Author Topic: Interesting perspective; some good points from a vendor with sour grapes (IMO)  (Read 5224 times)

beached

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2 things made me laugh in that piece:

'‘Wing Surfing’ is now the latest must do, revolutionary diversionary idea, seen as the best thing since bottled beer or sliced bread'

...it's funny to me how the only times i read such superlatives of this option are from those who dismiss it.

'While it (foiling) has merits, it does deny you some of the sensory pleasures in not being in direct contact with water'

...that's like saying eating denies you the pleasure of breathing. when one foils, it does not mean they give up all their other activities. i started kite foiling (after years of regular surf/twintip kiting) for the same exact reason i started kiting (after years of windsurfing); i got tired of sitting on the beach watching others enjoy themselves in lighter winds. it doesn't deny me anything, but provides me more water time. when it's blowing hard, i still somehow manage to find my surfboard and go kiting. and when the waves are nice with no wind, i still manage to find my SUP and go surfing.

Wingsurfing and foiling are not water sport killers; they are water sport additions.

singingdog

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OMG, how did that get past any kind of quality control/editing process?!? I expect better writing from a high school student.
This has to be a joke, or else the entire marketing division of Mistral took a week off and left the intern in charge.

"At this point you have an ‘over-shooting’ of the market, where the ‘original’ idea has outgrown the original idea of simplicity, complicity and affordability."  Classic  :o

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I wonder how worked up the naysayers are going to be when the first product is actually available. 

ukgm

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It seems like the writer was asked to do a blog post to explain why Mistral will be the last company to offer a wing.  :)

The title should be, "Confused? You will be in 10 paragraphs".  This type of every thought is sacred writing is the result of teachers being shamed out of using their red pens.  What circular bunk.

Windsurfing did not fail because of complexity.  That is just repeated nonsense.  It ran its course.  The people who loved it stuck with it, advanced and wanted more advanced gear.  That happens. 

There are critics of everything.  If you listen to them you will stay in bed all day.  Something truly has no merit if it is not being bashed online (typically by a group that is desperately trying to justify their time investment in a waning activity).

There are plenty of women wing foiling already. 

For all the foil danger, where are the injuries? (yes, we have seen the one guy with the gashed head)

There is a correct order for something to be fun?  Who decides that?
I recognise the writing style - that's Steve West writing I'd guess.

RideTheGlide

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The reality of SUP now is that it is beginners on inflatables that they bought at Walmart for 150 dollars. There are 500 of those in Europe for every one person who foils. So foils and all the other off-piste devices are so niche that they aren’t worth worrying about. Fine if you live in the right place, have the right income, and have the time to develop the skills. But for the rest of us, moaning about these activities is like moaning about ski jumping. Why bother? How is what these people are doing going to affect you?

Back in Roman times there are written reports by of the elders complaining that youngsters are racing their new chariots around the city too fast. That’s what you do when you get old and feel creeping irrelevance coming on: you start moaning about everything that the kids are trying. Don’t ask me how I know this :)
Wing foiling isn't just a niche; it's a niche within a niche within a niche. The vast majority of SUP paddlers don't surf. Most SUP surfers aren't foiling. I am less sure about how many foilers will try a wing, but probably still a minority.

Maybe Mistral has some loyal customers asking them about foils. If their business is dropping off, I doubt foils are the cause. But I think he is right about how everyone gets fixated on the latest innovation. In my mind's eye, I can see myself using a wing and I talk about them with other paddlers and read up on them. The reality is I will probably never own one unless they get so popular that cheap knock offs start showing up. If they start renting them at the beach or someone I know gets one I might try it.
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PonoBill

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I used to tell the writers that worked for me that they needed to edit their stuff before I saw it, and after I edited it they needed to edit again. Without that process anything written is the uncomfortable junction between what you meant to say and what you remembered to type. That bag of poorly considered words coupled to a nearly incoherent thought process is a fine example of the alternative. I have no idea what he was trying to say, and no idea if any of the notions are worth examining.
« Last Edit: June 15, 2019, 08:33:26 AM by PonoBill »
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Wetstuff

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I am pretty much with you, RTG.   I'll happily skip nature's Jetski, but having kited for over a decade, the wing makes sense for a lot of uses. It's potentially a 12-month item without a fricking 20-meter line set.

Your nose is on it also: wait 'till there is a v.3.  Already I see control variations and 'non-pros' doing a lot of herky-jerky.  They should be easy to make (Robert from Blueplanet) because the Asian contractor base and quality materials are well established.

No v.1 for me, but I will keep my eyes open.

Jim
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I recognise the writing style - that's Steve West writing I'd guess.

Acid would be a decent excuse.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=V_5PUxijVwo


eastbound

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grumbling about change is often hasbeen sour grapes that the world is flying past

in case the largely unintelligible comment was, in fact, grumbling about change

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JEG

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Mistral should focus on making and competing against other brands  ;)

 


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