Considering Wing Foiling – The Top Ten Questions
In a previous post I provided an view on why to take up Wing Foiling. In this post I will look at what the top ten questions people that are considering taking it up ask (according to Gemini AI, based on Google search). I’ll give you my honest perspective as someone who took it up in their early sixties. There are some specific considerations for “Foilers over Fifty”, but most of the points hold true for everyone.
To avoid writing war and peace I have split this into two posts, this is the first.
In a nutshell (tldr)
No time for long form answers? the following is the summary but it misses lot’s of nuance that follows.
- Is Wing Foiling Difficult for someone over 50? Wing foiling is difficult for anyone, it takes time to learn. Age is just a number though, and if you are fit, fairly flexible and willing to learn it is well within your capabilities.
- Do I need prior watersports experience? Experience of other wind sports especially wind surfing is very helpful. If you have no experience of sailing, kiting or windsurfing then I would suggest starting with lessons is a must.
- What is the best beginner gear? Go big. A board with volume in litres 40% more than body weight in kg and minimum 25 inches wide. A beginner foil of surface area 1800 cm to 2500 cm. The biggest wing you can manage 5.0 or 6.0 m. Getting more advanced gear you hope to “grow into” is a huge error.
- How much does it cost to get into Wingfoiling? There is a very active second hand market as beginners progress and sell their starter gear. Buy wisely and you could get started for £1,000 to £1,500. £3,000 would be a good budget to include buying high quality new wings.
- How long does it take to learn Wing foiling? It depends on previous experience but to get flying under control in good conditions , sustaining controlled flight and steering the foil confidently will take most people at least 3 months if you get out two or three times a week.
- What are the biggest safety risks and how to avoid injury ?
- What are the physical benefits of wing foiling in particular for an older person?
- What kind of water and wind conditions are ideal for beginners?
- Where can I take lessons and are they necessary?
- How does wing foiling compare to other sports like windsurfing or kiting?
If the summary answers above aren’t enough you can find more detail below. Questions 6 to 10 are tackled in Part 2. If you have a different question then feel free to leave a comment and I will do my best to answer.
Finally consider the couple in the image at the top. I often see people on the shore watching me and my winging buddies out on the lake, sometimes they will take pictures. Life is not a spectator sport, be the person in the picture not the observer on the bank. Let’s Go-Wingfoil.
Is Wing Foiling difficult for someone over 50?
As my photo alongside shows I am no longer in the first flush of youth, so it is possible to foil after fifty. Indeed I took the sport up in my early sixties and I’m still out on the water whenever possible today.
Let’s break the question down a little.
- Wing Foiling is hard to learn regardless of your age. The wing and the board will feel familiar to anyone with some windsurfing experience, but riding on foil takes considerable practice to master. It will take a significant commitment of time on the water.
- It is quite physically demanding especially when learning. Falling off the board and climbing back on, standing on a wobbly platform all take a toll on your energy. You don’t need to be superman (or woman) but fitness helps.
- Flexibility is challenging. The normal starting method of getting going on your knees before standing can be a challenge when your knees have been serving you for more than half a century.
However, my own experience shows it is possible. And I’m by no means the exception, at my own home spot there are plenty of Wingers my age and older including a seventy year old windsurfer who has just decided “if you can’t beat them join them”.
If you are still wondering whether you can do it ask yourself the following:
- Could I swim 100 metres without too much difficulty (any stroke) ?
- Could I complete a 20 minute HIIT workout without too much difficulty (eg a Joe Wicks HIIT) ?
- Can I do a deep lunge I.e. stand from kneeling by driving up with one leg leading?
If the answers to all of these is yes than you are fit enough to foil in my view. If the answer is no then maybe build fitness and flexibility with exercise and then you’ll be ready. If you need extra motivation to get fit, the fun of Wing Foiling can certainly provide it.
Do I need prior watersports experience ?
The short answer is that prior watersports experience will certainly help you to progress but is not an absolute requirement.
From my own experience the cross-over skills that helped were:
- I am a very confident swimmer and obviously being confident in the water helps a lot.
- I have sailed dinghies, windsurfers and cruisers since I was a teenager. I have a good understanding of the principles of sailing that make handling the wing fairly intuitive.
- I windsurfed up to intermediate level but gave it up more than 20 years ago. The basic feeling of standing on a board and balancing a sail against the wind is familiar. (There are also bad habits to lose by the way).
- I learned surfing when I lived in California. I remain a novice surfer but the basic feeling of steering a surfboard on a wave is somewhat similar to steering a foil.
Based on what I know and from discussion with others.
- Windfoilers (i.e. Windsurfers who can ride a foil) will find the foiling feeling familiar but not exactly the same. Clearly having experience on foil helps, but the take off process is different.
- Kite surfers who can ride “toe side” will have some advantages once they progress to transitions, though not really a beginner concern.
- Snowboarders and skateboarders will find some familiarity on steering the board with steering the foil.
- Paddleboarders who are used to balancing an unstable platform on water will have an advantage of familiarity in the early stages.
In summary the more watersports experience you have the better. Those with more experience of how to sail, balancing on a board and remaining safe on the water have a head start on those with none. If you have literally no experience of watersports it is probably more important to seek some lessons, not the least for guidance on staying safe on the water. If you know you want to pursue wing foiling then I’d recommend a beginner wing surfing lesson or two to start you off.
If you feel at all discouraged at lack of prior experience and want inspiration here’s the story of Kelly, whilst not everyone has an ex pro kitesurfer to teach them her humility, enthusiasm and passion to learn are great to watch.
What is the best beginner gear for wing foiling?
In general the best wing foiling gear for a beginner follows the same rules regardless of age. I have a full article on this topic here, but I will summarise my thoughts.
In a nutshell bigger is better to start with.
- Get a big board that will easily float you. Rule of thumb is to get a board with volume 40% more than your bodyweight in kg.
- There are different board shapes available as longer narrower boards that take off more easily have come to the fore. At this stage getting up and learning to taxi the board are key and anything that tips you off too readily will hinder progress. I suggest a fairly traditional shape, minimum width 25 inches.
- Get a big front foil with plenty of surface area to get you flying. I would suggest a minimum of 1800 sq cm for most people and over 2000 if you are heavier. Look for something positioned as a beginner foil (e.g. Slingshot Ease range or Axis BSC ). Look for a front foil with more rounded edges, these are safer when learning.
- Get a mid length mast 72 or 82 cm. This will give you some room to maneuver to avoid breaching (pushing the foil through the top of the water), whilst limiting the height you fall from.
- Assuming one wing to start with, get the biggest one you can manage in the normal conditions at your spot. Where I wing the winds are very variable but there are lots of days where the average is around 15 knots. For that anyone reasonably strong over 70 kg I would recommend a 6.0 m wing. You need as much power as possible for first flights as your technique develops, an adult below 70 kg should look at a 5.0 m wing. I strongly believe that it is much easier to manage being overpowered on a wing than a windsurfer sail, so don’t be afraid to rig big in your early days.
Other considerations:
- You should definitely look at the second hand market to start. This may to some extent determine what kit you buy.
- Assume that you will progress and move on and that when you do you will be able to sell your beginner kit. Buying gear you hope to “grow into” is a huge mistake.
- If you have extra money to invest consider getting multiple wings to allow you to out in the widest wing range. My own quiver of wings are 4.0, 5.5 and 7.0m as someone of just less than 80kg. This allows me to go out from 10 knots of wind up to high 30s without too much issue.
- If you have the budget to buy new wings rather than used this will likely be money well spent. Wing design has progressed enormously over the years, new materials have allowed stiffer lighter wings, and wing canopies will stretch with use so a used wing will not be as efficient as the day it was unwrapped.
How much does it cost to get into wing foiling?
As I discuss in more detail in my article on beginner gear, there is a healthy second hand market that will help you keep costs down.
If you are lucky and patient it may well be possible to get on the water for £1,000 to £1,500. £3,000 would give plenty of options.
As an example, I sold a full starter set of my beginner gear for £650. This is pictured to the left and consisted of:
- Slingshot iFly 120 litre inflatable board
- Slingshot Infinity 99 complete foil set up
- 3 Wings (4.0 m, 5.5 m, 7.0 m)
- Pump, leashes and additional short 50 cm mast
- Impact vest
This was priced attractively as my wife was complaining about garage space, but there will be other good bargains out there. In the UK there is a specific Facebook group Wing Foiling Kit for sale UK and another more general group Wing Foiling UK where second hand gear is offered.
If you decide to go for new kit you still don’t need to spend a fortune and you will be able to recoup some of the cost when you move on. £2,000 to £3,000 will get you out on the water.
- A wet suit. Even if you live somewhere warm you will want to some padding for knees and shins in the early stages where there is a lot of kneeling on the board.
- A helmet to protect yourself from the board and foil.
- An impact vest to protect your body and provide flotation for safety.
- Leashes for all wings and the board (unless included).
- Pump for the wings (and the board if you buy an inflatable).
How Long Does it Take to Learn Wing Foiling?
Unfortunately there is no simple answer to this question. One of the joys of Wing Foiling is the potentially endless development of new skills.
Let’s start by defining “learn”. For the purposes of this discussion let’s define “learn” as:
- Being able to get up on foil in favourable 15 knot and above winds.
- Control ride height and direction and sustain flight in one direction for as long as desired.
- Being able to do the above in both directions i.e. both regular (right foot back) and goofy (left foot back) stance.
In summary being able to do what I demonstrate on the right.
This excludes turning around for now. Of course you will have to turn around even while learning the skills above. But learning to gybe on foil is a notoriously long process and you can still have a lot of fun falling in to turn around. You’ll be in good company too, many wing foilers are stuck at this stage for quite a time (as I can attest).
So how long does it take to get to being able to get on foil and sustain flight ? Again the answer is still not simple and will be influenced by how much wind sports experience you have already, fitness, balance and age.
My own experience was broadly:
- Watched loads of YouTube videos on getting started.
- Bought my starter set up.
- First few sessions spent a lot of time on my knees, but started to get better at getting to my feet and taxiing. I spent a bit of time on the beach practicing wing handling but found that fairly easy to master as an ex windsurfer. The biggest challenge was getting balance on the board to stand up. There was no magic breakthrough, I just kept at it and it became easier.
- During the rest of month 1, I got more comfortable riding the board without getting close to foiling. I realised that going out in less than 12 knots was a waste of time.
- End of month 1 I had a lesson. This was a waste of time and money. It was in 2021 so I think teaching was less evolved. The walkthrough on the beach taught me nothing I didn’t already know. We were on the sea and the waves made it hard and the instructor stood on the beach shouting instructions into the wind, which was of no help. It was very windy though, and I had my first foiling flight which lasted about 2 seconds.
- Month 2 I started to get the odd very brief take off. Usually these were too steep and resulted in breaching or stalling but gradually I got longer periods of flight (10 to 15 seconds).
- Month 3 I bought a 7.0 m wing. The big wing was a game changer because the extra power allowed me to get on foil with my poor technique. More times getting on foil led to longer rides. At this point being on foil was a bit unnerving as I didn’t feel in full control of where I was going, a bit like standing on a toboggan that is sliding down a slope to where it wants to go.
- Month 4. I began to get more control on foil. I began to get the feel of leaning the foil slightly to the heel side so that I was edging the board upwind. Balancing that feeling against the power of the wing felt controlled and relatively locked in. I then had a prolonged break as the skiing season started. At the end of that I went to Dakhla and had a few foiling lessons there, these helped my foil control a lot. Practice now became even more fun and my addiction was complete.
One other thing, session frequency helps. my best breakthroughs came after going several days in a row, where the muscle memory of the day before was fresh (this was especially true of the full week in Dakhla). If you have big gaps between sessions progress will be slower. Finally it’s important to remember to enjoy the learning process. Celebrate small victories, they are all achievements in and of themselves, not just steps toward a destination.
If you want to see the answers to questions 6 to 10 they are in part 2. If you have other questions please leave a comment and I will do my best to answer.