Foiling Magazine publishes our test session in Annecy!

The latest issue of Foiling Magazine, THE definitive foil magazine, is out! And once again, SROKA is featured in Foiling Magazine. In this new edition, Foiling Magazine published our test session of the S-Foil High Aspect and the pocket board in Annecy. It was an opportunity for us to share, in the “Red Day Letter”, our weekend of Wake Foil on Lake Annecy with the entire SROKA team.

Foiling Magazine is the number one international foil magazine. Available in digital and print versions, this magazine covers everything about foiling and all associated practices (Surf Foil, Wake Foil, SUP Foil, etc.). Foiling Magazine shares stories of unprecedented sessions and interviews with athletes, all set amidst captivating photos that transport us. It's a very comprehensive publication. Indeed, it also features product tests of specialized brands. Foiling Magazine readers can discover innovative products, get inspiration for their next sessions, or find tips for improvement.

It was in September 2021 that we went to test new products for Wake Foil. We were with our riders, Paul-Conrad Delaere and Gabriel Bachelet, both accompanied by Bruno SROKA. They rode the waves under the lens of Jean-Marc Favre. Jean-Marc Favre is the photographer who has followed Bruno throughout the last 20 years, notably during his adventure project: crossing Cape Horn by Kite. It must be said that Lake Annecy offers a unique spectacle. The sun rising behind the mountains offers a contrast of vibrant colors. It was therefore inconceivable for us to be there without immortalizing our sessions. For these sessions, we embarked on the boat of Emmanuelle Dumolard, who 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 also had the chance to test the famous Waves Garden of the Swiss Alps, Alaïa Bay. Only 1.5 hours from Annecy, it's the first surf basin in continental Europe. A great spot that allows you to surf a maximum of waves 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 goal of combining high performance of our products with accessibility.

Wake Foiling is a great way to improve your technique, especially for surf foiling. Towed by the boat at the start, you'll generate speed very quickly and take off easily. A 20-minute wake foil session is equivalent to 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 behavior of your foil under your feet. But also to work on your technique to progress and better feel your foil and its potential. All without having to worry about wind, swell, or tide conditions...

Riding an endless wave is so exhilarating. You can vary the sensations, make sharp turns, move away from the wake, do a tour on the water and then return to the wave. You don't have to worry about the waves because behind a good wake foil boat, they are identical all the time. Depending on their position on the wave, the rider will not have the same power and different characteristics of glide, maneuverability or power can be observed.

The big difference between a boat wave and a wave formed by swell is the boat's ability to create the exact same wave over and over again. This allowed us to easily test different setup options with minimal external variables to the product and thus validate our foils more quickly. Every second, the wave is identical. This is exactly what you look for when you want to test different profiles, different wing options, etc. It's also a very good way to progress.

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

• Step 1: First, riders need to get used to the wave to master this new way of surfing. Since the wave is shorter, you have to adapt your surfing style. Compared to a natural ocean wave, you need to put a little more pressure on your back foot. Once this adaptation period is over, we start modifying one variable at a time. After each modification, the riders report on the sensations they experienced, then we compare everyone's opinions to choose the best possible option.
• Step 2: The goal: 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. Each time an element was changed, we sought to achieve agreement on everyone's sensations. If this was not the case, we would go back into the water to verify and compare our sensations again.
  This is a long and meticulous process, but it is the best way to produce a perfectly finished product that meets all the objectives we set for ourselves. This is why it is useless to release 50 different fins without having done extensive preliminary work to establish a comprehensive specification and precise objectives.
• Step 3: Of course, we finish with validation. This type of test weekend is fundamental for validating the production of a new wing. We were able to perfectly adjust the foil and thus determine the most suitable combo for wake foil, depending on the different riders.

During these two days, we tested four different wing sizes, as well as three mast and fuselage sizes and two stabilizers. A productive day that promises new innovations to come!