WING FOIL Crashing & tips to reduce the risks

The video looks at how to avoid a painful wing-foil crash, including:
0:00 Introduction
0:14 Falling with the board or against it
0:53 Front wing size and foiling speed
1:26 Armour & impact protection
1:43 Touching down Vs. Breaching
2:13 Learning conditions
2:46 Taking lessons
3:15 Upwind & downwind crashes
3:49 Footstraps
4:08 How skill & experience keep you safe
Thanks to Thomas Burblies
/ surf2serve
Thanks to Lachie White
/ lachiewhite

[@bradphelan8869]

I've been finding that keeping both hands on the wing and the wing loaded during a crash helps you "fly" away from the board.

[@mrriesen9004]

Buy foils that have tips that curl up or down. The other day a beginner kiter lost control of her kite, the lines caught my board and flipped on to the wing, if the foil tip would have been straight it would have ripped it to shreds. It is also much safer in the water.

[@bryanhall9996]

That foil to the head shot is the stuff of nightmares!

[@kitesurfcollege]

Absolutely. I spoke to him and he did say it didn't really hurt. But it could have been much worse.

[@DavidFoxDotCom]

​@@kitesurfcollege Black Knight: It's just a flesh wound. King Arthur: On second thought, let's not go to Camelot. It is a silly place

[@vincentaa7825]

Im a good kite foiler but my wing worst wingfoil injuries were cuts to the feet by kicking the sharp trailing edge of the (much larger) front wing when wiping out or getting onto the board in choppy conditions. Although I hate wearing boots (reduced feeling with the board and balance) after 3 cuts x 2 weeks out I learned that there is no option but to wear boots when learning. Goes without saying that a helmet and impact vest also obligatory. In spite of wearing a helmet I still got a nice boxers cut eye and shiner after the board popped up and smacked me just under the helmet. Some injuries are just part of the learning process ;)

[@bille6596]

Really great compilation of advise. I've been wondering about the types of risks to be aware of and looking for strategies and tactics since I started a couple of months ago. Hopefully I can execute satisfactorily when the time comes.

[@aaronjosephs6233]

I think something that helps as well is having the mast mounted a bit further back then once your weight is off the foil it's much more likely to go down instead of breaching.

[@OlivierRouletDubonnet]

Really great video! I have been looking for such a video for a long time!

[@hansstoop5381]

Excellent video again. Love watching these College video's. Keep up the good work.

[@kitesurfcollege]

Cheers Hans

[@Pete_R63]

REALLY good, solid advice. Boy, I was cringing watching that foil hit that guy in the head. I just imagined it scalping him! Scary!

[@kitesurfcollege]

Thanks Pete, I hope it helps new wing foilers. Thomas (the guy in that crash) said it didn't really hurt, but I think if it hit him a few cm lower it could have been much worse.

[@Pete_R63]

@@kitesurfcollege It helped me. It opened my eyes to what could happen and gave me things to think about and watch out for. I recently completed my kit, got my foil, a couple boards, and 3 wings. Now all I need is wind! Thanks again for a great video. Cheers

[@AKJammer1]

Me too!! I kite foil, not into winging yet, but that made my skin crawl.

[@axxis001]

Perfect video again, thank you so much, you really helped me a ton already!

[@kitesurfcollege]

Hi Justin, thanks, great to hear the videos are helpful.

[@JABTV2008]

another super video!!¨thanks mate!!

[@knightclan4]

I’m about to get into the sport. Thanks for sharing your experience and knowledge

[@Otefnmjn]

how much you paying?

[@knightclan4]

@@Otefnmjn I will buy used when I do Try to find a beginner board from someone wanting to move up to intermediate

[@Otefnmjn]

@@knightclan4 great idea

[@kitesurfcollege]

Thanks to Thomas Burblies instagram.com/surf2serve/ And, thanks to Lachie White kzbin.info

[@CroLarus]

Yes-Big thanks to them for sharing ! It is best example I have seen so far and it gives real clear warning and I almost can feel it!

[@afd3206]

Bigest tip for safety, always look around you before gybing or tacking. Too many crashes already.

[@bugaudin]

Great video, thanks so much

[@martinomovies]

Great stunt work! Just experienced plus 30 knots and when I crashed and fell on the leeward side, the wind picked up the board and threw it back on me and the wing. Thankfully no injuries or repairs.

[@kitesurfcollege]

Hi Jake. Thanks for sharing that and glad you didn't need stitches for yourself of the wing.

[@kitesurfcollege]

Yes, definitely, 30 knots is plenty to make the board flip rapidly. I almost had the board land on me my first wing foil in similar conditions.

[@terencefleming7652]

I believe that in high winds a longer leash is useful because when you land in the water just in front of the board there is less chance of you pulling the board after you and it landing on you just when you come up to the surface

[@terencefleming7652]

That's the same thing as Stefan Schroeder further down this thread

[@andrewjamez]

Great insightful video. How many of you ware impact vests?

[@dawnpowell-londono1061]

broken rib with an impact vest! Just got a wake impact vest because my kite impact vest was not enough and has no side padding (I have landed on the foil).

[@888bling]

When wind is strong enough to flip or fly the board, I begin conservative mode, not try anything I am not sure. And if I use my 88ltr board, 35 tks is the critical point and I won’t hit the water over 40 kts. If you use a smaller board the limit could be higher for sure. Maybe I am too conservative.

[@rutgerdezeeuw]

Whenever I fall, I bring my arms up around my face like a boxer who is defending himself. And I wear a helmet, but there will still be some risk left. If your wallets allows for it, the SIMBA surf helmet will improve your chances greatly.

[@LachieWhite]

Great video! Thanks for the credit!

[@kitesurfcollege]

Thanks for your help Lachie and keep up the good work with your channel.

[@wendy1908]

FANTASTIC, THANKS

[@kitesurfcollege]

Cheers Wendy

[@ecofly]

Great content. I'm currently suffering whiplash injury to neck from multiple wipe outs, landing on my back when my head flicks back crunching the vertebrae. Its happened at speed wing foiling and from falling down wave sup foiling. Have been wearing a light weight helmet, but wondering if it contributes to the injury.

[@kitesurfcollege]

Hi Tim. That's an interesting point. With a helmet, you will feel more force when hitting the water. A lot of big air kitesurfers talk about helmets making a crash worse - but then they are sometimes dropping from 20m or hitting the water at 100km/h. I think with most foils, riding below 40km/h that a helmet shouldn't cause whiplash. Perhaps a more hydrodynamic design, like a rugby scrumcap, might offer the best of both worlds.

great video, thanks

[@kitesurfcollege]

Glad you liked it Emre

[@peterfriedl6206]

These short helmets do not protect the lower part of the head and the neck. The upper part of the head is already protected by the skull bone. What is needed is an adaption from a fireman's helmet the lower part not as flexible material but integrated in the rigid plastic part. For the rest of the backside a life jacket with a thick plastic sheet on the back should do it. Final question: who wants to wingfoil coffined this way ?

[@Djangoat68]

If you have sharp wing edges they can easily cut through neoprene and skin - I’d recommend rounding them off with sandpaper

[@PiperEMcDermot]

I got cracked on the head by the mast - had a fall in the swell, calm conditions and light wind. while I was still under the swell shunted the board on surface, mast got the back of my head. Luckily no stitches but a huge egg 😖 bought a helmet the next morning. A habit from surfing days is I always bring one arm up tucked in front of my face. A fabulous black eye got me into that habit 😆

[@kitesurfcollege]

Thanks for sharing that with everyone Piper.

[@sergeyknol]

Crashed yesterday: few broken teeth. Had a 20 hours of wingfoiling, just started consistant straight foil-flights, yesterday there was no wind, tried an e-foil. Crashed, my weight was on a front of a board, fell towards, board followed me and hit me in a mouth. So cover your face when crush. And I think maybe to wear American football helmet. Or maybe you know good full face protection helmet for watersport?

[@kitesurfcollege]

Hi, sorry to hear that. I would like to here more about this when you're comfortable. Was the motor still running after you fell? Do you know the speed you were doing? What was the size and type of front wing? I don't think a full face helmet is the solution as it will block your senses too much. I think the solution is about how you fall and the speed you're using. Guard your head when you fall (I also try to dive under water sometimes). The other solution is gear choice and how that dictates speed. If the front wing is big enough you can efoil at 6 knots and will feel too much lift at 12 knots. That limits your speed then the chance of impact is much less. Also if you're getting out of control try to cut speed and send the foil down to the water (if the board hits the water that will cause a lot of deceleration). Being only 20 hours in you are at the greatest risk. I had my only scary moments at that stage (I hooked my foil onto my kite lines and almost got dragged into the foil and almost got hit by the foil a couple of times). I'd say only after 1 or 2 hundred hours do you develop the ability to predict what the foil will do and then you can avoid it more easily, crash less, and even if you do crash you can guide the board away from yourself. When you're ready please let us know the details or your incident or email to [e-mail] if you prefer. All the best, Alex

[@sergeyknol]

@@kitesurfcollege, thank you, bro! Unfortunately I don't know the apeed or size of wing. It looks like low aspect 1700, and speed about 20 km/hour. Company who gave me e foil don't know either. But i have video with few seconds befor crash kzbin.infoUhol-dHUXZU?feature=share

[@sergeyknol]

@@kitesurfcollege, what do you think about ice hockey helmet? It has good cage to protect face. Do you think it will be not suitable too?

[@SuperAndreamanzotti]

just tried to learn foiling dividing the problems in two parts. First without the wing, with a small motor boat towing me. Was not a good idea. Can't explain why but i fell on the hedge of the board and now it hurts so much that i'm resting on my couch. Hope it will be over soon

[@ignasituduri1904]

Same happen to me, almost broke a rib. Because of the rope pulling you forwards the falls are quite dangerous. Have a nice recovery!

I took beginner lessons last year on Fuerteventura and it seemed that all schools had a similar structure to the lessons: first lesson with wing on the sore then on the water with a big windsurf board (though skipped this one as I have done it earlier) then the second one is motor boat towing on a foil board and the third one is with the wing on the foil board. To me, the towing didn't look too bad though I didn't have too much success, I was able to do short flights. At first it was only kneeling and you had to be able to control the board left and right behind the boat out to the sides. Then when it looked like you got it, they started to go a bit faster so that the board would start flying with you still kneeling and only then would you try it standing on the board. It was the two of us, with a 55yr old kite surfer guy, we changed after each phase so it wasn't like the you went from kneeling to standing up in a few minutes. The instructor was also pretty mindful about the speed constantly watching what's the minimum you needed for the next phase. The foil stayed under the water during all of our falls which might have been because of the speed (and probably also because of only being able to do short and low flights :) )

[@carlesmicro]

Great video! Thank you! I’m a complete beginner. Last day, after falling down, the front of the board came back floating at low speed to me. It crushed my front tooth. No injury happened, but I’m considering a teeth protector. What do you think?

[@PiperEMcDermot]

You could, but also maybe just get into the habit of bringing one forearm up in front of your face every time you crash. After you’ve hit the water with the wing in hand. It’s a habit I developed when surfing, after a virtually slow-mo collision between my board and my eye after the board rebounded along the surface after a fall - better a bruised arm than a broken tooth!

[@PiperEMcDermot]

You could, but also maybe just get into the habit of bringing one forearm up in front of your face every time you crash. After you’ve hit the water with the wing in hand. It’s a habit I developed when surfing, after a virtually slow-mo collision between my board and my eye after the board rebounded along the surface after a fall - better a bruised arm than a broken tooth!

[@PiperEMcDermot]

You could, but also maybe just get into the habit of bringing one forearm up in front of your face every time you crash. After you’ve hit the water with the wing in hand. It’s a habit I developed when surfing, after a virtually slow-mo collision between my board and my eye after the board rebounded along the surface after a fall - better a bruised arm than a broken tooth!

[@PiperEMcDermot]

You could, but also maybe just get into the habit of bringing one forearm up in front of your face every time you crash. After you’ve hit the water with the wing in hand. It’s a habit I developed when surfing, after a virtually slow-mo collision between my board and my eye after the board rebounded along the surface after a fall - better a bruised arm than a broken tooth!

[@PiperEMcDermot]

You could, but also maybe just get into the habit of bringing one forearm up in front of your face every time you crash. After you’ve hit the water with the wing in hand. It’s a habit I developed when surfing, after a virtually slow-mo collision between my board and my eye after the board rebounded along the surface after a fall - better a bruised arm than a broken tooth!

[@lihenow]

Scary

[@darrenborn307]

I have injured my ribs twice now whilst learning to gybe. I think whats happening is as the board is turning in the gybe and it starts to tilt too far I try to push myself clear of the board with my feet but they slip on the deck causing it to go vertical and then I rag doll over the edge of the board on my rib cage. similar to a few shots in the video. 'Im hoping I work out for sure what I'm doing wrong soon as the pain and recovery time is very inconvenient and the fear now of it happening again is already playing on my mind !! Would love to know if I'm the only unco suffering from this problem ??

[@Klipster-hx2jz]

You are not alone. Same happened to me twice. Came both time out nowhere at the end of a gybe that suddenly the board was sitting on its side I and hit the edge of the board really badly with my upper ribs. Still looking for a better impact vest than the standard ones in case that happens again...

[@dazcar54]

I recently upgraded to a Forward WIP vest and am really happy with it. Comes with a zippered section for car keys and a hook as well in case I start using a harness line.

[@NoSignificantName]

Helmet is safe On Garda Lake my board hit me when loosing foil control in full speed from behind. I bitten my tougue but that was not so bad.

[@kitesurfcollege]

Thanks for sharing Stefan - I'm glad it wasn't too bad. So did you fall off the front of the board and then the board caught up with you? Do you remember if you nose dived the board or breached etc?

[@stevenfloyd5135]

Life jacket should be worn - 1. Act as an impact vest, 2. Means you dont have to tread water and hit the foil with your feet, 3. Can carry food water, tool and phone , 4. when you get knocked out by your foil or a jet ski might be found.

[@kitesurfcollege]

Thanks Steven.

[@seancrosby4392]

I go back and forth between life jacket and impact vest. My life jacket has a few too many places that leashes get caught up in and can really be a tangle. But pockets are nice!

[@skobichevskii]

jeez, I hope that guy skewered by the foil was okay. that looks like a very nasty fall.

[@kitesurfcollege]

Hi. That's Thomas Burblies, in a clip from a few years ago, while he was getting started with wingfoiling. I spoke to him before making the video. He said it didn't really hurt at all, but maybe he has a harder head than me.