My first time on the Thruster.....
Oh,and the kites are new Thrusters.
Wind came in at Skyway last night. that was my first opportunity to ride the Thruster 12M. I have ridden the Eras for the past several months. The 10M has been my "everything" kite until 20kt, then I hop on the 8M. Loved those kites, so I was a bit nervous about making the switch. I rode the 12M, and I had the opportunity to get a feel of the low end and high end for me. I was riding my Crazyfly 125x41. I haven't ridden a 12M kite in almost a year, so I was not sure about how this kite's high end would be for me. For the low end, the wind was around 12kts, and I was very well powered and shot upwind. Kite has a lot of power, turns extremely fast, and is very stable. It took me a little time to get adjusted to the feel, but after a few tacks, I realized that this kite is made to provide steady power with easy handling. The bar is very simple, with power/depower straps color coded and labeled. The amount of depower throw on the bar is short, similar to the new Best bar, but the depower strap allows for a lot of depower. With a few tugs, the depower strap is actually quite long and flops all over. It would be nice if there was some velcro or something for it to stick to, so it doesn't flop around so much. As for jumping, it shoots you up in the air. when spotting your landing, be careful not to pull too hard on the front hand, or you will land with a lot more speed than you are anticipating. Love that, though!! the wind constantly picked up the later it got, and I started getting overpowered when the wind was blowing low 20's. But, I had my lines set on the knot closest to the kite probably could have moved them to the furthest point for a little more depower yet. I wish I had time to put up the 8M, as that would have been really fun....
In sum, the first session was a great experience and relief. I was very uncertain about how I'd adjust, but with a few more sessions, I should be dialed in. I can't wait to try the 8M in the waves! Roy tried it too, and I know he will post his comments regarding how the kite felt unhooked.
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