North Gambler (2012)

The Gambler is a new board for North. It's a twintip board (with a similar look to the Team) but is made to ride kite/cable park and behind the boat.

I was super excited by this development, something that can do the lot rather then having 2 boards. The base is also made of a much stronger construction so it will hold up on rails and sliders.

First look of this board was wow. Clean, crisp and the dimensions looked dialed. Unfortunately i didn't get a chance to ride cable on the board, but with the wind cranking, why pay for a cable sesh.

Behind the kite, the board ripped. It held and edge, transitioned like any other kite board. The big difference was in the landings. Its been a while since i've done anything close to a freestyle trick. This board made it all so easy.

The larger then normal rocker, and stiffer then normal flex (for a kiteboard) made flat and semi uncontrolled landings seem smooth as silk. The new sliding mounting system worked a treat too. I rode this board with boots, but the change between straps and boots could easily be done depending on what style of riding your doing.

I guess the next test will be at the cable park, and after hitting some sliders, it will be interesting to see how the base holds up.

Basically if you're the kind of rider, that loves freestyle, gets behind the boat and cable a bit and loves jibbing and hitting sliders/rails then this is the board for you. Don't be fooled by the wakeboard styles dimensions, this thing is definitely still a kiteboard.

go get one.
enjoy

I have ridden almost every board out there looking for the perfect combination to suit boots for kiting and after riding last years cardboard tempo I was more than content. But I decided to try the new north gambler thanks to aks and am in love with it.

Pros:
-I usually ride a 139 wakeboard but found most kiteboards this size feel to big for my tiny frame. But this board feels surprisingly smaller when under foot and still can rocket upwind where I would struggle on the 135 tempo.
-I found the rocker perfect for smooth landings but not overdone as to take away from the boards upwind ability.
-It looks mint with the new graphics and green/black base and its not to overdone like some of the other products in the north range that make a straight man look gay
-Very solid and durable construction
-Has really smooth edges that wont catch for slider action and the combination of them and the outline provide a really predictable ride.
-Handles choppy conditions alot better than so many other boards I have tried this and last year, with minimal spray to the face.
-Its a very light board even with the bidings on it and would weigh as much as most strap boards, popping off the water so well I almost got caught out a few times on my first woodies sesh!
-The small fins that come with still provide enough grip when edging or loading but also allow u to slide the board around when u have under rotated the trick or misjudged the landing.

Cons:
It took a solid 2 hour session and alot of fiddling to find the my prefered stance as the combination of the sliding inserts and the adjustable bindings makes it hard to reference where your boots are placed on the board. Also took me a while to size down the perfect screw length for my boots but have got it sorted now... I use the newest version of the ronix kai boots