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Jeff takes a few minutes out from the KoGL event to chat with Adam Carr from Naish about the Hatch V2. Parawinging is a fast-growing sport, with many wingers and kiters hopping onto these wings. For those coming from a kiting background, it often feels like kiting with short lines. Interestingly, many kiters who never transitioned into wing foiling are finding a direct path into the sport through the parawing. Naish Hatch V2: A Total Redesign The Hatch V2 has been a total redesign from the gr …

Jeff is on the beach at KoGL with Marie-Eve from Flysurfer to discuss the growing excitement surrounding ram-air kites. While foil kites have been around for a long time, more people are starting to ask which model they should choose: the Sonic or the Soul. With the recent launch of the Soul 4 and the performance of the Sonic 5, it is important to understand the trade-offs between these two kites so you can choose the one that matches your style. The Rise of Foil Kites in Big Air Foil kites ar …

Jeff met up with Billy Ackerman from F-One on the beach at the KoGL Test Fest to take a look at the Manera Pocket Wing Belt, a combo harness and stowing pouch for the growing sport of parawinging. As riders progress in parawinging, they start to depower the parawing to surf without being pulled. It's fine to simply hold the collapsed parawing while on the wave, but it's so much better to be able to pack it away entirely and ride hands-free. Manera Pocket Wing Belt Features While other brands o …

Jeff caught up with Billy Ackerman from F-One on the beach, where they chatted about parawings. When Billy shared his simple technique for getting the wing back into the air, a light bulb went off in Jeff's brain. Parawing Redeploy Tip When you are ready to redeploy after a stow, a stash, or "trash bagging"—whatever you call it—the redeploy is a crucial moment. Jeff had previously been trying to toss the wing upwind with a little tension on the lines. While that works a lot of the …

The Rapid Evolution of Parawing Tech Jeff and Tucker dive into the brand new Ozone Afterburner V1. The name itself gets people thinking, and it suits the wing perfectly. The parawing industry is growing rapidly, and it's wild to think Ozone released three different models just this year: the Power Pack, the Pocket Rocket V2, and now the Afterburner. While some might think that's too much, the advancement of the sport requires this quick development and segmentation to maximize performance and …

The Evolution of Parawinging Jeff and Tucker from MACkite dive into a discussion about parawinging, a sport that has taken the wind industry by storm over the last year and a half. Parawinging is following a very similar path to winging. Early on, winging was viewed purely as a wave-focused sport. People just wanted to hold the leading edge and cruise on waves without line tension, and many even doubted if you could effectively ride upwind. Today, winging has evolved into freestyle, freeride, …

Jeff and Tucker are excited to break down Cabrinha's new Swift V3. This is the third version of the Swift, and they dive into what has changed, what this board is used for, the ideal buyer in the market, and their impressions after riding it. Construction and Features The Swift is a certified mid-length board from Cabrinha featuring their new construction. It's quite solid and fairly lightweight: lighter than average, but not so feather-light that you'd worry about breaking it on any given day …

Jeff and Tucker dive into what's been the biggest wind sport growth over the last four to five years: winging. It's booming everywhere. Whether you're at Hood River, La Ventana, the East Coast, or local lakes, rivers, bayous, and reservoirs, you're starting to see these "butterflies on the water." Winging is bringing wind sports to the masses and to every puddle in the world. Jeff notes that kiteboarding really took off across North America around 1999 and 2000. MACkite started lessons in '99 …

Jeff and Tucker got their hands on the highly anticipated Slingshot Project Drag board, bringing a little Christmas in August to the shop. The designers, including Ken Adgate, have been working on this shape for a few years. We've seen this board under Ken's feet in a custom capacity for a long time, and it's great to finally see it available in a production model with a palatable price and durable construction. The first thing the rest of the industry needs to take note of is the bag. The Pro …

Jeff and Tucker dive into a one-year review of the Slingshot One Lock system. Officially, the system has been out for at least a year, but counting pre-production samples, the guys have been riding it for closer to two years. After getting plenty of traction with customers over the past year, they wanted to recap their thoughts, share customer feedback, and discuss how Slingshot backs their product now that it's officially here to stay. Durability and Maintenance: Is It a Gimmick? When it come …

Tucker and Jeff are breaking down the skills you should focus on after you learn the basics of getting up on foil. You've finally moved past taxiing around on the board, almost getting up and ejecting, and only riding for a few feet before you fall in. Now you're getting up and riding on foil. You aren't making turns yet; you either fall in or drop down to switch your feet, and then you go back the other way, and that's ok. That's also a step in the progression of learning to wing. But you are …

Tucker and Jeff dive into a parawing tip video focusing on the easiest ways to handle your parawing during a jibe. Once you get up and learn to ride, the first major obstacle is going the other direction. A jibe is a downwind turn, and many riders don't put the forethought into practicing on the beach before hitting the water. Jeff, still a newbie to parawing, notes the frustration of finally getting up and riding, feeling at home ripping upwind, only to realize you have to make your first tur …

With the massive boom in wing foiling over the last three years, a lot of riders now have a couple of years under their belts riding the exact same gear they learned on. If you've been putting in the time on the water, you might be reaching a point where your progression is actually being limited by the equipment you're riding. Tucker and Jeff from MACkite recently sat down to discuss the top three upgrades you can make to your quiver to help you become a better wing foiler. While you can cert …

Jeff and Tucker from MACkite dive into the questions they get asked every single day by riders looking to buy a new wing. There's so much on the market right now... countless brands, and often up to three or more different models per brand, and it can get overwhelming. To help you make the right decision on your next wing, they break down exactly what is important to consider. What Information to Bring to the Table You could walk up to a pro or someone at the shop and simply ask, "What wing s …

Jeff and Tucker dive into a majorly important part of the foil setup: the mast. With foiling experience dating back to 2013 and 2016, their thought processes on mast length have evolved significantly over time. As foil designs have improved, the way riders approach mast length across windsurfing, wing boards, kite boards, and wake foils has completely shifted. If you're thinking about length, why there are so many different sizes, and what you're trying to get out of your foil, this breakdown …