Tell me about it: Eleveight Process and XS 

The Process is your top-selling freeride board. What makes it so popular year after year?

We developed the Process as Eleveight’s very first twintip when we launched as a brand seven years ago. We aimed to develop a performance freeride board with outstanding riding characteristics to fit well with progressing riders. Franz Schitzhofer, our legendary shaper remembers “I wanted to create a board that concentrates on what really counts in kiting – FUN!” Many entry-level freeride boards are not so thought out regarding the fast progression of riders, and most mainly focus on just a low price point construction. The Process has a sophisticated construction with many features more often associated with a higher price category. The result is a board that is very comfortable and forgiving when riding that also allows you to unleash the beast on demand. Now in its seventh generation, the Process has received a lot of design updates in its shape and construction, but the core DNA of the board still remains the same. The customer trusts they are getting the ultimate freeride weapon with advanced performance, and that’s why the Process is the backbone of our twintip lineup.

What did you want to improve this year on a product that is already such a good one?! And what design details did you incorporate to achieve this?

As we always say, Development Never Stops! Our R&D team always challenge the status quo of products and you can see the constant development over the last years across our range. For the Process V7 we developed a completely new mold. We wanted to reflect the new needs of freeriders that might also want to try Big Air too and have a board that can handle it all. Version 7 has improved grip and carving abilities and revised flex for more pop. That helps when landing big jumps, but also with easy transitions and fun carving. More specific changes have been made to revise the bottom channel layout with more depth, for added grip and control. The outline changed with thinner, more rounded square tips with bevels at the transition to the rails. This unique Parabolic Rail Shape (PRS) is much thinner this year and we feature a thinner wood core too which has a significant impact on the weight and flex.

Talk us through the PRS in more detail. How does it enhance the ride?

The aim for developing the PRS tech was to advance the riding characteristics by massively reducing spray with a tucked-under rail as also seen in surfboard design. Our PRS rail is thin at the tips to give better grip during take-offs and landings. The thickness of the rail increases underfoot with a tucked-under rail in the center part. This design results in better grip and upwind performance, which is especially valuable in choppy conditions.

How have you updated its big brother, the C+ version?

The Process C+ underwent the same shape and construction changes as its little brother. We also focused on further weight reduction with our new Super Fly 3D wood core. A new feather light Biax Carbon is used on the top and bottom deck which offers a very dynamic flex pattern. The Process C+ 149 LW also features an extra carbon stringer to create a more specific flex for use as a lightwind board.

Big Air continues to be an ever-growing discipline. How have you updated the XS to meet the evolving demands of the Big Air rider?

The XS is designed with continuous feedback from our team riders the world over, whether chasing storms or breaking records at their home spot. Big Air nowadays also means megaloops and radical double loops. Version 4 of the XS has an increased wing tip area for faster and more precise turns. We also feature a new panel cut in the canopy to distribute the force more efficiently, resulting in the kite having improved control in extreme wind conditions. We paid special attention to the whole construction and materials for the XS and V4 features our bulletproof X4 ripstop. For our inflatable structures we use our XT cloth which has extremely high tenacity to allow them to twist while retaining stability and stiffness.

What else is new from Eleveight HQ?

Aside from our new kite and board range, we continuously work ahead on many different projects for the upcoming years. We are especially interested in working with new materials. Last year we introduced our Dynea Tex for the RS+ kite, and this year we will also introduce XTC Tex for our upcoming GT1+ wings. This material has incredible feedback and offers great performance advantages. Currently, we are testing it in our kite range and that promises to be very exciting for next year.

We are also working on a new bar project with an auto-rotate function which will be released later this season. Special attention is being given to our completely new hydrofoil line up which has been developed in-house. The new RSF foil will be released soon and covers the whole range of sports, from kitefoiling to wingfoiling and even simple prone surfing. In other words, we are very busy and Development Never Stops! ■