2010 Ocean Rodeo Rise 11m review
I had the opportunity to fly the final stage proto of the 2010 Rise last weekend. The kite should be out very soon so from what I hear this will be the production version. I flew the 11m for close to 4 hours in what i'd guess was approx 18-26mph wind, no one could pry it from my greedy little hands after 3 days of wind skunkage up at lake Nitinat in Canada. I currently fly the 09 and 08 Rises. Previously flew North Rebels and Cabrinas. For reference I'm 195lbs and was riding a 133x42 Poison board and a some time on the new mako. I was using the 2009 50cm bar. I saw the 2010 bar and will talk more about that later.
First impression was that the kite looks similar to the 09 but with a few distinct differences. There are now 6 struts with smaller overall diameter but some extra rings of material at the base and first third of the strut which looks like they add to a rigid profile. The leading edge has wide segments at the middle and then smaller segments as you progress toward the wingtip. This is hard to describe in words, but the overall effect at least from my perspective is to give a wide flat center of the kite, and rigid geometric arc to the wingtips. In the air this ends up looking a bit more C shaped at the tips while retaining a wide area in the center which gives the SLE's and Bows all their power. The kite still has the short 1 pully bridle and direct rear line attachment points.
In the air I was impressed by the overall rigidity of the canopy in the air. There is never any luffing or flutter of the center section or any other section for that matter. I spent hours riding the kite as hard as I could and I couldn't find any aspect that hadn't been slightly improved on. The major differences I could tell were:
1: Meatier kiteloops: The initiation of the kiteloop is slightly different, there is less turning on wingtip and more of an arc. This lead to a few spectacular wipeouts as I adjusted to the increased pull and power. The kite climbed out of loops better and never crumpled.
2: Improved unhooking. There was an instance when I actually tried to stall the kite by oversheeting way way too much and I couldn't do it. Even if you park the bar with the kite all the way sheeted in you can't get it to backstall. The rises have always been resistant to back stalling but this was dramatic. I was able to unhook and do raileys or kiteloops with the kite trimmed to near full power. Before I would need to pull a bit of depower strap to keep the kite flying happily on the front lines. I was able to get some decent slack time for a few Railey to blinds and the kite stayed nicely in the window when riding toward it and passing the bar.
3: More float: You could really get this kite to let you down slow if you sheeted in after your jumps. I didn't fly the new 10 which is my favorite rise from last year so it was hard to compare the 11m in height. Due to my ability to ride the kite very hard with full power I think I could eek out a few more feet but one of the strongest points of the rise already is jumping so I'd need to compare them back to back to see if I actually got higher. Either way I was getting some great jumps and the kite really lets you glide nicely down if thats your thing.
4: Bigger sweet spot: I was surprised at how well the kite flew regardless of where the trim strap was pulled. I never had that on/off feeling, but the kite easily depowers 90% within Arms reach. This doesn't make much sense to me since a short throw for full depower should lead to rapid changes in kite flying characteristics, but it doesn't... I'm sure other people who try the kite could
Things they kept and I love about the rise were:
Great jumping, Fast turning with the option to slow it down, great low and top end. I can't really say if the 2010 improves on any of these but I think people riding the other sizes at the edge of their range could comment. I'd probably guess from the way the 11m handled the gusts and lulls that both ends of the range are a little wider with the big flat center section, but I don't have definite answers.
For full disclosure i'm a team rider for Ocean Rodeo, but that basically means i'm still a customer and I get a good deal on my kites. I'm not getting handouts, so it's important that in the little free time I have that I ride the gear I want to ride. So I tried to give my honest thoughts on the kite. That being said i'm a big supporter of OR from their products to their great customer service. So it's not hard for me to be positive, especially when you've met the great people that run OR, or ever had a problem and watched them bend over backward to make it right. My review is so positive I feel I need to explain myself, but I think kites are getting so good these days that finding flaws is tougher and tougher. Personally i'm stoked on the great unhooking and kiteloops but I'd say that the Rise can suit almost any palate. Ideally i'd say it's suited best for the aggressive freerider with solid application for freestyle and waves. The kite can be slowed down and has such great depower and sweet spot that a beginner could get a ton out of the rise, just don't let them send it back past 12 and pull!.
Cheers,
DP
oh yeah
....As for the 2010 bar, I saw a final stage proto but didn't get the fly it. This thing is a big step forward and incorporates basically every feature you could want in a bar while keeping everything streamlined. I won't make too many comments since I didn't fly it but the new features i'm excited about are. 1. Slight curve to the bar allowing for a more ergonomic grip, 2. Adjustable sizing at the bar ends, 3. Really solid release which is load independent. The bar just overall looks great, probably going to be a big seller independent of the kites.