FORESIGHT

Benoit Carpentier, the multi-talented and award winning French foiler gives us his take on just how bright the future of the sport is looking…

Photos: Kilian Burac

  • One of the most exciting things about this sport is how it turns practically any stretch of water into your personal playground. Whether it’s waves in the Pacific, a glassy European lake, or some hidden, off-the-beaten-path spot that hasn’t been discovered yet, the possibilities are nuts. The only real obstacles are depth, water temperature, and seaweed! As long as there’s enough water for your foil to work, nearly any waterway is fair game. As the tech gets better, more and more spots are becoming accessible, even in colder climates or remote rivers that once felt off-limits. The gear keeps pushing boundaries, and so do we, and at this point, the only real limits are the ones we set ourselves!
  • In the next few years, I think foiling is going to grow huge. It’s easy to imagine it becoming a staple like surfing, sailing, and other water sports. Big names like John John Florence, Gabriel Medina, and even Mark Zuckerberg are already flying the foiling flag, which is helping to draw more eyes to the sport.

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  • Foiling tech has come a long way in a short time, and it doesn’t seem to be slowing down. New materials and construction techniques are making foils lighter, stronger, and smoother to ride. These advancements aren’t just for the pros either, they’re also making the sport easier for beginners to dive into. Take the e-foil, for example… motorized boards that let anyone try foiling without needing waves or wind. Set aside the cost maybe, but they’ve opened the door for casual beachgoers and tech enthusiasts alike.
  • On the competitive front, foiling is still in its early days really, but there’s a lot of promise on the horizon. Events like the Wing Foil World Tour are just the beginning. As the sport grows, we’ll likely see new disciplines, tours, and formats emerge. More athletes will push the limits, and we’ll see the next wave of young stars figuring out what’s possible on the latest gear. The innovation will keep it fresh. It may not be too long before we start seeing insane tricks like triple front flips, and people pumping across miles of flat open water without even touching down…

 

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