Downwind foiling has transformed from a niche sport to a way to explore uncharted waters. Casper Steinfath has embraced this new frontier, turning his passion for the ocean into a relentless pursuit of adventure on the waves of Cold Hawaii. Read all about it right here!

Early Days

Do you remember the day Kai Lenny famously rode that first open ocean bump a mile offshore the coast of Maui in 2016? I do. It was the beginning of a new paradigm. And it is just crazy to witness and note how far SUP Downwind foiling has come since then.

I remember opening my laptop and seeing that video in which Kai talked about how the whole ocean was now a surf spot. I was awestruck. How was this sorcery possible? I figured, “Yeah, right—This is just a wave of hype. It will pass…” But nearly a decade later, as Kai put it, it is truly amazing to see how many foiling enthusiasts worldwide have taken to the foil and are surfing bumps in the middle of the oceans.

At the time, I was head-deep in the SUP Racing scene, chasing world titles on my regular 14-foot SUP board. I remember both Kai Lenny, James Casey, and the Spencer brothers in Maui hassling at me to get on foil. It is not that it did not catch my imagination, but I was so head-deep into SUP racing that foiling only registered as a small dot on my radar that I “eventually” would get to—and thankfully, I did.

Progression from SUP Racing to Downwind SUP Foiling

Since unofficially stepping away from SUP Racing during the pandemic, I relatively quickly jumped on the foil bandwagon. At first, like many others, I was amazed at how it turned sloppy 1-foot Danish mush burger waves into the new best thing. Soon thereafter, the gates of downwind foiling opened before me, and the foil fever became my chronic obsession.

As a SUP racer and surfer, I could use many balance and sprinting skills to accelerate my learning curve. Thanks to my longtime sponsor and mentor, Robby Naish, I was hooked up with some of the best foils at the time. I started punching away at this new challenge, and after some weeks of hard work, I managed to crack the downwind code.

It was a big new playground that had opened up, and I was thrilled to use it to explore new sides of the waters at home in Denmark.

Foiling in Denmark (aka Cold Hawaii)

One of the bodies of water I have really enjoyed exploring is the local “Limfjord,” which runs across the Jutland peninsula in Denmark. It is a brackish body of water between the North Sea and the Baltic Sea that is mainly famous for its oysters, but in recent years, a tight community of foilers has made it known for much more.

The Limfjord has become my foiling playground. It is where I honed and continued to develop my downwind foiling skills on my Naish DW Hoverboard and foils. Although we have a great open ocean downwind in Denmark, I really love these Fjord trips. They are around 10-12 km long on average, and the bumps are super regular and almost work as a linear conveyor belt when they turn on. In some ways, they are similar to the waves of the Gorge in the US.

The conveyor belt comes alive when a frequent westerly storm rolls in and the winds start blowing above 12 m/s or 25 knots. The waves progressively build up throughout the run. I often feel underpowered initially, but as I get further into the run, I eventually have to hit the break because the bumps get super steep, and my heart races. You know, the feeling we foilers live for!

I love how the Limfjord can produce high-speed bumps that put you on the very edge of your seat, while on other days, it dishes up neverending mellow rollers where highly effective speeds foil such as the Naish HA Glider 1400 and 1800 can keep you flying in perpetuity.

New Adventures

For me, foiling has represented a new challenge. I love stepping out of my comfort zone and learning the ropes of something new and difficult. In 2021, I took on the 110 km long Kattegat Strait between Denmark and Sweden on a tiny square 5ft board and foil. The equipment was top-notch then, but with more efficient foils coming to market and boards such as the 105 L Naish DW Hover under my feet, I dream of taking on new long expeditions like this again.

I really have enjoyed the new opportunities that foiling in all its forms has brought to the table. Nothing quite beats the feeling of flying down along a coastline far from the shore while screaming your guts out. It has turned my perspective of surfing on its head!

 

By Casper Steinfath

Comments