While I was just in the LBS picking up my new lite wind board I was given a copy of this book. What a great little freebie is this, it's a hard cover book with 340 pages on the history of north kiting, full of great pictures. Great little add on it has a book mark made out of kiteline attached, very smart.
Thanks North, thanks LBS, very impressed. Will look great on the coffee table
^^^^ lets not mention how many strut bladder failures in the 2011's....[}:)][}:)][}:)] but hey, the valves are good!!!
As does the Rhino 1, they were the days, I still think there is a 22m Rhino 1 living on the Northside of Brissy :o)
Awesome book! Some real great reading in there and cool to look back over the years of equipment. Brought back heaps of good ol memories.
Also have the Neil Pryde book from last year as well.
I so wanted a Rhino 1 back in the day, but alas could not afford it at the time. I think they were in the high $2,000s.
Am I dreaming or was there a 9.3m size, this was when they used to measure kite sizes 2 different ways (and I can't remember which way North did it at that time).
It's burnt on my memory seeing some guys getting massive air on these on the north side of Woody's, must have been early 2002 (or was it 2001), sadly I was not confident enough to go out on my Naish Aero 12m, as I was a nervous noob.
Why doesn't WAKSA (or other state bodies) throw a 10 year anniversary party,
(i know kiting has been around a couple years longer than that but if you had a 13 yr party only Darren Marshall would attend cos Ian Young is in Antarctica).
My 14m Rebel 2008(?) has never given me an issue at all! Love it. Totally looking at North for the next toy..
Just picked up a book from AKS. Impressive book and excellent reading regardless if you fly north or not. of course focused on north's own innovation and development it is a great read in terms of the development of kiting and associated technologies over the past 10 years.
Especially if you are like me and have been around the sport since 2000/2001, i would highly recommend you get your hands on one, purely for historical reasons. Not too mention the presentation and quality of the book is outstanding - kind of like their kites.
Definetely get one or borrow one regardless of kiting persuasions.
Again thanks AKS appreciate the gesture. Quality service as always.
Hey Samoht, most of us up here have had at least 1 strut bladder failure with the 2011's. My 14M which gets a caning, hasn't missed a beat, but my 10M which hardly gets used failed. Puetz fixed mine, cos I was out kiting, so I can't comment on details, but there has been enough of them happen this year for it to be a pattern. Never happened to me on any other years kites... But hey, at least they sorted the valves... Hopefully the new kites ( they there yet morgs?) will have it sorted! They really are bloody good kites other than these issues!
Thought this post was about the book, must be wrong. Doubting norths quality, now that's farqin hilarious.
Yeah, sorry about the thread hijack
6 of us were sitting at the beach the other day waiting for wind, and we added up the number of north kites we currently own, came to 32! Reasonably qualified to comment...
6 into 32...impressive man! hey half way through the book, up to delta kites, fascinating read from a historical perspective...get a better understanding of the evolution of the sport from kite/bar design to actual riding styles, also I know now why the rebel 'feels' so right for me. Born out the age of the bow kite, they didn't want to go the bow way due to it's inherent flaws in safety, bar pressure, delay and long bar throw - even though the market said they would go under, bringing out the rhino 06, as the crossbow came out. This lead to the loaded 5th on teh vegas and eventually the rebel, not a bow kite, but with the depower/power of one.
Rode Warroos, kahoonas (delta), cores - same (much better quality), then the rebel - makes sense now.
Yeh have a read...let you know how my 2011 bladders go and the 2012 i just got - can't wait
I bet the valves are still ok, they built'em different back then. 
Only North manu there, as they have implemented what they call 'progression 10', basically a quality control program we would understand if we worked for a large company...where each process, comminication, part, instruction, everything is documented and streamlined, allowing the refining of the overall process - apparently these gains allow much better quality parts to be used and still remian proce competitive...
Listen to me, I really know farq all, just bangin' back what was in the book... but they do mention the evolution of all the major innovations even from other kite manufacturers, such as the delta bandit from f1, teh crossbow etc etc, and how these innovations moved them along as well.
So while a biased advert for north, if you read beyond this it is such a great histroical read...and it gives credit where deserved...
Ahh....North reminiscing....
About 5 years ago on a Rhino 5 12m, I f@cked up a kite-loop so bad and landed so hard the thing tore my waist harness in half.
Unfortunately, it took out a couple of muscles in my back as well.
C kite brutality at it's best, so glad we have moved on.
The strut issue in my 2011 12m Rebel was cherried blow outs at end of the strut .I believe it was the same issue for the others . I have done 3 so far .
Kite is brilliant .
Have just picked up my 2012 14m and very pleased . I think its wind range will be a lot greater than my previous 2010 14m and build quality good , yet to be fully tested though.
... and the book is worth a read too
