Malolo Foiling chat with Casper Stienfath

I have been communicating with a few of the Naish team regarding their journey and experiences with SUP foiling, and thought I'd share a more recent one I have had with Casper.


JB - "How hard is it? (I asked Bernd this question to start with also, it is a tricky one to describe, but see if you can use a reference to another sport of trick)".

Casper - "Foiling definitely is a pretty tricky and challenging beast! Although it looks similar to surfing in some ways it is actually requires a different approach. With just a bit of balance and a few hours of dedication you will get the hang of it. You will be flying before you know it "

JB - "Where do you see SUP Foiling going"?

Casper - "I think SUP foiling is already opening our minds to new experiences and possibilities. Waves that we usually disregarded as mushy or useless, suddenly stand in a different light. I now look at waves in my home area with a completely new perspective. I think we are still just seeing the beginning of foiling"!

JB - "Are you surfing, downwinding on the foil, and which do you prefer"?

Casper - "I feel I am still just getting to know the reins of my foil. After a session being towed behind a boat in flatwater I sort of got the hang of it and figured how to distribute my weight across the board. I then progressed to the waves and now I feel more and more confident there. Next frontier for me is the downwinds and it is here I think the full potential lies. Like Kai Lenny says "All of a sudden the whole ocean is a surf spot" . "

JB - "Anything you'd like to add"?

Casper - "Foiling makes me feel like a little grom again! It makes me extra excited and I can't wait for my next foil session"!!!

Thank you Casper for your insights and experience.

Everyone please be safe and careful experimenting with your SUP Foils. There is a lot of torque and pressure going on over a large leveraged foil. Stay clear of others and take your time.

Ride safe,

JB

Thanks JB ,
It interest s me but ....I really like living on the face of the wave and hitting that lip .
one day maybe .
i think you just need the right area to try it .

.I bet the view is nice up there .I would imagine it would be like floating over the ocean.

The learning curve is massive, I personally knew it would be hard, but not this hard. At 100kg, I knew I was going to have my challenges though, and I am pretty stoked with my progress so far.

The trickiest part for me is working against your natural instincts, everything is a little backwards. As you accelerate down the face, you need to nearly learn forward not back. And the foil is very sensitive once up, so over reacting usually ends with a breach and dismount.

All this said, there is something amazing with SUP Foiling, the potential to open up basically limitless waves and ride ocean swell for miles at a time is incredible. Such an amazing journey and very humbling.

Enjoy the glide,

JB