Rider: 85kg / 1.95m
Style: airstyle & unhooked
Weather: sessions in 15-20 and 25-30 knots, choppy Sydney
Build Quality: top notch
Satisfaction: maximum grin
Disclosure: Kitepower team rider
My Comments: http://www.kitepower.com.au/axis-limited-2016.html
The Axis Limited has been my weapon of choice for the last couple of years. I've been pushing my unhooked tricks while my knees are still in good shape but also like to boost and do all sort of fun old-school moves, and the Limited with straps is perfect for that.
It is lighter than a pure wakestyle board but still stiff and strong, and feel very sharp and precise allowing for fast riding and great pop. The bottom channels are very pronounced and help the board split water and stay nicely in line when landing so it's actually fairly easy on the knees. I've had softer boards that were a little bit more comfy but would annoyingly bounce around when hitting the water hard. Perfect match with my Ozone C4 kites, the Limited gives me the confidence to go bigger and harder in loops and unhooked tricks.
The main challenge when designing a board is to compromise between comfort and performance and Axis has been doing an amazing job at improving both of these at the same time. The major upgrade for the 2016 model is a much thicker and fairly round rail for the whole length of the board. Inspired by surfboard rails, this give the board a little bit extra lift when going through the water on an angle, and this makes riding through chop much more comfortable. However this does not alter the feeling of lightness and sharpness at all, so props to the designer Adrian Roper for achieving that.
The Limited comes with 50mm fins which give the best pop and upwind performance, but I like to ride it with 35mm instead to give it a more skatey feel. The Axis pads and straps are seriously good, super comfy and locking your feet in very well with the 4 velcros on top and the toe ridge. The bottom plate is also reinforced so it won't fall apart after a season. The board comes with 3 settings for the stance and the duck can be adjusted with 10 different angles. I enjoy riding it with straps but many people out there also like it with boots.
The Limited is Axis flagship where they've put all their knowledge and experience built with the best materials available out there to make it the best freestyle board ever, and I can tell you it delivers. I must also say the new black and white look with a matte finish is stunning. So go grab one from your shop or me at the beach and take it for a spin, I guarantee you'll love it!
Pic taken by girlfriend who actually said "oh that's a sexy board!" :
Select to expand quoteMacster said..
What's the difference with the 2015 model?Select to expand quoteAntoine said..
The major upgrade for the 2016 model is a much thicker and fairly round rail for the whole length of the board. Inspired by surfboard rails, this give the board a little bit extra lift when going through the water on an angle, and this makes riding through chop much more comfortable. However this does not alter the feeling of lightness and sharpness at all, so props to the designer Adrian Roper for achieving that.
It's also a tad heavier because of that bigger rail and constant thickness, whereas the previous one was thick under the feet but then thinner around with a little drop. The 2015 was feather light, so it's now closer to the average board, but still pretty light and looking super strong!
Thanks and sorry, I glazed over that paragraph!. I love my 2015 and with boots it's a real weapon. I went the 140cm at 95kgs which still has lots of buoyancy even when leaning over edging hard.
I've been raving at how the razor thin edges provide great bite - interesting that they're now fat.
Here's Adrian Roper with the story behind the new rail.
Credit to 'The Kiteboarder Magazine' for the great videos from Surf Expo as usual.
Forward it to 1:30 if you're time poor.
"New rail"... like its some innovative design lol..
fone, xenon, wh and more all used that thick rail in the mid section with some variations pre 2014
a real innovation, whether someone likes it or not, is fone's HRD, not a regular non tapered rail.
board looks sick tho.
Select to expand quoteigoryak said..
"New rail"... like its some innovative design lol..
fone, xenon, wh and more all used that thick rail in the mid section with some variations pre 2014
a real innovation, whether someone likes it or not, is fone's HRD, not a regular non tapered rail.
board looks sick tho.
Been around longer than that, but it's new for the Axis board 
