You’ve all seen it, and it definitely appears that Kite Foilboarding is here to stay… so where do I start & how do I meet other foilboarders?
If you’re not yet a competent kiteboarder on your standard equipment then my advice would be practice up. Make sure you’re at least comfortable upwind, able to land controlled jumps, and in general you feel comfortable and ready for your next challenge out there. Kite foilboarding does indeed require a completely new set of board skills and as I’m sure if you’re reading this then you’re about to find out that there is far less room for error when you’re out riding.
So why do people do it? Why is everyone starting to add foilboards to their quivers?
Some would argue it’s the extra 5-10 knots of wind range that they get on their foil boards compared to their standard gear… for others it’s absolutely hooking it and ripping across the top of the choppy little waves in complete silence. There will always be a few people that are keen to get their racing on and push it at the pointy end of the sport, while currently it’s amazing to see those people that are just loving a new challenge and awesome new learning curve while they step their skills up on the water.
WHERE DO I START?
This is a bit of a personal question… 😉 I would say this very much depends on how quickly you would like to learn, and how confident you are to just jump right in to a new area and get amongst it.
I would say there are 3 different ways to get started:
- 1. Kite Foilboard Lessons. Without a doubt this will be your quickest and most efficient entry into the sport. With a dedicated 1 on 1 instructor using a Bluetooth Headset as well as modified foilboard equipment (Shorter masts, easier boards etc.) you can’t go wrong by kicking your new addiction of this way. The other beautiful thing about taking lessons first is that you can give it a go without having your own foilboard.
2. KRÂ Social Foilboard Sessions. Part clinic, part social session, absolute fun. This FREE initiative from Kite Republic is a way to not just dipping your toe in the water (not meant to happen when you up there on a foilboard) and gain skills from some of Victoria’s most experienced foilboarding crew, but a way to get involved with others in this great area of our sport. These 2 hour session are generally broken down into 1 hour of skills for all levels and a further hour where those confidently riding will head out for a group social session and explore the area. KR has foils that you can hire for these sessions (hire cost comes off your purchase price when you set yourself up).
3. Get the gear! There’s nothing like jumping straight in and setting yourself up. KR has some fantastic pricepoint options to get you going at a great price and are more than happy to take any hire costs off the price of a board for you. Even if you do end up just getting setup straight away we’d very much recommend that you get involved with the Lessons or Social Foilboard Sessions to help your transition into the sport be that much smoother and more fun.
If you’d like any further information on how to get started or anything else give us a call on (03) 9537 0644 or drop us a line on shop@kiterepublic.com.au
