Will Wingfoiling lead people into Kitesurfing?

[borist]

My gut feel says no. However I've met a surfer/SUPer recently who is a beginner winger and he just signed up for kiting lessons. I guess my gut doesn't know shit

[Slappysan]

This might be your own personal feelings. I'm not sure holing an inflatable wing on strings is inherently more fun than holding an inflatable wing without strings.

Flying a kite is basically remote piloting an sailplane that you happen to be attached to.
Flying a hand wing is basically holding your hand out the window when driving in the car.

I have my doubts that winging will bring in new kiters, the only shot is for the ones that find that they love the wind based water sport aspect but find the foil a PITA.

[PullStrings]

Wingfoiling will lead people to drink stronger alcohol from frustration in sub 12 knots and gradient winds

After a few therapy sessions their shrinks will strongly recommend kitesurfing to have more fun

So answer is yes

[longwhitecloud]

i think it will expose kiting to those where it is their first wind sport. My niece can now wingfoil - up 3rd try!... 12 years old. So more likely to try kiting in the future.

I also think that it will remove most of the kite foil scene (it already has in the southern hemisphere - in one season!) leaving kiting to focus on its grass roots. I think foiling is disproportionally focused on here, by the con job that was olympic kiting and by some of the kite media / brands.

There is clearly a new generation of kiters right now which is awesome because there was a long period without much of a new generation. They are not interested in kite hydrofoiling (never were - 99% of non sponsored kite hydrofoil riders are over 50, male and mow the lawn - now moving to wingfoils) as it adds even more expense to an already expensive sport, and its coolness factor to them is all but non existent.

I think wingfoiling will kill off kite foil racing olympic hope too. There simply is barely a scene in many countries, national female competitors often don't even have another female competitor to compete against.. never seen such a massive con job. Even some of the sponsored kite racers are moving to wing foiling.

You already have the GKA - so called representative and promoter of kiting, pumping cash into their newly formed GWA (Global Wingsport Association) now officially making it the worst organisation a sport has ever had to deal with... all about the quick $$ and selling overpriced equipment to middle aged doctors that can barely use the upsold features they are sold on.

An inflatable wing has to be the cheapest way to experience the wind - that will get more people involved - even without a foil.

The future of kiteboarding is good - there is a shift back to grassroots - freestyle and waveriding, more connection to the water (no hydrofoils), and flying through the air at speed! These features are what self promotes the sport and gets new generations excited. Progression is happening, the industry kooks are busy sniffing the wingsurf $$ and we can get on with what we love building kiting in a more organic way without them.

I think at the freeriding level wingfoiling has a lot to offer, but as far as freestyle is concerned, it in interesting to watch the progression - flips and spins.. but style wise is is fug as.... I dont think that will change. Also someone is going to get chopped really really badly as some stage - it is inevitable...

[Flyboy]

i think it will expose kiting to those where it is their first wind sport. My niece can now wingfoil - up 3rd try!... 12 years old. So more likely to try kiting in the future.

I also think that it will remove most of the kite foil scene (it already has in the southern hemisphere - in one season!) leaving kiting to focus on its grass roots. I think foiling is disproportionally focused on here, by the con job that was olympic kiting and by some of the kite media / brands.

There is clearly a new generation of kiters right now which is awesome because there was a long period without much of a new generation. They are not interested in kite hydrofoiling (never were - 99% of non sponsored kite hydrofoil riders are over 50, male and mow the lawn - now moving to wingfoils) as it adds even more expense to an already expensive sport, and its coolness factor to them is all but non existent.

I think wingfoiling will kill off kite foil racing olympic hope too. There simply is barely a scene in many countries, national female competitors often don't even have another female competitor to compete against.. never seen such a massive con job. Even some of the sponsored kite racers are moving to wing foiling.

You already have the GKA - so called representative and promoter of kiting, pumping cash into their newly formed GWA (Global Wingsport Association) now officially making it the worst organisation a sport has ever had to deal with... all about the quick $$ and selling overpriced equipment to middle aged doctors that can barely use the upsold features they are sold on.

An inflatable wing has to be the cheapest way to experience the wind - that will get more people involved - even without a foil.

The future of kiteboarding is good - there is a shift back to grassroots - freestyle and waveriding, more connection to the water (no hydrofoils), and flying through the air at speed! These features are what self promotes the sport and gets new generations excited. Progression is happening, the industry kooks are busy sniffing the wingsurf $$ and we can get on with what we love building kiting in a more organic way without them.

I think at the freeriding level wingfoiling has a lot to offer, but as far as freestyle is concerned, it in interesting to watch the progression - flips and spins.. but style wise is is fug as.... I dont think that will change. Also someone is going to get chopped really really badly as some stage - it is inevitable...

Did your wife run off with a kitefoiler?

[longwhitecloud]

I think it was a combination of things.. the aqua pack.. the flying sleeping bag, the full visor gath helmet.

[junebug]

I think it was a combination of things.. the aqua pack.. the flying sleeping bag, the full visor gath helmet.

Show me on the doll where the kitefoiler touched you

[Dave_5280]

I think it was a combination of things.. the aqua pack.. the flying sleeping bag, the full visor gath helmet.

Show me on the doll where the kitefoiler touched you

[jumptheshark]

I think it was a combination of things.. the aqua pack.. the flying sleeping bag, the full visor gath helmet.

Show me on the doll where the kitefoiler touched you

[drsurf]

Definitely some deep rooted problem with longwhitecloud and kite foilers

Meanwhile in my part of the Southern Hemisphere there has been a massive increase in kite foiling. Not only have I had good sales of new kite foil equipment, good secondhand kite foil equipment has come onto the market at affordable prices enabling kite surfers who were reluctant to part with $$ for a foil kit to buy into the sport.

This has also been aided by the fact that summer hasn't been that windy for kitesurfing or wing foiling but there have been plenty of days where kite foiling was great in 10-12 knots with non foiling kiters stuck on the beach or trying with 17m kites! Even today I was on a 4m Peak4 on my foil with a 17m TT kiter not being able to stay upwind. I'm pretty light but the other kite foilers out with me, 85 & 100kg, were on much larger 5m Peak4's

We do have a good wing foiler here, he's also a 65kg lightweight. His dedicated 90litre wing foil board costs 50% more than my 2.5kg carbon foil board, his wings also cost nearly 50% more than my Peak4 kites and he needs more wind than I do to have fun.