Which board jumps higher? Freeride vs Freestyle Kiteboards

[@collider4378]

Chop or swell and med wind - Mako King, flat and decent wind - SS Vision, chop and a lot of wind Mako 140. Surfboard and soon foil for light wind. I hate having all this equipment, but different kite/board combos for every weather condition for the most fun... (and it's ALL fun!). Can't forget the land board and the snow board... Love seeing reviews like this, helps folks pinpoint what they should expect from each shape.

[@OurKiteLife]

glad you liked it :) also that a lot of gear you have! We have everything too minus landboard and a surfboard

[@collider4378]

@@OurKiteLife I was surfing for years before I started kiting, hence the surfboard (and makos, which are surf-like). Started kiting in fall, no one here to give me lessons, so I fell in with a small group of buggy guys and went for the land board. But yeah - it's tough to stop buying things...

[@mysticpointwatersports204]

Agree with everything you said! I like to choose my boards based on wind and water conditions and the type of riding I want to do - nothing beats having the right tool for the job. Also changing the board gives you a very different feel/experience so I like to have 2-3 boards on the beach and come in and change boards whenever I want a different feel or if the conditions change. But the best thing about the video is how casual you guys were kiting with snow on the ground like its just another day lol. When i did the Kiteboarder Magazine Gear Review test I found there was alot less consensus among the testers when it came to boards they liked versus kites where there was far greater consensus. In terms of characteristics I found the following made the most difference in determining performance: width, rocker, bottom contour, footpad comfort and board outline/shape, and to some extent flex. Then when measuring I used the following criteria - Lightwind Performance, High Wind Performance, combined with performance in flat versus chop, Upwind ability, edging, comfort in both free-riding and landing from jumps, footstrap performance, aesthetics (I have many customers who buy boards based on color and look and it seriously affects their learning progression. For example you and Nikita were both experience so you had no problem with the Rush but a beginner may have lost alot more upwind ground etc. Anyways Happy Holidays you guys and keep enjoying your kiting, errr snow kiting? ??Water Kiting with snow on the ground?? PS. I wouldn't mind seeing more of "Why I chose this board/kite as opposed to that board/kite" ... Keep em coming :)

[@OurKiteLife]

Thanks! Yes, swapping the boards in the same session really gives you a clear understanding of the differences - way more than trying different boards on different days in different conditions! I've been guilty of buying a freestyle board based on looks (F-One Acid Girl - bright pink, lol). It wasn't a bad board - it just didn't suit my riding style and the light wind conditions I kite in most of the time. I sold it within a few months and have enjoyed my freeride board ever since :) Happy holidays to you too!!

[@mysticpointwatersports204]

@@OurKiteLife Thx Laurie .. Stay safe and warm and maybe will see you guys over the holidays!!

[@gboates]

I have two boards, the same make and style but with 1 cm difference in length and in width. I notice a huge difference when trying to ride the 136 and rush back to grab the 135 every time. Refine your feel. Big kites are both 11m. Enjoyed the video thank you.

[@siddallj]

Favourite setup 5m wave kite on a Zeeko scrambler with Zeeko blaster foil. Loads of fun. For twin tips, loving the Airush Livewire with boots, loads of pop, can hold down alot of power, big air and smooth landings when you Megaloop + it can hit obstacles and doesnt seem to damage it either. 2020 moses foil arriving soon so kinda think that will be the new favourite :)

[@OurKiteLife]

Nice, thanks for sharing and enjoy the new Moses! 🤩

[@kite666G]

in my opinion this must be one of the hardest things to to compare.In the end it all comes down to the momentum of your jump and the windgust, the technique of the rider and what board he or she is used to riding.But hey, tumbs up for doing these tests in the snow and the cold water!

[@OurKiteLife]

Thanks! There are so many variables, it's really hard to compare

[@MrShaclo]

I choose based on wind direction and speed. 95 Kg weight, have kites RPM 2020 12m, Paraavis parafoil 15m. Boards - directional 145cm board with hydrofoil, airush livewire 140cm 2015 for jumps, flydoor 170 for dominating in light wind if deep not enough for hydrofoil.

[@TomKitesurf-Passion]

Good comparson nice and clear! Really fun to watch your movies in Office at lunch time in Germany...and nearly same temperatures atm when kiting o/

[@OurKiteLife]

Thanks! Glad you enjoyed watching it over lunch :)

[@davem1966]

I like your analysis, very practical and not wrapped in marketing hype. How about analyzing wave vs. Freeride kites?

[@OurKiteLife]

a bit out of our league as we don't really like waves :S remember we kite on a lake lol

[@tomasgulas]

I can even imagine being in water when it below 70F outside. I need to really up my game and invest in warm suit and be out there having fun like you

[@OurKiteLife]

I was in a 6/4/3mm and kited for a couple hours quite comfortably that day :)

[@bernardkriel1]

wow..they both look like great boards ..very nice

[@OurKiteLife]

Thanks! Yeah, we enjoyed riding both :)

[@myhometurf]

I'm actually surprised the Freestyle board jumped higher for a sent jump. I can understand a bigger pop, but sent jumps? Surprising it was such a difference. I spend 99% of my time kiting in waves, so a freeride board suits me (and my knees).

[@flamewave0]

freestyle board with large rocker than free ride will allow you to hold edge longer, tensioning lines more just before take off which is key in jump heigh. I own freestyle board Nobile NHP and biggest drawback is it's performance in low wind but for that I have larger 143cmx46cm board

[@myhometurf]

@@flamewave0 Noted and I don't doubt the results. I had just always thought that the fins on the freeride board would allow you to load the kite just as well. You live and learn :)

[@MG-jv4oc]

In my experience board "tech" is max 2% science and min 98% marketing bs. I've build a number of boards, and to my big surprise the cheapest board I ever made - meant to be only a prototype, knocked up on a single weekend for about 40€ worth of material - is actually the best board I ever rode. It has no channels, no multi-stage rocker, no fancy rails - just a very shallow single concave and medium rocker. My advice is to exclusively focus on the length, width and rocker that best fits your weight and style of riding. Everything else is just a marketing fad.

[@MG-jv4oc]

And flex, obviously.

[@OurKiteLife]

Would disagree about 2%-98% split, I think there's more to it. We've had dozens of boards over the years from various manufacturers and there's definitively some science involved. Agreed that a lot of it is marketing, but it is not 98%.

[@MG-jv4oc]

@@OurKiteLife OK, I might have been exaggerating a tiny little bit :-) Sure there's science involved and consequently boards have evolved quite a bit since the early days. And most of the features make sense; channels, shaped rails, considerations about flex, torsional stability, direction of fibres all make sense - theoretically. Practically it's mainly size and shape that matters, with all other factors being almost (but not completely) negligble.

[@bjpastoor]

M G I’ve talked to a popular Board manufacturer and the guy literally said that in the last five years it has only been marketing and no real development.

[@tanyaeastman]

Awesome work. Great reviews

[@OurKiteLife]

Thanks Tanya!

[@RobinBenton66]

Thanks, I use a Radical and was thinking I need a Rush for the storms but was not sure and you have confused my thoughts for me. I also have a Flydoor 4 XL and have not upgraded it as the new ones are smaller than my one at 170x50.

[@sizzler360er]

My favourite boards are my dad’s custom boards. That’s all I’ve ever wrote and I think they are the best.

[@OurKiteLife]

well, if thats all you ever rode? then how could you know for sure if they are the best? Come over on monday to try something different, it will be warm, +7

[@sizzler360er]

Our Kite Life ya. I am good. I don’t kite in the winter. We are going to Cuba soon so I’ll get it there. I did ride other boards just to try. But my dads boards blow all the other boards away. IMO.

[@FabianRomano1]

They look more like a light wind/ beginner board vs a regular all purpose board. To me at least. Great comparison anyways.

[@canolando3499]

I have a couple of freeride boards and just got a pure freestyle board this season. After riding the freestyle board I had someone else ride it, something didn't seem right. With so much rocker and tunnel this thing felt like I was on marbles when trying to go hard upwind. Yeah it's softer on the landing ,but I don't just jump all day long.

[@OurKiteLife]

the freestyle board with a high rocker is definitely slippery, especially on a flat water, which board do you have?

[@canolando3499]

@@OurKiteLife Litewave kick s

[@bearlemley]

Thanks for another great video

[@OurKiteLife]

Thanks, glad you enjoyed it!

[@felixleveille8441]

I’ve watched a lot of your videos and you usually talk about about the Woo to see your jump heights, but are there other tools or “jigs” to measure your jump heights? + really nice video and good explanations 👍

[@OurKiteLife]

there's nothing else to measure your jump height, unless you jump over something that you know a height of, we have this idea to jump over 7m tall inflatable buoy to verify woo accuracy, only issue is, the wind would tip the buoy over.

[@ignaciosernacampillo9527]

u stoped using woos altogether i see.. I am now edging into big air obssesion, should I get one? grate vid!

[@OurKiteLife]

Yuri still uses his woo occasionally, but I’ve stopped completely. I still like big air but I also have been enjoying learning different tricks and not focusing so specifically on height all the time. If it’s a high jump, you’ll know with or without a device. That being said if you want a woo, get a woo :) or check out the surfr app.

[@ignaciosernacampillo9527]

@@OurKiteLife surfr app... new news to me, ill check it thanks

[@upwindstockholm961]

Great channel indeed!

[@OurKiteLife]

Thank you 😊

[@daraa151]

Is that really snow on the ground?! I am freezing at 30c degrees in Sydney.

[@OurKiteLife]

It is snow 🙂 it’s cold but the snow on the ground always makes it look colder than it is

[@xtremecolombia]

very clear

[@OurKiteLife]

thanks!

[@normsbigwindow9379]

Great vid as always. What wind do you take the 12m out in? What speed would you trade up/down size from 12m? Cheers and happy Christmas

[@OurKiteLife]

Depends on how gusty it is. If steady thermal wind, the sweet spot for the 12m is about 25 knots for big airs. Yuri had it upto 35 knots but at that point you are holding down for your life. If gusty, anywhere 20-30+ then switch to a 9m Soul

[@lonekiterrocky]

What you guys use for gloves? That is the one thing I found difficult to get right between function and warmth.

[@OurKiteLife]

Typically we use Patagonia 5mm 3 finger gloves. Next pair will be 5mm mittens though, as the added functionality of the split finger isn't worth it - I think the proper mitt will be warmer

[@ChuckTatham]

@@OurKiteLife this is the only thing that gives me a chance against cold in sub 5 degree weather. www.xcelwetsuits-ca.com/collections/men/products/drylock-mitten-7mm?variant=12211280117853

[@drewby4563]

What exactly is it that the board you use have to with how high you jump

[@OurKiteLife]

It's part of the equation. We had a sample size of of 40 jumps and the results were consistent across all 4 WOOs

[@johnnykhawand]

Might be different with 0.5 m waves and up and strong wind, where it is hard to hold a grip. Not all freestyle boards have the same construct, same for free ride ones.

[@OurKiteLife]

Exactly, that's why we wanted to be technical at first, but then realized how various manufacturers have different constructs for the same market segment, so we decided to just focus on what we have on hand. Main conclusion was they are more similar than different, but the difference is there and is noticeable

[@adrianveras4117]

For better upwind on the freestyle board it’s better to go on a bigger size. I’d say a 140x43 will most likely go upwind as good as the 138 freeride board.

[@OurKiteLife]

that is a good point, but wouldn't it then tinker with jumping performance, as smaller boards jump higher?

[@adrianveras4117]

Why would smaller boards jump higher? In my view the more surface of a bigger board you have to flex the board you’ll get a better pop. So with a more explosive pop there will always be higher jumps. Also landings will be softer and more efficient on a bigger board since there’s more landing service. So yea I’d have to disagree that smaller boards jump better.

[@adrianveras4117]

Also the rocker on the freestyle board is what allows the bigger sizes to excel in big air.

[@OurKiteLife]

Just talking from experience, maybe because it is windier when we switch to smaller boards? So that could be a factor? With regard to rocker - but then you have some manufacturers who make freestyle boards which have a tiny rocker compared to the Rush

[@adrianveras4117]

No doubt that could be a factor but I can’t tell. I just use my 140 freestyle deck for light winds to nuking 40knot days. My board is more of a wakestyle construction so it def holds down the edge even in the big winds. And the three stage rocker also assist on holding the load as well. Now whenever I try anything under 140 it feels sketchy to me. Anyway awesome topic video and keep me coming chica! Off to Cabarete in the morning for me for the next two weeks 🙏🏼😁🇩🇴❤️

[@kitesmerfer7583]

I use the Airush Livewire 2020 and the Eleveight Master 2020, they are aggressive wakestyle/unhooked/park machines. also, i ride an Airush Razor C Kite, so it is way harder to go upwind for me or relaunch the kite from the wateer (i ride boots)

[@OurKiteLife]

Nice - thanks for sharing your boards of choice. It’s good to get a freestyle kiter’s opinion/preference 🙂

[@thomasfs3776]

How is the new pads and straps :)? Compeard to the old ones ??

[@OurKiteLife]

The new straps are better due to the fact that they have two velcro adjustments. But otherwise pretty similar (we do ride in 5mm booties though so that can affect the feeling)

[@philippehenkies6388]

Das Board ist immer nur so gut wie der FAHRER 😄😅

[@OurKiteLife]

True

[@rvdnagel1963]

My favotite board: OR Mako 150 x 41.

[@OurKiteLife]

A lot of kiters love that board! We haven't tried it ourselves but sure it's a good choice

[@AndrewPattullo]

A High end board with less rocker, grooves .. a board easy to edge and hold high speed ,.

[@elekkr]

Where is this place ?

[@OurKiteLife]

West end of Toronto

[@Eothein]

I would to a t-test when comparing the avg. jump heights.

[@jordanboo3164]

Wow, what is it like to wear a wetsuit?

[@OurKiteLife]

It was good! It's a new 6/4/3mm, so I was warm the whole time. My feet that got cold/caused me to come in after a few hours

[@jordanboo3164]

@@OurKiteLife ahh i see!

[@jordanboo3164]

@@OurKiteLife is it advisable to wear a wetsuit underneath your drysuit?

[@jasonpetermuir1]

Id like to ride the presenter

[@vikingh3008]

Kind of pointless doing a video about what boosts higher in light wind

[@OurKiteLife]

We're working with what we get - 15-20 knots on average