New leg of the HIPE Pro Tour which allows Romain to try the 5’1 in conditions that he particularly likes. Here is his feedback:
“I had the chance to be part of the HIPE Pro Tour and as such, the HIPE Pro 5’1 was mine for 1 week.
I was able to do 3 sessions over the period, two in fairly epic conditions (strong wind and swell with a Fluid LT + 3m) and one in light conditions (flat, Curve XL-T and 5m). I will not dwell on the first 2 sessions because I was not doing great physically and I did not manage to completely find my bearings (when we have waves I usually sail strapless and with a much smaller board). I was still able to do a couple of very very nice surfs!
For the light wind session, it was a real revelation.
I don’t think I’ve ever had a board with such a smooth and easy gliding start. The wind was totally offshore, weak (less than 10 kts on average) and very irregular in strength and direction. There might have been gusts above 12 knots. I don’t know if it’s the shape, the extra volume or another parameter of this board, but I managed to take off on the foil very easily as soon as a gust hit. I also think that the extra volume made it possible to wait without getting too tired when waiting for a gust to take off.
Compactness and rigidity
Once in the air, the compactness of the board and its rigidity make it simply indistinguishable from a regular performance board. I nailed my whole repertoire of transitions/tricks in light wind with a close to 100% success rate (which is rare for tacks on both sides for me).
In short, being able to sail with so much pleasure and ease in these conditions that I love so much (offshore, translucent and flat water, close proximity to shore) is priceless.
This 5’1 HIPE Pro is just perfect for me in these conditions.”
