Choose the right kite for freeride big air progression

March 27, 2024 / Kite

Use this post and video to help choose between the Edge V12, Vortex Ultra-X or Enduro V4 kites.

Find out which will best suit your experience, performance ambitions and the boards you like to ride.

Get Jesse Richman’s personal view in the video below and then scroll down to get a further breakdown of information

OZONE BIG AIR TUBE KITES

EDGE V12

Snapshot:
Since 2007 the Edge has been purpose built to provide the ultimate freeride experience, capable of heartstopping riding speeds and gravity defying big air performance.

After 16 years of refinement the five-strut V12 offers a handling quality that will supercharge the sessions of any intermediate twin-tip rider, not just the super high flying renegades! Real power, amazing upwind drive, electric riding speeds and insane lift come as standard – the original essence of kiteboarding.

BORN LIGHT, GENETICALLY STRONG

Like all our products, these kites are Born Light and Genetically Strong. We use the best blend of materials to perfectly meet the design brief and the real needs of the riders that each kite is being made for.

For the Vortex Ultra-X that meant introducing an Aluula airframe construction, while the Edge and Enduro have a more rugged blend of dacron and triple-ripstop materials.

Carrying forward 25 years of aerodynamic development in our own factory, our products are technical, performant, durable and efficient – the lightness and strength is built in.

Owning our own factory that exclusively produces Ozone products gives us complete control over the manufacturing process.

Naturally, the lighter the kite or wing is, the better it will fly. The stronger it is, the longer its performance will last.

We avoid adding surplus features or unnecessary cosmetic items to our designs and use top of the line materials put through a rigorous testing programme.

Ozone factory tour video

THE 9M EDGE V12 HAS FIVE STRUTS AND WEIGHS JUST 3 KG

If you take that as an example and compare it to its more costly five strut competitors made with ‘superior lightweight’ materials, you will be pleasantly surprised by what you find when you weigh up the costs and benefits.

Our factory also produces spare and replacement parts for all the kites we’ve ever made. We’re driven to create less waste and to help riders to keep their favourite kites in perfect running order for longer, which also ensures the re-sale value of your kites stays higher, too.

COMPARE THE WEIGHT

If you compare the weights of any Ozone kite or wing against the most dedicated light weight performance models produced by our competitors, you’ll see that all our products are naturally born light and genetically strong. Even on our entry level designs we don’t compromise the handling benefits that airborne products undoubtedly have through being lighter.

We encourage customers to do their own research into the lightness of our kites. You can find the weights of the Edge V12 under the ‘specifications’ tab on the Edge product page.

Edge V12 product page

UPWIND PERFORMANCE AND NATURAL POWER

The Edge has incredible power to get you up and going with minimal kite movement and then absolutely rockets upwind. It likes to sit far forward in the window and feels as if it’s automatically programmed to get you upwind faster than anything else.

“It tanks upwind! It drives so far into the wind.” says UK team rider, Oli Sweeney. “You’re going upwind effortlessly. It’s almost hard to go downwind!”

Straight sent jump landings are easy on the Edge, but if you’re getting more radical with your kite movements in the air, then there’s a little more work to do as the Edge is tuned with a steadier steering response.

THE EDGE IS A POWER MACHINE, BORN TO FLY

From a general freeriding perspective, the Edge is plug and play when it comes to enjoying great boosting and hangtime performance across a huge range of wind conditions.

Mixing a very exciting rate of climb and then natural glide and float on the way down, the Edge offers a more sheet-in, fly-and-glide style of riding. To get the same lift and float from the Vortex needs more steering input, back and forth, from the rider.

As the Edge also has an incredibly sturdy five strut air frame, it provides epic, rock solid stability and smooth power delivery through sheeting, no matter how gusty the wind conditions get.

Of course the Edge V12 can be looped, but unlike the Vortex Ultra-X, this wasn’t one of the primary design aims. The Edge is for riders who want effortless access to power, upwind drive, lift and hangtime.

Ride at great speed across the water and launch to the skies at the touch of a button.

VORTEX ULTRA-X

Snapshot:
THE KITE for anyone ready to take their twin-tip riding up a level.

A tightly tuned, lightweight, three strut design that’s been supercharged with an Aluula airframe, double transversal canopy shaping and a 16-point leading edge bridle connection to deliver the most stable, agile and responsive big air kite we’ve ever made.

We didn’t set out to make a particularly light weight kite. The aim was to make a King of the Air style kite that anyone can ride. Combining the benefits of Aluula with our in-house Born Light manufacturing philosophy has just resulted in a low weight, stiff, high performance machine.

The 9m Vortex Ultra-X weighs just 2.3 kg.

CONSIDERATIONS:

MATERIALS, COSTS AND CARE

The Vortex Ultra-X is part of our ‘Ultra-X’ product line-up. These products are made using specialist materials that are designed to perform above and beyond the ‘industry standard’.

REAL PERFORMANCE IS ACCESSIBLE PERFORMANCE

The Vortex Ultra-X’s Aluula airframe delivers lightweight properties as well as a really stiff structure. Like a sports car, this translates into higher air speed and lightning quick steering response. The Vortex Ultra-X isn’t built for comfort; it’s all about performance. Every movement has an effect and the kite’s movement can be intricately controlled by the rider.

Nevertheless, if you’re an improving rider but have aspirations to become a more dynamic performer, the Vortex Ultra-X is very accessible. It’s important to understand that the more aggressively you can steer the kite, the more performance you’ll unlock.

The Vortex Ultra-X likes to operate at speed. The more apparent wind you can create through kite movement, the more powerful the kite feels.

Quick note on range differences:

Of the two twin-tip specific kites, the Edge V12 and Vortex Ultra-X, both kites offer large wind ranges. The Edge, however, is more naturally suited to low and mid-range sheet-and-go performance, while the Vortex comes alive the more wind it has.

DO YOU REALLY WANT TO THROW KITE LOOPS?

This is where things are clear. If the answer is a serious ‘yes’, then the Vortex Ultra-X is your kite; whether you have already learned them or not.

The Vortex is more nimble and doesn’t pull through the centre of the harness as much as the Edge, so when you turn it hard there are no unexpected spikes in power; just smooth constant movement that can be tightened or widened according to your input.

Be as aggressive on the steering as you like; the Vortex can assist you safely through your first loops and then become your dream ally for the biggest doubles.

There are two reasons why the Vortex feels so safe and predictable for looping:

It gets round the loop tightly, quickly and smoothly.
As soon as the Vortex Ultra-X starts an upward trajectory overhead it creates lift to catch you as early as any kite you could hope to try.

Once you start jumping higher and throwing manoeuvres, the direct and nimble handling of the Vortex Ultra-X means it’s easier to reposition the kite or to throw a rescue loop at the last second to catch you.

DO-IT-ALL

ENDURO V4

Snapshot:
The do-it-all freeride machine.

Featuring Ozone’s VBG (Variable Bridgle Geometry) the ‘Freeride’ ‘Wave / Foil’ and ‘Freeride’ settings provide you the option to make quick and easy adjustments to the front bridle, which will influence where the kite sits in the window in order to achieve different performance feelings.

ARE YOU AN ALL-ROUND RIDER, SPENDING A LOT OF TIME ON DIFFERENT BOARDS?

Do you like twin-tipping, ripping a surfboard and shredding the foil? Then the Enduro V4 is the perfect kite for you.

Once again, it has a perfect balance of lightweight handling (9m = 2.6kg) while still offering a more rugged dacron build. This is the kite to satisfy the needs of any freerider who wants unlimited performance opportunities.

The Enduro V4 isn’t the highest jumping or most forward flying of these three kites, but it’s capable of anything; any session in any conditions.

From your first jumps to kite loops to board-offs, and onwards to serious wave riding and freeride foiling, the nimble, forgiving handling and smooth power delivery make this a no-regrets purchase for any all-round rider.

TRANSVERSAL SAIL SHAPING

All three of these kites benefit from our Transversal Sail Shaping, so have perfect canopy tension.

Each leading edge segment is curved to form a perfectly smooth arc from tip to tip, as opposed to making a curve with straight segments with angled joints.

Reduced parasitic drag and a cleaner surface at the most important area of the airfoil results in less turbulent airflow, which positively affects the lift-to-drag ratio, increasing overall performance.

DISCOVER MORE IN THE OZONE RANGE

Whichever kite you choose – whether it’s a tube kite or a foil kite, you’re certainly in good hands when it comes to flight control.

See our foil kites here

Big air has always been one of the biggest attractions of kiteboarding. The dream of flying made real! If you want big air performance, you’ve come to the right place. Ozone is also the world’s leading manufacturer of paragliders, so we’ve always had this huge, combined aerodynamic experience to draw from.

All our kites, paragliders and accessories are built in our own factory in Vietnam that exclusively makes Ozone products. A thousand skilled employees ensure our customers experience the best possible and longest lasting performance. Every product is fine-tuned to meet the various handling requirements that we identify for specific rider abilities in each design brief.

Check out the Ozone factory

TRY OZONE, BUY OZONE, FLY OZONE…

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