We’ve had over month of fantastic snowkiting in the northern Rockies and I thought I would share my initial experience of flying the 2011 Ozone Frenzy. The new Frenzy was significantly redesigned for this year and the results are quite astounding. This kite is in a league of its own in performance (stability, speed, power).

First to mention is the wing’s stability. This kite is so stable that gusty days seem smooth. The wing tips hold their shape and the resulting stability translates into an incredibly smooth power transfer to the rider during jibes and while in the air during flight. Many, many times I have sent the Frenzy from low in the window into wildly high boosts. The kite just does what I tell it to: sends me skyward. No surprises, no unusual collapses, easy redirection for super smooth landings. In my mind, the kite seems safer because of this designed stability.

Low, powerful jibes are a real pleasure with this kite. It flies fast, for sure. However, just the slightest amount of sheeting and the kite will lock into its sweet spot and deliver an incredible amount of speed and power. Unlike the Manta which required a small amount of constant bar input to keep it going fast, the ’11 Frenzy needs none of that. It finds its speed (and resulting power) by where you place it in the window and will hold on to that spot without any effort.

So far I have had a couple dozen days on the 13, a few on the 11 and one amazing session on the 9m. The range on all sizes is very nice with a decent amount of overlap. When I was out on the 11 the other day I could have easily flown the 9m. When out on the nine (gusts to 35mph, 6” of new pow), I would have been super-lit on the 11 and had a fun time if I had flown the 7.

This year’s Frenzy has many small but noteworthy changes that translate to an extraordinary kiting experience. Some changes are immediately noticeable: The mesh leading edge significantly eliminates snow buildup inside when riding in storms. Other changes are more subtle: How effortless the kite will back down when the back line safety strap is pulled. Another is the incorporation of blow-out valves that reduce the possibility of kite damage when crashing it into the ground.

All in all I believe that this is the nicest, best flying foil that Ozone has produced and will give me many, many months of fun and pleasure this winter! I hope you have a chance to fly one, if you do, don’t hesitate, you’ll be glad you did!

Can I get some more thoughts on the 2011 11 & 13m? For such highly sought after (and apperently greatly improved) kites there is a considerable gap in user thoughts/reviews.

I'm intersested in how the 2011 compared with the earlier versions of the manta. Moreover, I'm interested the larger kites freeride performance in mountainous terrain.

I would say the Manta in the 12 and 15m sizes is better than the 13m Frenzy from any year. The 12m Manta is funner to fly and maneuver than its bigger brother the 13m FY, with equal power output. The 15m Manta added more lift than the 12m in lighter conditions, especially for jumping or gliding... but I would say the 12m (personally) has a wider use range in a variety of conditions and terrain. I use the 12m more than any other size.

The 2011 Frenzy's provided an increased performance range from previous model Frenzy's, meaning they flew thru the window quicker, penetrated slightly more into the windows edge, and turned tighter. The downside with the new design is the added cross-bridle, that prevents one from the ability of flagging the kite out on one line (or pulling in one outside line to flag the kite during strong winds). On that same note, many of us flying the Frenzy 2011 last winter were caught in dangerous situations in high winds...if you didn't have a rock solid anchor to hold the kite, you were stuck holding a half-powered kite, waiting for a friend to grab it. This primarilly affected the 9m days when the wind was stronger. But could happen on any size when over-powered.
Ozone's answer to this is not to change the kite design, but to add a 5th line on the 2012's to help flag the kite out completely. Not a bad idea, as Gin Kites have incorporated that into their foils for a while now successfully. But odd considering Ozone abandoned the 5th line on all their inflatable's.

Personally I would go with a previous year model Manta if you can find one (discontinued model now ). I like the overall performance of the Manta and its open cell design.

Windzup,
Brian Schenck
www.windzup.com

yeah, i ended up going with a used FS for light conditions.
I'm not sold on Ozone yet.
I'll need a replacement for my 9.5 sometime later this year.. great kite, but the radius is a little slow.

I think my quiver might look like,

6m, 12m, 19m later this year.

I still have alot to learn, and theres plenty of time to think about it. Plus, I'm still scared of my FS... so I think once I bump up into the upper end I'll be more content with my quiver.

Still, with a redesign an older manta could find a home in there. Wakestyle looks sick, I'll need some agile kites.