Kite foiling is dying sooo fast

[Boston kiter]

Have you ever windsurfed? I remember that being a long learning curve - especially if you included turning around. My transition to kitesurfing was shorter - though not sure if that was because of the experience of windsurfing first.

Wing foiling 'looks' easier in some ways because you don't have the same reliance on getting into footstraps just to get riding and learning to use a harness hook. Sure you have the complication of balancing on a foil but given how people learn behind a boat that doesn't seem too bad? Interested to hear a relative difference between learning the two skillsets. I'm pretty sure that learning to kite (as in going upwind/downwind and turning around without falling in) is a much easier skill to learn kitesurfing compared with windsurfing. I remember you used to get VHS cassettes just about learning how to gybe on a windsurfer. It would be a 2 minute chapter on a kitesurf DVD.

I actually did learn to windsurf very fast because my first board was a 210lt Starboard go. Right around the year 2000 there was a huge trend of big, wide , floaty boards that had amazing light wind performance like the GO, and that made learning windsurfing incredibly easy compared to prior years. I see the same thing with Winging, huge floaty boards and massive stable wings for learning... Kiting has no such option, the closet thing was a Door style board and a smaller kite that definitely helped but not like it did with winging or windsurfing. You just can't ease into kiting the same way IMO....not to mention a kite is a thousand times more dangerous in the hands of a newbie..

[grigorib]

Winging gives you access to ride spots where you can’t rig lines. Much easier to learn for anyone who never kites and/or foiled - it floats - you can lay on the board and paddle back.
Board transportation is PITA but anywhere you can drive one should be fine.

But yes, kitefoiling is awesome and very compact, twintipping allows you to ride shallows and do tricks safer than with a sword of a foil - I’m not quitting those

[grigorib]

And to be fair to windsurfers - guys in Gorge are flying some magic show with and without foils attached so the sports don’t really die - it’s just new equipment becomes overly expensive and unavailable.
Take fixed-bridle or ”C” kites as example..

[Trent hink]

Race gear for winging is in development, and if you think winging is stupid and very slow, you might be surprised.

There is a race tomorrow here on Tampa Bay, and from what I hear there will be a winging class.

Competition, and technical riding for that matter, is not my thing, but it's always been fun watch the kite racers push the limits, and I have no doubt that winging has the potential to offer equal thrills, especially if the wind is good...

I learned to windsurf when I was just a child. I really got into it in my late teens, but gave it up not long after I learned about kiting.

The fact is, what really got me into kiting was that it easy and fun to do in the winter, on frozen lakes.

Eventually I moved to a place where the wind was a bit better for most of the year so that I could focus on kiteboarding on water, but it wasn't good all the time, until I got into hydrofoiling.

Now, I can see that there is still a portion of the year, and also local conditions where I miss getting out kiting.

These days i'm still stuck on kiting.

I have not gotten into winging, but I totally could. There are plenty of conditions where it makes sense; offshore wind, or in a parking lot filled with light poles using a skateboard - its not sensible to even launch a kite in those conditions. But with a wing...

[Lamilu]

Today, in a 10 to 30 knots lake condition...
Winging made sense in the 25+ knots gusts...
Saw people en smaller equipment that seemed proportional and fun.
Looks to be better than kiting in strong conditions.

[andylc]

Kiting in strong conditions is the most fun! (within reason…)

[Lamilu]

Sorry, I ment Kite Hydrofoiling

[drsurf]

25+ knot gusts, kite foiling heaven with a Flysurfer 2.5m Peak5 kite

[Windigo1]

Sorry, I ment Kite Hydrofoiling

If the wind is strong and stable I will go on a twintip to boost but if it's but if it's strong and super gusty kitefoiling on a tiny kite is a blast the gusts are not an issue and with the foil you can get through the lulls no problems. I do that all the time since I ride inland lakes and it's very gusty.

[Peter_Frank]

Sorry, I ment Kite Hydrofoiling

If the wind is strong and stable I will go on a twintip to boost but if it's but if it's strong and super gusty kitefoiling on a tiny kite is a blast the gusts are not an issue and with the foil you can get through the lulls no problems. I do that all the time since I ride inland lakes and it's very gusty.

But in these conditions wingfoil makes even more sense IMO, but both are good.

In stable low winds, nothing beats kitefoil though.

Peter