Windski versus Kitewing !

Guy Trudeau is well known in Montreal for his free-style and his life dedication to windsurfing. He has designed a decent windskate for land windsurfing and also a windski for the winter. He runs a website called windskate.ca.

Clique to Enlarge

Ironically there also seems to be a more commercial site called windskate.com.
Which came first ? The chicken or the egg ?? { the rooster }

In any case, the reason for this post is, recently Guy posted regarding an outing with himself on his infamous windski and a friend with a kitewing on a snowboard. This was on Guy's blog linked from his website. It is in French and can be found here: Windski versus kitewing!


Because I have always been intrigued by both the windski and the kitewing, I found the article very interesting. I hope Guy does not mind that I translate it here - and i do give him FULL credit :-)

                   ------------------- Here it is in Hinglish :-) ------------------------------


Recently, I went out on my windski with Greg on his kitewing! I had already tried the kitewing with a skateboard but I had not seen what the kitewing looked like out on the snow! 


On the last Sunday of February, we had excellent conditions for sailing on snow-ice. There was ice and hard snow. In some places, there was a base of packed snow + or - 10 cm. They were the perfect conditions to test and compare my windski design with the kitewing!

On the one hand, I had my windski with all the experience I have  riding this thing and the other side, there was Greg with all the experience he may have with a few hours of snowboarding and practice with the kitewing. 

Although the two concepts perform differently in different conditions, the conditions were such that it worked very well for Greg and I. The La Prairie Basin was ice further out to sea and snowiest near the highway. I rode closer to the water  further out and Greg stayed closer to the highway, but we randomly crossed the center of the basin, often at full speed! Anyhow - we had lots of fun!

It would have been very pleasant to film everything to give a good idea of ​​what we could do with 15-20 knots. I had a camera with me but the battery charge dropped, probably due to the cold! By heating the batteries, we were able to take some pictures but only poorly on this beautiful day! 


Basically, here are the differences noticed: 


Rigging: the windski is simpler and faster to rig than the kitewing 
Planing: windski is the faster takeoff /décolage than the kitewing (at least on the surface we had) 
Making by: essentially the same for the two concepts {not sure what was meant by this - translated from faire du près - which would be more like sailing close to the wind or UPWIND capabilities}
Pure Speed ​​both machines could achieve about the same speed. 
Jump: kitewing can do jumps (up to 5 'and on that day a distance of up to 20'-25' long), the windski very little! 
Flexibility: although the kitewing can jump, you can do more things with windski. 
Harness: The kitewing is more appropriate for the harness. It is not impossible to navigate with a harness windski but this was more reckless. 
BodyStress/WorkOut: the windski seems more difficult for the arms and kitewing harder on  the thighs. 


In conclusion, we can say that these are two different concepts with which one can have great fun under such ideal conditions! 


Unless it is impossible, go play outside in the winter as so often stated by the government of the 80s!

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Hope you enjoyed Guy's article as much as I did !!!
What surprised me was the idea that the kitewing with snowboard was about the same speed as the windski. I am curious if the kitewing with skis is faster ? On ice with skates I am sure it is almost unbeatable and should be able to attain speeds like the quicker ice sailboard models !!!!

This year was NOT much ice anywhere #$%^&* However, some guys in New Hampshire did manage to get some and FLY :-) Perhaps the real race would be the kites with skates or weapon of choice against these dudes !!! Nice video with "old 70's" music :-) These guys are breaking water windsurf records - doing over 53 knots/100 kph/ 60 mph !!!

BIG names in the windsurf world

It would be silly to have such a discussion on windsurfing without putting a post about some of the BIG names in the sport. The thing to remember is there are many types of windsurfing and many facets as well. For example: there are innovators in board design, sail making, fins, booms, you name it.

My discussion here is going to start with the BIG names in the sport itself. This will be the first post on the subject and i will continue this idea of thinking with future posts - since i find it interesting...

Today i wish to start with the icon Robbie Naish. This name is known throughout the windsurf world and there are now Naish boards and sails. This fellow is such an athlete, that when you see him kiting ,SUPing or even snowboarding,  he just blows you away. The Auzie forum posted this clip that says a lot about this smiley ripper from Hawaii. Some more history and discussion after...

Based on the information in the "History of Windsurfing" on this blog, in 1976 this fellow became the World Champion at the young age of 13 on an Original Windsurfer. When you think about this, it is QUITE a feat !! Apparently the windsurfers , who were also surfers, of the day, took Robbie under their wing and uphauled the sail when he could not... He wore harnesses so high that they looked like chest hooks and not around the waist. This requires patience, determination and natural skills and ability. By 1979, Robbie Naish had been World Champion four(4) times in a row running !!!

In the 80's Robbie wins the PWA titles over and over - like five(5) times in a row... It was NOT until 1988 when Bjorn Dunkerbeck dethrones Robbie.  (Will cover Dunkie more in a later post :-) No matter, Robbie apparently won kite slalom world title in 1998. So, this dude can rock !!

Even his father, Rick Naish, is known as a board shaper and surfer. Must be in the genes :-) They moved to Hawaii from California when Robbie was quite young .... Both seemed to be working for Mistral at the same time. It seems Robbie stayed with Mistral and Gaastra for quite some time. He started with his own sail company and eventually moved on to boards as well - Naish now sell kites, SUPs, etc ...

Okay besides being a world competitor with something like 24 titles, what else is he known for? He is known for his pink sail with the US1111. He is known for riding giant boards in crazy waves, jumping them AND doing loops!!!  Some of that is in the above video... Also believe he was one of the first crazies to attack JAWS - the giant waves !!!! Some say he was known for innovations in footstraps, window in the sail, harness, etc ... also "table top push loop"

He is often called a "living legend". Does all this get to his head, apparently NOT. He is described as a quiet small man, who is very modest and down-to-earth. Always a ready smile and glint in the eye = ALOHA.

Besides Hawaii , it seems Sylt became a favourite and he visited so often that he became fluent in German. Is that how he got hooked up with Porsche ?? :-)

Here is a "newer" video:

Episode Eighteen : Meet The Boss from Naish Kiteboarding on Vimeo.

and some older good stuff:





A question Christophe and I asked myself at OKA Main Beach in May 2022 was "How many windsurfers actually made a decent living with windsurfing?"

A few legends that are found quickly by searching the www are Björn Dunkerbeck, Brian Talma, Francisco Goya, Philip Köster and Jason Polakow. Names that do not show up are names like Ken Winner, Antoine Albeau, Peter Hart and Finian Maynard. If you're looking for female windsurfers, the list gets much shorter: Sarah-Quita Offringa and Daida Ruano !!

Ironically I do NOT see any Olympians in there nor sail designers like Barry Spanier. For me these are windsurf legends as well !!

As someone wrote, there are less competitions and less money. Sometimes it feels like this sport is dying in Canada. I had hoped that SUP would lead to WindSUP and then windsurfing ?!? However, even Helmut, who has three windsurf boards and one WindSUP, has never put a sail on his WindSUP :-( Not to mention kiting and windwings now. People seem a little resistant to windfoiling. Claude from OKA told me it took him three summers to dial it in and he IS a good windsurfer !! 

To me there are too many issues for kitefoiling AND windfoiling - water depth, inconsitent winds, etc etc ...

Difficult to predict the future on this one !!

 

In September 2025 I was disappointed when I saw Robby Naish in this video:

 

 

Nothing wrong with the fellow EXCEPT for his loyal support of Red Bull.
For me that's real red BULL...SHIT man !!

Windsurfing on Land ??

It seems water windsurfing hit mainstream in California and then in the seventies it boomed in Germany. Not really sure where it is MOST popular now, although I have seen some clips with lots of activity in Japan. Also just read that windsurfing is still more popular in France and Germany than in the U.S. of A. In case you have NOT heard - Windsurfing Magazine is NOT publishing in 2012 !!!!

Ice windsurfing has some popularity in NE United States, but seems to be even bigger in the Scandinavian countries. There also does seem to be some snow windsurf activity, but not too much. Snow seems to be more kite and ski oriented - here in Montreal in any case...

What about windsurfing on land ?? Since the season between water and winter windsurfing seems longer than usual this year, I thought I would investigate ... In Holland and the UK the "whike" seems to have caught on {i am NOT sure how they pronounce it !!} The whike is like a specialized tricycle with a specialized sail {not a windsurf sail}. In the UK they seem to be allowed on bike paths AND roads !! Think they cost something like 3500 Euros in Holland $%^&*()

Also from the UK comes the turfdog, which simply looks like an altered "mountain skateboard". I tried to order one on-line just to check the price and it was around $700 !!

Locally Guy Trudeau Jr. shows you how to make a windskate using a skateboard. He uses one to practice his freestyling {not that this fellow needs any practice !!}.

You can check Guy out at www.windskate.ca and here is a clip of his tricks on land:

Since I am NOT a free-styler, I am guessing I would be better off with a "mountain skateboard" like a "turfdog". As I am always on a budget, it will be something I make from leftovers :-)

As long as I do NOT look like these clowns :-) {another video GONE} $%^&*(

Unca Freddy just informed me that the lake is frozen up north with a fine crust of snow on top and snowmobiles have passed by...

Forget the land thing - i'm goin' up north and ice windsurfing !!!

Update - was at 30noeuds today and they sell "land surfers" between $283 and $600 where the deluxe model actually has a brake. Employee/owner told me he has been selling many to dog owners !! They use them to "train" the dogs ie the dog pulls them !!


Why not go all out like this ??

and then there are always more - these are from the Auzzie w/s forum

In fall 2015 I started investigating how to get more time out (not necessarily TOW/ on water) since cold weather is NOT always the easiest nor the most comfortable of conditions ... And so, chatted with GTJ of Montreal who sells different versions around $200. 30noeuds sells MBS Mountainboards , but it is around $350...  Hardboot of Wasaga Beach uses a land skate. And I discovered there is a Hungarian company making 3 wheeled Deska boards ...

Mountainboard

Hardboot land skate

xxx

Deska Board

The Longboard Revival

I have written about my "new" 1990 Fanatic Ultra CAT longboard in another post. I have always been a longboarder and only recently a shortboarder - last four(4) years.

In case you have not noticed SUPs are gaining popularity. Some of them accommodate windsurf sails.

The KONAs are gaining popularity too and seem to be going towards a one-board race class/division.

However, longboards are also coming back in the limelight. Even if it is getting difficult to purchase a brand new one. For me it was not just an availability issue, but also a cash issue. The CAT is a classique and i love it already.

No discussion on this subject would be complete without a mention of the infamous LBWS site and forum. They seemed to be out of commission for a bit , butt are now back in full force !! Check them out at : http://www.lbwindsurfing.com

The LBWS site discusses some of the latest boards which donut even seem to be available yet:

Exocet RS D2 - where D2 seems to mean the DIV II nose
Starboard Phantom 377 with batwings
AHD Tactik supposed to be "good in 0 to 15 knots" and supposed to plane in 10 knots

An interesting thing about the Exocet is that Richard Reatti aka "yagon" of LBWS had sent plans to Exocet that never materialized and yet the RS D2 looks JUST like the plans !!! You can read all about this on the LBWS website.

Interesting board just the same !!
Was showing video here, butt now they mark it as private ^&*
Believe I have managed to download it and share it here...



Fanatic was supposed to come out with a newer version of the CAT in 2006, butt that never happened. On the Fanatic forum and the LBWS forum members are screaming for this board !!! Here's an article about the board that never was : http://www.boardseekermag.com/equipment_reviews/equipment/fanatic_megacat_2006.htm

So, why the renewed interest in the more traditional longboards ? A longer board glides better. Most of the new modern boards do NOT schlog well. In light winds a raceboard can plane up early and can be used in winds up to about 25 knots. Talk about your one board solution !! {I still have three boards just the same :-) }


People are saying these boards are more difficult to learn on. I still use an 80's  BIC Dufour Wing to teach people who have never been on a board. First they play on a Mistral Windglider to get a feel for the wind and sail and then i pop the same sail on the BIC. AND OFF THEY GO !!!


One thing I always loved about the longboards was the cruising about on a beautiful sunny day. NOT something one does on a formula board or shortboard - not even a 160 liter !!


So, check out the LBWS link further up in this post - they do have some videos too. ENJOY :-)

When one speaks of RACE longboards - and even longboards, the question often comes up as to which sail(s) to use !! So far I have successfully used older sails that still rig on epoxy masts and also my more modern Maui Sails. There were a Pursuit , MS-2 and a TR-4. Usually i rig them with the leech tighter than usual. This seems to be ideal for this type of board. In Toronto it seems they are amour-ed with the Severne Racesails - 9.5.  They do not seem to have them here in Montreal. On the StarBoard forum Remi mentions the use of the Severne Overdrive 8.5 - and they have a StarBoard Race sail too. I have asked on the Maui Sails forum if they were considering making specialized sails for winter windsurfing and longboards. Does NOT look like that is going to happen soon ... Cambered sails are nice because they retain their shape through lulls and help the board glide on through ... Just saw that Severne longboard sails are called "Dagger" now...

James Douglass "stole" my idea and wrote his own post/article on the subject called new-and-weird-gear-that-i-want-to-try {Great minds think alike, fools seldom differ ...} James took it a little further and included some of the boards for the up n coming lighter folks AND some interesting boards like SUPs that may go well with windsurfing AND the new trend in formula, where the board is a giant rectangle ie almost one meter all the way along. 
We won't discuss the fact that the post contains a new idea in kites :-)

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In OCT 2013 this MegaCAT sold on e-bay for $325. Reserve was about $300 and asking $375. If it was NOT North Carolina and i had not just purchased my Mistral Equipe i would have been VERY tempted. At the same time they were discussing the longboard "craze" on iwindsurf:
http://www.iwindsurf.com/forums

May 2014 - halo777 has purchased a "sport" version of the RSD2. It is not the carbon version and as such is a little heavier and probably more durable. There is actually a potential for me to try this board, as it is in Toronto !! I am drooling already ...

So, yes I purchased a Mistral Equipe I/one in 2013. Sold it at the beginning of 2016 and purchased a Mistral Equipe II/2. Actually purchased the 2 before I sold the one. Also sold my Fanatic Ultra CAT at the same time in order to reduce costs in the year 2016. The Equipe II/2 that I purchased has the standard issue with the gasket wearing out. My model is the carbon XR and is VERY light for its size. For light winds in the 20 kph range I cannot say that I have had anything better. Now we need to see how it does in the bigger winds - since it was a raceboard in  it's time ... Will post a pic when I get a good one !!

Also, DIV II/2s are starting to show up on the marker !! People must be aware of the rekindling of interest cuz none of them are under $300. At $200 I would venture an attempt, but perhaps the price will drop ??

This one interests me the most, but is asking $300: