Airush Session review
Background and disclosure
For a long time, I have been looking for new kites. I tried various brands (borrowed from friends and demos from dealers). However, I have stuck to the same quiver of wave kites since 2017. Until now. I would like to share this with you.
I bought a quiver of Airush Session kites. I went for 5m2, 6m2 and 8m2, which is a great combination of sizes to my weight and the conditions I typically kitesurf in (being 70 kg, Zealand, Denmark, wind generated waves).
Disclosure: I bought a complete package, with discount, from
www.airush-kites.dk, but the dealer has nothing to do with me writing this review.
Introduction
Airush Session is Airush’s take on a wave kite.
A wave kite should:
- Stear fast and easy,
- Have good relaunch,
- Greate depower, and
- Be stable in the wind-window with good drift.
I mostly use a surfboard and a hydrofoil - but wave kites will also be great for beginners or those who would like an easy and reliable kite.
Briefly about construction
The Session has a rather small diameter leading edge, 3 struts, fairly compact design, and then Airush did the cloth with so-called ‘load frame’, which is a fiber sewed into the cloth like a spiderweb, so that the kite shall not stretch over time.
Read more here:
https://airush.com/news/airush-innovati ... echnology/
To me, it seems like a super solid, really premium and pretty lightweight kite. Airush make a big deal of describing the technical aspects in the Airush gear. Also, Airush informs about the weights of the kites. Great!
Read more about the Session here:
https://airush.com/kites/session-kite/
My impression
I tried various wave-kites throughout the years, but not any Airush kites previously. My first impression was, that the Session flies further forward in the wind-window than I am used to. This can be negative for drifting and how fast/easy it is to get the kite to turn. A lot of moden wave-kites are, however, designed like this, to also give possibility for jumps and strapless freestyle. This is not for me, so I was a little skeptical when when I went in the water for the first time.
After I have used the Session I can tell, that the kite flies delicately easy, is stable both powered and depowered, has a fair amount of bar-pressure, steers fast, and in the wave it is - luckily! - a joy to turn the kite hard and fast without a lot of power generation. Actually, I was surprised that I could focused so much on the wave board and the waves with the Session - especially since spring did not give me so many days with powerful wind and waves, and the rust of winter had to be knocked off with several months off the water.
I have been on the kite for 6 months. I have kitesurfing in the best conditions within driving range, more chaotic conditions in my home-spot, perfect sideshore and tricky cross-on wind. Airush Session for everything.
Still, I have not used the Session with a hydrofoil. I look forward to, since freeride with a hydrofoil and a wave-kite is super fun.
Bridle - two different options
As something unique the Session comes with two different bridles.
Bridles with pulleys and bridles without pulleys (also named fixed bridles).
- Session-V1-shape.png (32.91 KiB) Viewed 1464 times
I have been using both types of bridles on the Session. Sometimes I have changed during the same session (with the Session). With pulleys the Session is more soft and more calm steering, the kite absorbs gust and the steering is good even with the bar depowered.
With fixed bridles the steeing may be a bit more direct, there is still good depower, actually very quick depower (may more on/off depower?) and I think I can get the kite a little faster turned deep in the wind window.
I am not done testing the two different bridle options, and even though it is most realistic that the user will stick with one set of bridles, I can actually see the idea that the two different bridle options can be used in different situations. Perhaps even different pulleys depending on bigger or smaller kites. I think it is cool to have the option, and it does not take long to change the bridles once you have tried it a few times..
Bar
I have been using the Airush Ultra bar, a simple bar, where trimming is not possible while on the water. It gives the bar a rather clean look.
The bar har an extra long depower throw. It works quite well while on the water, but I find that the kite can be a little unstable when standing on land with the kite placed 12 o’clock and the bar fully depowered. The Ultra bar has a stopper ball, so the bar can be hold a little powered, and this way the kite is not unstable.
A nice feature with Airush bars is the quick release/chicken loop. It reconnects with a simple click, like a seat belt.
The lines are thinner and less coated than I am used to from other brands. Lets see how the durability is over time.
After 4 months of use I noted that the front lines and steering lines were not equal length any more. This is not something to worry about, though. I have experiences from other bars that the lines stretch or shrink a bit. It was easy to make the lines equal length again - by anchoring the lines to a fixed point and stretching the steering lines a bit longer.
Line length
A really cool thing with the Ultra bar is that it comes with 19 meter + 4 meter lines.This makes standard 23 meter lines, but you can take of the 4 meter lines and then have 19 meter. I prefer shorter lines, and this is something that cost quite a bit to get adjusted.
And then, when I need longer lines, I can add the 4 meter lines again. Great job, Airush!
Chicken loop and ‘rope-slider’
Another great feature with the Ultra bar is that the bar comes with an ordinary chicken loop, but also a rope-slider, used with a rope on your harness instead of a hook. I am keen on using a rope slider when foiling. In waves I have experienced too big friction, when I use a ordinary chicken loop and rope. The movement of the chicken loop gets too slow. I look forward to try the Airush metal rope slider in waves.
Read more about the Ultra bar:
https://airush.com/control-bars/ultra-bar/
Pictures borrowed from Airush.com
and has 2 settings on the bridle for depower.
