations based on kite size. We have our standard IRS bridle on the 5 / 6 / 7 and the 8 and up features an all-new 4-point pulleyed bridle for better turning speed and upwind performance.
IF YOU ARE RELEASING A WING PRODUCT THIS YEAR, WHAT IS THE TYPE OF RIDING THAT IS TARGETED AND WHAT ARE THE KEY FUNCTIONAL AND PERFORMANCE FEATURES INTRODUCED THIS YEAR TO YOUR WING?
We have some awesome wing product releases in the coming months. It’s a little too early to let all the information out of the bag, but rest assured the wait will be well worth it. We will have some amazing performance products just after the turn of the new year. Keep your eyes peeled for our new stuff!
WHAT ARE THE NEW AND/OR THE MOST POPULAR MODELS IN YOUR TWIN TIP LINEUP? HOW HAS THAT CHANGED FOR 2021?
The Misfit V10 continues to be our most popular twin tip model, followed by the Asylum V5. These boards are long-running favorites. The Asylum V5 received an all-new Hot Sheet 10k Carbon Stringer that increases its stiffness and in turn its pop and rebound, making it even more supercharged than previous years. One really exciting addition to our twin tip line is the all-new Super Natural which almost isn’t even a twin tip at all. This hybrid mutant style board is built with state of the art technology and features a 6-fin versa fin configuration. This gives you four fins on your tail making the board even better for loading big airs and for doing some turns in the waves. For esquiring mind, the Super Natural also rides just as well tail first as it does nose first.
WHAT ARE THE NEW AND/OR THE MOST POPULAR MODELS IN YOUR SURFBOARD LINEUP? HOW HAS THAT CHANGED FOR 2021?
The Celero has long been our most popular surfboard but with the introduction of the Sci Fly last year, those ranking have changed. The Sci Fly XR is now our best-selling model and rightfully so. With such a progressive shape as well as our new XR construction you finally have peak construction and performance in one high-end model. For 2021 we have updated the size offering to a 5’0” and a 5’4” offering up more options for more riders!
