TELL ME ABOUT IT: Eleveight XS and Stellar

The XS has always been the boosting kite in the stable. How long has it been in the lineup now and what fundamental characteristics make it so popular for this?

We’re now running the fifth version of the XS! Six years ago we realized the rising trend in Big Air and started to develop a kite with the ability to boost high with raw power like in the old days. The first XS was born, but over the years we have refined it while keeping the DNA and core characteristics the same.

The platform is a five-strut delta hybrid design which offers great shape stability and a ton of grunty power. The high-aspect ratio and the medium sweep in the wing tips are the base for its extra-long hangtime as well as its constant power in all conditions and the amazing upwind ability. If you jump high and fly downwind for 100m you certainly need a kite which brings you upwind again quickly. But the XS is not only a boosting machine; with its rapid turning characteristics it is also easy to control and reacts instantly to steering impulses. The turn of a five-strut kite is very powerful, but you stay in control which makes the kite very popular in the megaloop community.

With the intense industry focus in technical Big Air currently, how have you updated the latest design to cope with the new performance criteria?

It’s true that the sport of Big Air has been developing quite quickly. Lately, fast loops and double loops are a performance requirement from the Big Air community. For version 5, our main focus was on a modification in the arc and the angle of attack for maximum loop speed. We also worked on improved canopy tension for a clean and very stable profile with very low deformation in all situations of extreme force.

For the XS (as well as all our kites), we also worked on an updated panel cut design. The composition of the panels plays an important role in the load distribution and the overall stability. We wanted to create a canopy that distributes the force more efficiently so that the kite produces constant and very controllable power.

You’ve now added a brand-new twintip to your range, the Stellar. We’re guessing the name tells us something about its intended use?!

When we were looking for a name our co-founder Phil Martin came up with the idea. The name clicked instantly and says everything about the product and hints it is made to go big and reach the sky. We gave our board designer Franz Schitzhofer the green light to go full on with this new development. We wanted a rocket with the latest technology in the market and Franz is super ambitious at making the best performing twintips on the market. He took his challenge very seriously! Supported by our Big Air team, he started the development process at the beginning of 2023 and from his very first prototypes, we knew we had a proper Stellar constellation here.

How does it differentiate itself from the other twintips in the range to make it specific for Big Air?

In previous years our team used different boards for Big Air. Some favored our smaller Commander because it has a lot of grip and can hold the edge quite well. The Master C+ was also used as a very dynamic and light board, but we wanted to combine our knowledge in one development which is more specific. Big Air is usually favored with stronger winds where riders have a lot of power in the kite. For these conditions you need a board that can hold the edge quite well providing grip, and has an easy release when jumping, or in other words a very explosive lift. A Big-Air-specific board requires harder and very dynamic flex which holds true for the reverse flex also. The impact and speed when landing is quite high, and the board needs perfectly-tuned reverse flex to make sure it can tackle these moves.

For the Stellar we used a new material combination with basalt, a natural fiber, and carbon. Basalt fibers have significantly higher tensile and compressive strength and stiffness compared to glass fibers. This gave us the possibility to create a flex pattern which works well for demanding conditions and also creates the perfect damping. The other big key ingredients are speed and control. The Stellar has a multi-concave underwater hull with specific channels. Franz worked a lot with Computational Fluid Dynamics, a computer program which simulates and also optimizes the water flow or fluid dynamics. As a result, the channels have a specific curve and they get narrower towards the tips which creates a better water flow and has a significant impact on the lift! That sounds very technical, but translated into performance it means the board has very early glide, great upwind abilities and a very dynamic pop.