Foiling Magazine publishes our test session in Annecy!

The latest edition of Foiling Magazine, THE foiling magazine by reference, is out! And once again, SROKA is in Foiling Magazine. In this new edition, Foiling Magazine has published our test session of the High Aspect S-Foil and pocket board in Annecy. The opportunity for us to share, in the “Red Day Letter”, our Wake Foil weekend on Lake Annecy with the whole SROKA team.

Foiling magazine is Foil’s number one international magazine. Available in digital and paper versions, in this magazine we talk about Foil and all the associated practices ( Surf Foil, Wake Foil, SUP Foil, …). Foiling magazine shares stories of unpublished sessions and interviews with athletes in the middle of photos that take us on a journey. It is a very comprehensive book. In addition, there are tests of specialised branded products. Readers of Foiling Magazine can discover innovative products, get inspiration for their next sessions or find advice on how to progress.

Our test session on Lake Annecy with Emmanuelle's boat

wake foil sur le lac d'Annecy

It was in September 2021 that we went to test new products for the Wake Foil. We were with our riders, Paul-Conrad Delaere and Gabriel Bachelet, both accompanied by Bruno SROKA. They made a series of waves under the lens of Jean-Marc Favre. Jean-Marc Favre is the photographer who has followed Bruno throughout the last 20 years. Especially during his adventure project: crossing Cape Horn in a kite. It must be said that Lake Annecy offers a unique spectacle. The sun rising behind the mountains provides a contrast of vibrant colors. It was therefore unthinkable for us to be there without immortalizing our sessions. For these sessions we boarded Emmanuelle Dumolard’s boat, which offers water sports lessons on Lake Annecy.

Annecy is the ideal autumn or spring destination. It combines pleasures: skiing in the morning and wake foiling in the afternoon, before ending the day with a good mountain meal. We were also able to try the famous Waves Garden in the Swiss Alps, Alaïa Bay. Only 1h30 from Annecy, it is the first surfing pool in continental Europe. A great spot that allows you to surf as many waves as possible right at the foot of magnificent mountains.

This trip allowed us to evaluate the performance of the new S-Foil High Aspect 1190 Lift in waves and pumping. It was also an opportunity for us to test our new SROKA pocket board. These are new development ideas for the 2022 season, always with the objective of combining the high performance of our products with accessibility.

Wake Foil is a very good way to improve your technique, especially for surf foiling. Towed by the boat at the start, you will generate speed very quickly and thus take off easily. A 20-minute wake foil session is the equivalent of at least 2 sessions in the waves!
From a product development and testing perspective, it’s really interesting. You have time to observe and understand the behaviour of your foil under your feet. But also to work on your technique in order to progress and better feel your foil and its potential. All without having to worry about wind, swell or tidal conditions…

SURF Foil

THE ADVANTAGE OF WAKE FOIL FOR PRODUCT TESTING

Riding a wave that never ends is so exhilarating. You can vary the sensations, make sharp turns, get away from the wake, go around the water and then come back on the wave. We don’t care about the waves because behind a good wake foil boat, they are the same all the time. Depending on their position on the wave, the rider will not have the same power and different characteristics of glide, handling or power may be observed.

The big difference between a boat’s wave and a wave formed by a swell is the boat’s ability to create, over and over again, the same wave identically. This has allowed us to to easily test different setting options with a minimum of variables external to the product and thus validate our foils more quickly. Every second, the wave is identical. This is exactly what you are looking for when you want to test different profiles, different wing options, etc. It’s also a great way to progress.

RESULTS OF OUR TESTS

Paul and Gab got off to a very fast start thanks to the lift and glide of the 1190 Lift HA front wing. They shared the waves without any problems, with big carvings, many jumps and backflips.
The ultra-short fuselage offers a huge gain in maneuverability, which makes it easier to chain more and more radical maneuvers on a short wave. The foil is very manoeuvrable, it turns much more and faster. Just like the mast of the SROKA foil, the foil is made of high-quality aluminum. This makes it very rigid and gives it a long service life. We have combined this with our new small 240cm2 stabilizer, which makes the foil even more lively and maneuverable.
Behind the boat, the HA 1190 Lift front wing finds a new life and shows us its full potential. This fin is designed for super efficient pumping. It turned out to be great for starting in dock start on the many pontoons of the lake.
For experienced foilers, there is no comparison! It is the ideal weapon for surfing, foiling or wake foiling.

Want to see what Foiling Magazine thinks of our S-Foil HA 1190 Speed and Lift? Click here to see their reviews and test results.

And concretely?

As we mentioned, the advantage of testing the products on a wake wave is the regularity of the wave. This makes it possible to Test all options under the same conditions, without any external parameters disturbing the test.

  • Step 1: At first, riders need to get used to the wave to get to grips with this new way of surfing. The wave is shorter, so you have to adapt your surfing style. Compared to a natural ocean wave, you have to press slightly more on the back foot. Once this adjustment period is over, we start to change one variable at a time. After each modification, riders review how they felt, then compare each other’s opinions in order to choose the best possible option.
  • Step 2: The objective: to test the different possible options. We started by changing the size of the fuselage, then the length of the mast, and finally we tested different stabilizers. Every time we changed an element, we tried to get an agreement on how everyone felt. If it wasn’t the case, we went back in the water to check and compare our feelings again.
    It’s a long and meticulous job, but it’s the best way to produce a perfectly finished product that meets all the objectives we had set ourselves. It is for this reason that it is useless to produce 50 different fins without having done a lot of work beforehand to set a complete set of specifications and precise objectives.
  • Step 3: Obviously, we end up with validation. This type of test weekend is fundamental to validate the production of a new fin. We were able to adjust the foil perfectly and thus determine which was the most suitable combo for wake foil, according to the different riders.
During these two days, we tested four different wing sizes, but also three sizes of mast and fuselage as well as two stabilizers. A productive day that promises new things to come!

In short

To wake foil, you have two options:

  1. For experienced riders : We recommend choosing the High Aspect foils in 1190 Lift, with ultra-short fuselage and 80cm mast. It’s the perfect combo for carving radically on the wave, all with a very good glide.
  2. For beginners : It is better to go for a 1250 or 1500 foil with a short fuselage. The idea is to have a foil that is easier to handle. It will glide a little less but it will be more suitable if you want to start and carve without worries.

In the near future, we will be releasing a High Aspect 1350 Lift fin. It will allow all those who do not have the opportunity to have a wave like that of a Wakefoiler and Surfoiler boat as they like with an absolute glide.

As the images are always more telling, discover our weekend in Annecy in video!

Video Presentation

This stay allowed us to enjoy Lake Annecy from sunrise to sunset. The best way for us to close 2021 and start the 2022 season. Our only regret? that this spot doesn’t get any closer to home!

A big thank you to Emmanuelle Dumolard for renting her boat as well as to Jean-Marc Favre for his superb shots.

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If you still have questions about this, or for any other request, please do not hesitate to contact us !

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