North Orbit 2023

Description

North Orbit 2023 – 27% off (what’s left)

North Orbit Kite 2023 now comes with FREE Tricktionary – The ultimate progression book worth £50 (not included with discounted products)

Committing to overpowered airs and mega loops in gusty conditions demands an unwavering trust in your kite. Our iconic premier 5-strut kite delivers incredible top-end control and allows you to hold down more power than any other kite per square metre. Big jumps. Huge hang time. Massive wind range.

The Orbit rockets you upwind fast, with effortless steering, extreme boosting and hangtime guaranteed to take your breath away. Without changing the DNA of the kite, we’ve engineered it to feel smoother, lighter, faster, and even more predictable in the unpredictable. At North, we understand what riders want in a performance, big air kite. 

FREERIDE / BIG AIR

“It’s the Ferrari of kites. Both the 8m & 9m Orbit are very responsive, allowing me more reaction time on short lines.”

For 2023 the Orbit feels even more responsive in all conditions. We’ve made small structural refinements to smooth out the canopy, optimizing the profile for less drag, faster forward speed and smoother turning. Slightly refined bridling means the kite feels more stable and forgiving in overpowered, gusty conditions yet retains its ability to fly forward and catch you in kite loops.
We’ve reduced the kite’s overall weight with lighter bladders in larger sizes and introduced a new 2-ply canopy material reinforcement on the trailing edge. The lighter the kite, the faster the steering, the more lift it creates, and the higher you jump.

Material

We’ve constructed the leading edge and struts in our lighter N-Dure Dacron to save significantly more weight without compromising strength or durability. We’ve also introduced two additional bar pressure options so you can choose from a lighter, more forgiving feeling in cruise mode, right through to ultra-direct steering with shorter depower travel in megaloop mode.
This new fourth setting gives you the confidence to loop the kite even lower. It is ideal for heavier riders on smaller kites and boosts wingtip support on those crazy 40knot + days. Tested by nature, proven on the podium. The Orbit has your back when the rules of gravity don’t apply.

Features

• 2020/21 Red Bull King of the Air Winner
• Phenomenal loft and hangtime
• Predictable in the Unpredictable
• Anti-gravity boosts and megaloops
• Strategic 2-Ply Canopy Reinforcement
• New bar pressure options
• Lightweight bladders in more sizes
• Powerful and efficient refined arc design
• Stable 5-strut performance
• Highest quality no-pulley bridle lines
• Go Green Recycled PET kite bag
• Reduced diameter leading-edge with sweep
• Custom-tuned performance
• Aerodynamic profile transition panels
• Kevlar reinforced strut system with bridle deflectors
• New HyperFlow rapid inflation system cap and valve geometry
• Thinner diameter struts

Materials

• N-HTRS High Performance high tenacity ripstop canopy
• Lighter N-DURE Dacron
• DuraLite Seam Protectors
• Lighter weight bladders in larger sizes

Technology

Predictable in the Unpredictable

For 2023 we’ve made some minor refinements to the bridles, so the kite feels more stable and forgiving in overpowered, gusty conditions, but it still has that ability to fly forward and catch you in kiteloops. This predictability is one of the key features of the Orbit, and it allows you to ride the kite overpowered without it getting away from you. Note: the same characteristics that enable kiteloop recovery can make the kite front-stall sensitive, we recommend active rear-line tension for greater stability.

Anti -gravity boosts and megaloops

Send it to extreme heights. With its dependable catch and kiteloop recovery, the Orbit always has your back. The Orbit has very big footprint in the sky. This increases the amount of sail area working for you, making the kite super-efficient with great power delivery – which gives you incredible boost. It’s also fast and responsive in the steering and flies forward through the sky quickly, so it’s able to get around and catch you, climb up and give you lots of time to prepare for your landing.

Powerful and efficient 2-stage arc design

Our two-stage arc design incorporates a flattened, more open arc shape through the central power-producing region of the kite, where the energy is most useful for you performance-wise. This gives you the highest amount of projected area and projected aspect ratio, meaning the Orbit has the best hangtime and power delivery for its size. Pulling the wingtips in towards the rider gives the kite more responsive steering and the smoothest transition of the profile attack angles when it’s under load.

NEW lighter N-DURE Dacron in all sizes

The new N-DURE Dacron has a more balanced weave for a crisper, livelier feel. The symmetrical yarn pattern gives the material a lower bias elongation that snaps back to its original shape faster.

Refined bridles

We have worked closely with team riders to put the kite through hardcore testing in a lot of wind. This enabled us to further improve the stability, the feedback and the steering behaviour, and to give the kite a lighter, more responsive feel.

Lightweight bladders in larger sizes

Bladders make up a bigger weight percentage than any other material used in a kite, so we’ve used 17% lighter weight bladder material in the larger sizes (10m+) to help the kite feel even lighter and more responsive in all conditions – particularly in light wind. This additional weight reduction helps the larger sizes fly more efficiently. It also improves the overall static balance of the wing by reducing weight in the front of the kite. You ride smaller kites in more wind, so weight reduction isn’t so much of a priority.

NEW strategic 2-ply Canopy Reinforcement

If you put too stiff a material in the trailing edge, it can affect the profile shape. The two layers of canopy material are softer and more responsive. They help to provide optimal tension, producing a durable kite that can hold its profile for increased performance and lift.

Stable 5-strut performance

The five-strut design gives it an incredible amount of stability and wind range, and you have a lot more control over the canopy movement at low attack angles. The Orbit has the widest wind range of all our kites. The fixed, no-pulley bridle is a little bit longer, and combined with its placement on the kite gives us a very stable platform in all conditions.

Highest quality no-pulley bridle lines

Our high spliced, pre-stretched bridle lines are pre-loaded and measured before cutting to improve accuracy and consistency. This results in reduced shrinkage, reduced elongation and improved longevity. Removing all pulleys from the bridle improves safety and gives the kite direct and precise handling.

High Aspect Ratio Design

Gives the Orbit a low drag profile, making it sit further forward in the wind window for incredible upwind performance. The high aspect ratio design allows more area in the centre of the kite for efficiency and easy roll to relaunch.

Hight Performance N-HTRS canopy

All our kites are manufactured using high tenacity polyester yarn canopy material for lightness, high tear strength, zero porosity and longevity.

New Bar Pressure options

Kevlar reinforced strut system with bridle deflectors

For the most accurate and durable connection between the strut and the leading edge. Bridle deflectors on the leading edge prevent the control lines from snagging

DuraLite seam protection  

We’ve also introduced new insignia seam protectors on the canopy – small, lightweight protection to help protect the stitching.

Read our handy guide on how to look after your equipment here.