I hate writing reviews but have been asked from a number of riders what my impression is of the new Gin Yeti and since they are hard to come by in the
States and I’m a big fan of Gin, here goes…
I have been flying a 10m Gin Eskimo III for 3 years now and had been looking for something in the 6m range that had better low / upwind performance
then an Access and was more stable with more constant and more smooth power delivery then my Pulse II (which I sold to fund the purchase of the Yeti).
If you are familiar with the Eskimo (III series or above) you will recognize that Gin has continued to refine what they do with the kites they make.
Their product quality is top notch and at least comparable to Ozone, Flysurfer, etc. when it comes to the quality of the sail material, bridle,
stitching, safety, lines and the bar.
The bag is phenomenal. It is truly a backpack that holds a kite and any related gear (skis, poles, board, Camelback, etc.) that you need to attach to
it. You don’t fly the bag but there is no way one won’t be impressed when they see the pack the Yeti comes in.
The bar has been refined from the III series. The fifth line attachment on the III series used to chew up the foam on the bar every time you pulled
the bar in. It is completely redesigned on the Yeti so it can’t even contact the bar. Swivel chicken loop allows any twists in the middle lines to
work themselves out as you fly or pull the bar in. The middle lines come to a single line on the bar side (Y connection) and the Y line is much
thinner on the Yeti then it was on the III series.
The bridle lines seem thinner and lighter on the Yeti then the III series. The speed system on the Yeti utilizes a single pulley whereas the III
series utilized multiple pulleys. There is no sliding wingtip line on the Yeti (not sure if the single pulley and lack of sliding wingtip line is
standard throughout or just on the smaller sizes). The bridle will look complex and intimidating to anyone who sees it for the first time because
they use a complete 5th line bridle as opposed to a simple attachment on the existing bridle tabs like FS uses. I think this allows the kite to taco
out more uniformly and reinflate with less issues.
I’ve only flown the 6m for about 90 minutes and generally would not do a review with so little time on it but a number of people have asked for my
opinion which is why I’m posting my initial thoughts.
I flew the kite in off shore measured winds from 9-17 mph off (gusts were probably in the mid 20s. At 17 it was easy to hold down but a little much
for me the first time out with it on my board given that I don’t like to get so much as damp and the sand on the beach was very soft and wet and
sticky. At 9 mph I was still powered enough to get upwind (I weigh 145 and was riding a landboard).
Like the Eskimo, the rear lines NEED to be shortened for the Yeti to fly well. The kite comes with two knots on the rear line leaders on the bar
side. Use the knots closest to you or the kite will not be as responsive as it should be (especially when depowered). If depowered, it may be
helpful to add another knot lower down – I’m not sure as I wasn’t riding with it more then about 25% depowered.
The bar is fantastic but it is short. I had been flying my 4m Access before I switched to the Yeti. The Yeti bar felt shorter (it is 46cm) and that
took some getting used to but by the time I packed up I didn’t leave thinking the bar was too short. It just felt short when switching from the
Access to the Yeti. The kite turns very well given the single pulley speed system and short bar. No delay in turning and no surprises either, just a
nice, constant turn which can be sped up if you get aggressive with the bar.
The trimmer is the same as on the III series. No depower, 50% depower, 100% depower and it works well. Its stiff at first, meaning its easy to
depower but tougher to reset to full power but I think that is just because it is new and the buckle needs some use to soften up. The depower line is
short, compared to my Eskimo, but I always felt the line was too long on the Eskimo which made reaching for the trimmer a bit of a stretch sometimes.
There is a good depower range and IMO Gins like to be flown with the bar pulled mostly in and then you sheet out when needed (as opposed to other
kites that like to be flown with the bar out and then you pull in for power).
I’m not a super aggressive jumper but I like air. The Yeti is super stable and predictable in its power delivery. It’s a confidence instilling kite.
Even when the winds dropped to 9mph a light guy like me was getting about a foot of hoppy-like airs at the end of each run with a simple redirect and
pull of the bar. The kite feels like it has some pop but I don’t send them very hard so a more aggressive jumper could tell you better then I. For
me, it offers the type of “safe”, comfortable, predictable air on demand without any surprises.
Upwind performance was great and the kite didn’t need to be aggressively worked to fly upwind, even as the winds dropped off. It handled the gusts
very well with no herky-jerky pops or accelerations through the window.
Negatives:
While flying static with the knots on the rear leader lines furthest from the bar and the kite fully depowered on the trimmer, it was less responsive
to turn. I think that’s because the bar is short compared to others I've used for similarly sized kites. After I adjusted to the knot closest to me
(recommended flying position) I jumped on the board and let the trim out and didn’t have this problem at all while riding and it hasn't been a problem
since.
The kite does not like to be turned by holding the bar like a battle axe. I've seen some Flysurfer vids of riders doing that when kite looping but
with new lines this caused some binding of the 5th and power lines where they pass through the bar and made the kite less responsive in the turns.
Now this may just be because the lines are new and stiff and truthfully that's not normally how I work the bar through my turns and its easily avoided
by turning the kite and progressively pulling the bar in or letting it out as you work it through the turn.
Conclusions:
I wanted a stable, moderate wind kite with more pop and better upwind performance then the Access but nothing punchy like other higher A/R kites and
it appears to be exactly what the Yeti is. It was a pleasure to board on. Once I figured out how it liked to be turned (more brake input on the
leaders and less battle-axing) it was a dream to turn. Smooth power, great upwind performance, super quality and stiching, really nice bar, really,
really nice bag, looks great in the sky, and gets the job done. Can be parked and flown or worked with ease see-sawing the bar.
It’s promoted as a cross between the Inuit and Eskimo (or Access and Frenzy / Montana and Apex for better known kites) and I would say that’s exactly
what it is. Stable enough for a beginner, enough upwind performance, speed, pop and lift for an experienced rider. Not likely to hurt you while
getting the job done and it’s an alternate to all of the other, better known and distributed kites.
If you are considering a depowerable foil, I’d strongly recommend you consider Gin. I’m not sponsored and have no vested interest but would like to
see them take off in the States so if I can answer any of your questions please don’t hesitate to post here or send me a u2u.
While this review was specific to the 6m, I also own a 4.5 Yeti and the same can be said of that kite. Its a little faster (given its size and the
winds it flies in) and I consider it a powerful kite for its size but its characteristics are similar to what I've written about the 6m.
Fly Gin!!
Depower Quiver: 14m Gin Eskimo, 10m Gin Eskimo III, 6m Gin Yeti, 4.5m Gin Yeti (custom bridle and mixer)
Fixed Bridle Quiver: MAC Bego 400, JOJO ET Instinct 2.5 & 5.5, Lil Devil 1.5, Sting 1.2
Rides: Ground Industries
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