..hope / expect to have video up soon but here's some answers.
The kite is a 4 line bridled kite that is safety'd off the 2x front lines with our Direct Depower system. This system is similar to a couple other 2 line re-ride systems out there that lets the kite completely roll over on its back when ejected.
It is a 5 strut, ultra stable and rigid kite designed to eat up gusts and hang back in the lulls, carrying you through the highly variable winds of most frontal / storm systems.
It's a relatively low aspect ratio kite with a ton of grunt and pop which will get you up quickly and does produce a surprising amount of lift for its size, however - like all small kites - it will require that you work the kite to feather a landing if you go big.
In terms of wind speeds - this is highly dependent on your ability and your body weight. For a light rider / lady rider this kite could be an amazing choice in 20-30 knots of wind. For most of us, 170-200 lb riders will feel quite comfortable on this kite in 35+.
Ocean Rodeo never recommends riding in over 40 knots but if that's your rush, this kite is for you.
The photo gallery on the
Storm's page shows a number of pics of the kite in action from this past weekend, December 15th here in Victoria BC. If you go
here and look up December 15th, 2012 and select Kelp Reef you can see that the winds that day averaged 40 knots, gusting over 50 and the kite performed beautifully, we had 4 of them out, 2 final model prototypes and 2 production kites from this delivery.