We have some of the first photos of the Ozone Instinct 2009 kites, featuring the Ozone Instinct Edge RX, Ozone Instinct Sport Plus and Ozone Instinct Light XC.  The photos of the kites are clearly pre-production level, so there is still possibility for some changes.  It is confirmed that they are shipping with 4 lines, no longer the 5 line system of the previous 3 years.  Ozone is also now using a through the bar safety flag out system.  The new kites are featuring a print design similar to the new Ozone Flow.

The new Sysmic S1 buggy has hit the beach for one of its first runs!  The new buggy is the product of a French designed and Chinese produced collaboration from BuggyKiteShop.  A few months ago photos of the Sysmic S1 and Sysmic S2 buggy (click here) appeared online of the buggy nearing production level.  The buggy received some criticism for its design, however continues to offer small features that make it unique to buggies already on the market.  We now have photos of the production level buggy, complete and flying on a beach!

Ozone Instinct 2009 Kites are due for release in January!  The 2009 model Ozone Instincts continue with the same naming structure as 2007 and 2008, with an Ozone Instinct Light, Sport and Edge.  Bringing the whole Ozone range in line with similar artwork and designs the Ozone 2009 kitesurfing kites will share similar graphics to the 2009 Snowkites (Click Here) and the new Ozone Yakuza GT (Click Here).  The kites will feature a new tip profile aiming to achieve a greater direct feel to the kite through the bar.  The bar system is getting another upgrade, still retaining the moulded Ozone chicken loop it will now have a through the bar flag out safety system.

Ozone have designed a new kite "for any conditions any rider" called the Flow.  The Ozone Flow is a fixed bridle kite that can be flown on either handles or a fixed bridle bar.    The kite will be available in a colour per size configuration of four different sizes being 2m, 3m, 4m and 5m.  The Ozone Flow will be suitable to Buggying, Landboard, Snowkiting or just general flying.  Interesting on the design is that this seems to be the first kite that Ozone are using the mesh over the front vents, it is possible that this may become a trend for future Ozone kites.  The benefits of this are not only that it stops debris from entering the kite, it also holds the opening of the cell shape near perfect to the design.

Windwing have just finished their runs of the 2009 Batwing kites.  We have uploaded some initial photos of the kites before our testing and review.  Initial opinions of the kite are well built and well finished, from tip to tip of the kite.  There are reinforcements in places such as the trailing corners of the kite and bumpers over the leading edge.  The kite comes standard as "Multi Pump" without the One-Pump system.  However in the backpack there is a kit which you can plug in to the kite to make it all One-Pump.  This is good news for those who prefer One-Pump and those who don't.  The bar has a clam cleat adjustable depower on the chicken loop, and offers a jerk off style release.

Peter Lynn have been developing a new Race Buggy for kiters, most likely to accompany their new Peter Lynn Race kite that is due shortly.  The new race buggy from Peter Lynn uses a clamped rear axle, with cross-bracing on the rear of the side rails to add strength and stability.  The read axle is designed to also lower the rear point of the buggy from the wheels, bringing it closer to the ground.  Seen also on the buggy are support rails below the side rails, these were first seen on early buggies from Peter Lynn offering strength to their design.  

Nobile have released three different models for 2009.  The Nobile NHP, 555 and now the Shinn.  Not much information is known about the kites aside from what we can draw from the photos.  The new Shinn seems to have no center strut, and to be a 4 strut design with the two center struts fairly close together.  The NHP looks slightly higher aspect then last years kite, with both the NHP and 555 still retaining a similar look to last year.

We have some photos to share of the new Peter Lynn Composite Axle.  The new Axle is aimed at Freestyle Buggy Jumpers, allowing them to have an axle the flexes and returns to its original shape.  Presently axles are made out of steel, which upon hard impacts bends and does not return to its original shape.  Interesting with the new Peter Lynn Composite Axle is the use of stainless steel between the composite and having it clamped down.  The axle has a "Carbon" look to it, however it is highly unlikely that it is made from carbon fiber.  Peter Lynn are fairly tight lipped at this stage on the material used in their composite axle.

Flysurfer has released a press release on a new kite called the "Outlaw."  The new Flysurfer Outlaw is an open cell Snow and Land kite.  This is an interesting release by Flysurfer as they are featured as a premier builder of Closed Cell foil kites suitable for land, water and snow.  The new Flysurfer Outlaw brings with it a number of features found on their closed cell kites such as their Jet-Flap Technology, Auto Bleed Over control removing sand, rain and other foreign objects from the kite, and their Total Depower System.  

Well our first competition since launching the new website has come and gone, so now it's time to share the prizes.  First off we would like to thank our two sponsors for the competition, Briskites and NSD Powerball Australia.  We appreciate the support from them for the competition and helping bring some joy to those entering!  Now on to the winners, all entries were printed, put in to a shaving bag and drawn at random.

North have released the new 2009 Vegas video and information is on their website!  The new North Vegas 2009 kite has a lower aspect then the previous model and is aimed as a more freestyle kite opposed to a freeride kite.  The new Vegas is still aimed at offering a high depower C-Kite with a Freestyle Newschool setup and a Freestyle High Depower setup.  You have the option of riding the kite in 4 line or 5 line mode using the North 5th Element bar.  Sizes available are 5, 7, 9, 10, 12, 14 which indicates North will not be offering a 16m version of the Vegas as they did in 2008.

This could be "The" Buggy Off!  Luke Southern from New South Wales has attempted to achieve what usually happens by accident, purposefully.  Sporting his moves on a Flysurfer Psycho3 Luke was attaining enough height and hangtime to be able to remove the buggy from his body, float then reattach the buggy below him on his way down creating the "Buggy Off."  There's a few photos from a short sequence and video to follow.

Pro Limit have just released the Aaron Hadlow Pro Model 2009 Harness.  The new harness has a different shape to last years and a new neoprene kidney belt.  Also featuring on the 2009 harness is the MPL 4 way webbing bar, extended spreader bar pad and an easy safety release on handle pass cord.

We think it's best you check your 2009 chicken loop!  A small number of 2009 BEST chicken loops have been shipped with a possible non-functioning quick release mechanism.  The problem has arisen where part of the internal section of the chicken loop is injected with "thread lock."  A small amount of excess in some cases has seeped out after the injection gluing the eject sleeve to the chicken loop.  If you were an early adopter of the 2009 BEST bar or chicken loop you can simply test this by activating the release on the chicken loop and seeing if it releases.

Ocean Rodeo team rider Jeremie Tronet has released a new online dvd called Freestyle DVD.  Together with team rider Linn Svendsen they travell many islands and kiteboarding hot spots exploring the lifestyle, culture and of course the unique kiteboarding scene each has to offer.  You can watch the full dvd online or choose to downloading in High Definition.  The whole online DVD has been directed, filmed and produced by Jeremie.

Naish have completely redeveloped and reengineered the Helix for 2009.  The new Naish Helix is no longer a 7 strut design kite, rather they have gone to 5 struts and increased the turn speed of the kite.  The new kite is more of a sigma shape then previous and compared to the Cult 2009.  The new Naish Helix 2009 is also lower aspect this year giving the kite better glide and hang time.  The kite also comes with the new 2009 Naish Bar and is supplied on 4 lines, however the kite itself is 5 line ready for riders that prefer the 5th line.  Check out the video as it has some great footage of the new Naish Helix 2009!

Ruben Lenten has released a video flying the new 2009 Fuel at The Gorge.  In typical LEN10 style it features huge airs, massive kite loops and powered wake style tricks.  The new Slingshot Fuel 2009 has a changed profile which gives the kite more constant power, a greater low end then previous models and now the kite recovers better from looping.  Originally Ruben Lenten was presented with different profile Fuels from Slingshot, he spent time riding them in the Gorge and out of the various profiles and designs the Fuel 2009 is the one he choose.  Check out the video!

Extreme Kites bottle opening lanyards are in stock NOW!  This is the first part of our range of Extreme Kites Merchandise to be launched.  The new Lanyards come with a bottle opener on them, so wherever your keys go so does your bottle opener.  You can now purchase these online from our shop and we will mail them out to you. This is an introductory price so jump on them quickly.

Click here to visit the Online Shop!

Finally photos and news of the 2009 Eclipse Thruster.  As of late Eclipse have spent a lot of time marketing the new Nano and Kima kites for 2009 whilst questions on the Thruster were put in the queue.  Last year Eclipse had success with the 2008 Thruster, in 2009 the changes seem subtle reflecting a more refined Thruster this year.  To accompany the new Eclipse Thruster is the Morph bar which now features below the bar depower and colour coding Green and Red bar ends.  This year Eclipse is planning a great brand presence in Australia which should lead to the availability of more demos!

Flexifoil Team rider Sy Leonard (Sylenz) has now released his new website Sylenz Films.  It is a mixture of a blog / production website featuring all his movies, interviews, releases and more.  We first mentioned Sy's new website in our Interview with him where he shed some light on it.  It is now released and you can watch all of Sy's great videos in the one place.  Rumor on the mill now is that Gravity Renegades 2 is on the way and a production is being worked on, this is fantastic news!

Caution Kites has just added another kite to the range called the Zombie.  The new Caution Zombie is aimed at a beginner to intermediate level kiters and is classed as a Freeride SLE.  It comes with the Caution Single Turbo Inflation System as featured on the Caution Mayhem and also a very short leading edge bridle.  The Caution Zombie is aimed at being a more stable and user-friendly kite then the Mayhem which will continue to feature as Caution's performance model kite.  There is a full PDF at the bottom of the photos for more detailed information about the Caution Zombie.

Bar or Handles?  You decide is the new motto from PKD!  The new PKD Nippair is a four line trainer kite that comes on a unique bar.  You have the option of flying the kite with the bar or you can open the bar in the middle to create two handles which then gives you a four line trainer kite on handles.  These kites seem a good crossover trainer kite for those looking to learn the basics of flying power kites that work on a Bar or Handles setup.  We have photos showing both forms of the new Camo coloured kite from PKD, the new trainer kite will come in 1.0m and 1.5m, other sizes are unconfirmed.

Extreme Kites spent the night talking with Slingshot team rider Andy Yates.  At the age of 17 Andy has already competed in the PKRA, spent weeks away flying with the world's best riders and was quietly available at home to talk about it!  Speaking with Andy we learnt a lot about what it takes to compete at such a level, maintain being competitive and just how hard it can be for a young ozzie to be given the opportunity Andy has been given on the world stage.  Listen in on the interview and get behind one of Australia's top riders.

BEST have released the new BEST Nemesis HP 2009 on their website.  The new Nemesis HP features "Twister Technology" and there is a full interview with kite designer Peter Stiewe where he describes and explains the benefits of Twister Technology and how it works.  The new Nemeis HP features the new more tribal looking design from BEST.  For this year BEST have returned to the membrane valves instead of the ball valves.  There is no mention of the BEST Eze Pump that was offered last year so it is assumed they will not be offering it on the Nemesis this year.  In the promo video Shannon BEST describes the ability to use one single bar size accross the whole range, however there has been no information yet on the Nemesis page of which bar will be shipping with the 2009 Nemeis HP.

Buggy Kite Shop is a new France / China based production company producing kite buggies.  BKS is a new manufacturer and have entered the market with two buggies, the Sysmic S1 and Sysmic S2.  The Sysmic S1 is a full stainless race buggy with many levels of adjustment, and rear axle adjustment similar to the XXTreme buggies.  The Sysmic S2 buggy is a more budget concious beginner to intermediate buggy that comes powder coated / painted.  The buggies will be available commercially around September however we have photos of the first production buggies.

This is a first-part article about kiting in the United Arab Emerites.  David Lees (Sand-Yeti) has been a long time power kiter in the UAE and starts by sharing with us how power kiting in the UAE started, a bit of an introductory history lesson and the progression of power kites in the UAE.  Follow on this series of articles where David goes on to share more experiences with us and some of the challenges of buggying in a climate where most of us wouldn't dare venture outside our air-conditioned apartments.  This is power kiting at its harshest and its best!

Take a first peek at the 2009 Ozone Snowkites!  Photos of the new Ozone Frenzy 2009 and Manta 2009 show a colour scheme similar to the new Ozone Yakuza GT kite (Click Here).  The new Frenzy has 22 cells and rumors are that the bar will now come with adjusters on both sides similar to the Ozone Instinct water line of kites from Ozone.  Last year the the Ozone Access seemed very popular and set the benchmark for an entry level in to depower foils.  It will be interesting to see if Ozone have decided to move their "Y Line" setup to the Access this year or have it remain as a 4 line.  These are only the first photos to come out so keep tuned for more information!

Eclipse Kites have released pictures of their 2009 range, however we are still waiting on confirmation of the new Eclipse Bar which we featured earlier.  Eclipse have introduced a new kite for 2009 called the "Kima" which means Wave in Greek.  This brings their 2009 range to three kites, the Thruster, Nano and now the Kima.  The Kima is a new three strut kite focused on Wave riding from Eclipse Kites.  The Thruster has a new colour scheme with an option of nine different colours whilst still keeping parts of the old Thruster design.  Eclipse have also gone a slight identity change featuring their new "E" logo this year.

Previously we have commended BEST Kiteboarding on this website for upgrading their chicken loop release to a "jerk off" style system.  However it took BEST Kiteboarding a long time to do away with their old release and upgrade to a new safer design.  As with anything there is always room for improvement and BEST are continually using their forum to communicate with their customers on what they want from new kites or what they want in a new bar or board.  However it seems when the feedback is not what they want to hear all of a sudden it disappears.  A member of BEST Kiteboarding forum "The Jess-Man" made a post in relation to the possible injury caused by a kiteboard leash.  This information was directly related to many kiteboarding leashes on the market and in particular BEST Kiteboarding's very own leash they supply with their kites.  Simon Clark who is the Managing Director - Marketing of BEST Kiteboarding had the topic removed.  We have supplied a full illustration of photos and information as we feel this is important for anyone using a kiteboarding leash.

Marty James & Jeremy West from Firesurf Australia have just finished the first Cougar Prototype here in Australia.  They first approached Carl Lambert (Popeyethewelder) earlier this year with an idea to create the Cougar buggy here in Australia.  Since then the pair have been working with Carl at building the first Australian Cougar prototype.  The purpose of the first buggy was to demonstrate that these buggies could be built here in Australia to a very high standard.  The first one is complete and living in Queensland, it will be made available for demo locally following availability interstate shortly after. 

Peter Lynn released the Hornet on their website quite some time ago, it also appeared on television in the UK on the "Gadget Show."  However aside from that there has not been to much information available here in Australia.  We now have some pictures of the Hornet and seeing just what progress Peter Lynn have been making.  The new hornet is a medium-low aspect foil kite aimed at those wanting to start Buggying, Landboarding or just flying a 4 line kite.  Whilst it is a 4 line traction kite on handles it has been designed to run off the front lines making the adaptation from two lines to four lines much easier.

Pansh have been working on a new race kite recently, however it has not gone without question and speculation.  The new race kite is rumored to have had multiple prototypes and changes along the way, which is not unusual.  Unusual however is to have an early prototype of a kite which is extremely similar to an existing kite of another brand.  Accusations have flown back and fourth with each of Pansh's new kites, at some point claims of them being a "copy" have been made.  Up until this point however there has been no evidence that Pansh use other kites as the basis for their prototypes.

Extreme Kites caught up with Flexifoil team rider Sy Leonard aka Sylenz for an interview.  Sy took the time out to talk to us about the growth and changes in land kiting, discuss the importance of the correct equipment and how the freestyle buggy scene is changing.  He also shed some light on his world famous Gravity Renegades video and his new up coming website Sylenz Films that is in production.  Sy also discussed some of Flexi's past, present and future ideas. 

The new Flysurfer Psycho4 offers the ability to depower the kite through modifying the projected area of the kite on demand.  Through using a foil wing the kite can be modified to create a more C shape on the canopy curve which modifies the projected area.  The benefit of adapting the canopy means when the kite is depowered you still have a positive feel through the bar even at maximum depower on the kite.  This means the Flysurfer Psycho4 now offers a three level depower system for controling and depowering the kite.  We have a video from Flysurfer illustrating how this is achieved.

North Kiteboarding has a new video for the 2009 Rebel and we have it here for you to enjoy!  The new North Rebel 2009 is sporting a 4 strut design with the 5th line offering leading edge support giving the kite a much flatter profile.  Despite the kite only having four struts there is not much fluttering of the canopy in the video and it remains rather tight and in shape.  North is supplying this years Rebel with their 5th Element bar.  Watch the video yourself to form your own opinion on the new direction of the four strut Rebel from North!

Ocean Rodeo have released some photos of their 2009 line up of products.  The new Ocean Rodeo Rise 2009 is continuing with their Venturi technology they released last year.  The kites are featuring a similar pattern design as they did last year.  There is an update to the range of boards including the Zen, Mako, Mako Wide and Mako Surf.  All the boards are seen featuring the new Ocean Rodeo Bliss pads and straps which from the photos we can see has inbuilt air cushioning in the heel.

Peter Lynn have been working on a 50 meter square version of the Synergy with Delft University.  The kite is being developed for a power generation project, and will also share part of the project research with the on going development of Kite Sailing from Peter Lynn.  We have photos of the 50 meter Synergy showing just how large the kite is.  Peter Lynn has been doing some interesting research lately in the development of Kite Sailing and using kites as leverage forces, the potential controlled forces that can be generated by a 50 meter square kite are huge!

We have photos of the new North Rebel 2009 and North Vegas 2009!  The new kites have had some significant changes to previous years.  The Rebel is now a 4 strut kite, despite this the canopy through the middle of the kite still looks smooth.  There is increased reinforcement on the leading edge of the kite and an external one pump system.  The North Vegas 2009 has a deeper profile and more swept wing tips for turning speed.  From some angles it is nearly looking like a hybrid at this stage.  North have altered the Vegas 2009 to make it suitable now for 3 styles of riding and the ability to set your depower range to suit your style.

This year we're moving along and bringing you some of the freshest info on the net.  We will be running Interviews with some of the worlds best known riders and some of Australia's hidden talents.  From there we're going to pluck the brains of the designers behind the gear we fly and chase up the big tomatoes who run the companies.  We're going to delve inside people's heads and find out find out more about the people who influence our industry.  On some of the Interviews you will even be able to login to our live lounge and ask questions you want answered.  Each month we will release an interview for you to download and share with your mates.  We hope you enjoy the ride as we find out what's going on in the world of kiting.

Skywalker Kiteboards have been busy this year polishing up their graphics on their boards.  The new graphics are stunning, however we are still waiting on information related to the board sizes, weight and improvements over the previous models.

BEST have stepped up this year with a few changes to their kites, however most noticably to their bar.  The new BEST 2009 kite bar will feature a "jerk off" style release with leash attachment point.  A number of brands have upgraded to the "jerk off" style release over 2007 / 2008 as a more universal approach to safety.  The safety on these releases can be pulled with either the left or right hand and are easy to access when needed, no longer requiring you to feel around and find a "trigger" or "loop."

HQ have quietly released their new website, which also features the new and released HQ NEO!  The range of HQ Power Kites seems to be growing with the new Crossfire II, however it isn't about to stop there.  Now that they have Tom Bordeau designing for HQ there is a new Race Kite being designed, however there is possibly a new Intermediate kite being worked on as well.  The new website may be just a hint of the new direction HQ is taking, where previously it paid very little attention to its online presence.  We also have a copy of the new and first video of the HQ NEO in action and use.

Eclipse has been producing a new bar for 2009 as an upgrade to the previous model.  The new bar still features the same quick release setup on the chickenloop as previous, however from the diagrams it looks a little more refined.  The new bars for 2009 are going to be below the bar depower trim, not above!  They are also using a new sliding stopper system similar to the BEST stopper ball for 2009.  We have a photo of the bar showing the new bar ends and below the bar setup.

The interview with Eric Herstens and the story of EH Kiteboarding.  The Kiteboarder USA interviewed Eric Herstens, the founder of EH Kiteboarding and one of the early pioneers of kiteboarding in Caberete.    Eric explains landing in the Dominican Republic, stranded without a flight home and sleeping in a board bag through to designing for companies like Liquid Force and BEST and finally his own, EH Kiteboarding.  He talks about the positives of Kiteboarding and what it means to the local community and shares with us the peaks of success with one of his designs being the first "Bow Kite" to win a PKRA event and make history. 

New photos of the Best Waroo 2009 and Best Nemesis HP 2009!  BEST have updated their kites for 2009, with the new look being an evolution on the existing look of the past few years.  The new kites feature a nice pattern throughout the coloured part of the kites giving them a fresh new look which many will appreciate whilst still keeping that BEST identifyable look about their kites.  It has been mentioned that the new Best Nemeis HP 2009 will retail for 20% more then the previous model.  This could be related to the price of the USD, which may result in a significantly lower increase for those who are purchasing the kites in other currencies.  BEST are also introducing their new "twister" technology this year to their kites which allows segments of the cuban fibre to "twist" when you are turning the kites giving it a better feel.

Liquid Force have produced their new Havoc for 2009.  The kite still sports their traditional logo through the top main section of the kite.  They have some nice large 3D bumpers on the leading edge over the segmented joins of the kite.  The re-enforced stitching is also quite noticable.  The kite features an external one pump system.  The wingtips are an interesting shape, with an attachment directly in the middle point of the wingtip.  The paneling on the kite runs down to a trailing edge that runs horizontal between the last foot of the struts.  Overall it seems the Liquid Force Havoc has received a very nice update for 2009.

The murmurings were that Ozone was working on a new kite called the Yakuza GT.  Well at the most recent 24 hour SPO in Europe the GT was unveiled, and boy was it hard not to notice!  The new Ozone  Yakuza GT has similar a theme to the Ozone Frenzy FX with the "bubble" or "tear drop" type look to it, making it stand out from all the other race kites.  Ozone has taken a while to make an update to it's current Yakuza, which at the time of release set the benchmark in performace.  Over the past couple of years that gap has been reigned in by other brands releasing newer kites based on new designs to suit the current range of pilots and the evolution of their piloting skills and race styles.

Peter Lynn it seems has been busy working on a new Race Kite.  The kite has mentioned to be similar to a PKD Combat in terms of having the "same cell count."  However the similarities seem to stop there, the wingtips on the end of the new unnamed Peter Lynn race kite are very different.  The kite has been flown in a number of races in Europe and has placed respectively so far.  It is interesting to see Peter Lynn entering the race scene, this could be influenced by their center of operations now being  conducted by VliegerOp based in Europe.

HQ made a bit of a buzz earlier in the year with their new closed cell foil the Neo.  Now photos of HQ's new Montana 4 are appearing online, showing that they are continuing to develop their Ram Air Depower Foil range.  HQ started by introducing the Montana a few years ago, and are now on their fourth version of the depower foil.  The new HQ Montana 4 looks very different from the first Montana, and an evolution of the kite can be seen.  With Tom Bordeau now working for HQ the changes between previous versions of the Montana may be more significant then in the past.