Hi everyone, young and old; young or old, addicted to walks and trips, this blog is for you. Aware of the fragility of our mother planet, “La vague verte” takes you off the beaten track where our little family likes to get lost to better find each other, learn, meet, testify on the path of a beautiful wave.
Since for the past few months, even déconfinés, we have been discovering the virtues of home travel, no long-distance travel for this episode of the “Green Wave”. For what ? Because the new and the exotic, when it comes to riding anyway, it’s here in Maui for us, but also on a beach near you! You may have already noticed, the wingfoil landed! In Maui, it’s a real tidal wave.
Gliding by and for the foil
Already in 2017 “La vague verte” spoke to you about the “keystone” of ride 2.0, namely the foil which needs no introduction. He invited himself under all the already existing “boards”: surf, paddle, kite, windsurf.
The Foil was first invited on already existing gliding supports such as the surf or board sailing. (@franckiebees)
But the novelty with the wingfoil is that this form of gliding only exists by and for the foil, namely that there is no practice of the wing without foil unlike the disciplines mentioned above. The wing, since this is what we call this inflatable wing to which the rider clings by handles (here no harness!), prolongs in the air what the foil initiated underwater, ie the “flight” of the rider a few meters above the water. No wave required. As for the wind, if it is still necessary, the force required has dropped below 10 knots! Suffice to say that even in very light winds it planes!
Wingfoiling is not a strength sport: it is true for the wind and the rider. Here Carine Camboulives gently. (DR)
Where the practice of wingfoil surprised everyone, insiders included, is the speed with which it settled (probably to last) in the landscape of sliding. The absence of rules has always ensured a volatility (no pun intended) to the world of board sports which allows it to constantly reinvent itself, boosted by creativity that nothing hinders. In 20 years, nothing less than kitesurfing, stand up paddle, foil and today the wing foil have established themselves as sports in their own right!
An accessible discipline
From there to seeing this “weird” machine, quickly cataloged as dangerous, impose itself, there was a big step. He was crossed without even realizing it. The “coarse mouth” of the foil had however caused an outcry when it appeared, a reflex in the face of the carbon blade more impressive than really dangerous. A few prefectural bans later (Anglet in particular), it was above all the question of the cohabitation between the sliding disciplines that was decided. With us in Hawaii, the priority is to surf until 11 am, then the wind sports come into play… only if there are less than 10 surfers in the water. Otherwise, you have to look further. THE kitesurfing cannot share the spot with windsurfers, paddles and foils stay away from the queues frequented by surfers. Stay at wingfoil to find its place on the water.
THE wingfoil is the most accessible gateway to the world of foiling, well helped by manufacturers in search of the widest possible audience. Manufacturers to whom we would advise not to radicalize the practice as was the case for the windsurfing or stand up paddle.
Another advantage and not the least, the risk is much lower than in kitesurfing and the physical demands are lower than those required by the others. Sliding. THE Wingfoil is not a sport of power and the sensations felt do not depend on the speed reached.
Here the young Hawaiian of 9 years old @koafabbio. (DR)
As for the sensations offered by the wingfoil, they have nothing to envy to those of its cousins in the boardriding culture. Any practitioner, even a beginner, will quickly be seduced by the “softness” that emerges from this practice which requires little physical effort (compared to sailboard, kiteboarding or surfing). The absence of noise (no friction with water) contributes to the experience “glide” from the wingfoil. On the performance side, although we are only at the beginning of the discipline, the dazzling progress of the material and practitioners in a few months gives an idea of the margin of progression of the wingfoil.
published on October 12, 2020 at 10:35 updated on October 12, 2020 at 11:51
