2022 ALL-ROUND FREERIDE FOIL TEST: ELEVATING SESSIONS
For those that thought foiling would be yet another chapter in the long, meandering encyclopaedia of fads our beloved sport has witnessed in its history, time has proven that it most certainly isn’t. And the story is the same in other watersports too. Foiling has, in fact, completely changed the landscape in the watersports world, from prone surfing to The America’s Cup, not to mention the rise of new sports such as wing foiling.
EDITOR: TRIS BEST // SECOND TESTERS: ROB YORK, JOE NORTH, SCOTT STALLMAN // TEST LOCATION: PORTLAND HARBOUR //PHOTOS: TRIS BEST
FINDINGS
On the PWA world tour last year, the opening race event completed in Israel showed just how far foiling technology and the capabilities of the pilots flying them had come, during the enforced Covid hiatus. Nicolas Goyard cleaned up – his straight-line speed was there or thereabouts, but it was in the gybes that the foiling rider crucified their wallowing fin-using rivals. And this leap forward spells only good things for the recreational market too. There is no going back now; the elite will only be pushing the speeds and competitiveness of foils as their success at the highest level has been proven. The key element is control. Control breeds the confidence to push. Front wings are getting smaller and smaller to cope with foiling in maxed out conditions – there are even rumours from several quarters of 300 cm² front wings being designed: a smaller surface area than many brands’ freeride-focused tail wings!
Foiling setups have replaced the larger slalom board in a racer’s quiver, both on the international circuit and now on the national scene. Not surprisingly (albeit it is happening sooner than predicted), the technology available today is at a level where foiling is now competitive in stronger winds too, meaning the medium finned slalom board is also under threat of extinction and irrelevance! Most interestingly, the sails that racers are partnering the foil with are also evolving. Whereas with fin racing the consensus was always to use as big a sail as you can muster, effectively equipping yourself with as big an engine as you can handle … and hold on! In foiling, however, there is of course a second engine, so the direction of travel is to use a smaller rig, so that the rider feels that they’re optimising their control.
What does this all mean for the larger windsurfing audience? Well, it’s only good news! As with all sports, the design acumen and technology will trickle down to you and I, the recreational market. Foils will continue to become more stable, predictable and balanced – speed will be more accessible and enjoyable! And as our foiling experience has evolved, so too has market demands. Brands are responding admirably, with increasingly modular platforms, allowing us to change wings and setups according to conditions … and even to different sports.
SUMMARY
The SuperFlyer is another good addition to the blossoming Starboard wind foil lineup, with enough performance and range for most recreational foilers, and a real ‘fin-windsurfing’ familiarity in its nature, making the transition into foiling as pain-free as possible. It also sports the same modular system as the brand’s reputed wind foiling programme, so provides clear upgrades and progression down that pathway if so desired. The Flight FR is the latest in Neil Pryde’s aluminium wind foiling lineage and sports a definite improvement in wing technology and performance. The whistling is still present in this third iteration, albeit we’ve been reassured from Pryde that the latest aluminium masts off the production line are no longer noisy. The GA Hybrid platform continues to stride forward, offering performance and adaptability at a very attractive price. And the new bags and overall presentation has been stepped up too. Finally, we have the new windfoil range from AFS – an ode to their heritage, with an impressive portfolio of performance wings, designed by British foil expert Kevin Ellway. It is a perfect real-time example of how the latest developments on the world stage are spreading seamlessly into the wider market. The accessibility of wind foiling has never been so good, and with control a key design feature, exciting times are surely ahead.
Editor’s note – due to ongoing delays affecting supply lines across the world, there are some brands missing in the test lineup, as they just missed deadline; catch-up tests to follow in future issues.
THE LINEUP