Learn About Parawing Foiling
Are you interested in finding out more about this amazing new water sport, well you've come to the right location.What is Parawing Foiling?
It’s a cross between wing foiling, prone foiling, downwind foiling, kite foiling, and paragliding.
By using a small kite or wing, constructed similarly to those used by paragliders, power is captured from the wind. Like in kitesurfing, there are lines connecting the kite to the bar. Similar to wing foiling, the kite or wing doesn’t need to be as large due to the increased size of the board, which provides more buoyancy and less drag. Once a parawing foiler has tracked upwind to their desired destination, the parawing can be stowed away, allowing the rider to ride the swell for an extended period without needing additional power from a wing, kite, or paddle.
Check out our parawing video page to see some of the experts in action.
What are the benefits of Parawing Foiling?
For those who enjoy using foil boards to catch a rolling swell or wind chop, known as downwind foiling, parawing foiling offers great benefits. First, instead of paddling upwind or relying on someone to drop them off, riders can harness wind power to travel upwind. You might say, “But that’s what you can do with wingfoiling.” Correct, we agree. However, with a traditional wingfoiling wing, you can’t easily pack it away into a small container, such as a specially designed waist pouch.
Another key advantage is that if a rider falls during the downwind journey, they will need that power again to get back on foil. If you’ve deflated your wing, you’re stuck. But with a parawing, you can simply take it out of your pouch, relaunch it, and voilà your power is back on.
What are the drawbacks of Parawing Foiling?
There are questions about the ability to foil upwind with these parawings, which as you can imagine, is a crucial requirement for this equipment. However, from our experience the parawing can offer impressive upwind capability. As with all sports in their infancy, the equipment hasn’t yet had the opportunity to improve through multiple iterations. Think back to the original designs of windsurfing rigs and kitesurfing setups, they all had significant drawbacks, but over the years manufacturers improved with each new version. We believe the same will happen with parawing foiling.
Have some burning questions that hasn’t been covered above? Head on over to our FAQ section where we cover some of the obvious questions.