Hi guys, I had a chance to demo the 2018 Airush Ultra (single strut) in a 9m size and wanted to share my thoughts as I was truly amazed by it's overall performance. It's my very first time trying a 9m single strut kite, the only other single strut kite I used regularly is a 5m.

I do roughly 50% of my kiting on a twin tip, 25% on the surfboard and 25% on the hydrofoil so wanted to test it in all these disciplines.

First go on the hydrofoil in 10-15 knots, without much surprise the kite performed really well. You immediately notice the advantage of having such a lightweight kite when the wind drops and the kite simply doesn't stall anywhere near as easily as a heavier 5 strut kite for example. Turns super fast, goes upwind really well and drift downwind was also great. Definitely a great kite for foiling, no surprise there as it's really designed for this.

Second go on the surfboard in 15-18 knots. Was a bit underpowered but was still a great kite to ride. A friend of mine who weighs only 65 kgs and is an expert wave rider grabbed it that day and did much better than I could with my 85+kg. He really liked it and said the drift, grunt and upwind performance were all great, just not quite as reactive as a true wave kite.

My third go was on the twin tip in 18-22 knots. This is when I was truly amazed. Having so much canopy area that is unsupported and being a die hard 5 strut kiter myself, I was convinced I would've found some weaknesses in the kite then, but I simply couldn't fault it. It truly feels like any other premium freeride kite I ever rode. I was able to easily boost 5m-ish jumps with a few seconds hangtime even without being well powered. I did my best to try to make the kite collapse while loading it heavily or looping it, but never managed to fault the kite. The kite has a very direct feel to it and a smooth medium bar pressure.

The first thing you notice about this kite is how fast it's flying across the window and how agile and light it feels. It's hard to explain but it's something different from any other kite I've tried before.

Next step is to try it in 25+ knots ... but I don't know when I'll get a chance to do this.

My only feedback would be the size of the bag, which is a bit too small. At first you think ''wow it's nice to have such a tiny kite bag'' but then you realize you have to pack it super well (i.e. take your time and fold it multiple times) otherwise it won't easily fit in the small bag.

Also, my advice is to inflate the kite really hard so that the single strut can be as firm as possible, this gives the kite a better structure and will help with relaunching especially in lighter winds. I did test many relaunch scenarios in various positions and wind conditions, the kite was again flawless!

Having only 1 strut, the kite inflates super fast i.e. 30 seconds or less for a 9m, which is awesome.

In my opinion it's a kite you must try, I'm sure you will be impressed as well.

Christian