Kiteboarding

The Mission 138 is a sick kiteboard for popping hard off the flat water and landing with a lot of heat - its got enough rocker and vee (double concave) in the bottom shape to really edge, round upwind, and then release off the water in the smoothest way I have felt yet, and then all that rocker and bottom shape definitely help absorb the impact of hard landings (good water dispersement) If your throwing raley’s, then this kiteboard is a good choice to get higher and land softer. One thing I also noticed was that it is a really smooth ride just going across the water. It absorbs chop and sticks on its edge really nicely, making for an overall very smooth ride. It is a kiteboard that needs power to perform though, so maybe not the best for “mowing the lawn” in light winds.

First impressions: Fast, smooth, and slashy. The rocker on this kiteboard is on the flatter side, and the kiteboard is also fairly stiff overall, which I think gives it a fast, smooth feel through the chop, however the tip and tail sections of the board are “flex zones” and that flex is definately noticeable when loading and popping off the tail, and when landing as well, giving the kiteboard a smooth feeling pop off the water. Upwind ability was excellent, no doubt another benefit of the flatter rocker. The smooth bottom shape and flexy nose and tail are sweet on the rails, too, and the lay-up feels bomb proof - definitely not a likely board to break under high stress. I rode this kiteboard first in flat water in the Gorge, and was blown away by the speed and edging ability, and then in Corpus Christi in the ocean swell and chop and it was great both times

Well, I am a heavy weight, so this kiteboard is for powered up conditions. What ever you weight this board is suprisingly loose yet locks in and smokes up wind of you lean on it. Because of the sever concave, this kiteboard is especially suited to gusty conditions, you can lay off a bit when the wind is steady, then when the gusts hit this board will drive the power into a few extra degrees of up windablity allowing for impressive speed control. The wife is only 110 and she likes it, she did mention that she had to adjust to weighting her back her in responce to chop or she buried the front end of the kiteboard. Also she thought that once she adjusted, it made the ride smoother in chop than any of the boards she had riden before. I agree that this kiteboard is a smooth ride in chop………check it out if you get a chance.

Every once in a while a piece of equipment comes along that seems to take a step ahead and lead the industry. Don’t get me wrong I can’t say that this is the best harness for everyone. It is the best harness for me, and 90% of the instructors I have worked with. Now that says alot. I’m not sponcered, although I am available to be, I just want a comfortable harness that feels like it is working with me. I don’t know what it is about the harness that makes it work. Marketing guys can come up with all the cool product feature names and descriptions they want. It may be the rrt foam upgrade or the fst dynamic flex zone….whatever. In the end I want what I like, not they they think I want. I must say that I think the second lower front strap is part of the majic, but who knows.  The mystic warroir harness is by far the best waist harness I have tried and I have tried most. As always, I don’t think you should buy one, I think you should try one.