Kiteboarding company turned wakeboard company, turned stand up paddling company – Slingshot Sports has this week wowed stand up paddlers around the world with this picture of… well nobody knows what to call it.

It’s a bit like a KiteWing, or a ‘wind weapon’ depending on which era you’re from. It’s half kite, half paddle and completely different from your average ‘pop out’ sail for a stand up paddle. You know, the ones you’ve seen ads for. ‘Simply unroll your sail’ and get blown back to shore in an emergency? Oh no, that’s not really Slingshots style. They’re more extreme than that, as evidenced by this guy hooning across the Hood River.

While there’s no official word from Slingshot about what the device is called, or more importantly what it’s actually designed for. Nobody can deny it’s different.

 Will these devices replace the kitesurfing kites we’re so used to seeing on downwinders? Or will this replace the conventional paddle for downwinders? Or maybe, just maybe, this might be one of Slingshot's employees having a bit of run with an old kite and a paddle?

Stay tuned for an official release from Slingshot…

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