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The GWA World Cup for Wingfoiling showcased a nearly brand-new discipline last week in Pozo, Gran Canaria: The Big-Air! Participants are jumping over 10 meters high with their wingfoil setups. Bowien van der Linden, Dutch Wingfoiler and former GWA World Champion, explains what Big-Air is all about, how to achieve the highest jumps, and the gear you need.

Big-Air focuses primarily on how high you can go, but the technique of the jump is also considered in the scoring. Height accounts for 70% of the score, while technique makes up the remaining 30%. Each heat consists of three or four competitors on the water, taking turns to jump in an orderly fashion, as you can see on the livestream. Two participants advance, and two are eliminated. The height is measured using the ‘Surfr’ app. The competition provides phones to all participants, which measure the height, and this data is visible to the judges, and you can see it on the livestream.

Technique and Tips for the Highest Jumps

The most important factor for achieving high jumps is generating a lot of speed. Additionally, having a lot of pop is crucial; this means pressing hard on your back foot during takeoff to get more pop and shoot upwards. During the launch, it's important to place your arms as wide as possible on your handles/boom. For the foil, you want the smallest possible foil to achieve a high starting speed, and a large wing to maximize lift. However, ensure you are not overpowered. Sometimes, people choose too large a wing, which hampers their takeoff despite providing a lot of lift. As for gear, a standard 85 mast is recommended for everyone, and most people prefer using a freestyle board. Due to the strong winds, it can also be beneficial to use a slightly smaller board than usual since the landing is less critical. The focus is primarily on height.

What Sets Big-Air Apart from Freestyle

The main difference between Big-Air and Freestyle is the 70/30 rule for height and technique, and the absence of trick families at the moment. This means you can perform the same trick as many times as you want. Currently, many participants are doing forwards, but we might see trick families introduced next year, requiring competitors to do a mix of tricks like one forward and one backward.

For example, in the recent finals, Chris McDonald performed a double backflip twice and won the final with a score of 9.5, despite not jumping higher than 6.4 meters. This was somewhat controversial as other competitors like Malo were jumping around 10 meters. But, since this is such a new sport, especially the Big-Air discipline, there is room for improvement and adjustments for next year.

Stay tuned for more exciting developments in the world of Wingfoiling and the Big-Air discipline! If you have any questions or want to know more, feel free to reach out

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This Article is written together with Bowien van der Linden , Dutch Wingfoiler, previous GWA World champion and coach during the Surfcenter DEFI WING Experience