Wingboarding

Many recreation locations such as Nitinat lake were closed or access limited over the last year due to the global pandemic. This made kiteboarders and windsurfers search for new locations to get their fix. During this time many great new locations were found, but also a new sport that was in its infancy was able to grow exponentially!

Wingboarding is kind of a combinations of kiteboarding, windsurfing, surfing and stand up paddle boarding(SUP). An inflatable wing similar to a small kite is held right in your hands. You ride a big floaty board and the wing propels you along the wind like a windsurfer, but you are holding onto it and it is not attached to the board. The wing is very simple to use and the basics can be taught in an hour. If you are comfortable on a SUP you can be out on the water

Wingboarding: Fly Like The Wind

solo on your first day! This is big news as kiteboarding is an absolute blast, but takes many DAYS of lessons before solo riding is safe.

If you enjoy SUPing then wingboarding opens a lot of new options for you. It is a new way to cruise around the water, great exercise and opens a lot of new possibilities. With a large fin on the SUP one can use it like a sail boat and actually sail into the wind! If you choose to get into the sailing end of things then it gets really exciting.

Hydrofoils have been used for many years. The basic principle is the same as a plane flying in the air, but we are flying over the water. A wing is attached to a mast on the bottom of the board and that wing will start to lift up when a certain speed is reached. The familiar to anyone would be an airchair towed behind a boat, chair lifts up and flies above the water. If you ever watch the Americas Cup they started using hydrofoils a few years ago and the boats are now significantly faster.

CUSTOM LEARNING I WATERCRAFT ASSISTED I 1-ON-1 PRIVATE LESSONS

Opening hours: Mo-Fr: 8:00-22:00 Sa: 8:00-24:00 So: 8:00-14:00

SAFE LEARNING ENVIRONMENT We are a certifi ed IKO school, we offer 1-on-1 private watercraft assisted lessons for the most comfortable and effective learning experience. Located at Nitinat Lake, the conditions are optimal for learning.

(250) 813 0035 I info@strongkiteboarding.com www.strongkiteboarding.com

Great but what does that have to do with wingboarding? Well you can bolt a hydro foil onto your SUP and we have a new sport! People have done very similar things in the past but with the lightweight materials and construction methods of today it is a whole new ball game! Think of how aircraft design has changed over the last 100 years as new materials became available. Well, we started with the best stuff so it is all happening very fast now.

With proper training these lightweight boards and wings can fly you 60-70cm over the waters surface. When the board is not touching the water one can go very fast and be very agile. Think of a boat on plane compared to not on plane, but even more of a difference. It is a very freeing feeling, you don’t get bounced around on the surface of the water. It is comparable to riding in deep powder or a never ending wave.

If you enjoy surfing then this really opens up new possibilities. The foil takes energy from the wave before it even starts breaking. Once up riding on foil a competent rider can ride waves that do not get very steep or do not break at all. Open ocean swells, boat wakes and wind chop can be ridden for very long distances(500m+). A day of mushy waves at the beach can become a lot more fun with a hydrofoil.

Wingboarding also opens a lot of access spots that would not be available for other wind users. Often times the wind will be sitting offshore 100-200m with no wind on the beach. This means a kiteboarder or a windsurfer on the beach cannot get out to the wind to sail. Not a problem for a wingboarder! They can just lay down on the board and paddle out to the wind, or even bring a small paddle with them and strap it to the board. And if the wind dies you can do the same to get back in while the kiteboarders and windsurfers are waiting for rescue.

Beaches suitable for kiteboarding have specific requirements. Wide open space, clean steady wind, free of debris and crowds. Wingboarding does not need any of these things, just wind! Nitinat Lake has opened for the summer and it is a great spot to windsurf, kiteboard and wingboard. But for those of us who cannot make it up there, or don’t have a nice wide open beach close to us, wingboarding is a much safer, easier and more accessible option.

If this sounds like it is up your alley or if you want to hear more about this amazing new sport then contact Strong Kiteboading. They have all the gear you need to get out there and have fun!

www.strongkiteboarding.com

Martin Dovick is an avid waterman and the owner operator of Strong kiteboarding