About Alto Kites

Every Kite is handmade by AJ from his own original templates. Alto Mini Eyeball kites are a unique size, one that AJ fell in love with and decided to explore further. Their smaller size exhibits a great balance between speed and controlability.

Alto sails have a different geometry than you may not have encoutered before. Compared to similar kites, they have a shorter leading edge while retaining the same vertical height… giving a higher lift ratio. Unfortunately, this design tends to “billow” when it faces a full face of wind, becoming hard to control. A solution was found in the form of vents in the center of the kite. These small vents have made all the difference in my sails and I’m looking forward to exploring them even more.

A lot of effort has been put into producing the lightest kites available. This requires rethinking all aspects of the design. If you’re stripping weight from a kite, inevitably you’ll strip all the extra reinforcements, which are usually done with a heavier fabric. This can significantly reduce weight, but it also reduces durability. These reinforcements can drastically change the balance of a kite too.

The Naked kites, which lack a dacron leading edge as well as the top mesh, have a lightness and balance not seen anywhere else. They also lack features we associate with durability, so they need to be treated with some love. It’s not to say you can’t smash them into the sand… but you should be nice when you’re stuffing spars through the edge pocket.

remember, “Be gentile with naked kites”

After reducing a sail to its bare minimum, it makes sense to fit it with the lightest spars around. I have not found anything under 2PT sky sharks that I’ve been happy with… their Zeros are OK but a little soft for my taste, and we already broke one in test flights. The top vented models in particular can be used across a pretty wide wind range, it makes sense to carry a second, stronger frame, to use with these kites when the wind kicks up.

There are also Alto Kites for higher wind conditions. Rather than using traditional venting patterns which cut across the center of the sail, Alto Kites vent around the top and edges instead. On Naked kites the top vents replace the need for a leading edge mesh layer, and provide a new feel for fliers by adjusting the balance of the kite further into the sail itself.

Top vented Naked kites can be a unique flying experience. Their light weight, coupled with improved buffering of wind gusts, and more centered balance makes them a lot of fun when wind conditions are in the mid range. The full vented kites are silky smooth in higher winds, acting like smaller kites embedded in a bigger frame. The nylon fabrics stretch a bit more than polyster, making flight smoother in gusty wind. On the other hand, the sharper Icarex fabric resists stretching, giving more responsive performance for tricks.