Off the lip (en surf foil)

Hitting the breaking point of the wave is in every surfer’s DNA, be it with or without a foil !

Whether the board is set with a thruster or a foil, playing with the most powerful part of the wave is a source of adrenaline that a surfer can’t resist as he gets better. A game the power of the wave should forbid but isn’t that the whole point ? Crossing the red line and getting away with it… or just not 😉

As in classic surfing, you need speed to first get away from the wave at the bottom turn in order to aim for a vertical upward trajectory. The key to the move in surfing is to push to hard on the back foot to force a big pivot when hitting the lip. A much more delicate movement in surf foiling where you should hold a longer and wider line when turning so as not to lose the lift of the foil. Well, in this move, you have to forget about the lift 😉 When pivoting, it will stall no matter what. In addition, you will not benefit as in surfing from the power of the wave to complete the turn. So be sure to stay well above the board so that you can maintain balance when stalling down.

The difficulty is to pivot while your foil wants to lift you on a longer trajectory. You have to trigger the pivot with your back leg when the foil is at the top of the wave, where it will lift the least. Your foil is literally in the lip when pivoting the board. The movement of the upper body is less frank than in surfing. Everything is done delicately. A foil with a shorter span, for example the Freestyle H stab, will help you to tighten the curve at this critical moment. Regarding the front wing, the ideal gear is a wing with a very good rail to rail like the Fluid. Up to you 😉