Thanks 4 the video. Really windsurf is an amazing sport and I've been windsurfing for a lot of years. Almost two years ago I tried Winging and it's been a game changer on my life. Some windsurfers have discovered that at our home spot wing is by far a better sport because the wing is easier with a more accessible learning curve, less physical, easier for storage and transport... I'm a better rider on winging in less than 2 years than windsurfing 28!!!!!!! Personally I think that Wingfoil is a more democratic sport than Windsurf or kite and is allowing that more people can enjoy of the wind. By the way, Baltz is a fantastic guy and a perfect ambassador for this sport
Hi Nico, very cool video again. I startest with windsurfing more than 30 years ago, windfoiling 3 years ago and this years also winging. I see the benefits with the foil especially in Low wind conditions for hobby surfers. Honestly I don't feel very comfortable with the foil if the wind increases. On the other hand I get more rewards in a day with fin, with great carving jibes etc. than with a good foil session. I won't stop windsurfing, so the wingfoil is additional equipment that I need to carry. Currently I think that I will stronger focus on fin surfing and use the foil only for some special conditions with low wind. Hang loose Jochen
Thanks for the video. Found hard tu start winging when you already can do many things on windsurf boards. Especially when you have tiny times to spend on the water, you can feel you waste your time... 🤔
Completly agree with Andreas. Since I went in winging I have at least double my sessions. I enjoy the sessions on tiny lakes with gusty wind where it's a nighmare for windsurfing.
My best friend windsurfed with me for the last 15 years, tried windfoiling with a slingshot shred sled and wizard, then went all in with wing foiling. He just got a Naish hover downwind board 110 liters that help him go really fast in light wind. I also windfoil with my Slingshot Dialer 130 and Gecko 133 foil edition and am up faster and longer than he is day in and day out.
Bin seit 1,5 Jahren beim Wingfoilen dabei und ich finde es echt krass wie gut du bist dafür das du ja sozusagen gerade erst angefangen hast mit Wingfoilen, hatte immer das Gefühl ich hab es schon schnell gelernt aber bei dir ist das echt noch ne ander Liga an Lernerfolg pro Session
Thats the only reason it is successful. It all fits into a small suitcase with a pump ! It's not the same sport as windsurfing. It's a "fun" watersport and frankly; a "sport" which can be learned within one day well ...... doesn't need so much skills really.
Kind of funny to read your overall feeling in between lines 🙂: It's great to have more people spending time in the water for easily under 2000€, the whole family can almost learn on the same gear, that's the good thing. But when you're an old time windsurfer, it doesn't make really sense to get into a new learning curve. As many others said, you cherish your time riding and try to get the most out of it. But certainly for people who didn't spend months and years learning to windsurf "back then", it could be a very pleasant and alternative new path.
I am a fairly proficient windsurfer (jibes, jumps) and now only consider windsurfing on >25 kts day (still love it!). In the 10-20kts range, I think wing foiling is unbeatable. The same set of gear (One board, one foil, 2 wings) works for
Tried winging for a year but nothing beats a windsurf board with a fin bumping through the water. And: Winging looks a bit like driving Segway ;) (But hey, can still be fun ;)
Great video. I windsurf and windfoil. Still learning the full foiling windfoil jibe and I am more into upwind and downwind foiling and riding the swell. I have tried winging and it has the edge in swell but a couple of downsides imho: poor visibility and situationsl awareness of others; and a higher chance of a very serious injury. I still will probably learn to wing... but my love is fin windsurfing in high winds and big swell.
Great video. Balz on a full race course with you would be great!!! Wing sounds cool. For my inner rivalry still makes me enjoy too much windsurfing and have too little time to try something else like that. Even with 13 knots blasting around on a big gear, I think windsurfing is awesome. When the wind and waves pick up, it’s divine. But maybe one day I’ll give in doing wing on the lighter days
Thanks for the video I really enjoyed it. I am a windsurf foiler thinking about giving winging it a try. The one aspect you didnt comment on that I hear some "converted" wingfoilers proclaim is the feeling on greater freedom having the board free of the sail. Wondered if you or Balz had a comment on this. Thanks again for the time to make this video.
Great video, really enjoyed it. Tried to get into windfoiling and kind of enjoyed it. But, fin sailing is where I get the most enjoyment. Been thinking about Winging but, after seeing this video. I think I will come to the same conclusion. Thanks for your cool content, look forward to the next one 🤙
Windsurfing with a Fin is kind of unbeatable, but when it comes to Foiling then Winging is by far the better choice to enjoy and have fun. Windfoilers have only one goal: be fast. I dont see many Wingers that do care about their speeds. Its more about going out and enjoying the feeling on the foil.. to turns and jibes.. like dancing with the wind. But hey, different people love different things. 🎉
It can be fun! I'm approaching it pretty similarly, coming from windsurfing/windfoiling, I see wingfoiling as something I could pick up as a relaxing alternative for joyriding or just trying and learning something new. If I want speed or intensity, I stick with windsurfing or windfoiling. Jumps are not for me. We will see, though, things could change if I get bored of windsurfing!
Sehr schönes Video und ja, Balz mit reinnehmen ist definitiv immer eine Show, sehr netter Junge. Ich habe mit wingen begonnen úm es zu testen und es macht Spaß an unseren kleineren Spots hier in D, werde aber absolut beim windfoilen bleiben.
It always seemed clear that winging was great for freeriding and freestyle, but if you wanted speed then you needed a windfoil (ok or formula). As you say things have got more specialised and some are now surprisingly fast. A race would be interesting, and I have to concede that for course racing foiling tacks must make things more tactical. I fear IQfoil might lose out to winging in future Olympics. btw Windfoil crashes can be pretty dramatic, not sure why winging is worse, more chance of hitting the blade?
Mmmm. Ok winging with low wind is fun. But also windfoiling. But when the winds picks up in windsurfing I love THE CONTACT WITH THE WATER. Foiling in both sports is nice but always in the silence over the water... Naaaah!
You did really well not to get any naked tourists in the shot on that bit of beach! You get some real dodgy characters around there. Wing dinging is for people who can't windsurf, but I'd rather be in a crowd of wingers than just one idiot on a kite anytime.
i think wingfoiling is perfect sport for those windsurfers who are too lazy/dont have enough desire and drive to learn.. ( i mean those guys who cant jibe properly after 20 years of windsurfing).it is also perfect for low wind conditions. but i would never choose to wingfoil over windsurf if there were 20 knots or more of wind. i dont know really good windsurfers who switched to wingfoil fully, only those people who werent really good and see ease of learning of the wingfoil.
I am a sailor, I love windsurfing, I still a sailor when I’m windsurfing, I love the connection with the water, I can windsurf foil but with the foil I feel disconnected from the water, so I’m afraid for me wing, no thanks
My local lake rarely gets more than 15 mph of wind. I could hope to plane here and there with a large formula board and 9 meter sail. With a foil, I can now fly over the water with a 5 meter sail in 15 mph. It’s more fun and less jarring than windsurfing and gets me floating on a magic carpet. Try it!
Winging just looks like a regression rather than a progression of windsurfing in general. I do wonder what would happen if winging came before windsurfing and kiting, in my view…winging would be dead in the water.
Hard to say a régression. I do both and the sports are so different. To get a proper feeling of speed i go windsurfing all day. For wingfoil It's a slower, but more free expérience. In light wind i always prefer winging. Being able to carve like crazy and get some jumps in 10-12 knots is something I will never get out of windsurfing.
You only need to see the GPS track of a windsurfer and a wingfoiler on the same spot on the same day to see how different the sports are. One looks like spaghetti before it’s cooked, and one after it’s cooked.
@@MinuteMarvels22 understand…but on light wind days, just go do something else, surfing, biking…anything. I’ve just come off sea on 7.2 and 110 futura and had a blast in marginal 13 knots. I still think if there were a bunch of wingers 20 years ago, jumping with all that sharp scaffolding and landing in a heap…and a windsurfer or kiter came by at 30 knots and launched skywards…there would be no contest….scaffolding would be in FB Market Place in 20 minutes.
One more reason to recall that formula windsurfing solved the low wind frustration when it was first launched on market. I still use it up to this day (11.0 sail) and dramatically increase my wsurf days on the water, sadly it's not a racing discipline anymore. But, sure I agree, it is expensive to maintain such equipment vs. wing foil, but you can't have everything. (Edit: fixed typos)
It's neither a regression not a progression, it's a different sport. I love windsurfing and I love wingsurfing. You've got power and carving on one side and glide on the other, why choose ? Except if you live close to a nice wave or slalom spot, wing is going to beat windsurf more often than not. I cannot count the number of great sessions on the wing that would have been totally crappy with my windsurf board (think 12 knots with a lot of chop).
Maybe remind yourself that you’re watching these videos for free. Without any kind of partnerships, this content wouldn’t exist, and we wouldn’t be able to enjoy something as well-produced as this about our beloved sports. Keep in mind that creating this kind of videos is more than a full-time job. Respect that. 🙏🏽 By the way, there are PLENTY of people out there who are looking for a good place to stay during their holiday or a nice surf shop.
Thanks for the positive feedback, everyone. We try to do our best with the videos and are eager to keep improving. We’re happy to have some partners, who support that , and I was super fortunate to find such a natural co-ownership with Surfcenter. Proud of the team, who are in the shop every day. They do a great job and I’m excited to give Surfcenter a platform on my channel. 🙌
