Kitesurf beginner sets
You're just starting out with kitesurfing and now you're wondering which kite you should buy first. The variety of brands and the differences between the individual kites overwhelm you and the flowery descriptions of the marketing departments sound too abstract? With our complete kite packages for kite beginners we make it easy for you to find exactly the right set for your first kite and you can also save a lot of money with the Brettsport.de kite beginner sets.
If you've been to a kite school, then you've already gotten to know at least one kite. For beginners, the temptation is great to buy exactly this kite, so as not to lose an hour of much longed-for progress because you still have to get used to a new kite. In fact, an experienced rider can usually handle the differences between the various kites without any problems, while a change in flight behavior during the gybe can set the kite beginner back by hours.
You can find a neutral comparison of beginner kites of the kite brands we distribute at the bottom of this page.###
How do I find "my" kite brand?
Even if you have already had contact with a certain kite at kite school or with friends, it can be worthwhile to think again carefully about which brand will accompany you on your kite career. Each brand has a different focus and sometimes also embodies a different image. Here we introduce you to the beginner-friendly kites from Core, Duotone, Flysurfer and Ozone.
But first, we'll let the manufacturers themselves have their say in the following video. brettsport.de employee Fabian joined us as a kite beginner and took the opportunity to ask all four kite brands represented at brettsport.de specifically about kites suitable for beginners and the advantages of each brand:
What distinguishes a beginner kite?
Easy relaunch
If you have gained enough experience and go out on the water in good conditions, then the topic of relaunch doesn't really matter to you anymore, because your kite won't crash. For beginners, however, good relaunch behavior is essential. Driving or steering errors can easily cause you to lose control of the kite and crash it. When it is in the water, it is extremely important for you to get the kite back to the edge of the wind window very easily, that it sets up ready to launch by itself and that you do not have to perform any complicated actions on the lines to get the kite out of the water again. A good beginner kite moves to the edge of the wind window when you pull on the control line and sets itself up there ready to launch. Now you just have to find the pressure point on the bar with feeling and steer the kite upwards at the edge of the wind window.
Even pressure build-up
What the freestyler absolutely needs is an unnecessary additional hurdle for the beginner. With a freestyle kite, a strong and very sudden pressure build-up is expected to perform the jumps and tricks. When you pull a freestyle oriented kite quickly through the wind window, the pressure increases very quickly and very strongly. In case of steering errors, this would inevitably mean for the first-timer a dismount over the board. This not only doesn't look good, but can also be very dangerous. Better is a kite that builds up an even pressure slowly and that absorbs gusts very well.
Bar pressure
In the beginning, most kiters have problems to correctly implement the principle of power and depower. You have to learn to find the pressure point and then position the kite correctly in the wind window. If the kite's bar forces are too low, it is more comfortable because your arms do not tire as quickly, but it is also more difficult to feel the pressure point. The ideal is a kite with clear, but not too strong bar pressure. With most models you can also adjust the bar pressure via different attachment points on the kite.
Depower
Depower brings you safety. If you can quickly reduce the pressure by simply pushing up the bar and the kite rapidly reduces the basic pull in depower mode, you will not only feel safer, such a kite is also safer. As a beginner you can easily get into uncomfortable situations and if your kite still has a lot of pressure even at full depower, the situation quickly becomes very unpleasant. The depower capability of a kite is therefore an essential criterion for determining whether a kite is suitable as a beginner's kite.
Basic pull
A steady basic pull makes it easier for you to quickly achieve your first successes. If complex control of the kite is required to build up the necessary pressure, you will quickly be overwhelmed as a beginner. A kite that delivers the necessary pull even when "stalled", so that you can make your first turns, will put the famous grin on your face much faster.
Progress
If you are thinking about buying a beginner kite, you have probably already reached at least level 3 of the VDWS scale. From here it's only a few hours of intensive practice until you master the classic freeride techniques, like a jibe and simple jumps. For these few hours it is not worth buying a pure trainer or training kite. Your first kite can accompany you for many years if you choose the right model. Especially the small sizes like to pull even the experienced kiters out of the quiver, when really bad conditions with gusts would completely ruin the fun with more demanding kites. A kite that doesn't pass on gusts directly and can be steered well is always a relaxed alternative on such days.
Overview of beginner kites:
Core XR 6
The XR is the most allround kite among the Core allrounders. The range of use of the XR extends from leisurely freeriding to high jumps. Core does not have a distinct beginner kite in its program. The XR is also ridden by freeride-oriented advanced kiters. Nevertheless, the kite meets the above mentioned requirements. The bar pressure is well tuned, the kite has a very good relaunch behavior and, unlike the Core GTS, the pressure builds up much more evenly.
Ideal for: Kiters who are quick learners and who know they will be primarily freeriders, but who still want to enjoy the outstanding spunge characteristics of the Core XR.
Core Nexus 2
The Core Nexus is also not a distinct beginner's kite, yet it offers all the important features for kite beginners. The kite is very easy to relaunch and has well defined bar forces. The Nexus can be adapted very well to individual preferences or conditions via different attachment points. A wave kite must have many characteristics that are also important for beginners, e.g. fast and easy relaunch.
Ideal for: Kiters who are bored with just riding back and forth. The Nexus is equally optimized for wave and freestyle and can be trimmed differently for this.
Flysurfer Soul²
A very easy to handle softkite. Launching is smooth and you don't need any tricks to fill the profile and make the ears pop out, like with the Flysurfer Sonic. All softkites turn a little slower overall than the tubes. The Soul builds up pressure very evenly, has pleasant bar forces and jumping is also very easy with the kite. Landings are buttery smooth.
Ideal for: Kiters who also want to let off steam on land and in the snow or for kiters who are often alone at the spot. Not suitable for wave kiting.
Flysurfer Viron
The Viron is actually a pure training kite. Relaunch abilities and good-naturedness are absolutely maximized here. Even children are never overstrained with this kite. The kite is ideally suited for autodidactic training before kite school and for children. In very rough conditions, adult kiters also enjoy a Viron in the snow.
Ideal for: Very anxious kiters who still feel overwhelmed by the forces a tube kite can develop.
Ozone Catalyst
Even as an advanced kiter, you like to keep a Catalyst for the really bad days with strong winds and heavy gusts. When everyone else is completely wrecked leaving the water, you can have fun with the Catalyst even longer and then casually ask your exhausted buddies, "What gusts?"
Ideal for: Kiters who rarely have time to expand their skills and want a quick sense of accomplishment even in adverse conditions.
Ozone Enduro
The Enduro evolved from the development of the Ozone Catalyst kite. Over the years, the Catalyst had become more and more powerful, to the point where it overwhelmed beginners. Ozone then developed the Enduro from the powerful Catalyst and took some performance out of the Catalyst again.
Ideal for: Kiters who realize they are making rapid progress and want a high quality all-around kite to have at their disposal after the entry phase.
Which brand is right for you?
Core
Core is a German company. The kites are manufactured in the Far East, but the development department is located in Fehmarn, Germany, where they have the very best conditions to test kites in the very environment where you will use them most often.Core stands out especially for its exemplary service. At Core you get for example a test kite as a replacement without any problems, if your kite has to be repaired for a longer period of time or spare parts are missing.
Each kite size is individually designed and tuned at Core, so that each size really works perfectly. There is a good selection of three allround kites at Core, which focus slightly on freeride or wave and two very special models for pure wave enthusiasts or wakestylers.
The quality of the kites is always first class, so you will have pleasure for many years to come.
✚ German company
✚ Good service and good spare parts supply
⚊ Purist design
Cult factor: Core kites dominate the sky on the Baltic Sea around Fehmarn. If you want to be one of them here, you shouldn't go with any other brand. Word of Core's quality has also spread around the world. The list of Core team riders is long and includes many very well known names: Sabrina Lutz, Linus Erdmann, Willow-River Tonkin or Steven Akkersdijk are just a few of the pro kiters who have chosen Core.
Flysurfer
Even though Flysurfer has two tube kites in its program, the Boost and the Stoke, the brand is best known for its soft kites (also called foil kites or "mats"). The crucial question here is whether foil kites are suitable for beginners at all.
Basically, the beginner has to get used to the peculiarities of a kite anyway. Once in the air, it doesn't matter much whether you first get used to a tube kite or a foil kite. The difference is mainly in the handling during launch and landing. Here, in any case, a thorough instruction in the peculiarities of the mats is necessary, also the landing assistants have to be instructed differently.
If you pack the kite properly, you will always be on the water with a mat before anyone else, because you save yourself the pumping. You can also launch the kite on your own and with a little experience you can also land it on your own. Softkites are also ideal if you want to kite not only on the water, but also on land and in the snow.
The softkites have very elaborate and long bridles with many lines. You have to be patient and careful when packing them up if you don't want to mess up the following session.
The development of the kites is also done at Flysurfer in Germany and the production in Asia. The supply of spare parts is assured.
✚ Universally usable on land, in the snow and in the water
✚ Jumping is easy, with long hangtime and smooth landings
✚ Quick to set up and can also be handled on its own
⚊ Line salad can spoil your fun
⚊ Not suitable for waves!
Cult factor: Flysurfer is the market leader in water-suitable softkites. Snow and land kiters who have become accustomed to the feeling of the mats also swear by the soft kites on the water. With the new trend hydrofoiling, foil kites get you on the water at 5 knots.
Ozone
Like Flysurfer, the Australian brand Ozone actually comes from the paragliding sector, a sport in which the quality of the material decides over life and death. Ozone is committed to applying the same quality standards to their paragliders as they do to their ktes. Ozone is the only manufacturer to produce in their own factory in Vietnam, where they have influence on working conditions, wages and of course 100% on quality.
Since Ozone kites for Germany are almost only made to order, the kites are also relatively stable in value on the gebauchtmarkt.
✚ Outstanding quality and durability
✚ Own factory
✚ High resale value
Cult Factor: Ozone riders are unrelentingly loyal to their brand, you have been won over by the quality of the kites and the philosophy. An Ozone rider will never test other brands.
Is one kite enough?
The question of the right kite size and kite composition cannot be answered universally in any case. One thing is for sure: one kite is definitely not enough, because it only covers a small wind range. Beyond this wind range, kiting is no longer possible or much too dangerous for you. With two kites you can usually cover such a large wind range that you can get on the water in all wind strengths that make sense for beginners.
A light wind kite (15 m² or larger) is not recommended for beginners. Kiting in extremely light winds is difficult and the huge kites are harder to control and have a high potential for danger if the wind picks up unexpectedly.
The most common combination is 9m² and 12m². However, the perfect combination depends mainly on body weight and riding ability. The 9 and 12 combo is oriented towards the average 80kg rider. Someone who weighs >100kg will surely achieve the same result with 10 and 13,5m² and a light woman will be able to cover a large wind range with 7m and 11m².
Since you as a beginner with too little wind and a too small kite can not compensate the deficit with technique and with too much wind in no case overpowered with a too big kite handle, it would actually even be recommended to have three kites in the Quiver.
Used or new?
Kitesurfing is an expensive hobby. Two or three kites, a board, the harness and the wetsuit quickly add up to several thousand euros. The temptation is great to buy a used kite first. However, this carries risks; you don't know how long the kte has been lying on the beach in the sun and has been sandblasted. As a beginner you will inevitably load the kite extremely hard. The kite will hit the surface of the water once or twice. A used kite that has already been heavily stressed by the previous owner can easily break,
It is especially dramatic if the supposed bargain crashes exactly in the few days of vacation in which you finally wanted to improve your skills.
How can brettsport.de help you?
On this page we have put together exactly the sets that we always offer for individual requests. The sets are based on a body weight of 75 - 95 kg. If you are below that, you would choose the two kites one size smaller each and a slightly shorter board. If your weight is above that range, we would recommend one kite size up and a slightly longer board. If you belong to this category, please ask individually under 05331-7108345 or info@brettsport.de for a suitable offer and indicate which set we should adjust for you.
