Dave_5280

I've been using a Dakine Pyro waist harness for kite skiing and surfing for the last year and wanted a more comfortable harness for skiing. I had been looking at climbing harnesses and when the new Ozone harness became available it was an easy decision since it was designed for snowkiting. The construction is the typical high quality you would expect from Ozone so it should last a long time. It has large loops on the straps that make it easy to tighten the straps even with my gloves on. The D ring is nice and large so it is easy to put a locking carabiner through it, which I needed since I'm using it with my 2007 Frenzy kites. I've used the new harness during 5 sessions and it has far exceeded my expectations for comfort compared to the Pyro harness. It is much lighter weight and because of the seat oriented design it doesn't constrict breathing. Also since it covers a smaller surface area on my back it is much cooler so it isn't as hot to wear while riding. It allows more freedom of movement and it is easy to get over and lower to my upwind ski. I can easily put it on over my ski boots without having to take them off, and it is so comfortable that you hardly notice that it is on when you are walking around or skating out to set up the kite or make adjustments to the kite lines. ( I was in a hurry the other day and almost drove home with it on!) I was concerned about comments I heard that using a carabiner might put the fully sheeted out position of the bar out of reach and I haven't found that to be a problem. It might be that the spreader bar hook was a bit farther out in distance than the D ring. At any rate it seems a bit farther out but not so much to be an issue. The pulling force from the kite is spread better over my pelvis, legs and back vs. just on my back with the waist harness so I don't feel the pressure in one spot on my back which is an improvement. So I would highly recommend this harness and it should be no surprise that a harness designed specifically for snowkiting is better than one that wasn't. By : Dave_5280

The Prodigy is a large wake style board I bought as a beginner board and to use later on in lower wind speed conditions. I've never set up a board before but I was able to mount the foot pads and bindings with some effort screwing in the four mounting screws into the pre-mounted fittings in the board. I mounted mine duck-v style on the narrow stance settings. The four 2 inch fins easily mount with 2 screws each threw the top of the board and one of them tolerated a leash attachment mount on top side of the board with no problems. They were also easy to remove for traveling. With this board I was able to get some nice water starts and long rides as a beginner and it seems to quickly get up to planning speed and hold its edge well. I can't comment on other aspects due to my lack of experience. The foot pads are very comfortable and the adjustment straps on the bindings allow enough room for my booties or as I preferred riding barefoot. It was easy to get my feet in the bindings when setting up for a water launch and my feet stayed in if a few repeated power strokes of the kite were needed to get me out of the water, and my feet were able to slip out when needed in a crash. The only downside to the board is its size for traveling because it will not fit many of the shorter length kite travel bags. I ended up getting last year's Dakine Airwagon bag model in 153cm size. The board is very durable and held up well after 2 weeks of use in Maui. The graphics are nice with some hammerhead sharks in them and they still look new even after the 2 weeks. I'm very pleased with the board. By : Dave_5280

I bought this kite to begin to practice what I had learned in lessons. The kite was purchased with bag, bar, lines, and pump included. The build quality and durability of the kite is very good and stood up well to two weeks of use on Maui with no signs of wear. The 2007 Omega is the first kite in the Cabrinha lineup that included the most recent inclusion of tougher construction. This is most evident in the material on the leading edge and the stitching used. Setting up the kite is easy with the Sprint single point inflation which includes a one way valve. The lines and connection points on the kite are all numbered and color coded. The kite is easy to launch and fly and handles gusty winds well with sheeting out the bar as you feel the gust hit the kite. The center lines have a pull - pull system for tuning the power where the red ball is pulled for less power and the black ball is pulled for more power. This was a big help on a really strong wind day when I needed to back off the power some from the factory setting. The kite turns fast but held well at 12 while I put on the board for water starts. With the turning speed it was easy to generate power as needed by working the window. The kite re-launches from the water really easily and many times re-launches itself. The kite bag is well made and has large expanding mesh ends that allow for storage with inflated struts (which also have close off clamps from the leading edge). The bag also has enough room without the extension of the ends that the kite fits in snug for compact traveling. The bar is a metal alloy with a center mounting on top of the bar for the center lines to pass through. It worked well for me, but I have heard that some don't like this set up and prefer the more expensive carbon fiber bars with the center hole. The bar, kite and lines can be set up to fly 2 to 1 on pulleys or 1 to 1 without pulleys. I flew it only in the 2 to 1 from the factory setting. The lines are 22 meters long in total with 15 meter lines and 7 meter extensions. I did all my flying at the full 22 meters but it is nice to have the option of using shorter lines. There are a lot of line and harness extensions so if one wears out it is easily replaced. Overall I'm really happy with the kite's performance and durability. By : Dave_5280

I was thinking about getting a small depowerable foil kite for landboarding on grass, but there aren't many small ones under 5 meters and they are expensive. As usual, fellow posters on racekites.com had the answer - Kite Innovations is having a closeout sale on fixed harness kites from 5.5 meters to 1 meter in size. I went to Kite Innovation's web site and the more I looked at them the more I liked what I saw and the value they offered at such low prices. The reviews on racekites.com all looked positive, so I took the plunge and bought 5 kites for about the same price I would pay for a small depowerable kite. I've been really happy with them so far and the only one I haven't flown yet is the 4.5m, but they all fly really well. I have to admit, I am really a bad reviewer because I've never flown a kite I didn't like, and these kites are no exception. These kites seem to be made of a lighter weight fabric than my Ozone kites, but they still seem very tough to anything I have put them through. Also, the lighter weight gets them flying sooner in lower wind speeds. All of these kites come with handles, and other than 2 line stunt kites, I have never flown on handles with 4 lines. The kites came without lines, so I ordered some 90 meter Ozone lines because I like the prestretching and braided lines. With 90 meters of line there should be some additional power leveraged from the smaller kite sizes. Each kite packs up in a small day style pack that is a good quality but not quite as high as the quality or with the number of features as my Ozone packs. First I worked with the 1 meter kite to get experience with handles and I watched the new land kite video from powerkiteshop. This really helped me understand how these kites fly on handles. I've gotten to the point where I think I prefer flying with handles over a bar on the landboard. The kites turn much faster than my depower kites on bars, and you have the option to put the brakes on to depower the kite and to land, and also to do brake turns. I have so much more control with handles than with the bar. These kites have been a good choice for landboarding as a beginner and I have mostly worked with the 2.5 and 3.5 kites since they have a nice controllable power level when riding the board on grass in the wind speeds in my area. I have used the 5.5 meter kite in one session and it gave me some nice long downwind rides and some starting rides on cross wind tracks before I lost the wind for the day. So I would recommend these kites for their performance and great value at current prices, and there are still a few left until they are all sold out. By : Dave_5280

I’ve been kite skiing on snow all winter and wanted to get a landboard to use this summer and finally decided on an MBS board due to their reputation, and luckily for me, they are headquartered near where I live. So off I went to Colorado Springs, Colorado to meet directly with the MBS company reps to discuss their different boards and which one to select. I decided on the Pro 6 since it was designed MBS with one of their pro riders, Alex Brown, for kiting and it had the best fit and feel of the different models. Specifications: Weight – 6.2kg Length – 105.8cm Deck – Sandwich Composite (stiffness rating 4 out of 5), can handle riders up to 250 pounds Bindings – F3 Cam Locks Tires – 8” Hubs – RockStar Pro Aluminum My first few “rides” were down small grassy hills to get a used to riding on the new board. Next, I’ve been riding in a grass field powered by a 3.5 meter Pro Foil kite. My runs have all been down winders given my lack of experience landboarding and the small dimensions of the fenced in field I use. What I like about the board is that it is responsive to turning inputs and it has a lot of spring or give in it to absorb rough surfaces and to lean against the pull of the kite, and hopefully, as I get better to help in jumps. I really like the F3 bindings over the other ones I tried because they are easy to adjust and hold their settings securely, and the padding material allows my tennis shoes to slide out easily if I’m out of position and get pulled off the board. I’m able to get out of them and land on my feet when overpowered by the kite. The tires work well on grass if the pressure is fairly high to give them a firm feel. I had a leak in one tire and ordered 2 new inner tubes and a repair kit directly from MBS and it came within 2 days. Replacing the tube was quick and easy. The board seems to be made of high quality materials and should stand up to any misuse I might give it as a beginner.

I bought these kites for kite skiing and after reading the posts about mountain boarding, I have a new board (MBS Pro 6) to try with them this summer. Well, as others have said, Ozone builds a high quality product and these kites and their packs are no exception. Although I'm a beginner and my experience is very limited, it gives me confidence knowing I've got a high quality product that will allow me to progress in skill level. I've made my share of mistakes and these kites have taken some blunders without showing any damage. I appreciate the numbered lines when I've had to sort out line and harness tangles. The packs are great because I'm hauling my skis and other gear out in the middle of snowy fields and everything is self-contained so I can set up and then put the pack on and ride for hours and even use the pack to store gloves and my hat when it gets too warm. The kites are really easy to launch with a couple quick pulls on the center lines and they come off the snow with some speed and with the first turn begin pulling well. Turning at the end of each run is simple, although I've found that I need to turn my skis differently for each kite. The 12m can be turned and then I can lag the ski turn a bit to get kind of whip turn which adds some excitement. The 7.5 is too quick turning to lag the ski turn so I need to make it about the same time the kite turns. Both kites are easy to turn in and out of the power zone to generate as much power as needed. Both kites are very stable and don't fold the tips until at the very edge of the wind window. Even when this happens it is easy to recover with a hard turn to the other side. Gusts of wind haven't been a problem and are absorbed by the kites and their speed system harness. The safety releases are easy to use and effective, however, in light winds I have to be careful so that when I'm pulling on the center lines to pump the kites' cells up that I don't pull on the one release and kill the kite. I've done this a couple of times. The kites don't come with a leash and I think they need one so I just purchased one. One of the safety releases cuts the kite away from the rider and this is dangerous to anyone downwind, or could result in loss or damage to the kite. I think Ozone missed on this issue. The manual warns of this and says to "ride responsibly" - for me that means a leash. I can't comment about jumping with the kites since I haven't wanted to try any jumps yet, and I haven't had any accidental jumps. These kites have been great for skiing and I'm looking forward to trying them out with the mountain board. By : Dave_5280