I've only had a couple sessions on the parawing (ozone), but to me they don't go upwind nearly as well as a performance wing. And although they are better riding back down, if i want to do continuous upwind downwind laps, wings seem to be the better option. I also think wings have much greater range, so better when conditions are inconsistent (but maybe that will get better). Parawings seem better suited to midlength style boards where you don't need the low end so can downsize, but I imagine if you have the power to get a sinker board up, then are going to be overpowered when foiling.

BWalnut said..
Yeah I think there might be some overhype on the parawing upwind ability at the moment but..... I'm mentally preparing myself for where the industry will be in a year or two. As a kiter I was surprised to see winging take over so conclusively and now I look at the parawing and think it's just a matter of time before those things are fully sorted out and killing it. I won't need new wings for years and when I finally do....

I'd hazard to guess, but downwinding is not the majority of the market and probably never will be. But having some downward price pressure on premium wings is a good thing.

Yeah, I don't care about $1500 wings (I'll never be able to ride one!). Just hope some stuff filters down to poor people wings. I'm not optimistic though - it's in everyone's financial interest to keep these things disposable.

A few weeks back i wrote a post on Parawinging being over hyped but didnt submit it....will summarise some thoughts here


i have to admit Im not sure i "get" the Parawing hype !

i dont think it will take off where i live at all - BUT major caveat i said that about SUPs and Wings when they first emerged!

i get that on paper it opens up Downwinding to the masses, i get that (Paddle ups are not gonna be mainstream as its so hard Vs weekend 50 yr old mom / dad bods who are actually buying wings - me included).

BUT
- in the UK paddle downwinding is super niche....like a handful of people in the country (65m people)....
i dont think we have the coastline and conditions for it (maybe UK south coast and Scottish lochs ?).
Are we the odd one out and globally it is more appropriate?- Regardless downwinding is a logistical nightmare - needing people and lifts etc.

And i dont see many weekend punters going 5miles offshore to get the ocean swells

Putting that aside and thinking what i do and the local wing crew - i just dont see where the parawing fits in - i ride waves (beach breaks) and flat water when there are no waves
- Parawinging doesnt apply to waves?
- No point in Parawinging in flat?

i see a lot of online / insta videos - all of people riding flat water.....not stowing the parawing but simply blasting along.... -
i dont see people riding waves

i fear the industry is playing everyone - Insta etc and all the brands were MASSIVE into Downwinding - but in reality (certainly in UK) its super super niche. i appreciate that in Gorge, Maui and OZ maybe not. But what about on a lake in Germany? Yet all the money is being spent on wings - people learning to tack and gybe. Now its all about Parawinging...

PS
is part of the Parawing froth coming from Wingers who were kiters and excited about a bar back in their hands? !

northy1 said..


i see a lot of online / insta videos - all of people riding flat water.....not stowing the parawing but simply blasting along.... -
i dont see people riding waves

Strange, I see people holding their PW, riding swell and then redeploying. I see very little in the way of flat water PW sessions.

Parawings are here and here to stay - I recently got one, it's fun and it's addictive. That's all it needs to be.

MeonAsh said..
Parawings are here and here to stay - I recently got one, it's fun and it's addictive. That's all it needs to be.

I appreciate they might be here to stay

What I am questioning is are they going to become the major foil sport and the next big thing (as all the podcasts, forums and insta would suggest right now) or more of a niche?

Where I live I think the latter...indeed so far in a vox pop I've seen zero interest...maybe we are all laggards or late adopters or maybe (my suspicion) is that 1. parawing doesn't fit here as we don't get access to ocean bumps to ride, but instead decent westerly swell/waves...and 2. that it's over hyped compared to the mass market that is actually spending the money on WINGS (see 8 DW boards for reference).

If they can make the parawing (I mean to ride and stow) "compete" in terms of ease of use, performance and safety and practality with wings I'm all for it! I have no specific love for the wing on the wave...but neither do I see bridles and lines in waves being very attractive...and what's the advantage over a wing if you are not stowing it away?

Back to the original point...I too hope it doesn't mean less investment in wing technology...new Armstrong xps, strikes and flux v2 still got me frothing!

I'm eyeing Zephyr for new wings down the road. High tech, small brand, lightweight, a few ranges in play now. Wish I could get my hands on a demo!

www.zephyrwing.com/en

Can't jump/freestyle a parawing. just sayin' ;-)

Windsurfers sneer at kiters, kiters & windsurfers sneer at wingers, kiters & wingers sneer at Pwers. Wingers & Pwers sneer at flume riders. I think there is a genetic predisposition for most of us to sneer at the latest newfangled fad. Luckily proners & DWers don't share the same space as the rest of us so they get spared the evil eye.

As long as there's a market for wings (I.e. the foreseeable future) there's going to be Joe-average wings and premium wings. And, where I ride, the winging market still appears to be growing exponentially and not a single PW. So, I just don't see the PW as a threat. (Windsurfers might be starting to worry about the shrinking size of their market, but fortunately, they've had their gear dialed for quite a while. Perhaps that's when a sport gets old??). What I find encouraging during the growth phase of a sport is that the Joe-average designs inherit the advances made on the dime of the premium buyers, so as long as we stick around we all get to experience the progression.

-S.