As the wind get's lighter, we need a bigger kite to harness power. The need for increasingly sizable geometries adds substantial weight and drag, working directly against the wind's decreasing ability to fly the kite. How efficient the weight to power ratio is therefore the key design challenge of light wind kites. Current design wisdom provides solutions that produce big kites that generate power, but are sluggish in handling. Enter the Fat Lady! Like all other Blade kites, the Fat Lady is designed to be fast. After almost 2 years in prototyping, her innovative design and is hands down the most dynamic light wind 17m on the market.

What makes the design so special is that it pushes the technical limits of maximum efficiency by linking all aspects of the geometry and construction to work together to conduct the forces of flight. The clearest example of this is the approach to Fat Lady's LE. Typically other big kites rely on a massive LE to maintain their large structure. The Fat Lady has by far the leanest LE on a 17m kite, smaller than typical 12m kites. This provides key performance advances in the power to weight ratio, flying speed, turning speed, and overall handling. This super thin LE is technically possible only when all other elements in the kite such as the canopy, struts, and bridle are optimized to integrate in motion to support the structure. In prototype development, the LE was reduced in increments, and with each reduction all other elements of the kite were consequently redesigned to support it. The Fat Lady takes this strategy to the limit, and by applying it to all aspects of the kite, she produces dynamic performance never before seen at this size.

It means the Fat Lady is a whole lot of fun! She’s got plenty of power which is delivered with handling that is crisp and direct as you might expect from a good 12m. And because the kite is fast, the Fat Lady pops, even with her considerable size. Combine that with the hangtime of a big kite and you can throw everything from immense old school to low, technical freestyle in under 12 knots. Skilled riders will get her on the water at around 8 knots, and even beginners can park the her at 10 knots and go. Getting her up off the water you’d swear she was a 9m. The Fat Lady is all about having a good time, take her for a spin, she’s a she’s a whole lot of kite!