VANCOUVER ISLAND WINDTALK

hey Juan,

although I have not tried the Prodigy, I have seen the protoypes and the production models fly. The first thing that I noticed and commented on was that I have never seen a more stable kite in the air before. I am not sure if you could cause this kite to back stall out of the air if you tried.

Cool, OTL. I will curious to demo one some day ... and then maybe 2-3 years from now, once the current crew buys up again, maybe pick a used one up cheap....

oh no! you do not want the 2012\2013 gear, you need the 2015\2016 gear

juandesooka wrote: -- I also have an OR rise 9m. I find it flies quite differently than the switchblade. In particular in lighter winds, it has a tendency to back-fly. Falls out of sky and then powers up before it hits the water, making for a rodeo ride. I know this is mostly user error, but have heard similar reports from other more experienced riders. Curious if the new designs post-Rise have similar flying behaviour.

JDS - The Rise is a completely different animal than the Prodigy. The Rise is indeed finicky and requires a fair bit of finesse to get the maximum performance (that said, those who get them dialed in are hard to ever pry off the Rise).

The Prodigy is indeed as stable a kite as there is around. With a couple hours under my belt on these I can say that they are indeed pretty darn hard to stall (I couldn't do it by oversheeting the kite).

Also, we have a 7, 9.5, and 12m Prodigy that are on demo right now. Shoot me an email at and we can arrange to lend you one for a day/weekend.

Juan.. as for the back flying deal on the rise I cant comment.. but the Prodigy seemed to like some bar pressure and if you were choking or stalling the kite it wouldn't drop out of the sky just pivot back in the window more. This seemed to keep wind in the wingtips where as when a knob is choking out the kite wind would only capture the top of the canopy. I liked the reaction of the kite to bar input and the central pivot I talk about really makes the kite charge along.. instead of sineing the kite in light winds.. it flew best with a bit of tension on the back lines.

welcome to fly mine next time I see you at Gordon's...

Interesting, thanks Abetanzo. May take you up on that offer, would be fun to see how she flies. Of course, it always seems such a frenzy to get going and out there, rarely enough time for relaxing experimentation. I need a Nitinat week, chillin' and kitin'

The Rise will backstall, but the only times I've had issues with that is on light wind launches where I have to resist the temptation to oversheet the kite and occasionally give the front lines a tug.

I tend to fly my Rises at the bottom end of their windrange and haven't had many issues with them backstalling on the water while riding.

What I like about the Rises:

- excellent wind range
- lowest bar pressure of any kite I've flown [keeps my tendonitis at bay]
- great depower
- good relaunch [as long as you keep tension on the lines]
- jumps well
- fast turning
- have been durable for me

What I don't like:

- not very stable [needs a lot of attention]
- doesn't turn on its axis as much as its wingtip
- if the lines are allowed to go slack when the kite is on the it will invert or get messed up easily

I've tried a couple Razors and like the way they turn and how stable they are compared to my Rises. Not sure I would swap them, but I'd like to add an 8m Razor to the quiver with my 8m & 10m Rises.

It's not really fair to compare the Rise to a Switchblade. Cabrinha has significantly more R&N money from the pryde group, and the switchblade has been their flagship wakestyle kite and one of the first ever bow kites since the first days of beginner friendly kiteboarding (2006). When using the term "wakestyle" to describe a kite, they're basically saying that it does not unintentionally steer or stall with the rear lines taught and the kite powered up. The rise is not a wakestyle kite.

All kites, even c kites, can backstall with too much back line tension (or incorrect trim). However, there are times when a little extra backstall comes in very handy. Skydivers use backstall to come to a dead stop right before touching down, as a kiter you can too.

Most delta kites stall, or rather move deeper into the wind window when the wind lulls, I prefer this to inverting or hindenburging like flatter kites (such as the older rises or rebels). Eventually they'll be enough pressure on the canopy to get the delta kite moving again. Just try to sheet out and steer the LE up, so it brings the kite to a position of higher potential energy (Zenith).

Forget about deltas and bridled c-shaped hybrids if you're an experienced rider looking for a next level kite flying experience. If you want a kite that offers more stability, consistent power, powerful (supporting) arcing turns and slack line control then go with a Slingshot Fuel 2009-2013 on 4 line mode. Other companies try to tame their C's with small bridles and multiple point 5th line attachments. With the fuel, the input goes directly to the kite and all of the power comes directly through the 2 thick front lines right back to you. Anything else is compromised.

The R&D argument I don't care about. If you're a backyard tinkerer or a billionaire kite company, all I care about is the end product. The best kite for the money.

Now, that being said ... Cabrinha gets knocked for its kites being possibly twice as expensive as many other kite brands. More or less implying that extra R&D engineering is directly reflected in price, and if you want the best, then show it by paying the most. And if buying "lesser" cheaper brands, then expect some reduction in performance.

True or not, I can't say ... though I can say that I drive a Pontiac Vibe and have a Campion boat, if that highlights where I sit on a price-vs-quality continuum.

I have to admit I don't fully grasp all the things you are saying about performance, I'm too new to this to really get the nuances yet. But the wakestyle vs other-uses explanation makes sense. My understanding is that the SB is made primarily for unhooked riding ... it is made to just sit there while the rider does their gyrating.

My ultimate goal is wave riding ... so once I'm past the learning phase and start to fine tune this a bit, I'll be looking at kites that handle this best ... which I think means you can park while you are surfing down the line, and less tendency to stall when you advance on the lines. For example, I understand the Razor is much better for this than the Rise.

Anyways, I think that's officially a thread hijack (sorry)...so enough of my rambling.

wanted to ask N-Bill and P Gatto to post a review of the Prodigy... I'd like to hear what you thought about the kite..
I find the 7 to be perfect for those gusty, shifty, and gnarly conditions at Cook St and the 9.5 is also rock steady and easy to fly!

2 sessions under my belt with the 9.5. Smoooooth kite, predictable, easy to fly especially when slashing in the swell. Improved my wave riding and carving instantly, as the kite stays put deep down wind, allows more focus on the swell and turning the board