Kiteboarding History Lesson: Wipika FreeAir 7.1 and Custom Pulley Bar
Join Matt Nuzzo as he rigs, rides and reviews one or REAL's favorite kites from 20+ years ago.
Wipika was the original inflatable kiteboarding brand and the Free Air was their second gen inflatable kite that was a two line/four line convertible kite. You would start kiteboarding with the kite as a two line. Once you advanced, you would convert the kite over to a four line for high performance turns and depower.
Compared to modern kites, the Wipika Free Air feels super slow, has tons of power, almost no depower and it really challenging to water relaunch.
Kiteboarding had progressed immensely in that past 20 years and taking this trip down memory lane makes us really appreciate the kites we get to ride today.