Aerial frontside

Experience one of the ultimate sensations in wave sailing by hitting the lip for a Aerial Frontside!

Comfortable with turns on the wave face? The next frontier lies above the wave. The Aerial Frontside in side-off conditions is one of the gateways to this realm.
Caution: this is a high-risk maneuver. If in doubt, hold off for now. If you're feeling confident, start with small waves, feet firmly set in the straps, and wear a helmet, preferably along with an impact vest or protective clothing. Jumping into the wave is significantly trickier than jumping facing the wave, and the landing is much more unpredictable. The ideal wave size to start with is waist-high. Be cautious with smaller waves, as they provide less depth for your foil during the landing.

Wingfoiler: Malo, GONG team rider, with a Lethal FSP Pro, Droid UPE Aramid X, Fluid V3 front wing and Surf-Freestyle stab.

Aerial Frontside, step by step:

To achieve a legit Aerial Frontside, all you need is speed. That is all ! So in theory it’s pretty simple but it’s as you expect a whole different story in real life! Your skills in wave riding are fundamental to nail this move because it is done completely in freefly. To send a Aerial Frontside, you must therefore be able to surf with ease and a lot of speed. If you are not yet able to link turns together using only the energy of the wave or to accelerate out of thigh carves, it probably means it is still a bit early to try a Aerial Frontside.

The most suitable conditions for attempting the Aerial Frontsidel are a side-offshore wind, or even a crossshore wind. For your first attempts, try to pick up speed on a wave that is not too hollow and send it at some distance from the breaking point of the wave. Just to have a little respite to get going again in case of a fall. 

Adopt a down the line approach, staying high on the wave, to take advantage of its energy and accelerate. As you progress, you will be able to widen your bottom turn by descending lower on the wave before coming back up having picked up a maximum of speed. At this point, you will need the whole body to play along with a perfect anticipation of the upper body. As a surfer would from bottom to top turn. The final step of progression is the Aerial Frontside attempted like an off the lip, hitting the wave as it breaks and landing with the whitewater. A final step that would earn you a place on the World tour 😉

Before getting there, following a down-the-line trajectory that makes you accelerate, spot a safe shoulder and as for a classic jump, sink the foil to pop. Unlike a classic jump, you don’t benefit from the support of the wing and that makes a big difference. So go for it. The wing is flapping at the end of your back hand, so it’s all about surfing. As you take off, regroup and redirect your gaze down the wave. Bring your back foot under your butt and aim for your landing spot with the nose of the board. The legs are a bit more extended before impact, which provides room for cushioning. If you manage to land on the wave, it can relaunch you without having to take the wing back in hand. It is then the perfect execution.