HQ montana 9 for beginners?

[NilsF]

Hey all, just joined the forum as I am new to the sport ")
I bought myself a used kite (2014 kahoona v6+ 12m) to get started after completing a course, I can't say that was an immediate success
I may have unlucky with my kite weekends, as the wind has mostly been on 4-5 m/s which is to little to get any fun out of it. Occasionly it has been 8-9m/s.

Im therefore heavily consodering to by a new kite, and looking at the HQ Montana 9, but I'm a bit curious as it is labeles internediate/expert. Is it difficult to handle or is it the power that makes it difficult to control?

Basicly, would it be a good choice for a pretty much noob?

[corbett]

I own Montana 5,6 and 7 series kites, not the 9 I'm afraid but it won't be so much different. I do not own the 9 because they are not discounted yet.

They are very high lift kites and have real lofting potential. When the wind is onshore at a beach, they're great fun and easy to fly and jump with. Whilst snowkiting in mountains, I feel like I'm in danger of being lofted all the time because of the gusty winds. They have good depower but become unstable when depowered as all open cells do.

If you don't want to jump or you're flying in anything other than onshore winds at a beach, buy an Apexx. The Ozone open cell kites are unreliable because the plastic things keep on popping off.

Germany still has some good deals on open cell kites. I picked up 2 Montana kites from Germany recently for a cracking price. No one buys open cell kites anymore, so don't pay anywhere near RRP.

I don't believe any kite has a cult following but the Montana does with me but only in an onshore wind.

Yes, Montana would be a good choice for a beginner but only in absolutely clean winds otherwise you will be lofted. Your inflatable won't loft you.

[geopeck]

Yeah, the Montanas are in fact pretty great kites - the older versions (specifically 7) are a little bit more twitchy and high performance and the newer models have been reined in a little bit. Nothing wrong with getting one for practicing with or landboarding, just consider flying it at the low end of it's wind range the first few times and of course getting super familiar with all the safety features and rigging carefully.

I like the apex also but to me it's only needed when the wind is punchy from terrain or frontal effects. If you are flying at a beach the montana will stay exciting for longer and in lighter winds.

Disclaimer - I sell HQ but not enough to make me lie about them.

[corbett]

One should note for future reference the Montana 6 series has has 6 rings per kite whereas the 5 has 2 and the 7 has none. This will cause a maintainance issue in the 6 which doesn't exist in the 7.

You should also note that none of my Montana kites have had issues stall landing unlike some other brands.

[kitexpert]

"...but become unstable when depowered as all open cells do." -corbett

Unstability has not much to do with open cell structure. I have some foils which have open cells and they have never collapsed.

I know many models in Montana series, but not the newest. They are indeed quite powerful kites. Drawbacks are slow turning speed and unstability in gusty winds.

I would consider new Pansh models, if foilkite is really needed. They have more ambitious specs, bigger sizes are available, they are usable on water too, are stable (according to this forum users experiences) and they are very cheap.

[windrider1]

Montana 's are great kites. I have the series 8 and they are really good kites, very good lift , stable and depowers very well . You cant go wrong with that kite.

[windrider1]

Whatever u do dont get a pansh. You probally gonna regret it. 1 out of every 2 kites they send out are defective and each in its own way its not even a consistent defect. Their kites are designed and tested by trained chimps.

[Hardwater Kiter]

Montanas are good kites but not specifically good for beginners. As mentioned already they are higher performance wings and with that performance comes higher consequence if you make a mistake.

A low lift touring/"beginner" kite like the HQ Apex, Ozone Access or Flysurfer Viron 2 are great performing kites that offer a high margin of safety and forgiveness when things go wrong. All three are stable in unstable winds and offer very good depower range. The Access is the best handling in full depower followed by the Viron and then Apex. The Viron 2 is now available in an 8m size and allows double duty as a water kite due to the Closed Cell design.

If cost is a major issue, Pansh is an option. The A15 is proving to be a good kite and is very stabile and forgiving. But with any budget kite there is the risk of getting one that is not quite right.

[foilholio]

Pansh make some good kites.

[windrider1]

oh stop with the pansh makes good kites crap!

Pansh make some good kites.