Core XR7 & North Orbit - Big Air Kiteboarding New Zealand

[@jasonofmontreal]

Kite Comparison Update: You can follow a lot of this project on my Instagram, 'jasonofmontreal' and see a lot of clips around NZ, Namibia, and recent trips to Cape Town and Le Morne (Mauritius) So I have not forgotten about this, but because I have already commented so much on the ORBIT vs XR and there are other great videos on it (see below), I felt like it was worth getting more kites into the mix. So far I have footage of Orbit 2022 9/10/11m, Core XR7 8/9m, Naish Pivot 2022 9m, and I am going to be adding Ozone Edge 8/9m (V10 or V11 ideally), and finally an Ocean Rodeo Rise 10m v1. I am also borrowing these kites from actual people who own them, so there is a sync-up factor with them as well, and the kites are all in great condition of course. The comparison needs to be in at least 30knots because I feel to do a big air-based review for me at 100-105kg, I need to be able to jump over 13m, and loop at least over 8m, to consider all the factors like boosting, looping, stability, bar pressure, maneuverability, ease of progression, confidence level riding kite in those conditions, etc... Orbit vs XR6 comparison video I recommend - kzbin.info/www/bejne/fXqbmKispNVqmNU

[@maxff123]

amazing loops and location!

[@jasonofmontreal]

For all the commenters below, would anyone be interested in a 2022 Orbit vs XR7 comparison video with actual commentary? I'm currently in Cape Town flying them both a fair bit in big winds... Instagram: @jasonofmontreal

[@clouclouc]

Pls go ahead mate 🤙

[@StefanCaroe]

Ofc! Ill watch it :)

[@bencarr605]

Absolutely please!

[@lukeshawdp7242]

still need this!

[@hbspecial]

Sick vid. I've surfed Mangawhai most my life.. have now left NZ and living in Croatia (no surf!) so am going to get into kitesurfing. Can't wait! Score some hang-time.

[@jasonofmontreal]

you'll love it, best sport to get into anytime, my dads 73 and still riding regularly

[@InfiniteFrock]

So you prefer XR7 for 8m, but Orbit for 9-11m...what's off with the 8m Orbit? What do you recommend for a 70kg, rider in 16-30ish knot coverage; thinking 10m for 16-26, 8m for 22-32.

[@jasonofmontreal]

The 8m orbit is super fun as well... but at 105kg, I'm only using an 8m in over 35knots, and in that kind of wind at my level, I'm not doing anything but loops and woosts really, so the 8m XR woosts higher, and loops more aggressively (lower & more pull) so that's why I like it, if I was lighter, I would use an 8m orbit to progress as well i guess... I like the 9m orbit because I can practice loops with rotations more safely in 25-30ish knots... I also like the 9m XR but again, only for woosting and low angry loops... just depends what you want to do really... I find the XR too aggressive to progress as easily as the orbit in any size...

[@jasonofmontreal]

My suggestion is just to pick the kite that suits your style and riding goals...

[@tizzleberg]

Hey I saw you also do loops on the 11m Orbit. How high would you say you need to go to get caught properly and safely? Cheers

[@jasonofmontreal]

With a North Orbit (or Pulse) over 6-7m should be fine... but a few factors will affect it... If you're doing a nice vertical jump with a hard edge and good line tension, you can do a higher angled loop about 4-5m and it will just catch... if you're not sure if you're doing that every time, then you really want to be a bit higher of course, especially the first few times going for it. It's a hard landing if you don't catch... The kite may feel like it loops moderately quickly, but it will be super slow to recover after the loop so you'll want enough height for that... bigger or slower kites by default will loop lower... With XR's, I've only flown a 10m or larger a few times, and never tried to loop them...

[@tizzleberg]

@@jasonofmontreal sounds great. I learned looping on a 10m Edge which should be compareable with the xr. So on the 11m Orbit i should be fine, Nice! Fits my 8m Edge and 9m Orbit range nicely. Cheers

[@jasonofmontreal]

@@tizzleberg you'll love the 11m orbit for loops ✌

[@desmoMarco91]

you're a beast mate...amazing loops

[@jasonofmontreal]

Cheers mate... although I'm just the camera man for the really impressive stuff 😂

[@nicksmeding95]

Which one do you prefer the core or the orbit?

[@jasonofmontreal]

That's a bit conditions and kite size dependant but overall the Orbit sizes 10 and up, and the Core in 7 & 8m sizes. For size 9 (my favourite size), I prefer the Orbit for progression (loop rotations, tricks, etc) and the core for woosting or just really big gnarly kite loops.

[@nicksmeding95]

@@jasonofmontreal Ah perfect, just ordered a orbit 9m 🤙. Nice jumps btw

[@jimchristofas3419]

Hi! Great video! Looking to get an XR7. What size would you recommend ? 80-82 kgs, looking to put the kite to 15-23 knots. Does the 9 really fly like a 10? Thanks a lot !!

[@jasonofmontreal]

Really depends a bit on what type of riding you like to do... I'm 100kg and would always ride an 11 or perhaps 12m in those winds. If you are just looking for freeride and boosting I'd say 10m would be good for your size in that wind. I also ride an 11m orbit and can do some powered kiteloops in as little as 20-23knots so if you were looking to do loops, I would suggest a 10m Orbit at your size. You'd jump a little higher on the 10m XR but it's a bit rubbish for loops until you get down to the 8m.

[@erbartlett]

Spot looks amazing. How do the two kites compare? Why two 9ms of different brands?

[@jasonofmontreal]

I've been riding orbits the last couple of seasons but got a good deal on the XR so wanted to give it a go and 9m is my favourite size for big air as I'm 105kg. The XR is a bit slower but more powerful and is easier to jump higher with as you'd expect. It's significantly scarier for looping as there is a bit more delay when sending it, it loops a lot slower, and if you don't slightly re-direct it to the side of the window after a loop to catch, it can bobble a little bit before it ascends to 12 if you just release the bar. It's a lot less work to boost though as you can almost park it at 12 when you send it and it will just catch every bit of gust as you ascend, whereas with the orbit you have to work a bit more and possibly re-send the kite slightly to get the most out of a boost. I'd say the XR would add about 10-15% on average, but I can start doing safe loops on my orbit as low as 4-5m, the XR I'm finding I need about 7 or more to make sure ill get a clean catch. My plan is to keep trying to progress my ticks with the orbit because it's a lot easier (and safer for loops imo), and use the XR when I just want to try to hit big woo scores or send lower aggressive loops.

[@erbartlett]

@@jasonofmontreal thanks! You should make a video on this topic!

[@jasonofmontreal]

@@erbartlett I've thought about it, but getting the conditions right with tide & wind to be able to film enough content on two kites in the same day is tricky

[@erbartlett]

@@jasonofmontreal I think you could use footage from different days. It would be cool to see side by side footage on the screen of them both looping at the same time to see how they loop differently

[@jasonofmontreal]

@@erbartlett in NZ we rarely get regular 25-30 knots days in the spot so they would likely be at different locations but I've certainly got it in mind to try thanks

[@nicmantzivis8978]

The question is which kite is a better buy ??

[@jasonofmontreal]

So many variables there... how heavy are you, what type of riding do you like, how windy are your spots... I'm 105 and I generally prefer the Orbit from 9m and up, or the XR for 7/8m for woosting in big winds (35knots+). 9m XR also super fun for big angry loops, but scary to try rotation/variations with it... so Orbit for progression, XR for woosting basically... overall that means for me Orbit.

[@Ryy22]

Hey bro, Have you tried 11m xr? I am 90kg and fly my soul 15 between 16-22knots, i am looking to buy a new set of xr7 but doubting between an 8m + 11m or an 8m + 10m. I like to boost as high and long as possible. Any advice?

[@jasonofmontreal]

Are you wanting just boosts or loops as well? I love the 8 and 9m for big angry loops with the XR7 (8m being my favourite), but from the 10m and up it starts to get kinda dicey... those loops on the 10m were in 18-25 knots and I'm 105 so it's certainly doable but 16-22 would be challenging so if you're not doing loops, you might as well go with the 11m and enjoy the hangtime. I don't use the 8m in less than 30-35 knots, so if you never get over 30 knots where you are, go for a 9 & 11m imo...

[@Ryy22]

@@jasonofmontreal I am just looking for maximal boost and hangtime. I have an 8m xr which i loop. the 9m is trickey to learn to loop on. But the issue is 10m xr or 11m xr. For example, I like to fly my 15m soul in a range of 18-22knots, thats when its most fun. But that leaves me with the question what to with the middle size, do I go with a 11m xr or the 10m XR. What would you go for?

[@jasonofmontreal]

@@Ryy22 If you're looking at 18-25 knots and up for this kite, I would go for the 10m over the 11m personally so I had the option of doing some loops. You might go a little higher on an 11m in that wind range, but once it starts getting over 25knots, you'll jump higher on the 10m because it'll be shooting faster when you boost. If you are looking for just airstyle and over 25knots you always ride your 8, then perhaps the 11m for more hangtime... I just prefer the XR7 in smaller sizes

[@izleyici95]

how would you compare 2021 orbit to 2020?

[@jasonofmontreal]

more stable but fractionally not as zippy. However the 2021 11m loops like many other brands 10's (lots of clips of me loops my 11m on my insta: jasonofmontreal

[@elioth745]

What do you recommend for 8-25knots and 60kg?

[@jasonofmontreal]

Really depends on what your riding style is... at that weight I imagine you could ride and 8m XR or 9m Orbit from 18-25knots... perhaps an 11/12 for days around 14-18 knots... as with most of my comments below, go XR if you want to woost, Orbit if you want to loop and progress faster...

[@GaetanoCrisci]

Hey Jason, have you ever tried Duotone Rebel and Ozone Edge and can say the differences between this two?

[@jasonofmontreal]

In the past, I used to own (and love) some old North Vegas, then moved to Duotone Dice and a 9m Evo for boosts/loops but the local Duotone retailer went under a couple years ago so we can no longer get them in Auckland so haven't tried anything in 2-3 years. Never tried Ozone edge but they are super popular in NZ

[@GaetanoCrisci]

@@jasonofmontreal thank you for the info!

[@21tostitos]

Hello, what the range if your 11m ? IT good for 15-20 knots ?

[@jasonofmontreal]

I'm 100kg so I need about 18-22 to have any fun on my 11m Orbit... If it's 15-20knots I'm on a 14m orbit...

[@kaiting1981]

Awesome looping and jumping. Is the bar feel on North really that soft? Do you always know where the kite is?

[@jasonofmontreal]

I don't know compared to every brand, but significantly lighter than the XR. I don't even attempt loop rotations/variations with the 9m XR, it's just too heavy and scary 😂 I feel way more confident progressing on the orbit.

[@kaiting1981]

@@jasonofmontreal awesome just what i was thinking i need progression too i think we all do... Awesome riding man thanks for fast reply 🤙