Eleveight XS V5

If you’re looking for a high-performance Big Air and freeride kite, stay with us, as we’ve had the chance to test the latest Eleveight XS V5. This model has undergone significant development since the V1, completely transforming its feel and handling from the first version released a few years ago to what you get in the V5. The kite boasts a five-strut delta design with a medium to high aspect ratio, aiming for the highest performance in lift and hangtime. But first, let’s talk about its construction.

The new V5 features Dacron in the leading edge and struts, complemented by an impressive 4×4 yarn canopy, making it super resistant and stiffer than regular canopy materials. Eleveight has perfected the construction, ensuring every detail contributes to the kite’s robustness and longevity. One of our favorite features is the trailing edge transition from the canopy material to a double layer, reinforced with a hard string of Dacron at the end. Every detail has been meticulously designed to enhance the kite’s durability, especially considering it’s a Big Air kite likely to be used in powered to very powered conditions. This kite is built to last, a feature we truly appreciate in an era where reducing weight by removing reinforcements is the trend.

The kite includes the traditional two points of attachment for the steering lines, allowing you to choose between faster and lighter bar pressure or slower and heavier bar pressure. Additionally, the front bridles offer three different setups, enabling you to select a faster turning kite with more depower, a wider turning circle with better low end, or a balanced setup in between. This customization is particularly useful for performing aggressive or mellow kiteloops, and you can genuinely feel the difference between them.

So, how does this kite perform in the air? The XS V5 is a powerful and fast kite with a huge range, offering excellent low end and high-end performance, especially when the front bridle knot is set to the “pivot” setup. The kite is intuitive and easy to fly, requiring minimal adjustment to start going very big right from the first session. One standout feature is its lift; it truly rips you off the water. As a fun anecdote, I personally ride my board with footstraps not fully tight for board offs, but on the first few jumps, my back foot kept slipping out due to the massive and aggressive lift, especially off the kickers! We didn’t have a WOO on, but we would expect that this kite will smash your records, as it’s designed to take you to the skies. The hangtime is impressive, especially when you nail your downloops, giving you an extra second of lift if executed correctly. As for kiteloops, they are easy to perform, though it might not be the easiest kite to learn them on if you’re just starting out, as they are quite powerful.

Before our first session, we thought the XS would be another fully focused Big Air kite, but we couldn’t have been more wrong. When not pushed to its limits, this kite excels as a freeride kite. It’s super comfortable to ride, has a huge range and the depower works throughout the whole bar movement. It offers excellent water relaunch, amazing upwind performance and the standout feature for us is its ease of jumping. At the high end of its range, the kite transforms into a jumping machine, becoming more extreme and aggressive but remaining super stable even in the wildest gusts. But the best part is that you don’t have to be a pro to get the best out of it, as it jumps high just by pulling the bar. So even if you haven’t mastered all the steps, this kite will still take you higher than expected.

The new XS V5 is a testament to how good a kite can become with a great design without necessarily using the latest and most expensive materials. This kite is a great option for those looking for a high-performance freeride kite with aspirations of progressing in their Big Air game, as well as a great tool for those already at the top of their game who want to keep pushing their limits.