found this on Kiteforum.com and thought i'd poach and post here
from http://www.kiteforum.com/phpbb/viewtopic.php?t=2317710
We're on vacation in the Gorge with a bunch of our friends, one of whom is Cabrinha Rep Steve Gunn, our very good friend who happened to bring the new Crossbow with him. For those who haven't seen this kite yet, it's a radical departure from traditional inflatable kite design, in that it crosses inflatable struts and leading edge with foil kite principles and layout. There are only two in the whole country, and we're lucky enough to have one with us, thanks to Steve. Sorry - no pics, forgot to bring my camera's USB cable.
I rode the Crossbow yesterday at the Event's site after my husband, John, rode it the day before at Rufus. It's a very different ride from a traditional inflatable kite, so different that we have taken to calling it the "Space Ship." It looks really different in the air (and on land as well), and it feels incredibly different as well. It looks like, and rides like, an alien craft.
Before I describe the ride, I should write a quick disclaimer. I'm rather 'fuzzy' thanks to a wonderful Oregon Pinot Noir, but I'll try my best to be cogent.
Kite position -
The first thing I noticed was the kite's flying position. It flies deep in the window compared to my Nitro, which threw me off. Normally, a kite that deep in the window generates an enormous amount of pull, but this kite produced a very even, relaxed feel. When you pull the bar to dive, the kite goes to nearly 90 degrees, almost instantly, which is disorienting at first. Normally, you pull your kite and it gradually dives toward the water at around 45 degrees. With this kite, you pull and it dives at 90 degrees or more, in a blink. It reacts very quickly, very controlled. It is extremely aggressive and quite fast. You yank the bar and the kite dives at the water - as my husband says, "it's like a kite robot - it just dives at the water the second you think about it." It's like you're flying on very short lines (like 10 meter lines). From the beach, it looks like the kite is twisted - it creates an interesting optical illusion. From shore, most people think it's in an S-shape. Its foil-like shape makes it pivot extremely fast.
Low-end range -
The next thing I noted was the incredible low-end range of the kite. I went out very early. Everyone was on 16m kites, and while I would normally be on 14, I took out the 9m Crossbow. While everyone else was slogging and working their kites, I was boosting 15 feet of air. It's got a pretty sick low-end, much more than expected. Very shocking. I shot upwind (which isn't a huge issue in the Gorge, but I went way farther, way faster, than anyone else on the water). I think I was the only one out there having fun! I was surprised that I was planning, much less jumping with lots of air between me and the water.
Float -
I was impressed and surprised by the float of this kite. I didn't boost any higher than normal (although I wasn't very powered), but I must say that I was surprised to be jumping at all on a 9m while most peoples' 16s were falling out of the sky. It takes a couple reaches to get used to, but I was floating much longer than usual, which made for some entertaining egg-beater jumps. When I was ready to hit the water, I was still at the apex, wondering when I would land. There were times when I said to myself, "OK, ready to come down now. Ok, how about now?" but I still had a couple of seconds in the air before reaching water. I would spot my landing, but hung there, wondering what other grab to try. I want to take it out when I'm powered to see if I do boost higher than normal, but I can definitely say that the amount of hang-time threw me off and blew me away.
Depower/power control -
Know when a gust hits you and you have to edge like crazy to keep control? With this kite, all you do is push the bar out, and suddenly, you're going slowly. This was the most shocking part of the kite. It was very odd, but the only way I can explain it is that you have absolute control with the kite. I was speeding fast with a gust, approaching a very shallow sand spit and hoping to slow down while flattening out the board to avoid an epic tumble. I pushed the bar out, and I was instantly de-powered, going slowly with a flat board while the gust pushed through. I couldn't believe it. You have total power with the kite, and it's instantaneous. While carving hard and hitting the lip on big swell going port, I turned and hit a huge swell going starboard. I pushed out the bar out and let the swell push me. When I pushed the bar out, there was no wind in the kite to pull me forward, I just let the swell propel me. It was really surprising to have such instantaneous de-power ability. The thing I kept thinking was "Wow, this thing will be insane in the waves at Waddell." I can't help but think of how cool this kite will be in the big waves on the coast - to be able to have this kind of de-power range in the waves will allow you to truly surf the waves without getting yanked through them.
Kite reaction -
Being around 120 pounds without an ACL in one knee, I'm not a huge fan of kite loops, I'll admit. It's just too hard on my knees. I get too yanked around and land too hard. But the Crossbow kite loops without any power what-so-ever (unless you pull the bar in, in which case you'll get full kite-looping power). I would jump and loop the kite mid-air without any change in the direction of travel. It was rather surprising. Again, I can only imagine how amazing this feature would be in the wave when quick turns really come in handy.
Bar-pressure -
I'm not sure where, but I heard that this kite has a lot of bar-pressure. I normally ride Cabrinha Nitros, and I found that this kite has less bar-pressure than the Nitro (which to me, doesn't feel like it has very much bar pressure). It's very light on the bar, especially when sheeted out. When sheeted-in, it's got a normal feel to me. When on land, when the wind was gusting crazily, I didn't even feel it when I sheeted out.
Back on the Nitro-
I love my Nitros, but after I gave the kite back to Steve and was on my 7.5 Nitro when the wind picked up, I kept screaming "what's wrong with my kite?!" I didn't realize that with the Space Ship, whenever a back-breaking gust hit, I just sheeted out and didn't feel it. But with my normal kite, I felt every kick of the freight-train-like gusts. The Space Ship was steady and in total control no matter if there as gust or not, but on my normal kite, the kite fell back in the window in a lull and powered up in the big gusts. I didn't realize how steady the Space Ship made the ride until I was off it.
Distractions -
The only problem I had with the kite were the distractions. People kept riding up and screaming "what is that thing?," "Can I try it," and "What's it like? Is it sick?"
Yes, it is sick. It's truly sick. When I came in, my only question for Steve was, "Will you report me to the police if I steal it from you?" It is not leaving my car. No question.
I've been kiting for 5 years now, and this was one of the most fun days I've had on a kite, and the wind wasn't even that great when I rode it! It's a really fun kite, and has such a different feel that I will always call it "The Space Ship." I think it comes out sometime in August - I encourage you to try it if you can. It's so different, and so much fun. For me it redefined kiting.
The first review kind of made me think twice about the crossbow... but the second review certainly makes me feel more confindent about my future kite purchase... I thought the Element had unbelieveable safety features, but the safety in this kite certainly sounds promicing! Cheers 
Got to love these tough Perth winters
