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Hi and happy new year everyone.

Im looking for a kite for my 7 year old daugther. She/we already have a Ozone Imp 2, 0 for training.

I have been kitesurfing/snowkiting for some years already, and would like to bring her along.

The FS Viron and PL Charger seems interesting. It has been some years since i used foils, and then only open cell kites for snowkiting. (Ozone Frenzy etc.)

There is quite a big price difference in the Viron compared to the Charger. So if the Viron works, that would be a good choice. Is it possible to learn kitesurfing with this kite? I imagen that snow kiting will be no problem.

How is the depower lenght ønsker theese kites. As shes only 7, here arms are short, and if she let go ofte the bar, some kites will be "hard" to reach the bar after letting go.

Safety systems on both kites seams good.

Any other kites I should take into concideration ?

The Flysurfer Viron 6m (ideally in deluxe version) is an incredible kite for kids. It is a very slow 6m, not powerful (so don't take a 4m for example), have huge depower, auto relaunch, stable and safe security system. Works well on snow or water but remember it is not a very powerful kite. We use to teach with a 4m, then got a 6m and finally we went with the 6m deluxe to have better low end because we light to use it as a trainer kite in low wind. This kite is also surprisingly resistant to crash.

An other kite you could look at is the Epic Renegade 4m designed for kids. It will be much more faster then the Viron and might have about the same power. The Junior bar have been design for kids with shorter arms so it should be alright. I sold one this summer and the 9yrs old kids is doing fine with it. The Renegade is one of the easiest kite to relaunch which is really important for a kid as they are not as patient as us trying to relaunch a kite !

I don't know the PL Charger so I can't compare it.

Thanks for reply.

I checked the Epic website and It looks like this Renegade 4 is not available anymore?
There is a Junior Pro 4, butikk this is not a beginner kids kite.

Altso, quite a big different in the price on FS viron and viron delux. Is it really worth it? Therese fant that its slow is a good thing. Some small kites is just to fast for beginners.

Cheers.

I started my daughter with a 2 line foil around 5 or 6.

A mountain board without straps is a great way to introduce your kid to traction kiting in the lightest winds and in particular is very nice because you can chase them around the parking lot more easily. Once they get the feeling of upwind and downwind then its time for the water.

Her next kite was a 3 meter Best Waroo which we flew on land alot but never took us in the water. We did use that kite to learn the basics both in a buggy and on a mountain board.

Next was a 4 meter Eclipse Nano. The nano is really a top notch kite for a kid to fly. Its very intuitive because it is stable in the air, turns fast, and generates grunty power easily. Most importantly is how well it depowers on the bar and falls out of the sky when she drops the bar which is a big confidence booster. I believe Epic has the Junior pro which should be pretty similar. If they still do that would be the kite I recommend.

We also used a 6m Flysurfer Psycho4. Although the depower throw is short, the foils just don't give the feeling of grunt a low aspect tube has. The kite has to fly through the air to get power so for a beginner its just harder. Also, when it does go, it would fly through the wind window faster and generate a bigger (scarier for a little kid) power spike that didn't last as long. So very hard for a kid to use that kite.

I can't comment on the Viron, but I'm not seeing any reviewes suggesting that it is taking people upwind under power, mostly a beefed up trainer kite. Seb says not powerful and I take that to mean no power. You want a kite that makes power, but also has great depower. My only experience with Peter Lynn Arc's was long ago, but that was definitely a kite that need to move through the air to get power so while auto zenith will be nice, it will harder for her to learn to make power.

If you like Ozone, you might also try the Catalyst in 4. Similar ideas in a kite. Easy relaunch, easy power, easy depower.

One issue is the bar. The chicken loop just takes up too much space. We modified a bar to place a wichard2673 snap shackle attached to a metal loop on the harness. The wichard is so much shorter this allowed her to use more throw in the bar. We also used 300# lines so small kite would fly better in the lighter winds we were using it. The lines are shorter (16 meters) because a little kite needs less window to move around and it prevents the really big power spikes of long lines. We also made the chicken loop line significantly longer so once the bar is dropped, the kite will depower maximally and fall fast to keep her out of trouble.

One issue with kids is their motivation and stoke and attention span may all be smaller especially related to kitesurfing. I would definitely go slow and not push them and make sure they are having fun. Also, when the kid comes, you will want to have all of your attention on them, so in the beginning make sure to bring them out in ideal safe conditions for them, not epic conditions for you. Spend a long time learning to fly in light winds and drilling safety precautions and learning to make power by doing stand-up/sit-downs and scudding.

Also, the judgement is not quite as good. I remember teaching her to ride in the buggy. Once she got the confidence to start riding faster than I could run alongside she was having so much fun with it until she blasted over a sand dune so fast she flipped the buggy. I think it was 3 months before she was willing to take it up again. Helmets are a must!

Because the infrequency of times that schedule, conditions, and kid-interest line up it did take my daughter a very long time to progress. Now at the age of 11 she is riding upwind on a 7m Ozone C4 and starting to think about jumps a little. She's very stoked about it, but its funny because she only wants to go when the wind is north because she likes the spot, but only if its warm enough for no wetsuit.

TheOtherGuy wrote:Thanks for reply.

I checked the Epic website and It looks like this Renegade 4 is not available anymore?
There is a Junior Pro 4, butikk this is not a beginner kids kite.

Altso, quite a big different in the price on FS viron and viron delux. Is it really worth it? Therese fant that its slow is a good thing. Some small kites is just to fast for beginners.

Cheers.

It is called the Junior Pro 4m kite : http://www.epickites.com/products/junior_pro.php
It is a much faster kite than the Viron and certainly as powerful. Quite different kite. As for the price of the Viron Deluxe I would say that for us a school yes it worth it because we can use it in lighter winds but for your kids probably not. Go with the regular version if you select the Viron but it need more power. Go with the 6m. On snow it is certainly the best but it is true that it doesn't go upwind very well on water. As I said, theses two are completely different kite. If you could fly one that would be best.

Hello TheOtherGuy, Mr. Seb is correct since he is one of our selective EPIC dealers.
The JUNIOR PRO 4 is always available. If you have more question don't hesitate to contact me directly about the kids kites such as BAR / KITE / BOARD / HARNESS. Will be very happy to help you the best I can. Or maybe even my 10 year old son Cameron can answer any of your questions.
This is my email: dimitri@epictkites.com

$900 for a complete kite for a kid. Bit rich me thinks.

I'm sponsored and pay that for my kites.

Company's want kids in make the kites $500 complete. You know you can do it.

@hobie.. then your not sponsord.

900$ for a complete kite is a good price.

I would get the Epic Junior pro 4 if i were you.
Have fun !

forget the charger, it s not suited for kids.

it has a long depower throw (60cm?), even for me, it s too long ( 1m65), sometimes i was half bend so i can touch the bar while depowering it on the ride.