From GoPro footage to 50,000 views: An interview with Jason of Montreal from New Zealand, hobbyist kiter, bar owner, and possible YouTubes’ most impartial kite gear reviewer.

We talk to Jason, with a 10h time difference. Hi Jason! Let’s dive straight in, so you can dive into your bed after.

Who is Jason? I'm a hobbyist, really. A Canadian-born Kiwi; born in Montreal, grew up here in New Zealand, hence the funny accent. I own a few cocktail bar restaurants in Auckland, which gives me some flexibility to chase the wind. We don't get it every day here, but when we do, me and a few other guys with flexible schedules make the most of it."

You weren't always a kiter. "When I was younger I was always into one sport or another. Competitive water polo, skiing. But those got harder to keep up with, especially somewhere like New Zealand where there isn't much snow nearby. When I got into kitesurfing around 2013, it was just a great outlet for all that energy. It grew from there."

The reviews weren't part of the plan. (laughs) "Let’s be honest, nobody's plan is to become an unpaid gear tester for the global kite industry. I'd been doing what every GoPro owner does: filming everything on holiday and editing absolutely none of it. So much footage. Unseen. Unedited. Kind of useless, really.”

"COVID changed that. New Zealand locked down hard. No beach, no kiting, no bars. So I taught myself basic video editing on an iPad just to have something to do. The first few videos were just session clips, nothing special. But then I had this idea to borrow a bunch of different kites from friends and actually compare them."

Why comparison reviews specifically? "Because they didn't exist. Every brand review said the same thing: jumps higher, loops faster, easier to use. Every single one. And no shop could ever tell you which of the three kites on their rack was actually the best, because they're selling all three. That gap was obvious. I just filled it."

Getting hold of different kites in Auckland sounds like a logistical nightmare? "We had one kite shop, selling North and Ozone. That's it. So I just asked all my mates who had different gear from overseas, and borrowed whatever I could get. I was also lucky that the local shop got in one demo kite from Ocean Rodeo, featuring a new material, called Aluula.

That was the first video. Then, because another local rider bought some Duotone models, I was able to do a follow up, and both videos blew up, relatively speaking. 40.000, 50.000 views. After that, brands started reaching out."

Some years later, but your criteria have never changed. "The things I measured in that very first video are still what I base everything on now. How high does it boost? How well does it loop? And does it make you feel confident to try things? For big air, those are the three variables that really matter."

Bias is the obvious question. "I don't make any money from it, which helps. And I never ride anything alone. I always test with at least two or three other kites alongside, so there's always a reference point. I also know riders in Canada, the US, Australia, South Africa, Europe; there's almost no kite I review that I can't cross-check with someone who's been on it in different conditions.

Talking about different conditions, kiters know; wind is never consistent. "That's the hardest part. I was just testing the two Ozone Vortex versions back to back with a friend. He took the V1, I took the V2, we swapped. Wind dropped three knots. Then came back up three knots when we swapped again. Did we feel a difference because of the kites, or because of the wind? We were on them enough times to have a reasonable answer. But there's always variables. It's why every piece of gear gets at least three full sessions before I say anything publicly."

While kite reviews became your specialty, boards presented a completely different challenge.. "I'd been riding the same boards for years before I started reviewing them, so I didn't have the same reference points. What I've realized is that boards are incredibly personal, like a shoe. Wide feet, narrow feet, hard sole, soft sole. Everyone's different.

"When I first saw the first pictures of the ROODE Graphite board, it looked almost gimmicky. The spine, the side channels; it looked like someone had taken the most aggressive features from four different boards and combined them. I wasn't sure how it would all work together. But when I actually got on it, I was genuinely surprised. It's quick, it's light, it grips well, and it's comfortable across a really wide range of conditions. Most boards at this level excel in one area and compromise somewhere else. This one just does everything well. I rode it in light wind on a 15 meter foil kite and it held its own. Last weekend in strong wind I set a new jump record on it. That's the full spectrum."

People take your opinion and reviews into account, when looking for new gear. You get hundreds of DMs from people, asking you what to buy. What should riders actually focus on when buying gear? "Get the right kite for the conditions you have, not the conditions you wish you had. If you only ever see 18 knots, stop fantasizing about a 9 meter. I ride my 8 meter maybe six times a year in Auckland. My 12 meter goes out ten times more often. It makes no sense to obsess over the kite you'll barely touch. And with boards, most people have one twin tip, full stop. So it's worth spending properly, because you're going to ride it for years in every condition you own."

But it’s hard, right? When you start and you’re just eager to get whatever looks like the coolest or best gear? “Absolutely! And guilty of the same thing here” (laughs) “When I was learning, I had a bad back, so I was on a seat harness. And I bought my first proper board with boots, and one of my early kites was a North Vegas. So there I am: seat harness, boots, Vegas.” (laughs again) “I was just completely convinced I was doing everything right because I'd watched a Aaron Hadlow Progression Series DVD. I had no idea why I couldn't rotate properly. Took me a month to figure out the setup was completely wrong for what I was trying to do. No one around to tell me otherwise either. I just had to work it out the hard way."

What would you consider the best kite-day? “There's no single answer to that. If it's just me, give me a southwesterly at 30 to 40 knots. That's 9 meter territory and some of the best days we get in Auckland. But my wife kites too, and once it gets that strong, it's not her day anymore. Our best kite holiday together was Western Australia last year. 18 to 25 knots, every day for four weeks straight. We both got on the water every single day. That's a different kind of perfect."

And the perfect testing day is a separate question entirely. "It starts light, 22 to 28 knots. That's where I feel comfortable enough to really push tricks on the edge of my skillset, like kiteloops with various rotations. Once the wind starts clipping 30 - 35 knots it’s just straight megaloops and boosts and trying to get the kite low. So once I’ve got some good tricks on film for the review, then I’m hoping the day builds through the session to 35, 40+ knots. So I've had a proper trick window in the first hour and a full send session at the end. Muriwai at the right tide gives you flat water on the inside with kickers from the surf. Both in one spot. That's the ideal setup.

After years of chasing wind, testing gear, and helping riders navigate of an increasingly crowded market, Jason remains exactly what made his reviews resonate in the first place: a passionate kiter trying to answer the same questions every rider asks.

Click here for the full review of the ROODE Graphite.