I'm 6'5" and 109kg/240lbs and only been kiting since August 2011. Run 14 & 10m Airush Lithiums and an Airush 142 Xover or a 5'10" Slingshot Dialer. Just like windsurfing, the wind range charts are bollocks for me.

Absolute minimum on the 14m is 15 knots but need the 18-20 knot gusts in there to get me going on the twin tip - haven't tried the Dialer in these conditions. Top out in 25 knot gusts.

As far as the 10m goes, I start around 23 knots (from recent experience) and go to 30 knots - 35 knot gusts make me a spectator.

Why your 12 knot kite might not work below 10 and your 6 knot barely planning kite is a rocket ship in 8...

My Monsoonz has a fairly high upper range (due to a lot of available depower on my bar). In 12 knots I can still ride OK, though I have to admit - after 8 knots my backrolls turn into triple backrolls (mostly by accident ). I wouldn't want to try it on land!

why not? take off is very predictable on land. no worry about stuffing up teh take off on rouge bits of chop. 8-15 knots is super chilled and controllable on a big kite landings are allways floaty. its when i do most of my land based tricks. My number one thing to do in those wind. Boulder jumping. Even better if i can do a boulder wheel tap along the way!

Great, but not "any compagny"

May be you can take a look on other kites compagny, for exemple:

http://www.fluidkiteboarding.com/

You can see what it is write on the LA...I design this kite, and I speak about what I have done with it.

My problem is that I am not really sure that the customers will return his new kite because he do'nt have the 5kts that he buyes. So may be I will have to change my marketing plan and say that's my kite rocks in 2kts??

What do you think about thi with a customer point of view?? Will you take my kite because I respect you??

See you

Nono

I do snow kiting on frozen lakes. I prefer not to go if the is no fresh snow on ice - it's a bumpy ride and you don't have any margin for errors. I imagine it is the same on land + occasional rocks...

I read the specs for the Fluid Kites, specifically the LA kites and I think the wind range is probably honest for lowest end of kiting. i.e. - in 8-9 knot wind with an average body weight of 75kg you'll get up, you'll ride downwind provided you have a light wind specific surfboard or TT. IMO it's not until 10 knots plus that the solid riding begins.

In my lake it may be blowing 8-9 knots but it's onshore wind so there's a "flow" of energy (waves, small rollers) pushing you to shore. So staying upwind on my 17m Ozone Zephyr requires 9 knots plus. I'm 75kg and use a huge 5'7" x almost 21 3/4" wide twin keel fish surfboard to accomplish this.

Yesterday I was out on my 17m Zephyr in 10-12 knots and was able to use my Ocean Rodeo Mako King (165cm x 45cm) and make a few jumps happen.

I flew Epic's Infinity prototype from early 2011 and found it to be 1-2 knots below the Zephyr and of course more"turny" and more fun. But in the end my light wind kite has to be the best for the low end because of the onshore energy flow.

I just don't pay attention to any of the 5-7 knot declarations because I don't believe them. Nono - never mind what the customer thinks. In the end honesty will pay off.

if you can't ride the Dyno 17 in that wind range maybe you should skip a couple meals or go work on your skill. of course not everybody can achieve those ranges with that kite but some ppl can so no reason for North not to put it on their range chart. I can do the same with my Ozone edge 17m no big deal.

[quote="markchatwin" IMO it's not until 10 knots plus that the solid riding begins.

So staying upwind on my 17m Ozone Zephyr requires 9 knots plus. I'm 75kg and use a huge 5'7" x almost 21 3/4" wide twin keel fish surfboard to accomplish this.

Yesterday I was out on my 17m Zephyr in 10-12 knots and was able to use my Ocean Rodeo Mako King (165cm x 45cm) and make a few jumps happen.

I flew Epic's Infinity prototype from early 2011 and found it to be 1-2 knots below the Zephyr and of course more"turny" and more fun. But in the end my light wind kite has to be the best for the low end because of the onshore energy flow.

I just don't pay attention to any of the 5-7 knot declarations because I don't believe them. In the end honesty will pay off.[/quote]

Everything you are saying is soooo true.........
Now my turn to be honest and i am also 75kg

With your knowledge of LW.. if you had a Riot XR2 LW19 you would be "going upwind" in 9 knots

In 10-12 knots on the board you describe ...."more jumps and higher jumps" would happen

For "best low end that is turny,fast and pulls you upwind" there is no tube kite like that new 19M

It pumps nearly as fast and easy than my 12 Rebel 2011
Has a fantastic lightweight short (52cm) bar that makes that 19 kite loop like there is no tomorrow

NO BS......Hope you have the chance to demo sometime

Kite company claims 6 to 18 knots...i can honestly say 8 to 17 knots (great upper range for a 19)

Auto relaunch in 7 knots........self land in 17 knots without hitting QR
Land kite at edge of window on beach on its wingtip fully depowered with bar out
Stay attached (leash/chicken loop) ,walk yourself hand over hand by the mini 5th line system
After about 4 meters will be the 2 front lines just tug on the upper line and kite falls nose down

...................Honestly .........................................................................................

A lot of Bollocks