Kiteboarding, kitesurfing, kiting, power kite

THE HYPE:
The SLE Hybrid Latitude Prelude is designed for riders with beginner to
intermediate skills who enjoy a freeride style, creating smooth traction
power no matter how gusty the wind. As a four-line kite the bridle is
designed to give full depower and good response, utilising two heavy load
Ronstan pulleys, connecting to the bridle and not the kite. The bar
pressure is designed to be soft but maintains feeling allowing the rider to
know exactly where the kite is at all times. Incredible stability ensures
that the Latitude will not fall, even when fully depowered, instead just
waiting patiently for the rider. The SLE Hybrid Latitude is a great all
around kite that fits the skills and style of almost every rider.
TEST TEAM NOTES:
We enjoyed this kite last year for it’s lovely old school boost and hang-time,
it was great fun. First impressions of the new kite is that the production
level has been ramped up through the roof. Hats off to Latitude, no expense
has been spared and this is right up there with the big boys in terms of
build-quality. The canopy is fully featured with handles on the ends, one
pump and all the trimmings and the bar is beautifully clean and simple. It’s
a great size – not huge and not too skinny – with a wonderful feel in the
hands. The swivel further up the lines works very well, untwisting the front
lines after many rotations with ease. Many have tried the Mickey Mouse
swivel front-line system in the past, but this one really works. The lines are
very high-grade with a protective coating and look and feel like they’ll last.
The slider on the chicken-loop line is easy to use and provides you with the
option of setting it low to take the load off the bar when trudging upwind.
We’ve seen a lot of manufacturers remove this, usually for safety reasons,
but if you’re experienced, this one works well. If you’re not comfortable with
it, just push it up to the top of the line and out of the way. Pull it down
though and you can do old school tricks like deadmans, but do be aware
that when it’s pulled right down it impedes the chicken-loop release. Good
floats and oh shit handles on the end of the bar so you can launch and land
by yourself rather than relying on the short fifth-line system. Above the bar
depower webbing strap remains and as far as the bar’s concerned, it’s
clean but nothing has been left off. Everything you’d expect from an ‘09 kite.
On the water the first thing that you notice is the light, power-assisted
steering – you’re not going to get your arms pulled off with this kite.
Speed is good and the kite likes to fly forward in the window, making
shooting upwind a piece of cake. The soft but rapid turns add to the
freeride qualities that this kite has. The way it turns doesn’t make it the
ideal partner for a kite loop king – there isn’t a big balls feeling down at
the bar, but that gliding and sweeping nature of the kite, rather than
biting and driving turns, make it fantastic for big floaty airs. We were
pleased to find that the hang-time aspects of the kite were still packed
in there while its overall nature has been incredibly refined. Unhooking
is fun without being the electric charger that competition riders would
look for. Comfortable power delivery, no back stall and a lot of fun and
very stable.
The Latitude is allergic to the water. No joke. Watching Chris try to
get it to sit downwind on its leading edge was comedy. It just wouldn’t
do it. The effortless relaunch is incredible. Wow.
SUMMARY:
If you put your ego aside, forget about getting the most powerful machine out
there and are honest with yourself, you can’t beat a good, fast, boosty, hangtime
kite for putting a grin on your face. This kite will suit absolutely
everyone apart from competition riders. If you’re worried about relaunching
you need to buy yourself one of these.
KW LIKED: Fantastic, smooth handling, freeride performance and build
quality. Not to mention the automatic relaunch.
KW WOULD CHANGE: If you’re a kite loop maniac you’ll want a bit
more grunt