Long story short, I've got two Mk I Blades, a 4.9 and a 3.3, that havn't been out of their bags for about ten years.

I was obsessed with kiting for a while when I was young then gradually lost interest, but I watched some mountainboarding jumps and tricks the other night on youtube at random and i've really got the urge to give it a go.

I never got round to getting a board or buggy the first time, was far too busy scaring the living #@%$#! out of myself jumping with the 4.9.

They've both just got the old school handles, no bar, no harness. Both look to be in great condition.

Basically my question is, do they still hold up? Can I get new lines, a bar and a harness that will fit, and is there any point, or should I just get a new kite?

Cheers

As long as they are in good shape, they are still great kites. No need to replace just yet.

I don't think I'd put a MK1 Blade on a bar. Fly it on handles and there is no need for a harness either. they are great to give your arms a break when flying static but not needed and I don't think I'd hook in when static jumping - but that's just me.

YUP, great kites . I agree, stick with the handles to get the most out of the kites !

I guess you remember what a beast the 4.9 can be. Be very careful ! It got the nick name " The widow maker " because it can lift you big time and then not float you unless flown perfectly.

Get a harness and hook in with a " strop " line. Only hook in when resting etc. at 1st to be safe. As you get used to it you can stay hooked in for more stuff. I cruise and scud hooked in but still unhook when jumping or pushing it .

Welcome back !
:bigok:

Thanks a lot for the replies guys
I'm still slightly terrified of the 4.9, I've had a few sketchy situations with it over the years.
It's like having a pet Rottweiler you love but it might just decide to eat you one night.

Flying with the handles and without a harness seems like a good way to go for mountain boarding anyway, presumably gives you the most amount of freedom of movement, and i'm used to flying that way anyway so i'm comfortable with it

I registered here on a whim just to ask about the 4.9 tbh and i'm not entirely up on the rules here regarding linking to other sites since theres a buy/sell section on here , but my next question is do you guys have any recommendations for places to buy kiting equiptment? Or specifically mountain boards? I've had a look on ebay but I thought there might be some forums worth checking out for a better deal

Seriously, just read the For Sale section before you wonder where on the internet to find good deals! :bouncy:

Many contributers to this forum have shops.

Almost all of them in North America.

I am sure you can link to an add from any shop and get folks opinions on the gear + shop.

Boards come up in our for sale section at some pretty unbeatable prices. Buying and selling on this forum is a pretty safe thing to do.