Blade1990

Hey, Whereabouts south of Oxford are you? I live near to Burford and although it's a fair trek there is an awesome place called Cleeve hill (very close to Cheltenham), this is where I go for all my kiting antics , it's essentially a huge flat field on top of a hill, all the guys that go there are really friendly and in general it's just a perfect place for boarding/buggying. There is another place called White Horse hill (near to Wantage) but I've never been there so unfortunately I can't tell you what it's like. Hope this helps and welcome to the area ! All the best, Kieran

Thanks to everyone for the info, as suggested by a couple of people I reckon the best thing is to go out and test a few of them. By the way, if anyone gets the chance to test a 2011 fyx would they be able to post some thoughts on it (can't find any reviews online as of yet)? Ozone are selling it as a much improved kite with loads of gains in performance and stability compared to the 2010 model, it would be wicked to know if any of this translates to the real life flying and living with it. I just want to know whether to go ahead and buy a reduced 2010 or whether it would be worth my while saving up for a little longer and getting the new, 2011 version? Cheers guys, Kieran

I didn't realize that they used the frenzy, I know there are a lot of ozone's up there but I can't tell the visual difference between the frenzy and all the other models . That'd be awesome if I could have a quick spin on one though, I'll ask Rhys or one of the others next time I'm up at Cleeve. Thanks a lot for letting me know . Are you and the guys gonna be up at Cleeve any time this weekend? I'm possibly goin up saturday, work depending. Great to see you again on Sunday and thanks loads for your help with the setting up and restraining of that blade ! See you soon, Kieran

Awesome, thanks for the info! I'll also have a look into the others you have suggested, I think I need to do a bit more research before going out and getting a Frenzy (love the sound of big jumps though! ) Have you had any experience with a Manta? Any idea of the differences between that and the frenzy? Cheers, Kieran

Hey, Just wanted to get some opinions on the 2010 frenzy as a high(ish) wind depower kite, I have a 12m sabre 2 at the mo but just want something I can use in a slightly higher wind, I'll be using it for land-boarding with a view to learning to jump, pull tricks etc as I find the sabre a little too much for starting out (I do want to move onto it at a later stage though), any suggestions on good all-round sizes for the frenzy? I'm currently looking at the 9m 2010 version but am open to suggestions on alternative models or equivalents from other brands as well, Cheers in advance, Kieran

PM sent regarding 8.5 Blade 4 Cheers, Kieran

Wallet located, thanks ever so much to Dell for finding and hanging onto it, saved me a hell of a lot of hassle! Another great session up on Cleeve, unfortunately couldn't stay long because my arms began to give in after about an hour and a half! Cheers to Andy for all the help setting up! Bring on next weekend! Kieran

If anyone finds a Ben Sherman wallet up on Cleeve could they please let me know, it's black with red white and blue threads to the bottom right, it has a very important card in it that I require for work, I would be extremely grateful to anyone who finds it! Lost it sometime yesterday and I have a suspicion it may be somewhere on Cleeve hill, I'll probably be up there later (flying a 4.9 Blade 4) if anyone spots it, Cheers, Kieran

Anyone going up today? Wind sounds pretty gusty outside my window at the mo, I'm guessin it'll be pretty savage up at cleeve, the weather station is saying ~25-30 mph winds. Smallest kite I have is a 4.9 Blade 4..........should be fun! .......!

Heres johnny - I read the e-mail you posted from the councillor, in reference to when he talks about kites being flown badly (crashed into houses etc) why don't you request that he provides evidence (i.e. photos, written statements etc) of all the incidents he mention. Alternatively, you could get him to come watch you fly and show to him exactly what it is your doing and show that you are not causing any such danger to 'members of the public' or any damage to land or property, surely, if that goes well how can he keep the ban in force! Good luck, and don't give up on it! Kieran

Hi, I was beginning to think I was the only one in the area , nice to hear there is someone else! Thanks for the info, i've never been to any of the sites you mentioned but I may check them out sometime in the near future hopefully, how often do you go to these places? Btw, whereabouts in Witney is the West sportsfield? I also searched on a site called 'Buggies and Board' and that came up with a site near Leafield called 'Whitesheet' or similar, never heard of it before but I might pay a trip down there as well at some point, see what it's all about. There's gotta be a decent place somewhere, there's enough bloody fields ! I may get onto a couple of the farmers in the area, see if they'd mind kiters occasionly using one of their fields. If I get anywhere with it I'll let you know. Cheers for the reply, Kieran

Hi, Just interested in getting some opinions on the best kite ever made for jumping etc. Personally I think it's the 8.5 blade 3, for shits 'n' giggles, massive air and all round fun:). I'd be interested to hear other peoples thoughts though cus' I know there's loads of decent kites out there and I'm looking to try something different! Kieran

Hi there, I was just wondering if anyone knows if there is anywhere in the Witney or Burford area suitable for kite-boarding? I go up to Cleeve common as much as I can but due to excessive petrol useage this becomes pretty expensive, on google earth I've had a look at a field adjacent to Duck Lake in Witney that seems pretty good but I'm not sure whether it's suitable, anyone boarded (I think that's the correct term ) there before? I'm dying to find somewhere closer to home that I can go out to more often! (I live in Milton-u-Wychwood btw if anyone's heard of it ) Cheers, Kieran

Hey, Just thought I'd say a quick hello , I'm pretty new to boarding and found out about Cleeve from the countryfile thing a little while back, bin up a couple of times already (awesome place) and just had my 3rd Cleeve session this evening, thanks loads to rhys for all the tips, advice and help settin up , lookin forward to seein the rest of you up there sometime. Kieran

Hi, Firstly, if you really wanna learn how to jump it might be worth looking at a slightly bigger kite (you'll need bloody good wind to get airborne with a 3m!), I dunno how experienced you are but it might be worth giving a blade 4.9 or 6.6 a go (there's quite a few on ebay at the mo ) and I can certainly vouch for blades (having owned a blade 4 4.9 for about a year and a blade 3 8.5 for about three years). As far as technique is concerned, follow what the guys said above (I think that's pretty much how I do it anyways), however just remember the higher you keep the kite in the window as you move it across the window the higher you will go (generally speaking and only to a certain extent, take it too high and there won't be enough power), also the higher in the window the easier the landing should be. As a further note the bigger kites are much better for bigger, smoother, more controlled jumps whereas smaller kites tend to knock you about a bit , on the reverse however smaller kites are much easier to fly for longer periods and are generally easier to maneuver and learn with. The best thing you can do is just go out and try it, (all the above is speaking from my own experience and so won't necessarily be correct but hey, give it a go, you'll know when you get it right!), Sorry for going on a bit, and good luck! Kieran

Hi, Thanks for the reply, the kite I'm going to be using it on is a sabre 2 12m (just got it today! ) for jumping and hopefully boarding at a later stage. Today I borrowed a mates waist harness which I think is a Dakine just to try it out, it's pretty comfortable but a bit out of my price range as he said he bought it for ~80 (preferably like to spend less than £50). The scrub waist was going for £40 and I am just looking for a decent harness I can use with the sabre w/out having to rely on my friend . Although, I'm more after the waist harness than the seat as I prefer the increased freedom of movement that you would get with the waist. Thanks for the advice anyhow . Many thanks, Kieran btw this is the first experience I've had of a de-power foil and a harness so is the scrub harness easy to set up in your opinion? (the dakine just had a hook on the front and a solid ring to one side for the leash, is the scrub (or all other harnesses for that matter, sorry a bit new to this:)) similar? just don't want anything too complex)

Hi there, Just started getting into kite-boarding and after a little while riding with handles I'm thinking about buying a scrub waist harness, I think it was a shop called sky monster were selling them for ~£40, was just after some opinions, anyone had experience of one? are they relatively comfortable? Cheers, Kieran

Awesome, thanks for all the help guys it's given me a clearer picture than before, the thing that worries me most about the 10.5 is the turning speed and general maneuverability which I think reading the info above is as big a problem as I thought it would be. I think, like you say, I should try out both of them before I make any decision. Thanks a lot for the info! cheers, Kieran (btw had a look at the 10.5 on ebay but I think it may be priced a little high, i've seen them go for ~250 on there before, thanks for pointing it out anyway though )

Hi there, Just wanted to gather a few opinions on which is the better kite when it comes to recreational jumping? I'm looking for BIG lift, had a blade 3 8.5 for about a year now, consistently getting roughly 10-20 ft on most jumps (in approx 10-16mph winds) but I'm dying for a bit more! Would it be worth up-grading to a blade 4 equivalent for more height or should I look into the B3 10.5? Anyone have/flown either of these kites? Finally, has anyone got either a 4 8.5 or a 3 10.5 they want to sell? Sorry for going on a bit : ) Many thanks, Kieran edit: would a 12m sabre 2 also be a good alternative?

Hi, I'm new here but I think this is the correct way to post, just wanted to know if this kite is still for sale? Have you flown it much? any idea how it compares to a blade 3 8.5? Thanks, Kieran