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Monthly Archives: July 2018

  • Why foil?

     

     Shinn Jackson and Airush Ultra....glassy ultra light wind conditions!

    The last year has seen a huge rise in the number of kitesurfers getting into foiling, obviously great business for us but why are so many taking up this side of our amazing sport.

    Well the last few months have helped to promote them hugely, with all these hot sunny days with super light winds, there are a growing number of us still getting out regularly on the water.....whilst everyone other kitesurfer moans!

    Obviously most of us would still prefer a good storm session boosting or smacking some waves however the bottom line is we are still getting wet and pushing ourselves whilst loving another new element to this amazing sport.

    There are a number of kitesurfers I know who now consider themselves foilers rather than just kitesurfers!!!

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    The Airush Core Foil Board with Airush Ultra V2

     

    The last 5 days I have been out 4 or them and the day I missed I could have been in also (we went mountain biking for a change).

    The discipline of foiling changed a year or so ago when a certain Mr.Shinn introduced the P Foil....to be honest it doesn't look sexy and slick like the previous high end wings, the P wing was fat and round. This all new wing allows you to get up super fast at the slowest of speeds, making learning so much more pleasurable not to say safer and quicker also!

    I mentioned this to Shinn over a cold beer post foil session and he sat and thought for a moment before replying "but the fat ones are always easy" Strangely Shinn Kiteboarding never used that one in there adverts!!

    Until this point the majority of brands were targeting the race side of the sport and not the regular every day recreational kitesurfers at every beach up and down the country.

    The Shinn P Foil that changed the sport for so many people. 

    Fast forward a year and the progress for those buying into this system is staggering. Shinn have now expanded the range to include various length masts some suitable for just starting out on your first runs but also great for shallower water locations. There are now also a multitude of wings available all compatible with the Shinn Jackson setup. P Foil / K Foil / Mega K / F Foil etc etc (check out our website for more information on these)

    https://www.blastkiteboarding.co.uk/kiteboards/kitesurf-hydro-foil-race-boards/

     Mrs Blast, ready to rip!

    We run several trips abroad each year and each year we see more and more people out on foils,  Two weeks ago in Portugal there were approx a dozen out, the  year before there were only three and two of those were us!!

    I simply wouldn't go anywhere without the foil now, it's the difference in riding each day or not. Added to that the amazing feeling of riding on a cloud and it's not hard to see why we have the massive rise in foils at the beaches everywhere now.

    Shinn Jackson Review

    [embed]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=t9zZoc-zvsE[/embed]

    Can I use my regular kites?

    Obviously you can use your normal kites and they will be just fine but there are now several new kites on the market specifically targeted towards light wind kiting. In our opinion the best of these is the Airush Ultra V2, an amazing kite which is so so stable in even the most extreme light winds.

    It's simply not just the fact it's a single strut kite (as many believe) but the fact it really is exceptionally light using the very lightest materials available but also more importantly amazingly stable in next to no wind....no fear of it dropping like a stone like most regular kites when it gets super light. The Airush load frame allows them to make these kites with latest light weight fabrics, they even lengthen the life of the kite by as much as 30% (that's what the advertising blurb says anyway).

     Sav and I even managed a game of footie whilst the rest of the country watched the World Cup Final. Photo: SarahSavagePhotography.Com

    Yesterday was the latest in many an eye opener,  it was marginal to say the least...if you didn't have a foil then you were not going to kite!

    I took out the 12m Airush Ultra and Core Foil and cruised from Rest Bay Porthcawl all the way along the coast to Swansea Bay and back approx 34km round trip. My legs feel it today as it was just one long tack there and back.

    Meanwhile those without foils were stood on the beach cursing. Many of these people are reluctant to start foiling and yet some had driven upwards of 2 hours only to get to the beach to find 8-10knots.

    Yes you will be like a beginner all over again, but embrace it , enjoy it, oh and wear a helmet and be prepared to scream & laugh like never before!

    So if you are thinking about it - just do it, you will not regret it.

    email us any questions you may still have

    [email protected]

     

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