2023 Cabrinha Nitro Review
This review of the 2023 Cabrinha Nitro will be specific to the 9m size. We waited to write this review to make sure we rode this kite in a variety of conditions. The general consensus of this kite is that it is made to ride overpowered. And in those conditions it performs best for big air and kite loops.
Riding Overpowered
Riding overpowered is a subjective term. But lets try to break it down to a more scientific understanding. All kiteboarders can agree that kite size is a matter of the rider’s weight with the wind speed. The stronger the winds, the smaller the kite. The bigger the rider, the bigger the kite. Jame’s Kite Blog provides a good reference to determining kite size per rider weight. See the recommended kite size for someone that is 160 lbs or 72 kgs.
According to this chart, the max recommended wind speeds for a 9m is 27 kts. The last session we had on the Cabrinha Nitro 9m was sustained 30-35kts. I began the session on the 7m FX2, but wanted to push the 9m Nitro to see how strong of winds it can be held down.
Tradeoff of Overpowered
A few sessions on the 2023 Cabrinha Nitro have been in 18 kts of wind. These winds are supposed to be ideal for a 160 lb rider. The Cabrinha Nitro performed well in these conditions, but it wasn’t anything special. When the winds lulled to less than 18kts, it did require working the kite to generate power. We feel the tradeoff is that it sacrifices low-end performance for the high-end. The ideal conditions for this kite is for when the rider feels power.
Experience in 30-35kts
This was one of my favorite sessions of 2023. It truly was a big air session where the 9m Nitro performed perfectly. What made it perfect was that we could keep the kite lower while holding an edge. This made it possible to send the kite faster, while holding an edge, to achieve high jumps. Megaloops in 30-35 kts of wind can be scary. But, downloops from high jumps help the rider feel comfortable with how fast the Cabrinha Nitro can turn. With that confidence and reliability, it is easy to pull the trigger on kiteloops in strong winds. What made this session one of the best of 2023 was the feeling of kiteloops from so high up.
2023 Cabrinha Nitro Kiteloops
This kite sits further forward in the wind window compared to other “looping” kites in Cabrinha’s lineup. The benefits of a kite that sits further forward in the wind window is that it gets the rider upwind easier, and jumps higher (for the most part). The stand out features for kiteloops is how smooth through the loop the Nitro is and how quickly it catches you. With this kind of reliability, it allows the rider to add additional tricks to kiteloops. A potential negative of how forward the Nitro sits in the wind window is that after a loop it wants to fly behind the rider. It does require rider input such as a downloop to keep the kite in front of the rider after a big kiteloop. The tradeoff, however, is that the jumps are massive.
Whether learning how to kiteloop or pushing boundaries with big air tricks, the 2023 Cabrinha Nitro is a reliable and well-performing kite. With the industry going to big air, the Nitro sits as a competitive kite. The Nitro utilizes Ultralite bladders and lighter and stiffer leading edge materials that are exclusive to the Nitro. These materials, as well as the design profile, work together from a technical perspective to make it one of the better big air kites on the market.
Try For Yourself
If in the Florida area, come try the 2023 Cabrinha Nitro kite. The best times to try this kite are when the winds are up. We recommend this kite for intermediate to advanced riders. Send us a message below to get in contact with us.
