Hi, Just been sorting out my kite gear and dug out GK sonic 8m that I bought some time ago but have not used and I'm a bit confused about the power lines.

One is attached to a cord that runs through the bar to the chicken loop. The other goes through a steel ring and a ball but does not seem to be attached to anything... See photo

It looks like the black line with ball will shoot up the red and the kite colapse.

My kite also does not have the bit of plastic in the rope that the stopper jams against. Any idea where I can get one in the UK or can I make one out of wood?

Any help would be appreciated!

1/ With 10cm of pigtails on the backs lines the kite is really great!

Level feeling and behavior, it is identical to the 09m² size.

This has been necessary for some 12m ².

If your hight end wind and jumps are not abble to offert you satisfactions... you have to test this.

2/ For waves avec wakestyle use a 21m long lines...

I just upgraded three of my kites to the 09 setup and it is a step up in quality and ease of use. One detail though: the main line (loop) going through the Chcken Loop assemblee (red plastic triangle) gets worn out pretyy quick since it is rope against metal in there.

Any ideas on how to prevent the wear of the rope ?

Vince.

I am having trouble uploading the video onto the site, so until then here is a link:

http://vimeo.com/4012971

Hope you guys enjoy it!!

Noah

Kiteboarding in Mauritius is not bad, the wind period il flom april to december, I mainly use 6 or 8 Vsonic or 9 Trix.

I love staying a few days on the spot with the GK catamaran.

High Wind Weapons!

I'll write that since already a few people asked me for a comparison. I'm lucky to be spoiled with choice, and it's always a tough choice deciding which one to go for.

I'd say, despite being small kites, they really retain the characteristics of their DNA. The VSonic is a kiter's kite while the Trix is more of a boardrider's kite. Does it make sense?

Here's what I mean: The VSonic requires a bit more precision in the piloting, and rewards you with more upwind, more smoothness, more speed and more lift. Requiring more precision means that if you slow down the kite too much you'll lose most of its power. After a transition, a surf, or else you'll have to work proactively to regain power and keep going, or escape the dire situation you're in.

The Trix is a bit different, it won't be as smooth, you may feel some gusts a bit more, as they won't be translated as efficiently into extra speed, but you'll always keep some power and response in the kite even if it's in the wrong part of the window and if you have lost your speed. It also stays responsive in these conditions without having to act on the bar too much. The VSonic usually requires to push the bar a bit while you work it in those conditions to make it regain speed.

In terms of high end, I'd say it's very similar, I haven't done direct side by side comparison on the same day, but I've been reaching the max on both of them in very similar conditions. The kites still hold fine but the navigation gets to a point where the fun factor wears out and it's more like survival mode. It's usually due to abusive chop, waves, etc... more than pure wind strength.

Loops are fun on both of them, but the Trix feels punchier through the turn while the VSonic will get more power towards the end of the turn, just different characteristics, and they just require getting used to that. KiteLoops in 30kts+ require dedication and commitment... Fast and furious! Looping the kite in the surf is a real pleasure on those small toys, and I'd give the Trix a better rating as the power delivery is more constant and more forgiving. But with the right timing and technique, the VSonic can be exploited really well.

In terms of lines I use both on either 16 or 21m, and I'd say the Trix benefits more from the shorter lines, providing a more direct/ explosive/ brutal behaviour that is really good fun. The VSonic can take advantage of the longer lines if you have to sine the kite through the lulls. It obviously works also with The Trix, but not as efficiently and it'll give the arms a proper work out ... Best to focus on the edging of the board.

Which one to choose then?

Both!!!

Just got my new board!

Its the Litewave 133x41. Quite similar to the last two that I've had, but what makes this one stand out is the new foot strap system. Litewave is definitely ahead of the curve on this. Its a lace up strap that you slip your foot into so that you get a perfect fit. I'm real excited to try it out. My last year's board was the Raphta, and the prior year was a Tsunami. All three boards have good concave my last two went up wind like a madman. The last two boards had real crisp pop to them, and I expect no less with this one. These boards are high demand, I sold both last years board and the year before within three days of posting them online.

If you typed flat-water kiteboarding into Google I can assure you that La Ventana would rank poorly in the results. The conditions in La Ventana are similar to the conditions found in Cabarete only slightly less tumultuous because I don't think there is anywhere in the world that can top the chaotic environment one encounters in Cabarete. After my first month down here in La Ventana I was sorely missing the buttery flat-water I have waiting for me back home in Charleston, South Carolina. The other guys I was down here with felt the same way, we were all craving that felling you get when you slice through some silky smooth water. We had heard about a pond tucked away behind the dunes about 7 miles downwind. I know that 7 miles downwind doesn't seem like much, but when you are living and riding at the last bit of civilization before a vast cactus forest 7 miles adds up quick. Anyway, we were determined to locate the pond even after we had heard basically nothing but pessimistic opinions. Like how it was full of stingrays, dead fish and sharp sticks and logs, and that the water was similar to what comes out of a septic tank. Still none of that bothered us. Me and 4 other buddies set out on our wild goose chase one afternoon with a back pack full of camera equipment, because there was no way we were going to let this experience go undocumented. After 3 attempts of running up 40 foot dunes that we thought might be the gateway to our playground we finally found it. We looked back at our start point and realized we had covered some serious ground. The houses looked like little sand castles nestled into the side of the mountainous terrain of la Ventana. We had to walk about 100 meters inland before we could actually see what we were working with. Once we had arrived we took a look around and began to understand what everyone was talking about. The pond was literally a pond, about 100 meters long by 200 meters wide. It looked like a stagnate breeding ground for bird poop bacteria, but we had gone that far and nothing was stopping us now plus the water looked like a fresh tub of margarine, absolutely butter smooth! We took turns riding 2 at a time and the rest either filming or watching. We were stoked, hooting and hollering as we pushed each other to go bigger and bigger and more and more technical. However, when you fell you paid the price as we found out that the water was actually saltier then the Red Sea and tasted like vegemite mixed with pluff mud. We continued to ride. After about 2 hours and a fading light we decided to make the journey back. The angle of the beach and the wind allowed for a typically easy return all things considered. But, about 5 minutes after we began our return the wind died an hour earlier than it should have. We had to pump and loop our kites just to make it back to the beach with an on-shore wind. We all got back to the beach and just looked at each other and basically laughed like wow did this really just happen. By the graces of god there was this little Mexican couple out there in the middle of nowhere. So my friend and I, being the only two out of the bunch that knew any Spanish, went up to the couple and asked them for a ride. They pretty much denied us right off the bat. But after about 10 minutes of haggling and loads of mispronounced words we were able to coax them into a ride for 200 pesos. Like a can of sardines we packed ourselves and all of our gear into the back of a little Mexican truck. After the 45 minute car ride through the most desolate dirt roads surrounded by cactus we made to our residence at Baja Joe's. We cracked some beers that night and laughed about our stupid luck. We certainly had an experience that we will never forget plus we got to ride flat water so we were more stoked then ever!! Here are some pictures from our journey. If you ever go down to La Ventana and are craving flat water let me know and I will send you the treasure map and the essential words to bribe a ride back ; )

I arrived in La Ventana, Mexico on January 8th. I have been here for about 2 months and have been loving every minute. This place is one of the most consistent beaches i have ever been to. I am usually out on my 7m Trix, sometimes it will be light enough for my 9m but rarely do I ever ride my 12m. The wind usually picks up around 11 am and blows until sundown. I have been training here with some very talented riders from around North America. My buddies Jon Van Malsen and Sam Medysky have helped push me to progress further and further. We have been traveling around to some of the other spots within a couple hours drive to do some photo and video shoots. I have a couple of really cool videos coming out soon, they should help visually explain how fantastic this place really is. Also, I would like to share some of the adventures my friends and I have experienced so i will be posting those soon too. Stay tuned for the update....