Alright so after the tenth person told me I needed to get on PKF I decided it might be a good idea, so im here.

I figured I would start off by reviewing the Awesome New Montana 7. During NABX this year I got a lot of flying time with this kite in every size, and (with the exception of the 15m Matrixx, and 8m Neo) it is the only kite i chose to use. This is because of how fast and dependable these kites are in almost any situation. Since i flew every size i will reveiw each one individually.

The 7m has a pretty large wind range from around 15 to 30 for me and was really fast. This is the kite I was using when i got my PB of 58.3. Even in those winds it was stable and I was able to keep it under control. I was in this kites sweet spot in 20 to 25 mph winds, so this kite is definitely a good choice for someone looking for depower that is fast and stable.

There is not much difference in the 9 and 12m to me except the obvious speed and wind range that comes with being different sizes. These kites where really nice for me when the wind was a little lower (in the teens). I could stay powered nicely and cruise with ease.

The kite that really amazed me was the 14m. It could fly and be really powered up with almost no wind at all. On Saturday when the winds were low I got out the 14m at the end of the day when it was dying down. I got it out at the end of the day because I took out the neo 8m and blew my front tire, it was 3 or 4 hours before I could go back out again. When I got it out I was expecting it to be a pig like most kites that size (especially depower) but I was pleasantly surprised. It had the power and grunt I had expected, however, it was really fast, responsive, and stable. I was able to downloop with ease and control it very easily. When I got in the buggy and started rolling it impressed me even more, I could easily just park and ride or really power it up and get some nice speed. While was out riding I ended up running with Brian Holgate and watched him do a couple 360s/suicide jibes, so I decided to try it. The kite was fast enough that I could pick up speed, downloop, and do a full 360. After that I was hooked, every turn I was doing 540s to turn around. Saturday night was the most fun I had in a buggy the whole time I was at NABX.

After I got out of the buggy I was doing some static jumping and with little effort I was getting 6 to 8 foot jumps with maybe 5 to 8 mph of wind or less. So this kite would be excellent for boarding as well.

Sorry if I left anything out or forgot something, if I did let me know or if you have any questions about the kite I am sure I can answer them.

Also sorry for any grammar mistakes.

I have to agree I'm very partial to the Montanas. The new M7 apparently is faster with it's changes from the previous model. We seemed to have topped out in the low 50s with the M6 in the buggies and then Wexler jumps up to over 58 with the new model. I haven't run the new models at speed yet but look forward to it. Chris Shultz and I along with Kevin (on a 7m and also with HQ) were running with 2 M7 9m on Wednesday afternoon. We were running in the low 40s frequently and top of the runs according the Chris's gps was about 45. Winds were up and down and the fast runs were quite a thrill with us chasing each other.

I wish we had both been running video with that so we could share. Those runs were a highlight for me at this year's nabx. I really look forward to exploring the capabilities of the new kites.

It was great riding with you both. A real NABX highlight for me.

Thanks for the reviews Wexler.

And now a few pictures of the Wexmester on Montanas.

(oh, I have still shots of the suicide jibes. Need photoshop to combine them)

Nice pictures Chris, whenever you get back to kitty hawk and get a chance, send me any video and pictures you got of me and ill use them for a video.

Nice review Wex!

So how's the depower...I know it's an open cell but does it have the amount of depower as a Venom 2 or Charger?

I don't really know how much depower the Arcs have, since i have not flown one in a long time, But the new montana has more depower range than any other open cell I have flown. The arcs are a little slower and more laid back though just because of there design.

finally..........awesome skill set on the Montanas.......................look forward to a couple epic downies this summer on the water with you and your dad.........see you in June!!

A couple of observations on the M7 series from the sidelines...

As a frame of reference, I fly a 9m M5 regularly in low bumpy winds here in Occupied Northern Mexico.

Note 1: The bar on the 7 and 9 meter wings is substantially shorter than the previous model. This coupled with the cleaner, square trailing edge extending out to the wing tips as opposed to the M5's double elliptical form seemed to give the M7 a far better turning response and allowed very effective input with the shorter bar.

Note 2: I didn't see a single full frontal collapse at any point on any of the m7's which has been a common occurrence with my M5 and wing tip inversion seemed far less frequent and recovery far smoother than with the M5.

Huge prop's to the HQ design team on the mod's.

and can we just state the obvious that the new montanas look AWESOME??

Thanks for sharing Wex',

We don't get our hands on much HQ product around here. It's good to get your hands on opinions .

I for one am very glad you have joined up with PKF. I think you will have some good advice and opinions. I think you have seen 1st hand that age isn't a factor in this game. I respect your opinion every bit as much as anybody on this board !

Quote:

Originally posted by chris (oh, I have still shots of the suicide jibes. Need photoshop to combine them)

Hey Chris,

If you send me the stills I'll compose them into one photo if you like. My email is in my user profile

here's an example of what I mean

Quote:

Originally posted by Bladerunner Thanks for sharing Wex', We don't get our hands on much HQ product around here. It's good to get your hands on opinions . I for one am very glad you have joined up with PKF. I think you will have some good advice and opinions. I think you have seen 1st hand that age isn't a factor in this game. I respect your opinion every bit as much as anybody on this board !

Yea I really like HQ's kites, I don't think they get enough credit. Glad to be here, hopefully I can learn some stuff while sharing what little i know as well.

:cool2: I would like to say it was a pleasure to watch u ride and it finally got me down there to demo one I got the 12 while u were out on the 14 the wind was light the bar was very interesting with the leashless safety the depower was good I would say better than most arcs set up on a shorter throw bar but on a long throw there about the same very quick turner and this last comment is more a lack of piloting skills than an issue with the kite but I had trouble in the light winds going down wind it would haul upwind but I couldn't make it back downwind and this was the only kite I had the issue with but it wouldn't have been an issue in a little more wind

I got to fly a montana 7 10m at wildwood buggy bash. The kite flies amazingly, it is so easy to jump. It is very much a freestyle kite. However, I dont think that the top hat safety system is all that safe. After releasing the top hat safety system the front lines are released abut 6 to 8 feet out, and the kite is basically just on both of the rear lines. This is one issue I have, after releasing the front lines and the kite is basically just on the back lines, the kite wont just drop to the ground if the kite is upside down. You can still be pulled by the kite if it is just on its brakes.

The other issue I have with the top hat safety system is that once you release the top hat system and the kite hopefully lands itself, the safety is virtually impossible to reset the safety system by yourself. In order to reset the safety system, you need to pull the front lines back to the top hat release. When you try to do this the kite tries to launch and rips the front lines from your hands.

I really believe that HQ needs to equip the next montana with a 5th line safety so that the kite completely flags out when the safety system is engaged

5th line safety should be the standard on all foils, IMO. Not that much more expensive to to manufacture and way, way, way more safe then any tophat / reat line safety that stalls but doesn't necessarily kill or fully depower the kite in the upper wind limits.

HQ, if you are reading, please step up on the safety system - it would be a huge advancement in any next gen kite.

I've never had an issue with that system but my experience isn't wide. I've never experienced power when the safety is activated. It might flutter a little but just settles to the ground. I have pulled the safety under duress a handful of times and never felt like I might have to pull the secondary safety. On reset, you just have to have the brake grab handle pulled back while you reset. Any safety is going to have the kite going back to ready to launch mode if you don't have some tension on the back lines. Would a fifth line really be any different in these regards?

Quote:

Originally posted by shortlineflyer The other issue I have with the top hat safety system is that once you release the top hat system and the kite hopefully lands itself, the safety is virtually impossible to reset the safety system by yourself. In order to reset the safety system, you need to pull the front lines back to the top hat release. When you try to do this the kite tries to launch and rips the front lines from your hands.

It really is an amazing kite.

To reset the top hat, you must shorten the bottom lines. This is easy to do. If you examine the ends of the leader lines on the bar, you will see large sewn loops. Pull these loops to the bar and hook around the bar ends. Once this is done, the kite will not power up when you reset the top hat.

Hope this helps.

I too got to try a Montana7 this WBB!
All I have to say is WOW. I was very impressed with the amount of power and how quick it builds speed!
Build quality seems really nice and I love the Bright colors and graphics. I am still not impressed by the bar but I would not consider it a deal breaker.
I believe it was the 12m, and I have to thank the HQ crew for letting me demo it.
:wee:

Next time I'd love to demo a Matrixx!

The top hat safety's on my Apex's have proven to performed well in extreme conditions. Two kids and myself have flown them at the upper limits of their range, when pulled the kites flop out of the sky. Granted we will still have 7.5m of fabric flopping around in 25-30mph wind and on glare ice this does present a problem but on all other surfaces the kite is dead on the ground. If that Montana was actually trying to fly on the rear lines after the top hat was pull something was snagged ,rigged wrong or out of adjustment. In no way should it have been anything other than flopped out flat.

Thanks Wex to sharing here such a informative post. I like your spirit, enjoy to see the pics, even motivate me to be there with friends though..

What is the wind range of the 14 if I weigh 190 lbs, I am trying to decide between the 12 and 14 for my low wind kite

I'm 145#s and I fly my 14m Eskimo (its slower than the M7 but likely about equal in the power dept) from 6-11 mph. I'm easily jumping around 8 mph and getting overpowered in the 12-14mph range which is when my 10m comes out.

I would think your 10m crossfire would be a pretty decent low wind kite, no?

The crossfire is too big, the wind needed to get it up makes it overpowered and it turns very slow for me. I I lived at the beach and had cleaner wind I would be fine I think. I almost only fly my slingshot ranger 12m now but it has limitations too. It can only go so fast. plus jumping is difficult in the wind I fly in plus its not the best upwind kite. the montana is a faster jump happier kite or so it seems

If it will help you out Shortline, Adam, aka Flyjump is about your size, maybe a tad heavier and he loved his 14 for low wind sessions. He, like you lived in an area where the wind was just not great and needed a kite to get himself some air. He loves his 14 and I often received many phone calls after one of his many great sessions with him fully stoked!

will i still be able to get upwind, is it still fast like the 12

The larger kite will have greater upwind ability in the same winds, or it can go upwind as well as the 12 in less wind. All kites go upwind better when they become better powered.