The AXIS Surge Surf Foil Review

This things been hinted at for probably over 12 months now, but its finally upon us and live!

This is a very wordy blog post- which will hopefully portray the excitement i have for this foil. Evolution in design is happening quickly within the foiling world - this foil couldn't exist without the wings before it - and its great to look back at the foils that have come before to see where we are now.

I was lucky enough to travel to the American Windsports show in Hood River a couple of months ago and managed to bag myself a go on a couple sizes of a pre production model of this foil. I prized them out of the hands of Adrian Roper, Larry Foiler and Frank Maffei straight away and put them to good use on the water for as long as I could. Immediately, this became the best AXIS foil I'd ridden to date. Granted, it fits my style of riding to  a tee (and thats worth keeping in mind when you're considering your next foil purchase).

I like riding waves. Whether its Wing, Parawing, Foil Assist or SUP Foil - I want to be on a wave, and this is exactly where the Surge is aimed to be. I'd argue that foiling in most disciplines is 'surfing', but I do appreciate that if you're more likely to spend time smashing about on flat water at high speeds - there are other wings that will do the job better.

AXIS have always been awesome at producing the best big wings on the market. Dock start, light wind winging, SUP foil and Downwind - they dominate. The smaller sized wings are great, but perhaps don't roll left to right on a wave quite as well as some other brands on the market. This is where the Surge differs. Adrian has been hesitant to add 'Moustache' to his foils in the past, as he didn't quite think the positives out weighed the negatives of the design element. He's finally sussed it and has managed to give us a wing which not only rolls beautifully but has decent glide as well as huge amounts of drive in the pump. My wave riding skills shot up a level after my very first session - turns were easier, tighter and more powerful - and i could easily link waves in the gorge on the 890 in most conditions and the 830 in bigger conditions.

In the video below, Adrian and Mark discuss everything about the new Surge!

Who's it for?

Wave riders, first and foremost. Arguably intermediate riders upwards - although looking at the bigger sizes that are due to be released in the near future i'd be curious to see how a beginner would get on them. They're early lifting and not overly spanny - so they could be a winner.

If you're dropping your Wing on waves, stashing your Parawing in bunched up decent swell or riding waves on SUP/Foil assist/Prone - these are the wings for you. They roll, they pump, they lift early and they glide. Don't be too put off by the surface area - these pump great.

What if I don't ride waves all the time?

The Surge still rips in the flats - if you like smashing carving gybes and tacks its still a belter and you'd benefit from its roll ability in the cornering - but its not the quickest foil in the world, with its need to sit in the pocket of a wave and not out run it. The likes of the Art V2 and Fireballs will do a better job here at smashing about at full speed with a tonne of glide. 

If you're spending more time in open water with a Wing, Parawing or SUP - riding longer, flatter bumps and linking waves - the Fireball has got to be the one. The efficiency of those foils makes them far more appropriate and they'll glide a tonne more to give you more time to move from swell to swell. The Surge works well on shorter downwind SUP runs where the bumps line up with power - but for most occasions in open water, the Fireballs and the Tempos are best suited here.

What sizes should I be looking at?

At 82kg I spent most of my time on the 890 Parawinging and I can see this being one of the more all round sizes to give the best balance of ease and performance. For powered wing conditions the smaller sizes will pair well with the 890 to give you choice of light winds/small waves and bigger winds/bigger waves. The 830 was awesome to parawing when conditions were bigger but obviously harder to link waves when it got smaller. For winging though when you only drop the wing while on waves I can see this foil and the two sizes below being monsters.

For those bigger riders or those likely to want more glide in lighter conditions - the 950 and 1010 are being well regarded by those having spent time with them. I watched Mark Shinn Foildrive the 1010 with ease in shoulder high waves and come in grinning from ear to ear, claiming it his favourite foil to date. Likewise i've watched the 950 be wake foiled behind an incredibly poor RIB wake - the early lift capabilities on a relatively short span foil making it a doddle to keep up and still rip.