Why is Kite Foiling Dying? 🤔 

I have been kiteboarding for years and took up kite foiling to simply allow for more time on the water. I especially love going out with my foil board in light wind, rip quietly around while my ttip friends sit idly by, twiddling their thumbs. Keep up the great videos Mike!

I switched to wing foiling purely because it was just simpler, required less gear and is a lot cheaper to get into. I had been kiting for years and just wanted to do something different. Wing foiling was insanely difficult to learn compared to kiting. With winging it opened up a lot more options, wave riding is more fun, downwinding is awesome, being up to pump foil off a dock is amazing, wake foiling is amazing. I also like that friends can try it out without having the inherent danger of a kite carrying them off into the distance.

Here on the Outer Banks, several of us older kiteboarders gravitated to kitefoiling when it went mainstream. It was great for a couple of years (definitely easier on the old guy joints!), but as soon as wing foiling showed up it was a pretty rapid transition for all of us. Still have my kitefoil gear but I barely use it anymore. It’s still pretty cool to kitefoil on those 8-10kt light wind days when winging just isn’t as fun. One big benefit of winging over kitefoiling for me is that it’s so much easier to learn lots of different strapless tricks versus kitefoiling. With kitefoiling I never got beyond jibing, foot switch and upwind 360’s

Here at my spots at the Baltic Sea in Northern Germany we have only a handful of people kitefoiling and I don't understand why because it's amazing as an addition to your twintip. 10-15knots = kitefoiling >15knots = Foil/Twintip Just grab some used foils for a cheap price and just try it. It will add a lot of days on the water!

Kite foiling isn't dying per se, it's just getting lost in the plethora of watersport options available to us.. What a time to be alive!

Thanks for that! Wing foiling has definitely changed the game for kite surfing in general. Accessibility, learning curve and cost are all easier than kiting. I worry that kiting is going down the same road as windsurfing. At my spot it’s mostly older dudes on kites. I don’t see a lot of young kids getting involved. We all know the learning curve can scare people off and the gear has gotten progressively more expensive. A new set of gear these days can run you north of $3 grand. I’m not complaining, my kite spot is less crowded these days. And I love to wing foil when I need a break from kiting. I am concerned about the future of kiting.

Fred is so right about crashing! Feels exactly thee same with kiting on a twintip, I felt my learning curve went up so much when I just accepted crashing is part of the learning!

I got into kitefoiling recently and I love it. From the start I always thought that might not be the end game but that it was the easiest entry into foiling for me. Next step being winging and prone foiling. What really blows my mind, besides the quietness and efficiency, is the ability to ride whole new angles, going far downwind and back in no time. This opened up my usual spots, allowed me to explore them deeper and further knowing that even if the wind drops to 6-8kt I will still make it back which I think would be a lot harder with a wing. But I can see now that after progressing to the point where i'm comfortable in waves, when I find myself on a downwind wave, I wish I had that wing that I can flag out and just stay on the wave. In the end it's amazing to have all these options, and any new discipline brings a lot to the previous ones, if your wallet can handle it. And big thanks to Fred and Steven for making it look so good and inspiring. I think I'm gonna get these water headphones.

What I noticed is that many people abandon kitefoiling because they do not manage to learn to jibe or tack. It is quite a challenge indeed, but once you know it there is nothing that compares to the smooth ride and the dynamics of kitefoiling. I love it! On tip, the choice of equipment is way more important than with twintipping. After months of struggling with various foil brands I bought the Core foil and shortly after I was nailing my jibs and tacks. Really an awesome foil. The videos of Steven Akkersdijk, Ben Beholz and Fred Hope were a big inspiration.

It’s really hard to get in/on a wave and keep the kite in the air. The thing about just switching off the kite being impossible is a large part of it. The wingers I know when they get that feeling of the waves that’s all they want and the kite aspect is almost now a distraction. The funny thing is they’re instructors with their own schools. For fun they wing for work they kite.

What about the benefits of jumping with a Kite Foil? You can go huge with low and very strong wind. Big Air Foiling is amazing! 🔥

Awesome video! The first time I saw kite foiling, I knew I had to try it. I really think the right gear makes all the difference when it comes to progressing. I've only ridden a twin tip a few times. I actually learned to foil behind a boat first, then combined kiting and foiling. I also do a lot of snow kiting. One thing that made a big difference for me was using the right gear. I mostly ride with Flysurfer Hybrid kites for kite foiling. The best part about these kites is how much they depower, how easy they relaunch, and how well they drift. It makes for a super user-friendly kite foiling experience with a huge wind range. My 7.5m works in winds from about 8 to 22 knots (11 to 18 is the sweet spot), and my 3.5m is perfect for anything over 15 knots. You can turn the kite off completely, even in strong winds, and it’s hard to slack the lines. Plus, you can deep-water drift launch the FS Hybrid, which opens up a lot more spots. The only downsides are the flapping (a sign you should size down) and the bar pressure. But I’ll take those any day for the downwind experience-pointing the foil right at the kite, surfing downwind, pinwheeling the kite, and riding boat wakes and wind swell.

Thanks for your content. You’re such a nice dude and I’ve learned a lot from your videos

Perfect video to do from San Diego! Most all of our riding days are foil days. Foiling can be a hard learning progression but it's worth the effort!

I tried it and it felt like riding a unicycle. I like power, acceleration and carving. So I invented my own way of flying my kite, and then I invented boards that can handle the power. I think contact with the wind and water is what matters. Exploiting the dynamic forces in both wind and water, and between the two forces is the rush I love.

what an awesome interview! thanks so much for this retrospective!

From a kite foiler perspective the Best thing about winging is that if I backwing ( putting the wing between the wind and me) I feel kinda "around the world" already! Also you can safely practice complex maneuvers on the beach, if you can run fast enough! Ah, what about longboard winging?

Great video. I am learning kite foiling, and man its hard, but also so serene.

Fred's a genius prodigy and what he does is super technical and dangerous. From experience having the foil pass by your face is intimidating.

Thank you very much for the video, interesting editing, not new to me but I connected with what was said here. Fred Hope said it exactly for me what I experienced (at minute 11:14) After 20 years of kiting I stoped completely and switch to wingfoil, as Steven Akkersoijk also said there was no progress for me in kiting and I wanted something that would challenge me, to feel the excitement of a beginner in something again. After 2.5 years of only winging and became a good at it, I'm back to kiting and actually choose to wingfoil only on the best days for me when there is a good waves. If it's flat then wingfoil doesn't interest me anymore. So actually on the days when there is a low wind I can kite foil, after the wind rises and the waves rises to go a wingfoil and when the wind is very strong it’s time for a kite big air. I think that freestyle (air tricks) is much much easier and safe to do with kite than with Wingfoil or Windsurfing (easy to start but difficult to progress) . I am 45 years old and freestyle with wingfoil it’s not for me so it’s another reason why I switch back to kite for freestyle that I missed a lot.

Not seen wingers start kitefoiling, but seen a couple move the other way. Also, only a few new kiters round here, but quite a few wingers

It's totally dying at my home spot, there's a few guys still doing it. I got sick of going out on those 10kt days that kitefoiling opened up, only to have them becoming 3 knot days with brutal swims home, not to mention the beach bans, crowds and hassles. I swapped out to windfoiling, then winging and dockstarting and haven't looked back. The lack of depowered foiling was the thing about kitefoiling that bugged me the most, I was never good enough to shut the kite off for more than a second or two, also I kinda sucked. So much respect for guys that can kitefoil well, it's the most challenging of the wind-based foil sports in my opinion.

I quitted kite after 15 years since 1999 to 2014……due to tired of long drive chasing wind which sometime not possible after work and got skunked & not many locations I could launch kite. I kited in the Mexico La Ventana, San Felipe, Kenvin Trejo’s Camp, Cabarete, Lake Arsenal & Snake beach, gusty Lake Isabella, Bay areas (SF) Crissy field, 3rd Ave, Cayote point, Boracay PH. & the coast Hwy 1 …Scott & Waddell creeks, Sherman Island. I was able to toe rides, front/back roll, jibes/Tacks , Strapless surf board, waves but not able to pull thru kite loops.. Land & Snow kite with both Foil & LEI kites. I went back to longboard & SUP surf at Manteca, Pleasure point, Steamer lane & Cowell on a big South swells, Linda Mar, Bolinas..then now back to chasing wind on Wing foil..and now Parawing (short-lines kite) again……

Actually it's great news that there are fewer kiters on the spot. It was getting seriously overcrowded a few years back, to the extent that local authorities started issuing restrictions on some spots. With people moving away, mostly to winging and downwind foiling, the situation got a tad bit more relaxed

Good to see San Diego featured. One of the original kiters here in San Diego from back in late 90’s early 2000’s . Still at it . Have not tried Foiling yet . Should hit up local Mex next time in San Diego. Consistent 9 meter Wx in summer time . Only about 30 miles south of where you where in Mission Bay👍

I really enjoy kitefoiling up to 18 knots. After that i'm winging. 18 - 23 is mostly trying to work on transitions, then 23 stats to generate some small to medium swell on our lake that you can get decent glides. 27 is when the fun really starts.

I have been Kite foiling for three years , the tools are so much better these days and Light wind riding while it nice the fun comes at 15+ knots with wave . Riding with the and around the Wingers on the waves is my bag and most of them want to be on the kite ;)

I am not even tempted to try wing. With kite I have so much speed and power... making circles around the wingers.

Mike, you and these guys are the best example of resilience, and you are on the water most of the years I suppose, many people have only some month in a year at best! I tried kite foiling with a Lift allcarbon set with 80cm mast and 1250cm2 wing but I give up because was daunting... really, also in Sardinia we have a lot of windy days most of which pretty gusty, a surfboard for wave riding suit more the conditions anyone interested in the HF set?😅

windsurfed almost 20 years, kited 18 years or so. Love wing foiling so much, never had the urge to go back to kiting. Ease of use, more spots, riding waves even flatwater is fun. If it's howling I go DW SUP.. ;-)

Kitefoiling is, and always will be, amazing. Especially for light wind. That doesn’t mean all the other forms of foiling aren’t also fun, they each hold a different spot in my repertoire based on conditions. But I feel like most people don’t get the same amount of water time that I do, so they choose 1 where they get the feeling of learning the easiest and most accessible way. Wingfoil is the new hot girl in the room, so they’re gravitating towards her more… for now.

The superior wave riding capabilities of winging was the driving factor for most of our local kite foil crew switching to winging. The new light wind wing gear has also minimized the light wind advantage kite foiling once had over winging. I still carry a foil kite for ultra light wind days, but rarely find myself using it. The question is will a new type of kite called a ''Parawing' make winging the next water sport in decline?

I windsurf I kitesurf and I wingsurf. I am 47 years old. When the wind is over 20 knots I like to windsurf. When the wind is around 15 to 20 with no waves I like to kitesurf. Around 8 to 15 knots I wingsurf. Still my favorite is windsurfing.

I've been kitesurfing for 19 years and just this week I bought my first kite foil setup and board. It's insanely expensive to get into this sport. That, coupled with a lack of lesson centers makes it tough to get into. Why is gear so expensive? I've seen the cost of boards go from $500 to now $1100. We don't need carbon fiber boards. That's crazy. I still have my two first boards from 2004 when I started and they work great.....a Cabrinha Prodigy 158 which I use for light wind days and my Best Kiteboarding 133. I love that board. Why are bindings so dam expensive? What entry level kid can afford this stuff? I only buy close out gear. Any board I buy is a closeout from 3 years ago. The brand new foil I just bought is a BRAND NEW Cabrinha Hi: Lift from 2020. It's 5 years old and was sitting on a warehouse shelf all this time, for $250!!!!! I bought a brand new 2021 Slingshot Alien Air that again was sitting on a shelf. New setups are easily over $1000. I only buy Chinese Pansh foil kites because they are 1/4 the price of anything else. Not to mention the standard kite quiver is usually three kites. Anybody that asks me on the beach how to get started, I tell them to get lessons, then rent the equipment first. Then if they want to pursue it more to get some used gear from Craigslist or Facebook Marketplace. There is tons of good CHEAP used gear.

i quit kite surfing for kite foiling, you can do big air with less wind and still going over 30+ knots

I do both kitefoiling and Wingfoiling. Both have pros and cons. Kites will always be the king of light wind, yes wings are lowering the wind threshold, but big wings and downwind boards are not for me. I am loving winging and it has some nice advantages but kites will always be my favorite!!

For me it's the power of the kite that makes kitesurfing/kitefoiling so special. You can never jump 5m high on a wing unless you're an absolute boss but it's a very achievable on a kite and much higher if you put the time and effort. Also when I see wingfoilers it's usually older men just boringly cruising along, doesn't excite me one bit even though I'm sure it's an insane sport if you get good at it and can go in the surf.

Because goind down-wave or down-wind is exciting enough without trying to loop a kite above your head and there are wings that do it perfectly...

Kitefoiling forever🛩️ Learning how to crash is one of the best skills to learn in my opinion🤙 great video

I definitely thought foiling was stupid. I couldn't imagine having even more kite gear in my NYC apartment, haha.... And as soon as I got a feel, I got addicted to the silence, the glide, the speed and the low impact. It feels like you're flying on an alien space ship 3 feet above the water. That being said, it kicked my ass and took me probably 2 or 3 times longer than kiting. ru-vid.com/video/%D0%B2%D0%B8%D0%B4%D0%B5%D0%BE-qcgfjfhzAuM.html

Thanks for the video, good topic, I agree 100% (I ride both , specially when I couldn’t do kitefoil because spot not suitable near house I do Wingfoil). Please don’t put advertising in the middle of videos 😉

The problem with kitefoiling is you are always under tension from the kite. So it will never have the surf style feel that you get with winging, downwind foiling, sup foiling and prone foiling. I used to kitefoil. Now that I wingfoil and am a beginner at downwind foiling, there is no way I would go back to kitefoiling. I think I speak for a lot of people.

Kitefoiling is more kiting than foiling. Wingfoiling is way more foiling than winging since you can 100% depower and simulate other disciplines like downwind foil, surf foil, pump foil…

if your not crashing, your not learning - words of Dimitri if your not doing it all, your missing out on progression

I love kiting and kitefoiling but these sports are getting very expensive! I can't do them all! Winging opens up so many spots where you just can't launch/land a kite at all. Whereas you can plop in with a wing and paddle to the wind etc.

Dying?! I'm just getting to know of it and love it ! Thanks to the Olympics game 2024 of formula 1 kite ! Amazing 😍

No mater the wind sport, if you find yourself mowing the lawn, you are doing it wrong, ABC, always be crashing. If you are not crashing you are not progressing. I picked up wing foil because i plateaued on twin tip kiting. Maybe i will try kite foil. Larry

Sounds like it was all said in a video. It's about how much time/wind days you have. Are you willing to sacrifice those days into learning or just go blast as usual. You really have to be really invested into learning a new discipline, and i am talking here about average folk, not a full time riders. Watching others just enjoy time riding on a spot while you just crash.

If one loves jumping, winging is not it. Once you figured out how to kitefoil and keep pushing yourself why would you wingfoil unless riding the swell?

Great video!

Mike - do you worry when living / working in a van about theft? It looks super awesome, but it's something that would be on my mind whenever away from the van (kiting, hiking etc). #vanlyfe looks sweet, except for that.

Don't know about dying, first year in the Olympics this year, definitely a lot more foiling sports around these days people have just spread out over multiple foiling disciplines

i don t see any changes, same amount of people on low wind days:)

Great video. Thanks! I'm an average mow the lawn twintipper. Can you use the same harness, bar, lines and LEI kites (I have 3 North Carves) to start off lite wind kitefoiling or is it better to have a specific foil kite?

Take your kite foil wave riding. That’s a lot of fun when the wind is only 10 -14 kt but waves are coming in.

Weekend Warriors 🤣 thats the point. Workload and kids and not living right at the spot made me realize there is not much space for new tricks or even keep the feeling of old ones. But iam ok with.

I would be really happy to just get up and ride wakefoiling

Prices are just out of control

much easier to travel and access the water with a wing foil, it just opens new spots for you and let's you use your time more efficient, that seems to be the biggest driver among the people I see

Kite foiling plateau is real. Most give up and get into winging but end up mowing the lawn with that too.

The kit has become too expensive and requires upgrading more regularly than a phone. Most people stick to a twin or surfboard for that reason. As fancy laminate materials are pushed from the brands more people will move away to wave power/assist.

Kite foiling is fast and I kept getting caught 300m meters offshore as the 8kts of wind would die, I ain't Baby Shark, big swims suck. Wingboards float and wings are less of a cock than crashed kites.

No time or interest in trying to figure out kites. I watch kiters setup and I don't even want to spend that set up time. Wing Foil is faster to get setup and going.

Note to Fred Hope: I'm a critical care RN. Might want thyroid checked. Just a thought, no offense.

It isn’t dying but when core to Cabrinha are charging the price of a good used car why on earth would anyone keep up with that? Only industry where low demand = extremely high cost. Yes 90% of world doesn’t kite so that’s why it’s low demand high price. I lucky found one for dirt cheap but still majority do not kite

Hydrofoil big air coming up!

Foils are so expensive.

What you guys is incredibly skillful but the reason in my eyes it’s dying is because it basically a cross between dancing and foiling, watch what Mr bennitts is doing on wave prone or with a wing, which is an extension or surfing not ballet! What’s going to be more appealing to a younger audience ballet or surfing! It must be tough to land on you bum on a board! Does it look good? To people from a surfing background it looks kind of ridiculous! Just my opinion obviously

One word - wingfoiling 😂

kitefoil's not dead 😜

Is aids still around?

Wing foiling

Winging is not for the real men 😂

Hybrid, twintip + foilkite

Just get a carbon door with flysurfer 15m. Then no need to kite foil