Hi everyone.

Let me introduce myself, I'm Michel Regnier (‘Mich' to my mates), 20 years old, 1m 75 high, 75kg, kiting since 2001.

The thing I like most is mountain riding !

With a kite, the mountains become a 3D adventure playground, you can use it in any kind of way. Snowkite allows us to get to spots that are totally inaccessible to snowboarders and skiers, which means we're on fresh powder all winter ! Being in the mountains means you learn to stay humble, it's all a question of respect and being at one with mother nature.

Now, let's talk a little about the 2006 equipment range :

It's now our third year of Airevolution and nothing about the company's spirit has changed. We develop the equipment we want to, taking into account the prevailing “mountain hardcore” spirit of the last few years !

What you need is :
•  a stable kite
•  a safe, re-assuring kite
•  a good de-power
•  top performance on demand and not before
•  a kite that's quick to set up and quick to pack down whatever the conditions

We've stayed with the flap principle as in previous years. It's something that allows us to reduce the sail size. When you sheet out (de-power) the kite goes into neutral and loses 1/3 of its surface area. That means on a 12 m2 kite there's only 8 m2 working when you're fully de-powered, giving an unrivalled light feel on the control bar and enormous de-power.

The flap system means we can seriously increase the wind ranges of our kites. Last winter I did the whole season with two kites, a 15 and a 9, it's really useful to not need more than two kites when you head out for a good long session, you fly one and carry the other. The flap also helps with landing the kite. The stiffened part of the trailing edge digs into the snow like a spade when you apply the brake lines, immobilising the kite on the ground from where it won't budge ! The flap has made our riding safer and made it easier to deal with the kites on the ground.

As far as the 2006 hybrid ultra core is concerned, it uses the same basic principles as its elder sisters but eh evolution is there to see ! We've reduced the flap size to improve performance. We've also worked very hard on the kite's stability and safety because for the kind of ‘flying' jumps (70+ metres up lately) you need to be 200% sure of your equipment, so the latest equipment has been conceived and developed exactly for ‘vol de pente' (slope / hill flying) and is very well adapted to that kind of riding, being very strong and stable. Be warned : ‘vol de pente' is extremely dangerous and is strictly only for expert riders !

The kites have more power generally this year but have even more efficient de-power. The 12 has as much power as last year's 15 !!! The improved performance comes with better cornering, more acceleration and speed, plus loads more pop, it's really well suited to new-school riding now and you won't find anyone telling you the contrary !!!

For someone roughly my size but beginner level I'd recommend an 8 and a 12.

If it's for a more experienced rider, 12 and 8 or, better still, 14, 10 and 6. But so much also depends on what type of riding you want to do, it's all down to personal preference. And bear in mind that these kites are as well suited to beginners as to experts : after all our needs are pretty much the same, a kite that's stable, safe and easy to fly.

With its superb response the hybrid ultra core is very precise for jumping. It's a kite with easy and perfect control. Still comes with its simple but efficient 50cm control bar, with a single quick release which has 100% reliability, chicken loop and (just) four control lines.

But the best way for you to get an idea of what they're really like is to test them, you don't find anything out on the end of your mouse or the pages of a mag…

Happy riding everyone !!!
Mich