ION Wire Tec
There are always new ways to spread the load of the Kite across the back; foam inserts, anatomical pre-shaped designs and much, much more!
The majority of pressure on the back can be found in the middle, however a harness will often distribute these forces to the upper and lower edges of the harness. And all different constructions couldn´t change this. The water sport outfitter ION are not willing to settle for this, working hard to provide our customers with the most technical and highest of quality products. New innovations is part of our mission statement and that’s what ION stands for.
The product development at ION has adopted a completely new format to reach their goals, searching for inspiration from unrelated industries. Exploring a technology that enables huge forces to be evenly spread from several points in order to obtain an balanced load distribution combined with stability, the ION team dicovered the construction of cable-stayed bridges; a transportation carrier suspended with tension cables from a pylon. Most cable-stayed bridges are 2-span bridges with two pylons. Without the ropes the complete load would rest on these two pylons, the same way the load is resting on the upper and lower edge of harnesses. Cable-stayed bridges have vertical loads directed over the tensioning cables, which lead these loads in the form of compressive forces vertically into the ground. (The horizontal force components arise on both sides toward the pylon, and therefore are neutralized by the roadway carriers) Most cable-stayed bridges are symmetrical: their cable arrangement is equal on both sides of the pylons. The concept is that even with addition forces from wind and traffic, the roadway carriers are suspended in perfect balance.
Keeping this in mind and transferring this engineering into the sports field, you will notice that other brands have also been inspired by this stable load distribution. A good example is one of the world’s leading shoe manufacturers who has launched a design with a built-in nylon lacing system. The aim of this was to maximize support.
At ION, they have drawn on the stability and even distribution characteristics of cable-stayed bridges, using this for the development of the brand new Wire_Tec system. Thanks to the fresh, patented technology and with the help of integrated wires stretched and adapted to the human anatomy, you can say goodbye to the typical discomfort on pressure points of the back. The choice of kite lines for wires within the harness ensure that Wire_Tec can endure a whole multitude of forces.
Examples of where this technology is used, is in the Apex Select:
APEX SELECT : The benchmark harness for quality, comfort and all round top performance, there is a premium reduction in materials where possible. This delivers a refined outline, a stylish and reduced sidecut, in addition to which ION has extended the soft foam edge for further protection to the hip and rib areas. This harness is for all experienced and well-rounded riders looking for a supple yet supportive ride no matter the waves, the race, or freeride session ahead.
The Wire_Tec technology can also be found in the VERTEX SELECT and the ladies NOVA DIAMOND.
