The action happened on a very windy and gusty Saturday at kitebeach, Maui. Revolvers, Switchblades and Crossbows 08 were the stars of the day.

    Nothing bigger than a 9 meter kite was out there since the gusts were up to 32 knots.

    The Demo brought lots of local riders to the beach as well as outer island riders. And also to make sure everybody would get the right treatment and attention, Cabrinha team riders such as Jesse Richman and Clarissa Hempel were at the site. They made sure everybody got their hotdogs and beers after their rides.

    Three different kites, two twin tips models in different sizes and directional boards were available for testing.

    Revolver, the newest kite model is designed specially for the waves. “Even though the waves weren’t so big,  I could still get the feeling that this kite is definitely the way to go if you are a wave rider, allows me to shut down the power and ride the wave just like I’m free surfing, and it also moves very fast.” Commented Josh Garcia, wave rider from the North Shore Oahu.

    Switchblade is for those who like the free style or simply just to cruise and enjoy the very little bar pressure. Also gets you a good boost.

    The Crossbow with its large wind range allow you to get the higher jumps, so expect the cheering from the beach! 

    All the kites are built stronger this year and also the designs are sick, with lots of different colors to choose from.

    On the board department, the Imperial is a twin tip designed for speed and for freestyle. The Custom is another twin tip option, designed with a quad concave bottom for wake style performance. Dre would tell you a lot more about it, since he developed it and it is his personal board for this year.

    For the wave riders we had the newest S-Quad, which has all of the design elements of a true surfboard with the construction to match any conditions the surf will offer.

    Foot pads were often complemented, very comfortable all around and perfect for the hard landings.

    Check out CabrinhaKites.com for more info on the 2008 gear.

    The Cabrinha Maui Demos happen twice or three times a year only, so don’t miss it! Bring you friends, grandma and kids to beach since food and drinks are free! Thanks to Phill, Darby and their wives from Neil Pryde Maui.

*words and photos by Clarissa Hempel*