How to start Wing Foil?

Starting Wing Foil allows you to feel new sensations, to move easily and freely on any type of water with a relatively simple and easy to set up equipment. The advantage of Wing Foil is to be able to move with a maximum of freedom on a body of water using the energy of the wind and the swell.

Under what conditions should Wing Foil be practiced?

At Backside we recommend starting the Wing Foil in average wind conditions on a spot sheltered from the swell (between 15 and 20 knots established).

What equipment should I choose to start with?

Like all sports, Wing Foil has a technical side that makes the choice of equipment very important.

The hydrolfoil consists of a mast, a fuselage, a front wing and a stabiliser. The length of the mast has a real impact on the way of sailing: a shorter mast is more reassuring and easier to start with, but a longer mast allows you to get more height and avoid touching the surface. The most influential parameter of the foil is the front wing, the profile, the surface, the thickness but also the length and width of the wing have a strong influence on the lift and the behaviour of the wing (speed, stability and handling).

The foilboard used to practice Wing Foil can vary according to the size and level of practice of each person. However, we strongly recommend starting with a SUP Foil board (120 L) so that you can concentrate more on handling the kite and managing the foil than on balance when starting out.

The Wing is a kite specially designed for Wing Foil. It can also be used on a SUP board without foil for beginners, or with a mountain board (medium wind) or carver (light wind). There are different sizes, constructions and shapes of wings. The size of a wing is measured by its surface area 3m - 4m - 5m - 6m - 7m. Finally, the thickness and shape of the leading and trailing edges have an impact on the wing's stiffness, performance and handling.

What size wing do we recommend?

The choice of the Wing is very important as it is the "engine" of your Wing Foil.

It is more interesting and economical to invest in 1 size of Wing (4m2 or 5m2) and 2 sizes of foil front wing to cover a larger range of use at lower cost, than in 2 sizes of Wing and 1 size of foil front wing. A Wing costs on average 900 CHF while a foil front wing costs around 850 CHF.

What size board do we recommend?

It is important to have a board that is stable enough for your size and level to start Wing Foil in the best conditions. The length, width and thickness influence the stability of the board. Finally, the weight of the board influences the lift of the foil. It is therefore ideal to start Wing Foil with a board that is big enough to be stable in all conditions but not too heavy to not interfere with the hydrofoil's lift.