Balance Kiteboarding Catalogue 2014

Page 1

Boa

es ori

& Access rds

20 14


special thanks Pics: Sabrina Zimmermann, Sharkeye reload prod, Alexandru Baranescu, Tim Lek, Gianluca Lenzi, Ludo Franco, zarcostudio.com, Raph Betelli, Sian Donovan, Mélanie Allemand and Henry Caspers. Riders: “Yo” Narapichit Pudla, Rens Van der Schoot, Nicolas Etienne, Mallory de la Villemarqué, Terrance Swift, Steevens Tardieu. Special thanks to: Pablo Lizartdi, Kamil Sarnowski, Club de Esgrima, Remi Juliebø, Prestatout, Zarco Flores, anyone we might forget, and all our mates that supported us in this project from the beginning!!!


01

BALANCE

changes

03


01 Changes

Ok it’s been a while, but after all it’s for a good reason and we’re all excited about our 2014 board range! We’ve been off for a bit because the Mayas predicted the end of the world for Dec 2012, so we thought we’d better stop producing boards and start enjoying life by partying and riding with friends as much as we could…

04

Well, well, well… we could say some bullshit like that, but the truth is we had some hard times with the business. Problems ranging from injuries to break ups, nevertheless we have overcome lots of difficulties and now there is no chance for giving-up. Taking the whole project into new dimensions has meant abandoning factories, losing friends, suffering rider’s desperation… leading us to build everything up from scratch.


01 Changes

Coming up with new outlines, construction and fresh designs is always hard, but it is even harder if you want to make it work. So we started a whole new concept for our 2014 range, and took lots of time testing prototypes, until we came out with the perfect masterpiece. We obsessed over everything, spending more and more time to make sure we were proud of the boards we ride. Sometimes we did not agree 100%, so some of us decided to lead the way from previous lines, and some of us got hooked on the Chilly project…

05

We’ve also teamed up with some talented designers who, inspired from skateboarding and all those good vibes from the old days, came out with some dope graphics. How did this come about? Well, we ride our board and look at it everyday, it’s part of our life and we know how much it motivates to love the board we ride… We then decided to come up with some cool designs so we could be even prouder of our board because performance is not all, style is important to us.



02 Magic construction

07

boards Our

specs


02 Magic construction

Ok, we are not going to give you all that ‘blah blah blah’ coming up with weird names for our specs and telling you how amazing and magical our boards are, we’d rather go straight to the point and really explain the main features so you can fully understand the construction. We are not trying to win you over with some marketing jargon, this is just explanatory - so better get your hands on one of our boards and then you’ll realize what we mean and why people love our boards so much, and if you agree, or not, come and share your thoughts on our wall.

Technical Specs

boards Our

specs

08


02 Magic construction

Technical Specs

DESIGNED TOP SHEET— STAINLESS STEEL INSERTS—

TRIAXAL FIBERGLASS— ABS SIDEWALL— 3D WOODCORE— CaKe STRINGERS— FIN INSERTS—

09


cake s

ers ing

We’ve added crossed layups of Carbon/Kevlar on the center of the board for a better torsion and responsiveness, and on both tips to get an extra snap in your pops. CaKe Stringers also increase the resistance to impacts ensuring the board will last longer.

c

r ip Sg

Having thinner boards gives a great edge control allowing for more speed and an easier upwind performance. The thinner rails also reduce the board’s weight, making it even lighter under your feet... Yeah, we know, a great feeling when riding!

cave on

elliptical

Paulownia wood has proven to be the best material for board lamination thanks to its great performance in terms of durability, responsiveness, flex, and weight.

razor AB

Technical Specs

tr

e cor

3D wo

od

02 Magic construction

After trying all kind of double, triple and even quad crazy concaves, we realized that a centered elliptical concave really gives a great feeling when riding, comfy like on an air pillow. Sometimes simple things are just better!

10


02 Magic construction

By finding the perfect blend of wood core thickness, Carbon/Kevlar stringers and fiber triax layups, we’ve obtained the right flex for each board’s function. Softer flex means more comfort in all conditions while stiffer flex provides better pop and stable landings.

rt

ips

Narrower tips means you will never get these annoying eye spray while riding, and it reduces swing weight for easier mobility and increased edging. Meanwhile, a wider profile increases pop ability and helps you land hard tricks.

o

er ck

Less rocker means more contact with the water, which reduces the amount of drag and gives stronger edging, resulting in higher speed and better upwind performance. More rocker makes the board more lively and responsive, smoother between the choppy water, and it forgives dodgy landings more easily.

CHA N

i ps

wid e

taper e

dt

ocker SR

CHILLY R

CONTINUO u

Technical Specs

NE

LS

The era of wakestyle is here and channels together with it, it looks cool, and the edge channels allow for more grip when riding on smaller, or no fins.

11



03 Lines

13 Line

classic Freeride/Freestyle A true all-round board that will seduce you as soon as you’ll jump on it, so easy and comfy that you’ll feel like you’ve been riding it forever.

Line

chilly Freestyle/Wakestyle Nice name to describe how poor creativity remains on a rider’s brain, the result of too many crashes and countless hangovers! This season we’ve come up with a new line to spice the riding style of newschoolers, wakestylers, you name it!


03 Classic line

intro

14

By lowering the rocker we created more contact with the water, reducing the amount of drag and providing more speed to the board. The flattened rocker combined with narrower tips offer strong edging for early planning and better upwind performance; and their light weight and softer flex make these boards extremely easy to ride and to control. If you are looking for a smooth and comfortable board even in the choppiest conditions, that allows you to concentrate on throwing your tricks, from your first jumps to your first mobes, this is your beauty!

photo. Sabrina Zimmerman

The Classic Line is inspired from our renowned very first boards we handcrafted in the early years. Based on its success among kiteboarders and rider’s feedback since it’s birth, this board has had several updates but keeping the essence, that is, moderate rocker combined with thinner sidewalls and tapered tips, so that you never get annoying eye spray when riding, while increasing control.


03 Classic line

Classic line collection

15


03 Classic line

ngers tri

grip BS

han

ELS NN

taper

CONTINU CHA

S Rocker Ou

s

flex

elliptica

cake s

razor A

core od

softe r

3D wo

FRENCH KISS GREEN

ti ed

16

oncave lc

ps

dle

+ Light = easy to ride and to control + Softer flex = non-sense comfort even in choppiest conditions + Gripper and flatter rocker = early planning, high speed and easy upwind performance

ro c k e r

Riding Style

S 133x39cm

an c e o adv f

Comfort Pop

e

c

rooki

f re e

new s

de r fen

id e

ol ho

r

4 CM

Rider Level Speed Upwind


03 Classic line

ngers tri

grip BS

han

ELS NN

taper

CONTINU CHA

S Rocker Ou

s

flex

elliptica

cake s

razor A

core od

softe r

3D wo

FRENCH KISS PINK

ti ed

17

oncave lc

ps

dle

+ Light = easy to ride and to control + Softer flex = non-sense comfort even in choppiest conditions + Gripper and flatter rocker = early planning, high speed and easy upwind performance

ro c k e r

Riding Style

S 133x39cm

an c e o adv f

Comfort Pop

e

c

rooki

f re e

new s

de r fen

id e

ol ho

r

4 CM

Rider Level Speed Upwind


03 Classic line

S Rocker Ou

han

ELS NN

taper

CONTINU

flex

CHA

ngers tri

grip BS

elliptica

cake s

razor A

core od

softe r

3D wo

COLOR RUSH

ti ed

18

oncave lc

ps

dle

+ Light = easy to ride and to control + Softer flex = non-sense comfort even in choppiest conditions + Gripper and flatter rocker = early planning, high speed and easy upwind performance

ro c k e r

Riding Style

M 135x40cm

an c e o adv f

Comfort Pop

e

c

rooki

f re e

new s

de r fen

id e

ol ho

r

4 CM

Rider Level Speed Upwind


03 Classic line

ngers tri

grip BS

ELS NN

taper

S Rocker Ou

han

CHA

CONTINU

flex

elliptica

cake s

razor A

core od

softE R

3D wo

THUNDERBOLT

ti ed

19

oncave lc

ps

dle

+ Light = easy to ride and to control + Softer flex = non-sense comfort even in choppiest conditions + Gripper and flatter rocker = early planning, high speed and easy upwind performance

ro c k e r

Riding Style

L 137x41cm

an c e o adv f

Comfort Pop

e

c

rooki

f re e

new s

de r fen

id e

ol ho

r

4 CM

Rider Level Speed Upwind


03 Classic line

toxic fish

toxic fish “The Toxic Fish design was inspired by the 80´s-90´s skate era graphics, which is basically where all my inspiration resides since I was a kid. I Like to create eye-popping Graphics with a mix of bright colors, to get a nice contrast between the sunshine and water. Working with the guys at Balance was pretty rad, and their art direction took us to this final approach for this design, breaking a bit with the graphics normally used in the kiteboard industry.”

20


03 Classic line

toxic fish

21

toxic fish


toxic fish

k

’s f e e d bac Yo

22

“ I especially appreciate the Classic Line because when you first jump on it, it’s so easy to ride that it feels like you’ve been riding it forever. The board is quite thin, which makes it very light and also gives excellent upwind performance. With it’s softer flex and thinner tips you will never again have these annoying water sprays into your eyes and riding in the choppiest conditions feels like butter. That’s why I see it as the most comfy board to ride.”

photo. Alexandru Baranescu

03 Classic line


03 Classic line

ngers tri

grip BS

ELS NN

taper

S Rocker Ou

han

CHA

CONTINU

flex

elliptica

cake s

razor A

core od

softE R

3D wo

toxic fish

ti ed

23

oncave lc

ps

dle

+ Light = easy to ride and to control. + Softer flex = non-sense comfort even in choppiest conditions + Gripper and flatter rocker = early planning, high speed and easy upwind performance.

ro c k e r

Riding Style COMFORT Pop L 137x41cm

an c e o adv f

e

c

rooki

f re e

new s

de r fen

id e

ol ho

r

4 CM

Rider Level SPEED Upwind


03 Chilly line

intro

24

With the introduction of the Chilly line we want to offer to all freestylers a chance to rip the spot with style and power. Chilly means a higher and continuous rocker which, combined with a stiffer flex, offers an extremely lively and responsive board that feels very playful. It also means it cruises more easily in between the choppy conditions and that it allowed us to widen the tips without compromising water spray. This new wider profile makes any pop seem effortless, so that you can get a solid vertical kick even in gnarly waters. The stiffer flex also helps you stabilize and control hard landings, while the higher rocker forgives your dodgy landings.

photo. Ludo Franco

We’ve added some channels on the edges so that you can pop more easily even on smaller fins. So rig your straps, or bindings, and go out there to shred with some Chilly!


03 Chilly line

Chilly line collection

25


03 Chilly line

CHILLY ELS NN

han

CHA

ker Roc

wid

lex

stiffe

rf

ngers tri

grip BS

elliptica

cake s

core od

razor A

3D wo

valentino

ti er

26

oncave lc

ps

dle

+ Harder flex and wider tips = better pop and stability on landings + More rocker = looser feeling and responsive riding + Channels = More grip even on smaller fins + Wakestyle has a name, Chilly line loves to be ridden on kinky bindings (riders boots suggestion: 138x42)

ro c k e r

Riding Style COMFORT Pop M 134x40cm

an c e o adv f

e

c

rooki

f re e

new s

de r fen

id e

ol ho

r

4,8CM

Rider Level speed Upwind


03 Chilly line

CHILLY ELS NN

han

CHA

ker Roc

wid

lex

stiffe

rf

ngers tri

grip BS

elliptica

cake s

core od

razor A

3D wo

SKULLY

ti er

27

oncave lc

ps

dle

+ Harder flex and wider tips = better pop and stability on landings + More rocker = looser feeling and responsive riding + Channels = More grip even on smaller fins + Wakestyle has a name, Chilly line loves to be ridden on kinky bindings (riders boots suggestion: 138x42)

ro c k e r

Riding Style COMFORT Pop L 138x42cm

an c e o adv f

e

c

rooki

f re e

new s

de r fen

id e

ol ho

r

4,8CM

Rider Level speed Upwind


SKULLY

28

photo. Gianluca Lenzi

03 Chilly line


03 Chilly line

SKULLY

29


03 Chilly line

Limb Ripper

limb ripper “ When Balance contacted me about a different kind of design I wanted the graphic to be relevant to the medium and have a fun twist. So I asked myself ‘what would happen if a zombie kiteboarded?’, and I started from there. I’ve always been prone to do a bit gory stuff, but with a tweak of humor. The Limb Ripper fits my style and the overall style of board-mediums. As a working title, this design was called “zombies can’t kite.”

30


03 Chilly line

limb ripper

Limb Ripper

31


Limb Ripper

32

photo. Tim Lek

03 Chilly line


03 Chilly line

CHILLY ELS NN

han

CHA

ker Roc

wid

lex

stiffe

rf

ngers tri

grip BS

elliptica

cake s

core od

razor A

3D wo

LIMB RIPPER YELLOW

ti er

33

oncave lc

ps

dle

+ Harder flex and wider tips = better pop and stability on landings + More rocker = looser feeling and responsive riding + Channels = More grip even on smaller fins + Wakestyle has a name, Chilly line loves to be ridden on kinky bindings (riders boots suggestion: 138x42)

ro c k e r

Riding Style COMFORT Pop L 134x40cm

an c e o adv f

e

c

rooki

f re e

new s

de r fen

id e

ol ho

r

4,8CM

Rider Level speed Upwind


Limb Ripper

“What I most look for in a newschool or wakestyle board is its direct pop and stable landings. When I go for a jump, the Chilly Line instantly kicks me out of the water, and its harder flex and higher rocker help to stabilize and forgive my bad landings more easily. This board is a trick machine and every pop seems super easy. I also love the feeling it gives me of a smooth and responsive board that is alive under my feet.�

34

photo. Sharkeye Reload Prod

03 Chilly line


03 Chilly line

CHILLY ELS NN

han

CHA

ker Roc

wid

lex

stiffe

rf

ngers tri

grip BS

elliptica

cake s

core od

razor A

3D wo

LIMB RIPPER CYAN

ti er

35

oncave lc

ps

dle

+ Harder flex and wider tips = better pop and stability on landings + More rocker = looser feeling and responsive riding + Channels = More grip even on smaller fins + Wakestyle has a name, Chilly line loves to be ridden on kinky bindings (riders boots suggestion: 138x42)

ro c k e r

Riding Style COMFORT Pop L 134x40cm

an c e o adv f

e

c

rooki

f re e

new s

de r fen

id e

ol ho

r

4,8CM

Rider Level speed Upwind



04 Accessories

straps/pads/fins

37


04 Accessories Because we know there is nothing worse than loosing your board when going for a pop or in the middle of a move, we’ve ensured that our straps are the perfect bride to our pads. By adding a foam ridge and good grip to our pads, and more foam on the front part of the straps that presses your toes, it ensures that your foot will be perfectly locked in between both pad and straps so that you can fully concentrate on doing your trick rather than on keeping your board on your feet, and enjoy more comfort when riding. Our straps are pre-shaped and extremely easy to mount so that you can have your board rigged within a few seconds. Once rigged, it’s extremely easy to adjust the straps to your foot size by pulling on the velcros from both sides. This makes your life easier when you are desperate to get in the water.

STRAPS / PADS

38


04 Accessories

FINS

39



05 Offenders

41

Riders

balance


05 Offenders

TEAM

42


05 Offenders

TEAM

43



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