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A Ozone Frenzy 06 10 review : The Frenzy: Having mostly flown Peter Lynn Arcs I was very interested to see the New Frenzy, it's not the 06 just the Frenzy this year! Flying the Frenzy 05 last year was very tempting to get, what did the latest from Ozone have to offer? Bag: The bag has some great new features this year: · Board straps to hold kiteboard, snowboard or mountainboard. · Straps and webbing on the side of the bag where you could put skis, poles, spare bars, etc. · Top pocket on the lid of the bag for putting random stuff in. · Pockets on the side of the waist strap where you could put key's, wallet, GPS or a snack. · This year they also have the kite size on the bag so you know which bag you've got what kite. · There's space for 2 kites in the bag so a spare kite for if the conditions change. There's been a lot of thought put in to the bags this year and they've done a great job which gives you a great bag for your needs. Quality/Manufacture: As usual Ozone pay a great deal to the finer details and quality of the kite, working from the kite to the bar: · The material is specially designed by Ozone for the application of kiting which results in a material that will create the shape of the foil and not stretch over time, it's UV protective and should shed water like its a ducks back. · Stitching is all double stitched with again UV protective twine. · The leading and trailing edges are both reinforced with Mylar which adds rigidity to the kite during flight increasing in the efficiency of the aerofoil. Also makes it more robust to abrasion. · The connection points on the kite from the bridal are sewn deep into the kite to spread the load and keep the shape of your kite. · Bridals are all stitched together rather than knotted which reduces the chances of the bridals getting caught up and minimises drag whilst flying. · The pulleys used on the bridal are top quality with breaking strains of 1/2 a tonne which should be enough for the largest of kiters. · Again lines are top quality all pre-stretched and stitched with cunning little tabs numbered from 1-4 for easy setup of the kite. Safety/Control: Safety on the Frenzy is good with a very simple but very effective system the same as last years system, pull the primary safety-red toggle and you're done, the kite de-powers and lands itself. They have a new system on the chicken loop this year where to completely release from the kite, this is your secondary safety. Instead of pulling the red loop on your chicken loop towards you, you pull it away from you which makes a little more sense, there's also less effort required to pull the new safety which has passed the latest safety standard in France. The Chicken loop doesn't have a "cow's tail"/"donkey's doo dah"/"kickette" attached to the chicken loop itself but comes with a "Kickette" which attaches onto your spreader bar. It works in the same way by putting your chicken loop on your hook and putting the "Kickette" through the hook to stop the chicken loop from coming off. Once you've pulled the safety it's easy to reload by looping your break lines over the bar ends then reaching forward and re-attaching the centre line into the primary safety toggle, then just twist the bar so the loops on the end of the bar drop off and then you're flying again. Launching and landing: To launch you can release the breaks, take a step backwards and the kite takes off and you're flying. To land you can either pull the break line handle or pull your safety and the kite lands safely on its trailing edge. Flying: Firstly, looking up at the kite you can see a difference between the 05 and this latest edition is that it's a higher aspect ratio than the 05, also the kite looks like every part of the kite is doing work. The kite is more stable than I expected, it stayed at the Zenith (top of the wind window) for a good while and in clean winds I might expect it to stay there! The flight across the window is smooth and the power stays on during the turn. When jumping the kite has great float which left me on occasions wondering when I was going to touch down. Unhooked riding is good, the power is constant and predictable, you can ride it from when the kite is just getting going to powered up like this. When doing larger jumps you get very direct and positive feedback from the kite which makes it intuitive to know where the kite is without even having to look up whilst airborne. So to conclude: A great package and a great flight. Author : lewis_91

Introduction:I have been power-kiting for a few years now, starting with small flexifoil stackers/super 10s and moving on to bullets and blades. Over time, I had begun to enjoy scudding and jumping and I wanted to extend power-kiting into some form of board-based traction, be it on land or water. I am still undecided about land vs. water, but having taken a few, semi-successful, kiteboarding lessons on water, I found that my progress was hampered by the limited amount of time I actually get to spend up and riding on the board. I simply spend so much time trying to start that I don't get to ride very much. Because of this, I decided to give land-boarding a go. The idea was that you can get going much more easily and it does not require such a big kite to keep you moving - all of which should translate into an easier learning experience. I figured that if I could spend a few hours riding a kiteATB on the beach, it would probably help me with my kiteboarding on water as well. In the end the technique is quite similar. Besides, I think I'm more of a land than a water person. All of this is preamble to my finally buying a 2006 Frenzy 7.5 on Ebay a few weeks ago. Having now flown the kite a half dozen times and successfully managed to landboard for miles on my first attempt, all I can say is: THIS KITE RULES! But, first things first.... Build Quality: As expected from a top manufacturer, the quality of the kite, lines and the bar are very high. Not much to really comment about, other than the kite is really well made. All the seams are on the inside and the trailing edge, as well as the edges of the vents are reinforced with some kind of mylar (?) tape. The material is softer than what I am used to from flexifoil blades and bullets - a bit less 'crinkly'. The backpack is also excellent. I'm not sure if it really qualifies as a mounaineering backpack, but it is very comfortable and well-built and should be able to hold a couple of kites at least. It has both chest and waist straps so that the backpack sits snugly without moving around. My one gripe is that it can be a bit difficult to get sand out of the kite. The vents are completely open and the 2 or 3 cells at the tips of the kite don't have vents but fill up with sand from the other vents...requiring some fiddling to get it back out. But, no big deal... Instructions: The instruction manual leaves something to be desired. It is very minimal, poorly organized and the diagrams are not easy to interpret. You'll eventually figure it out, but it can be quite confusing at first. Frankly, the manual is the only weak link in this excellent kite. The lines themselves are color coded, so easy enough to figure out which one goes where, though. Setting-up: The first time took me a little while because I couldn't quite figure out whether all the pulleys were correctly positioned from a topological point of view before attaching the lines. However, once you've done it a few times, it only takes a minute or two to get it up and flying. I now leave my lines attached, which greatly helps. Flying: I have to admit that I was a bit terrified of flying a big foil on land. A couple of times when I was kiteboarding on water, I lost control of a 12M bow kite and boy did I get my ass handed to me! Sure, this Frenzy is quite a bit smaller, but hitting dirt could really hurt... Fear not, for the Frenzy is a gentle giant. I can't believe how easy it is to handle. In fact, it is a lot easier and more forgiving to fly than my blade 4.9. Pound for pound, I think it actually pulls a bit less than my blade 4.9, but it is a different kind of pull. Where the blade is always fully powered and tight, the depower on the Frenzy is really unbelievably user-friendly. Hit a gust of wind, let the bar go a bit and the air gets dumped out - no sudden jerk! Generally speaking, when you're not flying fully powered, the Frenzy is very gentle and easy to handle and if you pull the bar, it will keep powering and powering and powering. Even in lowish winds (10mph), I was scudding 30 feet at a time on the beach! Also, somewhat surprisingly to me, the kite is pretty fast and actually quite fun to fly statically. I'd say again that it handles about the same as a blade, although perhaps not quite as tightly controlled. Anyway, when I finally mustered the courage to get on a land board I was amazed at how easy it was. Instead of having to whip the kite around in the power zone to keep moving, I could park the kite at 45 degrees close to the front edge of the window and basically use it as a sail. If the wind died a bit, all you had to do was sine the kite a bit and you'd be off again. On my first run in 12 mph winds, I think I was probably going about 15mph down the beach! I can't even imagine how great this will be on the snow this winter! Bottom line, this is a land-oriented kite - designed for snowkiting - so it handles gusts very well and is a true treat to fly with. Anyone who has ever had some curiosity about land based kiteboarding should seriously think about getting one of these. It may sound counter-intuitive, but I actually think the Frenzy 7.5 is easier to learn to board with than a smaller fixed bridle kite like a blade 4.9. The depower truly represents the next big evolution in foil kites, I think. I highly recommend this kite to anyone. In fact, my only problem is that I now want a bigger one! Frenzy 12 will be my next kite! 10/10: I'd buy it again in a second! By : Cloudy

I now have a few nice long sessions with a new 05 in various wind condition .This is what I think of it. In around 15 mph wind this thing is so fun to fly. No need to depower using the trimmer because the bar does enough. Iwas very impressed with the speed and maneuverability. Power delivery is smooth and predictable and even in light wind you can wring some juice out of the thing. Safety features are simple to use and behavior when the re-ride is activated is predictable. The Frenzy 05 is setup for a leash but it does not come with one. This attaches to the hand brake and would work fine if you care to use one. The chicken loop also has a pin and loop system that I have yet to deploy. Reverse launch is done by pulling the handbrake and the kite rises ,turns then settles to the ground ready to take off again. Launching is done from center window or the edge ,full depower with very little effort. Depower off and you will get a good scud out of it. I use this kite for kiteboarding on a Ground Industries Flight deck and the combo is great. A lot of confidence from both pieces so jumps and carving slides come ez. Air time is long and seems like you can go as high as you want, redirect late and still have a good canopy to land softly. Ozone has a great reputation for quality. This new Frenzy is up to par with that and initial setup and safety are well described in the included manual. Comes with a large bag with cool straps and buckles. The kite fits in it easily no matter if you fold carefully or wad it up. I fly on the coast so wind is steady but ventured to a gusty spot where the wind was blowing across the island and the kite behaved o.k. but the smooth wind was defiantly better .I have flown this from 8-17 mph don't really know how much wind I will fly it in but not close to topping out yet .I weigh 200#. I give this kite 9 out of 10 points for handling and performance Have fun, Rick By : windthing2

Part 5: Unhooked/2 line jumping Belowis a sequence showing a jump in 2 line/unhooked mode. Let's look at this in more detail and cover the important parts of the jump. Basic jumps more to follow soon.... By : bushflyer

Part 4 : Unhooked flying This is worth trying when the kite is being flown on depower mode and is struggling to generate decent power, why not try this instead for a constant pull and increased 'pop' , and at the same time increase the bottom end of your windrange. Setup For myself, I try to set the kite up so that the trimmer is pulled in just enough for the kite to fly to the zenith. Pulling the trimmer in further increases the upwind ability of the kite, while letting out the trimmer will increase the level of 'grunt', sitting the kite back further in the wind window. Below is a rough guide to trimming. Low wind: pulling the trimmer in nearly all the way (2/3rd's to fully in) will allow you to generate more power from apparent wind. General freestyle: set around a 1/3rd to halfway to try and find the ideal compromise between flying and turning speed and the ideal power level for yourself. For example, a lighter rider can hold down less power so will benefit from setting the kite to fly faster, so that they can get their height on jumps from forward speed. Tricks which benefit from 'pop', such as transitions, are easier to do with the trimmer let out and the kite flying slightly slower. Heavy riders/pop tricks only: set the trim just enough so the kite can reach the zenith and maintain its flying speed. Overview : Trimmer pulled in = faster flying speed, less initial power, more power from apparent wind. Also longer hangtime but less pop. Trimmer let out = slower flying speed, more initial power, kite flys further back in the window. High pop Experiment with these settings to find the ideal compromise for yourself. By : bushflyer

Part 3: flight management/control tips wingtip folding Sometimes in difficult conditions, or during aggressive maneuvering of the kite, the inside wingtip of the turning frenzy can fold in, in some cases becoming entwined in the bridling. This is nothing to worry about, and is a common occurrence on modern kites due to the strong curve in the wingtips which helps to facilitate quicker turning and better overall stability. Should the wingtip start to fold, try the following: ease off on the turn (bar pictures here of stages one and two, see notes)sheet in – this will help recover the affected tip( pics 3 & 4 see notes)sheet out to regain forward speed (pic 5)Also, you can point the affected tip towards the ground and let gravity help you to sort out the problem.Shaking the bar from side to side will help untangle a caught wingtip in conjunction with stage 4. Avoidance: how to stop it happening in the first place It's worth trying not to be super aggressive in the turn, particularly at the edges of the window. This is when tip folding is most likely to occur. Also, try sheeting in slightly as you start the turn. This has the added effect of speeding up the turn. Remember to sheet out back to your ‘sweet spot’ on the bar to re-accelerate the kite back up to normal flying speed and help keep it inflated. Try to do this as soon as the kite is pointing in the required direction, if not slightly before. With practice this becomes second nature and you’ll soon find yourself pulling quicker, tighter turns holding more power. Overview Smooth progressive movements for turning help the kite to hold its shape better as it alters its position in relation to the wind. As you develop a better feel for the kite you can be faster, but always be smooth. Smoothness is the key. Luffing/Nosing over Note : always use personal judgement before attempting recovery. If in ANY doubt, pull the safety immediately. All recovery techniques should be mastered in light winds first to allow experience to be gained. Please be careful and use appropriate safety equipment. There is a point where attempting recovery can result in reopening the kite in the centre of the window. As you can imagine this can have severe consequences so the following diagram is included as a guide. Over flying: method 1 Keep the kite near to the centre of the zenith. As the kite starts to go overhead, sheet in fully to back stall the kite. This pulls it back into the wind window. Once at zenith return the bar to its normal position, this is very important as you don’t want to back stall the kite into the power zone. Once recovered, aim the kite for the top edge of the window, this will help you to remain in control. Method 2 If the kite is looking like it’s about to over fly due to a sudden increase in wind, you can gently pump the bar to slow down the kite. Be careful as doing this too vigorously (especially in a strong gust) may result in an unexpected jump! Method 3 Additional brake can be applied by twisting the bar downwards, effectively shortening the brakelines and helping to slow down the kite. This method is often enough on its own if the kite is only over flying slightly.

Over the last year the ozone frenzy 04 has proved to be a best selling kite for use on land, water and snow. However, some have given the kite bad press for its supposed difficulty in control in gusty conditions. Intrigued, matt taggart from ozone was kind enough to lend me his kite in order to evaluate its flight characteristics. A development of last years groundbreaking 03 frenzy, the 04 is billed as being lighter handling, more stable, as well as having more performance and improvements to its safety systems. In this article I will be detailing how to handle you kite more effectively, flying the kite in depower mode as well as unhooked flying, and adjusting your kite for technical manoeuvres. Part one : changing your wrist leash to a handle pass system. This is a useful mod if you hook in and out regularly, and requires only a minimum of outlay in additional materials. Unlike an LEI 'suicide leash', this attaches to the safety system of the frenzy as opposed to the chicken loop. This should be taken into consideration when performing Ariel handle passes and the like, as the kite will not remain at zenith, but start a controlled descent. The only additional material needed for this mod is a piece of centre line, no shorter than 30cm. start by doubling up the line as shown below. Next, loop the line under and thread through the hole now created. Pull tight. Now, with the other end of the line, loop through the 'handbrake' line as shown. Make sure the line sits between the two knots or this will affect actuation of the safety system. As you can see, the line goes through the handbrake, loops to the right, passes under itself and emerges above the loop now created. Now pass the end of the line and pull tight. Now, for extra security, loop the loose end of line from the knot around itself as shown and pass through the loop. Pull tight to secure. The finished knot should appear as shown below in the picture. Now you need to attend to the part which attaches to the harness. Here I have passed the end of the wrist leash which usually attaches to the wristband through the 'D' ring on my harness. Now, pass the end of the line with the safety pin through the other end as shown below. Pull tight. The harness end should finish up looking like the picture below. Here is a picture of the completed system connected up. The pin attaches through the loop you created in the usual manner. You may also notice in this picture the additional knot on the 'handbrake' end is not present. This is to allow fine tuning of the system once installed. For example, I have quite long arms so had to lengthen the length of line from the handbrake safety to the quick release pin to 20cm. the system should be fitted so that when flown unhooked, there is no tension on the handbrake when the line is either side of your body. Slack should also be kept to a minimum. Fine tune to your own requirements. By : bushflyer

If you heve a decent sized flying area with nice clean wind you should have at least one Frenzy in your quiver. The rapid development of the depowerable foil is all to easy to understand with one of these, a couple of sessions into ownership you WILL wonder how much those fixed bridle kites are worth secondhand. So, I walked into Airbossworld and mumbled something about a Frenzy, handed over the cash and next day collected a ready set up and prepared Frenzy, Damn was I excited.... Straight off to the field for a quick fly. Gary came with me to ensure I didn't maim myself and that all was peachy with the kite. Setting it out for launch is laughably easy dumpsack, walkback unwinding the lines (this is an important bit, take notes!) hook the ORANGE line over your stake NOT the safety leash! and set the deower strap to maximum power. Unpack the kite, allowing it to sit up in the wind and do a quick check on the pulley system and amazing multicoloured bridles then walk back and hook in. When it's launch time simply take the depower strap and set it to maximum depower, the kite will start to lift with all the pull of a 0.7 Buster! As it reaches the zenith it will have inflated and it's time to give it a bit more power!! YUM! Jumping time! This kite is shared between my son and me, he gets much more use than I do, he can fly it sub 10mph upto 20mph as the wind rises so does the hieght of his jumps and the float time... he does start to have problems staying down on the ground 16+mph and much over 20mph he just bounces about! With the bar out and the kite set on maximum depower it MAY be possible to fly in upto30mph plus... I however get decidedly nervous at 25mph plus so it comes down and smaller kites go up. So, what is it good for? Recreational is fun, jumps are but a dip of the wing away. Longer dips down the edge equal higher air when it goes back up. Great! Buggying, on lighter wind days the 7.3 is very good in a buggy, the shorter bar means thighs are NOT constantl jabbed as with the 9.5 or 12. The kite is nicely controlable and will "park and ride" all day. The depower can be used to heat things up or cool them down. WARNING please remember it will hoik you out if you don't treat it with respect! (this is quite nice for getting out of a low buggy though) Landboarding, Home territory for the Frenzy this! AWESOME silky smooth power available as required, jumps are yours for the taking and soft landings when you come down (please note.. My son does the jumping and relays the results to me, I am a big scaredy cat!) Snowkiting, yup, if you like getting cold this is for you. I don't so can't comment really. Watery stuff? Hmm, can't quite face the thought of dunking an open foil, can be done though I have seen it!! All this is fine, but what about landing? Some large kites just don't want to come down! The Frenzy is lovely to land, Either take it to the edge of the window and let it slip to earth or grab the Orange line and pull it waaaay down past your bum. This may seem impossible at first due to the power in the kite, leave the kite at the zenith and pull hard, when you can pull no more wait..... when the tension drops (about half a second but can seem ages if the kite is well powered up) pull it all the way back. the kite will then fall down and sit on the floor. That is pretty much a quick rundown of its capabilities BUT it tells you nothing of the kites quality! It is a superb package. The technical rucksack is wonderful! I have started hanging all of my stuff from it for the trudge to the flying field, loads of straps and hooks for everything. it can even hold 2 well packed frenzies! The kite itself is very well constructed and copes with bad landings well. all the seams have held up well and the kite still feels crispy and good after many flights and a couple of wet packdowns (always dried at first chance though!) The bar is comfy, well padded and is fitted with many safety devices. The first time you need them you WILL be glad they are there. If it's red then pulling it will operate some kind of safety device. The 03 Frenzy suffers here, the primary safety is out of eyeline so when you are being dragged down a beach it ISN'T visible. The 04 has it's primary safety just under the depower strap right where you can see it and reach it from any position. You pull that and all the power goes as the main lines are disconnected, need more? Pull the chiken loop safety and let go, the kite flops about like a wet rag! Need more?!? like the kite is stuck on a speeding car or still dragging you towards that cliff, deploy the wrist leash safety cutting all ties with the kite. BIG up to Ozone for this, top idea which means I am happy for my son to use the kite happy he is going to be safe if he gets into a panic. Surely with all this superduperness about the kite there must be SOME faults? Well, yes, there are a few. The whole depower thing takes a while to "click" along with not having the precise control of a pair of handles. The rucksack though GREAT does take an awful lot of room up and perhaps most damingly it has broken the side plate on both of its depower pulleys! This is despite great care being taken of them and sand removal after each beach visit! TOP kite for lighter to middle sized kiters, flexible easy power and easy launch and land. NOT a first kite but great to progress to. By : Adam

If you heve a decent sized flying area with nice clean wind you should have at least one Frenzy in your quiver. The rapid development of the depowerable foil is all to easy to understand with one of these, a couple of sessions into ownership you WILL wonder how much those fixed bridle kites are worth secondhand. So, I walked into Airbossworld and mumbled something about a Frenzy, handed over the cash and next day collected a ready set up and prepared Frenzy, Damn was I excited.... Straight off to the field for a quick fly. Gary came with me to ensure I didn't maim myself and that all was peachy with the kite. Setting it out for launch is laughably easy dumpsack, walkback unwinding the lines (this is an important bit, take notes!) hook the ORANGE line over your stake NOT the safety leash! and set the deower strap to maximum power. Unpack the kite, allowing it to sit up in the wind and do a quick check on the pulley system and amazing multicoloured bridles then walk back and hook in. When it's launch time simply take the depower strap and set it to maximum depower, the kite will start to lift with all the pull of a 0.7 Buster! As it reaches the zenith it will have inflated and it's time to give it a bit more power!! YUM! Jumping time! This kite is shared between my son and me, he gets much more use than I do, he can fly it sub 10mph upto 20mph as the wind rises so does the hieght of his jumps and the float time... he does start to have problems staying down on the ground 16+mph and much over 20mph he just bounces about! With the bar out and the kite set on maximum depower it MAY be possible to fly in upto30mph plus... I however get decidedly nervous at 25mph plus so it comes down and smaller kites go up. So, what is it good for? Recreational is fun, jumps are but a dip of the wing away. Longer dips down the edge equal higher air when it goes back up. Great! Buggying, on lighter wind days the 7.3 is very good in a buggy, the shorter bar means thighs are NOT constantl jabbed as with the 9.5 or 12. The kite is nicely controlable and will "park and ride" all day. The depower can be used to heat things up or cool them down. WARNING please remember it will hoik you out if you don't treat it with respect! (this is quite nice for getting out of a low buggy though) Landboarding, Home territory for the Frenzy this! AWESOME silky smooth power available as required, jumps are yours for the taking and soft landings when you come down (please note.. My son does the jumping and relays the results to me, I am a big scaredy cat!) Snowkiting, yup, if you like getting cold this is for you. I don't so can't comment really. Watery stuff? Hmm, can't quite face the thought of dunking an open foil, can be done though I have seen it!! All this is fine, but what about landing? Some large kites just don't want to come down! The Frenzy is lovely to land, Either take it to the edge of the window and let it slip to earth or grab the Orange line and pull it waaaay down past your bum. This may seem impossible at first due to the power in the kite, leave the kite at the zenith and pull hard, when you can pull no more wait..... when the tension drops (about half a second but can seem ages if the kite is well powered up) pull it all the way back. the kite will then fall down and sit on the floor. That is pretty much a quick rundown of its capabilities BUT it tells you nothing of the kites quality! It is a superb package. The technical rucksack is wonderful! I have started hanging all of my stuff from it for the trudge to the flying field, loads of straps and hooks for everything. it can even hold 2 well packed frenzies! The kite itself is very well constructed and copes with bad landings well. all the seams have held up well and the kite still feels crispy and good after many flights and a couple of wet packdowns (always dried at first chance though!) The bar is comfy, well padded and is fitted with many safety devices. The first time you need them you WILL be glad they are there. If it's red then pulling it will operate some kind of safety device. The 03 Frenzy suffers here, the primary safety is out of eyeline so when you are being dragged down a beach it ISN'T visible. The 04 has it's primary safety just under the depower strap right where you can see it and reach it from any position. You pull that and all the power goes as the main lines are disconnected, need more? Pull the chiken loop safety and let go, the kite flops about like a wet rag! Need more?!? like the kite is stuck on a speeding car or still dragging you towards that cliff, deploy the wrist leash safety cutting all ties with the kite. BIG up to Ozone for this, top idea which means I am happy for my son to use the kite happy he is going to be safe if he gets into a panic. Surely with all this superduperness about the kite there must be SOME faults? Well, yes, there are a few. The whole depower thing takes a while to "click" along with not having the precise control of a pair of handles. The rucksack though GREAT does take an awful lot of room up and perhaps most damingly it has broken the side plate on both of its depower pulleys! This is despite great care being taken of them and sand removal after each beach visit! Sum it up then adamski! TOP kite for lighter to middle sized kiters, flexible easy power and easy launch and land. NOT a first kite but great to progress to. By : Adamski