North Carve Kite 2023

The Carve is a powerful, reactive and controllable kite, ideal for carving up a wave face, tucking into a barrel or boosting strapless tricks. Engineered with a stable, lower aspect ratio design for fast pivot turns and excellent drift, the Carve has an extremely direct feel in both bar pressure and steering initiation. For 2023, North said that they had put the Carve back into its wave riding category and refined the bridles for a longer, more progressive travel which meant the kite feels smoother and more responsive throughout the full depower range. It is still reactive when you sheet out – to the very end. Improved overall balance also enhances drift, so when you’re surfing, it glides down the line, waiting for your bar input. More intuitive control – especially when the kite’s not visible on a big bottom turn, cut back, or in a barrel – means you can focus 100% on the surf. The Carve has a slightly reduced leading-edge diameter and thinned-out profiles. This gives the kite smoother power delivery, improves the high-end wind range, and helps you ride deeper in the pocket for longer. The kite won’t pull you aggressively off the rail, and you’ll have softer landings when doing big jumps. The 2023 Carve will also relaunch faster in critical situations. We’ve introduced lighter bladders in all sizes and a lighter 2-ply canopy reinforcement. This reduces weight and helps improve the turning speed in light wind while maintaining the Carve’s surf-tough durability. The Carve now flies faster, generating more power and board speed. It rockets upwind. Experienced riders will benefit from the kite’s impressive power and efficiency, while intermediate riders will find it offers a smoother, more user-friendly ride. Freeride and Strapless Freestylers will love the improved hangtime and catch for kite loops and softer landings.