Wings in the shops

In 2019 the hand-held wing went from prototype to product, and not just at one brand. Between spring and late summer, several of the big kite and windsurf makers brought one out.

Duotone launched its Foil Wing, designed by Ken Winner, in early 2019. By June it was in the shops in four sizes, from 2 to 5 square metres, with a solid centre boom, a window, battens and dihedral. Slingshot brought its Slingwing back as the SlingWing Classic V1, an inflatable wing, in the summer. F-One, whose first wing design had come from Robert Graham in late 2018 and was tested in Cabo Verde, started selling the Swing in July. In August the Ozone WASP appeared, short for Wing Assisted Surf, Snow and Skate Propulsion. Naish had announced its Wing-Surfer in April.

From the summer of 2019 riders could choose. The new sport had products, shops and a name, even if it had two: wing foiling and wingsurfing.