GEAR: L’OFF THE LIP EN ALLEY!

The new Alley FSP Pro 2022 is the benchmark for those who like to play on hollow sections! Its sharp shape is a delight for attacking the lip and linking turns. This is why our ambassador Pierre adopted it in his quiver.

To rip on every section with dynamic off the lips for which the Alley combines all the qualities:

A relatively narrow and long shape to gain speed;
A pronounced but not excessive rocker to combine maneuverability on the wave and acceleration;
A round tail that ensures fluidity and grip whatever your angle of your turn is;
Thin and hard rails for a pure shortboard feeling;
A 100% radical nose point;
A tri-fin set up that allows you to tighten your turns to the maximum while offering an excellent pivot point.

Pierre shares with us how he puts these qualities to good use step by step, starting with the essentials, gaining speed:

Picking up speed

“The most important thing in this maneuver is speed. Without speed, there’s no maneuver. Here we try to be in the hollow zone of the wave to gain speed. We need to pump and paddle at the same time to gain maximum speed before going for the hit.”

Bottom turn and timing

“Once the speed has been acquired, try to descend as low as possible on the wave in order to get as far away from the lip as possible and have space to prepare the maneuver.

At this point, you have to put the paddle on the wave side and take very slight support on it in order to use it as a pivot point. It is very important to do the bottom turn at the right time and in the right place in order to hit the lip of the wave right.

If we go for a bottom turn and the wave is not hollow enough, it will not have enough power to hit us back into the wave and vice versa. At that moment, we look at the area where we are going to hit the lip.”

SUPer: Pierre, GONG ambassador, with the Alley FSP Pro and a GONG Carbone Pro 8” paddle

Arm and strike

“Once the bottom turn is done, we find ourselves in the phase where we have to stick the paddle at the top of the wave and use it as a point of propulsion. That is to say that we will pull the paddle as much as possible with the rear arm in order to help the rotation at the top of the wave.”

Oppose the hull to the lip

“At the same time, you have to push hard on the rear leg to send the tail of the board and bring the front leg very slightly towards you to bring the board back into the wave. If the timing is right, you will feel the lip of the wave hitting under the board.”

Centered low and above the board

“At this stage, the hardest part is done, you just have to maintain your balance and have good support on your legs.”

Here are the keys to this move in our complete How To:

Good speed to get away from the wave at the bottom in order to allow a very vertical upward trajectory.
Don’t be ahead of the wave because on the shoulder this move is impossible. You almost have to have foam in your feet at the bottom.
Pushing the back foot excessively at the top of the wave to force the pivot, almost as if you wanted to pass the tail behind the wave and tilt the board over the lip.
Keep in mind that you have to hit the lip, not just pay it a visit …
Always present the hull to the lip and not the rail.