Tkb Review: 2021 AIRUSH Session

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

Airush Says:

Perfect drift, agile turning, and effortless boost, the Session is for the rider wanting a versatile surf-oriented kite with performance freeride capabilities. Interchangeable fixed or pulley bridles lets you choose between more direct steering with an on-off power delivery, or smooth and progressive gust response with light bar pressure. Either way, your Session is bound to be all time.

Visit for more info: www.airush.com/product/kites/session/

TKB Says:

This year Airush has introduced the Session as its wave/surf model, taking over the territory that had been previously held down by Airush’s Wave kite model. The all new Session kite features a 3-strut lower aspect canopy with a sweptback leading edge that terminates in boxy wingtips. The Session features Airush’s D2 ripstop and its load frame crisscross seam technology as well as a bit of Dacron along the trailing edge. Rigging and derigging are quick and easy with a large-diameter Boston valve that requires the larger nozzle that comes as one of the standard attachments with most pumps. The Session comes with a noticeably smaller leading edge diameter and a front bridle that utilizes three pulleys in the cascade. In your kite bag, you will find two replacement bridles that are fixed (no pulleys) that you can swap out for a different feel. The front bridle connection points end in loops and the wingtip pigtail connection points end in knots. The Session offers three rear wingtip attachment points for adjusting bar pressure; the stock setting is in the middle.

Starting off with the stock bridle that utilizes pulleys to help adjust the kite’s angle of attack, we quickly adapted to the kite’s medium bar pressure that struck an excellent balance between comfort and easily feeling against the kite’s input feedback. The turning response was solid but perhaps not quite as crisp as what you get when the kite is rigged in the fixed bridle mode. The steering speed feels fairly quick and the Session turns in a tight pivoty turn, rotating on itself, making it quite easy to put the kite exactly where you want it. The Session didn’t create a ton of power during turns, yet offers steady pull when you need it which made it very dependable for managing power while riding waves. The power delivery on the bar, even with the pulley bridle, isn’t quite as progressive as Airush’s freeride kites, but that’s splitting hairs because the Session is smooth and intuitive in its power, and earned our highest marks for wave riding in the toughest conditions. Wave kites are the one category where there’s a ton of diversity in the specific traits of each kite, and the Session shines in its depower ability, drift and maneuverability.

The Session impressed us with its incredible drift performance that allowed us to place the kite in the center of the window, and with minor bar adjustments, the kite happily floats in place as you enter into bottom and top turns. The Session struck us as very capable of offering up just the right amount of power needed while being incredibly maneuverable for riding waves in the sense that it just loved to be in the center of the window and responded quickly to our inputs. The Session was borderline euphoric on our windier sessions. One of the deepest depower surf kites on the market, its incredibly intuitive steering allowed us to focus on choosing our lines down wave faces. Some riders may prefer swapping to the fixed bridle for the more impulsive turning and crisper on/off power, but we found the balance and feel of the freeride/pulley bridle was no slouch. The very qualities that make this an excellent surf kite also lend it to perform for casual freeride and wave/carve-oriented kite foiling. You can jump with the Session, it’s steering being very dependable and intuitive, but if big air is your focus, you can find more exciting platforms in the Airush lineup. The Session’s stability in gusty winds, it’s drift ability and well-mannered flight and pivot-style turns in the middle of the window, imprinted the Session in our minds. It’s excellent mix of traits earned it high marks for casual freeriding and foiling, but the highest honors for this kite can be discovered in the surf. In a hypothetical game of musical kites, where the music ends and you are stuck with the kite you’re riding for eternity””if that eternity was plagued with shoulder-high waves””we’d skillfully aim to end up on the Airush Session.

Featured Control Bar
The Airush Cleat bar is a dual length adjustable bar (50/60cm) that received a huge upgrade last season with its redesigned Intelligent Quick Release (IQR). The Cleat bar features 23m lines (front: 9 + 10 + 4m and back 19 +4m) and an above the bar clam cleat with a spectra tuning strap that has Velcro so that it locks into place. The sheeting/power line features double plastic coated lines that has a sliding speed control stopper to adjust the length of throw for those with shorter arms or to set the bar on longer tacks. The safety is a single centerline that runs down one of the PU lines and through the quick release for a clean and tidy system, with a low V split in the center lines. The quick release features a push away quick release with a larger hand swivel on top that also acts as a quick-release travel guard. The swivel dial is bigger for easier leverage on untwisting the front lines and with smooth swivel action. The newly designed push away quick release features a new cocking mechanism that leaves the quick release handle cocked open upon release. The reset is fairly straightforward; just insert the open end of the loop back into the release and then shift the QR handle so that it springs shut. The internal stainless heart of the quick release is a bit larger to allow for the safety line to travel through the release with less friction. Airush is one of the few companies to offer four different harness loops to fit your style of riding: wakestyle (XL), freestyle (L) freeride (S), and/or a surf metal loop (S). You can swap through the loops with the use of a surf Allen key. The Cleat bar features integrated floats and adjustable bar ends that allow you to swap between 50 and 60cm effective bar lengths. The center insert is aluminum and features a printed logo that is visible when you are holding the bar correctly. The color coding uses a visually clear light blue on the left float and bar end which will help those that are familiar with the bar. The bar ends are densely padded for safety and feature a bungee for keeping the lines stowed when not in use. The grip features a dense EVA texture with horizontal bars under the grip and a ribbed pattern on top with a rubbery diamond pattern near the center of the bar with a grip diameter that borders on small to medium.

Visit for more info on the bar: www.airush.com/product/control-bars/cleat-bar-v4/