Postby jumptheshark » Thu Jun 21, 2018 5:53 pm
Cheers,
I'm generally foiling for myself, though its lonely enough that the occasional spectator still has a bit of draw!
Im just squarely a onewheel kinda guy. Took a nano second to recognize that they had the right idea. No desire to even try a hoverboard or any of the other motorized wheels that have you forward facing. No desire to try a motorized skateboard either... Intuitively, a remote is just a non starter when the onewheel has such an elegant solution that is integral to the joy. Its just my gut identifying what feels like a good fit for me. I couldn't care less really if someone wants to foil in ski stance full time. I just giggle at how many kiters choose to do things that I personally find aesthetically grating. But hey, its a free world... well some of it. It's not like I have never foiled with my feet close together. Everyone should experiment and play around with the balance point and foot movement. There are lots of things that I can do that I simply choose not to.
Foiling is in its infancy and there are loads of "styles" yet to be explored. We all look to others for inspiration, but in the end what we end up looking like is pretty much of our own design. The hydrofoil video thread is kinda interesting. There are only a minority of clips that I can get any real enjoyment from. Narrow stance, even when really really advanced like Greg Drexler is not as attractive to me as a slightly wider stance. Where I can watch Greg catch and ride waves all day long, (the lines he draws are hypnotizing) the kite whirling and endless rotations are less compelling to me. Same can be said for some wide stance riders. Oyvind is clearly pretty skilled, but I can't get much inspiration there. Something about the frequency and character of the movement that just doesn't do it for me, where in truth, he's not far off what I strive to be doing, just a very different aesthetic. Peter Frank has a nice stance, and even when he's not doing much, I can enjoy watching because there is always an element of flow from one carve to the next. Straight lines like racing.... I can't watch but for the crashes and tangles! Nicolas has probably the strongest style in my opinion as it hits all the points Im going for minus some of the airs. Do I look like him when I ride..... likely not, but thats where Im going.
Other things I just can't really get behind. Rodeo airs with a surfboard. Its a gimmick that has already had too much air time. So lame compared to a straight up massive no hands strapless air. Anything that is not super high that has a bunch of dangle. Dangling for the sake of twirling your board. Airstyle, wake, surf, foil. Doesn't really matter, there are advanced riders in all fields that kill it, and there are those that clash with my eye. Have stopped looking to see what Toby will do next over that bit of sand in Brazil. He might well be the polar opposite to what I find aesthetically pleasing in kiting, but its not an airstyle thing. I can watch almost all of what Dimitry or Tom Hebert do quite happily.
When wake gets too technical, I tune out in favour of the simple more layed out and well timed riders.... Jason Slezak, Brandon Sheid, Shannon Best, Marc Jacobs and any other riders with mass have always been more compelling than the tiny guys who can fit three rotations into the same time and space.
Wave, its guys like Rebstock and Aldridge that prioritize wave and carve and power over the flippy stuff from other high end talents like Mitu or Airton.
Foil is still new, so there are only a few examples. There will be loads of talent emerging, but among them, there will always be those who truly manage the alchemy of timing, stance, position, power and move to hit all the serotonin buttons in my brain. I certainly know what Im working toward when I see it, and its a gut level understanding.