CLEAT BAR
AIRUSH / Session Sizes Tested(m): 7, 9 / Sizes Available(m): 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 12 / Control Bar: Cleat Bar
Quick and smooth pivotal turns with lots of upper wind range, nice slack line drift and handling that’s ideal for smacking waves or carving turns on a surf foil.
Size: 50 to 60 cm adjustable The Airush Cleat Bar is a well designed, low V, 4-line control system that features a comfortable grip that is nicely textured and capped with low profile moulded bar ends. This system is simple and uncluttered and has a nice low profile. The bar trim cleat works very well and provides lots of trim. Two thin, moulded lines make up the main trim line and it slides easily through the bar’s centre hole, with no tendency to bind. The new Intelligent Quick Release trim loop can be reloaded with one hand, but does require you to push the cup into place. It comes standard with the medium sized loop and there are several sizes to customize with. The Cleat Bar can also be lengthened with the additional bar length adjusters, an exclusive design feature for riders that want a larger bar for their big kites. Overall, the Airush Cleat Bar gets high marks for functionality and comfort.
LIKES The Session is a versatile, high-performance freeride kite designed for dedicated wave performance and strapless riding. It features a low aspect canopy, framed by three struts and a narrow diameter leading edge that’s capped with wider wingtips. This generationally evolved model shows high levels of refinement with stable and smooth pull and amazingly quick turns with light bar pressure. The test team rode these kites in single pulley mode, which gives the kite more progressive and complete depower, and allows you to better direct the kite into turns even while the kite is fully sheeted. The Session actually comes with two sets of bridles for rider preference. The pulley bridle set up is the better option for riding waves in more onshore wind conditions and for riding with a foil. With light bar pressure and easy
steering, the Session is an excellent foil kite and allows you to easily steer the kite with one hand while riding toe side. Many of the more advanced dedicated wave riders are also now riding the larger surf freeride foils on those days where the wind or waves are not so great. So it’s ideal to have a wave kite that also works well with your foil set up. The Session was one of the wave kites that worked really well for foiling. Its ability to quickly pivot with less pull, and its quick and progressive depower help to kill the pull of the kite when you need to. Test team riders were also impressed with the fast pivotal turns that the Session offered, and it was arguably one of the fastest turning kites in this year’s wave group. The kite turns slightly off axis, and pivots quickly on either side of the wide wingtips, and offers very low levels
of pull when aggressively directed. This flying feature makes it ideal for strapless surf and foil transition and to get you into or out of the pocket quickly or for transitioning on your foil with quick helicopter loops at the flick of the wrist. The Session’s lightweight design and balanced flight, also make it ideal for getting a wave and getting that nice slack line drift. Although the Session has good levels of low end power, it sits more forward in the wind window, with its pulley bridle, and it’s not as grunty as some of the others on the test. Also a fun and responsive kite to boost airs with, the Session will definitely keep the strapless freestyle crowd happy with its smooth pop and fast reaction time.
USERS Stable and user friendly, the Session can be used by any level of rider, but its high performance will be appreciated most in the surf on your favourite directional board or while hovering on a surf foil.
DRAWBACKS Some riders felt the Session fluttered more than the others when fully sheeted and driving across the window, however, this is to be expected with any kite that offers superior levels of depower when sheeting out the bar. kitesurfingmag.com
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