I haven't seen any comparisons of HQ Montana vs Ozone Frenzy in recent years, and since a lot has changed I thought it might be worthwhile to resurrect the topic. These tend to be two fairly popular snowkites and I know I've often wondered what the difference is between the two.

Last week I had a chance to go out on a great backcountry trip with a buddy. He recently bought an 11m Ozone Frenzy V10, and I've got a pair of 10m and 12m HQ Montana IX 's that I've been putting some time on.

I gave my friend the Montana's to fly for a bit, and he was pretty surprised by the difference between the two. He felt both the 10 and 12m Montana 9s were quite a bit livelier than his 11M Frenzy with lighter bar pressure and higher turn rate. This took him by surprise since the Frenzy is marketed as Ozone's more freestyle oriented kite. After his remarks I took his Frenzy for a spin, and I would tend to agree with his observations. The M9 felt quicker with snappier lift and pop, and a more active feel. Depending on what you're looking for, this could either be a good or bad thing.

Winds were relatively stable when we made the trade so I didn't really have a chance to assess the stability differences between the two kites. Both kites were rock solid during the time of the test/trade. I know earlier in the day I had a couple collapses on my Montana and my buddy had a bow-tie on his Frenzy. The Ozone re-ride system has a great reputation and is kind of an industry standard; I've found the Front line flag out on the Montana to work well and have engaged it in higher winds with good success.

At any rate, I'd be really interested to hear from other folks who've been able to ride both kites and get some unbiased opinions. I know the chance to ride both kites side-by-side left me very happy with my personal quiver, but would love to get input from other folks.

Nate

IMO the Montana is closer to a Summit than a Frenzy.


But as we are comparing the Montana to the Frenzy I would agree the Montana is more lively. Trades off stability for liveliness and nimbleness. More aggressive lift but all good for the right rider.

Collapses are more common on the Montana than the Frenzy. The leading edge stiffeners used in the Ozone are probably a key difference.

The Frenzy is smoother, more stable and better in nasty conditions. Marketed as the "all rounder" it fits that designation to a T. Very much like an Access but with a ton of lift if you want it. Uber smooth lift.

In terms of safety system and convienince the Re-Ride smokes FLS. Simply as a means of pack up or launching its worth its weight in gold. On the hard ice in 20kts I can hold position on the 9m with my finger. MY FINGER! No ice screw, nothing. Then wrap the Re-Ride, then the lines and pack the kite in a little more time than it takes to type this sentence.

FLS is a good system. A lot better than the old top hat safety still in use on the Zeekai.

What sizes are we talking here? In the smaller sizes the Frenzy is a riot and can be flown pretty agressively and will give what it gets. In a 14m, not very sporty. Bigger than 9m the Montana is still pretty nimble with little extra steering input from the pilot. In the largest sizes the Montana is a lot more fun to drive than the 14m Frenzy. But neither make for very good "true" light wind kites.

How the kite flies in good wind is less important as how the kite flies in dirty wind. And in the end of the day, the rider makes the kite. How many hours does your friend have on the Frenzy? As many as you have on the Montana? How experienced are both testers? This is important if you are comparing the performance of two kites. For me, I'd put the Frenzy up against anything on the snow and feel it will deliver the goods. But the Montana is a great kite and can hold its own. The Summit offers higher performance than both IMO. But high performance isn't the only thing to judge the kite by. Performance appropriate to the individual and their needs is.

In the last few seasons the new Frenzy has been around I've never seen one bowtie. Would be curious how that occurred.

Thanks Chris. That was kind of my sense that the Frenzy felt like an Access with more lift. Like you said it all depends on riding style and what your normal riding conditions are going to be like.

I've found the stability in the Montana to be quite good for 80% of the riding conditions I personally do here locally. In the other 20% when it is truly horrible I wouldn't want to be on a high lift kite anyway but will move to something more stable/low lift like an Apex/Access.

Thanks for the insights!

How does the bar throw compare on both? I know HQ has been criticized for a while for making systems (bars, chicken loops, trim straps) as not being overly friendly for those with short arms. True on the M or only the Apex?

Ya, so the whole bar throw/trim reach was kind of unique to the earlier Apex kites. The Montana's and even the new Apex V's don't really have that problem since the Top Hat safety is gone in the newer models.

I have no recent experience on the Frenzy but will point out some fears and misconceptions I hear about these kites. As of the Montana VIII, I don't recall ever having a fold or luff unless the wind stopped blowing. As for stability, the M VIII is one of only two depower kites I've buggied over 60 mph with. It's rock solid right beside me and doesn't dart around at all. Also the lift is quite manageable and I've never been lifted unless I was playing around static flying.

I've not heard anything negative about a Frenzy made in the last 3 years or more.