CrazyFly Sculp

The Sculp is CrazyFly’s original kite and sits at the core of their range. With the arrival of the Tango which has a deeper profile and a more wave/wake attitude, the Sculp is now free to express itself as a freestyle and freeride kite. The 2015 Sculp has seen some refinements. First up and there is the addition of a high volume inflation valve, pretty essential in this modern age. Then there are new O rings on the bridles to prevent any issues with pulleys. Tejin Technoforce is proving to be the material of choice for many brands and a good sign that no corners have been cut in building a solid, high quality kite.

Compared to the last couple of seasons, the tips on the 2015 Sculp have been beefed up further; they are not as wide as the Tango and not squared off, but there is more area here suggesting a more responsive and quicker turning kite. Construction has also been beefed up although the essential ‘versatile three strut’ philosophy remains. The Sick bar has always been a nice bit of kit and has been a bit of a trailblazer, with a lot of brands now taking things back to basics with a nice simple above-the-bar clam cleat option. It is a sleek and functional bar and a fine example of the merits of keeping things simple and functional…

In the air and the Sculp offers clean and precise feedback at the bar. The wider tips were a clear improvement for us, delivering more precise and confident turning. Although not designed with waveriding in mind, we found that the Sculp turned intuitively and the depower range meant that it did work surprisingly well in the waves. For freestyle riding you can generate plenty of power and there is plenty of lift when sending the kite. Hangtime is excellent and you have a good amount of control whilst airborne. For looping it can snap around quickly or you can put it into a slower arc. Either way the feedback at the bar is clean, and you feel truly in control. For unhooking, the wider tips and deeper draft make this a very solid kite in the air and you feel like you can trust its stability unhooked.

For us the real plus with the Sculp is its accessibility. It is the kind of kite that someone could pick up after a couple of lessons and – with its easy handling, great range and clean bar set up – could really progress with. But don’t be fooled, if you push it then it will perform and, on this evidence, the Sculp will continue to be right at the heart of CrazyFly for the foreseeable future.