Para-Wing: Ensis launches Para-Wing "Roger" with optimised bar and paragliding expertise

The Ensis Roger is the Swiss label's first para-wing and will be available from 15 December with a surface area of three square metres. Balz Müller has already shown us the idea behind the para-wing using a prototype: The kite is the drive to get on the foil in light winds and ride against the waves. Downwind, it can then be retrieved and stowed away in seconds, leaving your hands and arms free to ride the waves in the best possible way.

Balz Müller in para-wing fever - "I see an incredible future for this new sport"

The biggest challenge during development was guiding the lines, as Balz explained at the time. With the Ensis Roger, the risk of tangles should now be minimised. "If it does happen, the 3-point line system makes it easy to untangle. The bar has a central hole through which the centre lines can be fed and attached to a leash. This arrangement simplifies depowering and re-deployment," Ensis promises.

Another feature is the design: "The para-wing, bar and lines are colour-coded so that you can quickly and easily identify the leading and trailing edges of the wing," explain the Swiss and promise: "An extremely stable design, precise power control and excellent downwind performance make the Ensis Roger more than just a downwind companion - it offers experienced foilers an incomparable experience on the water."

Paragliding know-how for the Para-Wing

Patrick Aggeler, an expert in paragliders, is involved in the development of the Roger: "Right from the start, Patrick was enthusiastic about the idea of developing a para-wing, as he saw it as the perfect combination of his two areas of expertise," writes Ensis. In terms of performance, handling and safety, he incorporated experience from the paragliding sector into the design of the Ensis Roger.

The idea of being pulled into the waves with the help of a mini-kite and stowing it while downwind comes from Hawaii. There, the para-wing is already a new hype, but there are also critical voices about the new trend, mainly due to the potential danger of the open lines. Foil freak Balz Müller initially experimented with an old stunt kite and an extension of the mast as a bar, from which the first prototypes of the Para-Wing were then created. According to Balz, mid-length boards with relatively small foils are ideal for use. The first Para-Wings in series production came from Boardriding Maui, and now Ensis has followed suit.

How to use a para-wing