Adrenalin Rush Sports Aust.
What’s been happening at Best? With Shannon Best.

Shannon, we all know that last years Waroo was a huge success and the new Waroo 07 and Waroo Pro are all set to make it happen again, with those kites already completed, what’s been keeping you awake at night?

It’s been a busy year at Best; delivering an improved Waroo for 07 was the top priority. Everyone who tried the original Waroo 06 in Brazil said they would buy one, so we knew that it was a great kite and would sell well, but the success still took us a little bit by surprise.

With the 07 Waroo the R&D team really stretched themselves to deliver the improvements in performance, durability and reliability that we knew could be achieved, managing to make it less expensive than last years Waroo was just a bonus. That’s one of the great things about Best; because we deal direct with our retailers and customers I always know they are getting the best quality product and service at unmatched prices.

The entire team also worked really hard on delivering a Cuben/Dacron SLE kite with unmatched jumping and hangtime performance. We’ve been incredibly pleased with the way the Waroo Pro has been taken to by riders, we thought that it might be a little too hardcore for the average rider with its big boosting ability, but that’s proven not to be the case. Maybe we underestimated the number of riders who want to go huge every time they ride, for these riders the Pro is the perfect choice.

Lastly we worked on the Bularoo, perfecting the SLE design once more but for a different user group. Riders looking to tackle big surf, snowkite and landboard have different needs to the average kitesurfer and the Bularoo gives them the incredible stability, ease of control and absolute reliability that all terrain riding demands. There’s simply no margin for error when you are tackling huge overhead surf or throwing yourself off snow covered mountains, and these are the riders that the Bularoo was designed for.

Since then we’ve moved part of the R&D operation over to Australia. Peter is here with Jeff Biege testing product, Thomas our bar designer and board production engineer is already working out new control systems for 08.The new facility is great, Australia and Brazil really compliment each other as test locations, having two bases for R&D with different wind and water conditions just makes for perfect testing.

Australia is also much closer to our manufacturers, so we have even greater control over production than ever. The new Yarga has really benefited from the improvements we’ve made right across the board within R&D and pre-production, riders will be able to see and feel that the minute they get their hands on one.


What’s the Yarga Hybrid SLE all about?
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The Yarga has always been the reliable mainstay of the best range, it’s the one consistent kite that we’ve always made, and customers have always loved it. It has always been an incredibly user friendly kite that has appealed to a broad cross section of riders from beginners right through to our Pro riders.

We’ve had huge success with the Waroo kites in the past 12 months, this has shown us that riders are looking for kites that offer improved safety, increased depower and greater flexibility than has been previously available.

While the Waroo/Pro and Bularoo kites are the perfect kite for 90% of riders, there is still a group of riders who prefer the feel and handling of a C-kite design over an SLE. It’s for these riders that we’ve made the Yarga Hybrid SLE. The new Yarga has been designed to deliver improved safety, huge depower and incredible performance and all with the handling and feel that people expect from a performance tuned C-kite design.

The Yarga Hybrid SLE offers all the benefits of an SLE kite to riders who love the feel that only a C-kite delivers.

The Yarga has been in development for a long time, what’s happened since we saw the first protos at the end of last year?

Since we released some demo kites late last year for testing in Europe we’ve been working hard at integrating the characteristics that all riders wanted in the new Yarga, and making sure that they worked perfectly in all the different flying configurations.

The Yarga has been through many revisions since we started testing first concepts, Peter is never happy with designing a kite that is ‘just right’, it has to be perfect, these things are worth waiting for, and everyone who has tested the kites so far agrees that we’ve achieved that.

What were the major challenges in integrating the benefits of two different styles of kite into one design?

C-kites and SLE designs are very different. The laws of physics and aerodynamics are the same for all kite designs, C-kites and SLE’s have very different design and performance criteria.

Developing a plan shape that works perfectly as an unbridled C-kite, yet still functions ideally as a bridled kite was the first step in creating a great Hybrid design. The airframe had to be wide enough to give maximum performance to the SLE configuration, increased projected area gives increased depower. At the same time the kite has to be stiff enough to fly perfectly as a 4-line kite, and it has to do this without adding any extra weight to the kite.

Another example is maximizing the turning performance of the design. Many riders want an ultra fast turning C-kite, which pivots on its tips. Riders coming from an SLE background require a fast turning kite that turns inside of its wingtip and sheds power through the turn, particularly for wave riding. With the Yarga everyone worked ceaselessly on finding the perfect layout, canopy shaping and attachment point locations that allowed us to achieve all of these goals.

Blending both sets of riders needs into one minimal and elegant design without relying on extra components and excessive overbuilding was the most significant challenge in realizing the perfect Hybrid Yarga.


So what is ‘Hybrid’ about the new Yarga Hybrid SLE?

The Yarga is true ‘hybrid’ design; it blends the best elements from SLE and C-kite design and performance into one package. It truly is a no compromise design.

We’ve been through many stages with the new Yarga but I know we’ve created something special, a kite worthy of the Yarga name, Peter has created an excellent kite.

So what makes it different from other kites on the market?

The Yarga will fly perfectly in 4-line, 5th-line and SLE modes, right from the first time you take it out of the bag. Riders just choose the style that suits them best, 4-line for simplicity, 5th-line for competition freestyle and SLE for waveriding, freestyle and anything in between. It’s the best wakestyle kite we’ve ever made. In all set-ups the Yarga has huge depower on tap, in SLE mode this is extended even further and it rivals the Waroo for upper wind range and stability.

There’s no other kite on the market that blends the performance and handling of a C-kite with the stability safety and depower of an SLE like the new Yarga Hybrid SLE. The Yarga is pure performance and versatility with no compromise.

The Yarga is also simple to use, there’s no lines to remove or bridles to take off to swap between modes. The SLE bridle stores behind the LE with Velcro tabs, all the rider has to do is swap the front line knots over, it’s a 10 second job to switch between 4-line and SLE modes, and it’s as easy as adjusting your back lines.

In 4-line mode the Yarga Hybrid is pure unadulterated C-kite, there’s plenty of power on tap, low end grunt for pulling any wakestyle moves you can think of and turning speed that has to be tried to be believed. I feel like I’ve come home.

The 5th line option kit attaches straight to the top of the depower strap and to the centre of the LE of the kite. This gives riders the option of rapid relaunching when not using the SLE set up. To relaunch just reach up grab the handle and pull the line to flip the kite on its back. If riders prefer to leash to the 5th line than to the bypass leash on the 07 bar, then that’s an option as well.

In SLE mode the Yarga uses the same bypass leash set up as the Waroo kites. The minute you drop the bar or fire off the QR at the Chickenloop the kite goes into full safety and complete depower. Riding the kite in SLE mode, via the bridle, also gives the kite huge wind range, I’ve not ridden a C-shape kite with this much depower on tap, C-kite riders will be amazed at the depower and wind range that each kite allows.

How many of the features from the other 07 kites will we see on the Yarga Hybrid?

All of them.

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We’ve included all the features that make our SLE kites top performers. The Yarga comes with our new EZ-pump total inflation system. Single point inflation with concealed one way valving means you’ll be out on the water sooner than anyone else; there are no valves to check and no clips to close. Inflating the kite couldn’t be any faster or easier.

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Canopy Framing Technology reinforces the entire surface of the kite, wherever the airframe and the canopy meet you’ll find CFT delivering improved durability and increasing flying performance. Having CFT on the trailing edge of the canopy is one of the reasons why the Yarga is such a great performer, it allows for a faster turning kite that better responds to rider input.

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We’ve also included our Solid Airframe Construction into the design, so you are guaranteed a rock solid kite that flies perfectly the first time you take it out of the bag, and for the life of the kite. The Yarga also uses the Load Flex LE Seam that all the other 07 kites have, the design is completely surf tough, the Yarga will take any abuse you can throw at it.

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LE Profile Shaper battens maximize stability and aerodynamic performance when ridden at full depower. These profiled reinforced battens lift the canopy at high AOA, this improves air flow, reduces drag and gives more stability even at maximum depower. Of course all the Profile Shaper battens are reinforced and individually sleeved, if you ever need to replace one, it’s a ten second job, not a trip to the repair shop.


What do the Pro team think of it, who’s’ riding it in competitions this season?

Last year the Waroo came out much too late in the season for the Pro team to get dialed into the kites, this year they’ve been riding all the 07 kites since day one.

From the testing we did in Brazil and Australia 1/3 of the team were going to use the new Yarga, 1/3 of the team were going to use the Waroo and Waroo Pro and 1/3 of the team said that they would use all kites and switch between them depending on what felt perfect for the conditions at each event.

I think that’s a great reflection on the range of kites that we’ve made this year, that riders would feel comfortable using any of them for competitions. The smallest of advantages can make the difference between loosing and being world champion at the level they compete at, so I’m really happy to see all of the kites are being ridden this year.

Last year a lot of riders got the chance to try prototype versions of the Waroo and give their feedback into product development, has this open source testing been continued with the Yarga?

Customer testing and feedback hugely impacts how we fine tune products at Best. Customers tend to see the details in a different way to our test riders and Pro-team, they have ideas that aren’t limited by their experience of products.

Much of the fine tuning of the new Yarga Hybrid SLE has come off the back of customer testing in Brazil and also in Australia. All our new kites this season have benefited from the feedback we get from customers who just turn up and take the latest prototypes for a ride, there’s no doubt about it, customer feedback plays a large part in the product that we finally deliver, after all we make kites primarily for our customers and you have to give the people what they want.

What wind range can riders expect from each kite?

In 4-line and 5th-line mode the Yarga delivers the same wind range as any current hybrid design, the curved wingtips and Profile Shaper battens enable the Yarga to pivot forward into the wind as far as any other hybrid kite.

In SLE mode the Yarga delivers 95% of the depower of the Waroo, the combination of careful canopy shaping, thin LE, increased projected area and adjustable front pulley tow points make it the highest depower Hybrid on the market.

The wind range on each size is simply huge.

Will it fly on the new 07 Best Bar?

The new Yarga is designed to work with exactly the same bar as the Waroo/Pro and Bularoo, just rig up and you are ready to go. For riders who want to use the 5th line option kit all they have to do is pass the line up from the top of the depower strap to the centre of the LE, it’s the simplest 5th line system we’ve ever used.

What’s involved in adding the 5th line kit?

The 5th line kit is really easy to add; at the bar end you thread the line through the Mickey-Mouse ears and Velcro the grab handle to the back of the depower strap. At the kite end there are 4 sets of knots, one for each kite size, simply attach the 5th line to the centre of the LE and trim it by selecting the correct knot for the size of the kite. It’s a 30 second job to switch between 4 line, 5th line and SLE modes.

Who is the kite aimed at?

It’s the perfect kite for free-riders looking for one kite to take them from wakestyle to big air, to chasing the surf in downwind monster sessions. Competition riders who demand performance and total reliability will fall in love with it from the first time they ride it.

The Yarga Hybrid SLE is aimed at riders of any level who want the simplicity and handling of the best C-kites with the huge depower and boosting ability of the Waroo.

When will it be available?

The Yarga Hybrid SLE will be available in selected sizes mid April, soon after that all sizes will be available.

How much will it cost?

As always we’ve worked hard on keeping the price down while retaining absolutely product quality. Just like all the other kites we make it will be considerably less than the price of the competition and offer much better performance.

Any final words?

I think Jeff Biege described the Yarga pretty well, after his first session with the final revision.
[b]“Guys, are you sure we’ve ordered enough of these….?”[/b]