Super Baby Album

We at air understand how the wind can be an addiction. We are no different than you we’re passionate about kiteboarding and, Like you we’re out there every chance we get. Our gear research is about discovering what will give us more great times on the water.

Experience teaches us that kiteboarding gear can be rated on very specific variables and this is what defines what you want.  Evaluating these critical traits (32 for kites & 19 for boards) directly leads us to choosing what we personally ride and what we in the shop recommend for you.

We have tried a lot of gear over the years. During these trials we have had a lot of great kiteboarding sessions and discovered many great things. They have also provided us with more kitemares than we would like to admit.We remember all the good and bad what exactly made us excited or downright frustrated.

Here’s how we get the Airscore
The scoring system we use evaluates how stron or weak a trait may be everyday riders are asked to stress test gear and then rate each trait. Individual trait scores are calculated based on which weighted key factor group they fall into

For example, the trait “craftsmanship” falls into the safety category.  We feel that safety traits are 3 times more important than comfort traits we multiply craftsmanship score by three.

We take all rider results line up the scores for each trait and throw ou the highest and lowest scores for the kiteboarding.  Individual trait scores are then averaged across all test participants.  This way, we have a solid average test score for each trait, which has compensated for anomalies

How do we get the raw score of the gear well its easy we take the average of the traits across every key factor.Then to keep is simple we break it down into a 5 point scale.

Now we have added a value bonus!This takes the gear cost and calculates a bonus.  Basically, the less expensive the kite, the bigger the bonus!

Then we also add the value bones to the 5 point number!The airscore is here. With that in mind here’s what you can expect:

5 Stars, air’s top rating, gives you a gear ranking very high in all four key factors. While some things may still need you attention to suit it to your needs you will be impressed with the ride this gear will give you right out of the box and will give you the opportunity to increase your skills.

A 4 star rating means the gear scores at least moderately high on all key factors. There may be a few individual traits that didn’t score in the high levels and may need some minor attention but you’ll be on the water without needing to do any tuning.

if it has 3 stars this indicates that one or more of the key factors is scoring ony moderately. This gear will have limitations in riding styles and wind ranges but you will still have fun riding. The gear is safe, but may take more effort to use.

If it has 2 stars this indicates that the gear is scoring low on at least one key factor. This gear bust be tuned out of the box before using and has limited ability. Quality, comfort and convenience are usually sacrificed for price.

1 star means gear is scoring low on two or more traits. Some gear has significant flaws and this gear should be re designed.

Almost perfect
We have spent a lot of time in the complexity of developing this kitesurfing system however it is not perfect. Every rider has their own opinion and many are strongly biased on brand loyalty we strive to use only non-sponsored kiters in our testing (with an educated objective mindset).  That’s why we throw out the highest and lowest scores.

There’s always that person that is skeptical, but we’ve done our best to include every possible thing into one of the listed traits.Sometimes a kite or board may have something unique about it which falls outside our rating system.  That’s why we’re always on the lookout for new trends and are open to evolving the air scoring method.  Should you have any ideas, give us a shout!

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