Mike Birt

That's hardcore, so hardcore my brain refuses to accept it.. That crane looks very hard to climb, esp flying a c even if the board is strapped to his harness.. and I don't see a staircase! It's still a long way to april the 1st... perhaps my brain is getting too old to believe!

Actually - you were....! apologies... :-O (that's me not pretending that £10 difference is a lot!) The mainstream of kiteboards has now moved to 450.. specialist/performance boards are all now around £550+ and the £349 kiteboards are becoming thin on the ground, certainly ones worth riding...

Spoke to one account this morning who said that if you had a 6m you were getting teabaged... he rode a 4m hybrid all day! His inbox is full of customers kite repairs... This is what the UK is really about!

Nope, It's £472.. but then you need the footpacks.. if you want airush ones.. £87 to £155.. There are orders coming into the UK in the next few weeks if you are after one... Try the price on the FS Team - 1.8 kilos.. (I won't mention what it is ;-) ) It may be the lightest board in the industry, and although it's not the most expensive, it's not far off! The RRD raceboard holds that honor I believe, over £1100 AFAIK...

Hey Dunc, I'm the agent for them in the UK... There is a demo Evo at Hunstanton, and a few around the other major stores. PKS have them in stock, so do S2AS, Surfstore, and if you are not near any of those, let me know and I can arrange a demo. The evo is a very good board. I have done quite a bit of testing on all twins over the last year and it's still one of the easiest and smoothest boards around. Very good range and upwind for the control it gives.

Hmm.. he's not a hardcore freestyle, but if you want a noble kite that is good for freestyle - look at the NHP - it's specifically built for this - was designed by Shinn and unhooked it's very good... like the vegas. There are also some offers on these at the mo if I remember. The T5 is a fantastic freeride kite, and while it will do unhooked it's not the newschool freestyle kite.. It's quick, and quite aggressive in speed and lift. John's not on this forum, no, but if you send him a mail; john@surfstore.co.uk I'm sure he'll let you know...

John from Surfstore has..., He said it was very smooth, more so than the t5 which I liked as it was so quick!

does that mean your lawn is overgrown? ;-)

My pleasure, should be in the post to you today - the small things can sometimes be tricky to find, but there is always a solution.... The first dealer stock should be arriving next week, and I'm looking forward to talking to Kiteworld about their test and HQ visit, as well as getting some time on the whole range... Really looking forward to see what the boys have been doing - the last kites I tried were the 1st generation Lithiums and Varials and the 2010 Protoy.. I have never tried a vapor X, nor the new technology boards, so very excited... I hear good things..

Hello Sir! probably because the freeride pack was sent to you instead of the freestyle pack - doh! Identical aside the fins... the two styles of fin are almost the same size, but the swept one is better for carving, and the more upright better for freestyle... I like them both, but they are different.. Shinn kept with the freestyle fin on the monk because its so good at carving anyway, it doesn't really need any help.. http://img.villagephotos.com/p/2005-10/1098314/Whats%20in%20a%20finn.jpg Shinn was talking about making some 40cm accessory shinn fins, may well have them on the next delivery.. I'm impressed you have two! you getting on well with them? how does the large one compare to the small?

Link - Kiteworld's facebook I'm hearing some very positive chat from Cape Town, where kiteworld are finishing their recent round of tests... I have known about this board since October last year.. as have a few others. It's good to see Mark back on form; he has made some very impressive boards over the last 6 years, yet this is his best by far... If you are thinking of a new board this year, then you would be crazy not to look at one of these... through all the performance it offers it's just so comfortable and easy to ride. http://img.villagephotos.com/p/2005-10/1098314/IMG_3392.jpg

Indeed, that forecast is for a lot of wind - 23/24 kts of trade can bring 40-50 knots on the beach.. roll out the 5.0's!

I have to confess that I have been a regular there for the last 20 years!! crazy... There is so much more to the island than this spot, but it is good.. There is a reason Shinn lives here... I'll be back to finish the shaping of a new twin in a few weeks,, such a top spot! Did you get that big swell that came through in the last few days? http://img.villagephotos.com/p/2005-10/1098314/IMG_6405.jpeg

Nobile hybrid Skim 2.79kg Nobile hybrid wave 3.06kg Shinn waterbird 3.34kg all made in the same factory - waterbird has a plastic topsheet and pad, nobile skims are a bare glass deck with no pad. Both boards are sans fins.. Airush make a 1.8kg twin tip.. looking forward to trying that when it arrives!

If I send you a demo one it may be you that needs the counseling! I should get one, and take it to demo's a a right of passage... :-)

I can on monday, but I picked this and the smaller one up last week and they are very light. plastic base sheet, plastic rails and glass topsheet - don't worry about the weight, they are simple and consequently very light....

That test is so far wrong I cannot believe they used the boards - it's 100% wrong, if you invert everything they say it's almost close to right! NHP power hungry and poor upwind, but very controlled and good hook pop, 50/50 is a composed smooth freeride board for higher power levels. can't believe that test... frightning!

I have tried all 3, 2HD is very fast - not a board you want in overpower conditions or heavy chop as it's like the old 666 (hydrodynamic rocker) It's very efficient and goes upwind really well, probably the best in the industry right now for that... NHP is high rocker and a contest board - limited windrange and efficiency for any freeride, and focused on hook style pop. 50/50 is actually the same rocker as the NHP, but shaping and channels make it more efficient, and although it's power hungry it's soft, smooth and easy.. Talk to someone about a monk. it's the next year on from these designs...

I'm hoping to build a full demo quiver by the time the season starts, and the Razor... That's the distant relation of the Lift Pro, a kite that lead the field back in 2003, refined over the years for the hardcore in the team. Felix Pivec would send me an abusive skype every monday morning for a year until I ordered a set for myself. While I do admit that it is kitesurfing in it's purest form, I have to admit that every time there was a bit of offshore in the wind the Razor would try and remove my wetsuit evert time I parted company from my board... It's a rapist!!

Aha, you are in the homeland! That's our local beach; you should see it with 60k on... Infact the whole left side of the bay is sand under the water, but the right side is rocks (where the wave breaks with greatest force). It's a very good spot and makes you concentrate. You should have tried it in the late 90's with a 2line wipika classic and bath-tub twintip. Most of the urchins have been trawled by fellow kiters since then. Mark's house is almost visible in that photo... hope the wind picks up.. you should have some from the right, but as the sw trades are lacking in the UK, so are the NE trades from the Azores high... so no classic medano for the next week unfortunately. If you are lucky you may get a rare south swell and wind from the right - catch it early in the morning and you'll have a 2 minute wave from the top of the south bay to the town..

Yeah, the website and catalogue were a tad vague. The above were taken from their main dealer manual, which is far more realworld.... I will know for sure when I get the chance to try one first hand!

A unique board separate from the rest. Quite a bit of shaping difference, including different rocker and channels. Same construction as the FS though... Jibs, kickers, wallrides, or flatwater, the 2011 Airush FS Park is here to give you the necessary tool to become your own menace to soci- ety. The Park gives you the optimal benefit of planning power without compromising the feel of a standard wakeboard. The bottom contour includes a moderate rocker allowing it to excel in upwind ability, pop, and smooth landings. This, combined with a fairly parallel outline provides a mixture of wakestyle feel, without reducing the necessary speed that kite specific boards need. The ABS molded channels can be configured with fins to give a positive feel when riding, along with the option of making the board completely flat for rail based tricks. Dedicated Wake style boot rider • Increased stiffness over the FS • More rocker than the FS • Wider than the FS 140 • New Shape for 2011 Square ABS rail for durability and a fast clean water release. Park Specific 3 stage rocker, for a combination of higher rocker tips with a relatively flat center section. 140 CM X 43 CM one size only tho!!

It's a good question, but at the end of the day the only person who can answer that is you - because you will be the one buying! I will always describe the equipment as best I can, but what I like personally is quite possibly the opposite to you, so at the end of the day, Juice, Shinn or Airush, it's your choice. It's the brand's job to push their technology and relevance to your riding as far as they can, and mine to help you find what you need... Regarding airush, as already mentioned, in this vast range of kites and boards, you will struggle to find something that is not relevant I intend to run quite an extensive demo program next year.... looking forward to it.. the interest so far has been exceptional, the brand is stronger than ever. If I can persuade you into one of the three then I'm happy!

I have the pleasure in announcing that as of the 1st of Febuary, Ktwo Distribution will be acting as the agent for Airush in the UK and Ireland. As many of you may well know I have been working with Airush since the company was formed back in the late '90's. After an 18 month break away from the team I'm glad to say that I will be working with them again. It is certainly a welcome move, as we have a lot of history and with the formation of a new dedicated agency / import company we have a lot more time and resource to bring such a large international brand to the fore. Full information and pricelists will be issued to the shops at the end of this month and the first deliveries will commence shortly afterwards. Airush's range of products is by no means small; there are 15 ranges of kiteboard and over 10 ranges of kites and in the last 18 months I'm I'm amazed at just how much the company has grown. I hope to reveal a full demo program for the spring and look forward to working with you all in the coming months and years. More detailed product info will follow in the coming weeks. Any queries regarding the brand please mail, sales@ktwodistribution.com

Either that or try a good directional.. my small surfboard is (as bmw say) 50/50 weight distribution ;-) There are many twins that have much better distribution, and some that just set your back leg on fire (feels like you need to ride with a fire extinguisher for it). The twins that have the most positive reactions are the ones that stay out of trouble, don't splash and don't overload... The widebody is VERY comfortable for hour after hour...