North Kiteboarding Brand Review: A Legend Rebuilt

North is a rare case: a brand with thirty years of history that was shut down and relaunched from zero. Our catalogue carries 341 items from it — more than from any other manufacturer. Here is how to navigate that.

Four kites, four jobs

The range is honestly built: each model owns its territory and they barely overlap.

• Orbit — big air and powered freeride. The brand's flagship, from 1 729 € (2026).
• Reach — an all-rounder for freeride and progression, from 1 499 € (2026).
• Carve — waves and drift, from 1 415 € (2025).
• Pulse — freestyle and wakestyle, from 1 629 € (2025).

Plus a separate Code Zero branch for racing and foiling, with sizes from 3.5 m², and the Pioneer for teaching.

Pro and Ultra: what they mean

Half the range exists in several versions, and understanding that matters more than the model names.

The standard version is the base construction and the most affordable.

Pro means reinforced materials and a different cloth layup. Usually about durability and response precision.

Ultra means a lightweight build. The Orbit Ultra starts at 1 728 € against 1 949 € for a 10 m standard Orbit 2026 — a rare case where the lightweight version costs less than the base, because it belongs to the previous season.

Note the Orbit Ultra size range: 5.9, 6.6, 7.3, 8.1, 9 metres — fractional rather than round numbers. That is a sign sizes were chosen around real power curves rather than around a tidy price list.

Boards: five models, one logic

North's twintips are arranged by stiffness and price.

• Prime — from 619 €, six sizes from 136 to 152 cm. The softest and widest-ranging line.
• Astra — from 749 €, 127 to 139 cm. Short boards, for lighter riders.
• Focus Hybrid — from 769 €, 133 to 142 cm.
• Atmos — from 799 €, 136 to 144 cm. The main freeride twintip.
• Atmos Pro and Atmos Ultra — carbon, up to 1 599 €.

A note on the Prime at 152 cm. That is effectively a light-wind size inside a normal range — unusual, since light wind normally gets a dedicated model. We covered the logic of big boards in our Cruiser LW review.

Surf and specialist boards

North has an unexpectedly wide directional branch: Charge, Charge Pro, Comp Pro, Cross — from 1 049 €. Plus genuinely niche items like the Dune Mountain Board for sand and the Track Skate.

For a brand relaunched seven years ago that says something about intent: directional boards are expensive to develop and narrow in demand.

What to know about model years

The defining feature of North's catalogue, and it works in your favour.

Three or four seasons of the same model live side by side. The Orbit exists in 2022, 2024, 2025 and 2026. The Reach in 2020, 2021, 2024, 2025, 2026 and a separate USA version.

The price spread within one model reaches twofold: the Orbit 2024 starts at 750 €, the Orbit 2026 at 1 729 €.

This is not a clearance of faulty stock but ordinary market mechanics. What actually changes between seasons, and when paying more is justified, is covered separately.

Who North suits

Riders who jump. The Orbit is one of the three main big-air kites on the market.

Anyone wanting one brand for everything. Kites, boards, surf, accessories — 341 items cover any job.

Anyone shopping last season. The depth of the catalogue by year is real money saved.

Who it does not suit

Foil-kite riders. North does not make them — that is Flysurfer and Ozone territory.

Wingfoilers. There is a range, but it does not match Ensis or Takoon for depth.

Common questions

Which North kite is the most universal?

The Reach. The Orbit is a specialised big-air kite, the Carve is for waves, the Pulse for freestyle.

What does Ultra mean?

A lightweight build. Pro means reinforced. The standard version is the base and the most affordable.

Is a previous-season North worth buying?

Often yes: the price gap reaches twofold, while changes between adjacent years are usually evolutionary.

Which North board should I buy first?

The Prime: the softest line and the widest size range, 136 to 152 cm.

Does North make foils?

Yes — the Sonar and foil boards are in the range — but the brand's strength is inflatable kites and twintips.

Where to look

The full range is on the North page. Kites are in the kite section, boards in the twintip section.