Sneak preview: These freeride boards and foil combinations are included in the early glide test

"Glide longer - no matter how!" was the brief for our test of the super gliders and foils, and it presented the test crew with a real luxury problem: too much wind! And we're not talking about Pozo here, but about our test options of the Baltic Sea or Lake Garda. 20 to 25 knots in fantastic early summer weather were the order of the day in the north - days that we usually lick our fingers for. Lake Garda proved to be merciful and allowed us to try out for a week how far we could push the planing limit down.

The test was also a duel between the systems: Of course, foils often start flying in less wind, but their top speed is limited and they require a little more experience in this class. Fin boards offer the direct windsurfing feeling that many people don't want to do without.

The Thommen gliding wonder with its own shape philosophy

The test therefore includes some of the biggest boards that the testers have had under their feet for a long time. In addition to the XXL versions of well-known freeriders such as the Starboard Carve or the Duotone Eagle, the early glide jumbo JP-Australia Super Lightwind and the noble freerider Duotone Blast E/LAB. The Thommen Gleitwunder (it really is called that) is an exciting exotic: Significantly longer than many of its competitors and with a thruster fin setup to boot, the board from the ex-Dunki shaper's plane has long piqued our curiosity. In an interview with surf, Peter Thommen and JP shaper Werner Gnigler spoke at length about their early planing philosophies on the sidelines of the test: Peter Thommen & Werner Gnigler - early gliding in light winds

On the foil side, the Duotone set of Sting Ray and Aero Glide 1000 and the Severne Alien 120 with Redwing 1200 were two combinations, while the Starboard E-Type 1400 unfortunately competed without a board. The question here was not only which wings would be an exciting alternative to the thick fins, but also which would best manage the balancing act between easy foiling and performance.

You can take a look at all the details of the test candidates in the gallery above! You can read all the test results and riding impressions in surf 8/2025, in stores from 22 July! Incidentally, all candidates would have been easy to ride with a suitably small sail even at 20 knots and more, that's how good the control is on the top. But perhaps that will be in the next test order...