“At North, we’re all about simplifying, about paring everything back for more pure performance. We’ve always dreamed of making one kite you could take anywhere, and I think we’ve nailed it.”
Overview
North Kiteboarding is a premier global kiteboarding brand rooted in North Sails, the world’s largest sailmaker founded in 1957 by Olympic sailor Lowell North, and its parent company, the North Technology Group (NTG). By channeling cutting-edge hydrodynamics, composite material science, and precision engineering developed for the America’s Cup directly into kite and board design, North stands as an industry game-changer across Big Air, freeride, wave, freestyle, and hydrofoil disciplines.
Brand History and Philosophy
The history of North Kiteboarding reached a major turning point between 2018 and 2019. For nearly two decades, the North brand name was licensed to the Austrian company Boards & More, producing numerous iconic models. When the licensing agreement concluded in 2018, Boards & More rebranded as Duotone to retain its existing product names, while the parent North Technology Group made the strategic decision to bring the North brand license back home under its direct ownership.
On August 8, 2019, following the acquisition and integration of the Dutch company behind Mystic and Magic Marine to form the North Actionsports Group (NASG), the new North Kiteboarding officially launched. Longtime watersports executive Mike Raper took the helm as Brand Director, recruiting legendary kite designer Pat Goodman from Cabrinha as Chief Kite Designer. Starting from a clean sheet of paper rather than relying on past designs, the team built an entirely new product range using advanced materials and engineering. Joined later by designers Pepijn Smit and Dano See, alongside America’s Cup experts Steve Calder and Dave Little from North Sails, the brand also unified its visual identity from the old slanted “N” to the iconic North Sails logo. Guided by the philosophy of “Engineered, Refined, Intuitive,” North focuses on stripping away complexity so riders can connect effortlessly with the elements.
Flagship Products
The undisputed flagship of the modern North Kiteboarding lineup is the five-strut Big Air and kiteloop machine, the Orbit. Introduced at the brand’s 2019 relaunch, the Orbit combined explosive vertical lift, massive hangtime, and rapid recovery after megaloops to dominate the Big Air scene almost overnight. It has since evolved to include the high-performance Orbit Pro and the cutting-edge Orbit Ultra featuring ultra-lightweight airframe materials.
“Straight away, flying the Orbit, I was super blown away, super stoked. It’s got a lot of hang time… as far as you want a kite that jumps high with a lot of hang time and still megaloops properly, it’s in perfect balance.”
Alongside the Orbit sits the three-strut Reach, an ultimate all-round kite that blends the boosting power of the Orbit, the snappy pivot turns of the wave-specific Carve, and the pop of the freestyle Pulse into a single quiver-killer for freeride, foil, and loops. Completing the core kite lineup are the Carve for wave riding and strapless freestyle, the five-strut hybrid-C Pulse engineered for unhooked freestyle and park riding, and the ultra-lightweight single-strut Code Zero for foiling and lightwind sessions.
In the board category, North offers a comprehensive range of twin-tips and directionals engineered to maximize kite performance. The flagship Atmos twin-tip series delivers relentless edge grip in overpowered conditions, explosive pop, and bottom channels that soften heavy landings, available in the hybrid-carbon Atmos, the full-carbon Atmos Pro, and the ultra-light Atmos Ultra. The twin-tip range is rounded out by the Astra for lighter and smaller-statured riders, the forgiving Prime for freeride progression, and the high-rocker Flare with PressFlex tips built for wakestyle and park features. On the directional surfboard side, North features three core models: the Charge, a dedicated down-the-line wave board offering exceptional drive in hollow surf; the Comp, an ultra-thin, low-volume (DynaLite) strapless freestyle weapon with full-length bottom channels for maximum speed and pop; and the Cross, a durable bamboo-constructed (EcoLite) all-round freeride surfboard that transitions seamlessly from small waves to flatwater air tricks. Connecting rider to kite are the Navigator and auto-unwinding Navigator Pro control systems, equipped with the signature Toolless Interloop system for swapping chicken loops in seconds without tools.
Technical Innovations
North Kiteboarding’s greatest technical advantage lies in its direct access to the material science of the North Technology Group. By utilizing high-tenacity N-HTRS triple ripstop canopy fabric alongside lightweight N-Max and N-Max2 Dacron, Aluula composites, and North’s proprietary N-u80 airframe material, the brand achieves remarkable weight reductions and structural rigidity.
Every North kite is engineered around a strict No-Pulley Bridle design, eliminating pulley wear and delivering a direct, zero-lag bar feel that lets riders sense the exact position of the kite in the wind window. Aerodynamic efficiency is further refined through Micro-Strut Geometry, which minimizes strut diameter to reduce drag, and Profile Transition Panels that smoothly distribute load between the leading edge and canopy.
Team Riders
Upon its 2019 relaunch, North assembled a dream team that shook the industry, featuring rider and team manager Nick Jacobsen, Jesse Richman—who won Red Bull King of the Air 2020 on the first-generation Orbit—Bruna Kajiya, who helped develop the Pulse from scratch, the late Graham Howes, and three-time world champion Jalou Langeree, who continues to serve as a brand ambassador (while young Brazilian talent Josué “Baby Shark” San Ferreira also rose to prominence on the team before moving to Airush). Today, a blend of founding icons and new-generation stars leads the team at the forefront of global competition and media.
Marc Jacobs: Known as “The Caveman,” the New Zealand powerhouse joined North at its 2019 inception, serving as a key local test pilot in Auckland alongside Pat Goodman and claiming his long-awaited Red Bull King of the Air crown in 2021.
Tom Bridge: The youngest member of the legendary British Bridge family, Tom debuted at Red Bull King of the Air at just 16 and continues to blur the lines between Big Air and freestyle with his inventive, boot-wearing riding style.
Cohan van Dijk: Affectionately known as “Big C,” the Dutch Big Air powerhouse uses his tall frame to throw massive double loops and technical board-offs, earning BAKL titles and top finishes at Red Bull King of the Air.
Luca Ceruti: A versatile next-generation Big Air rider from South Africa who executes technical double loops and board-offs with precision, becoming the first South African rider in history to reach the Red Bull King of the Air podium (3rd place) in 2024.
Francesca Maini: A British Big Air star who combines massive amplitude with aggressive kiteloops, making history in 2024 by winning the inaugural Women’s division at Red Bull King of the Air.
Camille Delannoy & Capucine Delannoy: The French sibling duo dominating the GKA Kite-Surf tour on the Carve, Comp, and Charge. Camille Delannoy drives progression in both heavy waves and strapless freestyle, while his younger sister Capucine Delannoy reigns as a multiple-time GKA World Champion.
Matteo Dorotini: A five-time Italian champion in freestyle and park riding who rides the Pulse, Flare, and Fix boots, bringing pure wakestyle expression to both the GKA Freestyle tour and the Kite Park League (KPL).
They are joined on the global stage by standout riders including Sweden’s Nathalie Lambrecht, Maui’s Karlie Thoma, and South Africa’s versatile talent Oswald Smith.
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