The Parawing: Where Paraglider Technology Meets Wing Foiling
Designed to get you effortlessly downwinding on lakes or at sea, the parawing is our newest tool to get you flying across the water in various weather conditions. Imagine a cross between a paraglider and a wing foil wing: that’s a parawing. Riding waves with freedom now looks totally different with our latest piece of equipment, the Roger; when powered it’ll get you upwind to catch the swell, and then it’s easily depowered and tucked away so that you’re cruising hands-free. The wings, bars and bridles are all colour-coded, so as to make finding the leading and trailing edges quickly. The upwind performance is remarkable, powering you quickly and effectively to where you want to go, then stall the parawing and fold it away until you need to re-deploy.
The ROGER might not be for discoverers of wing foiling, however we encourage anyone to give it a try. The deployment actions are built to be as effortless as possible, as we’ve designed a parawing that avoids tangling when wet or crumpled. Although we recommend flying on longer, downwind boards like THE WALTZ for ease of take off in lighter winds, you can definitely try the ROGER with more traditional boards like the ROCK’N’ROLL but it will be a lot harder to take off. You’ll always want to remember to take a leash with you, connected to your board, so as not to lose sight of too many pieces of equipment all at once!
Balz Müller:
The parawing opens new opportunities for surf foiling! Especially downwind foiling when there’s onshore wind (now I‘ll do zigzag lines out/in ) or in challenging crosswell – I just pick the fun bumps and ride them all in – knowing I‘ll be up on the foil super easily again. Then the parawing is also an amazing support at spots where you have to reach far offshore to get into the great conditions. But then I also love to use the parawing at wavespots with sideshore winds as you can drag yourself (like behind a ski elevator) out to the peak then pack the parawing and surf hands-free back in.
Using the Parawing:
Get Started on the Beach: With any wing-related gear, we encourage discoverers to familiarise themselves with the equipment on the beach. The Roger is no exception. Walking back and forth along the beach or lake shore will help you get comfortable handling the parawing, and finding that sweet spot on the bar. Pulling closer to the front lines powers the wing, while tilting it back causes it to stall. Always keep a little tension on the back line to keep the wing responsive to your command (just not too much!)
Launching: After some practice on the beach, try launching it on the water. Deploying it from seated on your board gives you the best control, starting the ROGER from kneeling can be tricky at times, especially when the waters are choppy. Hold the ROGER by its leading edge with one hand, and the bar with the other, then throw the leading edge into the air, it shouldn’t hit the water at all. Let the parawing catch the wind and then stabilise. From there you should be able to get yourself onto your knees, then to your feet. If the wind conditions are light, you may need to practise some pumping action in order to get that lift. Once you’re powered, search for a Bump to ride then depower the parawing.
Depowering: The best way of de-powering the ROGER is by keeping your hand close to the back lines, tilting the handle down so that it stalls, then you can grab those lines, tuck them in and fold it up. You’ll want the bar on the outside of the canopy, ready for the next launch. Watch Balz power and depower the Roger here.
Riding Swell: Once airborne, you might not want to pack away the parawing immediately, the wind might die down or you might lose momentum on a wave. Practise launching and depowering the parawing to exercise familiarity with the ROGER. Should your parawing take an unexpected swim, fear not. The single-skin canopy, crafted from lightweight and durable material, is designed to float on the water’s surface, awaiting your next flight.
The Development Process
The team behind the development of the ROGER has extensive history in the paragliding industry; Patrick Aggeler, our in-house product and wing designer brings his knowledge of paragliding design to this parawing. His expertise was used to harness the understanding of performance, canopy design and handling, and safety protocols. With this sound knowledge, we believe we’ve designed a parawing that is driven by performance and delivers a smooth, controlled flight experience.
In fact, when Michi Naf came into our design office with videos of early attempts of this new discipline, Patrick ran home and returned with a prototype that he had made some twenty years ago.
We believe the ROGER is for people looking for more downwinding scope. The ease of being able to pack it away and be completely hands-free is a real freedom when you’re riding the waves. It’s also a lot more forgiving than using a paddle to get upwind, paddling is much more strenuous and you’re still left with a paddle in your hands once you’re flying. Having the ROGER as part of your quiver also gives you an abundance of time to practise skills like pumping without having to dock-start or abandon your inflated wing! We don’t think the parawing is a replacement for wings; it offers a unique, more leisurely experience, prioritising stability and ease of access over speed and agility.
While we have not yet achieved the upwind efficiency of our latest generation Wings, like the SCORE Ltd, the ROGER, once mastered, can offer an upwind transit to the top of your favourite runs saving some of the complications of downwind SUP Foiling. See it as a chairlift in your pocket!
If you’re interested in starting your wing foiling journey, check out our various wings, foils and boards here. Want to find your nearest dealer of wing foiling equipment? Use our Store Locator.
