This might technically belong in the winging forum, but we've all seen this play out before, so why not take a moment to revel in it?
A good dose of Schadenfreude.
Had a chat with a mate who's a decent winger and (at best) an okay down winder. He's convinced para-winging is the future and is about to throw down a chunk of cash to be part of the movement. But let's pause for a second-are we witnessing the beginning of the end for winging?
Seen it happen time and time again in evolving sports. The gear shifts toward catering to advanced riders/niche conditions , while newcomers get left in the dust. Surfing, kiting, windsurfing-they've all walked this path at some stage.
One of winging's greatest strengths is how easy it is to get started. Most people with decent coordination can start making progress within a week. Para-winging, though? Forget about it. The learning curve is steep, more like learning surfing or windsurfing from scratch- not that this gets a lot of coverage.
Naturally, para-winging is all over social media, pulling in eager newcomers and making existing riders feel like they need to upgrade. But let's be honest-are newbies actually willing to drop money on a transitional wing they'll end up ditching? Or spend weeks in the pain locker trying to figure it all out? And frankly, most wingers still aren't maxing out the potential of the current gear.
Once again, suppliers are rolling out the latest flashy toy, funneling resources into high-end marketing while the masses foot the bill for "development" they'll never actually benefit from.
So go ahead, sit back, grab the popcorn, and enjoy the spectacle.
I'll admit I laughed a bit when I saw it coming out because it seemed to come full circle. From kiting to windsurfing/winging and back to a kite again with smaller lines. Only a handful of locals are doing it because it looks like the minimum wind is higher than for anything else if you actually want to get foiling.
To me its all just another sport having its go, just like windsurfing and kiting did.
Each new niche of development going on inside each windsport isn't better, its just different. Much the same as each windsport isn't better than the other, just different. Each has pluses and minuses over the others but none are the be all to end all the others.
In some ways windsurfing is easier than the others to learn, but its harder to get proficient at. You could say the opposite of kiting and winging, but its pluses and minuses.
I'll just sit back and enjoy the show
remember the grass is always greener on the other side.
From my observation it's not a like for like swap. At my usual spot, the wing foilers who have changed to parawing have done so because they are into downwinding.
Parawing is only for downwinding, those who think otherwise will be disappointed.
Select to expand quoteJohn340 said..
From my observation it's not a like for like swap. At my usual spot, the wing foilers who have changed to parawing have done so because they are into downwinding.
Same in Miami
Spot on Panno
but I can't say anything, got my head bitten off in the Kai Lenny at Jaws thread. 
Select to expand quoteMark _australia said..
Spot on Panno
but I can't say anything, got my head bitten off in the Kai Lenny at Jaws thread.
lol, just read the thread. wing foiling is so ground breaking ain't it?
In other news, the latest wing foil race wing comes in at 3,149 euro.
www.seabreeze.com.au/forums/Wing-Foiling/Wind-Wings/Ozone-Fusion-V2-UltraX?page=1#23
wingfoiling isn't going to disappear, it's here to stay. Admittedly I thought it held some appeal at the start with its cruisey foiling vibes. but, err, welcome to the beginning of those higher prices, and well, looks like it's just another splitting hairs wind sport.
It's human nature. Somebody invents something fun and three weeks later, others figure out a way to make it a competition. Then someone else figures out a way to make every newb feel left out if they aren't using the latest, greatest and most expensive variant.
See: road biking, mountain biking, gravel biking, windsurfing, kiting.
Also see: my garage
Now I'm off to find that Kai thread for the s*ts and giggles. (Sorry, Mark.)
Edit: I'm back. Glad to know that Kai invented foiling in '18 the year after I started. The guys at Horue were inspiring us with all sorts of shenanigans.
2017
Select to expand quotePaducah said..
It's human nature. Somebody invents something fun and three weeks later, others figure out a way to make it a competition. Then someone else figures out a way to make every newb feel left out if they aren't using the latest, greatest and most expensive variant.
See: road biking, mountain biking, gravel biking, windsurfing, kiting.
Also see: my garage
Now I'm off to find that Kai thread for the s*ts and giggles. (Sorry, Mark.)
Edit: I'm back. Glad to know that Kai invented foiling in '18 the year after I started. The guys at Horue were inspiring us with all sorts of shenanigans.
2017
Love this, true innovators. Old mate was doing well with the foil so far back on the board.
A couple of years before Kai (2002) the GOAT - 29:40. This movie still stacks up today.
Select to expand quotePaducah said..
Glad to know that Kai invented foiling in '18 the year after I started.
Sorry no, that thing under your board isn't actually a foil. If you're not winging/foil supping then technically you're not foiling. Now head over to the winging forum and write 2000 lines:" windfoiling is not foiling." Then 5000 more: "winging is the only true foiling sport".
Which Kai Lenny thread are people referring to here?
Foil in windsurfing started in the 70-ties, I guess:
Select to expand quoteSurferKris said..
Which Kai Lenny thread are people referring to here?
www.seabreeze.com.au/forums/Wing-Foiling/Wind-Wings/Kai-Lenny-parawings-Jaws-?page=1#23
The fun continues:
www.seabreeze.com.au/forums/Wing-Foiling/Wind-Wings/Parawing-forum?page=1#11
wings are sooo yesterday.
Beware, they might sacrifice this forum for a parawing forum instead. I read in the other thread that wind foiling is dead now so guess this forum is redundant
Select to expand quoteptsf1111 said..
Beware, they might sacrifice this forum for a parawing forum instead. I read in the other thread that wind foiling is dead now so guess this forum is redundant
Windsurfing died in 2002 (kites) and windfoiling died in 2024 (wings). Or, so I've been told.
Hehe, yeah exactly. Yet, it still gives us so much joy! It's good that these "archives" are kept alive
