So I'm getting ready to go out-of-country for the next few weeks, but thought I would share a couple of my personal thoughts and experiences on the
Zeekai now that I've had a chance to get a few hours on it.
We've had several great light wind opportunities here locally in the last month, and I also just got back from the Bighorn Snowkite Summit (which was
great). Both Friday and Saturday in the Bighorns were very light, so it was a perfect testing ground for the Zeekai. I own the 19m but was also able
to get some time on the 13m while in WY.
In a nutshell, it is a superb lightwind kite - even in the smaller 13m size. It makes riding in lightwinds about as easy, pain-free and enjoyable as
you could ask for. Because of the open cell nature and light weight 20D fabric, it is pretty amazing how little wind you need to get it up and making
power.
To offer up a couple of examples, Friday afternoon the winds were dying out and all the other kiters were starting to head back to the staging pick-up
area downwind of the main riding location. I kited back to the staging area to drop off some gear. Seeing that our pick-up had not arrived yet and
noting a light but steady breeze, I decided to break out the 19m Zeekai. I'm not sure what the actual winds were, but they were light. There were 2
other kites out: one was the 15m Matrixx2 that I had just rode back and gave to a buddy; the other was an Ultralight Summit. Both were staying close
to the pick-up area where the wind was actually the strongest.
Light, steady winds like these are the bread and butter conditions for the 19m. Setup is a breeze: just run the lines out, stake the brake handle, lay
out the kite and go. The kite really loves to go upwind; I immediately set out to go back to the area where everybody was coming in from, which was
upwind, past a couple wind shadows, and actually sitting in a bit of a wind shadow. The 19m made pretty short work of it. I horsed around for a bit
enjoying the light winds, then headed back to the others where I did a couple high speed passes for the guys who were stuck at the side of the road.
When I stopped to pack up, I got more than one, "Holy crap!" from folks who couldn't believe I was still kiting - let alone how fast I was going - in
that amount of wind.
Saturday, conditions were even lighter. The first person to get a kite in the air had to sled three quarters of the way up the 800ft hill on a
snowmobile to an area with enough wind to inflate his Ozone Chrono. As a litmus test, I decided to attempt my summit from the base of the mountain. I
waited for a puff of air to come by, and it was enough to get the kite up and start looping my way up the hill. I was the only kite to make it from
the base that morning, and it felt good to conquer the mountain - good winds or not.
Later that afternoon I had decided to have one final run. There was a 15m Ultralight Summit that had been trying to get up the hill but was currently
on the ground. I threw out the 19m Zeekai and within 5 minutes had it up and was cruising around, hollering and having a blast. Had enough wind to
park the kite and even get some jumps in. The smooth winds, glowing mountains and untouched powder in that particular area made for a pretty magical
book end to my trip to the Bighorns.
The Zeekai is being marketed as a Free-race kite (and for good reason); I think what it is ultimately going to be remembered for is quite possibly one
of the best light wind kites of its time. For light winds I find myself reaching for it over everything else. The key reason being that it is just so
hassle-free in those conditions. Some have argued that the newer closed cell foils make pre-inflation a nonissue. . I can tell you from experience
that it took a couple of guys a good 10 minutes of trudging through snow and a couple of resets to get an 18m Matrixx inflated enough to take to the
the air. In similar winds with the Zeekai it had just been a matter of setting the kite out, giving a tug on the front lines and I was off and
running. That's not anything against the Matrixx2 - which has excellent lightwind inflation for a closed cell kite - its just that these winds were
really, really light. Some will argue that if the winds are that light, its not worth kiting. Thats an age-old debate and a subjective one at
that. All I know is that I was having a ball motoring around the mountain, going upwind and even getting some jumps in on multiple occasions on that
particular WY trip while most everyone else was struggling to keep their kite in the air, if not completely grounded.
Here in Colorado, we get a lot of post-frontal days that are very light after theyve dumped snow. This kite has already been a session-saver on
several occasions, and for the conditions Im often given, it is going to significantly multiply the number of sessions available to me this season.
Particularly locations within a short distance from my house. As a guy with a lot of things vying for my time (as we all have), that is worth its
weight in gold. And the fact that the sessions arent just mowing the lawn, but fast and floaty, really has me looking forward to future light sessions
on this kite.
Founder/Owner Colorado Kite Sports
Specializing in Gin, Little Cloud & HQ4 foils. http://coloradokitesports.com
Most used Kites: LC Pelican, Gin Marabou
Skis: Something w/ Marker Baron or Duke Bindings
Boards: Litewave Wing, Naish Jet 2000, OR Mako 140
gotta admit that do look fun...i skied 40yrs before i ever found this kite stuff, now i dont ski too much effort involved
i fly in front of the ocean every time out but theirs something about those mountains that's really quite appealing
Nate - that video was a great taste of the sweetness you are experiencing on the Eastern side of the mountains we both so enjoy. I like you editing
style and song choice to boot! Thanks for the share... And the stoke!
abkayak/lunchbox - you'd be hooked if you tried it! The 3D aspect of snow kiting makes it a lot of fun; there's just something about skiing up a
mountain that never gets old.
Steve - ya, I spend so much time trying to eek out sessions on barely-covered fields, I forget how nice it is to have a deep base. Made the jump
landings feel like you were landing on pillows (even the screwed up ones!).
Got some buddies I'm trying to get trained up and we're going to try to hit the spot again on Saturday - hopefully it hasn't gotten crusty by then.
Founder/Owner Colorado Kite Sports
Specializing in Gin, Little Cloud & HQ4 foils. http://coloradokitesports.com
Most used Kites: LC Pelican, Gin Marabou
Skis: Something w/ Marker Baron or Duke Bindings
Boards: Litewave Wing, Naish Jet 2000, OR Mako 140
Gotta have the junk skis when you're itching at the beginning of the season. Doesn't matter if you take out an edge or wreck your base on rocks. Once
the snow starts gathering you'll have the real fun, but next year you forget about it and you need those rock skis again, because you forget how
crappy the light cover is compared to having real snow to ski on.
The winds were pretty light; most of the footage in the clip was in about 4kts (you can tell the kite isn't looping very quickly). That kite happens
to be the 19m.
I would probably consider the 16m if I were to do it again, just for a slightly higher turn rate, although the hangtime and float on the 19m sure is
fun (the turn rate is actually very good for the size). My jumps don't tend to be very high, but they feel like they go on forever. good stuff
For light winds, I haven't been on anything like it. It seems to combine the quick lightwind launch ability of something like a Peak with the lift of
something like a Speed.
Founder/Owner Colorado Kite Sports
Specializing in Gin, Little Cloud & HQ4 foils. http://coloradokitesports.com
Most used Kites: LC Pelican, Gin Marabou
Skis: Something w/ Marker Baron or Duke Bindings
Boards: Litewave Wing, Naish Jet 2000, OR Mako 140
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