In the beginning there were five. Then there were seven. Then three. Over the past ten years we’ve flown kites featuring one, two, three, four, five, six, seven, and even nine struts. This year, for the first time ever, we are seeing production kites with zero struts.
While their designers all claim they are lighter, more compact when packed, and feature better low end performance than kites with struts, they each took different approaches to their creations. Just as existing strutted kites can’t be put in a single performance category, strutless kites will each have their own unique personality.
This video was shot June 7th, 2013 during Tropical Storm Andrea on the Outer Banks of North Carolina. Wind speeds gusting up to 55mph. BEST Kiteboarding International Team Rider Chris Bobryk took to the water to session some serious wind. He took flight with no one else around in the Slick and boosted into the stratosphere with massive kite loops. Crazy to watch.