Ik zat een tijdje geleden te surfen op het web en kwam daar een stuk tegen geschreven door Jason Stone... Voor degene die Jason Stone niet kennen; Jaston Stone was een van de leading mannen in de kitewereld, en ook een van de grondleggers van de huidige wakestyle stijl. Hij schrijft dat kites niet echt meer denderend veranderen... maar het vooral kleine dingetjes eromheen zijn die veranderen, ander kleurtje, nieuw safety systeem etc etc etc...
Zie hier het stukje:
It really seems nowadays that most of the kite industry has ran out of ideas. You open up the gear guide for 08, 09, 10 and what do you see? New board graphics, new kite colors, a new depower system. Where is all the innovation? It’s nowhere. What were the big steps in kiteboarding so far? Inflatable kites > 4 Line Kites > Chickenloops > Bow Kites. Those would have been the big ones. The rest of the time all you’re getting is a new gimmick or filler just to make you want to buy the new models. The truth is last years kite will work just as good as this years kite. And probably the year before that. So, the industry is in a bit of a bind.
Why would anyone want to buy new gear when their old gear works great?
“Why, because it has a new bar design, and this year’s safety release is fool proof, we swear!â€
In other words, the kiteboarding industry has to fool you into wanting something you already have. Change the color, add some more safety features, change the way it’s pumped up, change the line configuration so that last year’s bar doesn’t work on this year’s kite.
And don’t even get me started on the boards. Really. If you look past the fact that you could do most of your kiting on a McDonalds tray, the boards are the biggest rip. Besides some construction changes, the boards are the same for the most part. A few less fins than a few years ago. Maybe a new style of construction, change the outline here, maybe the tip/tail design. And FLEX!!!! Hate to break it to you, but the boards have always had flex. Just now because the type of construction most board makers use makes the boards softer you hear about it like they’ve done you a favor.
All these new features (I call them gimmicks) are just weighing the gear down. Then you get the people at the beach and in the water with lines and flyers and tassles hanging off every part of their gear. It just gets ridiculous. Here’s an idea, why don’t we make kite gear simpler! 4 lines, a bar and a kite. Throw a quick release in there (as a choice) and you’ve got something. Less is more. Of course, you’d have to actually charge less for it. Wow, then maybe more people could actually afford to do it!
Ik vind zelf dat Jason een punt heeft... Wat denken jullie hiervan?
