Full throttle over the regatta course, a sleek jibe around the buoy and preferably crossing the finish line first - many surfers are in racing fever. Whether you're chasing your personal record with a GPS on your arm or fighting for the best places in the German Windsurf Cup, you need equipment that is unconditionally designed for top speed. Of course, the surf industry also has the right products in its range for this very special target group, which are often based on experience from the World Cup circuit - because here, too, the discipline of "slalom" is a permanent fixture. The term race slalom boards as such is actually somewhat contradictory here, as "slalom" in skiing, for example, is a discipline with lower speeds and the closest possible gate distance. In windsurfing, however, slalom boards are uncompromisingly designed for straight-line speed and control at high speeds. Turning ability and riding comfort, on the other hand, are absolutely secondary.
Race slalom boards are characterised by the following features:
Slalom boards are very special boards! If you have the necessary riding skills, you can use them to whip across the water noticeably faster than on any other board class. The board size is often specified in terms of width, the volume is of secondary importance.
The far-out strap positions require a high level of riding ability, which is why intermediates and most hobby surfers are wrongly advised to use them. In case of doubt, as a hobby surfer, you can get the same speed out of a normal freeride board with a moderate strap position as on an uncomfortable racing board whose potential cannot be fully utilised - with much greater riding and jibing comfort! Moreover, using slalom boards only makes sense with the right camber sails - i.e. race or freerace sails.
Ideal sail types for this board group:Race or freerace sails with cambers
