I have been riding the Escape for about 1 ½ year and the last six months I spent my time in Cape Town for my internship and of course: kitesrufing.
I have been riding with the 7m and 9m Escape 2013 as well as the 2012 version. I did about 60 - 80 kitesurf sessions with the Escape’s in the most extreme conditions of Cape Town, and those are the roughest.
Jumps
The kite is good for massive jumps, fat kite loops and nice pop for freestyle. But I did a lot of wave riding as well. The kite is good for wave riding because of its smooth and direct turns and the massive depower. Riding waves is really fun and the kite makes it easy for everybody. You can easily make massive jumps because of his great lift, but the kite keeps it power and pressure, even when you’re about the land with a massive speed. I’m very thankful for the kite for all the times that it has saved me from bone braking landings.
Print
The 2013 print is totally different, and in a good way. The kite has a nice new coat and Peter Lynn improved the shape and the seams in the sail. The seams are sticked vertical and semi horizontal, to improve the strength of the sail. The shape didn’t changed much, but it looks like it’s more rugged.
Bribles
The designer of Peter Lynn shortened the bridles to prevent annoying situations which lead to a more user-friendly kite. They also put an anti-stuck system on the tips of the kite, so the bridles won’t get stuck on the tips.
Bar
The bar is pretty much the same as last year. The bar is strong, nice grip and the de-power system is very easy to use. There is a new bar in the development, which is recommendable because the safety system is not the easiest to use. I checked the lines customarily, because I hate uneven lines. I don’t know what kind of lines they use, but I’m very impressed about them because they don’t stretch. The bar is being delivered with 22m lines, with extensions of 2 meters.
The bar pressure is a little bit less than a C kite, but has more pressure than a regular SLE kite. For me very important when you are hanging 10 meters in the air. For freestyle and freeride very comfortable, because your arms won’t get pulled out of you torso but you are still able to feel the position of the kite.
User friendly
A friend of my who just got into kiteboarding wanted to try the 7m Escape 2013. For the first time he was able to ride upwind and he for the first time he knew where the kite was, without looking to it. He was very enthusiastic about the kite, that he wanted to buy one.
Quality
You can compare the Escape with one of the better quality kite’s on the market, which is available for a fair and affordable price. Peter Lynn is a new player in the inflatable kite market, but they sure can European quality kite’s which they already make for more than 20 years.
kiteloops Peter Lynn 2013, Cape Town, Langebaan from Eduke de Boer on Vimeo.
kiteloops en jumps Escape 7m, Blouberg, Kaapstad from Eduke de Boer on Vimeo.