Includes: kite, bag, and repair kit
BIG AIR / FREERIDE
Committing to overpowered airs and megaloops in gusty conditions demands an unwavering trust in your kite. North's iconic premier 5-strut kite delivers incredible top-end control and allows you to hold down more power than any other kite per square metre. Big jumps. Big hang time. Big wind range. The Orbit rockets you upwind fast, with effortless steering, extreme boosting and hangtime guaranteed to take your breath away. Without changing the DNA of the kite, North engineered it to feel smoother, lighter, faster, and even more predictable in the unpredictable. North understands what riders want in a performance, big air kite. For 2023 the Orbit feels even more responsive in all conditions. North made small structural refinements to smooth out the canopy, optimizing the profile for less drag, faster forward speed and smoother turning. Slightly refined bridling means the kite feels more stable and forgiving in overpowered, gusty conditions yet retains its ability to fly forward and catch you in kite loops. North reduced the kite's overall weight with lighter bladders in larger sizes and introduced a new 2-ply canopy material reinforcement on the trailing edge. The lighter the kite, the faster the steering, the more lift it creates, and the higher you jump. North constructed the leading edge and struts in North's lighter N-Dure Dacron to save significantly more weight without compromising strength or durability. North also introduced two additional bar pressure options so you can choose from a lighter, more forgiving feeling in cruise mode, right through to ultra-direct steering with shorter depower travel in megaloop mode. This new fourth setting gives you the confidence to loop the kite even lower. It is ideal for heavier riders on smaller kites and boosts wingtip support on those crazy 40knot + days. Tested by nature, proven on the podium. The Orbit has your back when the rules of gravity don't apply.
PREDICTABLE IN THE UNPREDICTABLE
the Orbit is a high-performance big air kite that is stable and consistent in a wide range of conditions, especially in the high end.
For 2023 North made some minor refinements to the bridles, so the kite feels more stable and forgiving in overpowered, gusty conditions, but it still has that ability to fly forward and catch you in kiteloops. This predictability is one of the key features of the Orbit, and it allows you to ride the kite overpowered without it getting away from you. Note: the same characteristics that enable kiteloop recovery can make the kite front-stall sensitive, North recommends active rear-line tension for greater stability.
ANTI-GRAVITY BOOSTS AND MEGALOOPS
Send it to extreme heights. With its dependable catch and kiteloop recovery, the Orbit always has your back. The Orbit has a very big footprint in the sky. This increases the amount of sail area working for you, making the kite super-efficient with great power delivery - which gives you incredible boost. It's also fast and responsive in the steering and flies forward through the sky quickly, so it's able to get around and catch you, climb up and give you lots of time to prepare for your landing.
POWERFUL AND EFFICIENT 2-STAGE ARC DESIGN
The Orbit has a wide flattened 2-stage arc supported by a reinforced eco-skeleton frame, ensuring glide that is guaranteed to take your breath away.
North's two-stage arc design incorporates a flattened, more open arc shape through the central power-producing region of the kite, where the energy is most useful for you performance-wise. This gives you the highest amount of projected area and projected aspect ratio, meaning the Orbit has the best hangtime and power delivery for its size. Pulling the wingtips in towards the rider gives the kite more responsive steering and the smoothest transition of the profile attack angles when it's under load.
NEW LIGHTER N-DURE DACRON IN ALL SIZES
Using a lighter Dacron on the leading edge and struts saves a significant amount of weight, without compromising strength or durability.
The new N-DURE Dacron has a more balanced weave for a crisper, livelier feel. The symmetrical yarn pattern gives the material a lower bias elongation that snaps back to its original shape faster.
REFINED BRIDLES
In 2023, North made small refinements to the bridle, retaining the Orbit's controlled response and fast steering, while giving the kite a more energetic feel with increased power.
North worked closely with team riders to put the kite through hardcore testing in a lot of wind. This enabled North to further improve the stability, the feedback and the steering behaviour, and to give the kite a lighter, more responsive feel.
LIGHTWEIGHT BLADDERS IN LARGER SIZES
Weight matters, always. Lighter weight means a smaller turning radius. Lighter weight means your kite flies faster, sooner, because you need less wind to get the kite up in the sky. The lighter the kite, the faster the steering, the more lift it creates and the higher you jump.
Bladders make up a bigger weight percentage than any other material used in a kite, so North used 17% lighter weight bladder material in the larger sizes (10m+) to help the kite feel even lighter and more responsive in all conditions – particularly in light wind. This additional weight reduction helps the larger sizes fly more efficiently. It also improves the overall static balance of the wing by reducing weight in the front of the kite. You ride smaller kites in more wind, so weight reduction isn’t so much of a priority.
NEW STRATEGIC 2-PLY CANOPY REINFORCEMENT
North used a two-ply canopy material to reinforce the trailing edge. This adds strength and elongation control, protecting the lighter inner main canopy body.
If you put too stiff a material in the trailing edge, it can affect the profile shape. The two layers of canopy material are softer and more responsive. They help to provide optimal tension, producing a durable kite that can hold its profile for increased performance and lift.
STABLE 5-STRUT PERFORMANCE
When you're chasing a storm, the Orbit provides incredible top-end control.
The five-strut design gives it an incredible amount of stability and wind range, and you have a lot more control over the canopy movement at low attack angles. The Orbit has the widest wind range of all North kites. The fixed, no-pulley bridle is a little bit longer, and combined with its placement on the kite gives you a very stable platform in all conditions.
HIGHEST QUALITY NO-PULLEY BRIDLE LINES
North's high-quality spliced, pre-stretched bridle lines are pre-loaded and measured before cutting to improve accuracy and consistency. This results in reduced shrinkage, reduced elongation, and improved longevity. Removing ALL pulleys from the bridle improved safety and gives the kite direct and precise handling.
HIGH ASPECT RATION DESIGN
Gives the Orbit a low drag profile, making it sit further forwards in the wind window for incredible upwind performance. The high aspect ration design allows more area in the center of the kite for efficiency and easy roll to relaunch.
HIGH PERFORMANCE N-HTRS CANOPY
All North kites are manufactured using high tenacity polyester yarn canopy material for lightness, high tear strength, zero porosity and longevity.
NEW BAR PRESSURE OPTIONS
The steering impulse options are the attachment points at the wing tip for your rear bridle lines. All North kites come delivered with what North feels is the optimum setting. On the Orbit, this is the second from the wingtip and gives the kite a lighter, more forgiving feeling. If you prefer more direct steering and short depower travel, you're able to move your connection forward on the wing tip.
Setting A – closest to the wingtip, is one of the two original settings. It is the lightest bar pressure or steering impulse option. It requires less strength to turn the kite, but you need to pull the bar a greater distance to steer. It also gives you more depower travel. Less sensitive and the least responsive, this setting gives the kite a lighter more forgiving feeling. Setting A is ideal for lighter riders, and for cruising in lighter winds, when you don’t load up the kite fully.
Setting B is the factory setting your kite will be delivered with. Use this setting for light bar pressure and a slightly more direct feel in the steering.
Setting C gives a Medium bar pressure and firmer, more direct steering and shorter depower travel. It gives the kite a sportier feel but requires a little more force to control the steering.
Setting D is the megaloop setting – this gives the heaviest bar pressure or most direct steering impulse. It is the most stable choice in high winds and is recommended for stronger, heavier riders.
Marc Jacobs: On the inside setting you will know exactly where the kite is during mega-loop manoeuvres - especially on the smaller sizes. With slightly more pressure you can send the kite lower during the loops, with confidence, and execute your trick properly. Ideal for heavier riders, it also supports the wingtips more on those crazy 40knot + days.
AERODYNAMIC PROFILE TRANSITION PANELS
For 2023, North refined the panel cuts for an even smoother profile shape by removing the heavy-duty canopy panels. There's now only one panel segment instead of two, this reduces the number of seams, and helps to smooth out the profile entry.
The profile transition panel that connects to the leading-edge seam ensures a precise lateral profile shape is maintained as close to the leading edge as possible. It creates a smooth transition from the segmented leading edge to the curved canopy. The panels reduce inconsistencies in the profile, resulting in a smoother, more efficient kite, with more aerodynamic airflow and less turbulence.
KEVLAR REINFORCED STRUT SYSTEM WITH BRIDLE DEFLECTORS
For the most accurate and durable connection between the struts and the leading edge. Bridle deflectors on the leading edge prevent the control lines from snagging.
DURALITE SEAM PROTECTION
Lightweight reinforcement to protect from chafing and abrasion along the struts to the leading edge. Thin foam padding is inserted underneath for form a lightweight durable buffer which lifts the kite slightly off rough surfaces, and protects the stitching along the struts and leading edge seams.
North also introduced new insignia seam protectors on the canopy – small, lightweight protection to help protect the stitching.
