Background
The ID is an all-new, ultra-light freestyle wave sail from North. It is a combination of the Ice and Duke sail models and has a no compromise lightweight construction.

At a glance
This five batten sail shares the same out-line and foil shape of the Ice but uses a lightweight, high-tech ODL laminate construction, rather than X-Ply, to save on weight. The build quality is top notch, as you’d expect from North and with this sail, every attention to detail has been taken to make it as light as possible. This does however mean that it is excluded from North’s 5 year warranty.

Rigging
Setting on a 400 RDM, we tested it with a North Platinum mast. It has a decent tuning range and the VTS (visual trim system) printed on the sail is very effective to help you get the down-haul set right, we found the best performance in most conditions is to set it closer to the maximum and then tune with the out-haul.

Performance
This sail instantly feels great in the hands, the light material weight combined with the neutal, feather light handling mean that you barely know you’re holding a sail. The power delivery is very smooth and reliable, with plenty of grunt at the bottom end when you need it. At the top end the control is faultless, giving this sail a superb natural wind range. With its lightweight handling and perfect balance, throwing it into aerial freestyle moves, ducking or spinning are made very easy which gives you the confidence to push yourself even further.

The verdict
The ID is a great all-round wave and freestyle sail, it feels very special to use, with its light overall weight. All of our testers loved this sail and it was among the favourites on everyone’s lists.

www.north-windsurf.com