TESTED BY: CHRIS BULL AND JIM GAUNT. FIND THEIR DETAILS AND TEST SCORE BREAKDOWNS HERE.

TEST TEAM NOTES:

Although Eleveight have now been around for a few seasons, we had our first taste of the Master last year and as an initial experience of a new brand we were really impressed. You may have read our RS review from issue 100 – and will know that there’s a lot of respect going on for the very connected and polished ride feel and performance that Peter Stiewe and his team are delivering.

The Master is billed as a performance freestyle and freeride twin-tip and has quite a generic outline suited for all conditions and types of riding. Generally everything about this board on the outside is understated, while on the inside a paulownia wood core provides a tuned flex pattern in different areas of the board and the carbon reinforcements control twist response.

The Master’s top sheet has just a few details, with a small step down at the rail to help a bit with board-offs but isn’t as deep as we’ve seen elsewhere. On the base of the board there’s a double concave between the footstraps that goes into three channels towards the tip and tail. The ABS rail is bonded beautifully cleanly and is quite thick from the centre of the board to outside the footstraps before thinning out towards the tips for more flex in that area. The thicker, stiff central section provides efficient get-up-and-go but allows for a softer, playful feel from the thinner profile shape and softer flex in the tips.

The double concave is only moderate so doesn’t soften the ride too much, but just enough to add a real sense of comfort and air suspension. If you want a quick comparison between the two boards on test this issue, this is a bit lighter than the Atmos and more flexible. The Atmos is faster and sharper in feel, whereas the Master responds and flexes more easily. Eleveight have managed to produce a board that literally anyone of any level could get on, ride well and enjoy. Delivering oodles of grip, it doesn’t feel sharp and bitey, but is more fluid and comfortable.

Don’t mistake the high rider comfort for a lack of performance. We’ve literally done everything we can do on the Master, from raleys-to-blind to board-offs because it responds very well on take-off and landings and offers a great level of comfort for committed, hard landings. The Master is more playful in all conditions. A deeper multi-stage rockerline means it’s not quite as fast as some performance boards, but is super easy to ride and aids performance in all situations. The 42cm width delivers stability for a broad spectrum of riders and the channeling underneath adds grip when you land / ride the board flatter.

Once again, a really good size board for us at 139 x 42. The overall design is fairly understated which will suit a lot of people and the Eleveight Airgo pads are soft memory foam with a moulded footbed for great grip and a sense of connected control. Lots of available movement and stance options while the single Velcro footstrap keeps things simple and yet is supportive and comfortable. Overall, the Master is finished really well, looks good and is definitely tough enough for any hard riding situation.

SUMMARY:

The Master is a real all-rounder with the softer rail, more generous style of rocker and width in the hips taken from a wake-style board, but with the added comfort and speed management of a freeride kiteboard. The Master isn’t the fastest, sharpest or lightest, but it’s a genuinely good board for everyone, with enough directional traction as a first board, all the way through to smooth load, pop and grip stability on landings for a pro. That’s a really difficult blend to achieve and you always have fun with the Master whatever the conditions.

KW LIKED: No limits, playful feel with easy control.

KW WOULD CHANGE: It’s not a dominant master in any one area, but is a true jack-of-all-trades, so there’s nothing to change.

MASTER BALANCE POINTS:

Build quality: 8

Fixtures and fittings: 8.5

Speed: 7.5

Pop: 8

Drive: 7.5

Flex: 7

Comfort: 8

Looseness: 5

Grip: 8

Upwind: 8

Slider proof: NA

Boots applicable: Yes

Freeriding: 8.5

Freestyle: 8

Ease of use: 9

SIZES: 142 x 43, 139 x 42 and 136 x 41cm

More at: eleveightkites.com