What is freeride kiteboarding?
The term freeride gets thrown around a lot these days but not too many people know what truly defines freeride. Freeride is the ability to do it all. Within the sport of kiteboarding we have so many exciting categories, styles and genres of riding: big air, freestyle, wake style, kitesurfing, kitefoiling etc. Freeride is best described as do-it-all or all around riding and not necessarily dedicated to one specific riding style. Freeride is really for the rider who wants to be able to base their session on the conditions and what they’re feeling that day. Over the course of my kiteboarding career I’ve explored all categories of riding. The variety of riding styles is what really makes the sport of kiteboarding so special. These days I let the conditions dictate what style of riding I’m going to do on that given day. I prefer to go with the grain rather than against it. For example if it’s nuking 35+ knots I’m not going to bother with freestyle or wake style riding but rather I will have a big air session as the conditions are in favour of it. Another example would be a sub 13 knot onshore breeze, I’d ride my kite foil set- up to utilize the efficiency of the foil in light wind. Freeride to me is being a well-rounded rider and letting the conditions and your mood assist in deciding what genre of riding you’re going to do that session.
What characteristic make a freeride kite?
A freeride kite is best described as a kite that can do-it-all or an all-round kite. Every genre of kiteboarding is going to demand different flying characteristics in a kite. For example: Kitefoiling- since the foil is so efficient we are able to fly a smaller kite. Since the kites are often under -powered when kite foiling, a light weight one strut is the ideal choice for kite foiling. The challenge with a light weight one strut kite is that it’s great for kite foiling but if used for freestyle or big air the kite would struggle as it doesn’t have a stability and rigidity when ridden powered up in stronger conditions. With that being said, a freeride kite isn’t always the absolute best kite for every category but it will be the model of kite which can perform the best across all riding styles. If you’re looking for a dedicated kite for a certain riding style it’s out there. For example, kitesurfing in the waves you might look to a kite like the Ozone Reo, as it is a dedicated wave riding kite and offers excellent drift, quick turning and great stability. A freeride kite most commonly will be a 3 strut kite as a 5 strut kite will be a bit heavier making it not great for foiling or wave riding. As well freeride kites will have swept wing tips allowing for easy relaunch, stability in the sky and quick turning. These kites will tend to have lighter bar pressure as they are 3 strut, bridled and built for a large range of riders and riding styles. Overall, a good freeride kite should be a do-it-all all-round kite which is plug and play. There should be no need for adjustments and tuning. These kites shouldn’t fight you but better yet work with you to achieve the riding style you’re chasing that session.
Ozone Reflex - The best Freeride kite?
In July 2026 Ozone released the Ozone Reflex V1. We had the chance to get on this kite early and test it in a variety of conditions in both Hood River, Oregon and Squamish, British Columbia. From kite foiling to big air the kite handled everything we threw at it and made it easy and fun to ride. The Reflex really compliments the Ozone range as the do-it-all all-round kite. In the past the freeride kite from Ozone was the Enduro. The Enduro was a great kite but it lacked some performance in certain riding categories. This is where the reflex has filled the gaps and is delivering performance across the board. At first glance the Reflex looks to have a shape and characteristics similar to the Ozone Vortex and Ozone Vortex V2 but the Reflex is its own kite and not just a Dacron version of the Vortex. If I was to compare the Ozone Reflex to the Ozone Vortex V2 I would say the Reflex is more approachable or more user friendly. In addition to that since the Reflex is not an Aluula construction it comes in at a much more affordable price. The Ozone Reflex is a direct competitor to the North Reach, Duo Tone EVO, Naish Pivot and all other 3 strut freeride all-round kites. I am slightly biased but I’ve been kiteboarding since 1998 and the Ozone Reflex is hands down one of the best freeride all-round kites on the market. This comes as no surprise as Ozone has constantly been working to innovate and refine. They have a huge advantage over their competitors as they are the only kiteboarding brand owning their own factory. This is a huge advantage in prototyping, quality control, refining processes and overall owning the craft of a kite, wing and sail production.