No straps no leash, straps interfere with foot placement which is different for driving up wind or on the wave or on different tack. Leash is only used when there is a crowded beach or surf spot (danger to others) or the spot makes retrieving a lost board dangerous or impossible (Savage shore break offshore winds)
Most times the leash will more than likely get you clobbered by the board as the yank of the kite can easily toss you down the wave and in front of the ghost riding board or worse slingshot it at your face the kite doesn’t let you duck under water either. retrieving a ghost rider is pretty easy. A couple of loops of the kite and your on it so risk reward really doesn’t favour a leash in most circumstances
That stated the spot I was testing this board had a huge rock jetty downwind I had a few “oh shit” moments where I was skipping across the water with nothing but my toes in the water chasing down ghost riding pink board on a suicide mission
Is the pad company. It’s run by a local guy I know, a legit rider that did his homework in making an outstanding product the pads are super awesome: most grippy I’ve used, thin light, legit 3m adhesive. Great stuff for a kiteboard SUP or surfing with a rashy I bought a stack in bulk and also traded build/repair services but retail is reasonable I believe. Highly recommended
I’ve tried a few yoga mats and non textured options for deck traction and they fail the core purpose of traction. So am still willing to pay for a good one
What good are cheap materials if you get less than adequate results?
For that amount of good EVA material with good 3M PSA and die or laser cutting, the pricing seems fair.
If I didn’t have some Hydroturf on the shelf I’d give them a go.
