We have had the 12m Hyperlink out a handful of times now, and ridden at both top and lower end of its wind range. The kite is very impressive in terms of its stability and ease of use. Performance wise it is no slouch either.
We have been riding foil kites for years, and the inflation and launch used to be tricky on some models. These days we think all foil kites are pretty good and easy to launch, but with the Hyperlink being a bit lower aspect (not as long and thin) it really is easy. Setting up and launching takes no time at all. No stalling has been needed so far to get the wingtips to inflate which is required with more high performance kites. Once inflated you can run downwind and the kite just drifts back.
On the water the Hyperlink is a powerhouse! It is fairly grunty and pulls like a train making it easy to get going in marginal conditions when others are struggling. It zipped upwind effortlessly and was really a joy to ride. It jumps well and is solid on landing. When the wind picks up we were flying, getting good height and plenty of time in the air.
The bar pressure is heavier than an inflatable kite like the EDGE, but the bar feeling is good and it is not too heavy. It is intuitive and you can feel exactly where the kite is and what it is doing. It is not the fastest turning kite but again it is very smooth and solid in the turn delivering constant power.
Performance wise it really delivered more than we originally thought. It is a good jumper – with loads of hangtime. It is really fun on the twin tip for big air and old school freestyle. On the foil board the kites ability to drift downwind and its forgiving nature is a real bonus. At the same time, it can go plenty fast enough for most people. The 12m would make an excellent lightwind option!
The lower aspect shape will make it easier for those who are less familiar with foil kites. The shorter tips solve a lot of the common problems with foil kites. The larger cell size compared to the Chrono or R1 make the kite much easier to relaunch and reduce any sort of tangling issues when you make mistakes.
We have yet to test the kite as an open cell – but that functionality makes the kite an attractive crossover option for a little winter snowkiting.
If you are looking for a kite that is going to be fun to freeride on a twintip, good on the foil and the bonus extra of making a good snowkite then this is the best option out there. We highly recommend you grab a demo if you have a chance!
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