Tkb Review: DUOTONE Spirit SLS Carve 950

Sizes Available: 700, 950cm2
Sizes Tested: 950cm2

Area: 950cm2
Cord: 18.5cm
Span: 64.6cm

Duotone Says:

The Spirit SLS shows incredible maneuverability and also offers surprising stability at high speeds, making it a fast and fun toy for freeriding and around the racecourse. Its excellent pitch stability gives you the freedom to focus on tactics and how to beat your opponents. Due to the increased torsional stiffness, the feedback of the Spirit SLS is even more direct and predictable than at other foils.

The prepreg carbon construction is the latest in foil engineering, making it strong yet super light. A lightweight mast with a geometry focused on stiffness comes on top of this amazing package. Every single part of the Spirit SLS was constructed to achieve the lightest combination possible, to reach highest speeds with the maximum of control.

Visit for more info: www.duotonesports.com/kiteboarding/foils/spirit-sls-carve/

TKB Says:

The 950cm2 front wing is part of the Carve family of the Spirit line and we rode this wing in the SLS trim which means everything from the wings to the fuselage and mast are built with carbon to make the setup feel agile and responsive. The 950cm2 blends active carving with a taste of blur inducing speed that is still accessible to confident beginners, intermediate and advanced riders.

Right off the bat, you can feel that 950 is built for a wider speed range with a foil-up speed that is very comfortable and manageable to most riders, but also offers a top-end that is fairly impressive for mid-sized freeride foil. Sometimes foils in the sub 1000cm size have a higher foil-up threshold that requires more board speed and power before you access the wing’s lift, but the Carve 950 begins to fly at a rate that still feels easy enough to obtain without a lot of power in your kite or accelerating the board to higher speeds. The Carve 950 felt quite a bit more reactive than the Surf 1250 we rode; the 950 axis’ were all a bit more active and less input was required to access more aggressive turning.

One of the qualities that stands out about the Spirit 950 is its fairly high top-end speed that also feels very comfortable with a locked-in feel. As you accelerate, the setup feels stable and encourages you to push the wing with more power. Like the other wings in the Spirit line, the 950 has even foot pressure, so even as you accelerate the pressure balance between your front foot and back foot remains even. Some people like additional front foot pressure because it makes you lean into the acceleration, but for more confident foilers, an even pressure makes your stance feel balanced and perhaps more relaxed which might make high-speeds more comfortable over long periods of time.

Overall, the Spirit 950 stands out for its wide speed range that allows a fairly easy foil-up but also lets you push it to its limit without encountering a hard wall. The wing set is a bit more maneuverable for carving, but is still quite stable for fast, straight line, and high-speed riding. In terms of the construction, the Spirit SLS uses a very advanced carbon construction that gives you a very crisp connection with the foil and a light carrying weight which translates to ease of use on land and in the water. We’d recommend this wing for confident beginners, but more aptly for intermediate and advanced riders who value hitting higher speeds with average to higher-speed carving.