Kitesurf Test & Review

Review of the North Rebel 2017 12m Kite

Published April 10, 2017 · by the GlissEvolution Team

Back from a week in Tenerife, Greg Nicholls, the founder of GlissEvolution, shares his impressions of the 12m North Rebel 2017.

In summary

El Medano's light wind meant I had to ride a 12m, and the Rebel 2017 pleasantly surprised me.
At 95kg, my heavier build usually means I'm the last one out on the water in light wind.
To my surprise, I was riding as early as other riders on 12m kites.
The kite pulls hard at the front of the window, so you need significant pressure on your back foot to go upwind.

Back from a week in Tenerife, GlissEvolution founder Greg Nicholls shares his thoughts on the 12m North Rebel 2017.

El Medano's light wind "forced" me onto a 12m, and I was genuinely impressed by the 2017 Rebel.At 95kg, I'm usually the last one on the water when the wind drops.So, I was stoked to find myself riding as early as other 12m riders. The 2017 Rebel truly has an exceptional low end.This kite pulls hard from the front, so you'll need to really load your back foot to drive upwind. I actually found it more enjoyable when flown higher in the wind window. For a 12m, the North Rebel is super maneuverable, and it doesn't demand heavy pressure on the bar to turn.Just to note, I was using the North 5th Element bar at 24m, with the bar ends set wide for maximum leverage.The biggest surprise was the kite's lift. Even without being overly powered, this kite climbs and carries you for ages...I rediscovered the pure joy of board offs; the kite's lift gives you ample time to take the board off and get it back on your feet. While it's not designed for unhooked riding, it pivots surprisingly well for kiteloops (especially for a 12m!).When the wind picked up, the Rebel depowers effectively and holds its line well, turning jumps into pure parasailing.