Andrea's Stunt + Slingshot Code NXT v2 | The Megapod

Summary

Kitesurf365: The Megapod

Episode: Andrea’s Stunt + Slingshot Code NXT v2

Hosted by: Adrian Kerr & Colin Colin Carroll
Date: March 5, 2026

---

Episode Overview

In this episode of The Megapod, Adrian and Colin dive deep into two hot topics in the kiteboarding world:

• Andrea Principi’s jaw-dropping 250-meter descent from Ain Dubai—a stunt that has captured global attention both for its scale and its context, with Andrea now stranded due to political tensions.
• The imminent release of the Slingshot Code NXT v2 kite—with insider insights into what makes this a standout release and why it’s stirring so much anticipation among riders and industry insiders alike.

The conversation is fast, irreverent, and packed with both technical insights and signature banter.

---

Key Discussion Points and Insights

Andrea Principi’s 250m Ain Dubai Stunt

• Background & Context ([00:00-01:40])

  • Andrea’s descent off Dubai’s "London Eye" (Ain Dubai) became a viral sensation.
  • Complications: Andrea now unable to interview as he is stranded in Dubai due to regional conflict (Iran attacking Dubai).
  • “We're like a mackerel and he's like, he's dealing with like tuna, mate.” – Adrian [00:56]

• Andrea’s State of Mind ([01:41-02:50])

  • Andrea reportedly cut off all his hair—a possible stress reaction, though Colin jokes it’s just to “exercise some feeling of control.”
  • The hosts clarify they’re respecting Andrea’s privacy during this tense time.

• Behind the Stunt: Setup & Execution Details ([03:22-04:38])

  • The jump was planned by Red Bull, not Andrea, dispelling online theories.
  • Kite was lifted by drone; performed at sunrise with virtually no wind.
  • “That slip shows, you know, normally when we see those jumps, bro, you know, the guys bring the kite round and it lifts them up and then. Then they're off. This is literally him sliding down the exterior of this pod…”—Colin [03:55]
  • Hosts note the technical challenge: without wind, Andrea relied on apparent wind generated by his own movement.

• Comparison to Major Stunts in Kiteboarding ([04:39-09:47])

  • Nick Jacobsen’s 2017 Burj Al Arab jump compared: paid “probably the biggest one-off payment in kiteboarding history” [05:43].
  • Technical differences: Nick’s was from 210m sans parachute; Andrea’s from 250m with drone lift and parachute.
  • Andrea’s descent used aggressive kite steering and “merry go round” power management, a more extreme technical challenge due to windlessness.
  • “He’s steering the kite so aggressively down…you can lose your orientation. And when toe ups go wrong, it’s when people end up in the merry go round…”—Colin [08:43]
  • Notable: Modern kites (like Andrea’s) enable moves simply impossible with older gear.

• Dangers and Social Messaging ([15:47-16:29])

  • Discussion around responsibility and risk: “We’re celebrating…huge amount of risk taking and saying it’s brilliant…when, you know, maybe we should be praising you, Adrian, for having a quiet weekend…”—Colin [15:47]

• Impact and Red Bull’s Role ([11:44-12:59])

  • Red Bull has planned high-profile stunts for years; past efforts included planning with Yannick, who could not execute due to timing.
  • “There’s 284 Red Bull videos bigger than our biggest kite surfing jump. That just shows how important kitesurfing is in the market. Really pretty tiny shit.”—Colin [13:02]

• Most Iconic Stunts—Listener and Host Favorites ([14:19-15:19])

  • Nick Jacobsen’s original crane jump and Lewis Crathern’s Brighton Pier jump highlighted as the most “raw” and inspirational.
  • “For me, that is the most impressive thing I’ve seen.”—Adrian on Jacobsen’s crane jump [14:19]

---

Technical Deep Dive: Slingshot Code NXT v2

• Release Build-up & Market Context ([18:33-20:02])

  • NXT v2 is among the most anticipated kites this year, challenging models like the Duotone Evo D lab.
  • Its popularity stems from performance at the “highest level,” used by riders like Jeremy Belando.

• What “Going Behind” Means in Kiteloop Kites ([20:02-23:51])

  • Colin explains the concept of “going behind the rider” for braking:
    • Modern big air tricks now utilize the “half-sphere” wind window, allowing heli loops and smoother, more controlled landings.
    • "When you heli loop, you access this...the further it goes behind you and the lower you put it, the more it's acting as a brake."—Colin [20:33]
    • Kites like the NXT are designed for this, with gear and riding evolving hand in hand.

• Why the NXT v2 Stands Out ([23:51-26:15])

  • Notably powerful ("grunty") yet confidence-inspiring.
  • “If you like power, this is the kite for you...It's a good power. It's not like a scary power, you know?”—Adrian [23:51]
  • Aaron Hadlow’s blank test session showed the NXT’s unique forward-sitting flight.
  • Rider feedback: "Jeremy, don’t screw this up!"—Colin [24:36]

• Exclusive: Jeremy Belando on NXT v2 Upgrades ([26:15-27:21])

  • “Everything, everything got better. Every size got better. Before we had some flap in the kites and we really focused on eliminating the flap...to get more vertical lift and new seven point attachment bridle to make the kite even stiffer in strong conditions....It’s gonna be the best kite release yet.”—Jeremy Belando [26:29]
  • Emphasis on improved vertical lift, hang time, trailing edge, and bar feel.

• Industry Ramifications—Will Slingshot Take Over? ([27:28-28:19])

  • Discussion: Could Slingshot become “the next cab off the rank” after Nash, Duotone, Harlem, etc.?
  • Driving factor: the close designer-rider partnership (Adi Conrad & Jeremy Belando).

• Event Implications & Gear Consistency ([29:31-30:53])

  • Focus shifts to Lords of Tram event.
  • Consistency in gear is key for championship wins, highlighting the NXT v2’s value for pro teams.

---

Notable Quotes & Memorable Moments

• On Andrea’s priorities:
  "We're like a mackerel and he's like, he's dealing with like tuna, mate." — Adrian [00:56]
• On hair as a metaphor for stress:
  "He's so stressed, he cut all his hair off." — Colin [01:41]
• On the stunt’s difficulty:
  "This is literally him sliding down the exterior of this pod..." — Colin [03:55]
• On kiteboarding’s (tiny) place in Red Bull’s world:
  "There’s 284 Red Bull videos bigger than our biggest kite surfing jump." — Colin [13:02]
• On the pressure of epic stunts:
  "We’re celebrating…huge amount of risk taking and saying it’s brilliant…" — Colin [15:47]
• On kite design philosophy:
  "If it ain’t broke, don’t fix it. Right? But unfortunately, everyone has to do something." — Adrian [25:25]
• On future NXT v2 plans:
  "Let's talk to people that aren't really supposed to talk about it as well. Like, let's face it, every pro this year has written an NXT at some point because it's been that kite..." — Colin [29:06]

---

Timestamps for Key Segments

• [00:00] — Episode intro and Andrea’s Dubai stunt
• [01:41] — Andrea’s reaction and emotional state
• [03:22] — Discord questions on who plans big jumps
• [04:39] — Comparing Andrea and Nick Jacobsen’s stunts
• [08:14] — Tech analysis: wind, kite handling, apparent wind
• [11:19] — Dubai Marina location and stunt logistics
• [14:19] — Iconic jumps in kiteboarding history
• [18:33] — Slingshot Code NXT v2 anticipation
• [20:02] — What does "kite goes behind" mean?
• [23:51] — Code NXT's power and confidence factor
• [26:15] — Jeremy Belando on v2 improvements
• [29:31] — Pro tour, gear consistency, and event previews

---

Tone & Approach

This episode balances deep technical analysis with characteristic irreverence and humor. The hosts mix sharp tech breakdowns, real-world context, and playful banter, making it both informative and entertaining for new listeners and seasoned kiters alike.

Transcript

[A]

In this episode, we will discuss everything surrounding Andrea's stunt that he did last week in dubai. That enormous 250 meter descent that you will have seen all over the Internet. And we're covering the upcoming release of the Slingshot code NXT v2, which is a really highly anticipated model.

[B]

Catastrophic equipment failure.

[A]

Going for the boogaloo double just to get the landing.

[B]

Had a couple of strings and it was extremely dangerous. Guys, I sent the trap and it is gold for Ellie Aldridge and gold for Great Britain.

[A]

Much has happened since we last spoke.

[B]

Yeah, we tried to record on Sunday but Andrea was unavailable, which I guess is to be expected considering the, the present light of the situation that's going on.

[A]

So to shine some light, if you've not been on the Internet or looked at the news, Andrea Principe jumped off what is basically the London Eye in Dubai. Too much applause upon the Internet and I'm sure applause there on the shores of Dubai. And then, well, to put it bluntly, Iran attacked Dubai and Andrea is still stuck there. And despite all our efforts to try and get him on an interview, it does seem like he's got, he's got slightly bigger fish to fry. We're like a mackerel and he's like a, he's dealing with like tuna, mate.

[B]

He's so stressed, he cut all his hair off. What do you think of that?

[A]

Do we actually think that?

[B]

Yeah, it looks, it looks like a jarhead. I mean, it's like some military, military type of cut. It's like he's been contracted to war or something, you know.

[A]

Do you actually think though that he's done that to exercise some feeling of control over what's happening?

[B]

No, I just think he's got lots of time on his hand. Just like, sure, I'm going to cut my hair off. I hope it's not some sort of Samson esque fighting the Philistines and now he's lost all his powers. But interesting times. I have spoken to Andrea and he was very much like, listen, hey man, I'm not really in the headspace to talk, which was totally cool. I have spoken to Sergio Cantigale, who was also there. Sergio Cantigale, as most of you will know, is the, the event director. You might not know, he's the vent director for Red Bull, King of the year. Very strange to see Sergio there. I messaged Sergio also before and he said they're presently trying to cross the land border into Oman to try and get, get flights out of the uae. So, yeah, I Hope they can get back to Italy soon for both those guys, but pretty crazy, because this is. Normally the athletes are desperate to talk about this. Yeah. It's not like guys not wanting to talk about this. You know, normally they're like, yeah, let's do it. You know, so, you know. Yeah, I'm not putting pressure on him. I'm sort of weighing up my own sort of desire to be the first of the media versus Andrea's emotional state. And maybe I'm thinking sometimes the wrong way of thinking. I want the story first. I should be thinking about him.

[A]

You know, it's your job, though. But, yeah, a tricky situation for all. Shall we? What should we talk about first?

[B]

Let's keep talking about this jump because I saw on the Discord Group, which is the portrait Discord, if you are a portrait member, you get access to our Discord Group. People asking, oh, do the writers choose these? Who chooses this? I'm pretty sure I know that it's Red Bull choose these events. No, no. Riders thinking, honestly, I want to stand on the top of Ain Dubai and jump off at 250 meters or something. You said something, you know, to the chairs on the beach. Actually, if you look at the sunrise, it's. I think it's done at like seven in the morning. That. That sun that you can see there is super early. It looks like there's not many people around. Definitely no wind in the UAE in the mornings. And I think you can see that by. I think we've seen some footage now of the. The. The kite being lifted up in the air by a drone, which is kind of still crazy, and then him just slipping off the. The top part of that pod on the top of a Dubai. And that slip shows, you know, normally when we see those jumps, bro, you know, the guys bring the kite round and it lifts them up and then. Then they're off. This is literally him sliding down the exterior of this pod and you can even hear the gusts of the. The people. Right. But then he obviously creates his own wind through the lines and, you know, manages to start sort of flying the kite above him to give him that sort of float.

[A]

How is the kite attached to the drone?

[B]

I don't know. I just. I've only seen a single picture of that. So, again, when we do get Andrea on, and we will, we'll dive. Nick versus Andrea, both big jumps out of the uae. Nick obviously jumped off the helipad at the Burj Al Arab. Andrea off the top of the Ain Dubai. Can you compare those it's clear that

[A]

heel doesn't want to heal. Incredibly sassy comment from him on our Instagram met with a hundred likes.

[B]

I haven't actually seen it. What did he write?

[A]

Go and have a look. Go and have a look. It's one of the great. Where is he?

[B]

Who cares? Both are mental. Yeah, absolutely. Yeah. And that's coming from. That's coming from a world class operator. And guys, I think you need to put this in perspective. It's very few people who would do this. And that's the crazy thing. I mean, am I right in thinking that Nick got paid money to do this versus Andre is doing this because of contract? Is that. Am I right in thinking that? Sort of. Along those lines.

[A]

Nick was paid probably the biggest one off payment in kiteboarding history for that.

[B]

Wow. Do we know what that is?

[A]

We know what it is. And that will be in an episode of how to Get Paid later this year. Let's compare the two. Because I think despite what heal says, I think people do care and it's a nice way to be able to enjoy and appreciate both healing.

[B]

So I think he was saying like this, who cares? They're both amazing. That's the way I read it. Or you were like, who gives a. Which way did you read it?

[A]

I don't know. I just love the idea of he'll give you a shit online publicly and us dishing it back. So, yeah, Nyx 2017, he's on a Cabrina switchblade. His jump was from 210 meters. I don't think he had a parachute. They had to shut down the Dubai international airport for 15 minutes to do it. And his kite launch was from a platform below the helipad. The kite was on the helipad and Nick could not see the kite when he launched it. Whereas Andrea's obviously done via drone and we do want more details on that. And from 250 meters, so another 40 meters up, there's obviously no solid platform to jump off, apart from this slippery capsule that he slides off. You're right, Adrian. From a lack of wind, he kind of shimmies his way into it, which actually would have been really scary because he must have felt the slack coming and then the slide happening, and then he would have just had to redirect the kite and get on with it. So like it dictated when he was going to leave the building rather than Andrea being in control of that. Actually similar thing with Tom Bridge when he jumped off the enormous Virgin cruise ship. Was that last year? I think it was Last year was the year before last year, maybe.

[B]

I think it was the year before. Yeah.

[A]

Really? That's been a quick year. Climbing and yeah, Tom was just lifted off. He didn't decide. Right. Let's go. August came.

[B]

That was only 150ft, right?

[A]

Yeah.

[B]

Think about that, bro. That's. What. What's 150ft? 40 meters. This is like. Dude, this is crazy high compared to that.

[A]

And Tom's 45 meters. Yeah. So Andrea's jump is five times higher, but Tom's was. I mean, Tom was in straps. He doesn't ride straps. Got to take that into consideration. The other thing about Nyx was that he basically just Haley loops down. What Andrea's doing is kind of fucked. Like he isn't just one is completely windless, which is scary. Right. That's why he had to begin that jump when he did. Because there's no breeze. That's why he needed a drone. No breeze. So it's just all apparent wind. It's using gravity and his mass underneath the kite in order to put tension in the lines. He doesn't just heli loop down safely. He's going like. He's steering the kite down. You can see it in that carousel. The clip of the Insta 360 camera on his back. He's steering the kite so aggressively down. And what that puts you into is like a merry go round situation. If it's. If it's really light wind, because you completely lose the direction of the wind and you can lose your orientation. And when toe ups go wrong, it's when people end up in the merry go round and you end up like parallel with the kite. You're in line with the kite and then all of a sudden.

[B]

Gravitron. Do you remember the Gravitron at the faster it goes, you start sliding up the walls. It's a bit like that. You're getting. It's a centripetal force. Right. You're. Yes, counterbalancing the kite.

[A]

But the chance of slack coming to say hello to you at the wrong time is very high when that's happening. Especially if your pilot skills aren't good. So amazing that Andrea did that. And I think it's a testament to him also. The kites are so different. Like the Cabrino switchblade did not like going behind you. Kites weren't even really. That wasn't even a consideration in 2017. Kite going behind you. You were lucky to get one heli loop out of that thing. Whereas Andrea, you know, and the trap are known for heli looping for days and days and days on the way down and catching magic gusts where kites just couldn't do that before. So there's a bit of a difference in gear there too and in the confidence that he has in it.

[B]

He's just doing a casual board off a casual board at the same time. I mean you're talking about the importance of steering the kite. He's doing it one handed, he's giving zero. I wonder what he was saying the whole way down. I'm looking forward to living, looking forward to catching up. He was wearing a parachute. It looks like he's got some type of. I mean what was he even wearing? He's like got, it's like he was doing a yoga class and they put him in some, put him in his outfit to go and jump. He's like in like, like his Sunday church pants.

[A]

He's wearing a burkini.

[B]

Very, very, very, very important.

[A]

Now Adrian, you've lived in Dubai for many a year. Whereabouts is it in the relation to the city? What's the wind like there? Tell us, tell us a bit about the location, mate.

[B]

That's in Dubai Marina which is to the south of the main part of the city. At that time of day there's no wind. It's just not a windy time. You know, it's mainly driven by thermals there. Yeah. He's jumping into one of the biggest residential areas in Dubai which is the Dubai Marina.

[A]

Surely there is wind at 250 meters up 250 meters plus his kite length 272 meters.

[B]

There must be, there must have been something for sure. But it didn't look like much. I mean these are the kind of questions we need to ask him. But he is jumping into a bay. It's just really impressive. You know the funny thing was we'd heard about this jump before a couple years ago, right. We'd actually heard Yannick talking about us. Yannick came on the banter boat two years ago and he was talking about that this was a jump that Red Bull had been planning. The Dubai Eye has not been working for some time and they were planning a great launch. I believe as of end of last year it started to rotate again but it didn't, didn't work for years and they were planning or pushing Yannick into that opportunity. That didn't happen with Yannick leaving. But it got me sort of thinking about, about the, the Red Bull jumps and I went online, dude, and I looked at, hey, what are the, the big Red Bull kite surfing jumps that were seen. And I looked at the, the views. If you look at the YouTube Red Bull YouTube channel, there's only four jumps on. There's the plane jump by Lassie, 682K. There's the boat jump from Tom, that's 335K. The A jump from Andrea is not there. And the jump over a ship which was Yannick Reuben and Lassie 1.3. Now 1.3 is the biggest total and I.

[A]

1.3 what?

[B]

1.3 million views and they don't even

[A]

jump over a boat.

[B]

Yeah, just go off the back of it. I thought hey, let me just, let me just see how that compares to the other, the other Red Bull events. So the biggest Red Bull one is 164 million. It's a parkour event in number one. And I thought just let me count the videos in descending order till I get there. Dude, mate, it's 284 videos down is the first kite boarding jump. So there's 284 Red Bull videos bigger than our biggest kite surfing jump. That just shows how important kitesurfing is in the market. Really pretty tiny shit. But Andrea's stuff's not up there. I hope that comes up there soon. Maybe that will come up there soon. That might be big of you because it's definitely pretty spectacular. The plane jump, the jump over the boat is bollocks as you said. Let me ask you a question. Is this jump from Andrea for me still in my heart the most impressive jump I just think because it's in its rawest and it's crazy is the Nick Jacobson Crane jump. I don't know why that always is the most original. The original one. The second time the, the that jump because just the climb this, the lack of planning and everything about it for me is more.

[A]

He eats a sandwich at the top.

[B]

Carlito's menu down the top. The sandwich. Just him doing that and the skill of him to climb that rusty piece of shit and do it still to me just. I know it's not even high but for me that is the most impressive thing I've seen. What about you?

[A]

I think Lewis Crath and jumping Brighton Pier. That is so loose. If you ever get a chance guys to go. Yeah. If you live in England and you kite get yourself down to Brighton, just stand on that thing and go. Oh my goodness, imagine. Can you imagine jumping this puppy on a slingshot? Fuel giving zero shit. That is for me. And it made it made it was on the National News. Yeah. The whole nation knew about that. It was actually one of the first, like, touch points for me. Learning about kiteboarding, I think.

[B]

Oh, really?

[A]

Hearing about that. Yeah. And seeing it and you're like, I

[B]

want to do this.

[A]

I was like, I could do that. I could. I could loop that. Don't know why I didn't loop it.

[B]

Maybe Andre's exposure has been sort of dampened by the current events and, you know, maybe they'll hold back a little bit and then do like a. Another release and give it a big push. But I wonder how many young people see stuff like this and think, should I want to do that? Or like Hill said, fucking complete madness.

[A]

You know, I think a lot of young people think it, which I think is sort of irresponsible. Like, this is the problem with social media, isn't it? It's just raised everyone's expectations of themselves and kind of injected ambition recklessly into the lives of ordinary folk. Like, you know, we're celebrating. We're making a podcast, celebrating huge amount of risk taking and saying it's brilliant and giving him praise and attention for it when, you know, maybe we should be praising you, Adrian, for having a quiet weekend and, you know, pancakes in

[B]

the morning, just watching. I mean, but people like escapism, right? I mean, that's. They like to be able to sit back and think, holy crap.

[A]

The.

[B]

I think people see the Red Bull stunts and they probably are a lot. They're realizing it's highly planned and highly regulated. Opposed to the Nick one. That. Look, you're right about Nick not, you know, just jumping off the burge without a parachute. It's crazy. Is that the same year that Nick went on and won king of the at the end of the year, 2017, right?

[A]

Big. Yeah, dude.

[B]

Huge year for Nick. Became rich and won king of the year. Doubled down.

[A]

He was already rich.

[B]

He just owns a brand now.

[A]

Yeah, I think, yeah, Nick deserves all the respect for that. Really. It was crazy. It was crazy at the time. And he was the one that first. You know, you're right. The crane jump. Epic. Epic. What else do we know about Andrea in this jump? That's interesting.

[B]

Yeah. I mean, you mentioned the airport there. I'd be interested to know if he knows if they did decide to close the airspace as well again. I'm just looking forward to speaking to him. You know, he was very, you know, when I spoke to him quickly on the Sunday, he just was very like, hey, man, I. I'm just not in the right head space to do anything. So it was. I sort of backed off, but I. I've nudged him a few times, but also just trying to give him some space. But I think the next part of the story is actually hearing from Andrea. What's it like to be out there? You know, what did you think when you first saw this? And I think it's the first big thing Andre's done. Well, it's the first big thing Andre has done for Red Bull and whether he wants to do more of the stuff and where he wants to up the game and. And do something more crazy. I always feel like these riders, they get into, they do something like this and they see the traction. Like baby shark jumping off that pole in Blue Lagoon. What is it, like 100 million views or something crazy? I think guys get hooked on doing something that's going to pop and blow up and. And give you that sort of extra push on social media. I think I'd still believe that people think that's the way.

[A]

All right, this month, well, within the next four to five weeks is the release. It's probably actually the most anticipated kite. It's either the NXT Code, New Code or the New XR is one of the two most anticipated this year. Harlem are talking about something mental coming later in the year, but we don't know enough about that to get too excited. Also, everyone's always saying something mental is coming, don't they? But Code NXT has been the Alulukite. It raised the bar. It took what the Duotone Evo D lab, the 2023 one, and kind of made it more of a rocket ship, made it go behind even easier. It just glides. The thing is smooth. You see it in all the slingshot riders riding. It's obvious that that K had a big say in how they glide down so effortlessly. I'm talking about the likes of Jeremy Belando there and of course, Zach, too. Very similar. If you look at them both designed by Adi Conrad with heavy input from Jeremy Belando. This one's. This one's going to be a big release because, like, how do they top something that won a world championship? Something that kind of every pro that touches it and goes on it is like, this is good.

[B]

Yeah, it's kind of bucking the trend, right, because it's still the three strut platform where most teams have gone back to a five strut platform, you know, for the. For this big year, actually. You know, we're always talking about having the kite go behind. Maybe could you just break that down a little bit? For people who don't know exactly what. What we're talking about when we say that the kite goes right behind, I mean, we're largely talking about a braking mechanism as well. But maybe you can explain that a bit. And just for the people out there who maybe don't know what that actually means.

[A]

Yes. So when you do your. When you go and have a kite lesson, they talk about the win window as a quarter sphere in front of you. If you've ever watched a how to kite video on YouTube, you would have seen the visual as well. So there's the rider as way more 2D, isn't it? Or despite it being a quarter sphere, that is actually 3D. But for the sake of this, we'll make it simple in Big Air. In the past few years, it's become vital to think of the win window as a half sphere. There's this extra quarter segment that's actually behind you. And when you heli loop, you access this and the motion of that, the kite going behind you. So against the will of the wind. But how do I put this simply? No, I guess Quartosphere is good. When it approaches the very edge of the window, it continues to go behind you. And the further it goes behind you and the lower you put it, the more it's acting as a brake. So that when you come down for your landing, you've already killed all of that speed and you're in far more control on landing. And that really is what has given riders today the confidence to take tricks and take their gear to a new level. Janek Zergi was really the pioneer of this, doing boogie loops with additional rotations. And the. If you are able to do an additional rotation with it because you're facing the kite as you're rotating, it just opens up a whole new world to these tricks. Because instead of fighting the kite as it's above you and doing like a net, really narrow shit heli loop that doesn't kill your speed all of a sudden it's like bringing you down softly. This is something we've talked about lots on YouTube. Go back on the portrait YouTube to go and find stuff like that. And Mike McDonald as well, has done lots of good tutorial videos on it too. And some guides are really good at it and some kites. It hasn't really been in the design consideration. The Evo D lab, as I said before, was really good at it, but the next code sort of took it to a whole new level. And yeah, that's why it's been so Popular as well as actually having a massive sweet spot is easy to take off on the nxt. And it's smooth. Something in the bridling just seems to iron everything out. You just don't feel gusts as much. And it gives you confidence because you're just like, do you know what? This, these aren't hectic conditions. Whereas if you were on a more old school kite, it would. You'd be shitting yourself. That's the magic of it.

[B]

I'll give you another compliment of the code. If you like power, this is the kite for you. I mean, this, this kite is grunty. It's super powerful. And I notice that. I think you'll agree, Colin, when you ride like a Harlem and an NXT back to back in the same size, they almost feel like they're different size kites. I. I don't know why that is, but there's definitely a distinct different feeling between that. Maybe that's the. Maybe that's the Alula and the other one's brainchild. But they definitely. It feels like you're riding a kite up. So if you are a guy who likes a lot of power, man, that, that code NXT gives you that extra grunt for sure. I really feel the power of that kite when I ride it. And it's a good power. It's not like a scary power, you know?

[A]

Yeah, I think it's confidence inducing. You remember from the Aaron Hadlow blank test, it's the nxt. That's the kite that is when he's standing on the beach, like the lines are almost in his face because it sits that far forward in the window. It's like constantly pushing. It wants to attack and go into that backwards quarter sphere, as I said before, which is really not an articulate or concise way of putting it. This version is exciting though, because they made something so good. I remember saying to Jeremy, because it's the blank kite that I kept of all of those ones that Aaron flew. I kept that one. And we've ridden it in like amongst the staff loads. And I was just like, Jeremy, don't screw this up, Jeremy.

[B]

I mean, I think we can all sit here and we can think about kites we really liked. And then when the new one comes out, you're like, I don't like this. You know, it's not as good. That's that it's like that. If it ain't broke, don't fix it. Right? But unfortunately, everyone has to do something. You can change the colors, you can do different things. You need to make changes because you need to keep pushing forward. But yeah, it's a difficult one. I, I think, I think with this, as this NXT gets closer, I think I'll reach back out to Adi and get some audio from him about how you approach a kite like that. What's the design, what's the designer's point of view? When you've got a great kite, how do you, how do you take it forward without messing it up? I'd like to know that. I think if I can get a chance, I'll, I'll talk to him about that and put that into an upcoming podcast. Let's hear from Jeremy Blando as he talks about working on the Slingshot code NXT v2.

[C]

Yeah, NXT v2 is going to release in the next month. I guess we've done a lot of improvements to the kite in basic. Everything, everything got better. Every size got better. Before we had some flap in the kites and we really focused on eliminating the flap in getting more vertical lift in ensuring the hang time to be even more. The feel is gonna be the original NXT feel. So very easy to use and with the light bar pressure and you always know where the kite is and where it sits after loop. But we've improved many things like the new battens, the new trailing edge shape which reduces flap, a new kind of profile to get more vertical lift and new seven point attachment bridle to make the kite even stiffer in strong conditions. Like the kite I used in called Hawaii. That one was the V2 and yeah, can't wait to, for it to release because it's gonna be the best kite release yet.

[A]

Yeah, it's sort of been the Looper's best friend to that kite, hasn't it?

[B]

I wonder if, you know, we were talking about the other day about like it was the Nash Pivots, then was the Orbits, then it was Duotone, then it's Harlem. Do you think Slingshot could be the next cab off the rank?

[A]

It has been. It's for riding at the highest level. I think to stay at the top though, you need someone ambitious like Jeremy Bellendo with a great designer like Eddie Comrade just knocking on the door constantly being like, okay, let's change this, let's change this. They're hungry. The Slingshot code NXT also looks sick. I just love that design. I think it's the most like gangster looking kite out there, isn't it? Can I say that?

[B]

Sure.

[A]

Not really. No, I don't think so. I don't Actually know any gangsters myself. So, you know,

[B]

click my. Click my Glocks together. I mean, I was saying that last week about, you know, brands that are desperate to be on top and work as a team and work as a collective. They get results and I think the bigger teams sort of get away from that. And it's. I guess it's difficult for Duotone north and Core having such big development units, having that collective focus. And I think the thing is, I. I think with Slingshot being a massive team, but the. The relationship between Addie and Jeremy, as you've mentioned before, they speak to each other all the time. And Eddie's like, I'll take phone calls at 2 in the morning because Jeremy's like, you know, got these ideas and I think it's that passion and drive that those two particularly have. And also there. And also, I guess it comes down to Slingshot having the confidence in those two to, to. To take the lead on that, you

[A]

know, Be interesting to hear. Let's hear over the next few weeks before it comes out here from Addie, let's talk to Zach and yeah, let's talk to people that aren't really supposed to talk about it as well. Like, let's face it, every pro this year has written an NXT at some point because it's been that kite and they'll all have opinions. So, yeah, it'd be interesting to hear where they think it's going as well and bring that to you guys.

[B]

Yeah, it's going to be interesting to see if Jeremy returns to Lords of Tram. He didn't ride Lords of Tram last year, didn't do the Brazil event through his injury, so he didn't do this one as well. So be interesting to see him go back. And also it's a flatwater takeoff spot he doesn't really like, but I'm sure he's going to want to put a second world championship and especially with those guys knowing Mykonos as well as they do.

[A]

Yeah.

[B]

The good thing by having that second event, right, is obviously you want to win events to become world champions, but the more stops you have, the more consistent you are and the more consistent your gear is, is how you win those big ones. And I guess having two stops. Jeremy, be looking to, you know, to really tap into this new kite at Lords of Tram. Yeah, we'll be looking forward to seeing that. I mean, it's such a great man. I'm just really excited about Lords of Tram. It's just such a great event to watch, to be there. And, yeah, that's going to be sick. Hopefully by next week, we've got the fleet out on that as well because it'll be super interesting to see who's made that fleet first big fleet of the year. So it sort of set the tone for the year. You know, there's a lot of guys who put on great performances at King of the Air. I always say to those guys, you know, job's not done. You know, one big performance doesn't make a career. You've got to back that up with consistent performance. And actually, arguably, you know, Zach had a great run last year, but throughout the year, he didn't do super well. You know, again, turned it on at King of the Air. And I don't mind if Zach keeps turning on a King of the. It's great for me. But for legacy, as a legacy rider, I like to see guys getting good results, consistent results every event, and then rising, you know, like the cream rises at the top, at the big occasion. I think that's that just comes down to experience and age, and these young guys are learning that.

[A]

Very good. All right, so as we near the launch of the NXTV 2, we'll bring you the likes of Jeremy Belando and the car designer Eddie Conrad, and, yeah, and all the news and hype in the run up to Lords of Tram as well. Until then, thanks to us, always. And we'll see in the next one, which will be Thursday, because that's when these come out. Goodbye.