Gin enters the monoskin world

With the 4, 6, 9, 12m Shaman






video: https://www.ginkites.com/videos/products/

Product info: https://www.ginkites.com/product/shaman-snowkite-freeride/

And if history is an indicator of the future... it's probably not coming to America anytime soon

Ya, its too bad its so hard for some of these smaller companies to have a presence in the US. I think its good to have fresh minds and perspectives involved pushing the sport forward.

Some of the stuff I've been seeing with the Shaman looks like they made a pretty sweet kite. Take a look at this video:

https://vimeo.com/249196751

Quote: Originally posted by jeffnyc

I could also see the flapping being useful for feedback the same way a sailboat sail luffs. Seems like the trend is trying to build a single surface that acts like a double surface. Less material and work, so less expensive (so far) - makes a lot of sense if you can get close to the performance of a double surface. I'm super happy with the kites I have now, but the whole single surface thing sure is interesting. Back when I was hang gliding, single surface were pretty much relegated to beginners. I don't know if that's still true now, but that certainly doesn't seem to be the case with these kites. I'm also looking forward to seeing regular joes riding these. The guys in the videos could fly a dumpster and make it look cool.

PKF members that know me and my postings know I'm one of the bedsheet chimps in the Monkey House. Where SS versus dual skin kites seem to shine in my book is primarily for three reasons. First, they are awesome (particularly in their large sizes) as low wind engines. They tend to get off the ground with minimal ground level wind and can be often be kept aloft during wind lulls with some creative flying more so than their size matched heavier cousins in the dual skin world. Second, they pack up smaller and lighter than size matched dual skin kites.

Third, and perhaps most importantly, they are just flat out way cooler than the more common dual skin kites. I mean, anybody can own and fly a dual skin kite, but it really takes someone special to own and fly SS. :moon:

Quote: Originally posted by abkayak

lets stop this nonsense... there is nothing inherently cool about a SS...

I knew you would take this bait! The truth of the matter is I'm flat out just not tough enough to fly FB like you.

Quote: Originally posted by Bladerunner

That is about the best float I have seen with a SS kite. Do you think it is the kite or rider that is special?

I think it is neither but simply the conditions and riding down a slope where the wind is blowing up. The float is impressive but there are other times in the videos where they hit a lip or drop off a small ridge with zero float or pop.

To me it seems to be the most impressive monoskin but none seem to be able to touch a traditional twinskin foil for jumping.

Cool Tami - be great to hear what you think of it. What flavor did you get?

Is the shipping/taxes painful, or how did you deal with that?

Someone better warn the Italians - looks like a handful of Swiss ski bums are making illegal border crossings :o

Quote: Originally posted by utahtami

Windstruck, don't you think I need a whole quiver?

Never met a quiver I didn't like!

Very pleased that you have become so enamored with the new Gin SS offerings. Makes me happy to know you are on a kite that works for you and that the SS world continues to evolve and seemingly improve.

Now, about that quiver. With there now but scant few days left before IBX might I suggest you hold off on the quiver until you've had a chance to try (if you'd like) or at least see my Born-Kite LS2s in action? They too represent nice incremental improvements over the Peaks. Hate to have you pull such a big trigger and then find yourself in raptured kite envy at Ivanpah! :karate:

Quote: Originally posted by utahtami

I subsequently used the 5th line once and was quite disappointed.

Care to elaborate on that statement?

Quote: Originally posted by utahtami

I kite skiied on the Shaman 3 days but only used the 5th line once. To get a more thorough feel for it I went to the park and kite buggyed with it yesterday expressly to use the 5th line. When the wind was light to moderate it worked great. When the wind was howling several times it tangled up the kite making relaunch impossible, a couple more times it didn't fully depower the kite - possibly because it tangled up lines. I naively was expecting something like Ozone's re-ride system where I could just pull in the line a few feet and have the kite sit there all docile.

I've had the same (disappointing) reaction to the dedicated 5th line safety on the Born-Kite LS2s. Like Tami, I truly appreciated having the 5th Re-Ride line on my Ozone kites for snow kiting while I still owned them. I used them numerous times, either simply to rest (hand pulling the fifth line in a few yards from the metal ring in the chicken loop) or when I needed to pop the chicken loop for safety reasons. On the Born-Kite LS2s the kite will collapse and come to the ground but it won't necessarily stay untangled. There is so much bridling on a SS, and the kite without pressure on the lines to give it shape can easily fold onto itself in all sorts of undesirable ways. The thing is, once a SS is loose from its tight tethering it flags out with really virtually no pull anyway so a 5th line system may just be overkill on a SS foil.

In retrospect I probably could have simplified matters and simply gone with a single Born-Kite bar with a standard 4.5 line flag out system and not had the fifth line business built into my kites. I still may go that way if I end up with lots of time on my hands and a desire to fiddle with my lines. Note: that day may never come...

I too had my 5th line get caught up with my other four primary lines and cause me some headaches. Live and learn...