HQ Powerkites Montana II 9.5M

I was able to get my hands on the new Montana 2. The wind was of course horrible the week I had it, but I did get enought time on it to post a bit of a review. The Montana was HQ Powerkites first crack at a depowerable foil kite. Their second version is an even better kite that improves upon an already great kite. I had the 12.5 meter 2006 kite and the new one was a 9.5, so some things may be quite a bit better from what I was used to, but interesting to compare these two back to back.

The kite comes with backpack, kite strap, bar, lines and kite vid. The backpack is good quality, a tougher version of last years. It has straps for your board, pockets for lunch and water or whatever else you need. Also includes a waist strap to keep things snug. Bar and lines are your standard setup. Spinning bar with depower and power straps. They have changed the chicken loop from last years model. Not a huge differnce, but you need a picture to explain it. Safety releases are on the loop and front lines. Pull on the red grab handle to lengthen the front lines or pull on the loop to send everything. This isn't much different then anyone else's. Everything works like it should.

Included colored lines are Dyneema 595 lbs/ 25m.

Now on to the kite. The aspect ratio is a bit higher for this years Montanas going from a 3.5 to a 4.2. This should make a big difference in the performance of the kite. I think they are using the lower ratio for their new Apex and they are using the Montana as the higher end kite. The number of cells has also decreased going from 24 to 22, which should help the flow of air into the cells, keeping it up in lighter winds. (I'm not a designer, just what I would imagine!) The material used in the kite is the same as paragliders have. I would like to know how much a similar size kites weighs and compare the two. I think the Montana seems heavier, but only by a bit. Flysurfers use some nice stuff on theirs, which makes it pack down to nothing. The downside to this is that you pay big money for it. Was the cuban fiber worth it? Sorry about the Best knock. The advantages to lighter weight material seem insignificant except with the huge kites flying wise, but its nice when your kite packs down to nothing.

I don't know if they changed the actual bridle system much, but the 9.5 had an extra pulley on the rear line attachment. I guess it help with more depower. I believe most other depower foils have a similar setup now. You can't always see the bridle setups in the brochure pics of a kite.

Flying the kite was fun. Like I wrote earlier I was used to the 12.5 so you would expect things like turning and jumps to be better and they were. The new 12.5 is supposed to turn as quick as last years 9.5 which is great seeing how the aspect range is higher this year. Bar pressure was right in the middle. I've been flying the Crossbow this summer, so I've built up my arms, but you get enough of a feel on the bar to know where the kite is. This lets you concentrate on things besides the kite when you need to.

The kite was very stable. You could park it and ride pretty much hands free, checking on the kite every so often. One thing that took me some getting used to, was that if you sine the kite too fast you will get some wing tip folding. I am used to pulling in on the bar as I move the kite to generate extra power. The Montana 2 wanted to be let out to avoid the tips from folding. For the first little bit, I'd have to check to make sure everything was sheeted right.

Although I'm not a big air guy or glider, this kite provided me with ample lift. It doesn't have the wind range of the bow and wouldn't send me like my water kite. I wish we could get a foil with as much wind range as the bows. Comparing apples to oranges made it hard to judge whether the depower ability of the Montana 2 was any greater than last year, but HQ says that it is. You really need to fly the kites back to back to tell any difference. I unfortunately don't have that chance.

Overall, I find the Montana 2 a good improvement on last years model and a great kite for the all around rider. The kite comes in 5.0, 7.0, 9.5 and 12.5 meter sizes. Most kites now days are built pretty similar and there aren't too many huge differences in performance. The thing that makes the Montanas stand out to me is the price factor. While most other kites of this type are selling for $1250 and up with bar and lines. The retail on the Montana 2 12.5 is only $900. Having a two kite quiver of Montanas could save you some serious cash and allow you to enjoy more wind ranges or put that extra money towards your harness, boards and such.

By : dirkidggler